Author's note: Hey, guys. So I'm a bit disappointed on not receiving any reviews for this story, so I've decided to only upload this story once a month (the first Saturday of the month) instead of twice a month and focus more on my Peter Pan story. That does not mean I'm quitting this story; it just means I won't be uploading as often. For this chapter, I'm curious if you guys like how I'm portraying Kristoff's character. For some reason, I'm not happy with how his character is coming across. I like both Elsa and Anna's character, but Kristoff I'm not so sure of. Let me know in a comment what you think about that or anything else you've noticed. See you all on the fourth of July!

Three. Arendelle's Entrance

"Ah, Arendelle, our most mysterious trade partner. Open those gates so I may unlock you secrets and exploit your riches."

—Frozen, Duke

The chill in the air could have frozen even the coldest snowman.

"What the devil was my father thinking by sending me here," Haydn voiced, his nose as blue as the lake. He stood bundled in bear fur at the edge of the ship, staring out towards the mountain ranges before him.

Although he had never been adverse to cold before, this cold seemed particularly bone chilling. He had spent many a chilly nights on the sand dunes of the desert and had even visited the mountains running parallel to his father's country, but nothing could have prepared him for this cold. He had to constantly summon up heat inside of him to keep himself warm, which made him both exhausted and peevish.

"Shall I take it that you aren't enjoying your vacation than, cousin?"

Haydn glanced behind him as his mother's brother's son came to stand beside him. Unlike most of the men of Hariq—Haydn's country in the south—, Lord Jain was quite tall. Most of the men populating Nar, the capital of Hariq, were stocky, boxy men with poor looks and great strength. Lord Jain was the opposite. He was gangly and slender, his face lean and dark. His slimness and height even outdid Haydn who was hardly a short, boxy fellow himself. Even Haydn's skin was a shade darker than his cousin's, though that could most likely be attributed to his exposure to the sun.

"I have figured out my father's motive for sending me here." Haydn continued to watch the sea and mountains before him. "He plans for me to freeze to death."

"That would be ironic indeed, considering you have the power of fire."

"Yes, but my power has its limits, and I am out of my element."

"Good." Jain's voice mocked Haydn. "Perhaps here you will learn to be less of a narcissist."

Haydn snorted, glancing at his cousin from under his bear hood. "My dear cousin, have you ever heard of the pot calling the kettle black?"

"At least I know how to behave among strangers," Jain replied calmly. "I will make you a bet, Haydn. If you do not persuade everyone, including Queen Elsa, to hate you in the first week you are here, I will shake your hand. In fact, if you can get Queen Elsa to fall in love with you before the wedding, I give you my best sword."

Haydn smirked. "Oh, you are that confident. But why would I want Queen Elsa in love with me?"

"They say she is very beautiful."

"So was Medusa."

"How about this." Jain leaned closer. "You get the queen to accept a proposal of marriage, and I will I offer you something you can't resist. I'll convince uncle to form a group of hunters to help you hunt raiders in our country."

That gave Hadyn pause. He wasn't fond of this bet, but he'd been trying to his father to approve such a group for years. And he knew his uncle always listened to his pretentious cousin.

"Alright, I'll take you up on that offer." The two men shook hands. "But I warn, I always rise to the occasion when it concerns something I want."

"We shall see."

"Arendelle is in sight!" The shout from the sailor in the crow's nest ceased the two cousins' dialogue and everyone on the ship turned to spy the great city before them.

Haydn finally set his eyes on the city, and crossed his arms as he observed the architecture. This northern architecture was so different than that in his country. Everything looked like ice, made out of light stone. The city of Arendelle was mostly surrounded by water, peering out over the lake. Its towers stood high above the water like guards overlooking their domain.

As the ship prepared to dock, the many guests aboard the ship came above deck. These were, as Lord Jain referred to them, Haydn's competitors. In the fleet of ships surrounding this boat, there were a total of thirty-two princes and kings from all over the world who had come to seek the hand of Queen Elsa of Arendelle. Though, considering the ones he had met on this particular ship, he didn't feel that intimidated.

Most of the princes were like him, forced to come here by parents. Most of them either didn't want to be here, or came here more for the food or to see if the rumors about the queen were true. Had she really frozen her entire kingdom? Did she really have the immense powers rumors contributed to her? Haydn himself was curious about just how powerful she was.

The kings, however, seemed here on a more political motivation. They came to strengthen their kingdoms and, if they married a powerful queen like Elsa, they might gain more power and political influence.

Haydn wasn't so fond of that idea. The idea that a person might become a pawn in a political battle was disgusting to him. It was the reason he had stayed out of the politics in his own country. He preferred to take a more practical hand in ruling the country, traveling to the smaller villages and killing bandits attacking travelers. He left the political bribery and manipulation to his father and cousin.

As the ship docked and everyone moved to get off, Haydn left his cousin to go up to the castle and instead opted to take his horse to its stall. With so many visitors, the palace stables were packed and, considering Haydn's horse could be difficult to handle, he decided to place it in the town stables instead, where there was more room.

Inside the stables, it felt warmer and more comfortable. Haydn figured that he might be spending a lot of time in there just for the warmth. Inside the stall, things were quieter and only the sound of animals could be heard. Brushing down his horse and feeding it, Haydn had a chance to calm his power after the trip. He had used too much of his ability, and now it needed time to regenerate.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a guitar and singing coming from an adjacent stall. His ears perked to listen to the song.

"Sven, don't you think this is nonsense. These fools run around like they're dense. But I'm glad you're just a reindeer. Cause you raise up my atmosphere."

Haydn sniggered at the hilarious song, and terrible rhyming. Curious, he exited his horse's stall and peeked around into the stall next door. He was surprised, but not too surprised because this was a different part of the world, to see a young man sprawled on the ground next to a reindeer. Haydn let out a cough.

The young man jumped, glanced up at Haydn. "I wasn't doing anything." He climbed to his feet and Haydn was pleased to find that the man reached his height. Maybe there was hope that men in Arendelle were taller.

"I didn't imply you were," Haydn pointed out. "And don't let me interrupt your song. I thought it was…interesting."

The man chortled. "I was only singing because Sven blackmailed me to do it." The reindeer snorted in indignation. The young man cast a guilty look at his pet.

"I get it," Hadyn offered. "My horse is just as demanding."

"Horse? Aren't you one of the visiting princes? Why do you have a horse?"

"Because, if I left him in my home country, everyone would be too afraid to go near and feed him."

"Ouch. Sounds like quite a problem child."

"No, he just has particular tastes in people."

"Mind if I take a look?"

Haydn moved out of his way. "Not at all, but I wouldn't get too near."

The two men walked over to the stall and the young man looked amazed up at the huge horse, his mouth open wide.

"Wow!" He exclaimed. "I've never seen a horse as big as him. What's his name?"

"Shaja'a."

"That's an interesting name."

"It means courage in my native language."

"Courage. I like it." The young man threw out his hand and Haydn took it. "The name's Kristoff."

"Haydn."

"You look like you're from the south."

"South-east, I suppose."

Haydn was nudged in his back by something wet and big. He turned, spotting the reindeer's nose behind him. Sven, that was his name.

"I suppose you want something to eat?" Haydn guessed and the reindeer anxiously nodded his head.

Kristoff chuckled. "I could feed him continuously all the time and I don't think he would ever stop. He'd be the size of a whale."

Ring!

Haydn glanced up. "What's that?"

"That is the bell for dinner."

Sven jumped up and down.

Kristoff shook his head. "No, not for you. Just for the humans. Come on, Prince Haydn, I'm famished."

And with that, Haydn followed his newly found fellow animal lover up to the palace, expecting the devil to greet him at the door. Soon, he was sure, he would lay his eyes on Queen Elsa of Arendelle.