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: I apologise for the delay compared to my usual update pattern; RL issues meant that I just didn't have as much time to write as usual, but I hope to get back to a more regular pattern now.

The Frozen Fox

Elsa had lived a relatively quiet life when she thought back on her history, even with her efforts at charity work taken into account. The mystery of her mother's disappearance was a persistent question in her mind, but by the time she was old enough to do anything about it herself she was also satisfied that her father and grandfather had done their best to answer that question themselves. She wished that she could do more for her people, but she was satisfied that she was doing her best for them without making it obvious to her grandfather.

However, even if it had been a brief event late one night, that strange encounter with the man in black who told Elsa to call him 'Zorro' had been the most remarkable thing Elsa had experienced in as long as she could remember. She had only heard a few conflicting reports about his reasons for being in the castle, since none of the staff were aware that she had been out during the night, but she was cautiously intrigued at the idea of a masked man confronting her grandfather like that.

She understood that some people in Arendelle didn't like what her grandfather had done to preserve the peace, even if she accepted that he had always done what he thought was right. At the same time, even if she still didn't know what had prompted Zorro to confront her grandfather and his friends in the first place, Elsa couldn't shake the thought that her grandfather must have done something to merit that kind of attention…

Ultimately, a part of her was grateful for the chance to have something else to focus on at this time when she was told of the upcoming visit. Most of her grandfather's associates were older men who always came across as having a sense of entitlement that made Elsa uncomfortable for reasons she could never define. By contrast, the young prince was a polite, younger man who had given her time to warm up to him, asking genuine questions about her own interests and her thoughts on how things in Arendelle might change. Elsa had noticed a few of her minor suggestions being put into practise shortly after some of these talks, such as negotiating new trade deals with different countries for fairer prices, but she had no problem with her ideas being passed on by another so long as the people benefited.

She was still surprised at how much time he spent in Arendelle given his likely demands at home, but she supposed being the youngest of so many siblings meant that he had little reason to be needed back there. She was never clear on if he was invited here to offer a new perspective or to receive training for his own role back home, but she could never bring herself to ask the question out of fear of what the answer might be (even when she wasn't sure what kind of answer she 'feared'). The prince was basically one of the few people she associated with of her own age who was also her social equal (she knew his kingdom was less well-regarded than Arendelle but he was still a prince), but as much as Elsa enjoyed his company…

"Ah, Princess Elsa of Arendelle; a pleasure as always," the young man said, walking into her room and holding out his elbow. "Shall we take a walk?"

"Princes Hans of the Southern Isles," Elsa responded as she took his arm, giving him a polite smile in turn, "I would be delighted."

It was unlikely to be a long stroll at this time, but anything that got her out of her thoughts for a while would be a good thing in Elsa's opinion. Somehow, Hans was always able to avoid the questions she might have found more awkward to deal with and focus on keeping her comfortable, asking general questions about recent events in Arendelle while never pressing the matter if he brought up a topic Elsa didn't want to discuss. The two briefly spoke about events back in the Southern Isles, but even when the topic turned to Arendelle, Elsa found it surprisingly easy to keep the secret of the seemingly growing puzzle that was the existence of Zorro. Even if some part of her was at least curious to hear Hans' opinion on the matter, the rest of Elsa couldn't shake the idea that this was something to be kept secret even from Hans. She felt that she could trust him with most things, but something about that meeting with Zorro…

It wasn't as though Zorro had done anything 'inappropriate', but Elsa felt better keeping that particular encounter to herself at this point. Regardless of her grandfather's distaste for the mysterious man in black, Elsa was intrigued to see the impact of his continued presence in Arendelle, and so far he seemed to at least be interested in challenging the status quo that had frustrated Elsa for so long.

If pressed on the matter, Hans would concede that he had never been entirely sure what had earned him the opportunity to ingratiate himself with the royal family of Arendelle, but he was never one to complain about a chance for good luck and he wasn't going to start now. He had been sent to the kingdom initially as an unofficial ambassador to keep an eye on events back on the mainland, but the more he learned about his father's affiliation with the Knights of Aragorn and King Runeard's more senior role in that organisation, the more intrigued he became about the idea of becoming part of that world.

Hans had always admired King Runeard's determination and drive to achieve his goals and go beyond other expectations, and he liked to think that Runeard had seen that same determination in Hans himself. He was never sure if Runeard's acknowledgement of his skills extended so far as to consider Hans a worthy potential heir, but if he hadn't advised Hans to stop spending time with his granddaughter so far Runeard must feel he was at least doing something right.

