We do not own 'Frozen' or any of its characters.

"Frozen Again: 'Love Never Ends"

Act VIII

Chapter 17

"Secret Santa"

'Good Christian men rejoice! With heart and soul and voice!
Now ye hear of endless bliss, Joy joy! Jesus Christ was born for this!'


Hours later, after the bubbly Royal Buffet and the townspeople had said their fond farewells to the festive Castle…

"This is a very odd place to find you, sir. Is this the exercise renowned in the Sjoforsvaret Navy I've been hearing so much praise of all night? I suppose you sailors must yet keep fit in the limited space onboard ship. Now I see why my father is cautious of sparring with your Navy."

"Not exactly naval protocol, no, my friend. More like recovering lost treasure for a none too conscientious snowman who has slippery fingers." Urbane Hans holds up some of the sticky candy pieces Olaf had dropped in the knight's room where the snowman had been holed up in.

Hans chuckles at the inane awkward body positions Olaf's fine mess of late-night present conjuring had gotten the usually graceful Prince contorted into.

"It is a shame about that little wager we had being so damnably dashed by that upstart inventor and his cheating newfangled skates. I was very much looking forward to seeing that Ice Palace you spoke so highly of." This obviously gnawing at him all day, smug Prince Hugo brings up the subject out of the blue, grudgingly. He saunters up to where Hans was patronizing a busy Olaf, who was on the floor trying to reach his knobbly short arms beneath the chess set oak table in the other corner of the Knight's room armory.

"Indeed, Varian and Lady Cassandra's amazing victory was unexpected for myself as well. Particularly, after witnessing your vast skills and Princess Sofia's, combined at ice dancing, I was certain you would take the trophy." Hans was feeling rather silly now lying facedown on his belly as he responds to the haughty Prince. The Dane looks up from where he had been diligently collecting several of the white and red Christmas candy button decorations Olaf had dropped that had rolled under the table.

Most of the spilled candy retrieved, Hans deftly slinks out from behind the bookcase and mahogany cabinet. He was back out on his two feet in no time to straighten himself up before the Russian Prince.

"Here you are, Olaf. But I highly advise these now are only to be used for decorating purposes." Hans smiles down to the snowman who was blowing some dust bunnies off the red licorice beads.

Olaf blinks, his branchy arms holding up the sweet treats he had retrieved from beneath the ancient Viking heirloom armor on display in the Castle Armory the industrious snowman had been working in.

"Got it, JustHans!" Olaf happily replies and shows just how attentive he was being by popping one of the black licorice chews into his mouth.

"Although the unsanitary fine particles consisting of earth or waste on the ground over an extended period of time are a little dry, the licorice is still tasty!" Olaf, while giving some book-learned, 'intelligent' credence to Hans' dust warning, he still couldn't help himself from indulging in it. His carrot nose twitches with the instant sugar rush gratification. "I wish I could visit the Ice Palace already to celebrate Christmas with Marshmallow and the snowgies to give them their presents! Everyone's busy again tomorrow…So…I was thinking we have to go tonight to get there before Christmas Eve! Plea-eessse, JustHans?" Not quite appearing sane, a wild eyed Olaf simpers up to Hans with a toothy grin as he offers the fallen candy in goodwill generously to Prince Hugo, who declines.

"Olaf. The journey, minus either flying reindeer or Carpet, would take at least a half-day to traverse, in good weather. So at this rate of shortened daylight time of year, with the falling barometer, we would be forced to stay overnight at the Ice Palace, and that would be completely out of the question. This Christmas Eve I am absolutely requisite to spend here in Arendelle with Elsa and the family. Shh." Recalling his first trip by horse in the bitter cold of the Eternal Winter those four and a half years ago, Hans quietly tries to shush the wheedling snowman.

That was because Elsa and her father, discussing some further outdoor ice decoration in the shape of the Arendelle crest, just then walk past through the open door hallway.

Hans and Olaf exchange looks and both wiggle their conspiring fingers and treacly smiles in guilty greeting from the floor level up at the highly amused, perceptive young Queen.

Elsa stifles giggles at where they were obscured in the armory, unbeknownst the unobservant King.

"Then perhaps it is possible to kill two birds with one proverbial snowball, Prince Hans." Stepping out from behind the door, Hugo had not drawn attention to himself until King Agnarr and his daughter had safely passed.

"I'm listening." Hans responds cautiously to the tall and handsome, somewhat pushy young prince.

"You begin your journey up the mountain, as you said, by horse tonight with the anxious snowman. Tomorrow morning, Sofia and I will make the formal request to Queen Elsa to personally direct my dogsled team up the North Mountain part ways for us to go on our yearly mapping ski and sled orienteering venture, with the pretense to convey us up towards her Ice Palace. We will encounter you at about the halfway point with your horse, waiting by say, some natural physical marker of your choice. A romantic frozen lake, a dreamy glade of frosted trees, you get the idea. Or perhaps one of those famous Norwegian cascade waterfalls that I hear so much talk of in this kingdom?" Fond of the snow and ice, Hugo hailed from a predominantly chilled section of the world himself. So he appreciated the idyllic beauty that could be found in the pristine fresh-fallen snow and ice coated landscapes.

"So, upon catching up with you, Sofia and I will insist on continuing on our ski trek with Comrade Olaf up to the mountain to deliver gifts to those interestingly named servants there of 'Comrade Marshmallow' and 'Comrades Snowgies' while you 'escort' your beauteous Elsa home. We'll speed skate down after our delivery and surely make it in time for Christmas Eve. Thus, we all get our wish: you and your Queen will have time to sneak away to find some valuable holiday alone time together back down the mountainside; Sofia and I enjoy our favorite hobby of skiing and hiking as we do every Christmas Eve for the remainder of the way up to that glorious Ice Palace destination shining on the hill; and Comrade Olaf will have the opportunity to bring to his North Mountain family his thoughtful gifts. It is a perfect scenario, da (yes)? And all this will be accomplished with none of the ladies' parents the wiser that we were free and unchaperoned at last." The colluding Russian prince plots this restricted romantic collusion all out plainly for a slack-jawed, speechless Hans, with the ingenious proposal, flourished twist of his wrist and snap of his fingers to prove the simplicity of it all.

"If any questions arise should we return and you had not as yet, Sofia and I will say you were detained with those fascinating sounding Snowgie servants. And that would pertain to us as well, vice-versa." With a caddish wink, the Prince of Russia's fertile mind was hatching collusion and alibis that even clever Hans never even considered.

Reformed schemer Hans was about to open his mouth to decline the brash idea, but Olaf jumps in here.

"Oh, oh! The snowgies will LOVE that, Comrade Hugo! Can I call you that? It sounds so cool. Comrade. Comrade. It just rolls off the tongue, like sugar crème fillings. The snowgies adore meeting new friends and NEVER want to stop playing! They dream of eating everything sweet in sight! I know they're going to love these gingerbread cookies that Gerda and Johanne and I baked in their cute little likenesses for the Christmas surprises for my little brothers!" The excited snowman exclaims, any roguish, devious talk going right over his head. Then he returns to his methodical, slow counting and tagging of the red and green frosting monogrammed cookies. Olaf had candy canes wrapped in each goodie bag he assiduously had been hoarding for the hundred or so bouncing brothers Olaf had taken the trouble to get to know and love and name personally.

"After a patch or two, all will be just about ready and we can go! I'm almost done counting and wrapping up the snowgies' presents, JustHans! This big one here is for Marshmallow." Olaf proudly displays in Hans' face the decidedly larger parcel of a thicker gingerbread cookie that would need to be reassembled on a large table before giving to Queen Elsa's thirty foot snow beast bouncer that Olaf so named 'Marshmallow'.

"No, Hugo, I'm sorry. Princess Sofia may join us for your orienteering skiing purposes, if you are certain she'd enjoy the sport in these cool temperatures in the high altitude of this country, but I would prefer to keep Queen Elsa out of this, please. After all that's happened, I wish for her holiday to be unsullied and spent with the ones she loves here in the bosom of her home, not out in the bitter cold of the solitary North Mountain. We can make the trip and be back in time without her knowledge, I suppose." Gently pushing Marshmallow's cookie aside as he locks horns with Prince Hugo, the rehabilitated, redheaded Dane had his pure Elsa's best interests in mind.

On top of that, he had been trying his best to be wholly honest, righteous and in the up and up nowadays, as Hans thoughtfully ponders the moral jeopardy of all the deceptive ins and outs of the scheme to Olaf's panicked face behind Hugo's audacious back.

"Perhaps it is too cold and bitter for an impromptu trip to that 'high altitude' mountain and you may fear your horse, whom you have spoken so highly of, will lose its nerve?" Hugo sensed Hans' discomfort with the slightly underhanded arrangement that would have the Vise Admiral both disregard his naval duty and deceive his fair Queen. So Hugo decides to apply this one last bit of a macho dare.

"No, my Sitron is a steadfast steed. Have no concern of that." Hans counters low with a torn grimace across his handsome face, weighing the consequences of the venture as he strokes Sitron's indignantly insulted muzzle tenderly.

"JustHans doesn't get cold! And he's more fearless than anyone I know! He braved his way to the Ice Castle in the middle of a blizzard with Sitron before! He knows his way blindfolded to the North Mountain without your fancy 'oriental tea and maps'!" Unusually perturbed, Olaf would not stand for his hero Hans being besmirched by this challenger of a foreign prince.

Folding his arms, Hugo takes a step back, trying not to snigger at the dizzy snow creature's misbegotten linguistics of the map-using, cross-country sport of 'orienteering' as Olaf surprisingly seemed to get pretty hot under the collar in defense of his friend.

"Everyone here has been so busy with Birthday masquerading, or Christmas decorating the castle, or talking to visitors, or about Anna's new baby – wherever it's hiding – that they forgot about my trip they promised me before, to see my big and little brothers before Christmas. It's one of our Christmas traditions! But that's okay. It's only me missing some of my family at Christmas. But if JustHans doesn't want to bring me…I understand. I know you didn't mean to let me down at that time of year." Exchanging his ire for a cheerless sigh and a kick of the hay on the stable ground, Olaf's drooping orange carrot sniffles forlornly.

Rubbing his blurry eyes, the softly sobbing snowman had to use some extra frosting squeezed out of his borrowed cake decorator to re-glue on the bead licorice pieces he used as the charcoal buttons on Wilhelm's cookie that was now quite crooked and sugar-coated drooling.

"At attention, Ensign." Dusting off his naval jacket along with his intrepid nerve, Hans goes into his Naval Kommander mode as he stands tall over the growingly depressed snowman.

A startled Olaf tosses down his cake frosting tool and holds his breath with an immediate salute at his honorary mariner title that the little snow person took quite seriously.

"Have no worry. As soon as you complete your gift creating mission, your Kommander will personally see to transmitting you to your brethren to spread your generous tidings of good cheer and yuletide merriment, before Christmas Eve. We needn't hassle Elsa about it." Meeting Hugo's compliant nod, Hans felt edified to see Olaf's own abysmal features in a frown instantly turn upside down into a great big smile. "As you say, the royal family is rightfully preoccupied with the bounty of the season here in their home with visitors and cherished love ones to circle around. They may not miss me much as a newcomer to the family, but I'm extremely convinced they would never forget you, Olaf. We will greet your family at the North Mountain and surely hurriedly return you by Christmas Eve evening to spend the rest of the holiday with your loving family here." An ace at logistics, the Prince of the Southern Isles does not shrink back at his unforgettable recollection of the arduous journey from Arendelle, up through the North Mountain, and finally to the Ice Palace at its peak that his beautiful Queen masterfully erected in a single night.

"Be at ease, sailor. Haven't I heard that you are Elsa and Anna's best Christmas tradition?" Hans had taught himself to master reading people, picking up little nuances and eavesdropped sentences here and there all day on the holiday subject.

Or any, for that matter, that may come in pretty handy to ingratiate the chameleon manipulator if he was so called upon to lay on the charm.

And a disconsolate snowman wasn't much different.

