When the doors closed behind the Queen, it left Anna and Edward alone in the large room. The young man couldn't help but reflect on his brief time with the beautiful woman. She seemed kind and understanding, as well as insightful when she recognized his desire to be alone. She said that it wouldn't help to run from his problems however, his problems wasn't something one could run from. Only total isolation could give him the peace of mind he craved for the last four years.

All of his supplies had been used up on his journey getting this far, and his money was all spent in the last town. He needed money, so getting work in Arendelle was his next priority. He would only stay long enough until he could afford passage to Blackdust. Ferries didn't really cost much however with the unique relationship Blackdust had with the world, he would need to give enough money for a captain to resist asking questions.

Could always ask the Queen for a ride, her sister's mate is alive after a bandit ambush. Honor would demand she compensate his rescuer.

Edward viscously shoved that thought in the back of his mind, the fact they brought him to the castle and treated him was more than enough to call whatever help he gave even. Kristoff, saved himself and picked up a total stranger who was laying face down into the snow. As far as he was concerned, he owed the ice harvester. Thinking of Kristoff, he hoped that he was indeed alright, he seemed ok after the attack however, shock wasn't always instantaneous so Edward wanted to check on the man.

Turning back to the brunette beside him, he lightly coughed to get her attention. Her blue eyes turned to him in wonder and easy smile graced her freckled face. Looking at her up close Edward could see that she was indeed very beautiful, any man would jump at the chance of marrying her. Kristoff might've been the luckiest guy in the world to have this woman worry so much about him.

Not as lucky as the guy the Queen would worry about.

Edward squashed that thought as he finally remembered what he wanted to ask the princess in the first place. "Your Highness…"

"Anna."

The young man raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Please, just call me Anna. I don't like being called Princess Anna." Edward was taken aback by the gesture, most royalty would have commoners prostrate themselves rather than establish a sort of a familiarity with them. Had it been anyone else he would've suspected an ulterior motive however staring into her blue eyes and smile, he couldn't help but put trust in her. "Well Anna, I wanted to know how Kristoff and Sven are doing. If it'd be possible I wanted to see them and offer my thanks for picking me up out of the snow."

The brunette hadn't known this man long, however she could already feel that he was someone she would like to get to know. Perhaps it was her recklessness acting up again, but when she looked into his eyes and saw genuine concern for her boyfriend she couldn't help but like the man. At first she had nothing but gratitude towards him, next it changed to wonder when he said he traveled all over. Then her heart when out to him when he expressed his desire to be alone, Elsa wasn't the only one to recognize that face. She was the cause of it on her sister's face for so long, the two had repaired their relationship after being separated for so long.

In some ways, Anna was grateful for the Great Freeze, it allowed Elsa to finally express herself and break away from the pain she suffered from solitude. Seeing it again on the man who helped save Kristoff, was not ok in her book and she was going to try and help.

"He's generally down in the stables with Sven, the doctor checked him out and said he was fine but I was going to see him anyway. This is perfect, we can both see him and I can give you a tour of Arendelle. You said that you were going to stay and work here for while, might as well show you around, I have nothing else I need to do today." Edward thought about refusing but the brunette was already tugging on his arm and they were already out in the courtyard heading towards the stables.

Anna opened the doors to see the mountain man sharing a carrot with the reindeer. Sven's leg seemed to wrapped with new bandages and the reindeer only had a slight limp. When Kristoff realized that he had company he stood and turned his attention to the door and was met with two arms wrapping around his neck in a tight hug. Before he could even greet them, he was on the receiving end of a very passionate kiss that almost made him forget they weren't alone.

Edward blushed at the display and turned away to give them some privacy as Sven snickered at the young man's embarrassment. Enjoying for one last second, Kristoff pulled away while turning toward the other man in the stable. "Sorry about that Ed...you can turn around now." When he turned around hie could see the mountain man was scratching the back of his neck with a blush on his face while the princess smiled like normal.

"It's no problem, I wanted to check on you and Sven."

