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 8

"Well, that was certainly a pleasant way to start the day now, wasn't it?" Lucas remarked sarcastically.

"You can say that again, Luc. None of us saw it coming," Edmund replied as he placed his sword in a sheath hanging around his waist.

"Are you okay Ed?" the Belgian prince asked as he sheathed his saber.

"Yeah. Are you alright buddy?" the English prince asked.

"Yes. I am just glad no one was injured given the circumstances," Lucas stated.

"I will definitely share that sentiment," Edmund replied with a nod of agreement.

"Whenever those men return, I will make sure to grab my longbow next time. Who knows if there will be a situation that calls for ranged weapons?" Lucas suggested.

"Then I will make sure I have my bow with me as well. While I did not see a reason to use it this time, I have a feeling it will be very important to have the bow with me next time. Honestly, I am glad I had it this time just in case," Edmund replied with a nod of agreement.

Lucas nodded. It was always a good idea to have something that could prove useful in case an incident did not go as planned and an alternate plan would be necessary.

The Belgian prince then turned to the royal family. "Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff. Are you three alright?"

"Yes, we are just fine," Elsa replied.

"That is good to hear," Lucas responded. "How is your neck, Anna? Did that guy cut you?"

"No, he didn't. I appreciate your concern Lucas," Anna said gratefully.

"Of course. No one deserves to get hurt like that," the Belgian prince stated.

Kristoff couldn't help but grin at the apprehension of the dirty-blonde haired prince. The ice harvester realized that even though he was Anna's boyfriend, Lucas was acting like a close friend he and Anna had known for years.

While Lucas was talking with the royal family, Edmund had walked up to Stephen. "Are you alright, Master?"

Stephen nodded. "I am fine. Like what Lucas said, it is a relief nobody got hurt."

"Same. After that whole incident, what will you do, Master?" Edmund wondered.

"In case they return, which I am sure they will, I will patrol the castle to make sure everyone is safe. Those guys could raid the palace again at any moment," Stephen replied.

"Since I saw how you took out those two men, I know the castle will be in good hands with you guarding it," Edmund said approvingly.

"I will do my best," Stephen replied as he walked up to Elsa to ask if guarding the castle would be alright with her.

"Elsa, since the figure and his men could return at any time, I was wondering if I could patrol around the castle and make sure nothing happens? That is, if you are okay with that," the brown-haired man said.

"That is something I would be perfectly fine with. I greatly appreciate your willingness to defend us from the figure," the Snow Queen said gratefully. She was thrilled to hear about Stephen offering to protect them.

"It would make me feel better keeping everyone in your palace safe from harm," Stephen admitted.

"Alright. You can guard the castle then. I was impressed how you managed to fight off those men surrounding you. The thing that surprised me the most is the way you took that man's sword away from him. How did you do that?" Elsa asked, impressed with Stephen's abilities.

The brown-haired man merely shrugged. "Hard work, dedication, and constant practicing. Like Edmund, I have been learning how to fight and get stronger for my entire life."

Elsa was now getting curious on if Stephen was either self-taught or if he had an instructor of his own. "Who was your instructor, Stephen?"

"His name was Noah. I would say he was much stricter than I was. He was a no-nonsense, fastidious mentor who did not tolerate failure very well. Every time I screwed something up, he admonished me and made me do it repeatedly until I succeeded. I was thankful he never punished me harshly, but with how many times I had to do certain exercises over, I risked getting seriously injured. There were times where I had a close call with breaking bones or tearing ligaments. I consider myself very lucky to have never suffered a serious injury, to be honest," Stephen elaborated.

"Noah sounds like a strict taskmaster if you ask me," the princess added as she and Kristoff got interested in Stephen's story about halfway through.

"He may have seemed like that. Upon completing my training, however, he apologized for pushing me too hard and putting my body on the line too many times. Noah also said he was proud of me for all the hard work I put in every day. It was then it made me realize that even though he might have been grumpy and loathsome on the outside, he had a heart of gold on the inside," Stephen replied.

"Sounds like Noah wished he had trained you differently if given another chance," Kristoff responded.

Stephen nodded in agreement at the ice harvester's comment. "I am just glad I was able to reconcile with him, as he died suddenly about six months after I completed my training. From a heart attack. Not even the doctor or Noah himself saw it coming."

The royal family gasped at the last section the brown-haired man told them. It was certainly a shame Noah passed away shortly after making amends with Stephen. Still, at least Noah was able to make it up to him before his death.

"At that time, I was a much younger man. When Master Noah died, I was only twenty years old, and King Matthew was about a month shy of turning fifteen. Noah's last words to me were to be a better mentor than he ever was. Since I was able to reconcile with him, I was determined to keep his promise," Stephen explained.

"You seem to have done a great job on keeping Noah's promise to train Edmund right," Elsa praised.