Lowering his salute with a wobbly lip, Olaf recalled that special Christmas four years ago when he tried so hard to find the perfect 'Christmas tradition' for his girls. Only for them to discover all together that their beloved snowman, ever since they were tiny things, had been their greatest tradition all along.

Speechless Olaf now literally glows with happiness and pride up at Hans, glad to be reminded that he symbolized that tie that binds Elsa and Anna's sisterly love together.

"We will set off later tonight, Olaf, after we bid the family goodnight. But before we leave, I am compelled to speak with the Admiral. He had already assigned me to a tour of the Gler in the morning. So I am honorbound to request leave and explain my intended itinerary to him, at least, as a dutiful officer must." Hans informs the giddy with excitement snowman, even as the wheels in his brilliant brain were spinning at full throttle.

"I will leave a note for Queen Elsa that must not be delivered until after tomorrow's late evening post, so as not to disrupt too much my angel's precious first real Christmas time with her reunited family." Hans then addresses Hugo as the conscientious Prince of the Southern Isles extracts a pen and paper from inside his Navy jacket's inside pocket to script the missive.

"If all goes well with the King, and you are still interested in seeing through this entirely innocent sports oriented excursion to Queen Elsa's Ice Palace, Prince Hugo, yourself and the Princess Sofia may ski to accompany Olaf and I the rest of the way, in all due haste on this unorthodox expedition. I am bringing two swift horses, so that we may all ensure return to Arendelle in time for Christmas Eve, if you so choose to ride. That is so we do not require to inconvenience the Ice Queen Elsa, nor her similarly cryokinetically blessed father." With a handshake extended that accentuated the gallantry he expected from his counterpart during this proposed venture, Prince Hans offers his aid to Prince Hugo.

"Sofia and I will be ready and packed with maps gathered for our dogsled journey early in the morning. And then we will continue up the mountain on these back-country skis your geeky inventor friend Varian just created for us, probably to make up for being such a skating frolic sniper. Sofie and I are dying to try out these new speed skis in the country where skiis were invented, Westergaard." The ski-competent Prince of Kiev, who was always in search of setting new speed records, would not pass up the chance he thought had been dashed by that scrawny inventor boy and his guardswoman's inconvenient skating miracle on ice.

But the self-confident Russian Prince did not reaffirm he would not approach Queen Elsa to take them Nordic ski sightseeing up to her Ice Palace, omitting to Hans his intention to still go through with his ingeniously proposed, foolproof plan for spreading Christmas romance.

Hans nods to the intrepid younger Prince, his large red ears pricking up when he hears Elsa's lilting giggles emanating from the upstairs bedroom where her baby sister was holding court in their Mama's master bedroom.

There, the ladies remaining in the castle were gathered in a sewing circle to wish Anna well of the Christmas holiday and give their convivial advice to the young new mother-to-be.

"Only… Please abide by my wishes and say nothing of my evening departure's distraction. Let us simply allude to some excuse of gift shopping when the pretense of my scheduled tour duty aboard the Gler becomes unfeasible by nightfall, if you are confronted as to my absence. I fear Elsa will insist on following me, and I do not wish to disrupt her Christmas time with Anna and her kin too much unnecessarily, nor for her to attempt travel in the dark of night, as I must." Hans had vowed to always consider his future bride's safety and happiness more than his own, though he had fantasized of spending one first Christmas with his lover for ages.

But if he must endeavor alone by horse, braving the cold, on Christmas Eve to make Olaf's Christmas dreams come true, his Elsa's cherished little childhood friend's proposed trip northbound would be one such sacrifice Prince Hans would make for his Queen.

That and finding the most winning tact for confiding his scheme to leave Arendelle with Olaf for the Ice Palace, unbeknownst to Elsa, to her intimidating father tonight.

"You plan for every contingency, do you not, Comrade? I admire your perspicuity. You will no doubt make a great Admiral and King someday." Impressed, Hugo commented approvingly of the strategic Dane who was appropriately scheduled to marry a Queen.

"Hah! I am but a humble officer of the Sjoforsvaret, who serves merely at the pleasure of my Mistress Queen and the Admiral of the Fleet. Even though I may marry the monarch of this country, alas, I will never be more than that of her Prince Consort. And you know that full well, Hugo." Nervously contemplating his discussion with King Agnarr, Hans snorts at himself in a chuckle at such an outlandish, high-reaching prospect ever coming to this thirteenth in-line, discarded, unwanted 'devil boy' dishonored princeling such as he.

"Time will tell." Pompous Hugo responds enigmatically with plots of his own dancing in his head. He had the feeling he was standing in the presence of a decisive and brilliant, great leader who would forgo his own ease in a warm palace in exchange for essentially babysitting one whiny little snowman.

'The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown, of all the trees that are in the woods, the holly wears the crown…'


As the polar night's twilight darkness envelops the kingdom…

The bustling dinner for the visiting dignitaries and village peasants alike hosted by the Arendelle Royal family winds down, along with this time of year's early sunset. The early darkness told the satisfied citizens spreading Christmas cheer all day at the castle, now to go to their homes and start their own family celebrations.

After taking his respectful leave from the King and Queen, and bidding Elsa a stolen kiss 'goodnight', Prince Hans travels to the Arendelle stables. There, he exchanges the heavy saddle of his eager horse Sitron for a lighter, long distance travel one, replacing the ornate festive Arendelle blanket with a thicker, warm insulating fleece for the steed.

Then the precautious orchestrator methodically fills Sitron's saddle bags with an extra food supply and emergency backup tackle and gear of rope, picks and grappling hooks and such.

He subsequently leaves several filled water canteens and added bagged dog feed of frozen salmon he picked up in town to the rear sacks of each of the ten husky dogs that belonged to Prince Hugo's already locked and loaded sled team.

"'Away in a manger, no room for his bed. The little Lord Jesus lays down his sweet head. The stars in the sky look down where He lay. But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes.'"

Quietly humming, animal lover Hans had befriended the group of well-behaved canines over the past few days each time he would visit Sitron, his fjord horse. Knowing acutely what it was like to be left out in the cold, Hans included some treats and fond petting for the restless dogsled team who may have felt forgotten by their master.

Prince Hugo had hastily equipped the dogs and their sled for the journey in the morning so he could instead enjoy the holiday toasts and festive celebrating inside the warm castle tonight.

Once the Danish Prince confided in the King - who took the concealment factor rather well, if judging from the amused glint in his hazel eyes to mean anything - Hans' smooth tongue had easily gained leave from his Admiral. King Agnarr, with General Mattias' willing eagerness to escort his friend early in the morning, even kindly offered to take on the naval tour of the Gler for Prince James and friends in Hans' place.

'My own gift project is nearly complete, thanks to your obliging aid and Kristoff's, Vise Admiral, so I believe I have some free time now. Elsa will have no cause to believe you are anywhere but on particular late night duty onboard ship, as I will denote.'

Grateful to the King, who sympathized readily with the cunning young man's selfless sacrifice, Hans, though physically preparing for the ambitious trek tonight, still had a previously arranged extra mission after dinner to juggle.

The horse trader he had met between here and Trondheim from their original journey north had come to Arendelle to sell his wares in the town. Recognizing Torvik immediately, Hans had become reacquainted with the transport merchant at the Bellringing Ceremony.

After settling a few requested back payment debts, the Danish Prince had spoken to trader Torvik, who happened to be local trader Oaken's visiting cousin, concerning that beautiful Fresian horse they had scraped together just enough funds to rent on loan at that time. Hans' silver tongue had also allowed them to borrow a Volstok wagon, the stunning white Fresian mare, along with a small Gudbrandsdal colt Anna named 'Guddy' from the money-minded trader.

This morning at the Bell Ringing Ceremony, Hans had requested for Torvik to send for the unmatched equestrian pair the horse trader had stabled for winter in the next town.

Hans believed this re-encounter was a Providential gift opportunity, if just to bring back fond memories of their remarkable journey to Lofoten island that started it all, what seemed a lifetime ago.

Once a phenomenally miraculous lifetime ago.

Hans was still enraptured of his good fortune that he had not only had the opportunity, by chance, to gain pardon from, but truly fall in love with the girl of his dreams, who now had agreed to love and cherish him back 'til death do them part' as his wife.

My wife! Perhaps a New Year's bride, if I play my cards right…

Hans Westergaard could not wipe the silly grin off his overly ambitious face as he and an excessively pleased Sitron, self-satisfied to be reunited with the lovely wispy long-maned, white mare Iriserende at his side, had returned to the castle's rear cottage of Kristoff and Anna's.

After a quick word with the harried mountainman – who was being celebrated tonight in the castle Billiards Room with akvavit and wine galore by the gentlemen visitors for being declared a new father-to-be – Hans had made a stop to Kristoff's Ice Harvester storehouse. It was just across the castle bridge in town, and Hans got the okay to keep housed, watered and fed the Gudsbrandal colt he had purchased from Torvik for Anna for Christmas.

A cute little goodwill bribe never hurt easily agitated little sisters I hear.

Looking quite sleek in the romantic mystery of his secret surprise hidden under the cover of darkness, Hans cautiously rides into the castle courtyard with the white Fresian mare he had bought outright with the remainder of his monetary funds as a special gift for his Elsa.

The experienced equestrian parks the skittish horse who fondly remembered his tender stroking at the cottage lean-to stable where Sven was usually situated.

Walking back to the Arendelle stable with purpose, Hans pauses now in the intersection doorway to double check he had collected all his gear for the trip up the mountain before leaving for his accommodation at the cottage to pick up Olaf, warm undergarments and change of clothes.

Hans' trusty dagger almost comes out when thought he heard something rustling in the dark stall until the edgy young Prince realized his peaceful surroundings.

"Olaf? Thank goodness, it's just you. Have you been waiting out here for me all the while at this time of night? Didn't I tell you to go rest at the cottage while I saw to some last minute affairs in town?" Hans quietly asks the snowman who was still checking twice his bag full of goodies he had handmade for Marshmallow and the snowgies.

Olaf was now wearing a red and white fur trimmed outfit that made him look quite festive.

"The girls are having another sleepover, with their Mamas now too, that I'm still not invited to. But that's okay! I'm soo excited for our adventure tonight, I couldn't rest like you said to, when I got thinking we won't get back in time to light the tree! So I came out to count snowgie cookies again to calm down while I waited for you to start our trip. I've read somewhere that repetitive reciting helps you find your center of peace." Feeling left out, Olaf admits his insomnia and anxiety. Yoga-like inspired, Olaf holds up meditating branch fingers and a closed-eyed rhythmic humming followed by a great big yawn that showed off his one big tooth right in Hans' face.

"I promise we'll make your special delivery tomorrow evening and assuredly be back in time for Christmas Eve dinner with the family the next day, Olaf. Once we get out to the wide open road, you may ceaselessly chatter to your heart's content. But there's no dawdling, playing around, frightening the horses, nor falling off between here and the North Mountain, Ensign. You are to be on your best behavior, and all should go according to plan. Understood?" Hans had pulled his auxiliary Arendelle cloak from his satchel to cover over vivid Olaf's bright red outfit.

Hans then places a tall black guardsmen hat on each of their heads that he had found resting near the stalls to disguise the pair's striking hair and hat colors against the white snowy background entirely. "We don't wish for Elsa to find out we've left and have her worry unnecessarily, do we? Not when we both know how much you mean to her and Anna at Christmastime."

The Vise Admiral's strategic head already was mentally mapping out his path to the North Mountain Ice Palace there, but Hans still found time to explain to the naïve snowman the need for secrecy.

Olaf's big mouth had its drawbacks, as well as its lovability as the animated snowman grins in a great big smile from ear to ear.

"I LOVE you, JustHans! I'm so glad Elsa is going to marry you! If she didn't, I'd marry you myself, you're so nice to me!" A teary-eyed Olaf throws his thick red velvet suit arms around the tall Prince's long legs. Not comprehending the full meaning of 'marriage' beyond the fact two compatible souls were happy friends, sharing and cohabiting together side by side for eternity, the sticky snowman hugs Hans desperately, not quite getting the whole picture, yet again.

