A/N: I honestly cannot apologize to all of you kind and patient folks who have waited an entire year for this story to continue. It was never my intention to make all of you wait so long and I am deeply ashamed of this.
This past year proved an interesting one. I offer no excuses as to my delay, but wish for you to understand why I was put behind. I was professionally published, I traveled to Japan twice, work kept trying to consume me, I started taking comedy writing classes, my muse kept wandering away from me…and I lost the girl I love to an arranged marriage.
With all of that in mind, I must ask all of you to continue having patience with this story and myself. I can't promise that I'll update quickly, but I will put more of an effort into this. This chapter gave me trouble and I'm hoping moving forward will be easier. It's not my best work, but I hope all of you enjoy it.
Thank you all so much for staying on board. I truly do not deserve it.
And now without further ado, here is the much belated fourth chapter of The Snow Queen's Knight!
Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen are © of Walt Disney Animation
The Snow Queen's Knight
An AU Wreck-It Ralph/Frozen Crossover Tale
Written by
The Phantom Soldier
Co-written by
GND-KicaCris
Chapter 4: A Comedy of Flares
5 Minutes Earlier...
Lord Felix and General Calhoun listened carefully to the story that Anna and Kristoff told them, remaining quiet aside from asking the occasional question. The four of them had walked around the palace as the story unfolded, giving the Sugarsian representatives a clearer view of Queen Elsa.
"So yeah, that's my sister Elsa," Anna finished awkwardly, expecting the two to announce that they would be grabbing their princess as soon as possible and turning their big ship around.
For a moment, nothing happened other than the couple looking at one another. Anna and Kristoff could feel the tension mounting as they awaited their response.
Finally, the blond general blew a tuft of hair out of her eyes and fixed Anna and Kristoff with a grin. "Sounds to me like we made the right choice," she said.
Anna blurted automatically. "Look I know the story sounds crazy and you're probably scared of Elsa but I- wait, what?" She had been fully expecting a more cautious or indignant response.
Lord Felix wore a smile that looked like it was going to split his face. "Princess Anna, as a duly appointed representative of the Sugarsian Empire, it is my splendid pleasure to say that we have no doubts at all about going through with this alliance."
Even Kristoff seemed thrown off by their resilient optimism. "You guys were listening during that story, right?" he asked, suddenly not very sure they had been paying attention.
"Oh we were listening, alright," General Calhoun answered, her grin more subdued than her husband's. "And to put if frankly, we don't really care about your sister's powers."
Anna's eyes went wide as fine china while Kristoff's jaw did a fair impression of a broken hinge.
Felix cleared his throat with a gloved hand over his mouth. "What my wife means to say is that Queen Elsa's powers sound impressive, but her character is what has truly persuaded us."
"Can't knock a queen who puts her loved ones and her people first," the General said, leaning against the wall.
Anna was flabbergasted. She hadn't been expecting this. Horror, contempt, and scorn she was prepared for, but acceptance?
Kristoff found his voice first. "But what about Princess Vanellope? I mean, she's still a little kid! Won't she be worried that Elsa is, I don't know, some kind of witch?"
Though she had shared the same fear, Anna took that moment to elbow her fiancé in the ribs. Nobody got to call her sister a witch...even if they didn't really mean it.
The two representatives laughed quietly at their confusion, General Calhoun snickering through her teeth while Lord Felix kept his gloved hand to his lips.
Anna and Kristoff were beginning to think the two were insane when Lord Felix cleared his throat once again. "Despite how young she is, Princess Vanellope has lead an... interesting life so far. If I know that little girl, once she learns what Queen Elsa can do, she'll idolize her."
"Idolize nothin'," Calhoun smirked. "That kid is gonna latch onto the Queen's leg and beg her to make it snow."
"Speaking of the Queen," Lord Felix replied, stifling any remaining chuckles, "do you think we could see her once again? We haven't been able to find Princess Vanellope yet, and it's likely that Sir Ralph has already found the Queen and apologized on her behalf."