"I have tried my best. It is nothing to brag about," Stephen replied.

The Ice Queen was beginning to perceive that Stephen was like Edmund in some ways; they were both humble and rather modest about themselves, despite their impressive abilities. She was glad none of the guests were rude or conceited.

Edmund then approached the group. "Well, you sure do a bang-up job of trying your best, Master."

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Soon the group made their way out of Elsa's bedroom.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

The English prince, however, decided to stay behind. He was admiring the Ice Queen's room. What caught his attention were the decorations hanging around the bedroom. Edmund could not help but wonder if Elsa used her magic to create the decorations.

"Your room is very nice, Elsa," Edmund praised.

"Thank you. It is not the fanciest room in the world though," Elsa said.

"That is okay. What I like are these decorations hanging around and how clean your room is. Everything is in its place, and you seem to have very good organization skills," the English prince praised.

The Snow Queen smiled at the praise the handsome English prince was giving her. "I definitely like a clean and well-organized room to sleep and relax in."

"Agreed. I do my best to keep my room well-kept," Edmund said. "Speaking of those decorations, did you use your powers to create them?"

The Ice Queen nodded.

"I am beginning to think you could do a lot with your powers," Edmund stated.

Elsa smirked. "You have no idea."

The English prince smiled at the look Elsa was giving him. Not only was she a beautiful and kind-hearted woman, but she was also very independent and wise.

"Well, I have a meeting I must get to soon. Would you like to walk there with me?" Elsa offered.

"Yes please," Edmund responded with a charming grin.

The Snow Queen was really enjoying the English prince's company. He was such a gentleman. Edmund was one of the most humble, polite, and friendly men she had ever met.

As Elsa and Edmund left the Ice Queen's room and made their way to the conference room, something caught Edmund's attention. The black-haired man thought he heard something on the other side of a door in the hallway. Was it a closet? If it were a closet, what or who could be in there?

"Elsa, please stay behind me," Edmund ordered as he carefully made his way to the door in a fighting stance. In case there was something wrong, Elsa obeyed the English prince without question, trusting what he was doing.

Edmund carefully got closer to the door, ready for any potential attack. Once he reached the door, he carefully grabbed the door handle, and swiftly opened the door. While his suspicions were confirmed that the door led to a closet, inside were Gerda and Kai. There was no sign of any of the figure's men anywhere in there.

The English prince sighed with relief it was not any more of the figure's men. "Oh. It is just you, Gerda and Kai. Are you two alright?"

"We are okay, Prince Edmund. Thank you for asking. After hearing Captain William say there were intruders in the castle, my wife and I decided it was best we find a place to hide," Kai explained.

"Smart decision. That way those guys could not hurt either of you," Edmund praised.

Kai nodded approvingly. "Queen Elsa, are you alright?"

"Yes, Kai. I am fine. Thank you," Elsa replied.

"Of course, Your Majesty. If I may ask, what are you doing right now?" Kai wondered.

"I am heading to a meeting with the council. They would probably like to know what happened just a few moments ago," the Snow Queen explained. "You may get back to what you were doing."

"As you wish, Queen Elsa," Kai stated with a bow as he and Gerda went forth with their tasks. Elsa and Edmund then continued to walk toward the meeting room.

Once the two royals reached the conference room, Edmund asked, "Hey Elsa? May I please ask you something?"

The Ice Queen raised a curious eyebrow. "Yes. What would you like to ask me, Edmund?"

Now the English prince was getting nervous. He was feeling very anxious on the inside. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Edmund finally found the courage to ask, "Maybe tomorrow or some other time, you would like to go around the town? With me?"

Thunderstruck, Elsa stared at him with wide eyes. She had never had a man ask her out before. Was Edmund asking her on a date already? The Snow Queen had only known the English prince for a few days.

As she stared, the English prince quickly added, "That is, if you are okay with that. I have no intent on making you uncomfortable. We will go just as friends. Whether you would like to do that is entirely up to you."

Elsa thought about it. She was relieved somewhat they would only be exploring the town as friends. The Ice Queen felt she was just not ready to date anyone yet.

"I will figure something out," she finally responded.

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After Stephen had excused himself to patrol the castle in case the figure and his men came back, Anna, Kristoff, and Lucas were walking through the castle hallways, talking.

"Did you see the move Stephen made against that guy?" Kristoff asked.

"Yes, I did. Quite an impressive feat that he pulled off. I highly doubt I could do that without sustaining a wound in the process. Maybe I could ask him to teach me everything that he has taught Edmund. The figure and his men are well-trained. Next time they decide to attack, I should probably have Master Stephen teach me some of his and Edmund's abilities. That way I am better prepared to face them," Lucas explained.

"Edmund and Stephen sure are determined fighters. I couldn't do anything like that," Kristoff stated.

"Me neither," Anna added in. "Were you and Ed still planning on seeing the town today, Lucas?"

