Anna dunked her brush into the can of orange pigment and continued painting furiously. An enormous, complex mural lay beneath her, spread out across the city's cobbles, morphing seamlessly from spring to summer to fall to winter. As she put the finishing touches onto her autumn leaf storm, she glanced over at Rapunzel and winced.

Hoo boy.

It wasn't like Anna was a bad artist. She could run laps around Kristoff and Olaf's stick figure drawings. However, compared to Rapunzel's talent…

She forced herself to ignore her cousin and got back to her own work. There were still so many things she had left to paint! The winter sky! A fleet of reindeer! Houses… oh! She'd almost forgotten the windows…

"Time!" bellowed the judge.

Anna and the rest of the competitors jumped back. She stared at the painting, chest heaving with adrenaline. It was done.

A paint-smeared hand interlaced into hers. Anna glanced up to see Rapunzel beaming at her.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" her cousin whispered. "It's perfect!"

Anna looked back at the painting. It was… impressive. She did take pride in that. It was, without a doubt, the best piece of art she'd ever done. However… it was still painfully obvious where Rapunzel's parts of the mural ended and Anna's began.

"Thanks, but…"

"It's perfect," Rapunzel repeated firmly.

They stood together in silence as they waited for the judges to review each submission and declare a winner.

"In third place," the head judge finally announced. "Johan and Aletta from the kingdom of Wallonia!"

The crowd clapped and cheered as a quiet, black-haired couple came forward to claim their prize.

"In second place," the judge continued, "the princesses Anna and Rapunzel from the kingdom of Corona!"

Cheers erupted again, louder this time. Anna remained suspended in shock for a moment, stumbling as Rapunzel dragged her forward. They stood together in front of the applauding crowd as they received their trophy, smiling both at everyone and no one in particular.

They'd won.

It'd been a while since Anna had won anything. Well, anything more than a participation award or Arendelle's best cheer coordinator.

She wasn't sure why Arendelle even had a best cheer coordinator award.

Rapunzel lifted their trophy higher to show off to the crowd, and Anna's smile faded slightly. If it hadn't been a team competition, her cousin would've gotten more than second…

As if on cue, the judge announced the first place winners, and the two princesses stepped off to the side. Anna let Rapunzel keep hold of the trophy.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Sorry?" Rapunzel blinked in confusion. "For what?"

"If it wasn't for me, you would've… well…" She bit her lip as the crowd let out one final thunderous applause. "These cheers would be for you right now."

"What are you talking about?You're acting like we straight out lost! Anna, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have even qualified!"

"If it'd been a single person challenge-"

"But it wasn't a single person challenge. Besides, those aren't as fun," Rapunzel said with a slight roll of her eyes. She clasped Anna's shoulder with her paint-smeared hand and smiled. "Second place is still amazing, and I had so much fun! Did you have fun?"

"Well…"

"Did you have fun?" Rapunzel repeated seriously.

Anna smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah," she admitted.

"See? What more could a girl ask for?" Rapunzel turned her head and suddenly started waving their new trophy high above the crowd. "Eugene!" she shouted. "Guess what! We won!"

Anna heard him shout back a distant 'I know!" as Rapunzel politely pushed and shoved her way through the crowd. Moments later, her cousin had completely disappeared.

Anna sighed.

She remained standing in her current spot. The event coordinators were starting to rope off paths so that everyone could walk by and see the completed murals in a quick and organized fashion. A small seed of pride blossomed in her chest. Rapunzel had a point. Sure, maybe Anna wasn't ever going to be the world's next Da Vinci, but she had made something beautiful. Contribution was contribution.

"Princess Anna," drawled a syrupy voice behind her. "So we meet again."

Anna instantly frowned, the seed squashed.

She'd heard that voice before… but where? As she turned around, she repressed a shudder, forcing her lips up in a polite smile instead.

"Oh, umm… Manfried, wasn't it?" Anna said, awkwardly trying to recall the name of Hans' older brother. His red hair was plastered down with sweat, and he was vigorously attempting to cool himself with a miniature paper fan.