"Please keep it down, Olaf, or we'll wake everyone on this quiet Christmas Eve eve and become very unpopular. What an inspired outfit you're wearing." Amused more than frustrated, Hans teases the chatterbox snowman's red and white furred Santa suit with a poke at his stuffed tummy. Olaf chuckles as he drags his stuffed bag full of goodies out from the stable to accompany Hans' walk back to the cottage.

"Whew! You being so trim and slick, you won't ever have to worry about being overweight. But I've gotta tell ya, it's hard to have a sagging stomach! Those cookies put pounds on a body! I'm bringing lots of extras Halima made special for me, just in case some break on the trip! You guys can eat the crumbly ones." Olaf merrily sings nonetheless while complaining of the struggle to walk and no doubt cracking some more gingerbread cookies on the way, until Hans lifts the noisy snow being and his goodie bag easily to perch on his straight back.

"Allow me to make things more expedient." Hans graciously offers to let Olaf piggyback ride on his surprisingly strong shoulders all the way to the faintly lit cottage across the snowy field.

"Whee! This is fun!" Olaf giggles gleefully at being hefted up and not so vertically challenged anymore.

"Now, Ensign Olaf, let us please be as quiet as possible while we pass under the castle's bedchambers above." Hans whispers in a hush to Olaf as he heads to the faintly lit cottage behind the castle across the snowy field.

"Aye-aye, Captain!" Olaf chortles, as he cups a branch over his big noisy mouth while Hans grimaces up at him.

Balancing tall-hat wearing Olaf from being blown around to and fro beneath the oversized grey cloak on his shoulders with one hand, Hans' long legged lean form deftly carries Olaf's big tied bag full of cookies and candy canes gift-wrapped for his little brothers over his back in the other.

"Hey that tickles!" Olaf could be heard chortling across the snowy fields behind Arendelle Castle as his feather stuffed tummy in his bright red suit brushes against his ticklish spot with every passing step, making poor Hans quaver in anxiety of being found out…


Inside Arendelle Castle's third floor...

Elsa and her mother were entertaining the late-night crocheting circle just as Princess Amber suggested.

Ambitious Princess Amber of Enchancia knew a great deal of refined ladies type of stitch work, and wished to create some personalized embroidery upon her new set of knit scarves and hats. After all, the local Arendelle knitting lady sold each of the young ladies one for their gentlemen friends as extra stocking stuffers.

The familiar sound of a soprano horse whinny in the distance, coupled with a high-strung giggle closer nearby causes Elsa to look up from where she and her mother were sitting on the settee in front of the fireplace where Anna was on and off dozing.

"I wonder where that Palace guard is off to come this time of evening…" Elsa murmurs to herself, mildly wondering if her eyes are playing tricks on her as she gazes out the large window.

But the observant Queen did not quite recognize the extremely tall, extremely slender man wearing the tall black hat and grey cloak uniform of her kingdom as he was top tipsy, broad-shouldered shakily lumbering across the field.

Hans?

After all, the wobbly gaited man hardly possessed her sleek and tall, redheaded Prince Hans' chic manner or stylish posture or stride.

Why did I just think that? My Hans is right here in Arendelle Castle, helping Olaf decorate the stables with Kristoff and Papa. I suppose I'm just a little uptight with all that happened today. Elsa, you have to chill out!

Talking to herself inwardly in her little sister's lax way of speaking, the Queen of the North Winter glances over to where impatient Anna had woken up from her mid-stitch snooze to verbally struggle with her thread, and needles, and the tiny stitchwork–

"Arggh! Fine, you dumb needle! I'll just make the 'B' for Bjorgman in lower case!" The ginger girl, who had little patience - if any - for such mundane, tedious tasks such as fine needle craft, had violently growled and tossed her project aside in frustration for the umpteenth time this night.

Angrily, she was about to sling the green cap she had selected for Kristoff across the room.

Or better yet, toss it irrevocably out the window.

This time she really goes through with her threat to the pesky fabric. Anna stomps to her feet and throws open the window she was sitting nearby in her Mama's rocking chair.

In one felled swoop, Anna chucks the well-worked green hat out the dark window. Watching her despised stitchwork forlornly flutter to the snow, Anna smirks triumphantly until she too spies the retreating equines.

"Hey, isn't that –?"

But upon squinting her eyes in the dark, the ginger princess was almost sure that she glimpsed Hans Westergaard's pointy nosed profile weaving like he was intoxicated across the way, moving towards her cottage in the moonlight.

And he was dizzily sporting one of those big, funny Arendelle guardsmen hats too.

"Hmm?" Elsa glances over to where her little sister was now leaning out the window as the elder sibling was just putting her final elegant touches on the suede gloves in artistic, fine needlework. Elsa had beautifully crocheted in silver and gold thread upon the pale blue suede gloves a monogrammed 'HCW'.

'Hans Christian Westergaard.'

"No, it's nothing…" Anna glosses over her gnawing suspicion so as not to alarm her big sisty by informing her that her 'classy' sweetie was drunkenly weaving across the snowfield like he had one mug of Christmas egg nog and rum too many.

Jerky Red. Don't mess up my guest room in your drunkenness.

"Who's up for making some cocoa and Christmas cookies for Slumber Party take two?" Anna explodes with the sugary idea she knew would take some time and Elsa's attention for the rest of the evening where a tight Mr. Westergaard might come prowling.

The ginger Princess' hand shoots up high in the air of the Conservatory where Queen Miranda was guiding Princesses Amber, Sofia, Cleo and Hilde to be working together on their stitching meticulously.

"Ummm…that sounds lovely, but…I have a previous engagement with Prince Hugo to go skiing early in the morning. And probably all day, if you'll excuse us, Your Majesties? I'm going to turn in early, if that's okay with you guys. Sorry." Sofia bites her lip as she awkwardly makes the excuses for the strange note from her Russian boyfriend, insisting on the next morning through all the day long's must-see assignation which the footman delivered an hour ago.

"That's alright, Sofia-dear. Anna, Mama thinks you should have some quiet, complete rest for the night anyway, too. I'll stay with you tonight. Thank you, ladies, for a marvelous day, but we'll finish these tomorrow. There's still time before Christmas Eve and this new young mother-to-be needs to retire early. Excuse us." Queen Iduna responsibly speaks on behalf of her daughter who was too new at this idea, and too stubborn to realize she was more delicate now that she had a baby growing within her body.

The newly assessed pregnant Princess rubs her growling stomach and looks wheedlingly up to her concerned parent.

"But I'm eating for two now, too. And whoever this little bundle of love is in there, he sure is a sweets monster, making me hungry for treats all the time!" Anna wasn't fooling about her tapeworm like symbiont who was growing within her as she had been having visions of cookies dancing in her head all evening.

"Of course you are, min flicka! Let us get to the kitchen table to see what tasty late night snacks Gerda has cooked up for us before we turn in, girls. Miranda?" Relieved it was mere hunger on this first night, Iduna dotingly leads Anna on her arm down to the kitchen. She remembered herself how first pregnancy vacillated between feeling terribly sick and terribly hungry with more than enough queasy, clingy, uncertainty mixed in for good measure, too.

About time your Kristoff made an appearance to steady his girl as a reminder of who gave her this joy - and pain to fight for. I wonder where he and Hans disappeared off to after dinner…Could it be Agnarr has dragged them into his yearly 'secret' Christmas Nativity crafting? That would be a fine setting for the three of them to get to know each other more. That is, if my stubborn gentleman doesn't let his prejudice get in the way.

Oh, Agnarr, min kärlek, please let the Christmas spirit make you my hero again…

With a tight arm around Anna to make sure she doesn't fall down again, Iduna's expression was full of love and hope as she follows Elsa's wistful gaze. Her older daughter gives a yearning stroke to the pair of velvety svelte gloves in her tender hands intended for her equally velvety svelte young man under the window's streaming moonlight.

"Come, my beautiful girl."

Please Lord, let this be the one Christmas we can be a truly perfect family again, without doubt, without fear, without sorrow. Just love. With a supportive squeeze to Anna's hand as she gestures for Elsa to join them in the hall, Queen Iduna makes a wish upon the falling star that shoots across the dark night sky of evening which happened to flow over Hans' dazzling magic snowman covered redhead.

'Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in Thee.'


Morning dawns in Arendelle with the royal family and their group of visitors all rubbing the sleep from their eyes to begin a busy day full of gift making, present purchasing and wrapping as all prepare for their Christmas Eve's bounty tomorrow.

"Good morning, my Swan. I trust you and the princesses all slept well? My, my, you look ravishing today, Iduna. Christmas suits you, my Queen. Doesn't it, Roland?" King Agnarr turns on the charm at the early morning breakfast table when he looks up from the morning letters he was reading to spy his petite wife and the cabal of females who had come down from the third-floor bedroom.

"Shameless flatterer." Giving King Agnarr a sideways simper, Queen Iduna civilly makes her appearance to the rest of her guests staying over in their kingdom. With a benevolent smile for all, the petite Queen escorts the young ladies and Queen Miranda from last night's sewing circle.

"Good morning, Roland. Miranda and your girls had an idea to make these festive colored ribbons for us each to wear. So sweet of them to put us all in the Christmas mood." Iduna receives her husband's morning kiss and smile with more aplomb than yesterday's cold breakfast encounter, as she gives the visiting monarch from Enchancia a congenial nod as well.

The Queen of Arendelle shows off that she was wearing some homemade Christmas finery and ribbons streaming with Northuldran dyed feathers and native colored beaded tassels decorating the velvety bow in her bunned hair. The bows matched in the different hues preferred by each of the young women in various colors now displayed as they joined the men in the dining room.

Obviously, the late-night sewing circle had used the remainders of their buntings and decorative findings to create some holiday cheer to gift one another in the spirit of the Christmas soon to come to Arendelle.

"Visions of beauty in the form of Navidad festooned ladies always can give a man a good appetite. Does it not, Minister Kai?" Chancellor Esteban says upon entering the Dining Hall just at this moment, awarding an affable smile to Kai.

But the rotund Arendelle councilor does not return it. Instead Kai chooses to disdainfully stick up his nose in the air to sourly reply to the man: "One corporeal carnal desire of the flesh has nothing to do with the other. Particularly not at holy Christmastide." Kai stifles a sneeze while serving out the morning tea over the feathers he was allergic to on each of Sofia, Amber, Hildy and Cleo's heads. But the lively young women's feathery decor bob around the table mercilessly as Kai dutifully seats the vivacious visiting princesses at the dining table.

Esteban merely shrugs with the inextinguishable smile on his experienced face as he shares a chuckle with Iduna across the table.

The young women were excited to finish their breakfast to have the chance for a shopping spree into town where Elsa promised to take them into Halima Mattias' local sweetshop close by.

Anna had been aching for Halima's special sugary Christmas pecan logs from her favorite bakery all night. There, Anna promised the other young women that they could maybe even pickup some final sweet-toothed gifts for their respective sweeties in exchange for a colorful ribbon or two.

"Anna insisted we make an extra pair of Christmas ribbons for Gerda and Johanne, too. Have you seen either of them yet this morning, Esteban?" Iduna innocently glances around the dining room where the faithful servants were usually to be found with foodstuffs on platters, dutifully at work.

"I cannot vouch for Señora Roservalen, for she was a-bustle at the kitchen stovetop. But I can attest my Señorita Johanne was very fine this morning. We spent time together in the larder in the wee hours of beautiful Norway's late morning daylight. But who needs the sun when I have Johanne? I cannot tell you how romantic it is to peel potatoes by candlelight in a small pantry beside the woman you love." Esteban's roguish eyes light up when his tall and slender fiancé enters the dining room to bring in the steaming hotplate. It was filled with the famed potatoes that the older gentleman had assisted her in expunging from their skins this morning.

"How can I catch a sunbeam like Johanne?" The suave, still mostly dark-haired Duke of Avalor urbanely harmonizes a catchy melody, dancing about in tune with the music as he selects the red with gold streamers bow.

