Orange leaves cluttered the castle courtyard, and a chill was in the twilight air. A fire roared in the dining room. Elsa and Anna laughed.

"So I asked him, 'Do you know who you're trying to sell ice to?'" said Kristoff. "And he said, 'Why should that matter? Everyone needs ice.'"

Elsa and Anna laughed again. Dinner was nearly over. As the servants entered with the last course, Anna waved them away. "No dessert for me," said Anna. She looked at her belly, but she wasn't showing yet. "Healthy. I have to eat healthy for you. You're going to be the best baby ever."

Elsa smiled. "Come on. The baby will understand."

"I'm not going to let your sweet tooth tempt me."

"It has chocolate." Elsa gestured to the servants, and they set a tiny dish of chocolate ice cream in front of Anna.

Anna folded her arms. "It's sabotage."

"Delicious sabotage," said Kristoff, already licking his spoon. "I, on behalf of our baby, hereby give you permission to eat a scoop of chocolate ice cream."

"There's two scoops here."

"I'll eat the other one, since you don't want it."

Kristoff reached his spoon towards Anna's dish, but she moved it away. "It's not yours."

"Oh, so you do want it."

Anna slouched in her chair. "You're not being a supportive husband."

Elsa chuckled. "You're adorable when you're trying to do things for your baby."

"I have to be perfect for her. I am going to be the perfect mama."

Elsa gave Anna a quizzical look. "Why is the baby a her?"

"I have to take care of her, you see, because I'm the mama. I don't know how to raise a boy, because we never had any brothers. So it's going to be a girl." Elsa rolled her eyes. "And she's never going to cry, she's just going to giggle and smile all the time."

"And you'll have someone else change the diapers, I'm sure."

"The perfect mama is not above changing diapers."

"We'll see how long that lasts," said Kristoff. "Before you know it, you'll be looking for a wet nurse."

"I'll change one diaper, just to see how it's done," said Elsa. "But you'll be mostly on your own in that adventure."

"Just you wait," said Anna. "You have a baby and see how you feel."

"No, that's never going to happen. No husband and no kids for me. I have the two of you and Olaf. Besides, running the kingdom makes me feel like a mother sometimes. It's my duty to care for the people the way a mother cares for her children."

"It's not the same," said Anna.

"It's close enough for me. And even if it weren't," Elsa said, swirling the wine in her glass, "who would I marry?"

"I used to know some guys who liked ice," said Kristoff.

Elsa laughed. "Even so, a husband would just get in the way. Well, mostly. I can't produce an heir on my own, but I have you two to help with that."

Kristoff said, "I worry about how people will react. There are still people who don't think I'm fit to be here, much less fit to father royalty."

"They're getting used to you. You're not just an ice deliverer anymore. You're Lord Kristoff Bjorgman, Baron of the Valley of the Living Rock. You have money and connections. And you're part of the royal family, so you're a prince whether or not they like it."

"I know. I trust you. I'm just pointing out, again, that I can't provide the breeding they want from a royal."

"You're talking about yourself like a reindeer," said Anna, squeezing Kristoff's hand. "We're not going to wait for the aristocracy to start liking you. The kingdom needs an heir. Besides, I know you enjoyed it." Kristoff turned red.

Friedrich, count of Telramund, paced the halls of his manor. Usually news traveled slowly in Arendelle's winter, but the announcement he had just received was only two days old: Crown Princess Anna was pregnant. Rumor had turned into nightmare.

The root of the trouble had been the queen's parents. Telramund didn't know what they had done to spawn a sorceress for a daughter. Perhaps it hadn't been their fault. But they were to blame for sheltering her instead of exterminating her, and now the kingdom was suffering. Princess Anna was suffering.

Telramund had always supposed that the sorceress's domination of Arendelle would end some day. She was mortal like everyone else, and when she was gone from Earth, Arendelle would be safe, or so he had thought. She must have been infertile herself, or else she and her conspirator, the iceman, would have begotten children of their own already. Instead the sorceress had forced her sister to do the deed. Telramund clenched his fists, and his veins pulsated with fury. The child would be groomed from babyhood to take over the throne. The sorceress and the iceman would train her in the ways of dark magic, and their lineage of evil would dominate Arendelle for centuries to come.

