I would like to thank roxygoth, BurningFox6, krystal lazuli, and LukeJames for beta reading and helping me improve!

Feedback is always appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen. Frozen is owned by Disney. I only lay claim to Prince Edmund, Prince Lucas, and Master Stephen.

Chapter 10

At eleven o'clock, Elsa emerged from the conference room after completing her meeting with the council, heading to the Great Hall for lunch. As she walked, the Snow Queen could not stop thinking about when Edmund asked her to go to the town with him. The Ice Queen never envisioned herself ending up with anyone, as she was concerned her powers would accidentally freeze the man she might end up falling in love with to death.

Deciding to shove those thoughts aside, Elsa made her way to the Great Hall to see Stephen there. He was eating a chicken breast with assorted vegetables and a salad on the side.

"Ah, Elsa. How was your meeting?" Stephen asked.

"My meeting went well. The council and I talked about how the harvest progressed in the autumn," Elsa replied.

"Did the harvest supply the kingdom with enough food to last through the winter?" the brown-haired man asked, hoping Arendelle was able to get enough food for everyone.

The Snow Queen nodded with a reassuring smile. "Yes. This past harvest was prosperous. We have more than enough food to thrive until spring."

"I am elated to hear that," Stephen replied with a grin.

"How was your patrol of the castle? Did you see anything suspicious?" Elsa asked.

Stephen shook his head. "Nothing to report. Everything seems to be just fine, for now. Captain William is patrolling the castle now. He suggested I take a break for a few hours before I go around the palace again."

The Snow Queen was pleased nothing happened while Stephen was scouting the palace. "Good. It was nice of the captain to give you a break from guarding the castle. I also appreciate your willingness to protect me and the rest of my family from harm."

"Of course. Great people such as you, your sister, and Kristoff do not deserve to have anything atrocious befall you," the brown-haired man said earnestly. The Ice Queen was touched by Stephen's protectiveness over her, Anna, and the rest of the royal family in Arendelle.

After Elsa received her lunch, she and Stephen ate their lunches in silence for a few moments.

The Snow Queen was the first to break the silence. "Stephen?"

"Yes Elsa? Did you need something?" Stephen asked.

"There is something I need to tell you," Elsa replied.

"Of course. What is it?" the brown-haired man asked curiously.

"Have you ever been in love before?" the Snow Queen asked.

The question caught Stephen off-guard for a moment. "Do you mean with a woman?"

Elsa nodded.

"When I was younger, there was a time when I was indeed smitten with a woman. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to marry her due to my busy schedule. Why do you ask?" Stephen wondered, curious to know where Elsa was going with this.

"Before the meeting with the council, Edmund asked me to go explore the town with him tomorrow," the Snow Queen stated.

Stephen's eyes widened in surprise. "He did? Already? Is it a bit early for him to be asking you out?"

"I suppose it is premature for him to be asking me out on a date. However, he said we would explore the town just as friends," Elsa replied.

Stephen breathed a sigh of relief. "I am glad he said you two would only be doing it as friends. Edmund is not the kind of guy who would ask someone out on a date after knowing them for only a couple of days."

The Snow Queen was also relieved Edmund was not that type of guy either. "Edmund seems to be the kind of guy who means well."

Stephen nodded in agreement. "Yes. He is a very good man. Any woman would be lucky to pair up with such a humble, selfless, intelligent man like Edmund. For him, it is all about finding the right woman. He is in no rush to find her."

"I am glad to hear he knows love is not about rushing anything," Elsa said, appreciating that the English prince was not one to marry someone so quickly.

"Of course. You see, love is something that is cherished between two people and continues to grow over time, through getting to know each other and experiencing the many ups and downs together in life. It involves commitment, time, acceptance, and mutual trust in each other," the brown-haired man elaborated.

"Since you know so much about love, I am sure whoever is with you is a lucky woman," Elsa praised with a smile.

"Actually, I do not have a wife," Stephen responded.

The Snow Queen's eyes widened in shock. "You do not have a wife? How could such a good man such as yourself not have that special someone?"

