Frozen: A Desire for More

Chapter 26

 "The person who worries me the most is Count Fidenza," Kristoff said.

"You still don't trust him?" Anna scowled and lightly hit his chest. 

"Kristoff, why do you still have doubts about the Count?" Elsa asked, curious as to why Kristoff was more concerned about a political ally than the man who was trying to rob Arendelle of its main source of income. 

"First off, the Count may have been friends with your father, the King, but that doesn't mean he feels the same loyalty towards you," Kristoff said. 

"How do you know that?" Anna challenged him. 

"I don't know, it's just my own guess," Kristoff said. "But Elsa being a young and inexperienced Queen with no King and only a small number of advisors she doesn't know well, some of the kingdoms might think that Arendelle is ready for a military takeover." 

"But the Count has told us vital information about Rainer," Elsa said. "If he wanted to take over Arendelle, then why would he tell me that?" 

"I thought about that," Kristoff said. "And there is something that has been bugging me. In order to secure sixty percent of Arendelle's ice and to sell it to a loss to other kingdoms, I think just the Kingdom of the Southern Isles and the Kingdom of Weselton wouldn't have the finances to back such a bold move. They would need a third kingdom that would share the financial burden of such a plan." 

"You're not making any sense Kristoff!" Anna exclaimed. "If Count Fidenza wanted to take over Arendelle with Rainer and Prince Hans, then why would he reveal Rainer's intentions to us?" 

"I think that is because they knew that even if we didn't know about Rainer's plans, then we would at least think that the offer to buy sixty percent of the ice at such a high price is almost too good to be true," Kristoff explained himself. "But they needed to tempt us into selling such a large portion of the ice ice without raising suspicion."

"So you mean Rainer is acting as a decoy so that the Count can gain our trust and then buy the ice?" Elsa asked.

Kristoff nodded. "I think it's too convenient for the Count to show up at the exact same time as Rainer and to tell us exactly what we needed to know when we needed to know it. The timing is too good." 

"Do you have any other proof?" Anna folded her arms. 

"Elsa said that the disguise Rainer gave her was perfect," Kristoff said. "But how would Count Fidenza recognize her if he was standing behind her? He told the guard to open the door for her without even seeing her face first. That can only mean that he has seen Rainer buy the clothes for her." 

"You mean he followed me and Rainer?" Elsa asked.

"Yes, I think so. Otherwise there was no way he could have seen through your disguise." 

The three of them fell silent, considering the possibility of Count Fidenza colluding with Prince Hans and Rainer. 

"Right now there is nothing more to support my suspicion," Kristoff said. "But if what I think is true, then Rainer and Count Fidenza are exchanging information and it will be only a matter of time before the Count will make a offer to safe you from the clutches of Prince Hans and Rainer by buying up most of Arendelle's ice." 

Anna's gaze traveled from Kristoff to Elsa. "What do you think Elsa?" 

Elsa's eyes were staring at the ground, considering the possibilities. Now that Kristoff had pointed it out, the timing of Count Fidenza's appearance was indeed almost too perfect, and the information he gave her too convenient. Yet, she wanted to believe that Count Fidenza was a friend of Arendelle. Having been a good friend with her father, Elsa wanted to believe in loyalty and goodness in peoples' hearts, but despite that, Kristoff did have a point.