Soon after the gates had opened, Telramund had attempted to ingratiate himself with the royal family. He had recognized that Princess Anna needed protection from the sorceress, and he had thought that he could provide it. He had been rejected. The sorceress and the iceman had already poisoned Anna's mind, turning her against him. Anna had been left unguarded, and now she was the victim of their monstrous lust for power.

Telramund entered the living room. In front of the blazing hearth, his three year old son played with a toy wooden reindeer. The reindeer galloped across the floor, up a chair leg, leaped to a wall, and began galloping upwards. Telramund picked his son up and hugged him. The reindeer galloped across his shoulder and onto his head. "Alexander," he asked, "what do you want to be when you're big like papa is?"

"A reindeer."

"How about king? Would you like to be king?"

Alexander shook his head. "I wanna be a reindeer."

"Sometimes we need kings. Even reluctant kings." Telramund put Alexander down, sat facing the fire in his chair, and pondered.

The mid-morning winter sun beamed into Elsa's study. Her desk was covered with papers: Tax reports, proposed laws, diplomatic missives, petitions from the people, all in tidy stacks. She picked up another sheet, a letter from the Bishop. Christmas was coming, he wrote, and he was appealing to her for a special donation of alms like she had made in past years. She nodded and scribbled a note to herself. Her people would neither go hungry nor freeze.

Elsa set the Bishop's letter aside and picked up another, this one from Duke Borgstrom. "I must express my strongest disapproval of the direction your reign has taken," it began. Another one, she thought. Since the announcement of Anna's pregnancy there had been an unceasing stream of hostile letters. "Your father left a strong kingdom, but the Royal Army has failed to provide us adequate defenses against highwaymen for several years now." That was odd; as far as she knew Arendelle didn't have any problems with highwaymen. "Consequently I am forced to levy an independent regiment. As I am personally funding and organizing this regiment, it will come under my personal leadership and will not be part of the Royal Army. I am writing to ensure that my actions will not be misconstrued. I reassert and vigorously proclaim my loyalty to Arendelle." Private armies were considered a threat to the Crown and were illegal in Arendelle. The highwaymen must be fiction. The letter may as well have announced that the Duke planned to commit treason.

Elsa sighed. The Duke's letter was worse, but no different in kind, from letters that she received every day now. Anyone who gave a reason for their discontent pointed at Anna and Kristoff. Elsa hadn't expected the reaction to Anna's pregnancy to be so hateful. Perhaps she had been spending so much time around Anna and Kristoff that she was blind to how others saw them. Was it so bad that Anna had married a former peasant? Their wedding had not provoked outrage at the time. Perhaps there was a secret agitator, maybe even a conspiracy.

Elsa rose and stood in front of the window. Sunlight glistened on the cool and beautiful snow. She was, she reminded herself, queen. The people, most of them at least, loved her, and as long as they loved her, she would remain queen. Their love was a more powerful force than petty sneers.

Anna knocked at the door. "Elsa? May I come in?"

"Please," Elsa said.

Anna entered, brisk despite her pregnancy. Recently she had had the seams on her dress let out to accommodate the growing baby and the weight she was gaining. The baby was expected to quicken within a week or two. She joined Elsa at the window.

"How are you?" asked Elsa.

"Feeling great today. Look, I just got a weird letter." She held out several sheets of paper to Elsa.

"Who's it from?"

"Do you remember that count from a couple years ago who said he wanted to give you advice? The one with the young son? Telramund?"

"The one who was fixated on you? What does he want?"

"That's the strange part. Here, take a look."

The letter began with a florid greeting to Anna. Even for a letter to the Crown Princess it seemed disingenuous. Then he began discussing his son as if Anna were a close friend who had long been out of touch. When Anna and Elsa had last seen Telramund, his son had been an infant. Now his son was a toddler, and Telramund proudly recounted his ability to stack wooden blocks and draw pictures. He then inquired about Anna's pregnancy and described ways to ease some of its symptoms, emphasizing the comforts that his late wife had liked. His wife, Elsa remembered, had died from childbirth the year before Elsa's coronation. Finally, Telramund offered his assistance to Anna, both for advice in child rearing "and in whatever other matters I might be able to benefit the royal household."