The reindeer trotted up to the brown haired man and rubbed his head against him with a smile on his face. Kristoff chuckled before deepening his voice. "Well thank you for checking on us, the shot to my leg is healing fine but I won't be able to go on ice harvesting trips for a while." Anna noticed Edward's facial expression and couldn't help but laugh at his apparent confusion before explaining. "Kristoff can understand what Sven wants to say and talks for him."

If Edward had a confused expression on his face before then it paled in comparison to the one that flashed across his face for a moment before he shrugged it off. "That's great to hear Sven. So Kristoff, what do you plan to do in the meantime while you're waiting on him to heal?" This made the large man look worried while turning his eyes to the woman who looked at him expectantly.

"Well...I was planning on using those two horses we got from the bandits and rush to complete these last few orders.." He didn't get to finish as Anna exploded in anger.

"What?! Are you serious?! After you barely got away the last time, you want to go back out there again?!" Kristoff expected this reaction and tried to step back with his hands up to calm her down, but with every step he took, she advanced. The mountain man could understand why she wouldn't be happy with his decision but ice had been his life as long as he could remember. While there was no question in his mind he'd give up his ice business for Anna in a heartbeat, he wasn't going to let some bandits scare him off his job.

"Anna I have only a few more orders I have to fill before winter hits, the sooner I finish these the faster I can take off and spend time with you." That didn't do anything as the brunette already had an argument ready and waiting. "Only a few more huh, well they'd be mighty hard to fill if you were to be killed by bandits after they tried once already."

Anna rarely got mad at Kristoff, whenever it came to them he was the one who made rational decisions. He even chastised her if she put herself in actual harms way. He always had a mind for her safety, he rarely took unnecessary risks and liked to plan things ahead of time. Whenever she had a really bad plan, he'd try talking her out of it until he was blue in the face and she relented. Now he was the one making a reckless decision and it was her turn to talk him out of it.

"I won't be killed, we worked until the night, if me and Sven left when there was still light out we would've been ok. There were some issues while I gathered ice that made me take longer to do so, it'd be nice if I had another pair of hands but not many people are strong enough to lug ice all day." Anna seemed ready with another argument but this time their guest beat her to it.

"What if I went with him?"

The two lovebirds actually stopped their argument and turned to Edward with their previous expressions frozen on their faces. They stared at him for a moment not saying anything which prompted him to clear his throat and repeat himself. "What if he hired me and I went up with him, I have experience dealing with bandits. I admit I never harvested ice before but I know that I'm strong enough to do so."

Anna instantly rushed over with a refusal already forming in her head while Kristoff actually looked pensive. He could use someone else up there with him to lighten the workload and they had fought off bandits last night. Money wasn't that big of an issue, Arendelle was a large exporter or ice, even before Elsa came to power. He got orders left and right during the summer that had him busting his back working with only him and Sven. Because of that he was able to buy a brand new sleigh and keep up with the best ice harvesting tools on the market. Winter was a pain with there being such an abundance of ice outside people's homes that no one even ordered any.

He would generally use all the money he made during the summer covering living expenses during the winter and would open up shop in spring. Being with Anna mitigated living expenses because she liked him staying in the castle; in separate rooms, to save himself from Elsa's wrath. So he did have extra money from not paying rent to local innkeepers. Plus, with another guy, he could pursue more orders that he was thinking of turning down due to time it would take to complete them. He looked back up to see Anna trying to dissuade the brown haired man only for him to calmly keep telling her that it would be a good idea.

"I can start you off at 30 percent of payment from orders and this is only temporary job, when winter hits no one is going to being looking for ice." Kristoff would've paid more if the person he was hiring actually had experience harvesting ice but he was going to be training someone which would take time away from filling orders. If he learned fast then, they could pursue more orders and he could make up the low pay, if he didn't Kristoff would still be able to profit with the 70 percent from the few he could probably rush to finish. The mountain man offered his hand as he watched the brown haired man stare at it for a moment.

30 percent?! Who does that shithead think he is?! Saved his ass and he only wants to pay 30 percent for assistance and protection? Should tell him to put that 30 percent up where the sun don't shine and cough up the other 70!

