** Present Day - March, 1841 - Eight months after the Coronation of Queen Elsa **
Elsa had gotten to bed very late; she had to see the last of her guests off after the party. She had cleared her schedule for tomorrow so that she could sleep late for a change. Breakfast would be served whenever Elsa or Anna finally made it down for the meal, rather than at the regular time. And if it so happened that lunch was the first meal of the day, well...the kingdom would just have to deal with it. Sleeping in was a luxury Elsa did not often allow herself and she wallowed in the feeling of slothful indulgence.
She had just dozed off when she felt something warm against her back, waking her. "Anna?" she muttered sleepily.
Anna giggled. "Unless you have a long line of other people sneaking in here to sleep with you..." She tickled her sister gently.
"Stop that!" Elsa slapped at her sister's hand. "I'll push you onto the floor like I used to do!"
"Please, no. The bed is ever so much softer...and warmer." Anna snuggled closer to her sister and wrapped her arms around her.
"I take it you're not mad at me any more." Elsa asked softly as she relaxed into her sister's embrace with a sigh of contentment.
"I'm sorry for being such a goof, Elsa. I won't be late for meetings any more." Anna was contrite, and mumbled her apology into her sister's hair.
"You're forgiven. Can we sleep now? I'm exhausted..." Elsa rarely admitted weakness, even to herself, but she felt safe doing so with Anna. Anna had been there for her when she had been at her most vulnerable.
"M mm. Who's awake?" Anna kissed Elsa's shoulder. "Let's shock the servants and sleep 'til noon tomorrow..."
"I'll publish the decree in the morning ... or afternoon ... or whenever we wake up ..." Elsa's voice trailed off and she was asleep again before Anna could make another comment.
They did manage to make it down for lunch.
Both sisters were cheerful over lunch, laughing together over discussions of the party. Elsa was glad that Anna had worked through her anger and was willing to apologize for her tardiness.
"What's your plan for today, Anna? Will you be seeing Kristoff?" Elsa pushed away the remnants of lunch and stirred cream into her coffee. She took a sip while waiting for Anna's reply.
Anna didn't answer immediately. When she did, Elsa could tell she wasn't as enthusiastic as she usually was when talking about him. "I'm not sure."
Elsa hesitated, then took a chance. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Her sister sighed, then … "I don't know what to say. I don't even know what's wrong. We just seem to be talking past each other the last few days."
Elsa murmured a little encouraging sound. Anna continued, "I was thinking about everything you said the other day about the succession and how some people don't think Kristoff is good enough for me, and I wanted to talk to him about it and it just went off on a complete spiral of misunderstanding. Then he didn't want to come to the party, and that just made it worse."
"Honey, that must be frustrating for you. Is this the first time you've tried to talk to Kristoff about the idea of marriage?" Elsa wanted to be helpful, but she didn't think Anna was looking for her to solve the problem; she just needed someone to talk to about it and sympathize.
"No, but truthfully we haven't really discussed it a lot. Like I told you the other day, we kind of circle around it, never coming right out and talking about it. I'm not sure which one of us is more skittish. Me, because I get flashbacks to Hans, or Kristoff, because the idea of courting a Princess is scary."
Elsa sipped her coffee while Anna finished her dessert. She thought of something that would get Anna excited and lift her mood.
"You know, we have the Spring Equinox Festival coming up next week. There'll be the usual celebration, and I was thinking of decorating the castle courtyard into a skating rink again. Maybe you and Kristoff can just have some fun without having to get all dressed up. Both of you have become quite accomplished on ice skates since last summer!" Elsa teased.
Anna perked up. The kingdom celebrated the coming of spring every year and this would be the first one since Elsa's Coronation, which meant the castle gates would be open to the festivities for the first time in thirteen years.
"Yeah, that's a great idea! And if you made some fresh snow, we could have a snowman building contest, and let Olaf judge it!"
"We could definitely do that. We'll be creating a whole new tradition!" Elsa agreed with her sister's suggestion. "Why don't you go find Kristoff, and invite him for dinner? He hasn't joined us since a week ago or so...it will just be the three of us, en famille so to speak."
"Are you sure?" Anna looked at Elsa.