"Yes!" he said, breaking out into a toothy smile. "How wonderful that you remembered! Are you here by yourself? You shouldn't be you know. A crowded city like this is not a safe place for a princess. Here, I'll accompany you."

He extended a spindly arm out towards her for her to… cling to? Like a damsel in distress? He hadn't even asked her! He'd just assumed she'd…

Anna took a short breath. In. Out.

"Thank you but I'm more than capable of taking care of myself," she said. "You know, magic blizzards and all?"

Manfried waved his hand dismissively in front of her.

"A little snow is nothing compared to all the terrors of theft and kidnapping and who knows what else these… common folk get up to."

What was left of Anna's smile faded.

"It's been wonderful," Anna said in a flat voice. "But I should really get going."

"And I simply can't allow you to wander off on your own. My princely conscious forbids it," Manfried said. "And Georg would agree with me." He twisted his neck and shouted into the crowd. "Georg!"

Oh no.

Another red-haired man who'd been browsing a nearby jewelry stand turned and approached the two of them. His stern gaze pierced through Anna, sending ice cubes clattering into her stomach.

Fat lot of good she is. It's the other one we need right now.

Georg continued peering at her, his eyes as narrow as his muttonchops were wide.

"Princess Anna," he finally said. "What a surprise. Aren't going to start another storm, are you?"

"Huh?"

"Don't play innocent with me," Georg said. "Three years ago that sister of yours creates a blizzard that the two of you miraculously 'fix.' Then, last year, the same thing happens. No explanations. No cause discovered. Just a magic stone that miraculously 'fixes' everything. Did you really expect everyone to simply play along with your hero narrative?"

"Hero narrative? Wait!" Anna said. She blinked at him in disbelief. "Are you seriously trying to blame me for that storm? I was the one who stopped it! I was the one who saved everyone! Including you! You…" She thought back to the days right after the storm had ended, when she was still lingering in Stralshagen, her and Hans… "You were grateful! You asked me for my opinion on things! You-"

"I was an unquestioning fool," Georg said. "As was Manfried and the rest of my brothers. Isn't that right, Manfried?"

Manfried swallowed, his fingers twitching nervously.

"Yes…" he said softly. "Yes, it is."

Anna glared at Georg, but the older man seemed to take no notice.

"Everyone is always grateful directly after the fact," he said smoothly. "Before they have time to think. To reason."

"Reason what exactly?"

Hans' brother had officially slipped from purposefully annoying to outright deranged.

"Come to think," Georg continued, "after that stint of yours, trade and general relations between Arendelle and the kingdoms affected by the blizzard increased fivefold. Quite fortuitous if one actually stopped to think about it."

"People died in that blizzard," Anna spat. "And if you think I'd intentionally-"

She paused.

Why was she arguing with him? Why was she even wasting a second of her time arguing with him? He didn't want facts. He didn't want common sense. He wanted to annoy her and belittle her and stay wrapped up whatever paranoid fantasy world of his.

Anna turned and stomped away.

"Yes," Georg said. "Run like the coward you are."

"The only coward here is you," Anna yelled over her shoulder. "You don't have any niceness in you, so you go and leech it from everyone else aroun- Oof!"

Anna knocked into someone. She stumbled back, flailing, and then a hand caught her. A flash of red hair. Her heart began to race as she looked up…

A pair of gangly limbs and a long nose greeted her.

No, that wasn't right.

"Leon?" Anna said.

"The same," her rescuer replied.

Great. Another brother.

"Just how many of you are here?" she said without thinking.

"Pleasure to see you again too," he replied. As Anna straightened up, Leon let go of her hand and began to count on his fingers. "Let's see, there's me, Manfried, and Georg, I see you've run into them over there…" He grimly nodded at the two brothers she'd just left.

"She's a witch, Leon! Just like that sister of hers!"

"Oh, put a lid on it, Georg!" Leon yelled. "No one wants to hear your crazy theories!" At Anna, he sighed. "Sorry. Try to ignore him. The rest of us do. Who else… Ernst and Ludwig, the twins, are here - they're competing in half the events though, so you might see them, you might not. And then there's Fritz and… Otto. I think that's it unless another one or two stowed away. When you have twelve siblings, you never know."

