Melted rewrite

Chapter 4

A layer of solid acid coats everything. People huddle around weak shade. Anxiety runs high amongst the villagers and guests. We pass two CITIZENS fighting over a tree branch.

"No. No. You've got the branch to yourself. The branch should be with me to." someone said.

"Branch down is drier." someone else said.

"Branch up." the other person said.

"Branch down." the second person said.

"Branch up." the first person said.

Like a light in the dark, Hans moves through the crowd.

"Arendelle is indebted to you, Your Highness." Gerda said.

"The castle is open. There's salad and ice water in the Great Hall." Hans said.

Just then the Duke approaches Hans.

"Prince Hans, are we just expected to sit here and freeze while you give away all of Arendelle's tradable goods?" Duke said.

"Queen Elsa has given her orders and-" Hans said tall and confident.

"And that's another thing; has it dawned on you that the Queen may be conspiring with another wicked sorceress to destroy us all?" Duke said.

Hans's nice eyes turn to threatening slits.

"Do not question the Queen. She left me in charge, and I will not hesitate to protect Arendelle from treason." Hans said.

"Treason?!" Duke said a fended.

Suddenly they hear the alarmed whinny of Anna's horse. It returns alone, bucking and kicking. Hans grabs its reins.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa, boy. Easy. Easy." Hans said.

"Princess Elsa's horse. What happened to her? Where is she?" the crowd said.

Hans steadied the horse, looked up at the mountain then saw all the panicked faces of the kingdom looking to him.

"Princess Elsa is in trouble." he called out. "I need volunteers to go with me to find her!"

Volunteers, some from Arendelle, some from other lands, rush up to offer their services.

"I volunteer two men, my Lord!" Duke said. "Be prepared for anything, and should you encounter the Princess, you are to put an end to this summer. Do you understand?" he said quietly to his thugs

His two thugs sneer.

Back in the North Mountain Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf moved through hostile terrain. Wind-swept icicles face horizontal.

"So how exactly are you planning to stop this weather?" Kristoff asked.

"Oh, I am gonna talk to my sister." Elsa said confident.

"That's your plan? My ice business is riding on you talking to your sister." Kristoff said.

"Yes." she said.

Kristoff, so stunned by her casual plan, doesn't look where he's going and ends up with an ice-spike to the nose. He stops short, gulp, moves carefully around the spike.

"So you're not at all afraid of her?" Kristoff said.

"Why would I be? I have ice powers so I should be able to defend myself." she said.

"Yeah. I bet Anna the nicest, gentlest, warmest person ever." Olaf said and backe right into an icicle. It ran through his torso.

"Oh, look at that. I've been impaled." he said and laughs it off.