Hours before the coronation, climbing up the mountainside a few miles from Arendelle was Mark. Grunting, Mark dug his pickaxes into the thick rocky side of the mountain. The wind at this altitude was rustling his clothing and threatened to knock him from the cliff, but Mark kept fearlessly climbing. He was determined to reach the top. Approaching a ledge, Mark imbedded his pickaxe into the underside and took a breath before swinging out to hang by just his pickaxe. Using the momentum from his swing, he impaled his other pickaxe into the rock and quickly yanked out his other pickaxe to continue swinging out across the underside of the ledge. He told himself not to look down and to focus. He didn't want to think about falling well over two hundred feet. He'd planned and trained for this for months. Swinging out to impale his axe, the pickaxe hit a thinner part of rock. Yelping, Mark nearly lost his grip on both pickaxes as the one broke the rock and left him dangling with no more momentum. Mark's arm muscle strained to grip the handle of his pickaxe, while he adjusted his grip on the other. As the broken bits of rock clattered to the ground far below him, he heard Donner let out a worried call. Grunting, Mark pulled his leg up to wrap it around his grip on the other pickaxe.

By doing this, it kept his weight more centered and allowed him to use the strength of his legs to help keep his grip on the handle. Stretching out as far as he could, Mark impaled the pickaxe in a better spot, calling down to Donner a bit distracted. "I'm fine." As he impaled the pickaxe, he wrapped his free leg around the new grip and stretched out to repeat the process until he was making steady progress. Once he reached the end of the cliff ledge, he let his feet hang and started to impale the pickaxes more naturally as he climbed up and used his spiked shoes for added grip. Pulling himself over the side, he got to his feet and untied the rope from around his waist. Wrapping it around a sturdy tree limb, he pulled out a hammer and a climbing nail. Anchoring the rope, he tied it back around his waist and grabbed the rope to start pulling on it with all his strength. As the rope tensed and strained, slowly Donner rose into the air until he reached the ledge. While on Donner's back, Grand Pabbie held onto the rope and told Mark dryly as they reached the top. "You know... I get wanting your own space. But don't you think this is a bit much?"

Mark huffed, pulling down the bandanna from covering his nose and mouth before telling him. "I know it looks bad right now. But just wait. Once I clear the trail, getting up here will be much easier for me and Donner." Grand Pabbie untied Donner, then hopped to the ground as he asked Mark gently. "Mark... I'm a little concerned about you. We all are. Isolating yourself like this... This is not what I had intended for your future..." Mark rolled his eyes, collecting his rope as he chuckled out. "I'm not isolating myself. Think of it like... I'm finding my hygge. A summer home that Donner and I will be more comfortable in. We'll become self-sufficient and be far from people that annoy me." Grand Pabbie blinked, leaning on his cane stick as he said unimpressed. "How exactly?" Mark patted Grand Pabbie's tiny shoulder, excitedly stating aloud. "So glad that you asked. I'm planning to start my own ice business come this winter. I found a gorgeous lake by the North Mountain. Completely untouched and the best part. The North Mountain is so cold that the lake freezes faster than the lake that the Ice Harvesters are using. So, collecting the ice there would be perfect! I just need the sleigh. Which I am going to pick up in Arendelle later today after I finish paying off that crook of a builder."

Grand Pabbie squeezed his cane a bit, asking uneasily. "I'm afraid to ask what you plan to do in the summer..." Mark crossed his arms, grinning out. "No worries. I got that covered too. I have goats." Grand Pabbie inhaled slowly, prompting Mark to rush out. "Wait! Hear me out. For the last few years, I have noticed that wild goats wander around our mountain. The wolves can't get to them here and it is why the Trolls settled here, right? Which means that Donner will be safe up here. I've befriended a few goats and have been selling their milk and cheese to help pay off the sleigh in summer, when I'm not selling ice in the winter. So, it got me thinking. Goat farm. A summer oasis. I even have plans to grow some crops." Grand Pabbie picked at the lush grass, informing him coolly. "I see." Mark's excitement drained a bit when he asked a little disheartened. "You don't like it?" Grand Pabbie perked his ears and tail up, replying in a warm nurturing tone. "No! That's not it. I'm just..." Grand Pabbie drifted off and moved to sit on a small rock. Taking a deep breath, Grand Pabbie told him sweetly. "I'm worried that you are drifting too far from your kind. I know humans don't treat you well... and it's only gotten worse as you've gotten older... but running away like this... It worries me."