"Sir Ralph?" Anna echoed, feeling slightly befuddled. "Why would Princess Vanellope's knight go to apologize?"
Lord Felix rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little embarassed about what he was going to admit. "Well, as you saw, Princess Vanellope can get a little 'overexcited' sometimes. She's still young and she has a strong habit of not thinking before she speaks. So Sir Ralph, as her appointed guardian, has taken up the habit of apologizing on her behalf..."
"Usually after I've pulled her off, kicking, fighting, and cursing," Calhoun added with a smirk.
"Wait, so this has happened before with her?" Anna asked. She could understand a young girl being overly excitable (after all, she hadn't been any different), but they were talking like this was a regular occurrence.
"Well, nothing as specific as running off with a living snowman," Lord Felix admitted, "but she does like to get into mischief every now and again."
"'Every now and again' meaning nearly every day," his wife snickered.
"Tamora!" Felix said with a mortified expression.
The general merely shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry honey pint, but they were honest with us. The least we could do is tell them what they've invited into their kingdom."
Felix felt the need to protest, but he agreed that his wife had a point. Straightening himself up, he turned to Anna and Kristoff once more. "To put it frankly, Princess Vanellope is brash, headstrong, outspoken, opinionated, adventurous, impatient, and armed with a razor wit..."
"...but she's also fiercely loyal, caring for her friends and subjects, unwaveringly determined, and always willing to help," the General finished.
For a moment, no one said anything. They had all laid their cards out on the table and it was time to see who had what.
Then, a small sound was heard. It had the distinct quality of a snort, like someone was trying to suppress a laugh. When it happened again, all eyes looked around before focusing in on Princess Anna, who was desperately trying to keep herself from bursting out laughing.
When she noticed that the other three were looking at her, it all proved too much. She let loose the laughter she had been bottling up, clutching her sides as her lithe frame was wracked by pealing laughs that echoed off the walls of the corridor.
Before anyone could ask, Anna managed to subdue her laughs enough to where she could get a clear message across. "She sounds just like me when I was her age!" She giggled, still enjoying the irony of it all.
Lord Felix and General Calhoun looked to each other and gave one another that look that all couples know so well: the one that silently said 'we made the right choice.'
"Well, if I know my sister," Anna said as she tapped a finger to her chin in thought, "she's probably in her library right now. Hopefully, we'll find your knight there as well."
"Lay on, if you please, Princess Anna," General Calhoun said with a gesture of her hand.
As the quartet started walking in the direction of the library, Kristoff, never caring an inch for decorum, wrapped an arm around his love's waist and pulled her close.
"See? And you were worried that they were going to start a war with us," he said with a smirk that said "I-told-you-so."
"Hush it, ice driver," she playfully hissed back, mirroring his smirk.
Behind them, General Calhoun reached down and laced her fingers in with her husband's as the two watched the young couple in front of them.
Before long, the group reached the double doors leading into Queen Elsa's library, but Anna was quick to halt.
"Anna?" Kristoff asked, looking at her in slight confusion. "Is something wrong?"
"The guards," Anna replied. "There's usually a pair of guards standing watch at this door."
"Does anyone know what time it is?" Kristoff asked aloud. "Maybe they're just in the middle of changing shifts."
Lord Felix pulled an elegant watch from his waistcoat's pocket. Opening it, he made a slight huff of disappointment and began winding it. "I'm afraid I forgot to wind my watch this morning. I'm terribly sorry, Master Bjorgman."
Meanwhile, his wife had taken an interest in the carpeting on the floor, something shiny catching her eagle eyes. Silently, she knelt down and ran her gloved finger across the fibers before bringing them up to her eyes, rubbing the powder she had picked up between her thumb and index fingers.
"Guards or not," Anna said determinedly, "I know Elsa's probably in there. The least we could do is check." She moved to push the doors open.
