October 9

"My agents tracked down the patrons of the tavern Kale was spotted in," Evangeline was reporting. It had been a difficult task, even for her seasoned spies, to decipher Kale's trail, but just hours ago they had finally interrogated those who had directly spotted the general.

Elsa frowned. "What did they reveal? Did he meet with anyone before our men killed him?"

The spymaster grimaced. "Yes, and no. The stories of all the patrons we tracked down corroborate with one another; he didn't talk with anyone while in the tavern. After he arrived though, a man who had been sitting there for some time put down his drink and hurriedly left the pub. Kale followed him out immediately. No one saw where they went, or if the two of them even spoke with one another after they departed."

Damn. Dread began to worm its way into her heart. "Who was this man? Did any of them know him?"

"No," Evangeline replied. "Apparently, he kept to himself the entire night before Kale arrived. None of the patrons claimed to be aquatinted with him, and I don't think they were lying. They did offer to tell us what he looked like-"

"And how did they describe him?" the goddess interrupted.

Evangeline sighed. "Tall. Broad shouldered. Young...in his mid-twenties at the latest. Blond hair." She paused nervously. "Your Worship, you don't think it could be...the odds are astronomical..."

In a rare display of anger, the goddess slammed her fist on the wooden desk. "I think it most certainly could have been him," she hissed. "That's exactly where I would have expected Kristoff to be. In an out of the way tavern, keeping a low profile in my city and watching for any sign that might be preparing to move against the pathetic rocks that he calls family. The man your agents described reacted exactly as I would have expected Kristoff to do; he knows I would like to question him about Anna's whereabouts. If he saw a man he believed loyal to me, the first thing he would do is leave the building immediately. And if Kale recognized him, he would have followed...he needed any ally he could have gotten."

The spymaster's forehead crunched as she thought this over. "I agree it's a possibility, Your Worship, but it's far from a certainty. What do you suggest we do?"

"I didn't put up wanted posters of him after he helped Anna disappear; I'm not quite certain what the trolls are capable of, and trying to arrest their 'adopted' son would have been seen as an act of outright hostility. It was doubtful that they would, or could, have moved against me, but it wasn't worth taking such a chance when there was nothing but petty vengeance to be gained from it; I was willing to wait until my power returned. Now, however, I judge the risks of letting Kristoff walk free greater than the risk of possibly antagonizing the trolls," Elsa explained.

Evangeline smiled. "Very well, Your Worship. I'll have posters worked on and printed immediately. All available agents will be sent out in search of him; if he steps foot in one of your cities, we'll hear of it. Shall the Faithful be mobilized for an attack on the trolls?"

The goddess shook her head. It was a course of action she had considered, but directly attacking the trolls still wasn't worth the risk. Dealing with the pests could wait until her divinity was restored. "No. Not yet. Perhaps if there are further developments, but as of now, restrict your operations to Arendelle proper. Find the boy. No imprisonment or interrogation necessary; kill him on sight."

"As you command, Your Worship."

\

"You're certain about this?" Pabbie questioned. "It's possible that the Coronan Royals will imprison you the second they hear you're connected to Anna. Even if they do not, do you truly believe that they will come to believe your story? They've known Elsa for decades. Just because they are not part of her plot does not mean that they be willing to work against a close relative. How will you convince them about Elsa's true nature?"

Kristoff stared at the grass below them. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "But I have to try. Without Anna, we don't have a chance against Elsa's forces. According to Anna, she and Rapunzel were close. Maybe she mentioned me to her, I don't know. If she recognizes my name, that could give me a bit of credibility. Besides, all I need to do is convince her to give me a tear to heal Anna. She doesn't need to believe me completely...she just needs to accept there's a possibility that I'm telling the truth."

The old troll sighed. "I've never heard of magic like this Princess possesses. Perhaps it could reverse my spell; I don't pretend to know everything about magic. While you are in Corona, I will try to create a spell that could restore Anna's abilities...difficult though it will be. Another questions arises, however: how will you get in contact with the Princess?"