Stephen shrugged. "While I did consider getting married back when I was in my twenties, I decided I was destined to be single. After Edmund was born, I realized training him would take up too much of my time to find someone. I feared if I ever did get a girl, I would not have enough time for her. The last thing I wanted was to get a girl and make her feel neglected because she might think I was not paying attention to her. Before Edmund was even born, I realized I was happy with having Matthew in my life. Ever since then, I have been content with what I have and who I have involved in my daily activities."

Elsa considered this. While there were bachelors in Arendelle, she had not expected anyone outside of the kingdom with Stephen's status to not be married and have children. Then again, she realized there were reasons for why men chose to stay single and some of them were good reasons. Thus, she nodded in understanding.

"I understand your reasoning, Stephen. Everyone has choices to make in their lives, and you chose not to marry anyone. Out of curiosity though, was it because you were afraid of responsibility?" Elsa wondered.

"That and training Edmund. With such an enormous responsibility in training Edmund, I knew it would be difficult to do that and have a family of my own. Matthew and Edmund are family to me, both like a brother and a son I never had," Stephen explained.

The Ice Queen was happy Stephen was living a great life, even if he was single. Still, she was curious about something. "Have you still been thinking about getting married someday, even today?"

"I am not sure I would want to do that now. Since I am almost fifty, there might not be anyone looking for someone my age out there," Stephen responded.

"Oh wow. You are older than I thought you were. I thought you were in your twenties," Elsa stated.

Stephen chuckled, but still appreciated Elsa's compliment. "I will take that as a compliment. Thank you."

"You are welcome. It is," Elsa confirmed with a grin.

The two royals then turned their attention back to their lunches. As they ate, Elsa noticed Stephen bore some resemblance to her father. While Stephen had the same green eyes as her father, Stephen's hair was darker, and he had no mustache or sideburns. She could not help but wonder what kind of father and husband Stephen would have been had he gotten the chance to become one.

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Edmund and Lucas soon concluded with testing out Theodor's weapons. Once the weaponsmith had put the weapons back in their places, the two princes considered something.

"Do you think we should get something for Kristoff, Edmund?" Lucas asked.

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"Yeah. I think it would be a great idea to get him an axe and a throwing axe since those weapons seem to be more his cup of tea," Edmund replied with agreement.

Edmund and Lucas looked around the axes and noticed one that had the exact same ultramarine color as the weapons they analyzed earlier.

"That axe is referred to as Arnav Battle Axe. Arnav means ocean and is of Indian origin. Did either of you two gentlemen want to try out the axe?" Theodor wondered.

"While I would love to do that, Lucas and I were thinking of getting this and a ranged weapon like it as a gift for Kristoff," Edmund replied.

"What ranged weapon would you recommend that would go well with Arnav Battle Axe?" Lucas asked.

"I can certainly find matching throwing axes. Please give me a moment," the weaponsmith said as he went over to his throwing axe selection.

The two princes thought the ice harvester would like to get a battle axe just in case he might need it for a potential battle in the future. Since Kristoff did use pickaxes to harvest ice, Edmund and Lucas thought axes would be the perfect weapon of choice for him.

Theodor returned, clutching a throwing axe with one of his hands. "Here we are!" he said triumphantly. "Barbeau Throwing Axe."

"Does Barbeau mean fisherman and is of French origin?" Edmund wondered as he examined the throwing axe. It had a dark blue head and the area where the axe was held appeared to be the same color as platinum.

"Why yes! You must have read a lot of books over the course of your lifetime," Theodor remarked.

The English prince nodded in confirmation. "I love reading. Ever since I was a little boy, I have always wondered what would happen once I was old enough to start reading. Then, once I finished reading my first book, my desire to read took off from there. Over the course of my life, I have read more books than I could count. As long as the book is good, I will read it, regardless of the author or what the genre is."

"While I also enjoy reading, the books I have read are mostly about weaponry since that's what I do for a living. Occasionally I will stray off to a fantasy novel or two," Theodor said.

"You seem to really enjoy being a weaponsmith," Edmund smiled.

"I do. It has been the only thing I pursued over my lifetime. My father taught me everything there is to know about weapons, from how to build them, where the materials and resources come from, and other things like that," the weaponsmith said with a beam.

The English prince grinned as he handed the throwing axe to Lucas. "What do you think, Lucas? Should we get both of these for Kristoff?"

