Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise; the elements taken from Frozen are obvious, and while this version of Zorro is taken mainly from Mask and Legend, I've incorporated elements of his history from other adaptations. Even the original idea for this fic was inspired by the artwork of shishyoukai on DeviantArt, although I have created my own narrative for it; the artwork only inspired the idea of a certain sister becoming Zorro.

Feedback: Always appreciated

AN: In advance, a particular scene in this chapter was inspired by Batman: Year One; when Zorro inspired Batman in most modern interpretations of the character, it only seemed right to have Anna use a variation of the Dark Knight's methods.

The Frozen Fox

It was the kind of enemy weakness that Anna and the de la Vegas so rarely got to exploit as Zorro, but she had to admit that she greatly enjoyed anything that let her use secret passages to get around. Kai's lessons had been interesting, but his instructions had been so complicated that Anna had to come back to talk with him after her first visit. Fortunately, with Kai's guidance, Anna was able to find some old maps of the palace left over from the original architectural plans, bringing them along on her later visits. Kai had been able to point out some locations where secret passages had been added later on to help the king maintain his secrets, which Anna hoped would be enough for her current purpose.

The bright side of Kind Runeard being relatively public in his dealings with the people is that it wasn't that difficult for Anna to keep track of his schedule in certain ways. Obviously he kept some details secret, but whenever he had a large event at the palace Runeard wasn't exactly shy about sharing it with the rest of the kingdom. In this case, the king was holding an elaborate dinner for some of his 'closest friends', even if Anna had heard enough about who was attending to be sure that he was just dealing with the richest people in the kingdom.

Still, on a personal note she was pleased that her established cover was already demonstrating its advantages. A few wealthy men and women had come to her shop asking for her to adjust a few of the clothes she had on display for them to wear at an upcoming event, and even with her own training to focus on she had been able to put together clothing that seemed to meet with their approval. Their requests gave her a better sense of when the event would take place, which allowed her to make her own plans.

As she approached the part of the palace wall where the passage entrance was located, Anna appreciated that this might be a very theatrical way to make an impression, but she didn't have time to build up Zorro's reputation through a more discreet approach. If she wanted to make an impression on these people, she had to confront them directly, making it clear that Zorro was more than a man in a mask (and always take care that nobody realised this particular Zorro wasn't a man in the mask).

Just as Kai had told her, the passage was easy enough to open so long as you were looking for the subtle indicators, such as the discoloured rocks and the protruding branch that served as the level for the relevant door.

"Not the old fireplace, but it gets the job done," Anna allowed herself to reflect out loud as she opened the door and walked into the underground passage. As Kai had assured her, the passage included a few small openings on either side, covered by a thin layer of wallpaper on the other side of the hatch. From what Kai had explained, the wallpaper prevented anyone realising that the holes were there from the other side, but the paper was thin enough that it would allow light in, either from the outside world or the inside of the palace, without requiring anyone to maintain lights down here. The route was still dark in places, but it was nothing that Anna couldn't cope with after her training with Alejandro and Joachim, which including fighting blindfolded or riding on dark nights away from towns.

When she reached the end of the passage, Anna easily found the depressed stone that controlled the door mechanism and carefully slipped out the other side. The passage was clearly marked by a coat of arms on the other side of the wall, and Anna confirmed Kai's description that the sword behind the shield served as a 'handle' if she pulled at it. Satisfied that the description was accurate, Anna turned her attention to making her way towards the main hall of the palace; if tonight's party was as bit as she had estimated, that was where she would find her targets.

The first step was obviously heading up a level so that she didn't just run into everyone else who was walking around the palace right now. From what she had overheard, the prince had been sent away to deal with some business elsewhere in the kingdom and Elsa had been 'encouraged' to retire early and stay out of the way, which left her free to focus on finding and confronting the king himself. The advantage of the bridge at the entrance being the most obvious way in was that Runeard didn't have many guards scattered around the palace itself, so as long as she was careful and the map was accurate she should be able to make her way along these corridors without detection.

According to Kai, there was a smaller Council Room where official meetings would be held, but when Anna had explained that she was aware of an actual party this evening she had been told that the main hall was the most likely location for such an event. Making for the largest open structure in the castle wasn't too difficult even if she didn't have the map, although she stayed on the upper level to keep out of sight until she was ready.

Looking cautiously over the edge of the balcony, Anna smiled as she saw the table below. As she had anticipated, some of the wealthiest men and women in the kingdom were gathered around a long table. There was a wide range of plates of food on the table itself, and various goblets at each person's seat. King Runeard was sitting at the head of the table, looking around the group with a critical expression even as he ate his own food. Other people were looking at him with varying levels of anxiety, which left her concerned about what the king might be aware of. She chose to focus on the current conversation rather than worry about the wider possibilities; if she wanted to make the right impression, she'd prefer to dive in at a suitably dramatic moment rather than just show up whenever.

"It's all going well enough," one of the men said with a casual smile at the king. "Honestly, there haven't been any complaints from the Northuldrans for years."

"It's the advantage of raising a generation without their old blasphemies," the king said with a satisfied tone. "There are a few people who miss the way things were, but we're able to keep the youngsters focused on the present so that nobody makes a big deal about that."

"The important thing is that the people feel safer and thus they ask less questions," another figure observed. "We have eyes on all relevant parties; it's only a matter of time before we identify the ringleaders of whatever 'resistance' movement is still out there."

"It's almost pathetic, really," one of the women present said with a cool shrug. "We're keeping the kingdom safe; does anybody out there really think that the people would prefer uncertainty over security? It's not like anyone pays much attention to the situation; these people are only complaining because it makes them feel important."

"And when was the last time they did anything but complain?" the first speaker said with a dismissive snort. "We have such good control of the situation here, they don't even have the resources to stop anything."