"What do you think?" asked Anna.

"Do you write to him much?"

"Never."

"What an odd letter."

"Yeah, I can't figure it out. Why tell me all of that?"

"I don't know. At least he doesn't hate you or Kristoff." Elsa pursed her lips. "It must be political somehow. He's probing us about something."

"Why would he write all of this personal stuff then?"

"He wants to know if he can trust us about something, something private. Maybe he's on our side. How about you invite him to visit?"

The next week, Telramund visited the court. He was tall, black haired with dark brown eyes, and in his early thirties. Elsa and Anna received him in the throne room. He entered the throne room, bowed, advanced halfway to the dais, bowed again, came to the foot of the dais, and bowed a third time. "Your Majesty," he said to Elsa in a resonant baritone voice. "Your Highness," he said to Anna. "It gladdens my heart to see you."

"As it does ours," said Elsa. "You've been away from the court for many years."

"My deepest apologies for that, Ma'am. I have found my time much in demand, especially with my son having no mother."

"A terrible tragedy," said Elsa.

"Yes," said Telramund wistfully.

"Well, this is awkward," said Anna. "Let's change the subject. Did your son like the journey?"

"Alexander found it very exciting, Ma'am. He's rarely traveled outside the county, and never so far."

"I understand that he likes reindeer."

"Very much, Ma'am. He spent half the journey watching the reindeer pulling us and not looking at the countryside."

"Would he like to meet one while he's here?"

"He would like nothing better."

"Perfect! Where is he? We can meet Sven right away."

"He fell asleep on the journey. He's resting."

"Oh, he must be very cute."

"I don't mean to brag, Ma'am, but I do agree."

"I'd love to meet him when he wakes up. He must be a delight to play with."

Telramund bowed. "I will have him sent to you the moment he wakes."

Anna brought plenty of carrots with her when she took Alexander to the stable. She said, "My husband Kristoff taught me how to speak reindeer. So we can talk to Sven." Alexander's eyes went wide. "You'll see." When they arrived at Sven's stall, Sven, speaking through Anna, introduced himself and asked for carrots. Whenever Alexander held one out, Sven reached out his wet tongue and sucked it from Alexander's hand. Alexander shrieked and giggled every time.

At dinner, Telramund made pleasant conversation. He told stories about his service in the Royal Army, about romancing his late wife, and about Alexander's occasional antics. Years ago, Elsa had not considered his offer to be an adviser seriously because of his obvious attraction to Anna. It had looked more like a ploy for Anna's hand than a desire to serve his queen, and Anna was already devoted to Kristoff. Telramund appeared to have overcome his feelings, however, since he directed no more attention to Anna than to Elsa or Kristoff.

After dinner they moved to the sitting room, gathering around the hearth. "Kai," asked Elsa, "mead brandy for myself and our guest."

"Myself also," said Kristoff.

"Tea," said Anna.

Kai returned with three glasses of mead brandy and a cup of tea. "A toast," said Elsa, raising her glass, "to loyalty." The four of them raised their glasses and drank. "I'm curious, Count Telramund, to know why you've chosen to renew your friendship with us now."

"Your Majesty, the royal family and the future of the kingdom are in my thoughts every day."

"If so," said Kristoff, "then why now?"

Telramund turned to Elsa. "Your Majesty, I have heard some disturbing rumors of intrigue in the kingdom."

Elsa raised her eyebrows. This was what Telramund was here for. "Even outlandish rumors can have a kernel of truth," she said. "Please tell us what you've heard."

"I received a letter from Duke Borgstrom," Telramund said. Not a lie, he reminded himself. Only a half-truth. "He wrote about the need to defend himself from what he called 'troublemakers,' and he said that he was preparing to levy an army this spring."

"The duke wrote to me himself with this information," said Elsa. "He says that he needs defenses against highwaymen, and he made no secret of his displeasure with the Royal Army."

Telramund shook his head. "A deceit, I'm afraid. He intends to march on the castle."