Lucas nodded. "I think we should. Since they are such powerful weapons, I assume they are pretty expensive right?"

Theodor nodded in understanding and solemnly. "I'm afraid so, gentlemen."

"That is okay. Edmund and I will split it where we each pay for one weapon," Lucas explained.

The two princes then handed the weaponsmith the correct number of coins and took the weapons.

"Since you two are giving these weapons to Kristoff as gifts, would you like me to wrap them up for you?" Theodor asked.

The two princes nodded. "Yes please."

"Would you like them together or separate?" Theodore wondered.

Edmund and Lucas thought about that for a moment. Then they came to a decision.

"Maybe we should have them together, right Lucas?" the black-haired prince asked.

"I think it would be a great idea since Kristoff will probably anticipate receiving another weapon if he were to open one of them before the other," the dirty-blonde haired man replied.

"Then we shall have them together. May we have them wrapped together please Theodor?" Edmund asked.

"Of course!" the weaponsmith exclaimed as he placed the two weapons into a special container and then wrapped them up. "It was a great pleasure doing business with you two today. You gentlemen have a Merry Christmas!"

"Thank you! You too!" Edmund said with a smile.

"Happy holidays to you and your family," Lucas added with a grin as the two princes left the weaponsmith with the wrapped weapons in hand.

The two princes hoped they could make it to one of their rooms without being seen by Kristoff. Both princes knew he would ask them about the package and potentially ruin the surprise.

Fortunately, Edmund and Lucas made it to the English prince's guestroom without encountering any of the royal family. The princes assumed they were busy at the time. Once they were safely inside the room, the two princes then placed the wrapped weapons into a closet and closed the door to keep them hidden until Christmas.

"Well, that was a fun day today. Am I right?" Edmund remarked.

"It sure was, and it is not even over yet," Lucas replied.

"Now that we have got Kristoff a couple of gifts, I was thinking we should also get gifts for Master Stephen, Elsa, Anna, and for each other as well," the English prince suggested.

"Yes. Christmas only occurs once a year," the Belgian prince agreed.

"What were you thinking about getting them Lucas?" the English prince asked.

The Belgian prince thought about it. "I was thinking of getting the two sisters chocolate items and some jewelry as well. What about you?"

"I was just thinking the same thing. As for Master Stephen, I will have to come up with something. He is happy with what he has right now, so it will have to be something great," Edmund elaborated.

"You will find something for him. I am sure of it," Lucas responded. "There are still a few weeks until Christmas arrives, so I am not sure if we should get all the Christmas shopping done today."

"That is true," Edmund acknowledged. "Speaking of jewelry, I think after I ask Elsa out, maybe I will surprise her with a diamond necklace or something."

"I think that would be a great idea, Edmund. Have you decided when to ask her out?" Lucas asked.

"Well, I think we should know each other a little better first before I do that. I did ask her to explore the town with me earlier today, but only as friends," the English prince said.

Lucas nodded in agreement. "I think that is a good first step in getting to know her better. That way you do not have to worry about rushing it. I hope you two have a great time tomorrow."

"Thanks buddy. Since I am going to be with Elsa tomorrow, what will you do?" Edmund wondered.

The Belgian prince thought about it for a moment. "Maybe I could have Master Stephen teach me what you and he do?"

Edmund beamed. "There you go! That way when the figure shows up again, we will all be ready to face him."

"Then it is a win-win situation," Lucas grinned. "What would you like to do now? Go back out into the town? Read a book? Play some chess?"

"Let's play some chess. Best three out of five," the English prince suggested.

"You are on, Edmund," Lucas winked as the two princes made their way to the chessboard to get ready for their chess matches.

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"Anna, don't you think that's a little too much chocolate? Edmund, Lucas, and Stephen said they only consume chocolate on special occasions. Even then, I'm sure they do not consume such large quantities," Kristoff said to Anna as the two browsed through various types of chocolate in a candy shop.

The princess' basket was now loaded with assorted chocolates from a multitude of countries such as Belgium, England, Germany, and France. "Too much? You can never have too much of anything, Kristoff!"

"Yes, you can. Having too much chocolate is fattening and can cause you to lose all your teeth," the ice harvester said.

"Are you calling me fat, Kristoff?" Anna asked, offended.