Lucas nodded. "Yes. Even after what happened, I think Edmund and I will still explore and see what we can find. We will simultaneously make sure to keep our eyes open in case we see anything suspicious."

"Sounds like a plan!" Anna beamed.

The Belgian prince couldn't help but grin in return. "Speaking of Edmund, where is he?"

"I think he's still with Elsa. Last time I saw him was when we left my sister's room, and he stayed behind," the princess responded.

Lucas was now wondering if his best friend was beginning to develop feelings for the Snow Queen. The fact that the English prince chose to stay with Elsa instead of leaving with them might hint he was slowly becoming smitten with her. As tempted as Lucas was to tell Anna and Kristoff about it, he decided against doing so. It was too early to be talking about that, considering the three guests had only known the royal family for a few days.

"Oh okay. I figured that I would meet him somewhere after we are done talking and then we will head to the town," the Belgian prince suggested.

"Alrighty! What about afterwards? Do you guys have something in mind after you return?" Anna asked.

"Anna, let's not ask Lucas too many questions, alright?" Kristoff scolded lightly.

"No, it is okay, Kristoff. Anna may ask me as many questions as she wishes. After Edmund and I explore the town, I guess we will discuss what there is to do afterwards. I have not planned that far ahead yet," Lucas explained.

"Okay then. No rush," Anna winked.

Lucas chuckled and gave the princess a wink in return. "I think I am going to leave you two alone now so I can look for Edmund. See you two later!" he exclaimed as he waved to them before making his way to find Edmund.

"See you later Lucas!" Anna waved back.

"Later Luc," Kristoff smiled.

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Upon bidding the princess and the ice harvester farewell, Lucas made his way around the hallways, searching for Edmund. Soon he found his best friend in front of the conference room.

"Ah, there you are Edmund. Are you ready to go out and see the town?" Lucas asked.

The English prince nodded. "Yeah. Before we go out there, we should get our jackets."

"I agree. Let's do it," Lucas responded before the two princes made their way to their rooms to put on their jackets. After they had their jackets on and met up again in front of the conference room, they were ready to go traverse the town.

"Hey Edmund?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah Lucas?" the English prince replied.

"I noticed you stayed with Elsa in her bedroom after the rest of us left," Lucas pointed out.

"Yes, I did. Since I most likely will not be going back into her room for the sake of being polite, I decided to admire what was in her room. She insisted it was only okay, but I did like the decorations hanging about in there," Edmund admitted.

"Were they made from her powers?" Lucas wondered.

"They were. I bet she could do a lot of things with her magic," Edmund said.

"That I have no doubt about," Lucas stated in agreement.

"If I may ask, is there a particular reason why you asked about me staying behind with Elsa?" Edmund asked out of curiosity.

The Belgian prince was unsure about telling the English prince about him thinking his best friend had a crush on Elsa. He decided it would be best to do so, however, as Lucas preferred to tell the truth instead of fabricating a story.

"Since you spent some time with her, I could not help but wonder if you are starting to develop an infatuation for Elsa," Lucas explained.

Edmund was stunned at what he just heard. He hesitated for a moment before he spoke. "Well, I am not sure I would assume that just yet. Elsa and I have only known each other for a couple of days. I will admit that while I admire her beauty and her kind-hearted personality, it is too early to even think about asking her out on a date."

"Honestly, I am with you on that. While I agree wholeheartedly that it is still premature to ask her out, I think you should do so once you have known her for long enough. I would like to confess that I think you and Elsa would look cute together," Lucas stated.

The English prince beamed. He was appreciative of the compliment and his best friend's heartening words. "I really appreciate the encouragement, Lucas. Really, I do. It is just that I would not like to rush it with Elsa. She seems to be the kind of person that would rather take things step by step. I will play it smart and take it slowly. The last thing I would like to do is ask her out too early and make her feel apprehensive," Edmund explained.

"I would do the same thing when asking someone out. Making someone look uncomfortable is definitely not a good thing to do. Not only would it drive her away, but it could also ruin your reputation," Lucas said.

"As much as I agree with you on making good decisions, I have never really cared much for my reputation. All that matters to me is being the best person I can be and only get better with each passing day," Edmund elaborated.

"Likewise. It is a shame that not everyone turns out to be an amazing person such as yourself," Lucas said.

"Well, I try. I am not as good a man as you are," the English prince stated.

"That is not true. I do not think there has ever been as good a man as you in the history of the Earth," Lucas countered.

Edmund grinned as he shook his head at the playful argument between him and his friend. "Alright fine. We are both great guys then. How about we settle for that instead of arguing over it?"

"Deal," Lucas chuckled as he and the English prince shook their hands to seal the deal.

As they walked, they soon reached the exit of the castle. Bracing themselves for the cold, they opened the door and ventured out into the freezing temperatures.