It took three days for Elsa to organize a do-over of her birthday ball. The same guests were re-invited, save for the old suitors that left on bad terms – to their own kingdoms or other places. However, one new invitation was given out too.
The man who received it was the only one, other than Elsa, who knew of the centerpiece event of this ball. They even kept it secret from Anna and Kristoff, to say nothing of their children. Although Elsa was rusty in keeping secrets from Anna, she had enough old skills left over – at least the ones not involving locked doors.
But the doors were wide open the day of the ball, despite a greater number of guards around them. Yet after the necessary security checks were taken, everyone relaxed inside the Great Hall.
As their host stood and watched them, she wished she could fully count herself among them.
By Elsa's standards of anxiety, her nerves right now were no big deal. Nevertheless, this was the first big audience that would watch her since….the one that saw her murder someone. And the one that saw Joan terrorized and thrown aside like a rag doll.
Joan had to be nervous too. Yet while she wasn't smiling and bouncing around with her family right now, perhaps it was because bouncing around at a ball wasn't very royal. Even Anna followed that rule every once in a while. She was probably following it now just to keep an eye on the kids.
But they were here, and the kids would certainly feel like bouncing around later – hopefully. Instead of remembering the past, imaging the future and their future smiles would get Elsa through it. As always, her family made her mind easier to get under control.
Then something else got her mind off her worst thoughts. Or rather, someone.
Robert had shown up at last, having finally settled on one of the outfits Kai picked for him. He picked one of the better ones, sporting a black tuxedo and a cummerbund, although it looked somewhat tight on him. Elsa knew from watching him work that he wasn't…..excessively built, which was both hidden and accentuated by the outfit, if possible.
The ensemble contrasted with his brown hair and the little bits of gray on his sides, but in a good way. It seemed he had his hair cut in back, which was technically a good move, since he admitted it curled back there when he'd gone too long without a cut. Still, it was a tiny bit of an adjustment to see him without it.
He was still clean shaven, which wasn't as weird in this setting. She had admitted to him - against her better judgment at first - she thought he'd have a long beard, given his jobs and depression. Yet he claimed he shaved every day anyway, if only to kill more time during the day. Nevertheless, he'd put more effort into weeding out every possible stubble.
When he came to face her, Elsa put on the proper smile she gave every guest in these balls. Yet she hoped some regular warmth was seeping through it.
"Your Majesty," Robert greeted regardless, attempting to bow and breathe through his suit. Elsa smiled, but not enough that she needed to giggle behind her hand.
"Mr. Hansen," she replied formally, although she tried to let some regular gratitude seep through.
"You'll be glad to know finding this was the hardest work I did today," Robert informed her. "It might have been more work for that Kai fellow, though."
"Then your other projects are done?" Elsa checked. "And suitable for the public?"
"For at least two members of it, yes," Robert confirmed.
"Good," Elsa merely nodded, keeping any more revealing emotions under wraps for a few more minutes. "Then you're ready to present them?"
"I would have wasted a lot of time and considerable effort if I wasn't," Robert stated, not just referring to his craftsmanship. "Let's present the presents." Elsa got her hand halfway up that time before she contained her laugh.
Before long, the final preparations were in place and Elsa felt ready to begin. Begin with her first public address to a large crowd since….
No. She wasn't giving out death today. She was giving gifts, although they weren't even her gifts. They were his, which he made with gifts he hadn't used for a long time – partly because of her. But he used them again because of her, and them.
For all of them, she would power through and give them their proper rewards. "May I have everyone's attention?" she said as crisp and polished as ever.
When it had the desired effect, Elsa started her address. "The last time I planned to see you all, we were going to celebrate my birthday. Today, in this….second effort to do so, we also honor something far greater. The royal family being together again. As well as the man who helped make it possible."
Elsa gestured to Robert, who came to stand next to her on cue. "Many of you are already aware of Robert Hansen. Of how he saved himself and Princess Joan from captivity. You might even remember him as the most prestigious young blacksmith Arendelle ever had 20 years ago. For all of these achievements, I'm proud to announce Mr. Hansen will stay among us for some time, as our new royal blacksmith."
"Really?" Joan gasped loudly. Elsa didn't bother to hide smiling at that.