Anna said, "Why would he do that? Everybody knows Elsa could do, well, something or other. Trap his army in ice, I guess."

"That," Telramund said, "seems to be where the intrigue lies. Borgstrom is looking for support. He seems to think that if enough people oppose the queen, she will have no choice but to step aside."

"Leaving him to become king?" asked Elsa.

"It's a safe presumption."

"No, it still doesn't make sense," said Anna. "He knows Elsa can beat him."

Telramund nodded. "Alone, yes. But he suggested that I conscript an army too. An independent army, separate from his."

"How does that help him?"

"Because she can only be in one place at a time. One of us will be free to maneuver."

Kristoff grimaced. "I agree with Anna. It still doesn't make sense. Elsa can't be defeated in battle, and as long as she's alive, she's queen. So what if one of you rampages across the countryside? You'll just make people hate you."

Elsa shook her head. "No, it's clever. I can't slay a whole army or people will be horrified. I have to make them surrender. While I'm occupied with one army, the second one could attack anyone that supports us. They could even attack the castle. If I try to stop them, then I have to leave the first army. Enough of that and everyone will beg me to surrender."

"Even if that's true, and don't count me as convinced, there's something else that bothers me," said Kristoff. Turning to Telramund, he asked, "Why you? Why would he tell you his plans?"

"We've known each other for a long time," said Telramund. "I served under him in the Royal Army when we were young, and we've been friends ever since. We visit each other, we go hunting together. He helped me grieve when my wife died."

"So you're betraying your friend."

"And remaining loyal to my queen."

"Thank you, Count," said Elsa, "for your faithfulness."

Telramund shook his head. "I appreciate the praise, Your Majesty, but I must admit to selfishness. I worry about Alexander's future. Do I want him to serve a wicked monarch? No," he said. "Dante reserved the lowest circle of hell for the treacherous. I do not relish treachery, but I must be either a traitor to my friend or a traitor to my kingdom."

"Well, as Defender of the Faith I'm not supposed to approve of selfishness, and certainly not of treachery. But in this case," said Elsa, smiling, "I think there's no need for an act of contrition."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

"You've given us much to discuss. Is there anything more?"

"Only that I don't know to whom else he may have written, nor what he might have said to them."

"I see."

Telramund rose. "I crave your pardon, Ma'am, but I am feeling rather tired after my journey. Please allow me to retire for the evening." He finished his brandy. "I bid you good night."

Telramund left Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff sitting around the hearth. "Well? What do you think?" asked Elsa.

"It's a tricky plan," said Kristoff.

"Would you really do it?" asked Anna.

Elsa shook her head. "I swore to defend Arendelle, so I can't surrender. But the scheme is clever. As long as neither army surrenders I can't win on my own. We'd need to defeat one of them the conventional way."

"That assumes there really are two armies," said Kristoff. "If he was supposed to lead the second army, and he doesn't-" He shrugged. "No problem."

"Unless there's a third army," said Elsa. "He said he didn't know who else Borgstrom had written to. Lots of people have written me angry letters."

"I kinda wish we hadn't done it," said Anna. "Tried for a baby, I mean. Oh, I'm terrible mama!" She slumped in her chair and put a hand on her belly. "Sorry," she said to the baby. "I still love you."

Kristoff held her hand. "It's not our fault they don't like her."

Anna gave him a weak smile. "Thanks." She sighed. "But what do we do?"

"Either he's holding back, or he doesn't know," said Kristoff, "but either way I don't think we know what's really going on."

"I believe him when he says that Borgstrom is planning to revolt," said Elsa. "We need to stop him before his army marches."

"So arrest him," said Anna.

"I'd need to charge him with a crime. I can't look like a tyrant, not now of all times."

"What about the letter?" said Anna. "Isn't it proof of treason?"

Elsa nodded. "That would do. Yes, it's perfect. Tomorrow I can ask Telramund for the letter." Then she frowned. "I doubt Borgstrom will go quietly. But maybe we can limit the destruction."

