The time of Elsa's coronation was approaching. King Adrian of Muckdale and Crown Princess Aina of Chiredalle were among the guests.
While Adrian was away, Edvin was in charge. Everyone thought the castle was impenetrable, but they were wrong.
The day was beautiful. Chris and Gerta decided to walk around the castle gardens. Little did they know, a group of village kids had snuck into the castle gardens, through an unguarded hole in the castle walls.
"I think I mastered my powers!" Gerta proudly exclaimed. She then took off one of her gloves and picked up a stick. It didn't burn or produce smoke. Chris's eyes grew wide.
"Is this for real?" He asked.
"Yes!" Gerta answered, her 17-year-old self full of pride, "I'm just thinking of happy thoughts that aren't excitable."
Chris was happy, but couldn't help but feel uneasy. "That's great, but what if Mama or Papa come and yell at you for taking your gloves off? And me for letting you?"
"Oh." Gerta replied, and Chris noticed smoke coming from the stick.
"Why don't I give it a try?" Chris asked, hopping to change the subject. He took off a glove and held out his bare hand.
"Remember," Gerta said, giving him the stick, "Think of happy, non excitable thoughts, or keep your mind blank."
Chris thought of his 4th birthday. It was his happiest memory. There was a small ball, one specifically made for him. There was his favorite food, his favorite people, his favorite, everything!
"Chris, your doing it!" Gerta proudly declared.
"I am!" Chris was so happy, that he forgot about his emotions and the ends of the stick caught fire! Chris's eyes grew wide with fear, and the flames grew.
"Calm down!" Gerta commanded, "The flames will go down."
Chris quickly passed the stick to his gloved hand, and the flames were reduced.
The village kids who were hiding behind the bushes, had been watching and hearing this. They were shocked. "So this is the secret." The leader, Andrew whispered. They watched in amazement as Christopher dropped the flaming stick into a nearby fountain.
"Why didn't you calm down?" Gerta asked her brother.
"I couldn't." Chris replied.
"After 17 years, you should be able to. I have." Gerta replied.
"I'm not you!" Chris angrily replied, his hair starting to smoke, "I wasn't born with these powers! I don't have the innate instinct to control my natural fear of fire!" His hair was starting to flame, "Everything comes so easy to you"
Andrew and his friends began to cower in fear.
Gerta's hair was starting to smoke. She went close to him and said, "At the moment, things seem easy for me. You know that hasn't always been so!" Chris's hair reduced to embers as he remembered when he first saw her. "Remember when I was three, I accidentally set your sitting room on fire, and almost burned it down?"
Chris chuckled at the memory. Little Gerta, so innocent, so sweet. She hated wearing her gloves, and the two of them had almost mastered their powers. Gerta wanted to play, and Chris wanted to work on their powers. The nursemaids had fallen asleep for a few moments, Gerta wanted to make a ring of fire after seeing Chris make a tiny one. Gerta, being three, wanted to make a large one. Chris had told her to keep it small, but Gerta didn't listen. The fire ring was too big for little Gerta to control, and the room caught fire. Thankfully the staff had managed to put it out.
"We were so controlling then, what happened?" Chris asked.
"Our powers grew, too many accidents, and we lost confidence." Gerta answered. Chris smiled. His little sister seemed so much smarter than him. "I have an idea!" Gerta excitably exclaimed. She then ran to pick up another stick. She held it in her ungloved hand, and made the ends flame up. "Watch this!" She then twirled the stick around, from hand to hand, then tossed it into the air and caught it with ease.
"How did you do that?" Chris asked in amazement.
"I don't know. I just did. As if I was one with the stick." Gerta answered.
"One with stick, one with powers." Chris muttered. "Let me try!"
"Think you can handle it?" Gerta teasealy asked.
"Yes! I get it now!" Chris held out his hand. Gerta gave him the flaming stick. One with stick, one with powers. Chris thought to himself and copied his little sister's movements.
"You did it!" Gerta proudly exclaimed, while clapping her hands.
"I did!" Chris exclaimed. He then hugged Gerta, his only friend.
Their celebration was cut short when they heard a branch break. They immediately turned towards the sound. "Who's there?" Chris demanded. Whispers came from the bushes. "I said, who's there?" Chris was even more demanding. Andrew, and a few of the others, showed their heads. "Who are you?" Chris asked.
Andrew, being the leader, spoke first. "Please, don't harm us! We only wanted to know why you two were so secretive!"