"Really," Elsa confirmed, turning to Robert. "The entire kingdom owes a debt to this man. I only hope this is a good start towards repaying it." Robert could only nod it was, especially as the crowd's louder applause – and Anna and Joan's whistling – echoed through the Great Hall.
"However, Mr. Hansen isn't the only one we honor today," Elsa got on with it. "But he doesn't mind. In fact, he helped make it possible." Elsa then blindsided a few members of the audience by asking, "Christian? Joan? Would you come up here, please?"
"Us?" Joan asked loudly. She and Christian were surprised, to say nothing of Anna and Kristoff. Yet after Anna gave Elsa a confused and slightly annoyed glare, she encouraged her children to join her aunt anyway.
When they got to her, Robert stepped back behind them, as no one noticed him at the moment. Elsa's full attention then went to her nephew.
"Christian. If it wasn't for you, your bravery or your love, Prince Devin never would have been exposed. And we might never have found your sister or Mr. Hansen, until it was too late," Elsa tried to gloss over that part. "Mr. Hansen knows that all too well. Therefore, the first thing he wanted to do with his new job….was to honor you personally. I just came up with the idea to have witnesses."
Robert stepped back into view, now holding a pillow with an item on it covered by a blue sheet. He bent down on one knee in front of Christian, presenting all these items to him. "For you, my Prince," he proclaimed.
Christian looked confused, but still said, "Thank you." He took off the sheet and examined it – then finally put it down to see his real gift.
His gold crown now sparkled with tiny little white gems sprinkled around – Elsa's little last minute contribution.
"No. Way," Anna's jaw dropped.
"Apparently, way," Kristoff echoed.
"Christian….are you king now?" Joan wondered.
"I'm afraid not. Too many horrible things would have to happen for that," Elsa sighed. Focusing on Christian, she continued, "But no matter how far down you are on the family tree….you're a true King to me. To your parents, to your sister, Mr. Hansen, and all of Arendelle. You prove that more than any crown does….but we thought you should have one anyway."
"You do?" Christian looked overwhelmed. He was still able to take the crown, look it over – in spite of the light reflecting from the gems – and put it on.
"Fit for a true King," Robert echoed. "What do you say?"
Christian needed just two seconds to guess. "Thank you, Mr. Hansen," he settled on, offering his hand. Robert took it and shook, as Christian tried to stay proper enough not to jump and hug him.
With Elsa, however, he was a little less formal. "Thank you for the gems, Aunt Elsa. I love you," he said, quickly kissing her cheek in lue of a hug.
Elsa needed every bit of her royal training not to scoop him up, hug him and get all mushy and embarrassing – like she would if the dignitaries of Arendelle weren't there. Luckily, Joan did it first, although this didn't make Elsa feel any less mushy.
"I'm the proudest big sister ever. Remember that when you're playing King, okay?" Joan asked, hugging her brother and admiring his crown all at once.
"Okay, I'll try," Christian promised, so Joan finally let go. Yet she then raised Christian's right arm up, triggering official applause from the crowd. Anna was too busy wiping her eyes to clap the whole time, though.
Once things settled down, Joan turned back to Elsa and Robert, trying not to look like she expected something now – and failing miserably. Picking up on it, Elsa moved forward.
"The last thing we have to honor is the return of our Princess. Our second greatest beacon of sunshine and light," Elsa announced. "But even in the deepest darkness, you lit the way for Mr. Hansen. Nevertheless, he thought you should shine even brighter."
Robert went away again, returning with another pillow and another hidden item. He bent on one knee once more, stating, "For you, my Princess," before Joan quickly took the blue blanket off to see what was underneath.
It was a fully completed tiara, with several small, plastic snowflakes embedded in it. Elsa had also embedded several of her non-magical gems inside the snowflakes too. Joan recognized them instantly and gasped, taking the tiara with no hesitation.
"This is for me?" Joan asked with wonder. "But all I did was get kidnapped! I didn't do what Christian did! Or Robert! Or….or anyone!" she corrected before bringing up Elsa.
"You're alive. That's all you have to be," Elsa informed. "You do it so well. You make everyone but rotten princes and kidnappers love you at first sight. Even strangers like Mr. Hansen are willing to risk everything for you, and not because you're a Princess. Although you are tied as the greatest princess Arendelle's ever known. But now you can look like it a little more."