Iduna smiles to watch the sophisticated Chancellor stalk his prey like a panther before he accosts a surprised Johanne in the hallway. Then Esteban romantically ties the bow at her neck collar from around her pleasantly startled back.

"Hmph." Kai prickles his nose at the sappy scene that obviously his younger sister hopelessly fell for, as he helplessly sighs.

"At least some of us have learned how to put on the holiday cheer this year instead of being sourpuss old grinches. Love is in the air at this time of year, I hear." Dancing on glad tidings of his own rhythm, General Mattias chimes in to gain green eyed Kai's grimace. The dark skinned soldier places several gift packages his baker of a wife gave him to put in the royal family's stockings hung by the fireplace.

"Where is our Anna, my love?" The King changes the tense, unpleasant subject for his right-hand man with sugary words to his wife whom he seats beside him at the breakfast table.

"Well, if you can remember the initial term of my first pregnancy…" Queen Iduna gives a little wince at the nonstop morning sickness memory that hardly abated for the entire nine months.

"That bad, eh?" The father remembers how many discomforting mornings and what little interest in food his tiny young wife had those twenty-six years ago when she was first carrying Elsa.

"Poor Gingersnap. How is she, really?" The concerned grandfather-to-be asks with a nervous stroke to his ginger moustache.

"Hungry!"

It would take more than a little morning sickness to keep this Feistypants down and away from her favorite hobby of eating yummy things.

Princess Anna comes bounding into the dining room, determined to be full of vigor after her early morning 'chuck-uppy' fiasco and mad rush to the outhouse that sent the majority of her visiting guests scrambling from the Queen's bedroom.

"Has anyone seen Olaf? He never misses a good breakfast!" Anna looks from Eliana's blank face standing beneath her to her mother's smilingly apologetic one and then up to her father who suddenly gulps down his entire cup of hot coffee Kai had just poured.

Fortunately for the Ice King, a burnt tongue was pretty out of the question and easily soothed with the rest of his coffee slushy. But it certainly gave him an excuse not to give his daughter a completely honest answer.

"Have some morning vittles, your Highness?" Mattias lifts a plateful of this Arendelle child's favored treats to change the tentative subject for his speechless King.

"Ugh. Whole hog sausage." Although it was normally one of her breakfast favorites, Anna's spirit was too dampened to face the greasy fare right now. Her wobbly stomach pleaded otherwise after she had rushed it to the buffet table until her cute little nose was overwhelmed by the pervasive scent of fried mystery meat she usually held in such high regard.

Anna cradles her wobbly tummy with a defeated sigh.

Immediately right on cue, help arrives to steady her with a bolstering embrace.

"I gotcha, Baby. Come sit over here and have some of these nice, soft, fluffy pancakes I already put on your plate, instead. Thick, warm, extra syrupy just like you like. Yummy." He coos to his wife in an almost baby voice himself now as Kristoff gently leads Anna to the table.

Kristoff had come back to the castle in the middle of the night, worried for Anna, After pacing the halls a while, he had crashed on the couch in the vacant sitting room, where he startled the morning charwoman.

The sleepless mountainman had arrived before daybreak to check on his little woman – the mother of his future child. And when the mentally sensitive young man felt her distress and stomach upset was occurring upstairs, he came running.

The Wind Whisperer had skipped up three steps at a time, and to his harried mother-in-law's delight, Kristoff insisted his restless girl lay back down in her own bedroom. So he carried Anna there, leaving the King and Queen's master bedroom in need of open window fumigation for the rest of the day.

"You're the best, Kristly." Deliriously smiling as her husband leads her to the seat beside him, Anna felt comforted enough to halt her nausea by her sweetie bear hubby's gentle voice. She remembers his tender caresses that had held her uncertain, pain-wracked body close to him, so there'd be no more puking again, singing silly lullabies under the covers of Anna's bed to soothe her.

"Pancakes really make me feel better, even that Red's. Where is he, anyway?" Anna glances around the table when a light suddenly goes off in her head.

{"Oh, right. That drunken sailor probably has a hangover!"}

Anna turns to Kristoff with rolling eyes and a mental message which he tries to laugh off.

Biting her tongue, Anna regrets her muttered reference to Prince Hans' whereabouts as she sees Elsa's sad-eyes when the Queen did not find her missing fiancé in the dining room, either, upon entering it.

"Oh, uh…that is…ehh…I…ughm, that is, ah-hem. Excuse me, I have already spoken to Prince Hans early this morning with the imperative request for him to…uh…ascertain the Gler is shipshape and running in tiptop condition to exhibit to our honored guests this afternoon. Is that not right, Roland?" Agnarr speaks up here after clearing his throat several times as he involves his regal counterpart with the uncomfortable words that the King of Enchancia was forced to nod to.

Agnarr strokes his moustache repeatedly as he stumbled through the cover story to blame the current location of a certain young Vise Admiral of the Sjoforsvaret he had somewhat promised to hold up the guise thereof.

"Oh? Then, why are you going to personally attend the ship if your commanding subordinate is already on board assigned to that duty?" His Queen suspiciously questions her guilty acting mate, certain by now after their quarter-century plus of marriage that she sensed her man had something sneaky up his sleeve.

I thought I was the one for keeping secrets…

Her smile full of her past regrets, almost all the goodwill that came with Anna's happy announcement goes back in the doghouse at the burgeoning idea of her husband having the gall to send Prince Hans away again. Particularly at this Christmastime season Elsa was hoping to spend every second of with her handsome fiancé who had been away too long already.

"Yes, there is that." The Norwegian King was never good at thinking ahead, especially not in concern to falsifying himself for the sake of a Danish Prince who was wooing his daughter.

"What, I meant surely, Iduna, is after he saw to the general workings of the ship as a whole, I have instructed my Vise Admiral to reconnoiter the Gler's safe trajectory path for its first week of January launch to the North of our country, with particular interest in taking into account the consideration of ice floes on the North Sea at this time of the year. I trust Vise Admiral Westergaard implicitly as an experienced naval man to secure that there will be no…extenuating circumstances or conditions which will require the ship's course correction during all hours of the day. There are weather patterns to be taken into account for its initial passage during the winter months when dangerous icebergs run rampant." Agnarr was making it up, rambling as he goes under the glare of Iduna's interrogating indigo eyes. Not to mention Elsa's quizzical azure blue ones staring at her father's explanation of her fiancé's sudden duties with much interest.

"I assure you it is absolutely vital to the Fleet to know of these critical points, prior to demarcation of maps and such before the year's end. They must be ready for the redeployed ship to be launched in early January to take its first full voyage across such a distance." Agnarr smiles winningly at his wife and daughters, hoping they would buy his naval fish story.

"And as for your question, Anna, I believe Olaf wished to travel with Prince Hans to accompany him to Kristiansand on the coast to pick up some Christmas gifts, 'for his family' I think I heard your snowfriend say." Thinking his stiff excuses sounded valid with these little personal touches, King Agnarr looks directly across to smile to Elsa at the other end of the table.

"Prince Hans seems to be an extremely conscientious and naval officer, my dear. I believe our Sjoforvaret is in good hands there. And he was only too glad to offer his services now so that he may surely return in time for our family Christmas party celebration the day after tomorrow." It touched her father to see the anxiety and sadness cross Elsa's pretty face as he extends his consoling words to her that her fiancé would certainly be in attendance at least on Christmas itself.

I can't believe I'm doing this for that Dane! But he is proving himself more and more worthy to take on Olaf's task without burdening either ice endowed royal.

All in the Christmas spirit.

"Thank you, Papa. I'm sure he will." Gathering herself, Queen Elsa answers in a regal tone that insisted she not overtly show emotion, nor displeasure nor discouragement. But it was all plainly written in her eyes.

As the breakfast finishes more somberly than it started, the guests cordially follow either King Agnarr or Queen Iduna to the opposite ends the Castle. The Queen mother led her group of ladies, plus Esteban - who was eager to be in Johanne's company - to the Arendelle Chapel to attend Mass and choir practice required for Christmas Eve service.

The King and his entourage of men had subsequently ventured out, all bundled up to face the cold morning weather to visit the refitted HmNos Gler down at the docks.

After a quiet word with Queen Miranda, Prince Hugo, who had stayed behind, collects Princess Sofia in the front hall. She was already dressed and ready for their cross-country skiing escapade with a big bright smile to face the delicious cold snow.

"Queen Elsa, Sofia and I are off to dogsled and ski across your breathtaking land. Far be it from me to ask you to personally escort our sport that would intrude upon your busy Christmas traditional activities here at home. So may I instead request that you merely point us in the direction of that beautiful Ice Palace of yours which we have viewed from afar, overlooking your glorious kingdom of Arendelle? And perhaps provide an updated map or two? It would be a stunning achievement for our orienteering class excursion to start by dogsled, then cross-country ski to stand atop that splendid North Mountain we have heard so much about. Ah, what a thrill to look down over your spectacular nation from that dizzying height it will be! I do hope we can find it accurately with our not so detailed maps of this area…" Dramatically wheedling, Hugo pauses in the Castle vestibule, timing it just right for the moment Queen Elsa would pass on her way from the Throne Room to the Castle Chapel where her mother was entertaining the other guests who had not gone sightseeing the naval vessel with her father.

"I… Yes, of course, Prince Hugo, Princess Sofia. I agree, the view from atop the North Mountain is unmatchable. But before you begin, I must warn you both that the journey you undertake is not an easy one. Please allow me to accompany you, at least part of the way. I must inform the Queen that I will not be coming to the Christmas church choir practice, while I draw you up some maps and clear your route up the incline which will be most suitable for your dogsled and skiing purposes." Playing right into Hugo's designing hand, Elsa politely responds to her pushy, smiling guest and his shy companion.

"Blagodaryu (Thank you). That would be most gratifying, Your Majesty." With a triumphant smirk, Hugo puts his hands in his pockets, feeling the note Hans had written with a confident air.

The Russian Prince had absolutely no intention of leaving it on the letter desk as the Danish Prince had instructed either. That would be no fun at all.

'Заснеженных горы, заснеженных долины, Плато заснеженных, одетый в белый,Мех-одеяние мужики, меха-одеяние дворян,Дети, облаченные в мех, видят свет.'

(Snowbound mountains, snowbound valleys, Snowbound plateaus, clad in white, Fur-robed workmen, fur-robed nobles, Fur-robed children, see the Light.)

Prince Hugo begins to hum the 16th century Eastern European Christmas carol of 'Кэрол российских детей - Carol of the Russian Children' as he purposely passes the desk where the evening post – as Hans had specified was to be left for Queen Elsa after Minister Kai had just finished sorting the incoming morning mail for the rest of the castle.

Hugo mischievously winks at Sofia, who giggles at his jovial mood and old Russian Christmas tune's childlike singing.

"What are you up to, Hugo?" She asks in a whisper as the pair prepared their supply bags and maps which Elsa had marked for them to review.

"Perhaps this kingdom's Queen and her wily Prince could use a visit from the secret Santa of romance, eh, Sofie? Heheheh." The dark brown haired Prince of Kiev smiles into his cute girlfriend's lovely sparkling pale blue eyes that light up when she catches that playful glint in her guy's normally blasé gaze.

The Queen of Arendelle courteously nods to Hugo and a lip-biting Sofia as the platinum blonde quickly returned from informing her Mama in the Arendelle Chapel of her December 23rd changed spur of the moment itinerary.

Before she left to accompany Hugo and Sofia to start off their journey, Elsa had the thought to check in on Anna, who had returned to her room to rest after breakfast. The sylphlike slender Queen was satisfied to hear from outside the upstairs hall, Kristoff's loud resounding snore combined with Anna's more staccato one in perfect harmony with one another.

She gingerly peeks into the room to see the married couple resting peacefully on the bed.

Elsa was content to see her pregnant baby sister safe, secure and smiling as she peacefully snuggled in her man's gentle, yet strong arms.