General Calhoun's eyes suddenly went wide as cannonballs as she recognized the substance on her fingertips. "Felix? Vanellope has definitely been this way and she's been using the-"
"Elsa? Are you in here?" Anna asked as she opened the library doors.
-X-X-X-X-X-
Elsa's intrigue at seeing Princess Vanellope's "Glitch" turned to slight horror the moment she heard her sister's voice coming through the door.
Ralph's face blanched as he heard the voice of the resident princess and saw the door begin opening. He reached out a massive hand, praying that he would be able to stop the fiasco that was about to commence.
Vanellope realized her folly only a splinter of a second too late as her finger loosed the leather strip and sent her spherical tricks hurtling towards the widening portal.
The door had opened just enough that the redheaded princess caught all five orbs. Anna was blinded by what could only be described as an explosion of blue and white sparkles in her eyes. The only thing comparable to what she was seeing was one time when Elsa had hit her with a massive snowball that nearly knocked her out.
"I'M BLIND!" Anna shrieked as she began flailing around, her vision having been robbed from her by a blast of blue and white sparkles that had erupted the moment she had poked her head through the door.
Behind her, she could hear the General mutter a curse under her breath while Lord Felix uttered a yelp of fright. Kristoff, on the other hand, put his hands on her shoulders and tried to calm her as she flailed about.
"Uh oh..." Vanellope said shyly, attempting to hide her slingshot behind her back and tried to resume her innocent look. Olaf decided to help his new friend by stuffing her sack of pellets into his snowy body.
Ralph looked stunned as he could not believe their monumentally bad luck. 'This is not going to bode well for the negotiations,' he thought worriedly.
In the middle of the whole chaos, the queen had instinctively gasped and covered her shocked expression with her hands. She blinked slowly as Kristoff tried his best to calm her younger sister. "Oh my Lord. Anna, are you...are you okay?" She prayed for her sister to not be mad at the younger princess. It was all bad timing.
Anna was furiously rubbing her eyes, trying to get the spots to disappear. Off to the side, General Calhoun had fixed the raven-haired princess with a sharp look, which Vanellope was refusing to meet as she stared elsewhere. Ralph couldn't help but bring his palm up to his face in a feeling of utter embarrassment.
"Elsa?!" Anna cried out, trying to find her way around with her arms outstretched. "What was THAT?!"
"Anna," Elsa called her again, her voice one of concern and pleading, "it was an accident-"
"What was an accident Elsa?" Anna squeaked back, blinking her eyes as she tried to regain her vision. "And why are there three of you?"
Elsa became even more worried and hurriedly came closer to her sister and held her face between her cold hands. "Is her eyesight going to be compromised after this?!" she glanced over at Vanellope with concern lacing her regal features.
Vanellope looked up at Elsa with a look of genuine regret. She had just met the world's absolute most awesome queen and she had just nearly blinded her sister. "She uhm, should be fine," she said apologetically. "It may take a little while for her vision to clear, but I didn't design these to do permanent damage."
Anna's mind immediately honed in on the gist of what was just said. "Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that little brat is in here and she just blinded me!" she yelled. All feelings of warmth and understanding of Princess Vanellope's behavior evaporated as she realized the young royal had blinded her.
Kristoff tried to hold her back but the redhead was deceptively strong and she made her way forward and wrapped her hands around what she figured was Princess Vanellope. "C'mere you little snipe! I'm gonna teach you a lesson you'll never forget!"
"Uhm...Anna?" Elsa asked quietly, even as little snickers started echoing around the library.
"Not now Elsa!" Anna snapped. "I'm teaching this 'princess' a lesson in manners! And why is she so heavy! And wasn't her dress green? Why's it white?"
"Anna," Elsa tried again, trying to hide her own amused giggles. "You're throttling mother's bust."
Anna slowly stopped attempting to strangle the marble bust of their mother and let her arms drop to her side. "I see," she said quietly.
