When they arrived into Haukeli, night had fallen. It was reaching those autumn months where, in the far north, the night far outlasted the day and the sky was lit only by the never-ending dance of the aurora.

Anna shivered a little and was glad of her Sami shawl as they found Sven and the horses a stable for the night and headed toward the town's one, tiny inn.

A fire crackled merrily in the grate as Henrik pushed open the door. Anna and Gerda followed, and bringing up the rear were Oskar, Ralf and Kristoff – laden with trunks. The inn was sparsely populated, with only a few patrons nursing pints and a single barmaid restocking glasses.

Gerda approached the counter.

"So sorry to trouble you, but could I ask if there are any rooms available for tonight? My family and I are looking for a place to rest."

The barmaid appraised them, clearly taken off guard by Gerda's impeccable politeness. "Sure. How many you looking for?"

"Just two – if you have any large enough for all four of my boys. "

Indeed, they cut an imposing assemblage with their broad shoulders, stony faces and apparently effortless grip on the trunks.

And they were heavy trunks. Anna had packed most of them.

The barmaid laughed at this. "I'm sure we've got something. Give me a second." She produced a battered logbook from under the bar and ran her finger down to the current date. "Two rooms. Yes, we've got a couple tonight. Will you be needing breakfast tomorrow?"

"That would be lovely."

The barmaid nodded and made a note in the logbook. "Hundred for the rooms, and breakfast is three per person. Hundred and eighteen spec."

Gerda rummaged in the little bag they'd strategically transferred some of Anna's vast haul into and handed over a couple of notes and some coins.

"Ta."

More rummaging beneath the bar.

"Here's your keys. Up the stairs, first two doors on your left."

They lugged the trunks upstairs and stowed them carefully in the two little rooms. Anna was intensely curious about every detail.

"Look at this Gerda! What are these beds made of?" She plonked herself down on one experimentally. "It's so… robust."

Gerda fussed about, laying as many pillows and blankets as she could find on Anna's bed. "My lady, this will not be what you are used to, so if there is anything not to your liking, do let me know and I will do what I can – "

"It's all right, Gerda," she smiled. "It's kind of exciting. An adventure!"

"An adventure it may be for you, Princess Anna, but a worry it is for me. Now, is that more comfortable? I'll open the window to let some air in – and we'll get you into your nightgown. And I must speak to the guards about standing watch – "

"Nightgown? No!" She sprung up, heading for the door. "I want to go back downstairs, see what it's like! And we don't need anyone to keep watch, Gerda," another smile. A very naïve smile, Gerda thought. "It'll be fine! And we don't want to be too obvious or anything. We're just a normal Sami family travelling down from Lom, remember?"

Gerda was unconvinced.

"All the same, my lady, it will not do to be reckless."

Anna took the servant's hands, squeezing them tightly in her own. "It'll be ok, Gerda. I've got you and Kristoff and three huge guards with me. I know I'm safe."

Gerda sighed. "That's is very sweet of you my lady, but your sister has entrusted us with your well-being. Every last one of us would lay down our life for you, my lady."

Anna was deeply touched – and surprised – by this. Her mind drifted briefly back to a conversation she'd had with Elsa just after the Thaw: being a princess is weird, isn't it?

"Gerda, you looked exhausted. Get some sleep – I promise that I won't go anywhere without Ralf and Henrik and Oskar."

A knock at the door.

"My lady?"

Gerda hurried over and shooed Henrik inside. "Don't you 'my lady' her in a place you might be heard!" She hissed. "Have you lost your mind?"

Henrik hung in his head and bowed to Anna. "My apologies, ma'am; Princess Anna," he turned back to Gerda. "Ma'am, I came to ask about arrangements for tonight. Oskar needs rest, being the driver – but Ralf and I propose taking turns on watch. The Ice Master also seems keen to assist, but I wasn't sure what her majesty the Queen had said to you about his role here – "

"Queen Elsa made it clear to me that Master Bjorgman is also here to protect the princess, Henrik. Let us not forget how much he has already done for her."

Henrik nodded. "Understood, ma'am. In that case, Ralf, Kristoff and myself can all – "

Anna chipped in. "You know, there's really no need, I will be ok – "

Gerda shot her a stern look that only only a mother figure could. Anna felt silent.

"In the interests of discretion, I suggest you stand your guard in here – to stand outside would surely raise suspicion."