Mark leaned on Donner, mumbling out softly. "I'm not running away. I'm avoiding people that I can't stand. That makes me happy. All my friends and family are right here anyway." Grand Pabbie shrugged, telling him honestly. "I know... but... These last few years just have not gone as I had planned." Mark smirked to himself, asking curiously. "Are you ever going to tell me what was supposed to happen? I know you and the King had some kind of an arrangement." Grand Pabbie let a small smile pull at his lips before he told him under his breath. "Doesn't matter now... They are dead and my visions of the future have become clouded. I fear a storm is coming... and I don't know whether we can weather it or not. Now I can only ponder and worry if all my planning has been for nothing..." Mark moved closer, asking him gently. "You mean a real storm? Like a hurricane? Or an earthquake?" Grand Pabbie straightened up on the rock, telling him openly. "Something like that... In my last vision, before Stig ran away... I saw him walking through a fog across an icy fjord. The image haunts me... I fear that his return will lead to the fall of Arendelle. Because the thing that returned from the Ahtohallan River all those years ago... It wasn't my son."

Back in Arendelle, Nathan sat on the castle balcony that overlooked the fjord. As the sunset over the water, the sky was bathed in beautiful shades of dark blue and rich oranges. The fresh air felt good in his lungs and the gentle breeze helped calm him down from the stressful day this had been so far. After only a minute or two, a guard knocked and opened the door to announce to him. "Your majesty, Hans of the Southern Isles?" Nathan waved to the guard to let him join him on the balcony. Hans flashed the guard a grin, then slipped in with two plates of food. Walking up to the railing, Hans set the plates down and chuckled out. "You really went all out with the food. I'm going to need a bigger stomach if I'm going to try it all." Nathan looked over one of the plates that was stacked high with chocolate and chuckled out. "Really? Don't they have food like this in your kingdom?" Hans took a bite out of a chocolate, flashing him a smile as he leaned on the balcony railing and replied. "We do... but when you grow up with twelve brothers. You tend to get only what they don't want." Nathan's eyes widened a little, when he said lightly. "Wow. Sounds like a nightmare."

Hans finished the chocolate, snorting out. "The nightmare was that three of them pretended that I didn't exist for two years. It's tough being the youngest. I take it you don't have siblings?" Nathan shook his head, mumbling out. "No. My mother tried. She got hurt as a kid... doctors told her that she was lucky to have me." Hans picked up a chocolate, looking over the drizzle of white frosting over the glossy dark chocolate coating as he said casually. "You're fortunate. I've spent my whole life trying to prove myself to my father. To be better than my brothers. It seemed to be an endless endeavor." Hans offered the chocolate to Nathan. Nathan shook his head, asking curiously. "So, what was the diplomatic issue? Tell me about the Southern Isles." Hans set the chocolate back on the plate, then hopped up to sit on the railing with him. After eating a chocolate without white drizzle, he told him with a sigh. "Well, the Southern Isles is a small kingdom that spans across small Islands that make it up. We rely on trade mostly. Although, our islands are known for our herbs and spices. We have a lot of rich soil. Recently, one of our trade deals fell through and my family was looking to strike up a new deal with your parents. Our herbs and spices... for some of your ice."

Nathan perked up a bit, asking curiously. "My ice?" Hans nodded, shrugging out sweetly. "Ya. My mother supposedly had some drink here that had ice in it and... she got addicted to it. We don't get enough snow in the Southern Isles to make ice. But my father has discovered a way to ship ice from here to there. If you are interested?" Nathan thought about it for a minute, then nodded as he said lightly. "Ya. Sure. I'll write something up and you can take it back for your parents to look over." Hans picked a grape off another plate, chipperly saying. "Great. Could you do me a favor and mention that I arranged it. I'd love to see my dad's face when he reads it." Nathan chuckled, shrugging out. "Sure. I'll have it sent to you before you leave tomorrow." Nathan thought about excusing himself before things got awkward but found himself asking curiously. "Hans? What do you think of Trolls?" For the first time, Nathan finally looked at Hans's face. He had worked up the courage to see whatever his past had to offer. Instead, Hans was the one avoiding his eyes now as he shrugged and he picked through the chocolates upon saying. "Trolls? Are you talking about those mythical creatures that snatch children and replace them with changelings? What about them?"

Nathan tried to read Hans's body language, when he prodded casually. "Do you have legends like them in the Southern Isles?" Hans picked more grapes, answering calmly without looking up. "Ya. No Trolls though. Witches mostly. Why? The peasants got you spooked? Thinking about hiring a monster hunter?" Nathan tried to stay calm when he asked a bit anxiously. "You don't believe in them?" Hans finally looked up but cleverly avoided his eyes, when he laughed out. "I used too. Back when my brothers would tell me those stories of witches that snatched and ate children... They traumatized me into never going hunting again. Until years later, I learned of the servant woman they paid to chase me around the woods... The jerks." Nathan smirked to himself. He felt like he really had been seeing things before. There was no way that Hans could be a Troll. Hans lifted his head to look at him and Nathan instinctively turned to look away, prompting Hans to ask sweetly. "Do you believe in them?" Nathan blushed a little, leaning back against the support beam behind him when he mumbled out. "You'll think I'm crazy." Hans leaned closer, expressing in a warm buttery voice. "I love crazy."

