Hello all!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my story. I am truly honored by each review and hope you don't mind that this chapter is a day late. I was super busy yesterday and unfortunately had no time until this morning to post it. Anyway, on with the show...

Tales from the Southern Isles

Chapter 3: Preparations

...

A wreckless wind traveled swiftly through the village streets, sweeping and swirling until the breeze wound up the mountain side and broke in a powerful gust against the castle. The massive red drapes which hung about the grand palace windows swayed in response to the sudden draft. The chill swept through the numerous halls and down the magnificent set of stairs to the main entrance hall. It was there that several servants stood waiting quietly. Many of the royal staff within the castle walls had long since retired to their bedchambers and the only ones who remained did not dare speak above a whisper.

There was a heaviness in the air tonight; a tension as thick as fog that no one could quite place, yet was unmistakably there, ominous and looming.

King Fredrik sat within the main throne room, regally seated in his long royal robes upon the King's Chair. With one hand he tightly gripped the stone arm rest, and with the other he clutched a wrinkled letter. King Fredrik must have re-read it fifty times since its arrival, and still he could not fully bring himself to believe its contents. How could one of his own brothers have done something so heinous as attempt to murder the Queen of Arendelle?

To say the news had been devastating would have been the understatement of a life time. In fact, the very knowledge that something like this had even transpired was dangerous. If word of Hans's criminality escaped these castle walls, the entire country would be in an uproar.

A long slow sigh escaped the king's lips and he lifted a wary hand to rub soothing circles at his graying temples. At the age of 48, and with 16 years of experience running a country behind him, Fredrik would say he'd jumped over just about every political obstacle, upheld each of his traditional duties, and negotiated his way out of many a war. All of which had been hard tasks in and of themselves.

None of these held a candle to the crises presented before him now.

"What am I going to do?" Fredrik whispered hopelessly under his breath.
"Sire!"
The doors to the throne room burst open and in strode the king's must trusted advisor: his brother.
"Yes, Konrad," the king answered swiftly, straightening in his chair.

Konrad was two years younger than Fredrik and the two had been close friends since their childhood. Konrad had done much to provide Fredrik with wise and informational council, and was always the voice of calm reason in the midst of stressful and sometimes frustrating circumstances.

Konrad stopped to bow formally before proceeding to speak.
"Prince Hans has arrived," he informed.

This was the announcement the king had been waiting so anxiously for. Standing abruptly, Fredrik clutched the letter tighter in his hand.
"You may inform the rest of our brothers, then have him brought to me," he ordered, "And be certain the servants have taken their oaths of secrecy. Anyone who dares leak information regarding Prince Hans shall be labeled a traitor and sent straight to prison," Fredrik commanded.

"Yes my Lord," Prince Konrad nodded, turning on his heel to stride back out and down the long stretch of hallway till he stood before the captain of the royal guard. Konrad passed on the king's commands, which the Captain then proceeded to carry out.

...

The group of servants gathered within the castle's main entrance hall each stood in a nicely formed line, rigid with nervousness as the Captain of the guard approached. Those accounted for among the line numbered only ten. There was the royal butler, the royal house keeper, the royal cook and a member from the kitchen staff, three footmen, and three cleaning maids. All that these staff members had been told prior to their gathering was that they were soon to be privileged with private information.

For the newly hired on, 19 year old cleaning maid named Frida, this was the most amazing thing she'd ever experienced in her entire life. Not a week ago Frida had been nothing more than an inn keeper's daughter, splintering her fingers from all the sweeping and blistering her palms from scrubbing floors. That was before her aunt, a highly respected and trusted maid of the castle, had recommended her a position at her side! And oh, what an amazing opportunity it was. Now, Frida was honored with getting to splinter her fingers and blister her palms on the rich marble floor of a palace instead!

Fifteen minutes of waiting time had passed since the staff had gathered and Frida spent it by fiddling with her apron skirts frivolously then moving her jittery hands upwards to fix what she could of the messy, uncooperative hair that spilled hectically from her bun.

When the sound of the Captain finally making his approach came to her ears, Frida could barely contain her excitement. Biting her lip, she rocked subtly back and forth on her heels only to receive a reprimanding glare from her aunt who stood beside her. Frida forced herself to stand still and took a deep breath. Whatever was about to happen was going to be something special. Something that only she and the people here would ever get to know about.