Elsa's study was, for a queen, surprisingly small. From where Telramund stood in the doorway, it was only a few paces to the window. To his left he could see the edge of an ornately carved desk piled with books and papers. "Come in, Count," he heard.

As Telramund entered, frosty air bit him in the face. Behind the desk and in front of a row of bookshelves sat Elsa in a high backed chair carved with Arendelle's crest. He turned around until he found the fireplace. It was unlit, even spotless. Its disuse reminded him again that Elsa was the devil's work. He turned back to the desk and sat opposite her.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," said Telramund.

"Good morning to you, too," said Elsa. "I hope you found your rooms accommodating last night."

"Very," said Telramund.

"We'd like your assistance. You said that Borgstrom had written you an incriminating letter."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"We'd like to see this letter for ourselves. It seems worthy of investigation."

"I anticipated as much, Ma'am. I had a copy of the letter made for myself, and I brought the original with me." He reached into his coat pocket and found the letter that he and Borgstrom had prepared. "You may keep it."

Elsa thumbed through the letter. At first glance, at least, it appeared to be what Telramund claimed it was. "Yes, this is quite helpful. Yes." She looked up. "You have been of great service to Arendelle, Count."

Telramund bowed his head. "Thank you, Ma'am. I wonder if I could be of any further service to you."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Borgstrom wrote to me asking me to levy an army. Perhaps I should play along."

Elsa paused. This was not something they had considered last night. "Hold on. Where in the letter did he suggest this?"

"The last page, Ma'am."

Elsa scanned the page. As Telramund had said, Borgstrom suggested that Telramund conscript an army and march it on the "troublemakers." Elsa frowned. She didn't want armies running amok over Arendelle, but neither did she want Borgstrom to know that Telramund had come to her. She felt anxiety rising in her chest, a cold snake coiling itself around her heart. She had seen her father make snap decisions like this, and he had been calm, confident, and resolute. How had he done it?

"We will give you instructions later," Elsa said.

"As Your Majesty wishes," said Telramund. Elsa's chair now had a thin coat of ice. She felt insecure over this decision. Good. If she asked him not to levy an army, she would doubt herself when he did. "Perhaps I should give you time to study the letter."

"That would be most welcome."

After Telramund left, Elsa leaned back in her chair and looked at the portrait of her father that hung over the fireplace. She sighed. She had messed up. It had been an obvious question, and she should have had an answer to it. They could easily have discussed it last night, but she had forgotten to and had been surprised by it instead. She still wasn't very good at being queen, she thought. Papa wouldn't have made that mistake.

Elsa still didn't know what to do. As she read the letter, her thoughts drifted. What would happen if Telramund had a private army? It would be a return to medieval times, almost like having knights on horseback. Arendelle was supposed to be past that. In principle, she ruled by divine right, and all power was centralized in the crown. Military power had been centralized for a hundred years or more. Allowing Telramund to have an army would undermine that. It would be a long-term threat to the government, and it didn't seem to give her any advantage. So what if Borgstrom thought that Telramund wasn't cooperating? It might make him back down. It wouldn't encourage him.

Telramund's behavior was strange, Elsa thought. She barely knew him, yet he was betraying his friend to her and asking nothing in exchange. Why? Did he want her to be indebted to him? Was he going to ask her for something?

Anna burst through the door. "Elsa!" she squealed. She raced to Elsa's side. "Feel this!" She grabbed Elsa's hand and placed it on her belly.

"What?"

"Just wait."

Elsa looked up at Anna. Her eyes were glowing, and she had a huge grin. Then Elsa felt it: A tiny jolt beneath her hand. "The baby's kicking!" she said.

Anna squealed again. "Isn't it wonderful? Oh, I'm so happy!" She leaned forward and wrapped Elsa in a hug. But as her elbow brushed against the chair back, she stopped and frowned. "Wait. No no no, wait just a minute. What's wrong?"

"Huh?"

"The ice. On your chair." Anna grabbed Elsa's hands. "Cold. What happened? What's wrong?"

Elsa looked at her chair and saw the ice for the first time. She shuddered. She had lost control again. "I don't know. I was just sitting here thinking."

"About what?"