"No, I am not. I just don't want anyone to eat so much chocolate they get sick," Kristoff replied.

Anna groaned. "Fine. It's just that Christmas is only once a year, and I would like to make it special for our guests."

The ice harvester smirked. "I know. Don't worry Anna. We will make sure it is a Christmas they'll never forget."

The princess smiled. "Goodie! Now let's see what other chocolates they have here." She glanced through the chocolate the candy shop had to offer. "Excuse me? Is this chocolate here imported?"

"It is, indeed, Princess Anna," the shopkeeper said. "This is the finest chocolate from the country Belgium."

"Oh! That's where Lucas is from! I'm thinking we should get that and the platter of assorted chocolates for him, Edmund, and Stephen," Anna suggested.

"Anna, may we go get something to eat please?" Kristoff asked.

"Not until we're done here, mister!" the princess scolded. "Do you think they'll like milk or dark chocolate?"

"I don't know. Why not get a mixture of both just to be sure?" Kristoff inquired.

"Good idea!" Anna squealed before turning to the shopkeeper. "I would like both milk and dark chocolate imported from every country please."

"Coming right up, Your Highness," the shopkeeper replied with a bow as she went to sort out their purchase.

After the couple paid for the chocolate, they made their way into town. Upon entering the town, everyone bowed as Anna and Kristoff walked by. The couple subsequently greeted everyone they walked by.

"Well, now that we got enough chocolate for everyone, I was thinking of checking out a weaponsmith for the guests. Did you see how they used their weapons when they fought off those intruders?" the princess asked.

Kristoff nodded. "Yeah, I did. They certainly know what they're doing when they use their weapons."

"Then let's go to the weaponsmith!" Anna exclaimed as she dragged the ice harvester along.

Soon they reached the weaponsmith. When they entered, Theodor greeted the couple with a bow. "Good day, Princess Anna and Sir Kristoff. I welcome you to Theodor's Weaponry, the finest weapons in all Arendelle! What can I do for you two today?"

"Hey Theodor! I was wondering if there are any weapons that may have caught the interest of our guests?" Anna wondered.

"Why yes indeed! I'll show you which weapons Edmund and Lucas took a liking to," the weaponsmith grinned as he showed the couple each weapon that caught the attention of the two princes.

"Edmund was fascinated by Thunder Delmoreblade and Whispermarino Phoenix while Lucas became fond of Pelagiostorm and Pikelongbow," Theodor explained as he showed the weapons to the princess and the ice harvester.

"Those weapons are Edmund and Lucas alright, but Anna? Are you sure we can afford to get all four of them? They look like they are very expensive," Kristoff said.

"Seriously, Kristoff? They would love these! Like you said earlier, we were trying to make this Christmas special for our guests!" Anna responded.

The ice harvester sighed. "Alright then. How much for the weapons?"

"Well, they're not cheap," Theodor admitted. He named the price for the weapons.

Once the couple paid for the weapons, the weaponsmith asked, "Would you like me to wrap the weapons up for you two?"

"Yes please! That way they don't know what it is until after they open them!" Anna exclaimed. Theodor couldn't help but smile with amusement at the spunk of the princess.

"Would you like Thunder Delmoreblade and Whispermarino Phoenix to go together? Pelagiostorm and Pikelongbow as well?" Theodor asked.

"Great idea! Make it look impressive please," Anna said.

"Yes, Your Highness," Theodor grinned as he placed the weapons in separate special containers before wrapping the containers. Anna already had her huge basket full of chocolate to carry, so Kristoff agreed to carry the containers back to the castle.

Upon bidding Theodor farewell, the couple made their way back to the castle.

"Where should we hide the weapons, Kristoff?" the princess wondered.

The ice harvester contemplated that for a moment. "Maybe in the stables? I was thinking that when Edmund and Lucas are preoccupied with something, I can sneak the weapons under the tree without them noticing."

"Okay!" Anna exclaimed as the couple went to the stables to hide the weapons somewhere where only they would know.

"Well, that was a great time, huh Kristoff?" the princess asked.

The ice harvester grinned. "You bet." He then bent down to kiss his girlfriend.

Anna happily returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as Kristoff put his arms around her slender waist.