How lucky you are, Anna, to be able to sleep without fear, wed to the man you love, so cherished and warm. You deserve some quiet peaceful time together this Christmas. Elsa thinks, carefully closing the bedroom door at this early morning hour mutely soft as not to disturb the resting young married parents-to-be.

Married… Elsa glances down at the lovely iridescent snowflake ring glimmering up at her in the hallway window's sunlight which was streaming through its panes.

My poor Hans is on yet another assignment for his holiday vacance… I suppose a Navy man's work is never done… The blonde young Queen did not fault her lover, nor even her father who had passed on the duty to his Vise Admiral, as was his command prerogative.

Nor did she blame the eager visitors whose curiosity and interest in the naval forces calls for this unexpected change of schedule to the quiet family Christmas.

It was simply God's will that Elsa employ the patience she had honed as a lonely teenager, and wait – as her wise Mama had told her once – until her delicate flower was ready to blossom to full bloom.

After a long, cold, hard winter… I've heard that the best flowers blossom in the spring…

The Ice Queen mentally makes the analogy she had read somewhere before to herself in answer to her fiancé's question of their impending wedding date. It had been preying on her mind since her Birthday Masquerade Ball when Hans dared to lay it all on the line with her Papa until their matrimonial path was clear.

"'A great and mighty wonder
Our Christmas festal brings:
On earth a lowly infant,
Behold the King of kings!'"

But there was an overwhelming peace in Elsa's pounding heart for her young man's stunning, viridescent green eyes she still saw in her mind as she hears the choir led by Queen Iduna's lilting soprano voice singing the timeless Christmas hymn.

Elsa inwardly praises the Lord for her good fortune to have the love of hearth and home as the song echoed through the halls of Arendelle Castle the young Queen was striding down with purpose.

"'And we with them, triumphant,
Repeat the hymn again:
"To God on high be glory,
And peace on earth to men!'"


The bracing cold of the Norwegian outdoors was a Winter Wonderland indeed for Princess Sofia of Enchancia whose southern homeland in Spain rarely saw this great amount of frost or snow, if any, throughout the year.

She had visited Hugo's northern hemisphere country many times during their long friendship of sports and more, and Sofia was absolutely enamored with the pure magical whiteness that only this level of the snow and ice could make.

"Your kingdom is so breathtaking, Elsa! Thank you so much for letting us share in its magic at Christmastime." The sweet girl pontificates on the frozen beauty of nature surrounding she and her boyfriend wearing their matching thermal ski suits as their dogsled tread softly beneath the tinkling branches.

"Please, it's no trouble. Eliana and I are only too happy to show you both our countryside's pristine pleasures." Elsa courteously responds in kind, feeling rather free and easy out here on the wintry paths behind Arendelle Castle that led up the North Mountain, still some distance away.

The quartet had traversed the sun-kissed snows of morning quite fluidly, riding in Hugo's well supplied dogsled which progressed rather smoothly with the Ice Queen's cryokinetics leading the team successfully uphill.

Elsa had volunteered to take the adventurous pair on the best route and had done so expediently after Prince Hugo's request for this noontime journey prior to Christmas Eve. The 5th Elemental of Ice knew she could easily direct them over difficult sections of land, such as frozen brooks, icefields and other natural barriers.

Elsa helped speed up the dogsled with a little magic to powder the slippery terrain and easily build timesaving pathway bridges that circumvented kilometers of road traveled to save time for the team.

"Yes, indeed. We thank you for leading us up the path this far, Queen Elsa, especially when you are sorely needed back home at the Castle. We deeply appreciate the comprehensive roadmap which you also have so artistically articulated, your Majesty." Hugo pipes up from where he was standing behind his dogsled lead.

"If I may ask, is this area we are approaching one of your nation's famous midair frozen cataracts? I believe it signifies just about the halfway point here on our map. Sofie and I would so enjoy taking our skis now across the rest of the elevated landscape. Would we not, Sofie? After diligently studying and plotting the distance on the rest of the trip from your broad map of the North Mountain Ice Palace, I can definitively be sure of our arrival. We'll travel cross country with these newly designed skis our mutual inventor friend, comrade Varian, had modified especially for us." Prince Hugo points over to the skis strapped to the rear of the dogsled team.

"With them, I have no doubt we will certainly make it back in time to Arendelle to spend Christmas with the family, Sofie. That is, after a pleasurable jaunt down this brilliant countryside of yours, Queen Elsa." Prince Hugo unloads his scheme to Elsa when the trio takes a pause for lunch with the dogsled team beneath the tinkling iced willow branches dangling over a giggling Sofia.

"Are you sure? I can accompany you a little further, if you'd like that?" Elsa offers Hugo, though her eyes, her ears, every sense of the Winter she was now mistress and elemental of, told Elsa that something was afoot. And it was close by.

"Oh, no, no, no! Hugo and I have to do this alone! I mean, our orienteering professor would take off points in our map reading and probably would call your directional lead – though much kindly appreciated – to be sort of like…cheating." Sofia makes the excuse to Elsa after a quick peek through the binoculars that Hugo handed her to see—not the phoenix of the North Mountain, but the nearing arrival of a dashing Prince on a white steed more inspiring instead.

"You have already given us a huge head start, Elsa! Thank you so much! But we have to be going on our merry way solo! Or would that be 'duo'? Either way, we have to be hitting the trail. Right, Hugo?" Sofia's adorably sweet cheeks smile broadly at Elsa as she elbows Hugo to finish shoveling down the cold ham sandwiches Eliana had packed in the picnic for the trio.

"Yeah, thanks, Queen Elsa. Proshchayte (goodbye)." The Russian Prince hastily shoves the rest of his unfinished sandwich in his coat pocket and saddles up his dogsled with Sofia already loading herself on board, holding the map open for them.

But as the dogsled spins around and goes up to a diverging path of the North Mountain which the map specified would be a little more treacherous, a disturbed Elsa shakes her head at their dizzying rush away.

"Wait! You're going the wrong way! That path is far more challenging!" The alarmed Queen shouts the helpful warning to the departing pair as a flabbergasted Eliana, still strapped in the rear of the sled poking around for doily leaf napkins, is whisked away with them.

"We thrive on challenges!" Sofia calls back giddily with an enchanting wave.

"Oh, no, I think Prince Hugo dropped something." After picking up his discarded sandwich wrapper with the rueful look, neat and tidy Elsa spies a piece of folded paper on the snow covered ground where Prince Hugo had been standing and eating his sandwich.

She innocently kneels down to pick up the sealed letter that surely must have been jostled from Prince Hugo's pocket in his rush to leave when he stuck the sandwich in.

Now, the Queen of Arendelle would never have been so uncouth as to rudely peruse someone else's mail. But this particular article certainly called the beautiful blonde's attention for its strong hand and elegant style of penmanship that unmistakably belonged to her Hans.

And the letter was not addressed to Prince Hugo at all. It was addressed to her.

To: Her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle

My darling Christmas Angel,

May I begin by begging for your beneficent pardon in advance, should I not make it back to Arendelle Castle in time to spend this upcoming Christmas holiday with you?

Your dear friend and mine, Olaf, has explained to me his heartfelt woes of missing out on bringing his handmade Christmas presents to his family of Marshmallow and the Snowgies up in your northern kingdom before the holy day, as it appears he had previously promised to them to celebrate the season.

And so, with the authorization of the Admiral - who had kindly offered to take on my assignment tomorrow morning on the Gler personally in my stead - I, in my humble capacity, shall endeavor to escort the sentimental snowperson – whom you cherish as a symbol of the great bond between yourself and your sister through your young lives – to your extraordinary North Mountain Ice Palace, so that he may complete his generous mission with his kinsmen.

Though it pains my heart that has yearned a lifetime to spend this day more than any other on the calendar, marking the birth of our Heaven-sent Lord, with someone who loves me – someone in whom I have come to desperately love – I am hopeful to convey the depths of my emotion. I will forever be indebted for the gift of her affection which has brought me out from the darkness I was heretofore trapped in.

Nevertheless, I have set this mission of Christmas spirit into motion with Prince Hugo. He was most eager to bring Princess Sofia to your magnificent Ice Palace. As you no doubt have obviously acknowledged through his request for the mapped out route your guests have desired to visit on the morrow, December 23rd.

I did not – I do not – wish to disturb your joyous festivities with the good citizens of Arendelle, nor desire you to lose any of your precious family time with your dearest loved ones, especially in lieu of Princess Anna's delicate condition. You should not be the one caused to feel compelled to escort Olaf up to the North Mountain and wrench you away from your family.

So, I have taken it upon myself to accomplish this not wholly unpleasant task in your place, min kæreste, as I feel it is my duty as your pledged protector and future husband. I can only hope that you, my wondrously good and loving angel, will extend your magnanimity to remember you have my eternal adoration – if not my actual presence, in spending your sweet Christmas time in the bosom of your family.

You and I have the promise of the future God has given us, when we will cement our relationship and surely enjoy the New Year together — and evermore.

With all my love and devotion, as I swiftly hasten to ascend the heights for Olaf's sake, then promptly as humanly possible return to you with my heart and hand outstretched when we will make our plans to be conjoined as husband and wife soon.

And that would be this lowly young man's greatest present of all.

Anxiously awaiting for you to name the time and place when again our lips and hearts and souls can be as one.

Your humble servant,

Hans Christian Westergaard

By the time she finished reading the letter, Elsa's pale face was a deep shade of pinkish red.

Elsa was awash with the blushed emotion of her humble fiancé's long-winded, apologetic, at times, forceful words of explanation. They were punctuated by the passion and assertive desire for her to give him the lifeline as to when the couple would be wedded in holy matrimony with all the heady offices that blessed sacrament meant.

The note left the madly-in-love young woman dizzy as she was caught up in her Danish Prince's romantic yearnings he had penned to paper with the expectation she would read it on the 'morrow.

CRUNCH. CRACK. CRUNCH.

GASP!

Like a white doe in the headlights, a guilty faced Elsa goes into full Ice Queen mode, her hand raised and ready to shoot off a volley of ice at the downed branches breaking underfoot somewhere nearby.

And there he was, her gallant knight, sitting tall astride a steed — and not his usual golden dun fjord horse with the black and white styled mane Sitron.

But rather, the slender Prince of the Southern Isles was riding a beautiful white horse with a long white mane of iridescent crimped silkiness, no less.

He directs the platinum mare to make her quick gaited way down the hillside towards the edge of the frozen glen that overlooked the stationary waters of an ice cascade nearby.

Prince Hans halts his Fresian horse, who had come to know the skilled equestrian Dane's style of riding, the instant his shielded, snow-blinded eyes adjusted to see the mesmerizing beauty standing alone in the pristine glade several feet before him.

"Elsa?!" Hans immediately dismounts the no longer skittish mare that he, in his gentle yet firm way, had already 'broken in' to trust him implicitly.

The tired exhaustion of traveling North through the bitter cold at this time of year was utterly dispelled from the heavy lidded redheaded man who had been riding all night. A talkative Olaf, who had been chattering incessantly by his side all the while riding Sitron to bring the secret Santa snowman precious gifts to his frosty brothers of the mountain, had kept him awake thus far.

"Hans!? Is that… Iriserende?" The young Norwegian Queen was completely elated as her handsome young man appears wearing his Navy blue Sjoforsvaret uniform proudly, and closes the distance between the two in heart throbbing record time upon the beautiful white horse she easily recognized.

Hans gazes at the Norwegian Queen and blinks several times with a rub to his sleepy eyes.

"She was supposed to be a Christmas morning surprise, you sly vixen! How is it possible you are here? Perhaps you are but a mirage after my long sleepless hours alone dreaming of Christmasing with you?" The Prince of Southern Isles throws abandon to the wind as he wraps a docile Elsa up in his strong arms and petitions for a sweet kiss from her with his most come hither, beckoning smile.