Edward smiled and accepted the handshake. 30 percent might've been a little low but he needed money and couldn't be picky with what jobs he got. He really didn't need too much money, just enough to board the first ship headed to Blackdust with no questions asked. Kristoff smiled as well but it was completely slapped off his face when Anna marched up to him with her finger pointing into his chest. "You couldn't just stay here where it's safe, no you just have to go out and harvest your stupid ice. And you even got the guy who helped save your life and was shot yesterday go with you. Well you can forget about your chocolate privileges, kisses too, you're on probation!"

She puffed her cheeks and turned her back on the two of them before marching her way out of the barn. Kristoff groaned and turned to Edward before preparing to follow after her. "I'll be back, can you hang out with Sven for a while, I want to take you up the mountain for the day and show you how to harvest ice. We'll only be up for half the day and be back in Arendelle before dark so we don't run into any more trouble. Last time, we didn't quit early enough so this time I want to leave before the sun goes down." Edward nodded and watched the blonde run off after Anna probably trying to talk her into giving him her blessing on the trip. That left him in the barn with the horses they got from the bandits and Sven who was snickering at the display.

Edward guessed Kristoff probably wouldn't be back for a while so he decided to go check on the horses. When he inspected them, he was surprised to see that they were well maintained, some cuts here and there but for the most part they were well fed and obedient. Their saddles on the other hand were in a deplorable state. They were tattered and barely holding together, buckles were crude with and near snapping into pieces. The leather was worn and fraying, these saddles were such an offset to the beautiful horses. These bandits probably stole these from wandering victims in the forest, that brought a dark thought to his head.

If you want to stop someone from getting away, go for their horse.

If these horses did indeed belong to someone else, it was likely their original owner was killed when they were taken. Perhaps that's why Anna was so against Kristoff going off again, there have probably been more bodies stacking up which caused Arendelle to start organizing checkpoints up the mountain. It would've been a lot simpler if they just captured a bandit and made him tell them where their camp was. The Queen should be able to snap her fingers and literally all her problems would just freeze over.

Hell it wouldn't even take half a day to deal with them.

Edward shook his head before a thought just occurred to him. When they were packing up the supplies, he remembered hearing breathing from somewhere close by. At first he brushed it off thinking it was probably Kristoff or Sven but then remembered that he only took out three of the four that attacked them. Odds are that last bandit is still alive and probably woke up early this morning, meaning his tracks wouldn't have been covered if it was this morning. Perhaps he went back to camp after waking up, one would only need to follow his footsteps to find out.

And if the tracks did lead to the camp, then the fun would start.

Edward shoved that thought into the back of his mind, he didn't do that anymore. Last night, he was defending himself. He wouldn't go out looking for blood to spill, that was in the past.

That's cute to think that.

He should take this to a guard and let them report it up their chain of command so they could deal with it. There was no reason for him to get involved. He didn't notice his hand clenching the metal buckle that held the saddle together.

It'll be fun.

The veins in his hand began to become more pronounced as they began to snake up his arm under his long sleeved shirt as he continued thinking. He should turn around and go into the castle to report this to one of the guards he saw as he followed the princess earlier.

They're bandits, no one's gonna miss them when they're gone.

His eyes began to slowly lose their blue color only to gain a red outline as he still continued thinking. The guards would handle the situation and he could focus on his new job harvesting ice.

Would barely take any effort especially considering what they're up against. Hell nothing takes any effort anymore, it's just fun to leave them in bits and pieces, just like that one blue eyed woman in that burning village so many years ago.

The buckle snapped from his hand flexing and it seemed that his control had slipped too because he couldn't stop the roar that came out of his throat.

"Shut up!"

The horses instantly tried to move away from the man as Sven jumped back in shock at the amount of ferocity Edward seemed to radiate. The horses wouldn't stop their neighing as they went out of control trying to get out of the young man's reach.