"Telramund was just here, and I didn't handle him very well. And that made me think about Papa." Frost streaked out from underneath her chair. "Papa could have put down a rebellion better than I can."

Anna sat on the desk. "He never had to deal with anything like this."

Elsa shook her head. "I don't mean it like that. I mean, when he was in public, Papa always looked like he was in charge. Nobody questioned him. He could've said, 'Stop,' and people would've stopped just because he said so."

"When he used to sit me down and talk to me about ruling, he was never that confident. He was stumbling through it the same as you are now."

"I know, that's what he always told me, too. But people trusted him. They don't trust me. I'm too young and I caused a freak winter."

"Only once, and you've done fine since then." Anna put her arms on Elsa's shoulders. "Look, you're very hard on yourself, the same as Papa was. You're trying to be the best ruler Arendelle has ever known. You need to keep trying, because Arendelle deserves that, and you're the only one who can give it to her. But we all make mistakes, sometimes big ones. You need to remember that people will forgive them. They won't forgive them because you thought you were doing the right thing or because you were trying hard or because it turned out okay in the end. They'll forgive you because they love you, and they love you for who you are, not for what you do. So calm down. Everything is already okay."

Elsa looked up her little sister. Anna looked firm, even intimidating. "Thanks, Anna," Elsa said.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah."

"Good." Anna leaned forward, and they shared an embrace. "Love you, sis."

"You too."

As Anna watched the ice on Elsa's chair vanish, she broke into a smile. "It worked! I've been preparing that speech for weeks."

"Weeks? Have I really been that bad?"

"Well, I was preparing it for the baby"-Anna patted her bump-"in case she turns out to be serious like you are."

Elsa laughed. "I hope she never needs to hear it. She's more likely to take after Mama like you do."

"Kristoff can be serious, too. It could still happen."

"Maybe," said Elsa. "But speaking of serious business, Telramund gave me the original of Borgstrom's letter." She grabbed the letter from her desk. "Look right here. It's just like Telramund was saying last night."

Anna read the last page of the letter and nodded. "So I guess we arrest him now."

"We try to. I wanted to put Kristoff in charge. I'll give him some soldiers and see if he can make Borgstrom come peacefully."

Anna grimaced. "Does it have to be Kristoff? I don't like it when he goes away."

"I think it does. We need to send someone important so that he knows we're serious. It can't be me or you, and Kristoff's the next best choice."

"Ugh. Did you ask him yet?"

"No, I was waiting to see Borgstrom's letter. But now we're ready." She rang for Kai. "Can I send Kristoff away immediately, or do you want me to wait?"

"I guess send him now, or as soon as he can go."

Kai entered. "Your Majesty," he said, bowing.

"Kai, find Kristoff and ask him to come here. We have something important for him to do."

The back of Kristoff's neck itched. His coat was made of wool; good wool and finely tailored, but still wool, and wool itched. He wanted practical and comfortable leather, but royal envoys didn't dress in leather. They dressed in wool. Itchy, itchy wool.

Kristoff shrugged his shoulders, trying to shift his coat collar away from his neck without upsetting his balance on his horse. That was another problem with being a royal envoy. Envoys rode horses, not reindeer. Sven was back at the castle.

Kristoff and a sergeant were riding through the town around Borgstrom's castle. They were trailed on foot by a dozen privates. The castle, hundreds of years old, had been built to command a bend in the river. Its central tower loomed like a giant over the frozen water. "Time has passed this place by," said the sergeant.

"Why do you say that?" asked Kristoff.

"It must have been a good fort in the old days of lords and ladies," said the sergeant, "but now? Lay siege to it with artillery and it'll fall within days."

Kristoff nodded as he looked up at the weathered tower. "A power unimaginable to the original architect."

"It was sound thinking at the time. A thick wall, a big tower, a commanding view of the river. It must have seemed impenetrable."

"Maybe that's why we're here. Living in a castle might make you feel unconquerable."

"I wouldn't know, Sir. But do you see right there, where the snow has built up?" He pointed at the battlement on top of the tower, at a crumbling embrasure. "There's a gap in the wall where someone could fall through." He snorted. "The queen would never allow us to neglect our fortifications that way."

