Well, here it is. Chapter Four. I apologize for taking so long to write these. It's just that there's a lot of ground to cover, and it's hard to find a balance between writing this fanfic, working at my job, and decompressing after work with Assassin's Creed.
Chapter Four: The Proposal.
October 20th, 1839.
Life as a civil servant was not quite what Kristoff had imagined. Nearly three months had passed since he had been appointed the Royal Ice Master of Arendelle, a relatively new position in Queen Elsa's court. In that time, his everyday affairs had changed significantly. He had to admit that his job came with some amazing benefits. He had a roof over his head, a place to stable his reindeer, and a regular salary.
On the other hand, the expectations of his new position could be a little demanding. He now played a more administrative role in the kingdom's ice industry that he was used to. He no longer had as much time to harvest any of the ice himself. He missed having those opportunities to travel into the mountains, where all he could hear was a cold breeze as he went about his labors. And he was also expected to make public appearances once in a while, which made him very uncomfortable.
Kristoff wasn't much of a people person, having been raised by the trolls from a young age. He had tried to build on his social skills recently, but he still found it hard to tolerate the behavior of Arendelle's noble classes. Most nobles would take one look at Kristoff and see only a curmudgeonly peasant trying to fit in where he didn't belong. His relationship with Anna made all of this easier to bear, but it also presented its own set of problems. While people respected the Queen's decision to appoint him the Royal Ice Master, he knew the other lords and ladies of the kingdom would never see him as a worthy suitor for the Crown Princess.
All right, that's enough self-pity. He took a moment to shake off his insecurities. On this particular day, he was shopping at the local jewelers to find something special for Anna, when he glanced out the display window to find half a dozen journalists from the Arendelle Gazette with notepads and quills in their hands and their faces pressed against the glass.
God dammit… not again.
"Master Bjorgman? Shall we arrive at a final decision?"
The voice of the jeweler brought Kristoff out of his thoughts. "Um, sorry, Jens. Uh, let's see…" He looked carefully at the selection of rings before him. He eventually selected a platinum band inlaid with four diamonds in the shape of the crocus from the Arendelle flag. "Yeah, I think this is the one I want."
"Ah, a fine choice, Master Bjorgman. The Princess will love it."
"So, how much are we talking? And please don't tell me it's on the house."
"Master Bjorgman, I wouldn't dream of charging you for such a gift. I know the Princess will love it, and I consider that to be payment enough."
Kristoff chuckled as he put the ring in his satchel. "All right, if that's how you want to do this. Now, let's just hope those journalists can keep their mouths shut."
The minute Kristoff opened the door, the crowd outside swarmed him and badgered him with questions. He was forced to make a mad dash for the carriage, but the journalists would not be ignored.
"Master Bjorgman, what are you planning to do with that ring?"
"Master Bjorgman, have you and Princess Anna discussed any long-term commitments?"
"Master Bjorgman, do you have any comments on the Queen's economic plan?"
"Master Bjorgman, is there any truth to the rumors about your family's heritage?"
"Master Bjorgman, how much taxpayer money did it cost to build your new carriage?"
"Master Bjorgman, who designed your uniform?"
"Master Bjorgman, how do you spell 'Kristoff'?"
He climbed into the driver's seat and rode as fast as he could to the palace, leaving the journalists behind in the dust.
"Now for my meeting with the Queen."
At that particular moment, Queen Elsa was finishing up a meeting in her throne room with the leader of the Farmer's Front, Loki Stuttgart. The subject of the meeting was Elsa's apparently "bull-headed" decision to break off trade relationships with Weselton. Of course, Elsa had been preparing for this inevitable meeting for three months, so she was more than ready for whatever empty threats or power plays the Farmers' Front would throw in her direction.
What she hadn't expected was for Loki Stuttgart himself to schedule this appointment, as he usually sent intermediaries on his behalf. But here he was, all six feet and three inches, looking as arrogant as he always did. Like most of the Farmers' Front, he wore a tattered orange outfit. His long brown hair was slightly greying along the edges, a jagged scar ran across the left side of his lip, and his piercing green eyes were fixed intently on the Queen like he was trying to hypnotize her. Half a dozen royal guards stood on either side of him at a respectable distance, but they were ready to take action if he tried anything funny.
"Your Majesty, the Farmers' Front appreciates the efforts you've made so far to help Arendelle recover, but we fear it's just not enough. We won't succeed without the backing of a suitable trading partner."
"We have reached out to our neighbors and beyond. The King of Corona is giving our proposal serious consideration. The Galatians are also interested—."
"These are all good options, yes, but I really think you should consider patching things up with Weselton. They understand our economic needs and they've always met them before."
"Even if we were willing to forgive the Duke of Weselton for what he did, there's no guarantee that he would be willing to renegotiate with us."
"If Agnarr were with us, he wouldn't stand for such impulsive behavior from his firstborn daughter—."
"You have no right to mention his name. He may have been on good terms with Weselton, but he never supported your agenda, and he would not appreciate the way you're addressing us now. This meeting is over."
"Your Majesty—!"
"Good day."
Loki took a moment to compose himself and strode out the door. "The voice of the people will never be silenced, Snow Queen. And the Farmers' Front will always—."
Not a moment later, Kristoff and Sven came crashing through the door to the throne room and nearly ran Loki over.