Elsa nodded. "You know I enjoy his company, and I'm pretty sure he's not scared of me anymore..." her eyes twinkled as she teased Anna, "and maybe he'll finally realize what he's missing out on if we both charm him over a nice dinner!"
Anna giggled. "Yeah, how can anyone resist the Two Terrible Sisters of Arendelle?"
Anna found Kristoff at the Ice Guild Hall, meeting with some of the other ice harvesters. She waited while he finished the discussion and noticed her standing there.
"Hi, Kristoff." Anna greeted him shyly.
"Hi, Feisty Pants." Kristoff was glad she seemed to be over her mad. He had missed her, even though it had only been for a day.
"What are you up to?" she asked.
"Well, the Spring Festival is next week, right?" Anna nodded. Kristoff went on, "So, since this is the first one since Elsa's Coronation, and the first year since we're organized as a guild, the Ice Guild decided we should sponsor an ice carving contest. What do you think?"
Anna clapped and squealed, "That's a great idea! Elsa told me over lunch that she was going to bring back the skating rink in the courtyard, and I suggested she make enough fresh snow that we could have a snowman building contest. An ice sculpture contest would be a fantastic addition to the festivities. This will be the best Spring Festival ever!"
Kristoff grinned at her. That was more like the Anna he loved to be around.
"Sooo...think you have time for some hot chocolate?" he asked her a little diffidently.
"I have so much time, you won't believe it." She hesitated, then... "On one condition..."
"Condition?" He always worried about the things Anna could come up with to complicate his life.
"Elsa wants you to come for dinner tonight. Just us, nothing fancy. She misses you." Anna winked at him, and was rewarded with seeing him blush.
"Okay, if that's the price I have to pay for getting to spend an afternoon with you, I guess I can put up with the Queen of Arendelle for one meal." Kristoff teased her back. Anna laughed with him as he grabbed his jacket and they went off to the Inn.
The Children's Choir from the Arendelle school was singing the traditional Spring Festival song on the steps of the castle church, with the church bells ringing for counterpoint:
Winter's gone and Spring is springing
Shines the sun with warmth of old
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Chapel bells are ringing!
We're done with being cold
Flowers a-bloom with odors pleasant,
All of Arendelle is glad!
Mother Earth, we thank you for the presents!
Spring's good and Winter's bad.
Winter's gone and Spring is springing,
Shines the sun with warmth of old.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Chapel bells are ringing!
We're done with being cold.
Brrrrrrr!
Elsa, Anna and the rest of the spectators gave the children an enthusiastic round of applause. The crowd broke up to partake in some of the other activities planned for the day's celebration.
"Wheeeee!" Olaf went skating around the courtyard gliding and pivoting in circles around Anna and Kristoff. They had definitely improved, but the little snowman could still put them to shame.
"Come on, you guys! Put a little oomph into it!" Olaf encouraged them to go just a little faster.
"That's okay, Olaf. We're perfectly happy being your pupils here." Kristoff yelled back at him. He and Anna were holding hands as they glided around the fountains in the courtyard. There were enough people skating that they had to pay attention to where they were going.
The day had dawned clear and cold. It might be the first day of spring but in Arendelle that just meant the temperature MIGHT get above freezing some days. It often snowed well into April, sometimes May. The people were used to it though, and celebrated spring with enthusiasm, hot glogg and winter activities.
Elsa was standing in front of the main doors going into the castle, smiling and talking with people as they came by to chat. She had done a little skating to start things off, but was content to leave the rink to others and circulate around the courtyard for now, just being with her people and enjoying the day.
The children had loved the snowman building contest, and Olaf couldn't decide which one looked the most like him, so he declared that they all won. Elsa had created little snow figurines as prizes for the children.
There were booths around the courtyard with food and drink, and more booths on the causeway leading to the town. The marketplace was decorated in a snowy theme, and more booths and vendors were doing a lively business as the people of Arendelle celebrated the lengthening of the day as the sun crossed the equator.
Anna and Kristoff skated over to a bench along the castle wall to rest a little. Anna snuggled into Kristoff.
"Mmm...this has been so much fun. Elsa really knows how to throw a party," she said.