Kristoff nodded again. The sergeant's tone was familiar, even affectionate. Perhaps he had met Elsa when she opened the castle to visitors during festivals. Was his devotion ordinary, or had Kristoff merely been assigned the most loyal men available?

They arrived at the castle gate. The drawbridge was down, but the portcullis was lowered. "Hello!" called Kristoff to the gate.

A guard appeared on the battlement on top of the gatehouse. "State your business," he said.

"I am Baron Kristoff Bjorgman of the Valley of the Living Rock, prince of Arendelle." He would never get used to his title, but it was important here. "The queen has sent me to meet with the duke."

"Wait here," said the guard.

Kristoff, the sergeant, and the privates waited. A few townspeople were watching. At last a stout man with a trimmed beard appeared on the battlement. "I am the duke," he said. "What do you want?"

"I bear greetings from Queen Elsa, and I request an audience."

Borgstrom raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What does she have to say to me?"

"The queen asked me to keep the matter quiet. I'd prefer to discuss this privately."

"So she hopes to hide it."

"Your Grace," said Kristoff, "Queen Elsa has granted me the authority to speak freely on her behalf. I won't hide anything from you."

"Then stop hiding right now. Tell me what you want."

"If Your Grace would allow me to confer with him privately-"

"No."

Kristoff hesitated. Elsa's orders had been very specific. He was supposed to arrest Borgstrom without letting anyone know what was happening. If Borgstrom wouldn't agree to come, Kristoff was to attempt to negotiate terms for Borgstrom's future surrender. If Borgstrom refused, Kristoff was to return home. There was to be no confrontation, not here where it would be on Borgstrom's terms.

By now there was a crowd of onlookers. Kristoff said, "I'll be in town. I still hope to meet with you."

Borgstrom snorted, and, without even saying farewell, disappeared from the battlement.

"Seems we should find an inn," said the sergeant.

The next morning, Kristoff had just gotten his shirt on when the sergeant knocked. "Enter," said Kristoff.

"Hope I'm not bothering you, Sir," said the sergeant.

"Not at all, come in."

"Last night I heard something I thought you'd want to know."

"What's that?"

"The castle gate is normally left open. But yesterday, when the town guard heard that we were here, they closed it right up."

"They closed it for us?"

"So I heard."

"I guess that's no surprise, seeing how they treated us yesterday. It doesn't look good for our mission." Kristoff began putting on his vest.

"I hope you don't mind me saying, Sir, but it seems that folks here don't appreciate the royal family the way they ought to."

"We wouldn't be here if they did." Kristoff grabbed his coat. "Let's see if they're in a better mood today."

The castle gate was closed again. "Seems unchanged, Sir," said the sergeant.

"This is useless, but here goes." Kristoff called to the gate, "Hello!"

The same guard as yesterday appeared on the battlement. "State your business," he said.

"It's us again."

"The duke's not available."

"When will he be?"

"You ought to go."

Kristoff scratched his head. "Say again?"

"I said, you're not welcome here."

Kristoff hesitated again. Elsa hadn't said what he should do if the duke wouldn't even meet with him. But she had also given him the freedom to improvise.

"You're the duke's man, aren't you?"

"Why would that concern you?"

"Is the duke loyal to the queen?"

The guard paused. "The duke speaks for himself."

"Not to me he doesn't. But what do you think? Is the duke loyal to the queen?"

"Like I said, ask him yourself."

"I'm a representative of Arendelle. You're the duke's man, the duke is the queen's man, and I'm the queen's envoy. It's your duty to let me in."

The guard glared at Kristoff. "Wait here."

The guard's expression disheartened Kristoff. He had been hoping for a hint of loyalty. As he, the sergeant, and the privates waited, a crowd gathered to watch them. Kristoff glanced at them but found their attention uncomfortable. He turned back to the castle, where he could see no movement.

After a very long time, an officer appeared on the battlement. "The duke won't see you. We have orders to keep you out."

"Wait, what?"

"You're not stupid. You heard me the first time, now go."

The officer stared at them. Kristoff stared back. "Tell the duke that the queen is displeased."

"So we're going to war," said Elsa.