"Bet'cha don't," Vanellope said sarcastically.
Before Anna could launch an enraged insult at the younger princess the others in the room gave in to the laughter they'd been containing. With her vision down for the time being, Anna could distinctly make out the laughs of Elsa and Kristoff at her current act of foolishness. 'This day started out so well,' she thought glibly.
Once everyone had calmed down again, Lord Felix, ever the diplomat, stepped forward and bowed before Elsa. "Your majesty, I must apologize for Princess Vanellope's poor behavior so early in our meeting."
Vanellope stepped forward to protest but a look from Calhoun silenced her. When she looked to Ralph for support, her knight offered an apologetic smile.
Elsa, however, kept her smile. "There is no need to apologize Lord Felix," she assured. "I admit I am to blame for this incident."
All eyes suddenly locked on to Elsa, except for Anna's, who was now staring at a bust of their father.
"Uhm, beg your pardon your majesty?" Felix asked, not entirely sure he had heard correctly.
"You see, Sir Ralph had mentioned Princess Vanellope's 'glitch' and Olaf had told the princess about my powers," she looked down at the snowman who was still trying to look innocent. "And we were both so curious about each other's abilities that we sort of made a trade. If she showed me her 'glitch' then I'd make the ballroom floor ice for skating."
For reasons beyond himself, Ralph could feel his lips curling into a smile, especially as he saw Felix, Calhoun, Kristoff and Anna's jaws drop ever so slightly at the Queen's admittance. 'She's got fire,' he thought admiringly.
"So you see, Anna," Elsa said, wincing when she realized her poor choice of words. "It really is my fault, so-"
"Pardon me for interrupting, Your Majesty," came the voice of Sir Ralph, "but I beg to differ with that assessment."
All eyes turned to regard the knight, especially those of the queen.
Ralph, suddenly feeling under the gun, pressed forward. "My princess will forgive me, but she did start this whole thing back on the ship before we arrived."
"If you're throwing me under the carriage here, my dear knight," Vanellope hissed, "then I'm taking you down with me."
"Vanellope, hush," Ralph said with finality, ending the discussion.
Elsa pressed her palm to her lips, stifling the giggle that threatened to escape from Princess Vanellope's sharp manner of speaking and Sir Ralph's weathered patience with the child.
But the knight's attempt to come to her defense sent a feeling of warmth coursing through the Queen's being, one that made itself known through the slight colouring it gave to her cheeks once more.
"It really is alright, Sir Ralph," Elsa offered with an apologetic smile. "I remember when Anna and I were little and we used to get into all sorts of mischief." Elsa tapped a finger to her chin in thought as she recalled a memory. "In fact, there was this one time when Anna got into mother's wardrobe and-"
"ELSA!" Anna squeaked, knowing exactly which story she was about to relay. Her own face followed her sister's as it become a charming shade of crimson.
The knight saved her from further humiliation. "Believe it or not, Queen Elsa, Princess Vanellope got us thrown out of another kingdom for doing this exact same thing," Ralph said with a long suffering sigh.
"HEY!" Vanellope shouted. "It's not my fault that short-haired princess and her big-schnozzed husband wanted to see fireworks and I decided to oblige!"
"You do realize that's a contradiction, right?" Kristoff said with a smirk, earning a glare from Vanellope and a thankful chuckle from her knight.
"Well this is gonna make two kingdoms in a row then," Anna said as she kept trying to get her vision to clear.
"Anna!" Elsa said sharply, causing everyone to pause. "There will be none of that. It was my fault that Princess Vanellope used her Glitch. It was a simple mistake and we will not be asking them to leave just because of bad timing."
Anna attempted to walk over and try to argue with Elsa, but only succeeded in walking straight into a book shelf and wound up being buried by a pile of books.
"Princess Vanellope," Elsa began, trying to detract from her sister's lack of manners and the distraction. "I would like to sincerely apologize for my sister's comments. If you would like, I can have the palace servants show you and your entourage to their rooms."