"We won't harm you." Gerta assured them. "At least, not intentionally."
"Good to know." Andrew said, and he stepped forward.
"How did you get in here?" Chris asked, "The castle is surrounded by guards."
"It's not completely surrounded." Andrew answered, "There's a spot by those bushes with absolutely no security, which is surprising, because there's a hole that we can easily sneak through."
"Can you show us?" Gerta asked, she was eager to escape the castle and see the larger world. She wasn't allowed outside the castle walls.
"Of course." Andrew said. He thought that Gerta was pretty, and in need of a friend who wasn't a relative.
"Ahem?" Andrew's best friend, James said. Even though Andrew was the leader, everyone got a say in decisions.
Andrew, feeling a little guilty, turned to his friends, "If, that's ok with you guys."
Everyone whispered, then gave a nod.
Chris felt a little worried. "Are you sure you want to leave? Someone will notice!" Chris whispered to his sister.
"I'm sure." Gerta answered, "We are like caged animals, and everyone's either asleep or busy. We'll be fine as long as we come back before dinner."
Chris was still unsure, but the look on Gerta's face made any more protest impossible. "Ok. We'll go." Chris said reluctantly.
Andrew and his friends led them to the hole in the wall. Gerta was egar to go through, "Almost there!" She excitably said, "Today the market, tomorrow the world!"
The market was bustling, everyone was in need of goods, and news of Arendalle. No one recognized Chris and Gerta, no one was sure what they looked like! The public hadn't seen them, in person or painting, in ten years! Also, their Highnesses usually wore what the commoners wore, but a little more elegant. Everyone thought they were two kids with some money, like upper middle class, or lower upper class.
Gerta was clearly happy, and after a while, so was Chris. They went to the stalls, chatted with the merchants, and bought stuff. It was the most fun they ever had! Everything was going well, until noon.
Andrew's little cosine, Andy, came running up to Gerta and Chris and began pulling at their gloves. "Why are you wearing thick gloves in July?" he asked.
"Why do you care?" Gerta asked.
"I'm curious." Andy answered, as he pulled a glove off of Chris.
"No reason," Gerta said, pulling off a glove, "see, we just like wearing them." She reached for her brother's glove, but Andy threw it to his friend.
"Give me back my glove!" Chris ordered, trying to keep calm. People were starting to stare.
"What'cha gonna do about it?" Andy teased. "Tell your father, the Grand Duke?"
A crowd was starting to surround them. People began whispering. "Is that Prince Christopher?" "The Prince and Princess are in the market?" "Why did that boy take His Highness's glove?"
"Andy! Berg! Give Chris back his glove, now!" Andrew commanded.
"No." Andy and Burg said in unison, then began to play catch with the glove.
Gerta dropped her glove, and she and Chris's hair began to smoke. Their new friends got worried, and the townspeople stared in shock.
"You're getting Their Highnesses upset!" James yelled at the two little thieves.
"Ooo." Andy teased.
"We're scared." Burg finished, clearly being sarcastic.
Gerta, hair resembling flaming embers, lunged at the boys, only to be held back by her brother. "Don't you dare mock us!" Gerta said to Andy and Burg, hair flaming now, "Chris, let me go!"
Chris's hair was embery, "No! You'll burn them!"
Gerta stopped her struggles. She hadn't realized she'd been so angry. Her hair went back to embers. She looked at the crowd, some were backing away in fear. Their secret had been exposed!
"I knew something was going on!" proclaimed Lord Weasel, he was a short, greedy man, who no one really liked. "Look, their hair is like a fireplace! And Princess Gerta was seconds away from burning those two boys!"
"Before you say something you'll regret," Andrew interrupted, "I'd like to say something. Everyone could clearly see that my cousin and his friend were teasing and taunting Their Highnesses."
Chris let go of his sister.
"You dare backtalk me!?" Lord Weasel said, offended.
"Yes, I do." Andrew replied.
Chris backed into a nearby hay-bale. He was so nervous, it caught fire. No one noticed it, until the fire spread to some nearby barrels.
"Fire!" Lac (one of Lord Weasel's lackeys) shouted. "It was Prince Christopher!"
Panicked, Gerta and Chris began to run towards the castle, causing maham in their flight. Random things burst into flames, soot and embers begin to rain softly around them.
Lord Weasel's lackeys were blocking Gerta and Chris from getting into their castle. Not knowing what to do, and ignoring their new friends, they ran towards the mountains. No one blocked them, few chased them. No one went to the mountains.