"ACK!" Loki stumbled backwards to avoid the carriage, then hurried out the front door.
Kristoff yanked on the reins a little too hard and was thrown clear of the carriage when it stopped, landing at Elsa's feet.
"Oh, my goodness! Kristoff, are you okay?"
He staggered to his feet and brushed himself off. "Ugh… I'm here for my 10:00 meeting."
Elsa checked her appointment book and found Kristoff's name. "Ah, of course. You're right on time. Um… Could someone get the carriage out of the throne room, please?"
"Right away, Queen Elphaba." One of the servants hopped into the driver's seat and slowly guided Sven out into the courtyard.
Kristoff turned to Elsa in confusion. "Did he just call you…?"
"He's new here," said Elsa dismissively as she sat down. "Now, why exactly did you arrange this meeting? If you needed to talk to me about something, you could have just asked."
"I know. But I also know you're really busy. And I needed to talk to you about something very important."
"Is this a matter of state?"
"Well, now that you mention it, yes. It sort of is. In any event, it's a matter that deserves serious discussion, and this seemed like the best place to do it. Just a moment. I had something prepared." He produced two pieces of paper from his satchel, cleared his throat, and read them aloud. "In the short time I've known you and your sister, you have treated me with more respect and consideration than was ever truly necessary. I may not be a wealthy individual, nor am I a well-bred individual. However…" He flipped to the second page. "… And that, in a nutshell, is why I seek your blessing to marry Princess Anna."
Elsa was momentarily thrown. "… I'm sorry, what was that?"
Kristoff looked at the pages in each of his hands, and crumpled them in his fists. "Kristoff, you idiot! You lost a page!"
"Wait a minute, wait a minute… You're asking for my blessing to marry Anna?"
"… Yes. And I know she's rather young, and I haven't been courting her for very long, but… she really is special to me. I've loved her from the moment we met. And I know not everyone approves of our relationship. The nobles say that by courting me, she's spitting in the face of centuries of tradition. That she's jeopardizing Arendelle's diplomacy with other countries, and stuff like that. But she says she doesn't care what people think. And when I hear her say that, and see the way she looks at me… I believe her. Now… I may just be an ice harvester, and I can't offer any strong political ties… but I can promise that your sister will be loved, cherished, treasured, for all time. And… and that's all I have to say about that."
Elsa took a moment to consider his words. "Well… First of all, thank you for discussing this matter with me. I also appreciate that you didn't propose to my sister the same day that you met her."
"Right. I've heard all about her last suitor and the approach he took."
Elsa chuckled at that. "Now… It does occur to me that two months may be a little too soon for you to propose to her… but I am reminded of a certain man and woman who loved each other deeply. They hadn't known each other long before they realized they were meant to be together. If anything, hearing their story has taught me that there really is no 'right' way for a relationship to be cultivated. Sometimes… you just know. And those two people… were my parents."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Kristoff became cautiously hopeful. "So… does that mean…?"
"Yes, Kristoff. You have my blessing. But you never needed it."
"Wow… Thank you, Elsa!"
"You're welcome. Now go get her!"
"Yes, ma'am! Oh, uh, before I go, I think Sven had something he wanted to discuss with you?"
"No, he didn't."
"Check the appointment book."
Elsa decided to humor him. Sure enough, on the schedule for that day, Sven's hoofprint could be seen just under Kristoff's name. "… Oh, for God's sake."
"I'll send him in for you. Thanks again, Elsa!" Kristoff hurried out of the throne room. Moments later, Sven nudged the door open and approached the throne.
Elsa had absolutely no idea what to do next.
Later that night, Kristoff took Anna out for a night on the town. The evening began with a carriage ride through the older districts in the village, followed by dinner at a fancy restaurant, then a trip to the chocolate house. Throughout the night, Anna was worried about how much money Kristoff was spending on her. She offered to cover the costs, but Kristoff insisted that it wasn't necessary.
By the end of the date, they were taking a stroll through the gardens of the royal palace. They came to a balcony overlooking the sea and sat down on a bench.
"Kristoff… today was really fun… but I'm a little concerned about how much you're spending on me. Are you sure you don't want me to pay you back?"
"Yes, I'm sure. I wanted you to have a good time tonight. I wanted it to be special."
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. Any day I get to spend with you will be special."
"… Thanks, Anna. But there is one thing I wanted to talk to you about."
"What is it?"
"Anna… I know I'm not wealthy… I'm not educated… I'm not well-connected or highborn… I know I haven't fully kicked the habit of picking my nose and eating it—."
"Kristoff."
"What?"
"Is there a point to all this?"
"Yes. What I'm trying to say is… I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He knelt before Anna and produced the ring he had bought earlier that day.
Anna gave an excited gasp when she saw the ring. "Oh, Kristoff!"
"Will you marry me, Anna?"
"Yes! Yes, I will marry you!" She jumped into Kristoff's arms and hugged him tightly.
As Kristoff and Anna held each other and looked out at the sea, Elsa watched them from an upstairs window, overcome with emotion. As of tonight, her little sister was engaged to be wed.
It was a lonely life the Snow Queen lived, but seeing Anna so happy made her life worth living.
The next chapter will focus on the wedding, where Elsa crosses paths with a handsome ambassador with a mysterious secret. God knows when I'll finish that one.