Vanellope looked like she was about to say yes when General Calhoun laid a gloved hand on her shoulder. "That would be splendid, your highness," the blond general said genuinely. "But I must insist that we return to the Jawbreaker for the moment."
"Jawbreaker?" Anna questioned, wondering why a warship would be named that.
Elsa, however, had a stricken look in her eyes, even as she fought to keep the frost from forming on her fingers. "Oh my, I hope we haven't done anything to offend you." She fixed her sister with an icy glare.
Vanellope tried to pipe up, but a look from the General silenced her. "No offense at all, your majesty," she said with a quirky grin. "We just need to attend to some correspondence before we settle in for the duration of our stay."
The queen sensed there was something more to their story, but the day had been enough of a fiasco that she did not want to press her luck any further.
"I understand, General Calhoun," she said with a slight bow. "But please know that my castle's doors are welcome to my esteemed guests should you decide to return before morning."
"Well thank ye kindly, Queen Elsa," voiced Lord Felix. "We'll be sure to return bright and early and ready to commence the negotiations!"
Elsa couldn't help but smile at the lord's enthusiasm. Still, part of her was saddened by the fact that her conversation with Sir Ralph had been interrupted. She quietly resolved to see that it would be continued at some point and at length.
As her guests filed out of the library, Sir Ralph chanced one more look over his broad shoulder at the Queen. Elsa, unaware that a very becoming blush had crept up to her cheeks, gave the knight a smile, one which the knight returned before he turned back to follow his charge.
-X-X-X-X-X-
"Overall, I think that was a good introduction," Kristoff said, trying to sound optimistic.
"That was a GREAT introduction!" Olaf cheered. "That Princess Vanellope is so fun to hang around and I still bet that giant knight gives great, warm hugs!"
"Uh, hello? Still blind here," Anna huffed, though she was exaggerating as her vision was starting to realign.
Kristoff reached over and wrapped a strong arm around his fiancé. "Look on the bright side," he said with a smile.
"And what is that, my thick headed ice picker?" she asked with menace in her tone.
"As far as memorable moments go, what better way than the day I asked you to- UMPH!" His words were cut short as Anna elbowed him in the stomach.
Elsa, however, hadn't noticed their little exchange. She was lost in her own thoughts as her eyes starry eyes remained fixed on the door the knight had exited through.
'A knight? A mercernary? A hero?' she thought in a whirl. 'Sir Ralph truly is a fascinating man. I wonder if I could convince him to tell me more about his travels? Surely he must have enough stories to fill an entire bookshelf!'
Kristoff, having regained the wind knocked out of him by the woman he loved, turned to regard the queen. "What about you, Elsa?" he asked. "Think they'll stick around?"
"I hope not," Anna grumbled.
Again, Elsa took no notice, her thoughts pulling her further down the rabbit hole. 'He really needn't wear that helmet. Certainly it would be useful in battle, but he could protect the princess just as well without it on. He could see much more clearly without it on, and it would be such a shame to hide those eyes of his…Oh those eyes…'
Olaf arched one of his wooden eyebrows as he noticed how the queen seemed more interested on the library's door than on them, "Elsa? Hello? Earth to Elsa!" he tugged her cape gently in an attempt to garner her attention.
Elsa snapped out of her trance and looked down at Olaf with a quizzical look. "Yes Olaf?"
Kristoff noticed Elsa's distracted demeanor and went a little wide-eyed as he saw the blush on her cheeks.
"What were you and the giant knight talking just right now?" Olaf innocently asked her and Kristoff grinned mischievously.
The queen blushed even more and cleared her throat. "Ah-we, he just...he just was making sure I didn't get offended before when we were all at the throne room, that's all..." She didn't quite fully understand why she was feeling so flustered, so she settled on telling her friend a half-truth.