Henrik nodded. "Understood, ma'am."

"However, Princess Anna wishes to go downstairs for a spell. I fear she will not rest until she has done so."

Henrik nodded again. Anna wondered if his head moved in any other way. "Yes ma'am. Myself and Ralf will accompany her."

"Very good. My lady," finally, Gerda turned back to her. "No more than an hour. We must reach Kristiansand tomorrow – you'll need to be up early."

Anna grinned broadly. "Thanks Gerda! Get some rest. I'll be back soon."

As she turned to the door, she found herself face to face with Henrik. She hesitated for a fraction of a second before saluting. "Shall we?"

The stony-faced guard felt himself almost smile.

Downstairs, they found a small corner table, where Henrik and Ralf could sit with their backs to the wall and keep a watchful eye on everyone in the room. Kristoff had needed very little persuading to also join, and sat opposite them next to a very excited Anna.

"I've never seen anything like this before," she enthused, turning round in her seat to drink in the room.

Kristoff looked at her in amusement. "I bet you've never sleep in anything like those beds before either."

Anna shook her head. "Gerda's put about a hundred blankets on it, so I'm sure it'll be ok."

"You've read The Princess and the Pea, right?"

"Of course! It's in the library – honestly, that story basically gave me an identity crisis when I first read it. Did you read it as a kid?"

Kristoff was saved from a fumbled answer by the arrival of the barmaid – it had actually been one of the stories he'd borrowed from the castle library to practice reading, before Elsa took him under her wing, and it had made him laugh out loud thinking about Anna –

"What can I get for you? We've got some of our very own home-brewed beer, as well as some from old Herre Abel down the road – though ours is better, if I do say so myself."

Ralf shook his head curtly. "We're all right."

"Oh, Ralf, have a drink!" Anna smiled, and looked up at the barmaid. "My brother thinks he can't have a drink because he needs to look after me. I've never been outside our hometown of Lom before."

Kristoff had to stop himself from sighing as he glanced down at her earnest little face. Of course she was getting into the backstory.

The barmaid looked interested. "That's a good brother you've got yourself there. What brings you from Lom?"

Anna looked like she'd never been asked a more exciting question.

"Well, our father passed away, and ma has always wanted to travel down to Corona. We figured it was time for us to move on."

"I'm so sorry. Losing a parent is hard."

Anna nodded. She hesitated for a second, caught up in her own life. " – thank you. We've still got ma though, and it's good to get out of Lom."

"Well, I can see why your brother's worried. Haukeli's a good, safe town though – full of good people and good streets. You must've been travelling a few days then, down from Lom?"

Anna opened her mouth to respond, but Henrik got there first. "Aye. Two days."

The barmaid nodded. "Well, that's definitely a journey that deserves a drink. I must be able to tempt you with something."

Henrik hesitated, threw half a glance at Anna, and nodded. "Go on Ralf, have a drink. I'll stay sober."

Again, Ralf hesitated, but nodded: Henrik was a superior officer. "I'll have one of your home-brewed."

"Lovely. And yourself?" She looked at Kristoff.

"Akvavit, thanks."

Anna was intrigued. "Ooh, I'll have one of those too, that sounds awesome – "

"No!" Kristoff, Henrik and Ralf all immediately spoke together.

The barmaid laughed. "Might be a bit strong if you're not used to it, love. How about a half pint of me home-brewed?"

Slightly disappointed, she nodded. "All right, thank you."

As the barmaid trotted off, Henrik leaned forward. "Sorry for cutting across you there, my lady," he muttered. "I wasn't too sure how good your geography was."

An hour or so later, Kristoff found himself at the bar, waiting to pay for the drinks. He'd refused both Anna's money and persistent nagging to try some akvavit, promising her that they'd find some back in Arendelle. Maybe. Completely oblivious to the waiting barmaid, he stood looking over at Anna coaxing conversation out of the two stiff-backed guards.

"Sweet girl, your sister."

He looked round. "Huh? Oh, she'd not my sister. Definitely not my sister."

The barmaid looked confused.

"I mean – not technically." He sighed, resigning himself to Anna's ridiculous cover story. "I'm adopted."

"Ah, I see. And going with them to – Corona, was it, she said? Ten forty."

Kristoff handed over the money and nodded, looking over at Anna again. "I'd go anywhere with her."