Anna nodded. From what she could remember, Otto had been somewhat nice. She wouldn't mind seeing him again. The twins were hit or miss; she couldn't remember holding a conversation of more than ten words with them. Fritz was somewhat more complicated. The last time she'd seen him, he'd been attempting to confess… well, something to her in the hallway. She had no idea how he'd react to her now.

"And… Hans?" Anna ventured.

"Not here," Leon said, "at least as far as I know." He looked down at the street as he crossed him arms. "Truth be told, he hasn't talked to us much since we let him leave the castle. Can't say I blame him too much. I mean, your own family having to act as your prison guards? Personally, I hated every second of it…" Leon glanced at Anna, his eyes widening. "Not that any of us are bitter or anything," he quickly said. "We all know it's what had to be done after you and your sister-"

"It's okay," Anna said. "You don't have to apologize."

"Ugh. Talking about Hans again?" Georg's voice said directly behind her. He'd waltzed up without Anna realizing. "You'd really be better off forgetting about him. He married another girl, you know. He's not interested in you."

"His wife's dead though," Manfried piped in. "So technically he's free again."

"Yes, a terrible storm struck on their honeymoon" Georg said. His eyes narrowed at Anna. "How fortuitous."

Anna stared at him.

"I don't know what you're trying to imply," she said cooly. "And I'm not even going to waste brain power trying to figure it out."

"Anna's not interested in Hans," Leon said. "She already has that man of hers. What was his name… Karl?"

"Christian," Manfried muttered with a sullen glare.

"Kristoff," Anna corrected.

Why was she still even talking to them?

"Oh, yes," Georg said with a small cough. "That mountain man of yours. You've been together for… what is it now, three years?"

"Yeah, what is it to you?"

"Well, as lovely as long term relationships are… there is a point, you see. In all of three years, not one hint of marriage or proposal. And here you are, halfway across the continent, continuing to lark about by your lonesome… After awhile people start to wonder if it's truly a relationship or merely a facade."

Anna glared at him, trembling, her fists clenched and ready to strike.

"Anna!"

She whirled around. Rapunzel and Eugene were rushing towards her through the crowds. As they drew close, they glanced back and forth between Anna and the three brothers.

"Making friends?" Rapunzel asked.

"Princess Rapunzel," Georg said before Anna could respond. "How wonderful to make your acquaintance. My name is Georg, and this is Manfried and Leon-"

"Of the Southern Isles," Rapunzel finished. "Yes, I can see. Wonderful to meet you as well. Unfortunately, Anna, Mother needs us for a special something. Sorry," she said to the princes, "Corona business. Have to run! Would love to talk some other time though!"

She grabbed Anna by the arm and dragged her off before the others could follow.

"Thanks," Anna said when they were a safe enough distance away. "I take it there's no Corona business?"

"Nope," Rapunzel said cheerily.

"Perfect. I could have used you a bit sooner though."

"I know… Eugene distracted me."

"Sure," Eugene said. "Blame the husband."

"We made our way towards you as soon as we saw."

"Man, those guys good at ganging up on people," Eugene said. "Do they just wander around in packs or something? Ginger wolf packs." Eugune mimed claws with his fingers. "Rawr."

"What happened to the frying pan you promised?" Anna remarked dryly.

"Okay, so I had to deviate from the frying pan bit," Rapunzel said. "As fun as it'd be, there's always the chance that straight out attacking royalty might cause a war."

Anna glanced behind her. The princes were getting smaller and smaller in the crowd, but she could see them starting to bicker. She scowled.

"I think an exception could be made."

"You look great, come on!"

"Wait! No, I- Ack!"

The brushes and jars and pins on Anna's makeup table clattered to the floor as Rapunzel yanked her arm and dragged her out of her room.

"What's worse?" Rapunzel said as she raced them down the halls. "One missing hair pin or being late?"

"Easy for you to say," Anna muttered, glaring at her cousin's ear-length cut. She managed to extricate herself from Rapunzel's grasp and continued to tweak and adjust her braids with a couple of extra pins she'd managed to keep hold of.