"There was still the matter of that bridge," someone put in.

"The bridge?" the king repeated, his tone sounding critical.

"I understood that the plan was-"

"There was no plan," the king said, his voice raised just enough to make his point clear without openly shouting. "The rumours of an attack on the new bridge were… nothing but that; the matter is not worth further discussion."

"…Of course," the other noble said in a humbled tone. "Forgive me; I… misunderstood."

"What is there to forgive?" the king said with a cool smile, leaning back and nodding at the speaker. "We have settled a simple misunderstanding between friends; there is nothing wrong with that."

Clever, Anna mused to herself. Whatever Runeard's plan had been for the bridge, he was at least quick to adapt his own plans to reflect how that particular scheme was no longer possible. She wondered just how explicit the king had been in talking about his plans for the bridge before she stopped his false attackers, but there was no sense in focusing on that particular issue at this time.

When she looked back on this moment in future, Anna would never be sure if she had made the right choice to act at that moment, but she doubted she would have a better moment to act than now. Drawing her whip, Anna let it fly to latch on to the chandelier above the main table, subsequently leaping from the balcony to swing down to the lower level. The people sitting at the table barely had time to look up at the sound of the whip before Anna had landed in the middle of the table, drawing her sword as she casually strolled along the table as though she was just out for a walk.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," Anna said in the low tone she was coming to regard as her 'Zorro voice', standing nonchalantly in the middle of the table as she looked around at the people sitting there. As she had expected, the assembled diners were so shocked at the notion that anyone could get this far into the palace without an invitation that they were basically stunned into silence, allowing Anna to pace along the table as she continued to address them. "You have eaten well for many years. You have eaten at the wealth of Arendelle, you have consumed the culture of Northuldra, and you have taken in all the liberties that this country has to offer, gorging yourself while the common man is deprived of everything you hoard."

The king moved to stand, but Anna drew her sword and held the weapon at his chin before he could do more than rise from his chair.

"I wasn't finished," she said, holding her sword in place until Runeard had sunk back down into his chair. Satisfied that he understood to remain in place, Anna turned her attention back to the rest of the assembled crowd. "I am here to inform you that your free reign over the people of Arendelle people has ended. I give you all my solemn oath that should any of you attempt something similar to that recent attack on the bridge you were discussing previously, I will be there to protect the reputations of the innocent while punishing the guilty for their transgressions… and I will be very displeased if I am required to seek you out again."

"You would 'seek us out'?" one of the other men at the table repeated with a sceptical glare. "Who are you to-?"

"The Knights of Aragorn have already failed in one campaign because of a fox in the ointment; do you wish to challenge me now that I'm in front of you?" Anna cut the man off as she turned to look at him. Secretly she was proud of how she had phrased that particular statement; it acknowledged Alejandro's past victory over the Knights in a manner that suggested she had been the Zorro to oppose them previously without definitively doing so. She wouldn't normally be so quick to essentially take credit for her mentor's success, but when establishing a reputation there was nothing wrong with bending the truth to put the enemy on edge. "Be aware that Zorro has come to Arendelle… and you may consider this the first day of the end of your reign."

Satisfied that she had said everything she had to say, Anna reached up to grab the still-dangling whip as it hung from the chandelier, following it up by firing a quick shot at one of the supporting ropes to start the chandelier swinging. Running to one end of the table, Anna then turned back around and ran towards the other end before she jumped up, using her momentum to extend the chandelier's swing so that she could reach the balcony with her feet.

Recalling Alejandro's lessons, she wrapped her legs around the nearest support pillar and twisted her wrist so that the whip unwound from the chandelier, leaving her to haul herself back up onto the balcony. She turned back to tip her hat at the table of nobles, who were all staring up at her in confused shock, and then ran back along the corridor into the palace before any of them could call out to any surrounding guards. The route back to the passage she'd used to get in should be straightforward enough so long as she kept moving, but just in case-

Anna was surprised when she rounded a corner and nearly ran into someone walking the other way, but that surprise shifted to more open shock when she realised that she was standing in front of Princess Elsa, the blonde now wearing a tight purple nightdress as opposed to the more elaborate gowns Anna had seen her wearing in town. Anna was pleased to see that her friend simply looked surprised at her appearance rather than scared; the point of Zorro was to cut a dramatic figure, but she didn't want to scare people who should have nothing to fear from her.

"Good evening, my fair princess," Anna said, taking Elsa's arm and kissing her hand before the blonde could say anything herself. "I hope that I have not… disturbed your slumber?"

"N-no…" Elsa said, shaking slightly even as she looked Anna in the eyes (Anna resisted the urge to smile as Elsa clearly didn't recognise her; it at least proved that the disguise was working). "I-I sometimes- I just- who are you?"

"You may think of me as Zorro, milady," Anna grinned, resisting the urge to say 'Seniorita'; Zorro might originate from California, but a good way to maintain her secret was to avoid using such distinctive terms in case people drew too many connections between her identities. "The king and I had… business… to discuss, but now I must depart."

Unsure what prompted the move even as she made it, Anna tilted her hat back so that the brim was out of the way before she leaned over to kiss Elsa's cheek, giving the other woman a smile as she stepped back.

"Be careful," she said with a final nod as she stepped back. "I am far from the most dangerous person in this palace tonight."

With nothing further to say, Anna turned and ran down the corridor away from Elsa, satisfied with the lack of silence as she made her way back to the secret entrance. Just as Kai had speculated, once she made her presence known, the guards would be more focused on trying to keep an eye on the castle exterior to stop her getting out, which just made it easier for her to go for the passage and get out that way.

Maybe it was cheating to use these existing passages to establish Zorro's ability, but there was nothing wrong with making an impression when she wanted to make it clear to the king that his days of having everything go his way were over…