Nathan licked his lips, before telling him reluctantly. "I've seen Trolls in these woods." Hans excitedly replied. "Really? And you didn't get snatched?" Nathan shook his head, bowing his head a little as he lied. "No. They didn't see me. They were smaller than the stories say. No bigger than cats. Which explains why people don't see them often. Plenty of ways to hide at that size." Swallowing, Nathan huffed out embarrassed. "Crazy, right?" Hans hopped off the railing, chuckling out. "It's pretty crazy. But I envy you. I would love to have seen something that special. Or to BE as special as a Troll." Nathan looked out across the fjord, saying a bit grimly. "I'd imagine that it's not as fun as you'd think. You'd be hunted... and live a life hiding from others." Hans inched up closer to him, causing Nathan to jump in surprise. Jumping shifted Nathan's weight and he started to fall from the balcony, until Hans snatched his wrist to stop him. Pulling Nathan back onto the balcony, Hans stared into his eyes and sweetly told him. "Careful." Nathan twisted his wrist from Hans's hand, feeling subconscious about being touched but thanked him. Although Hans hadn't touched his skin, he didn't want to risk it. Hans didn't move away from him but allowed Nate to twist his hand free when he asked him. "Why are you hiding from others, Highness?"

Nathan took a step back, his back pressing firmly into the support beam, before he answered in a rehearsed speech. "I've been sick." Hans placed a hand on the beam over Nate's shoulder, giving him a warm smile as he stared directly into his eyes and asked him in a low whisper. "Is that what they have you calling it?" Nathan stared into Hans's light green eyes with slight confusion. He saw nothing. No evil deeds. No hidden secrets. It was both a relief and a bit worrying. This had never happened before. Blinking, Nathan asked a bit stunned. "I don't know what you mean..." Hans brought his lips a bit closer to Nathan's whispering to him very softly. "You think you are the first prince to show no interest in girls? I've heard things about parents trying to... 'fix' their 'sick' children." Nathan relaxed against the beam, telling Hans as nicely as he could. "I think you're mistaken." Hans eyed him like he was confused by something, before stepping back and blurting out a little embarrassed. "Oh... Sorry. I thought..." Nathan watched him look away with a guilty blush, while his own mind rushed with emotions. He'd never even thought about relationships before. His curse had always been at the front of his mind. Now Nathan was starting to doubt himself on a whole new level.

Clearing his throat, Nate mumbled out curiously to him. "Why would you think that about me?" Hans moved farther down to wrap his arm around another beam, before answering with a blushing smile. "I told you. It's pretty common for parents to hide away their imperfect children. I was curious to know for myself." Hans looked at the detail carved into the wooden beam, before adding in a pained tone. "You spoke as if you were being hunted and isolated... and men that feel as I do for other men... it can feel that way." Nathan rubbed his gloved hands anxiously, mumbling out a little worried. "I... I don't know if I'm one of them. I've really just been sick and... the last few years have left little time for me to worry about that." Shifting on his feet, Nathan shyly asked as he tried to hide behind the beam a bit. "How do you know that you are... one of those men?" Hans slowly moved to lean against the other side of Nate's beam, whispering around it a little playfully. "It's pretty simple. Do you feel... stirrings around other boys? A desire to touch them? A desire to kiss them when they lean in real close? Does your heart race around them?" Nathan leaned back as Hans leaned around the beam more, eventually forcing Nathan to back up.

Inching around the beam, Hans put his back against it and chuckled out to Nathan. "Of course... The fastest way to tell is to kiss someone. But judging by the look of you. You're too much of a good boy to do something like that." Nathan glanced at the doors to check that they were closed. The last thing he wanted was this news to spread. Hans followed his eyes toward the doors, before creeping toward him. Nathan tensed, watching Hans put a finger to his lips before leaning in to whisper over Nathan's shoulder. "You wanna ditch the guards and go somewhere... private?" Nathan shuffled his feet, mumbling out as he bowed his head. "I can't.... I shouldn't. They are here for my safety." Hans lifted his chin with a finger, looking into his eyes as he told him in a honey dripping voice. "Just for a minute or two... No one will even know that you're missing, I promise. Then at least you'll know if you are. That's something you should figure out now before they start proposing arranged marriages... Right?" Nathan nodded to him subtly and Hans grinned as he told him. "Tell me where to meet up with you. I'll wait here and when you ditch the guards, I'll come find you." Nathan took a shaky breath, before whispering. "The attic room in the study."

Nathan whispered to Hans how to get there, then took his leave through the doors. He knew a secret passage that would lead him to a room close to the study. He just had to slip into it before his guards saw him do it. His father had showed him all the passages in the castle in case of an emergency. He felt terrible using them to do this... but he was curious to know if he was.  While back on the balcony, Hans waited for Nathan to leave before letting out a disappointed sigh. Picking up the plates of poisoned food, he tossed it over the railing. His plan to poison the King and blame the servant had failed. However, with the guards out of the equation. Killing the King wouldn't be tied back to him so easily. Taking his power and his kingdom would be all too easy. To Be Continued...