Joan put the tiara on, then tried to see her reflection on Christian's crown. The little she made out made her look distorted, but she thought it looked even cooler. "What do you say to Mr. Hansen?" Elsa reminded her.
Instead of answering with a thank you, Joan went over and hugged him before he could get on his feet. Robert was taken aback, unsure of what he could do in such a public forum. But he looked up at Elsa and saw what true struggling to stay composed in public looked like.
He settled on putting his right arm around Joan, in the last few seconds before she broke away. Undaunted, Joan went over to Elsa and hugged her legs before she could even bend down. Still, it was the last thing Elsa could take.
She got Joan off her just long enough to bend down, then took Christian by the wrist before she could forget him. Now that her little prince and princess were both in range and fully crowned, she could squeeze them both – whether it was royally décor or not.
"Okay, no way I'm just watching that! Here I come!" Anna announced, rushing over to hug the lot of them. Elsa was now more under control by comparison - but her grip on, and radiating love for, Anna's children was still blinding. Robert was almost blinded by it more than his creations.
Finally, the family broke apart just as Kristoff got there, but he got a few token hugs before the mood wore off. Elsa restored her queenly demeanor by then, going on as if nothing happened. "Now that we've honored the stars of this ball, let's enjoy ourselves in a respectful manner for them as well."
While everyone else followed those wishes, Anna took several minutes to calm down – both from seeing the crowns and from not being in on the surprise. Once she stopped huffing over that, and took an extra several minutes to stop gawking at the crown and tiara, the royal family started blending in with the rest of the crowd.
Robert could only watch instead of doing any blending himself. He saw Joan and Christian show themselves off in their new accessories – his accessories. He saw Anna and Kristoff watch over them and make awkward small talk with the adults – still awkward even after 16 years of practice.
And he saw Elsa use her diplomatic touch on the guests, while looking back on her family at every free moment. She even used a few extra moments to look back at him.
It was so surreal to him. A few weeks ago he was a failure, and now….
He remembered that this wasn't permanent before he got too carried away. Even if he could keep making things other than gifts for royal children, he wouldn't be invited to one of these balls again. Even as a blacksmith, he didn't have the status to keep coming here.
Not like the Queen's old suitors who bothered to come back to Arendelle. The ones who were talking to her right now.
Robert hung around the ball for another 10 minutes, barely making small talk with other dignitaries and watching the royal family make theirs. Finally, he felt too out of place to keep going – at least not without a little break.
He took that break outside the Great Hall doors, standing around for a few minutes and then sitting around for the next few. This distracted him enough so he couldn't hear the doors open, or hear footsteps coming his way. Not until he saw a pair of icy blue heels on the ground and looked up.
"This ball is partly in your honor. Is there a reason you're missing it?" Elsa asked evenly.
Wanting to avoid the answer as long as he could, Robert asked, "This ball was originally in your honor. Why are you missing it?"
"Let's just say I've walked out on balls for much worse reasons," Elsa stated.
"This is the first one I've walked out on. First one period," Robert admitted. "It's just….overwhelming to a newcomer like me."
"If you're complaining about your first ball, you're talking to the wrong person," Elsa reminded.
"But you had to do more of them after that," Robert came back.
"I wasn't planning to after a while," Elsa remembered.
"Just because you got proven wrong doesn't mean I will," Robert figured. "I know I won't be near one of these again. It doesn't mean I'm any less over my head."
"First of all, what makes you think you won't be here again?" Elsa wondered. "I doubt Joan and Christian will let you get away with that. Much less Anna. Kristoff probably wants some time with you at some point too."
"Even so…." Robert brushed that aside – and the fact she didn't mention one other person in the family. "I'm good being here when I'm an honored hero of Arendelle. Once I'm just a blacksmith again….something I'm still barely used to being again, by the way!"
"You're not going to stop being a hero of Arendelle," Elsa assured. "Or its royal family. And in case you haven't noticed, we aren't the most….conventional family as it is. You haven't even met the talking snowman yet."
"You still have one of those?" Robert got sidetracked by.
"Two, technically. Don't worry, he doesn't hold balls up on the North mountain. Anymore," Elsa said.