"Yeah, she sure does. This is the best festival in forever," Kristoff agreed with her. He noticed she had a pensive look on her face. "Skilling for your thoughts?"
"I was just remembering the rest of the lyrics for that song, which I noticed the choirmaster left out this year." She recited them softly:
"Your future is bleak
Your kingdom will splinter
Your land shall be cursed
With unending winter
With blasts of cold will come dark art,
And a ruler
With a frozen heart!
Then all will perish in snow and ice!
Unless you are freed with a sword sacrifice!"
"Kristoff, I know it's silly to believe in prophecies, but ... was I the sword sacrifice? Did the prophecy really come true?" Anna shivered with the memory and clutched Kristoff's jacket.
"Hey, hey! It's just a silly kid's song. And if it WAS a prophecy, you saved us all. So there was a happy ending and we all didn't perish!" Kristoff tried to cheer her out of the glum mood she had fallen into with a hug and a tender kiss on her cheek. "And besides, Elsa never had a frozen heart, and her magic isn't a dark art. She uses it for good. Look at those little ice figures the kids love so much."
"I guess you're right. I'm just being silly again." She snuggled closer to him, wrapped in his strong arms.
They sat that way for a while, Anna cuddled into Kristoff's warmth, watching the skaters and the rest of the people enjoying the activities in the courtyard. For Kristoff's part, he would be happy to sit there forever if Anna was with him.
"Good afternoon, Your Highness, are you enjoying the day?" Anna looked up to see Bjorn Thorstad standing in front of them. He was smiling genially.
"Why, yes, thank you, Baron Thorstad. I hope you are as well." Anna responded politely.
"I don't believe I know your … companion?" Thorstad nodded at Kristoff.
"Oh, where are my manners! Baron Thorstad, this is Kristoff Bjorgman, the Royal Ice Master and Deliverer." Anna introduced Kristoff.
"Your Grace." Kristoff nodded at the older man. "It's nice to make your acquaintance."
"And yours as well. I just wanted to say hello, Your Highness. Will we be seeing you at the next Council meeting?"
"Elsa...I mean, the Queen and I haven't discussed it yet, but I may attend," Anna answered.
"I hope to see you there. Your presence brightens the room considerably." Thorstad bowed slightly and left, greeting another Council member as he did so.
A loud tummy rumble told Kristoff it was time to find some more food vendors. "Let's get some dinner, Anna. It's been a long time since lunch!"
Thorstad strolled out of the castle to the market square. Rob Pierre had a booth with various liqueurs and cordials available for sampling and sale. He was doing a thriving business, to judge by the three-deep crowd waiting for service.
"Monsieur Pierre, may I have a glass of your finest cognac?" Thorstad asked his associate once he was able to get through the crowd.
"You may, but if I could make a suggestion? I was just about to leave the booth in the excellent care of my subordinates, and seek out some dinner. Would you care to join me?" Pierre responded.
"A wonderful idea. Let us do so."
The two of them found a table in the rather crowded inn and ordered dinner. The establishment was packed, with drinks flowing freely. The buzz of many conversations made it hard to hear any single one.
"Well, I found out something today that I wasn't really aware of," Thorstad said to Pierre.
"And that would be?"
"It seems that our beloved Princess has a beau. An ice harvester, of all people," Thorstad said.
"Forgive me, mon ami, but hasn't this been common knowledge for months?" Pierre was surprised.
"Not exactly. They have been seen together, but never in situations that were redolent of anything but friendship. Today, however, they were clearly … cuddling … after skating together for most of the afternoon. I confess, I am surprised the Princess has managed to maintain such discretion." Thorstad finished.
"So, if something were to happen to the Queen, the Princess already has a shoulder at hand to cry on?"
"Yes, it would appear so."
"That will never do."
Their dinners were brought to them, and they ate in silence for a few moments.
"How tragic it would be if the Princess were to lose both her beloved sister and her … ice harvester," Pierre mused.
"Tragic, indeed," agreed Thorstad.
** Flashback – November, 1840 – Admiralty Office of the Royal Arendelle Navy **
"Erik, do I have any more appointments scheduled for today?" Admiral Naismith asked his yeoman.
"Yes, sir. One last meeting—Colonel Lars Nordholm with a report on that business last month." Yeoman Erik Jorgensen responded.