Kristoff shrugged. "I'll have to improvise."

\

October 11

Selling some knick knacks the trolls possessed was enough to buy him passage on a merchant vessel destined for Corona. The trip from Hammerfest would take five days, during which Kristoff would be obligated to help around the ship, but he'd arrive in Corona's Royal City without any problems.

It was likely to be the smoothest part of his journey.

\

October 12

The door to Queen's study burst open as Kayla entered. Deep in a discussion, both Evangeline and Elsa raised their heads to look upon her in surprise.

"Your Worship, my lady, forgive my interruption, but it's an emergency. There's a report that just came in from Hammerfest; Kristoff was spotted in the city. By the time the sightings were reported to the guards, he was gone," she said quickly.

Evangeline smiled at the news, but her gaze lingered on Kayla with disappointment. "Good. But it is unwise to so rudely interrupt your superiors with news that could wait five minutes. Especially when one of those superiors is our Divine Empress."

Panic welled up within Kayla. "I meant no disrespect, I live to serve you, Your Worship," she dipped her head to Elsa. "If it was any other news, I would have been happy to wait for hours until you deigned to speak with me, but we do not have that much time. He was spotted boarding a ship that was headed to Corona; we can't let him get away!"

At that, Elsa rose from her chair. "Damn. He must have been the one Kale talked to. Kayla, I appreciate the warning, but if they left our shores yesterday, it's too late to catch up to him before they reach Corona's shores. Evangeline, send out Will and Enobaria after him. Tell them to avoid antagonizing the royal family unless absolutely necessary, but make sure they know that Kristoff's death is a top priority."

"Of course, Your Worship," Evangeline replied, bowing before hurrying out of the room.

Kayla frowned. "Your Worship...why do you think he's going to Corona? Does he just want to leave the country now that he's officially a target for arrest by Arendelle's government?"

Elsa shook her head wearily. "I don't think so. He'd stay near the trolls if that were the case. No. If my suspicions are correct, Kale told him everything that he overheard from your conversation with Evangeline. He's seeking out potential allies; he has no other options. Rapunzel's magic can't harm me, but the Coronan military-" she stopped suddenly, fearful realization plain on her face. "Rapunzel's magic," she repeated. "The one thing that might be able to...Kayla, we can't take any chances. It's time to put your abilities to the test."

Yes! "I'm eager to serve, Your Worship."

\

October 18

Kristoff couldn't help but be impressed by the Coronan Royal Palace. While it wasn't quite as large as Elsa's Castle, the architecture was just as impressive. Thick walls at least twenty feet high surrounded the mammoth structure and its surrounding grounds. Both the walls and the Palace itself were comprised mostly of light brown bricks that glinted like gold in the bright Coronan sun. Unlike in Arendelle, there was no gap between the city and the Palace walls. Only a narrow lane of grass that surrounded the Castle walls separated it from the city beyond.

A large gate of red metal in the walls was the only apparent entrance to the dominion of the Royal Family. A complement of guards were posted around the structure, clearly under orders to only allow those with official business through the Palace Gates.

There was nothing he could do but approach them and come up with a convincing reason to let him pass. If not, he could always go to Plan B, but that option would be a lot more risky.

Technically, he wouldn't even be lying. He did need to speak with the Royal Family, both for his sake and theirs. Hopefully, the guards on duty would be willing to at least relay a message to the Princess's attendants on his behalf.

"Halt. State your name and business," a guard prompted as Kristoff approached the gate. Dressed in a uniform more decorated than that of his fellow soldiers and speaking with a voice of experienced confidence, he was obviously their leader...and thus the man Kristoff needed to convince.

He'd mentally debated with himself how honest he should be. Anna was a wanted criminal back in Arendelle, and knowledge of her supposed treachery had surely spread to Corona. Kristoff would have to reveal to Rapunzel that he was (in a sense) here on Anna's behalf, but telling the same to this guard captain would not be the brightest move. Odds were that if he confessed to being an associate of a supposed spy of the Southern Isles, the guards would never let him inside. Once he was actually able to speak with Rapunzel...hopefully the fact that Anna had saved her life would convince the Princess to at least hear him out.

"My name is Kristoff Bjorgman. I need to speak with Princess Rapunzel. I've heard tell that Her Highness possesses magic that can heal any injury; she may be my friend's last hope. Would it be possible for me to meet with her for a few minutes?"

The guard's eyes narrowed. "Are you prepared to spend the next month in a prison cell?"

Kristoff's mouth gaped open. "You arrest people for simply asking for the Princess's help?" he demanded, utterly flabbergasted. "I thought Princess Rapunzel had a reputation of caring for her citizens."

"Oh, she does. If you were genuinely searching for a tear to heal your friend's mortal wound, she would be happy to help you and ask for nothing in return. It is her personal policy to heal the mortal injuries of all who seek her aid," the guard explained.

"I do!" Kristoff cried in reply. "It's the only thing that might save my friend."

The captain shook his head. "You can imagine the danger that the Princess's policy poses. Imagine how easy it would be for anyone to enter her presence if she answered every call for help? At best, all her time would be wasted by trivial injuries. At worst, Her Highness could find herself on the receiving end of an attempted assassination. The King was well aware of this. Anyone who seeks her aid for a grievous injury...and is discovered to be lying...spends a month in the dungeons. It's proven to be an effective deterrent. So I'll ask you again, why are you here?"

"I'm not lying!" Kristoff protested. Shit! Of course, it couldn't have been that easy.

"When you serve in my line of work for as long as I have, you tend to gain a better understanding of people. You're not panicking. You're not sweating at all, so you didn't run to get here. If you actually had a friend on the verge of death, neither of those things would be true," the captain shot back.

"It's not that kind of injury," the ice-harvester replied, clenching his fists in frustration. "Her memory has...she's lost her memory. A tear from the Princess is the only thing that might reverse it."

The older man didn't even flinch. "And how did your friend lose her memory?"

Kristoff hesitated, and the captain saw it. A story about a magical troll and his spell of memory loss wouldn't help him in the slightest. Gods, I'm such an idiot. He hadn't thought of an alternative explanation to Anna's predicament, and his desperate attempt to come up with one on the spot was easily noticed by the captain.

"Go. Now. I'd arrest you already if I thought you were worth the trouble." His eye glinted dangerously, and Kristoff knew he had no choice but to leave.

Plan B it is, then.

\

Kristoff wasn't a trained warrior, but that didn't mean he didn't have any skills. Ice harvesting was not an easy job, and he'd spent years building up his strength and stamina. Although he'd never trained to use those attributes in a fight, Kristoff had still picked up a wide variety of survival skills. Climbing had been one of them.

He'd known this would probably happen. It was never going to be easy getting access to the Palace, and the ice harvester wasn't surprised that he was going to have to sneak in. Grand Pabbie had given him a spell for that very purpose, contained in a small bottle at his side. It would decrease the amount of light reflected by his body and his clothes, in effect making him nearly invisible. It was beyond Pabbie's power to hide someone completely, but if Kristoff was careful, it might just be enough to allow him to slip across the Castle grounds and into the Palace.

Of course, first he needed to scale the twenty-foot wall standing in his way. Torches illuminated most of the ramparts, and Kristoff could perceive several patrols of guards manning the wall. He'd chosen his point of entry carefully. It was a significant distance away from the nearest patrol, and not well lit by the torches above. Covered by Pabbie's magic, Kristoff was confident he would be able to scale the wall and slip over it unseen.

It was time. First, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the small bottle. Undoing the cork, Kristoff took a deep breath before flinging the contents into the air. What came out of the bottle was a white mist; Kristoff allowed it to envelop him.

A glance down at his body told him that the magic had worked. Both his body and his clothes were barely visible; he looked so ethereal that he'd likely be mistaken for a ghost. In the light of the crescent moon hanging in the sky, one would have to be within ten feet of Kristoff before he was spotted.