"Anna, we're the hosts. You know it'll look bad if-"

"I know, I know," Anna said. "Can't keep kings waiting."

In addition to the festivities during the day, the Summer Tournament brought with it socializing and fancy dinner parties with the kingdoms' elite at night. Anna debated faking a cold at the last minute to get out of it, but Rapunzel convinced her otherwise. All of the Westergaard princes would be watched like a hawk, her cousin had promised. There'd be no repeat of the morning's events.

The drawing room was packed with men and women when they arrived, about fifty in all. No one paid much attention to the two princesses' entrance.

"Wow," Anna said, flatly, as she surveyed the crowd. "It's almost like we could have walked here from my rooms. Leisurely."

"Heh heh," Rapunzel said with small smile and a shrug. "We made it on time though."

Anna rolled her eyes and strolled off to grab some chocolate from a nearby sweets tray. As she nibbled on a small truffle, she made a visual sweep of the room.

Red hair… red hair…

Georg and Manfried were by the pianoforte, looming and chatting over some unfortunate girl. Leon and one of the other older ones - it was hard to remember, but it had to be Otto - were mingling with some men by the empty fireplace. Another one… younger, round-faced, freckles… Fritz. He was at the center of his own social circle. As Anna watched, the prince said something and the group burst out in laughter.

She didn't feel like talking to any of the princes. Well, Leon or Otto wouldn't be too bad. Unfortunately if she spoke to one of them, the rest would take it as an open invitation. Perhaps if she found Rapunzel again, she could get her cousin to hide her behind some sort of tapestry. She could just vanish until dinner. After all, no one had noticed her come in; no one would hardly notice her leave…

Anna kept her eyes continuously darting back and forth between the five brothers as she slowly walked backwards towards the wall.

"Oof!"

She'd collided into another person. Again.

"I'm sorry!" she quickly said, hands pressing together in penance. "I wasn't looking and…" She blinked. "I know you from somewhere…"

The person she'd bumped into was an older man, his hair spare and greying. He wore a thick pair of glasses above his broad, hooked nose and - more importantly - a large sash around his torso with the crest of Weideland.

"Your majesty!" Anna gasped, breaking into a curtesy.

"No need for that," the old king said. He chuckled. "If anything, I should be the one paying my respects to you. I've never officially thanked you for finding an end to that blizzard."

Anna blushed. "It was nothing really."

"And if that wasn't enough," he continued, "you went and rescued my son-in-law as well."

His son-in-law…?

She let out a small gasp. Hans! That is, she knew Hans was his son-in-law, but to know it and then hear the actual king say it were two completely different things. And then his daughter…

"I…" Anna pressed her lips together in helplessness. Condolences were ultimately useless when it came right down to it, but they were all she could give. "I'm sorry for your loss."

The king shifted, adjusting his shoulders as he took a deep breath.

"Thank you," he finally said. "Things… are as they are. We can only be grateful for what we still have."

Anna awkwardly wrung her hands and glanced around the room for Rapunzel, for some sort of way out. She was almost willing to strike up a chat with one of the Westergaards, but for the first time in forever absolutely no one was paying her any attention.

"Is…" Anna struggled to think of some sort of icebreaker. She'd only met the king once, briefly at the beginning of her quest last year. They didn't have too much common ground outside the weather. Literally. "Is Hans… a good son-in-law?" she blurted out before instantly blushing. "Sorry! I don't know if that's too personal or if you don't want to answer or-"

"Oh, no. It's a fine question," the king said. He coughed. "I have to admit, I didn't like the chap at first. Far too quick of an engagement if you ask me. Arranged marriages excluded, what kind of fool agrees to a marriage proposal within a week of meeting someone?"

"Ha ha…" Anna said weakly. "What kind indeed?"

"That and I had heard" - the king's eyes narrowed at her ever so slightly - "rumors… still, I warmed up to him in the end, and he and my dear Josie did love each other so. Excuse me."