'Yeoman' was a rank that often served as clerks to high-ranking officers. Erik Jorgensen had served in the Royal Arendelle Navy since signing on as a seaman apprentice at 16. Thirty years later, he had worked his way into a cushy job at the Admiralty. Nights at home in his own bed with his own wife, no reefing topsails in a roaring blizzard, and good ale to drink at the local tavern instead of that vile stuff the Navy called 'rum'. For the thousandth time in thirty years, Erik wondered if someone wasn't just playing a joke on the Navy when they sold it to them.
"Send him in, then, Erik, and you're dismissed for the evening. I'll see you in the morning." the Admiral told him.
"Aye, aye, sir!" Erik saluted and left, then ushered the Colonel into the Admiral's office before closing the door and leaving for the night.
"Admiral." Colonel Nordholm saluted. The Admiral returned it and waved him to a seat.
"We can dispense with the formality, Lars. No one here but just us old salts tonight." The Admiral rummaged in a lower desk drawer, brought out a bottle and two glasses. "Drink?"
Nordholm relaxed in his chair and replied with a grin, "Have you ever known me to turn down your liquor?"
"No, and I didn't expect you to start now. This is some of that cognac that our friend Monsieur Pierre has been so successfully importing. Very smooth, I must admit." He poured two glasses, handed one to the Colonel and raised his own. "To the Queen!"
"The Queen!" replied the Colonel, and they drank.
"So, Lars, what have you got for me?"
Nordholm laid a folder on the desk. "We've pretty much wrapped up all the evidence we'll need for Reinertsen's trial. There's not a lot of doubt that he conspired with Weselton. Once we untangled the rather convoluted business relationships, those ships had a paper trail leading straight back to him."
"Hmm. How convenient." A moment of silence, then Naismith asked, "Too convenient, do you think?"
Nordholm snorted. "Damn right it's too convenient. But all the sniffing we've done hasn't found any other trail to any other players in this conspiracy. I suspect Reinertsen was staked out for us to find, keep us from looking too hard for other possibilities." He took another drink. "Didn't stop us from looking, though. Unfortunately, we didn't find anything."
"What about his associate, Monsieur Pierre? Reinertsen had done a lot of business with him." Naismith asked.
"So have half the merchant houses in the kingdom. Again, squeaky clean. Pierre's making a nice profit on the liquor business, and lord knows the kingdom was getting bored with akvavit. Of course, an import/export business is the perfect cover if one is engaged in ... questionable activities." Nordholm replied.
His superior just nodded. The Navy was responsible for Customs and policing the maritime trade. It had long experience with smuggling in all its forms. Legitimate trade could cover for all manner of contraband goods and people coming into the kingdom and the Navy was vigilant against these threats.
"Do we have any agents in place with his trading house?" Naismith asked.
"Yes, but only low level types. Pierre's kept the higher level positions in his firm for subordinates from his own country. Our people are warehouse and dock hands at best. They might be able to find contraband, but have no insight into anything beyond simple smuggling. Of which we have found none."
Naismith mulled this over, then finished his drink. "One more for the road, Lars?"
"No, thank you, sir. The wife will be expecting me to come home sober." he replied. "Anything else?"
"Keep a sharp eye on our friend Pierre. Clever men sometimes get too enamored of their own cleverness and slip up. I don't want us caught by surprise again like we were with that Weselton attack. If not for the Queen's courage and quick thinking, that would have turned out badly. And if luck had not kept her here, it would have been very ugly indeed before we could have pushed them back into the fjord."
"Aye, aye, sir!" Nordholm got up, saluted the Admiral and left.
Author's Note: Credit for the song that the Children's Choir sings goes to Bobby Lopez and Kristen Andersen-Lopez, the brilliant songwriters for the movie. If you don't have the Frozen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Extended Edition), you should. The two CD set includes the songs from the movie plus the rest of the orchestral soundtrack on disc 1, plus bonus songs on disc 2. These include songs that didn't make the movie, plus ones that were cut because they didn't fit the new version where Elsa wasn't the villain. The commentary by the songwriters adds a lot of back-story to the long path that resulted in the movie we got to see on the screen.