As for Elsa herself, the young princess was a cautious individual, but Hans like that about her; caution was always a better quality in a partner than confidence in his view. She wanted to do things to help her people, but at the same time she lacked the confidence to more openly speak out against her grandfather directly. When Hans had tested the waters and discreetly suggested she might do more, Elsa had brushed it aside, expressing uncertainty about how she could take that kind of action against her grandfather. Hans wasn't sure if that approach showed respect for Runeard's actions or fear of his reprisal if she acted against him, but either way he was sure that he could find some way to use that to his advantage. He had managed to establish a suitable relationship with Elsa that he hoped would develop further, but the trick lay in encouraging Elsa to take the right action to support his plans without realising that he had been the one to inspire her in the first place.

Still, for the moment he could just enjoy Elsa showing him around the kingdom that would one day be his and leave thoughts of the future for later. The Knights had nothing of any significance to report regarding Arendelle in recent weeks, so there was nothing that Hans needed to take an interest in beyond whatever Elsa had to share with him. Their conversation shifted into the kind of pointless small talk Hans always enjoyed as an opportunity to essentially relax his mind, saying just enough to assure his associate in these situations that he was still listening while keeping alert in case some more specific comment came up.

Some might call it sad that Elsa was so predictable, but Hans preferred that; it made everything so much easier-

"Anna!"

That simple name was so unexpected that Hans took a moment to realise that Elsa had actually left his side to talk to someone else. He was aware that they had reached the docks, but it was unexpected to realise that Elsa was actually excited to see someone else beyond him. Hans could only watch in surprise as the fair-haired princess walked over to a young woman with red hair in a smart yet casual skirt, standing by a selection of crates that had apparently just been unloaded from a ship.

"Elsa?" the apparent Anna said, exchanging a brief hug with the princess. "What brings you down here?"

"Taking a walk with a friend," Elsa said with a smile as she turned to Hans (which at least assured Hans that she remembered he was there). "Hans, this is Anna Menzela; she recently came here from California. Anna, allow me to introduce Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, an old and dear friend."

"A pleasure, Princes Hans," Anna said, reaching over to give him a surprisingly firm handshake for a woman.

"Likewise," Hans responded, shaking the offered hand as he studied the young woman thoughtfully. "California, you say? I have never been there."

"And I haven't visited the Southern Isles," Anna replied with an apologetic shrug. "What are they like?"

"Small in some ways, but beautiful in others," Hans said. "My family are still establishing themselves compared to Elsa's family history, but we all strive to help our people progress, do we not?"

"As we all should," Elsa said with a brief nod, smiling in appreciation at Hans. He was aware that he would need to take his time with that particular character trait of hers- there was no point worrying about being 'good' to the people so long as you were in power- but for the moment there was no harm indulging Elsa's naiveté. "How are you doing, Anna?"

"Well enough," Anna smiled as she indicated the boxes. "I'm just here to collect some new materials for the next few weeks."

"New materials?" Hans asked.

"Anna owns a clothing store and makes her own outfits for her clients," Elsa explained, giving the other woman a warm smile. "She's already made quite a few clothes for guests at Grandfather's most recent public event, and things are coming together for her rather nicely."

"Really?" Hans looked at Anna with a smile that he hoped expressed approval. "That sounds… impressive."

"We all have to make an impression in our own way," the Californian shrugged nonchalantly as she turned back to the boxes, indicating an unmanned carriage a short distance away. "I'm waiting for a couple of my employees to help me move everything onto the cart, but if you're here-?"

"We really-" Hans began.

"Would be delighted to help," Elsa said, walking past Anna to pick up one of the boxes. Hans fought down the urge to smile as the princess visibly strained to lift the box she chose to pick up, but there was a certain determination in her manner as she stood up that Hans had to acknowledge. Lost for a better way to deal with this new turn of events, he reached down to pick up another box himself and follow Elsa's example, even as another part of his mind noted the analytical way Anna Menzela was looking at him.

He would have liked to be able to dismiss her expression as a woman assessing him as a man, or even a tailor assessing his size for some future design, but there was a probing quality to that gaze that felt as though there was more to Menzela's interest than either of those. Add in the controlled manner in which she carried herself and the way she had so quickly taken control of the situation, and Hans was suddenly unsure if he should admire her spirit or be concerned about her presence. He had grown so used to being the person Elsa relied on that the notion of someone else inspiring this kind of reaction from the princess was more than a little concerning…

What are you hiding, Anna Menzela? He thought to himself, as he picked up another box and followed the two women heading towards the carriage.

He couldn't believe that this woman would be a threat to his own plans, but at the very least she represented a bump in his own path to power, and he had to work out if it was the kind of metaphorical hazard that could be avoided, or had to be outright removed…