Sven was smart enough to not move a muscle as he stared at the man's back, he was well out of reach and didn't want to draw his attention. Throughout his time with Kristoff, he was able to pick up a sense on people, perhaps it was his animal instincts at work but he already had an idea about the person just by being next to them. It was because of this, he instantly got along with Elsa, Anna, Kai, Gerda, and Olaf after only being around them for a short time.

When he first came close to this man however, something was off. Sven couldn't comprehend it, one moment he felt the same kindness and attraction his friends had and in this moment, he felt absolute bloodlust coming off the man in waves. The horses must've felt the same feeling because they wouldn't calm down, he might've done the same a couple of years ago. However when faced with danger, one should not panic, so far the man had only lowered his arm and began breathing slowly. The waves began to diminish as the man's breathing became more drawn out. Before all of it was gone, Edward gripped the reins tying the two horses together and yanked down hard to stop both horses from moving.

Sven could barely see past the horses' bodies but he could make out Edward's face in front of the two horses' own faces. The blue eyes he had earlier were replaced with a deep red that chilled the reindeer to his bones. The man wasn't even looking his way and he could feel the crushing pressure his eyes exhibited that made his legs weak. The horses got a full dose as they froze in fear. When Edward was sure the horses wouldn't go crazy, he took one final breath and the waves completely dissipated. His eyes returned to their previous blue color as he looked back to the broken buckle that was still in his hand. He supposed he could say it snapped after the mountain man left, the saddle needed to be replaced before prolonged use caused it to break.

The sound of the door to the barn opening alerted him that someone was coming. He turned around fully expecting Kristoff and maybe Anna, however there was Queen Elsa herself and an older gentlemen. He quickly executed a bow to show his respect as Elsa quietly greeted Sven who returned the gesture while eying the young man.

"Kristoff said he might be a bit more late, my sister seems very unhappy with his decision to go back up the mountain, as well as yours to join him." Edward sent the mountain man a quick prayer knowing he'd need it against the fiery princess. In the meantime he wondered what the queen needed in the barn that she herself came down. He fervently hoped that she wasn't here for him, the longer he could stay out of trouble the better but judging by the man who was with her calculating stare, they were hear for him.

"I do hope that is alright your highness, it sounded like a good opportunity for work that I couldn't pass up."

"It's your decision, I just assumed with recent developments that you wouldn't want to potentially put yourself in danger again. I wouldn't order neither you or Kristoff from trying to do your jobs however the safety of those in Arendelle does concern me. Which is why we wish to talk to you about the attack last night, Captain Stonewell wanted Master Kristoff to take him to the site of the attack and initially, I refused due to the risks. But after hearing he himself planned to go back up there, I decided to have some of my guards accompany the two of you." After she spoke, the man took a step forward and offered his hand in a handshake.

Edward avoided looking into the man's calculating stare, it almost felt like he was studying for some reason. Grasping his hand, he was surprised to feel the man's hand begin to squeeze his like a vice. The captain's stature left little to the imagination of his physical prowess, had it been anyone else they probably would begin to panic at the strength that put so much pressure on his hand. The young man however was hardly like anyone else.

You wanna play that game huh.

Edward gripped the man's hand with just as much force then began to add more of his to see if the man would pull away. To his credit, the captain didn't utter a sound as the handshake was overtaken by the young man. It honestly wouldn't take a lot more pressure to begin to damage the captain's bones so Edward chose that time to loosen up and attempt to disengage their handshake that turned into a match of strength. The two hands unlocked and fell to their respective sides, a twinkle made its way into the captain's eye. It seemed he had gained something in their brief exchange.

"It's good to make your acquaintance, I am Walter Stonewell, captain of the guard for Arendelle. It if would be possible, I'd like to ask some questions about the attack last night." Knowing it would be odd if he refused the young man nodded.

"It was reported that you two were attacked in the forest beyond the checkpoint, there were three bodies found that belonged to the bandits, is that correct?" Edward nodded and kept a calm expression on his face but on the inside he cursed. He knew he should taken the time to hide those two bodies before returning to Kristoff.