"You've been dreaming of me, too?" Elsa flutters her eyelashes up at her pretty boy young man, entranced by his exquisite greeting. "Oh Hans, she's the most perfect Christmas present! You know me so very well. Hello, girl, I have missed you very much." Elsa coos as the pleased mare nickers her greeting and pushes Elsa with her muzzle towards Hans.

He takes the opportunity to capture another frozen kiss.

Their sweet lips over lips grow into something more passionate and fulfilling as Elsa and Hans, alone at long last, are enveloped in the idyllic frozen forest enchantment of this fantasized moment they both shared.

"…Hans…" Elsa breathlessly murmurs. "I found your note in the snow… It was beautiful." Elsa whispers erratically as her breath catches up with her from that momentous osculation they just shared beneath the dazzling frozen waterfall scenery.

"You've read it already…?!" Suddenly stiff, Hans gulps down a swallow, his embarrassment turning his face quite red from his collar all the way up to his crimson big ears.

"You would give up your untroubled, ideal Christmas dreams in Arendelle with me, just to make Olaf happy?" Elsa asks her selfless young man to explain himself.

"…"

The Danish Prince self-consciously averts his eyes from the gorgeous woman's quizzical allegation, for once not knowing what to say.

"Thank you—for being such a special man who would do that so selflessly." Feeling free and easy as the cool winds as she felt Gale spying nearby, Elsa wildly shows Hans her appreciation with a warm kiss on the side of his mouth that sent a shiver all the way up and down Prince Hans' reinvigorated spine.

Her spicy kiss inspires a soft groan from Hans as he hungers for her supple form to be pressed to him and banish away the bitter cold he had been sleeplessly braving outside in the darkness.

"It is to be my duty from now on to make you and yours happy, my beloved. So I would give my all to bring back a smile to your favorite snowman's face for Christmas, and fulfill his holiday happiness, for you, min elsker." Using the Norwegian term of fondness, Hans glances back to acknowledge his fellow all-nighter riding companions.

But Olaf and Sitron were nowhere in sight.

Where did that silly snowman get off to…?

"'…Лохматый пони, лохматый волов, Нежные пастухи ждут этого света; Маленький Иисус, маленькая мать, Добрый Святой Иосиф, приезжайте этой ночью. Мех-одеяние мужики, меха-одеяние дворян, Дети, облаченные в мех, ждут света'".

'(Shaggy pony, shaggy oxen, gentle shepherds await this Light;
Little Jesus, little Mother, good Saint Joseph, come this night.
Fur-robed workmen, fur-robed nobles, fur-robed children, wait for the Light.')"

Hans was sure he heard Prince Hugo and Princess Sofia's voices somewhere up yonder merrily singing a carol that grows fainter and fainter in the distance.

The keen redhead turns and scans the area to his rear. He squints his excellent eyes, just able to make out the silhouette of Olaf beneath his bright red Santa hat. Olaf and the sack of gifts he had been carting around were being transferred, with Hugo's help, into the dog sled in front of Eliana and Sofia before taking off again North at a swifter rate.

Hans smiles when he hears excited Olaf's warbly voice join in learning the Russian children's Christmas carol as he goes with his new friends on their fast-moving dogsled.

I suppose he'll make it in time…But shall I play this out a little more, my darling…?

"Yes, I read as much in your lengthy missive." Elsa teases about the top-secret letter that Prince Hugo had masterfully dropped at her feet at the most opportune moment.

Which brings distracted Hans back to the intoxicating present.

The Queen of Arendelle had her man in her arms now and did not intend to let him go again. However, the Prince of the Southern Isles seemed to have some Machiavellian ideas on that subject all his own.

"Elsa. I specifically told Prince Hugo NOT to inform you of my mission. So, I must insist you return to Arendelle now whilst I continue onward and upward with Olaf, wherever he has wandered, to deliver him safely up to the North Mountain Ice Palace. I will, as stated in my letter, try extremely hard to return, without delay, for Christmas day in Arendelle, or thereabouts. But I feel I cannot disappoint Olaf. Not now that all his hopes have been riding on this trip to his family. Likewise, you should be spending these Christmastime precious days with your family and loved ones. Please, my Queen, allow me to do this for you. I will, no matter how harsh or monotonous the path, continue with your dear Olaf on Sitron, while you take Iriserende home to your warm castle home. You need not join us on this tedious journey, my love. I instructed Prince Hugo not to concern you on this matter to avoid just such an argument between us at Christmas." A stalwart Hans pulls back from their embrace, physically lifting Elsa by her slender waist to be loaded onto Iriserende's saddle like she was no more than the fragile porcelain doll he must handle with care.

"Then let's not have one." Elsa juts her chin up and states the words defiantly to the man's stunned features. Her ice playfully rises beneath her feet and Elsa starts to ascend and leave Hans behind in a trail of falling snow dust.

"Huh?" Hans watches the dazzling female rise upon her dazzling ice pedestal in the dazzling sunlight until all three utterly blind him to blink against her radiant, coruscating incandescence aglow in the noontime rays.

"You are not my lord and master. At least not yet, Vise Admiral Westergaard." Fluidly building herself up to the top of the cascade with her icy pedestal in a matter of seconds, Elsa was feeling rather giddy. She had read her fiancé's love letter/scheduling note/commanding order just seconds before the selfsame officer appeared before her so romantically possessive and commanding, presenting her a wonderful gift of this beloved Fresian equine, between his smoldering kisses.

"And I am still your Queen." Seeming to enjoy herself, the Ice Queen sends Hans a look that again sent chills up and down his stiffened spine. His mind recalls her Black Ice Queen reign and the ultimate power at her disposal as he was gazing up at her punishing high heeled feet then.

"You are undeniably that." Nonetheless, a determined Hans uses his dagger and sword to undauntedly rappel himself up by handholds of the ice monolith up to her. With such agility and trust combined, he leaps and jumps on moving platforms the Ice Queen had laughingly created to finally ascend the frozen cascade waterfall she was waiting at the top of for him.

"That was invigorating." Once deftly there, Hans runs his gloved hands along Elsa's velvety blue arms, following the resolute young woman to stand atop the icy waterfall into his embrace for another emotion filled dramatic romantic tryst.

"Olaf is in the capable company of Hugo and Sofia to take him to the Ice Palace, a fact you know very well by now. So, you are obligated to come home with me now, Kommander." Elsa makes her demands as stubbornly she denies him her cool lips.

"Am I? Are you planning to pull rank on me to keep me thus subjugated, even after we're married, your Majesty?" Prince Hans accepts that Olaf was in decent hands with Prince Hugo and his experienced dog sled. But the man in him would fight for the principle of the matter that his bride-to-be seemed unrelenting upon.

Like a stealthy fox, his long limbs bring Hans up to Elsa's level atop the iridescently glimmering waterfall cascade.

"Not unless you force me too, my handsome Prince." The tension was so thick it was almost physical, as the mental and emotional struggle rising between Elsa and Hans was scintillating to say the least.

Drinking in the beauteous Queen of Arendelle's lissome curves within her velvet blue dress, a guilty Hans suddenly recalls romancing another female member of the Bernadotte Royal family. It was nearby another quixotic cascade where he felt so confident and sure that he had that poor girl eating out of the palm of his hand, that he couldn't resist flaunting it.

Cough. Cough.

Perhaps Princess Anna will soon look more kindly on me for bringing her the gift of the Gudbrandsdal colt she befriended on our adventure previously. Choking on the memory, Hans uncomfortably recalls his slyness in wooing a girl so desperate to be loved as he saw in naïve Anna's eyes back then.

Now the roles were in reverse and Hans felt he was the one being deliciously captivated by the masterful woman he was a prisoner of love to.

Feeling exquisitely warm despite the cold temperatures of this winter snow paradise, Prince Hans helplessly gazes from Elsa's intoxicating eyes in the misty view of the dizzying heights of the natural frozen waterfall. Then he looks back down again to where Sitron had returned after depositing Olaf with Hugo's sled to stand beside Iriserende some forty feet below.

Both steeds were pacing at the ground level, gazing up at the cat and fox game the amorous couple was vigorously playing at.

Sitron was confident in his best friend's agility, though the newcomer white mare was near in panic at the sight of the athletically fit and charming young man fearlessly cutting across the sky's cloudless blue. On magically appearing ice steps, Iriserende watched in horror gallant Prince Hans glide on the frozen waterfall that his Ice Queen had built like an escalator to draw her man up to her.

But neither horse need have worried, with Elsa's fellow elemental friend Gale ready to catch her new favorite young man too, should debonair Hans step a foot wrong.

Not to mention the awesome powers of the mighty Nokk, who stoically existed in every waterway if called upon by Elsa's Spirit of Harmony.

But there was no doubt of that for the dexterous, well-balanced Danish Prince. Once there, Hans awards Elsa with a payload of passion after all the effort she put him through to get to his delectable treat.

"Oh Hans, this is like a dream for me. At last I can stand here in the frozen ice cold that is completely part of me, with everything so very still and pure and pristine white and beautiful, wrapped in awe of God's glory. Up here I can feel so free and liberated in the arctic breeze, and show myself – who I really am – to you, in a way I can't really express with words. Here, in my true home in Arendelle, with Anna again where I should be, and with you now at my side, I feel I can do anything, Hans. Ahtohallan taught me that there are no limits and nothing to fear anymore if I looked deep inside myself. At last I feel I am where I am meant to be. This moment is so beautiful, so pristine. Somehow, I won't let this slip away ever again. Can all my dearest dreams be coming true this Christmas?" Elsa confided in a determined whisper her heart's true sentiments when Hans alighted to the waterfall peak.

Completely self-assured in her love for her fiancé, her family and her kingdom, the Queen of the North Winter gazes over the vast expanse of the pure white countryside.

But Elsa's wise, serious mood that still understood her role to be the bridge between the spirits of the Enchanted Forest and humanity passes when she looks into his attentive green eyes. Elsa lets out a hushed youthful giggle as Hans wraps his encouraging arms around her slender back during their wistful exchange, enveloping Elsa's slender body to lovingly fit into his, hand in glove.

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas." As if hearing a nostalgic song on the Wind, Hans begins singing the sentimental words to a melody the thin air of the sky itself was echoing through the fir trees Gale brought. The music was as if in answer to her, like tinkling bells passed down through the ages.

"Just like the ones I used to know." Elsa picks up on the pleasant, wind-tossed melody with some plaintive lyrics written upon her own heart that the winter sun kissed there.

"Where the treetops glisten, and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow." At Hans' soaring tenor's phrase, Elsa causes the spruce fir trees to tinkle their resonating crystallized verglas high boughs that mimicked the sound of Christmas bells ringing.

Together they enjoy the Christmas time duet harmonized with one another on this idyllic day when Hans and Elsa were both in wonder of God's resplendent creation and the fact He gave them this moment to realize it together.

"Tell me, min elskede. How did you manage to purchase Iriserende from that trader, Torvik? If he had heard – and of that I have little doubt – of your imminent… ergh… position in this kingdom, he would hardly give you a bargain. As I recall from Anna's tales, he was a tough salesman asking a fortune to rent some horses and carriages last summer. And I also thought I heard rumors that you had spent all of your worldly funds on the trip halfway around the globe with Prince Ferdinand to come here." Breathing in his pervading scent so close to her, Elsa murmurs. She recalled the stories Anna relayed of their past meeting with the Fresian filly's horse trading skinflint owner with great detail.

Elsa gazes down at the breathtaking horse she had been thoroughly surprise gifted by her beloved Prince, in apparent admiration of her fiancé's skills at the art of the deal, with even the tough wandering salesman who famously drove a hard bargain.

"Due to my current lack of capital, indeed, I offered him but a trade." Hans gives Elsa a raised eyebrow smirk that told her he believed she got an excellent deal. "It's not much. A mere pittance, really." The redheaded Prince dangles the words in front of her until a coquettishly smiling Elsa was hanging on his every word.

"Well? What do you possibly have he would want from you in trade?" Elsa asks in a low sultry voice with a stroke to her man's tight chest beneath his navy velvet uniform jacket. She was nearly panting with curiosity as the chilly high-altitude seemed to do something to her inhibitions.