Kristoff looked at her with measured amusement, knowing the look she had in her eye was due to more than just a simple conversation. Something about the knight had piqued the queen's interest. Now it was just a matter of seeing what that was.
Anna, however, was still distraught. "Elsa, why can't we ask them to leave? They're already heading back to their ship. I'm sure they wouldn't mind sailing back..."
"What?! No! We must do everything in our power to make them stay Anna!" Elsa blurted, shocking the other three in the room.
"I mean," Elsa said, wringing her hands anxiously, "we need to make sure this exchange results regardless of this little incident. Maybe I should arrange a party for them." She tapped her chin in deep thought, the idea appealing to her. "Princess Vanellope seemed like she would enjoy something...fun." For some reason, the word felt foreign on her tongue, but not unpleasant.
"Wait a minute," Anna said, sticking her pinky into her ear as though trying to clean something out of it. "Did I just hear that right? My sister, Queen Elsa, wants to do something FUN?"
Elsa rolled her eyes. "Oh don't start, Anna," she said as she swept her cape behind her and began to walk away regally, trying to maintain her dignified bearing with her head held high.
Anna, sensing that she had found a crack in her sister's calm mental armor, pressed her advantage with a mischievous grin. "Y'know what I think?" she called. "I think you want to have fun with a certain towering knight!" Anna giggled like a madwoman, balancing herself against Kristoff's frame as he and Olaf looked slightly confused.
"Hush Anna," Elsa said, trying to hide her blush as she left the library. "I know how to have fun..."
-X-X-X-X-X-
"So, what's our opinion about our new trade partners?" Vanellope asked her friends. They had left the palace after the meeting in the library and were now in Vanellope's private cabin aboard the Jawbreaker. Night had fallen and the cabin was illuminated by the soft glow of the lamps aboard.
Vanellope was bouncing atop her bed, her hair undone and having dissolved into a mess of riotous raven curls. Calhoun and Felix were seated at the table while Ralph had opted for sitting on the floor, the plates of his armor strewn about and leaving him clad in his simple tunic.
Felix was the first to speak, taking a sip from a teacup. "Well, I think they're just delightful," he said in his usual cheery tone. "The Queen is very gracious, the princess is delightfully honest and that Kristoff fellow is knowledgeable about the townspeople! Yes ma'am, I think we've found ourselves a regular honey of a new trading partner."
Across the table, his wife nodded her head while she sipped her own tea. "Have to agree with my half-pint husband on this one. They were pretty up front about a lot of things that they didn't need to be. But," she halted as she fixed the bouncing princess with sharp look, "we'll be lucky if they don't toss us out after the little stunt you pulled."
"HEY! Queen Elsa asked me to show her my "Glitch" and I was just doing like I was asked! How many times do I have to tell you guys that?" Vanellope defended. "Besides, she promised she'd make the ballroom floor all icy if I showed her and we could have all gone skating!"
"Uh huh," the general said with a slow nod, still doubting that story before turning to look at the princess's knight and guardian. "And what, pray tell, were you doing when they made this little 'agreement' of theirs? And don't tell me you were reading philosophy in that library."
Before Ralph could defend himself, Vanellope did it for him in her own poorly thought out manner. "Aw lay off him General Tight-Corset! He was too busy making eyes at Queen Elsa to do anything to stop me!"
Ralph sputtered at this declaration and struggled to formulate a sound defense.
"I WAS NOT!" was about the best he could come up with on short notice.
"Riiiiiiiiight," the princess said skeptically. "So then what were you and Queen Elsa talking about so intently when Olaf and I stepped inside of the library?"
Ralph reached behind his head and rubbed his neck, trying to avoid eye contact with everyone else in the room. "We were, uhm, talking about shared experiences and stuff."
Despite the low candle light of the cabin, the knight's friends could pick out the subtle red shine his heavy cheeks had picked up. They all knew he was the worst at lying.