"One had its head spun all the way around, a feat that military trained individuals could likely accomplish, was that your doing?" Another nod followed, he could guess what the ice harvester told them, so he would admit to the things that Kristoff saw. The things he didn't see however, he would flat out deny and he already had an advantage. The captains said they only found three bodies, which meant that they did not find the one the ice harvester knocked out. It didn't take them too long to get to the checkpoint last night after the attack, if the bandit awoke and got away then the guards' tracking skills were poor. Meaning the two bodies he mutilated would be hard to trace back to him, considering that he got no blood on him.

"Master Bjorgman also mentioned that two bandits went after you when the two of you were separated. Their bodies were found torn apart, that level of violence would indeed pose a cause for concern. Especially with us knowing little to nothing about you, it falls to me to determine if you are indeed a danger." Elsa turned her eyes to the captain but said nothing, she had considered the stranger as a potential danger but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt for helping Kristoff. However it seemed the older man wanted to make sure he wasn't a threat. Edward took a deep breath before responding.

"While I do admit to killing one of them, the other two I left knocked out when they engaged me. I've been traveling for weeks and I haven't eaten anything in the last few days, my strength at that point would definitely not be able to accomplish killing them in such a fashion. Perhaps wolves arrived to claim their meal but scurried off when they heard your guards approaching." He fought to keep his voice steady to not give himself away, he used logic to strengthen his argument and his story was good, the only pitfall was the lack of wolf tracks. If he had been in Blackdust, he would have never tried to cover his tracks this way, the guards there were skill hunters. If there had been a wolf there they wouldn't need tracks to know it was there, all they needed was a scent.

However the fact that he had yet to mention the bandit that was alive, he could tell they probably haven't captured him. So there was an opening for him to exploit their lack of skill in tracking. The captain's eyes gave nothing away and for a moment he didn't move. Edward fought to stay still and not look guilty in any way, if they bought this lie then he was safe, if they didn't…

"Do you happen to know of the one bandit that survived?"

Shit.

"Yes, I told Kristoff to wait until the last one passed by and open fire with his rifle while they were chasing me. The last one peeled off to attack him, I was under the impression Kristoff killed him, I heard a couple of gunshots but saw him alive. Were you able to capture him?" If they did indeed capture the man, Edward hoped the bandit was still unconscious, if they managed to track him then he was less confident in his hope that they wouldn't notice wolf tracks.

Fortunately though, the captain shook his head. "No he was gone before we could detain him, and my men couldn't determine where he went off to." The young man had to stop himself from smiling, they couldn't prove if he was lying about the wolves, he was safe for now. "Well if you're coming with us, I can show you where we were attacked and what direction we came from. Anything to help you all deal with this problem."

The captain nodded but Edward couldn't help feeling that even though he managed to keep himself from being discovered, the man was onto something about him. Meaning, he needed to play docile while he was in Arendelle and give nothing that would make him stand out. Queen Elsa was quiet throughout the entire exchange before she stepped forward and spoke.

"Thank you for volunteering but I do wish to express that you don't have to do this if you really don't want to. No one will force you to put yourself at risk." Edward shrugged.

"It's no problem for me, its the princess Kristoff needs to convince. Judging by the way she stormed off, we may not even be going out." Elsa chuckled when she remembered walking past them a while ago. Anna was still stomping not listening to Kristoff's pleads. When she asked her sister what was wrong, the brunette gave a quick rundown of what happened, completely ignoring the man behind her. When she finished, she announced she was going to grab some chocolate, alone. Then continued marching with Kristoff behind her.

"Anna just really cares about him, but she knows that this job is his life and she wouldn't ask him to change it for her. I'm sure after she's had her chocolate and listens to what he has to say they'll be right back down." Not even a moment later, Anna walked back in before pointing a finger at Edward's face.

"You better watch after him or you'll be dealing with me." Her face was set in a serious frown as Kristoff walked in scratching his head in embarrassment. Too stunned to come up with a response, Edward nodded and watched her retract her finger before glaring daggers at the ice harvester then standing next to Elsa. Kristoff walked over to the young man and whispered as he passed by.

"Sorry about that." Edward couldn't help but whisper back.

"Still on probation?"

"You have no idea."