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In the streets below, Anna was strolling dreamily around the harbor, watching the ships and imagining all the fun the coronation party would bring. For once, it wouldn't matter that Elsa didn't want to spend time with her, because she'd be spending time with everyone else! Anna rounded a corner and suddenly— SMACK! —a horse bumped into her! Caught by surprise, Anna lost her balance and stumbled, falling into a small rowboat on the dock. The boat tipped precariously toward the water. Luckily, the horse came forward and placed its hoof on the end of the boat to keep it from sliding into the harbor. “Hey!” Anna exclaimed in surprise, looking up at the horse and its rider.
“I'm so sorry,” the rider said. “Are you hurt?”
Anna tried to regain her composure. “Hey, uh... No, I'm okay,” she managed to say. She couldn't help noticing that the rider was very handsome.
“Are you sure?” the young man asked. He hopped off his horse. He was tall and sharply dressed in a fancy uniform. He looked very concerned about her welfare.
“Yeah, I just wasn't looking where I was going,” Anna said. She smiled. “But I'm great, actually.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” the stranger said, smiling. He stepped into the little boat and extended his hand to Anna. When their eyes met, a happy charge of excitement passed between them. The young man smiled. “Prince Hans of the Southern Isles,” he said, introducing himself.
Anna stood up and curtsied. “Princess Anna of Arendelle,” she replied.
“Princess?” he responded, horrified. “My lady!” He dropped to one knee and bowed his head. His horse also dropped to one knee. Immediately, the little boat tipped backward, and Hans tumbled on top of Anna. They both giggled awkwardly.
“Hi again,” Anna said. The prince's face was just inches from hers. Apparently realizing his mistake, the horse slammed its hoof back down on the boat. Anna and Hans fell the opposite way. This time, Anna landed on top of Hans! “Oh, boy,” Hans said, embarrassed.
“Ha! This is awkward,” Anna said, acknowledging their positions. “Not that you're awkward,” she said, trying to cover her embarrassment. “But just because we're... I'm awkward!” she said. “You're gorgeous.” Her hand flew to her mouth. Had she just said that out loud? “Wait, what?”
Hans jumped to his feet, quickly regaining a royal posture. “I'd like to formally apologize for hitting the Princess of Arendelle with my horse. And for every moment after,” he added.
“No, no,” Anna said. “It's fine. I'm not that princess. I mean, if you'd hit my sister, Elsa, this would be...” She paused for a moment. “Yeesh! Because, you know...” Anna patted the horse, trying to recover her rambling thoughts. “Hello,” she said to the horse. She turned back to Hans and offered him a princess grin. “But lucky for you, it's just me.”
“Just you?” Hans asked. A warm smile spread across his face.
Anna couldn't help smiling back. All of sudden, the castle bells began to peal.
“The bells!” she cried. “The coronation—I'd better go,” she said. She hopped off the boat onto the pier and waved. “Uh, bye!”
Hans waved back. Even the horse waved, lifting his hoof off the boat for a moment. Unfortunately, that caused the boat's weight to shift again. “Oh no!” Hans said. The boat flipped off the dock and Hans fell into the water with a splash! Lifting the boat off his head, Hans peeked up from the water and watched Anna run through the streets toward the castle. He grinned as he thought about his wonderful chance meeting with the beautiful princess.
Soon the people of Arendelle, along with dignitaries from around the land, were making their way into the royal church for Elsa's coronation. Kristoff, however, was far away, in a corner of the town. He had sold all his ice and was now busy bargaining for a brand-new sled. “Watch this, Sven,” Kristoff called as he played around with the sled's special features, which allowed it to switch between runners and wheels. “It's a sled! It's a wagon! It's a sled! It's a wagon!”
The sled salesman looked concerned, as if he was wondering what kind of person would talk to a reindeer. But he wanted to finish the sale. He tried to make small talk as they completed their deal. “You sticking around to see the queen and the princess?” he asked Kristoff.
“Are you kidding?” Kristoff replied. “I've got a brand-new sled... with wheels!” He grinned. “I'm hitting the road.”
“Suit yourself,” the man said. “But I bet they're beautiful.”
Kristoff didn't even hear the man. He and Sven were already headed back to the mountains with their new sled.