"Well, well," Calhoun said with a smirk from behind her cup. "Here less than a day and already making advances toward the Queen? I knew you were forward, Wreckingham, but isn't this pushing your luck?"
Ralph growled his response and looked away, refusing to humor their attempts at mockery. Unfortunately, that's when Felix decided to chime in with his usually well-meaning but awkward attempts at advice. "Now Ralph, it's perfectly natural if you find a common bond with Queen Elsa. I mean she and you would..."
"FELIX PLEASE!" Ralph shouted, trying to keep his calm and utterly failing. His friends laughed at his outburst, knowing that he was still easily riled. The knight simply huffed and returned to his thoughts, trying to form some kind of way he could talk with the queen more.
"Alright, making fun of Ralph aside, these guys are okay to trade with?" Vanellope asked with a note of seriousness to her voice.
"Yes and double yes your highness!" Felix said without a second thought.
Calhoun slowly nodded her head in affirmation.
Ralph hadn't heard Vanellope's question. He was still looking away, his mind drawn back to his talk with Queen Elsa. 'How did I get so talkative? WHY was I so talkative? What was I thinking?' he kept thinking over and over again. 'Good job ya mad fool, she probably thinks you're some kind of lunatic now. Maybe I could-'
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a pillow struck his head.
"HEY!" he protested. "What was that for?!"
"Maybe because I've been calling you for the past, I don't know, minute about your opinion and you've been staring off into oblivion?" Vanellope answered snidely. "SO. Yay or nay on Arendelle?"
The knight continued to fix his young charge with a stare overshadowed by a furrowed brow, but he still gave his answer.
"Yay," he replied, triggering the Princess's joyous squeals at the prospect of having the opportunity to learn more about the magical queen she had met.
Though all he showed was a subtle half-grin, Sir Ralph was also looking forward to the next meeting with the entrancing Queen Elsa.
-X-X-X-X-X-
Meanwhile…
The night was quiet amongst the village surrounding the palace in the Southern Isles. Summer had fulfilled its promise of clear skies giving breathtaking views of the stars in the sky, twinkling like diamonds against the black depths. The moon was naught but a silver sliver in the sky, shining its radiance down upon the kingdom with all of its glory.
The Royal Guards maintained their patrols around the streets, keeping alert for anything unusual. Many of them looked forward to the first rays of the coming son, when they would be relieved of their shifts and could return to well-stuffed beds and the gentle caressing arms of lovers.
But until then, they would have to maintain watch, but a guard could be excused if the pleasant weather lulled him into a dreamlike haze.
Such lax standards would prove their undoing.
Across the varied rooftops of the town sprinted a cloaked figure. The billowing cloak did well to conceal their form while the hood hid their features. The figure moved with such speed and grace that it almost appeared that they were gliding across the rooftops, silently making their way towards the palace walls.
The figure leapt off of the last roof and latched onto the heavy blocks that made up the palace walls. Somehow, the figure could discern the smallest cracks and recesses in the wall before them and was using them to scale it higher and higher.
Upon reaching the top of the parapet, the figure peered cautiously over the masonry to see if any guards were patrolling the walk. Spying none of the guards nearby, the figure swung themselves up and over the top and immediately scanned the palace grounds.
It did not take long before they spotted their objective: the palace keep, the highest tower in the structure. An impressive feat of stone and architecture, its otherwise perfect surface was bare except for a lone window at the top.
Silent as a specter, the figure made its way to the keep, making sure to stay out of open ground for long periods of time. Once at the base, it achieved the same supernatural climbing ability that had seen it over the palace walls.
The figure reached the window with little difficulty, hanging from the sill with ease. Reaching within the voluminous folds of the cloak, the figure withdrew an envelope before placing it on the ledge.