"Yeah," said Kristoff.

Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff were gathered in the sitting room, seated around the fireplace. "We can't talk him down?" asked Elsa.

Kristoff shrugged. "If you think he'll talk to you, go ahead and try."

"I want to believe that he can still redeem himself."

"I'd like to believe that too," said Anna, "but he doesn't sound very friendly."

"Not at all," said Kristoff. "It's like he wants a fight."

"Well," see Elsa, "I guess we can give him that."

A gloomy silence covered to the room. Elsa didn't want to go to war. War meant death, and death meant children losing their parents. The children would cry themselves to sleep and pretend that their parents would still return. When their crying was over, they would rebuke themselves for not loving their parents enough to keep crying. They would imagine that some small, insignificant action of theirs, something as simple as asking, "Please don't go," could have saved their parents, and their failure to save their parents would make them burn with shame and regret. Their days would be filled with rage and fear, and their dreams would be swallowed by despair.

"Can we stop him right now?" asked Elsa. "Do you think we could take the castle in winter?"

Kristoff shook his head. "As long as he's in that castle we can't get to him without artillery, and artillery can't cross the roads until spring."

"I couldn't blast through the gate?"

"Once you were inside, you'd be vulnerable from all directions. It's made to stop that kind of attack."

"Elsa could tear the castle down," said Anna. "Couldn't you?"

"You mean blow it up?" asked Elsa. "Like a keg of black powder would?" Elsa knit her brow. "I can't do that. It would kill them all, and even if they're rebelling I won't slaughter them."

"I was thinking of taking it apart brick by brick."

"That's too slow," said Kristoff. "They'd have time to counterattack. We'd need to occupy the whole town to keep her safe, and that requires more troops than we can move in winter."

"That's easy enough," said Anna. "Can't you just make an army of snowmen?"

"I could never get them to execute a careful military operation," said Elsa. "They're not deep thinkers. If they're big enough to be dangerous, they'd just destroy the town. Besides which, it's better politics if I show up with an army. It makes me look like I have people's support."

"Maybe we do wait until spring," said Kristoff.

"I don't like it," said Elsa.

"Me neither," said Anna. The silent gloom returned while they pondered their options. "Can I just say something?" said Anna. "You can't go there. At all. They want to hurt you, which is not okay. We can't give them that opportunity."

Elsa thought aloud. "So we wait until spring. He marches. I meet him in an open field as quickly as I can and trap his army in ice. I keep him in ice until he surrenders. We arrest him and go home. Would that work?"

"He won't meet you in an open field," said Kristoff. "He'll stick to the forest."

"What about the city and the castle?" asked Anna. "If there's a second army, then I'm just worried about, well, spring is not the best timing for me. Because I expect to move as well as an overturned vegetable cart. I'm not going to be able to attack or retreat or anything."

"We'll need troops stationed in the city," said Kristoff. "The navy will have to guard the fjord. That should keep us safe here, even from a second army. Then I guess we just hold out until Elsa can force Borgstrom to surrender."

"If it comes to that, then I really will destroy him," said Elsa. "But I don't like that thought. Come to think of it, I got another letter from Telramund. He was asking again if he should levy an army like Borgstrom asked him to."

"Do you want to say yes?" asked Kristoff. "Because that idea is terrible."

"I don't want to rebuff him entirely. He's been helpful to us, and I want him to feel valuable."

"You already have something in mind."

"No. I wish I did. We can't let him have a private army, but he seems eager to do something."

"Oh, I know," said Anna. "Give him a commission in the Royal Army and assign him to defend his own county."

"That's a good idea. He was already in the army once. Maybe he wants to be in battle again."

"Anyone who wants that awful thrill is a fool," said Kristoff.

"Or maybe just loyal to us," said Elsa. "I'll make him, hmm, let's say a colonel. He can muster troops if he wants, but they'll join the Royal Army and be under our command."

"That isn't much better than him having a private army," said Kristoff.

"No, it's a lot better. The men will be sworn to the service of the kingdom, not to him, and they'll be part of the usual chain of command," said Elsa. "If I can't trust my subjects, who can I trust?"