He smiled, reaching into his bag and taking out the long coil of rope that he'd had the foresight to bring with him. Pabbie had said that his magic would last three hours...plenty of time for him to slip into the Palace and find the Princess. Then, somehow, he'd have to convince her to listen to him. First things first, he reminded himself.

The ramparts at the top of the wall were bordered by a tall ledge carved of hard stone. Every few feet was a small rectangular indent that existed purely for decoration. He quickly tied a knot in the rope, forming a circle large enough for his purposes. It would be just enough to enwrap one of the decorative wedges and give him a perch on the wall. Calling upon his years of practice, Kristoff carefully gathered the rope in his hands before throwing it at his target.

It worked! The circle he'd tied draped around the wedge perfectly. He pulled on the rope a few times, testing its strength. All the while, Kristoff glanced around, checking both the ramparts and the street he stood on for signs of life. Save for a guard patrol visible in the distance, there were none.

Satisfied, he began to climb. Despite his great strength, Kristoff's progress was slow. Going too quickly would create far too much noise; Pabbie's magic made it harder for people to see him, but it did nothing to muffle the noise he would make.

Deep in his heart, the ice-harvester knew how foolish this endeavor was. Although he was confident he could scale the wall without being seen, the odds of him successfully sneaking through the Palace and getting into contact with the Princess were long indeed. But what choice did he have? The guards would never let him inside freely, and without Rapunzel, there was no chance that Anna would be 'healed'.

And without Anna, there would be no stopping Elsa.

He was halfway up now, ten feet into the air. A fall from this height could potentially be deadly, but Kristoff felt no fear. He'd completed far more dangerous ascents hundreds of times. There was no chance he would mess up this climb.

Unless, of course, someone cut the rope.

One second he was firmly latched onto the wall, the rope in his hands firm. Then a loud SNAP cut through the air, accompanied by a cry of alarm from the ramparts above. Horrifying weightlessness coursed through Kristoff as he fell towards the ground. Any coherent thoughts...who had cut the rope, how had he been seen...were swept away by all-consuming panic as he hurtled towards the ground.

Then he knew no more.

\

Pain! Kristoff woke up to a throbbing in his neck so terrible he was amazed it wasn't broken. His eyes opened to almost pure darkness. He felt around clumsily with his hands, trying to get a sense of his bearings. All he could feel was hard, dirty stone.

"You're awake," a firm voice spoke out of the darkness. Kristoff, still not yet fully conscious, flinched at the sound. Now that his eyes were adjusting to the lack of light, he could faintly perceive a grid of metal bars suspended in the air in front of him. Behind them was the vague outline of a man.

He was in a prison cell.

"That was an impressive magic trick you pulled," the man...it must have been a Palace guard...drawled on with a feigned casualness. "Until a few hours ago, you looked so pale we thought you were a ghost. Or, we would have, if you hadn't been solid enough to carry back to the dungeons."

Kristoff winced. "How...how did you...?"

"See you? One of the more alert men on the wall noticed a vague motion out of the corner of his eye. Closer inspection revealed it to be a rope, expanding and contracting around one of the rampart posts as an intruder attempted to use it to climb up the wall. He crept towards it silently and cut it. Magic trick or not, your fall knocked you out for the last nine hours."

He was a miserable failure. There was no other way to put it. So stupid! Pabbie's magic had cloaked both his flesh and his clothes, but Kristoff had forgotten about the damn rope! He hadn't taken it out of the bag until after he'd already released the mist, thus ensuring that it would remain visible as he climbed up the wall. With the bright torches that dotted the ramparts, it wasn't hard to think of how a perceptive guard might have noticed a wide rope constantly shifting as a heavy man used it to haul himself up.