The king turned away to dab at his watery eyes with a laced handkerchief. Anna bit her lip as she watched him, debating whether or not to tell the old man that Hans' "love" was all a lie. That while his daughter might have been head over heels for the prince, Hans remained a cold-hearted snake.

Would the king actually believe her though? Would he take a stranger's word over that of his trusted son-in-law's? And even though Hans hadn't loved Princess Josephine, it wasn't as though he'd been the one to kill her. Would telling the king the truth actually accomplish anything other than cause him more grief?

"He's been very helpful, you know," the king continued.

"Huh?"

"The boy's a natural born leader. I thought that after the accident, he'd take some time alone for mourning, but he practically threw himself into his work. He didn't even want to take time off to come here. Perhaps it's his way of coping with the loss…" the king said. His face shadowed with creases as he frowned, and Anna felt a ping of guilt for making the old man recall his daughter's death again. "As I was saying," he continued. "Trade agreements, the royal treasury, public works… Did you know that every project he's helmed has been completed ahead of schedule and under budget? And then we've been able to pass the money we've saved onto the people with lower taxes. They automatically love him for that, if nothing else."

"Really?"

"Is it so surprising?"

It wasn't, when she actually thought about it. She'd told Hans himself once: he had a knack for governing. But to be that involved and effective when he was so callous about everything else…

"I mean," Anna said, floundering to put her thoughts into inoffensive words. "That's wonderful. Truly. But isn't-"

"Excuse me! Attention everyone," Queen Primrose called out from across the room. The room fell into a hush. "I want to thank all of you for attending the Summer Tournament once again. My husband and I are incredibly grateful to be your hosts this year. If you'd all follow me, dinner is ready to be served."

The king raised his eyebrows at Anna, prompting her to continue.

"Umm…" Anna glanced at the people already filing out of the room. "It's kind of a long and complicated… thing. Perhaps I'll be able to talk to you again some other time?"

Anna gave the king another curtesy and scampered off to find Rapunzel and Eugene.

It wasn't fair. The stories always made it clear: put a villain in charge of a country and the land itself would rebel. Plagues would hit. Crops would die off. He would straight out hoard all the kingdom's gold for himself, counting it in his castle, as village after village would rise up against him.

That a terrible person could end up being an amazing ruler was a strange and, frankly, baffling concept to her.

Then again, Hans had only been in Weideland for a few months. Perhaps he was just rolling with some beginners luck.

Rapunzel and Eugene were hanging out in a corner, lingering back as everyone continued to file towards the dining hall.

"She wouldn't let us leave without you," Eugene said as Rapunzel rolled her eyes beside him.

"So…" she said. "Who was that you were talking to?"

Anna glanced over at where she and the king had been talking; he'd already left. "The King of Weideland," Anna said.

"Cool," Rapunzel said automatically.

Her eyes snapped wide open.

"Wait!" she said. "You mean of the Weideland?! The father of-"

"Yes! Yes!" Anna said quickly, waving her hands in front of Rapunzel's face to get her to shut up. "That king. I'll tell you more later. Come on."

The three made their way into the dining hall. Rapunzel's parents and the couple of reigning kings and queens that were visiting had already taken their place at the far end of the massive table. Rapunzel, Eugene, and Anna sat down at the opposite end with the rest of the princes and princesses.

Anna instantly started scanning the table for mops of red hair.

Okay, there was Otto… and Leon… Georg and Manfried… so where was…?

"Anna!"

Oh no.

"After Leon and the others told me they'd run into you this afternoon, I just knew we would meet again," a voice purred beside her.

Anna resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands and slowly turned to face the man who had sat beside her. He smiled, no, smirked at her.

"Fritz."

"The same," he said. "Tell me, Anna. Do you have anything planned for tomorrow night? I've heard tales of this absolutely gorgeous seaside trail. Just think of it: you, me, the light of the summer moon shining down upon us…"

"Fritz, I…"

His lips pressed slowly together as his eyebrows lifted up towards the center of his face. She stared at him blankly.

"He's doing the smolder," she heard Eugene whisper from her other side.

"Fritz," Anna said, firmly this time. "I have a boyfriend, you know."

