"Conceal, don't feel," Crown Princess Elsa of Arendelle sang from her window. I could hear her from my ship in the harbor below. No doubt she was nervous about the coronation. I pulled on my coattails to make them straight and neat, peering out at the crowd on the docks. Though her sentiments were foreign to me, her words resonated for another reason-I had to conceal the fact that I don't feel.
What I knew more than anything was that I envied Crown Princess Elsa. To be alone in a castle of my own, rid of my parents and family, in a kingdom where I need answer to no one... it would be the perfect life. I had come all this way to see that the Crown Princess, far from reveling in this gift of fate, looked from the window like a corpse dressed for its own funeral. Bitterness tightened my lungs at the sight of this wispy nothing that would become queen.
I stepped from the ship, leading my horse along the dock, catching my reflection in the glimmering Fjord. Eyes wide, smile bright, shoulders relaxed-put on a show, I thought to myself. Acting can be such a drudge if you never learn to do it with flair.
I practiced looking up in mild-mannered surprise, when I saw a woman barreling over the pier at an undignified gallop, right into the chest of my horse. Her small body sort of bounced off of his muscular frame and into a wooden fishing boat nearby. Sitron reacted immediately, as a finely bred Fjord horse does, and stomped the boat down to keep it from toppling into the water. I understood this as his subtle way of reminding me—even one moment out of character, and the act is ruined.
With my best look of concern, I apologized to the fallen woman for her own error, attributing the fault to myself. It surprised me in my youth how effectively such illogical contrition can ingratiate me with a stranger. The nuances of other minds must be learned to be commanded.
She babbled an affirmative, and then a negative. Perhaps the fall had addled her speech. I dismounted my horse to examine her. I smiled, and held out a hand. When she was uprighted, I gave a cordial half-bow and introduced myself with my full title, Prince Hans, of the Southern Aisles.
I was thrown off by her simple and strightforward reply that she was Princess Anna of Arandelle. I hadn't known Arandelle had another princess. Of course, Father would have made certain that savory tidbit of information was just out of my grasp.
My every action after this revelation until her departure seemed to be guided by some alter-ego, my rehearsed self. I spoke, I moved, in a collected manner. Inside, I rejoiced. Here was the tool, the vessel that would give me everything I had dreamed of! I hardly cared that somehow I ended up soaking wet in the Fjord.
I was rudely yanked back to reality when my brother William pulled me up by the collar.
"What sort of tricks are you up to this time, little Hans?"
"I could try to explain myself, but you wouldn't believe me if I did," I admitted, shrugging my shoulders and doffing my sopping coat.
My brother gave me a distrusting look from the corners of his eyes, but nodded. "Hurry and change clothes. We will not wait for you."
"We will enter the coronation together, as a family," said my brother Klaus firmly. "If I wish to have the truest chance to woo the Crown Princess Elsa of Arendelle, I must be certain that my family..." He eyed my brothers Damien and Derek "Behaves in a manner befitting their princely stations."
My brother Andrew feigned a yawn, "Yes, all will go well for you, if she fancies men with no intrigue or charms. But rest assured, brother, should you fail—which you no doubt will—I will swoop in with my alluring demeanor and snatch Princess Elsa as the bride of the best Southern Aisles prince!" He laughed brazenly.
Prince Klaus simply scowled, and Damien and Derek laughed, but whispered to each other when they thought no one was listening. In truth, I had known for months that almost all of my brothers fancied that they could win the Crown Princess away from the others. As for my brother Robert, he was tired of running the constant horse race of family dominance. I was content to stay out of it and watch the eleven of them make fools of themselves. Surely the crown princess of Arendelle, one of the most prosperous trade kingdoms, would not choose a marriage partner for such petty reasons as personal inclination. My brother Linus encouraged me to try, but I knew I had nothing to offer.
I wanted to speak to my brothers about Princess Anna, but reason held me back. Questions for them itched at my tongue. Had they known about her all this time and simply chosen to ignore her in favor of what they saw as a greater prize? Or had they, too, been kept in the dark? I listened carefully as we made our way to the ceremony, but none mentioned her name.
A feeling of epiphany then sank into the pit of my stomach—what if my brothers, when finding their advances upon Crown Princess Elsa rebuffed, turned instead to Arendelle's younger, more vulnerable princess? I had to make sure that this would not happen.
We made our process out of the harbor and through the market square. I knew that I would have no time to waste, so I had to make something up as I went along. My brother Grant was the most loose-lipped prince of the lot. If only I could lead my horse around Robert, Linus, and William without attracting too much attention, I could lean up beside him and speak confidentially. I began twisting my way around their horses slowly. It was all going well until this wretched reindeer bounded after some peasant boy across our path, pushing me to the back of the riding party where I had started. Derek pointed after the beast with a grin, and Damien held his hands up against his head to look like reindeer antlers. It took all the decorum in my being to keep myself from rolling my eyes at these disgraceful brothers of mine. I settled myself with the thought that at least no respectable princess would give those two fools the time of day.
I did not get a chance to speak with Grant until we were already through the palace gates. I spoke the first words that came to my mind, confident that I could muster at least something useful before the stewards hushed us for the commencement of the ceremony.
"I met Princess Anna on the docks, you know," I began with a playful wink, stuffing my hands in my pockets, and turning my face away from him.
"You don't say, the younger princess?" He perked up, just as I had predicted, at the passing hint of gossip. "Did you exchange words?"
"A few words, yes," I paused, looking through the crowd as they seated my elder brothers. "And pleasant ones."
He guffawed heartily at the news. "What words, what words?" He elbowed me in the shoulder.
"Oh, brother, I don't know, I'd really rather keep her confidence," I shook my head.
He lowered his voice. "For me, tell them just for me, and by the hair of my chin, I won't tell a soul!" He swore.
I grinned, clasping him around the arms, "She told me that her sister plans to steal away before the evening's ball, to the western tower where she likes to pray. She prays for fairness in her reign, and for the courage to select a king."
His eyes widened as his lips shrank together, and his chin dropped. He patted my back and whispered with new zeal, "A man who found her there would win her heart!"
I held a finger before my face, "And don't you tell a soul."
"I wouldn't dare," He puffed, and the tuft of hair atop his head flapped back and forth. "You shall have the younger one, and and I shall be the king, ha ha ha!"
During the coronation, my brothers disappeared one by one from their seats. I heard a muffled argument, but I could not discern their words. At the conclusion of the ceremony, only my brother Klaus and I remained, and he politely excused himself then.
The kingdom of Arendelle spared no expense for Queen Elsa's coronation ball. There were the finest tapestries, intricately sculpted busts, and rare delicacies. Even the salad plates were opulent. Until I was inside this ballroom, I never realized the true extent of Arendelle's wealth and prosperity. The resident nobles were welcoming and friendly, but I knew that there were some visiting dignitaries like wolves dancing in the clothes of sheep.