Chapter 3

"She hit you round the head with a frying pan?!" Kristoff looked at Eugene, frowning, not sure if this prince was having him on.

"3 times." Eugene confirmed.

Kristoff chuckled and looked at Eugene, one eyebrow raised. He wasn't sure if believed this, but it was only the beginning of the story. Kristoff was enjoying the dramatic way Eugene was telling the story of Flynn Rider meeting the princess, he had to admit. When he had started the story saying "this is the story of how I died", Kristoff thought he was joking, but now the whole thing sounded like something someone had made up. He liked this guy though, he seemed to be on Kristoff's level. They had left the dining room and were walking to the stables to see Sven. Kristoff still wasn't entirely sure what this had to do with him though.

"Why are you telling me this, anyway?" He asked the brown haired prince, ex-thief, whatever he was, walking next to him.

"Elsa wanted you to see that sometimes true love," Eugene and Kristoff both pulled a face, both silently agreeing that this wasn't a conversation two guys should be having, "happens to anyone, regardless of whether they are a thief, a princes... Or and Ice Master."

Kristoff chuckled as Eugene used Kristoff's new job title.

"Still not sure that's a thing..." He smiled.

"Hey, who are we to argue with a Queen?" Eugene said with a nod towards the castle.

"So, you were Flynn Rider? You climbed up her tower and she hit you over the head with a frying pan-"Kristoff started.

"-3 times," Eugene interrupted him.

"3 times," Kristoff repeated, "So, then what happened."

"She bribed me, got me arrested and then I died." Eugene said, "But I'm getting ahead of myself..."

He continued the tale of when he and Rapunzel first met, he loved telling it. Elsa watched them from the window in the dining room, smiling to herself, her plan was going alright.

ooo0ooo

Elsa returned to sit at the table in the dining room. She and Rapunzel had been going over what they needed to say to Anna.

"They look like they're getting along," Elsa smiled as she sat down.

"I hope Eugene tells the story properly," Rapunzel grinned, "He certainly has a flair for dramatics."

Elsa laughed, her blond signature braid bobbing on her shoulder with the movement.

There was a loud crash outside the door, which sounded suspiciously like a suit of armour crashing to the floor, followed by a series of apologies.

"Anna's here," Elsa smiled, explaining the noise to a confused Rapunzel.

The door burst open, and Anna raced in, skidding on the floor, her twin braids flying behind her. She stopped short when she saw Elsa had company at the table.

"Oh! Hello!" Anna grinned at the stranger. She was very pretty, with short brown hair, big green eyes and a friendly face.

"Hi!" Rapunzel grinned back at her, "I'm Rapunzel!"

"The Princess of Corona?" Anna asked, looking at her sister quizzically with her head cocked to the side.

"The very same," Rapunzel confirmed.

Anna sat at the table, moving her chair noisily to slump into it. She stacked her plate with chocolate chip pancakes and began digging in. After a few mouthfuls, she turned to her sister.

"So what's going on?" She asked, with a mouth full of food.

"Anna," Elsa scolded, frowning at her sister. Anna quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and smiled sheepishly at her sister. Elsa continued, "I've asked Rapunzel to come here to talk to you about your worries regarding Kristoff. Her husband is here too but he and Kristoff have gone down to visit Sven."

Anna looked at her sister out the corner of her eye. What did the Princess of Corona have to do with her and Kristoff? Anna still had no idea what she was going to say to him.

"Ooooookaaaay," Anna dragged the word out, "What has this got to do with anything? I'm confused."

Rapunzel giggled and leaned across the table to take Anna's hand.

"My husband Eugene loves castle life," She started, Anna still looked very confused, "I didn't think that he would, being an ex-thief and all..."

Elsa and Rapunzel laughed as they saw the penny drop across Anna's face. Now she knew why Elsa had asked the princess to come here and talk to her.

"But... He's an Ice Harvester... Uh... Ice Master," She corrected herself, "He doesn't want to be cooped up in a castle with me. I just know it." Anna sighed.

"Eugene is an ex-thief, his life was just one adventure after another. Albeit illegal adventures," Rapunzel added, nodding to herself, "But it's all just a part of who he is. He loves being at the castle and talking to the subjects at court and visiting the town's people. He's taken very well to being a prince. Better than I thought he would. All I'm trying to say is, if you love this guy then go for it. True love isn't always as smooth and straightforward as everyone thinks."

True love, Anna thought, as she remembered the feel of Kristoff's lips on hers. Is that what this was?

"Well, I told you I'd talk to Kristoff today," Anna said looking at her sister, "But I'm still not sure it's the right thing to do."

"Why don't you go and show Rapunzel your favourite room? You can talk more there."

The princesses left the dining room and Elsa smiled to herself, returning to her study. She really hoped this would work.

ooo0ooo

Elsa sat in her study, drawing up plans and finishing off letter's to the dignitaries who had come over for her coronation. She had a lot of work to do to keep trading open with some places and had received a letter from the Southern Isles apologising for the behaviour of Hans. Elsa sneered just reading his name. Horrible Hans, she thought. The letter said that he had been banished from the Southern Isles and that one of his brother's would like to come to Arendelle to apologise in person. Elsa sighed. She would need to talk to Anna about this. She heard a faint knock at the door.

"Come in," she called.

Eugene and Rapunzel entered her study, holding hands and Rapunzel was resting her head on her husband's shoulder. He kissed the top of her head before looking up at Elsa.

"Well, I think I've convinced Kristoff," he told the Queen with a grin, "He's an alright guy."

"He is," Elsa agreed, "Where is he now?"

"Gone to find Anna." Kristoff smiled.

"And Anna's gone to find him," Rapunzel grinned, bouncing up and down where she stood.

The three of them grinned at eachother. Elsa rang the bell for someone to bring tea up to her study for the three royals. Rapunzel and Eugene sat down opposite Elsa.

"So, now what?" Rapunzel asked Elsa, excitedly.

"Now we wait." Elsa told her with a sly smile.

Eugene looked between his wife and Elsa, both wearing the same sneaky smile.

"Why do I feel like I should be doing an evil laugh?"

ooo0ooo

Anna had looked all over for Kristoff but she couldn't find him anywhere. She decided that he must be in the most obvious place – the stables with Sven. Why hadn't she looked there first? She ran along the corridor, in stockinged feet, sliding as she went. She stopped every now and again to right something she had knocked over. She slid down the bannister, toppling over at the bottom as she tried to regain her balance, then ran out of the doors into the garden. She was almost at the stables. She slammed the door behind her and turned to carry on running. But then – OOF – she ran, face first into something warm and hard and fell to the floor. She looked down to see what she had run into...and found herself looking into Kristoff's brown eyes.