"How wonderful," the prince said without losing a beat. "Of course, long distance relationships aren't without their faults. That and I've heard certain… things about the two of you."

"From Georg?" Anna said.

"From various sources," Fritz said, glancing at his fingernails. He turned his gaze back towards Anna. "So… what do you say? I assure you, it'll be worth your while."

"Can't you take a hint?" Rapunzel said. "She's not interested."

Fritz frowned. "No one asked you," he said.

"Hey, look!" Anna said brightly. "The first course! Mushroom puffs! I love mushroom puffs! Oh! Do you know who else loves mushroom puffs, Rapunzel?"

Rapunzel stared at Anna for a second with a raised eyebrow and then brightened as well. "No, I don't!" she said. "Who else loves mushroom puffs, Anna?"

"Kristoff!" Anna glanced at Fritz with a smile. "Kristoff, my absolutely wonderful boyfriend, loves mushroom puffs!"

"Ha ha," Fritz said curtly. "A simple 'no' would've sufficed."

Anna flinched as the prince outright glared at her. Then he turned and began instantly oozing charm at the girl on his other side. He said something and she giggled; Anna silently retched.

"Forget about him," Rapunzel whispered. She picked up her fork as the first set of plates were set down in front of them. "He's clearly already forgotten about you."

"That's the problem," Anna muttered. "That's the problem with all of them."

She glared at Fritz and the girl, grabbed her own fork, and stabbed at a mushroom puff, the metal making a harsh 'clank' against the porcelain. Fritz turned, raising a eyebrow at the sound. Anna simply smiled back.

"Yeesh," Eugene said after Fritz looked away again. "Are you… okay? That is, you know if you have anything you need to talk about, we're here. Okay, honestly, probably more Rapunzel than me. But just incase you need me too. I'm here."

"I'm fine," Anna said, glowering. "Perfectly wonderfully fine."

She wasn't fine. But she also didn't want to admit that. Admitting that would mean that they'd gotten to her. That they'd won.

What they'd won, she didn't know. She didn't want to think about it. It was making her head hurt. She didn't know why they got to her. Why she bothered hearing them out. Why she let them wrap her up in their little games - their words reaching beneath her skin and churning her insides - when they were such terrible people to begin with.

Such terrible, terrible people.

"You know who really likes mushroom puffs?" Rapunzel asked airily.

"Rapunzel…" Anna moaned. "I don't really want to talk about Kristoff right-"

"Maximus."

Anna blinked at her.

"Maximus?"

"Yeah, he's been pretty busy and stressed out since the tournament started. We should grab some stuff from the kitchen and go see him later tonight."

"That could be… fun," Anna said.

"Oh, did I tell you about the illegal shipment of mangos he busted recently?" Rapunzel said. "There were butterflies involved."

"And a mime," Eugene said.

"And a mime."

Anna smiled despite herself. "Okay, go on," she said. "I'm intrigued."

Dinner brightened after that. Rapunzel and Eugene spent the rest of the first course tag-teaming the story of Maximus' daring heroics. The mushroom puffs gave way to a delicious venison broth and then roast quail after that. The conversation morphed as well, mostly keeping to light, related topics: why mimes chose to become mimes, the differences between various tropical fruit, adorable animal companions…

"Well, sure," Rapunzel was saying, "Pascal likes everything really, but he absolutely loves papayas."

"Where is Pascal by the way?" Anna said. "I thought he liked meeting new people?"

"Oh, he does, but Mother said it would probably be best to leave him upstairs. You never know which people have allergies or phobias or whatever."

"Allergies? I didn't think you could be allergic to rept-"

There was a loud screech as a chair scraped backwards. Anna's head snapped towards the sound.

The King of Weideland was standing, his chair knocked to the floor. One hand was braced against the table while the other clutched at his heart. He wheezed, his face turning bright red.

"Someone call the doctor!" Aunt Primrose screamed.

Crashes rang out; servants dropped the next course, ran for help. All around the table, people gasped, people stood, people remained frozen in shock.

It was happening too fast.

The King choked out one last strangled breath. He pitched forward, sprawling as he hit the table.

He was dead.