Kristoff couldn't be sure in this darkness, but it seemed as if the guard smirked. "I'd be impressed with your magic...if it wasn't for the fact that my Princess performs miracles on an almost daily basis. Instead, we don't give a damn about how you turned nearly invisible. But you will tell us why you tried to sneak into this Castle," he hissed, all pretensions of pleasantness completely gone. "Or you can rot in here for the rest of your miserable life."

He shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around this predicament. It was a disaster. Although he was technically in the Palace, Kristoff was farther away from the Princess than he'd ever been. They would never let him meet her now.

Unless he took a desperate gamble. Kristoff had one last card to play: the truth.

"I'm here for Anna."

For the first time, he detected a shred of uncertainty in the man in front of him. Kristoff knew how risky this ploy was. There was still a chance, that, as Elsa had claimed, the Coronan Royal Family had been involved with her schemes. It was also very possible that they completely believed the Queen's story that Anna was a traitor, and thus would view anyone who claimed to know her as an enemy. But he had no other options. If he didn't try this now, Kristoff would have a better chance of learning to fly than he would have of meeting the Princess.

If Rapunzel wasn't in on Elsa's plans, and she harbored some doubt about the tale of Anna's treachery...

"Anna who?" The guard questioned. All of his self-assured composure had returned.

Kristoff scowled in frustration. "Lady Anna! Knight of Arendelle, protector of the Queen? Savior of Princess Rapunzel and friend to Corona? That ring any bells? You ever hear of the woman who saved your beloved Princess's life? Twice."

Now with his eyes fully attuned to the darkness, Kristoff could see the guard's mouth gape open. "Yes...of course I have," he replied. "I've also heard that was a traitor and a spy for the Southern Isles. She was no friend of Corona."

"It was all a lie!" Kristoff shot back. "She never betrayed Queen Elsa. Elsa bet..." Then he stopped. This guard might be willing to hear him out about Anna, but he would never believe that Elsa was, well, an evil Goddess. Best to save that for later.

Instead, he continued. "That story about her treachery was all a lie, concocted by enemies of the Queen in order to weaken her defenses. Anna was so crushed by what happened...Elsa believing the stories...that she went to some friends of mine who removed her memories with magic. The same friends who gave me a spell to make me invisible. Now she's out there, cold and hungry and alone...and we need her back. Rapunzel's magic might be the only thing that could reverse it. Please...I just need to speak with her for a minute."

For a moment, the guard stared at him intensely, and Kristoff felt a shred of hope.

Then he shook his head. "I don't have time for ridiculous stories," he said firmly. "If you want to play the fool, then by all means continue. Hopefully when I return tomorrow you're feeling a little more truthful. If not...then enjoy your stay."

The guard walked off. Kristoff stared after him, feeling more helpless than ever. All that careful planning...it'd been destroyed by a single careless mistake. He'd rot in here until Elsa's magic covered the world, and then it would be too late for him.

It would be too late for everyone.

A/N: I'm sorry! I didn't mean to end this chapter here, but the length kind of got away from me, and the next scene would be too long to fit. Hang in there!

Responses:

Andilite: Me too! Evangeline definitely deserves it. I haven't written out this story per se, but I have thought it all out in my head, and I have a good memory.

Shtoops: Keep trying!

ClaireCooper: Not exactly off to the best start…

Tithi: Exactly what I intended with that scene (and also, because I miss her too.)

Volchise: Thank you!

CoolNickNack: I hope she gets involved…

DimmensionalLover: Hold onto that hope!

WinterWolfDragon: Thanks!

SummerStormWar: That's the hope, but that won't be easy.

TheChronicle: So much I could say but won't, because it could easily be taken for spoilers. All I will add is that the Goddess has certainly not reached a point of non-caring, given that she responds to threats as quickly and decisively as possible.

Mymouse: Not as much as me

Gwiley16199: I tried to make it kinda obvious in hindsight but not extremely predictable.

Vidgamelords: Characters don't always get the endings they deserve. But, bittersweet or not, I don't think you'll be disappointed by the ending.

ObsessiveImaginings: Thanks! Keep it up!

Guest 1: Good plan, poor execution.