"I simply offered trader Torvik a special stall in the Arendelle entrance concourse for him to sell his memorabilia merchandise… at our wedding." With a quirky smile and soft nibble to Elsa's pleasured, softly moaning neck, Hans admits playfully into his platinum Queen's tasty ear.

"You did what?! Our wedding date is not even set yet!" Shocked awake by the honest audacity of the redheaded man to take such commercialism liberties with her kingdom – with her once-in-a-lifetime wedding ceremony's trappings – I just want everything to be perfect! - Elsa spins around.

She wiggles out of Hans' embrace so fast Elsa did not take into account her jolted body actions would send the poor young man, perched with utmost agility on the precarious edge of the frozen waterfall crest, to slip backwards.

Thee Norwegian ice slick beneath his tall heeled black leather boots, Hans was about to go plunging downward dangerously off the forty foot-high cataract…

WHOOSH!

Before a stunned Elsa had the presence of mind in those frightful seconds of her Hans' hands slipping just out of reach, with Gale above and Nokk below just about to intercede, an indigo, purple, crimson, red and golden swirled black and blue flash breaks across the sky line to halt Hans' soundless descent.

"That's what I'd call a waste of a fine officer, wouldn't you, your Majesty?" As she capably catches Prince Hans' flailing body and pulls the thankfully slender man into her, Cassandra Schmidt's sarcasm was evident.

Her saucy, high-pitched voice cuts through the tense chill to Elsa's only minutely jealous, grateful ears.

The guardswoman and her wide-eyed alchemist boyfriend had been flying over the Norwegian countryside in search of whoever came first, Queen Elsa or Prince Hans, upon the newly returned Magic Carpet.

The ancient magical being had this morning come back to Arendelle after delivering Prince Ferdinand Egalité and his long-suffering neglected wife Duchess Helene home to the Palais des Tuileries in Paris.

There, Ferdinand's Mamére, Queen Marie Amélie, was in relief to have her devil-may-care, roving eyed son home. He would now take on his duty to the French Crown and cease these youthful wanderings of sowing his wild oats with French army and Legionnaire or any other hero group he could rally to, once and for all.

Because that settling down meant his marriage to the unpalatable, non-Catholic Protestant German Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, was now complete with a son and heir.

But if fatherhood kept Queen Marie Amélie's roguish Ferdinand Philippe home, Mamére would cling tight to the holy rosary she had been praying upon each day and night and then some for her boy to come home and be a man.

"Absolutely." Elsa shares her mirthful empathy with the polar opposite, dark-haired tough young woman whom her cousin Princess Rapunzel had sent by serendipity to attend the Queen's Birthday Ball in Arendelle in the woefully pregnant Corona Princess' stead.

Besides becoming a dear friend to both herself and Hans, Elsa would be eternally indebted to Corona's Captain of the Guard for her unwavering support and help during the recent struggles in Svalbard.

Not to mention Cassandra's able assistance in bringing Hans Westergaard home to Elsa.

"Here. You had better keep this one on a tighter leash. Just as I intend to steer mine right all his days, lest either of them land themselves in trouble again." With a controlled glance to Varian as together they heft a winded Hans back to the top of the frozen cascade, Cassandra's exotic gray eyes meet Elsa's azure blue orbs. She makes a simpatico correlation to the brilliant pair of 'could be wicked and wouldn't' young men, thoroughly reformed for the sake of love.

"Thank you for the steadying save." Feeling slightly embarrassed at being so unseemly clumsy, Prince Hans brushes his titian red sideburns and tousled hair back, along with his nervous mannerism of straightening his jacket. Elsa's cool hands that were secure on his shoulders as she pulled Hans safely to the waterfall ledge behind her.

"Lady Cassandra, Varian, my dear friend, Carpet. What is it that brings you all out here to our wondrous countryside?" Then, sophisticate Hans attempts to change the conversation, as if no gauche slip and almost clumsy fall had even occurred.

"Well, as you can see, Carpet just got back to the Castle this morning. Cassie's been anxious to get back to spend Christmas with her Dad, and so have I. I mean, wanting to spend Christmas with my Dad." Backing away from the petrifying idea of crossing swords, again, with Cassandra's strict lawman of a dad, there was a certain glint of nostalgic emotion in Varian Gutenberg's cerulean blue eyes at the thought of his own father, Quirin, alone at Christmastime.

That look evoked the knowledge in Elsa and Hans both that Varian cherished his single dad – whom he had almost lost by his own hand before – more than words could say.

As welcoming and promising as spending the holidays in Arendelle was proving to be, and the idea of a castle full of noisy newborn babies not so much, Cassandra still had to make it home in time for Christmas.

Christmas was that one day the year when even a tough dad like former Captain of the Guard Josiah Schmidt felt free to show his great affection for his one and only, adopted child.

"We've already said our goodbyes to your folks and given our thanks for putting us up for the past few nights. But Rapunzel will kill me if I didn't remember to give her favorite cousins the hug I promised I would to each in her place. Don't worry, Princess Anna already got the lion share of hers. I've still got the big bear hug squeeze mark scars to show for it." An uncomfortable Cassandra shows off her own brand of subtle humor as an attentive Carpet creates the plush staircase of himself for her chiropractor required bones to easily disembark.

"Wow, you guys don't go halves when it comes to impressive scenery. No wonder you were so dogged about coming back to claim your amazing woman, Lillebror." With a nodding jab at her favorite sparring partner as she speaks in Eugene's absence, Cassandra chuckles nervously to Hans as she looks over the frozen solid cascade that she, at first, stepped lightly upon.

Appraising the scenery, Cassandra confidently strides to stand atop the imposing frozen waterfall beside the Ice Queen.

The sleek, dark-haired woman, wearing her fur hooded mauve suede coat, tentatively approaches Elsa. The Arendelle Queen was decidedly different than her overtly friendly feisty younger sister, if the Prussian woman who too was never a casual friendly hugger herself, was any judge on the matter.

Cassandra pauses awkwardly with arms gracelessly outstretched to Elsa in an even attempt to take on the tentative tall blonde's shy recalcitrance as a pasty-face smiling Elsa steps backwards.

As for Elsa, while not technically 'hands off' anymore, as she had matured into full control of her cryokinectic powers these past few years, was still uncomfortable when faced with hugs from anyone other than Olaf or her immediate family.

"I find it is most advantageous to utilize the element of surprise before entering a full frontal assault on any irresolute adversary." Smug, crossed-arm Hans coyly leans back against the cascade's rock ledge with his legs crossed arrogantly to whisper over uncertain Elsa's shoulder to Cassandra.

Taking the advice of this man she admired into account, the dark-haired female merely has to give Varian a glance behind her for the young scientist to come to her beck and call.

FLASH!

Hans was boldly massaging his fingers down Elsa's spine to both soothe and stimulate her simultaneously to loosen up. In his best attempt to get his Queen to smile, the Danish Prince kissed to the rear of the exposed nape of her pale neck, shocking a titillated Elsa.

Not knowing which way to turn, Elsa flinches at the bright flash of light and pauses in her bashful retreat, giving Cassandra all the time she needed to execute the promised hug in a direct approach. All while the genius boy she had a soft spot for employs his latest and greatest experiment in a modified, handheld 'Inverted Instant Image Transfer' device, or the 'Triple IT'.

The young inventor's device had a totally new scientific theory than either Niépce's heliography Bitumen of Judea paper coated with silver chloride, or his more famed partner Daguerre's silver plated, silver iodide coated copperplate idea.

Varian's own experimental alchemist take on this new subject of 'photography' involved heated gelatin emulsion dry plates of glass rather than paper or metal cured with mercury vapors in an instant chemical mixed solution contained within a handheld device of all his own design.

The scientists' game little gray-brown raccoon buddy – who looked quite decked out in the viva la France filmy scarf of the French flag flying at his neck to the black beret fixed crookedly atop his fuzzy head – holds up the scientist's ingenious contained chemical flashed artificial oxy-hydrogen/ burning calcium carbonate limelight that blindingly went with it.

"While the picture develops, maybe we can fly you two down to your horses waiting below?" Collecting his equipment hurriedly, with Rudiger the raccoon plunked on his lap by Cassandra, Varian pleasantly offers a fast ride down on Eugene Fitzherbert's borrowed ride.

"Excellent idea." Gentlemanly Hans escorts Elsa to alight upon Carpet who waves at the couple graciously when Elsa gives his soft pile a friendly shake.

The quartet of humans land back on terra firma in one piece thanks to Carpet, much to Sitron and Iriserende's relief.

"What a pretty horse. I bet she could full gallop really fast with those aerodynamic body lines." Varian comments with a calming pat to Iriserende's neck when they land close by the skittish mare. He never lost his fondness for God's creatures amid all of his science experiments, with his inquisitive bent that always shone through.

"It appears that you and I have a predilection for gorgeous, well formed females with fine contoured definition." Hans purposely insinuates as he rubs a caressing hand over the pale mare's shining white coated backside.

In a matter of seconds, the alchemist produces his experimental 'Triple IT' volatile chemical reaction within the clicking machine miniature box's well worked gears and shift levers. He removes the thin glass plate from the quick drying solution when exposed to air on which now emerges one of the world's first instant photographs.

There in the crystal clear, bluish tinted photograph, Elsa was sandwiched by Cassandra's obligatory promised Christmas hug in the forefront with Prince Hans' sneaking hands assaulting Elsa in the rear to keep the thoroughly shocked young ruler in place just long enough for the candid shot.

"Next time I'm going to work in getting the full color spectrum involved for better effect. But the whole blue-and-white shading pretty much works for this one. I bet Princess Rapunzel will love it. Just look at this stellar view." Ever the alchemist, Varian clinically speaks as only a scientist could as he inspects the picture produced from his inverse glass instant image transfer machine before displaying it to his unsuspecting subjects at the base of the frozen cascade waterfall.

"At least I don't look like I'm being strangled like in this one." Cassandra pulls out from her pouch pocket the other glass inversion image instant transfer which Varian had taken before of her proxy hug for Rapunzel with the ginger Princess back in Arendelle before they left.

In it, a too toothy smiling Anna was so eager to give Varian a great shot for Rapunzel to see as an extra special present, the feisty ginger had been cutting off the guardswoman's blood circulation for so long, so in the picture Cassandra appears sickly white as a sheet.

"An Inverted Image Instant Transfer of myself for cousin Rapunzel and the whole Royal family of Corona to see? But…it's not my good side…" A whiny Elsa murmurs, displeased with the ingenious picture's result in a teensy-weensy display of her feminine vanity.

"Every side of you is better than 'good', min älskare. Believe me, I'm this close to having the privilege to glimpse all your angles." Hans makes a close fingered gesture with his hand as says approvingly of the fully developed photograph of Elsa and Cassandra's shared hug. "I like it." He tries to diffuse the situation with some rowdy rejoinders before the feverishly blushing Elsa.

The Danish Prince guiltily gulps though, when he spies a certain handsome, amorous young man, if looked at closely, to be lurking in the background with his face buried in a shocked Elsa's braided hair.

"Glad we're not showing it to the Admiral." A candid Hans whispers furtively as he points out to Elsa the erotic lurker in the picture's background as Elsa covers her face in mortified shame.

"Come on. You look beautiful in it. Thanks for everything, Queen Elsa. Have a Merry Christmas. Let's go, Varian." Her promises to Rapunzel fulfilled, pragmatic Cassandra had little patience for women's vanity. With a clap of her hands she rushes her new boyfriend back onto the Flying Carpet. The saluting Rugman had the wherewithal to track and point out where the playful raccoon Rudiger had made a beeline high up atop the ultra tall spruce, virtually hiding from dubbed 'Dragon lady' Cassandra's critical eye.

"We wish you a very Merry Christmas, too Lady Cassandra. Please tell King Friedrich and Queen Arianna, as well as Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene with their pair of brand-new little ones that we pray all God's blessing for a bright new year to come." Elsa basks in Hans' agreed warm smile as he lifts her easily on Iriserende's saddle to have a front row seat to wave farewell to the flying Carpet in his passengers.