Robert exhaled, both in relief and leftover nerves. "I know I was fine giving them their gifts. But I know them and the family….somewhat. With the rest of them…."
"I'm not saying walking among them is easy. It takes a lot of time and effort to get it halfway right. And to ignore their judgments when you get it wrong," Elsa shared. "But there'll be time to balance it out. As much as you want."
Before either of them thought more about that, music from the Great Hall drowned their various thoughts out. "I'm new here, but I can guess that's dancing music," Robert figured. "So I'll either stand in the corner in there, or out here. It's what I get for not doing my first dance ever in a….less public place."
Once Elsa decoded that sentiment, she turned her mind towards problem solving. "This hallway isn't so public right now," she figured out. Her next solution was, "You needed privacy to get used to blacksmith work again. Maybe that can apply to dancing too."
"It….well, it's not exactly the same," Robert stammered. "I'd been a blacksmith before. Dancing's….the exact opposite for me."
"Then I'm in the rare position of having more experience at it," Elsa bragged. "For that change of pace alone, we're going ahead with this."
"We are?" Robert asked, to which Elsa responded not with words, but by taking his hands.
"It's just a matter of gliding and pivoting. It works better with other things, but we don't have to worry about that now," Elsa assured. He was already worrying about enough.
That worry made him look down at Elsa's feet, trying to copy exactly how they moved. But he had to make different moves at some point – and his first few moves landed just shy of Elsa's toes. When he finally couldn't avoid them, Elsa clenched her jaw and kept quiet, but it didn't fool the one person who could see her.
"Okay, that's clearly enough," he tried to get out of it.
"I can freeze my hands to your arms if I have to. Then how will you look?" Elsa warned.
Robert kept quiet, going back to studying and avoiding Elsa's feet. He didn't move his feet too much, which helped keep him from stepping on anything other than the floor. Still, Elsa wasn't as encouraged as he was.
"I don't usually get to be someone who….helps other people face their fears. Especially outside of my family," Elsa admitted. "I thought being that kind of person was impossible for 13 years. And maybe a few years after that. So I guess I don't….let go of any chance to be different too easily. That's all."
It might have sounded like a guilt trip from Anna, or any other royal. It certainly sounded ludicrous to Robert either way. After what he'd seen between her and Joan, and how she got him to make things again, how could she say she wasn't that person?
Heck, if she could push him to pick up his blacksmith tools again, how bad could she screw up getting him to dance?
Somehow, Robert feared that precedent would come back to bite him later on.
But after only stepping on Elsa twice in the next five minutes, and dancing closer with each one, he decided that was a concern for later on.
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By a miracle, no one came from the Great Hall to interrupt them. Not even Anna, since she was preoccupied with the rest of her family – enough to not even notice Elsa and Robert come back in together.
That luck continued over the next two months, on many fronts.
With Anna focused on helping Joan return to a normal routine, she didn't ask any questions about Elsa's routine in visiting Robert. With Robert having saved Joan, no one questioned his visits to the castle either.
With Elsa focused on overcoming her own nightmares and being a good, non-violent ruler again, she didn't question why she found Robert so often in the meantime. With Robert so focused on readjusting to life as a blacksmith again – not to mention the harder work that came with being a royal one – he didn't question why he spent much of his little down time visiting the royal family.
With the ugly end to Elsa's suitor search, the council and the citizens of Arendelle weren't focused on her love life or lack of an heir – for the moment. And with the gossip and legal controversy around Prince Devin, there wasn't room for Arendelle to gossip about much else.
When word got back to Devin's kingdom about what happened, so did word that he confessed under heavy duress. This fueled his family even further into demanding his release, but Elsa refused. Unlike Hans, she wouldn't give Devin back – especially since Devin had a family that could care about him enough not to lock him up.
Negotiations, failed diplomatic summits, and the odd threat of force took up what little free time Elsa had left over. In the meantime, Devin kept rotting in the dungeon, with no trial against him able to go forward in Arendelle.
It took a while to remember that Joan's surviving kidnapper didn't have such protection.
If a trial against him helped back up Devin's guilt, without any torture loopholes, so much the better.
Of course, the kidnapper probably wouldn't be completely forthcoming. That meant the best pieces of evidence against him, and by extension Devin, would be the testimony of witnesses.
Witnesses like Elsa, Robert and Joan.