Certain that the message would not fall from the ledge and yet still be visible to the inhabitant of the palace keep, the figure smiled devilishly before releasing its hold on the ledge and plummeting backwards…
-X-X-X-X-X-
Morning reached the Southern Isles with the sun's glory coming over the horizon. The early risers of the surrounding town began waking, starting into their daily routines as they always had. Bakers prepared their ovens, teamsters gathered their teams of horses and oxen, and the Royal Guards rotated their shifts with a cheerful "good morning" and a yawning "good night" to one another.
As the sun rose higher over the curve of the earth, its light reached the palace and slowly crept up the palace keep, seeking to wake its sole inhabitant.
The first rays of dawn peeked through the tattered curtains, rousing him from what could laughably be called his slumber.
With measured contempt, he pulled himself up from his "bed" and shambled over to the barred window. Within the panes of the smudged glass he could just make out his reflection. Despite having been locked in the room for the better part of a year, he could still recognize his visage. Aside from the scowl marring his features, he was still Prince Hans.
His return to the Southern Isles following his attempt to take over Arendelle had not been met with open arms. In truth, he had been welcomed home with an open hand, one which came across his face courtesy of his father, the king, who had expressed extreme disappointment in his youngest son for what he had attempted. His brothers had not been any kinder, all twelve of them ridiculing him for his duplicitous plan.
His mother had been the most understanding out of all of them. While she did not approve of what he had tried to do and had also expressed her disappointment in him, she at least understood what drove him to do it. One did not raise thirteen sons without knowing how they thought. It was through her intervention that he was not stripped of his title. Because of her, he was kept in this moderately comfortable cell, rather than cast out as a commoner or locked within the deepest pit of the dungeon.
But a year locked in a single room was taking its toll on him. His hair had grown longer and an unruly beard had formed across his face, giving him more of an unkempt appearance rather than that of a stately prince. He was not allowed to have anything sharp and the servants were forbidden from giving him any more comfort than was necessary.
'This is all because of those two rotten brats,' he thought grimly. 'If they would have just played along I would be king of Arendelle instead of stuck in this miserable excuse of a room. Somehow, I will have my revenge on those two and I will take their kingdom for my own.'
Peering through the worn curtains, Hans was once again reminded of his predicament. His room was in the highest tower of the palace, and though his window could be opened, he was too high up for any kind of successful attempt at escape. The only way in and out was the thick oak door that was kept firmly locked.
He was preparing to turn around and await his morning meal when something caught his eye. There, out on the window ledge, was what looked like an envelope.
As he returned to the window, he could see that it was indeed an envelope. 'Curious,' he thought. 'Where could this have come from?'
He unlatched the window and retrieved the envelope, turning it over in his hands. The seal of the letter was pinkish in hue, adorned with an ornate C. Checking to make sure he was still alone, he quickly broke the seal and opened the letter with great haste, so great was his hunger for contact with the outside world.
'To His Majesty Prince Hans of the Southern Isles,
Hello and wonderful day to you! You will forgive me if I forego the formalities and cut right to the chase. I understand that you have fallen on hard times and are looking to right several wrongs against you. I am also a fellow who has run into a patch of trouble and I am looking to take on a clever partner in an upcoming endeavor. If you would like the chance to make things right, then please leave your reply on the ledge of your window.
Sincerely,
A Friend
Hans turned the letter over in his hands, trying to discern any further identifying information. He found none, nor did he recognize the seal of the envelope.
Part of his mind was suspicious of the strange letter, wondering if one of his brothers could be behind it. He immediately dismissed that idea as he knew that his brothers would more likely just come in and beat the tar out of him rather than play on some elaborate scheme.
Hans weighed his options. On the one hand, he could behave himself and hope that his father and brothers would one day see fit to release him, while on the other hand he could take a chance on this mysterious fellow and get his chance at revenge upon the Arendelle sisters.
He made his choice quickly.
With purpose in his step Hans strode over to the desk in the room, swiftly locating a piece of parchment and his quill, dipping the utensil into the bottle of ink.
'To my new business partner,' he began.
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