"Let's get going, Varian! Grab that stupid masked bandit of yours before he disappears further into those massive high trees." Cassandra had her trained eagle eye out for the mischievous, playful raccoon who was playing hide and seek with his and Varian's new 'playmate'.

"You got it, Cassie! Goodbye, Queen Elsa. Bye, Hans. You've been a great friend and taught me a lot on this trip about… life." That enigmatic salutation was the awkward boy's way of thanking the sagacious Dane for his advice on women and the right time to make a move on them. Which had paid off dividends, if the woman seated snugly leaning her weight into him in a cozy gesture was any judge.

"It's been a pleasure, Varian. Say 'hello' to new 'Papa Storbror' for me." Hans answers with a smile to his fellow ne'er-do-well who also struck feminine gold as the Flying Magic Carpet salutes Hans and Elsa with a tassel before taking off to the sky.

"Oh! There it is! I almost forgot!" Varian calls out when Carpet just ascends to the top of the fir tree level for Cassandra to grab and shake upside down over their rug the raccoon thief who had taken a shine to the wrapped present Carpet had brought back from his trip to France.

"We found this wrapped present from your friend Prince Ferdinand before in the bag stitched on Carpet when he first arrived. Don't know how Rudiger got a hold of it between then, heh he heh." Trying to impress a rolling eyes Cassandra with his guts in a rather clumsy leap halfway down, Varian apologizes for his sticky fingered little friend as Carpet dips down again to pick him back up.

But Varian pauses to listen to the Danish prince's words one more time as he hands the Frenchman's gift over to Prince Hans astride Sitron.

"Just keep your ebony angel warm, my friend. Never let her down nor give her cause for that smile to leave you. I'll never cease praying to God that I will be able to achieve the same for my pale angel here." Hans gives one last tidbit of advice for the younger man to find success in love which was more important than success or wealth or power in life, as Hans had firsthand discovered

"Keep my ebony angel warm…?" Varian mumbles softly as he hops back up on Carpet who had returned with Cassandra to retrieve him and then set out on their journey back to Corona were Carpet would finally be going home to a new growing family.

"Don't get any crazy ideas from that bard, Mister…" The liberated woman says despite herself being secretly pleased with the nickname upon overhearing the younger man's dreamy words and eyes glazing over her as he places one daring arm around her shoulders.

"Oh, sorry!" Varian pulls his appendage back and scoots away on the already moving quickly sonic speed Carpet. But Cassandra, thinking twice on the matter, contritely tugs him back with her arm around him tight now. Just so as not to have him slip off the midair magic vehicle as the young males tonight seemed wont to do.

When he was fourteen and she twenty-one, the years made all the difference. But now, years of friendship turning to something more later Cassandra had become aware Varian was a grown man now.

Cassandra could more and more perceive the brilliant young man's enduring devotion, endearing attractions and endless discoveries as she was determined to teach the innocent lad how to cut loose a little bit.

"Just hold on tight long enough, Varian, and I'll show you all of my darkest feathers." She gives her obedient, lean young man an enticing smile and seductive whisper in his ear that had inexperienced Varian utterly stumped.

Especially when the responsibly adept older woman abruptly and brazenly crawls across a wide-eyed Varian's shocked into submission lap.

Ready as I'll ever be!?

She grabs a tight hold of his squealing raccoon friend by the its wriggling tail, even as Rudiger, greedily eyeing some of the biscuits Hans had bribed him with to sit still on Carpet when Varian returned, almost tumbled off Carpet's sudden sonic speed without a seatbelt.

"Good catch." Varian squeaks out, every fiber of his being trying to calm himself and be contented with having a trembling Rudiger only plopped on his lap for now.

But a satisfied, smirking, sexy Cassandra was close at his side, holding the ice skating trophy she had reclaimed from the thieving raccoon to her chest.

Remembering the thrill of the competition, Cassandra starts smiling at Varian with a new light in her dark eyes as she sneaks his hand in hers on this romantic magic carpet ride home.

Now, we've got nothing left to lose…

"Another crisis averted." Elsa giggles to Hans as she waves goodbye to their Prussian friends who were truly well on their way beyond the horizon, huddled close together on cousin Eugene's flying Magic Carpet, after all.

"Alone at last?" Hans concludes in a gentle voice with a mixture of relief and amusement that Cassandra and Varian were safely on their way home for Christmas, and Sofia and Hugo were enjoying themselves with the joy of the season while bringing Olaf and Eliana up the mountainside.

Prince Hans was secretly glad that he and Elsa were finally free to spend some holiday vacation time alone together.

Hans chuckles as he ensures the tackle on Sitron, only to find that Olaf had left a scrawled note tied to the horses' reins that plainly said:

"Secret Santa Olaf will be home for Christmas!"

"Iriserende is such a perfect present, Hans. So thoughtful and attentive a special Christmas prize. I love her very much. Thank you." Having time now to admire her Fresian horse's shiny iridescent coat that lived up to her shiny name, Elsa was more than satisfied with this first Christmas gift from her beloved. She pets her lovely white mare's natural crimped mane who responded in kind to her mistress' soft touch.

"Merry Christmas, early, my darling Elsa." Feeling rather romantic now that they were alone, Hans prompts Sitron to move closer alongside Iriserende. He leans over and bestows Elsa with another kiss the Danish Prince believed he deserved for the well thought out present.

"Merry Christmas, my Hans." Elsa titters sweetly as her young man leans in for yet another kiss.

"I don't know about Sitron, but Iriserende seems ready to race home for Christmas." Now back on sensibly prosaic ground level, Elsa leans back and a takes a deep breath before she confers the sudden challenge.

"A race? I thought I was the one in a hurry…" Hans cantors Sitron even nearer to Iriserende close enough for the horses' heads to nuzzle.

"Let's not feel hurried anything, my handsome prince. Just enjoy every sweet moment together in peace, and as a family. This is going to be the most wonderful Christmas we've ever had in Arendelle, isn't it, Hans?" The once unsure girl gazes over the countryside that was no longer in danger of an eternal blizzard.

For 5th Elemental Ice Queen Elsa of the North Winter had a heart that was secure with the ones she loved dearly, now gathering close to her.

"You're right, min kæreste. It couldn't be any better, now that I'm free to spend my first Christmas with you, Elsa, my angel. You are and ever will be the only true owner of my heart." At the scene of the two horses nuzzling, Hans is inspired to try again, leaning over in his saddle to kiss Elsa on her now moistened, luscious lips.

"And once you name that oh-so-important day, my love, my heart's joy will overflow. I swear to never miss a single Christmas Eve to be with you ever again." Hans then delivers an extremely passionate, tender kiss full of yearning and promise as he and Elsa lock lips from across their saddles.

"Care to race my lovely, brand-new present home, my darling Danish Prince?" Exhilarated by his kiss and sweet devotion, the Ice Queen prompts Iriserende – who seemed to be in full cohesion with her mistress – to suddenly gallop forward out from beneath the tinkling ice willow's entrancement.

Out onto the open fields they soar, where the pale matched, high-strung, female pair take off through the pristine white snows.

"What will be my prize when I catch you, my stunning Norske filly?" Sitron could be a speed demon when his boy master set him to the test. And the golden fjord horse may have had the incentive now as he storms across the snowfields to catch up to Elsa and Iriserende enough for Hans to reach his hands out to unclasp Elsa's braid and loose the strands of her long blonde tresses.

"I will keep running until I do catch up to you, have no doubt, my Elsa of Arendelle. On my honor!" Prince Hans defiantly takes up the challenge with this announcement to the chilled winds left in the Ice Queen's exhilarated, laughing wake.

Hans only pauses a moment to sit back and watch Elsa's gorgeous mane of platinum braid crimped locks he had deftly loosed wildly unfold on the rustling cold breeze to mirror her white filly's silky long mane.

Then he nudges Sitron to give chase to his spirited lover who dazzled the winter snows kicking up in the road back to her kingdom at the base of the mountain. For Elsa had welcomed Hans to her home to be his now too.

And there, the Arendelle family Christmas would include this previously lost, listless, last Westergaard child who had dreamed on many sad Christmas Eves alone, to spend one special Christmas surrounded by people he loved, who loved him in return.

People who forgave him all past wrongs, because forgiveness was born through Grace, once upon a cold midnight clear in Bethlehem, as a grateful Hans sings the haunting hymn of Christmas worship in his native Danish tenor while following his Elsa home.

"'Midt i den mørke vinter om nat ved Betlehem. Den rose fin og lille har dejlig duft og skær; den lyse for os ville og sprede mørket her;i sandhed mand og Gud;
af syndens nød og pinehan nådig hjalp os ud. Midt i den kolde vinter om nat ved Betlehem.'"

'A tiny babe was born in the midst of
The dark winter on that night in Bethlehem

'The forsaken Rose sweet and small
Has lovely fragrance and petals marked;
A bright new city for us waits because
In Him the Light erupted through the dark.

With Truth of heart, Man and God join;
Through the distress and torment of sin,

By Grace, He came to save us in the midst of
The cold winter on that night in Bethlehem'


'Good Christian men rejoice!' – John Mason Neale 1837 to J.S Bach's 'In Dulci Jublio' music

"Away in a Manger' ('Luther's Cradle Hymn') – Martin Luther 1523 set to German folk lullaby

"The Holly and the Ivy" – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1812 set to anonymous 16th century British folk tune

A Great and Mighty Wonder' - 15th century Michael Praetorous music, John Neale lyrics 1840

'Кэрол российских детей - Carol of the Russian Children'- 16th century Russian Christmas carol

"White Christmas" - Irving Berlin 1942

"Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus" – Friedrich Watt 1744

'En rose så jeg skyde' (The Rose Shoots Up) – Danish Christmas hymn by Michael Praetorius 1609


Blagodaryu – Thank you in high-class Russian

proshchayte - goodbye in high-class Russian

udivitel'noye – marvelous in Russian

Min flicka – my girl in Swedish

min kärlek – my love in Swedish

Min alskare – my beloved in Norwegian

min kæreste – my darling in Danish

min elsker - my lover in Norwegian


December holiday cheer start with Part 2 of 'Christmas in Arendelle' in 'Frozen Again', dear friends! ^0^

Here's the middle episode of the 3 part Arendelle Christmas event!

Things were spicing up a little between our dashing Dane and his platinum Norske filly (great pet name, eh, Hans?)

Secret Santa Olaf is on his way to being delivered up to his North Mountain friends! Cass and Varian (gotta love an inventor who makes homemade presents!) are getting pretty tight while on their way home to spend Christmas with Rapunzel and Eugene and their twin bundles of joy!

Young lovers, nuzzling horses, singing snowmen, flying Carpets, thieving raccoons and Christmas carols filled this chapter with glee! Elsa and Hans even had a timeless 'White Christmas' duet moment! (I had to let them sing it together - even if the song is to be written over 100 Christmases hence - after listening to both Idina Menzel and Santino Fontana gorgeously belting out the heartwarming melody in a wind-tossed echoing, Ghost of Christmas Future kinda way! :) You've got to hear those golden voiced musical stars singing it1 ^_^

Stay tuned for one more joyful, music-laced conclusion chapter full of fun and romance and love's true reason for the season Christmas sentiment minus the commercialism!

Merry Christmas Eve to you all, my dearest Frozen friends! I pray the Lord who came to us down from Heaven to be born a tiny babe to bring us home safe someday, will bless you and your families with His Love all through these precious days of celebrating the Christkind.

'God bless us all, everyone.'

HarukaKou

P.S. The romantic kiss scene between Helsa with the scenic waterfall background can be seen at www dot deviantart dot com slash setsunakou slash art slash Frozen-Hans-x-Elsa-Kiss-Portrait-Love-Never-Ends-691659023.

Please have a look to get the full, gorgeous picture of our star couple. My artist Setsuna inspired this scene for me! Hope you enjoy the Christmas romance! ^_^

"Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ, the newborn King!"