With hands folded neatly behind his back, the Captain stopped to take his usually authoritative stance, and look the staff over sternly before catching Frida's gaze momentarily. He took some time scrutinizing her, noting her unmistakably pretty face, her chocolate brown eyes, creamy white skin and raven black hair. It was likely that he had never seen her before, since she was so new to the staff, and he felt it necessary to analyze her suitability before proceeding with the more important matters.

Though she felt an immense amount of pressure under the Captain's hard stare, Frida managed to maintain a humble facade about her that was both admirable and becoming. As result, it was only a moment later before the Captain finished his inspection of her and cleared his throat to address the group before him.

"Each of you are being entrusted with the news that Prince Hans has returned this night from his travels to Arendelle. Due to a certain series of events, the prince has fallen into bad favor with the king and council. You are here for the sole purpose of swearing that you will not breathe a word of anything you may come to hear within these castle walls to anyone, within or beyond the premises," he said sternly.

Frida's eyes gleamed with instant curiosity.

"Should any one of you make the unwise decision to break this vow, you shall be labeled a traitor to king and country and imprisoned for an indefinite amount of time. Do I make myself clear?" the Captain questioned, his dark, soul piercing eyes cutting into each and every one of the staff. A series of "yes sir"s issued from the group.

Frida did not hesitate a moment to lift her hand and recite her vows along with the others, and once it was all done with, they were dismissed. Amidst the bustle of staff splitting into a frenzy of separate directions, Frida's mind was adrift. She had not yet seen this Prince Hans, nor had she any idea of what he was like. Then again, she didn't have much idea of what any of the princes were like. Being that she was nothing but a meager cleaning maid, she and the others of her station always kept clear out of the royal family's way, as it was the appropriate thing to do. Therefore, any information Frida was given about the princes was tidbits here and there of broken conversations between her aunt and other maid servants. And that wasn't much.

In fact, Frida seemed to learn more of the royal's outside the castle walls than she ever did within it. Every one of the staff seemed to think that it was their duty to prevent rumors from spreading and information from being passed on, even if it was perfectly harmless. None the less, the last time Frida had attempted to ask any questions had been five days ago...

()()()

"Is Prince Ralph really the snob every one says he is?"

Whack

"Is it true that Prince Günter was once able to defeat 100 men in battle with only a picket fence and a shovel?"

Whack

"I heard from the girls in town that Prince Otto has two golden teeth!"

Whack Whack

"Are all the princes required to say their prayers before bed time, like ordinary people?"

Whack Whack Whack!

"For MERCIES sake child! Why you be askin' all these ridiculous questions about the majesties? It's not healthy to have your mind so fixated on people and things that are above your stature and forever will be!" an older, albeit a bit grouchy, woman huffed, lifting the strong twig in her hand to shake it warningly towards her nosy niece.

Frida pouted, standing off to the side and watching as her aunt resumed her unmerciful beating upon the palace rugs which currently hung over a low tree branch in the royal garden. Dust and dirt puffed from off the fabric with each strike, filthying the air.

"But Aunt Sophia, they are only harmless questions," Frida argued, "Is it so bad a thing that I am fascinated by my employers? If I am to be here, serving tirelessly under them, I would like to think I have the right to know some things about the royal family,"

"You thought wrong. You are here to work and to work well! The king and princes deserve good servants who do what they are supposed to. Now get to it," Aunt Sophia snapped. Frida sighed and rolled her eyes up in defeat, turning to commence with her own carpet beating.

()()()

Since then, Frida had learned the hard way that interrogating her aunt on royal matters was a complete waste of time and effort. If she were to ever learn the truth about any of the princes, she would simply have to make these discoveries for herself, and that was all there was to it.

Taking a deep, determined breath of air, Frida marched forward after her aunt, who had just trotted on up the elaborate stair case leading to the second floor. They needed to finish preparations for Prince Han's room, and be quick about it. Together, Frida and her Aunt Sophia worked to lay fresh bed sheets out and thoroughly dust the furniture. At some point during the preparations, one of the other maids rushed into the room to quietly squeal,
"The Prince is here! Look! Look down there!"

Frida raced to the nearest bedroom window where she goggled down into the dark and gloomy court yard. Surely enough, a black carriage had just pulled in and it rounded the castle's large water fountain before coming to a halt at the edge of the palace entrance stairs. Frida felt her heart beat pound faster in eager anticipation.

Finally, she would get to see this Prince Hans, the youngest of the thirteen, and supposedly rumored to be the most handsome...

...

Enter... my OC. So folks, what do you think of her? She's got some spunk, some attitude, and much more personality traits to come! Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts!