To My Unnecessarily Humble Savioress,

I accidentally dropped some water on the table after I put your letter down, so the bottom got soaked halfway through. Sorry about that. My hands have some serious shaking palsy symptoms going on these days. I can only respond to the paragraphs I didn't oversaturate:

Isolde doesn't have any special powers apart from her irresistible charm, but she does have insecurities about who she is. When the time comes for you to meet her with or without me, you'll understand what I mean; I don't intend on going before my time, mind you. "Invincible father" might be a stretch, but I'll take it. Trying to heal me with flattery is a brilliant tragedy, Your Majesty, though I'm not going to let you get away with fighting me on whether or not you're a savioress. If I have to accept being called invincible without complaint, then you have to accept being called an amazing woman without putting up a fuss, Little Missy.

After all, you put up with me for three years. What woman with a sense of self can even begin to brag about that other than my own wife? Let's not forget about how long you've stuck by me after everyone else told you to run for the hills. You deserve much more than cursive letters of praise on some piece of paper, Elsa; and I want to give or at least show you that one day. I may not be in a position to thank you the way I would like, but I hold no ill will towards you whatsoever, so you shouldn't hold any towards yourself.

You're on base about how damaging it can be to put up a wall, but the wall is there for a very good reason. I can't throw down the drawbridge for anyone and take risks in my situation. I know you're not an "anyone," but you were someone I still needed to feel out. I've never had people I could count on except for my Rapunzel, and it took twenty-six years for her to come into my life. I understand now that you do unconditionally have my best interests at heart and I'm sorry for not giving you my all sooner, because there's a lot that I need to come clean about once we're finally face-to-face.

You know, you really blow my mind; if you could do that for us, then I could die in peace. I'm not sure who told you we had smallpox, but we don't. Everything else you said is spot-on. What I actually have is a problem involving my sinuses. The herbalists can't put their fingers on it. I was also still recovering from battle, so my immune system hasn't been up to par; it's getting there, though.

Your men are out there working in tandem with mine to get the overcrowding regulated. We're relocating some people to the cays beyond the capital and treating patients in segregated centers there. Right now we have to make Rugen livable, bless bodies, arrange funerals, and find a way to rebuild what was demolished. Your people are helping with all of that, so mine wanted me to give you their thanks.

I'm going lay it on the line: reading what you just wrote infuriates me because it means that my daughter wouldn't be let in even if she could make it, but I don't have enough energy in my body to cry about it. Your parliamentarians are leaving me on a powder keg. Since you and Arendelle are at least willing to support me, I have a better shot at pulling through, but I don't plan on forgiving the Storting in the future. As for finding a way around it, I distinctly recall you losing control of your ice fleet. If teleportation works, then spectacular, but if it has any side-effects, don't do it.

Being declared dead in absentia isn't good enough for me; Ragnar could be staking out somewhere for all we know. His brothers alone could wake up one day and decide that they want to stymie Arendelle and Corona. They might regain some allies just because you defended the "criminal crowners," at that. Considering everything I just wrote, I wouldn't get any closer to the remaining brothers than you already have. You don't know how the entire family feels about your intervention and I doubt they'll show you.

I'm more confident about taking another stab at my councilmen. Speaking of Krämer, I decided to have him sentenced to life in prison. My council wanted me to hang him, but I don't have the heart for it. They're afraid that he'll find a way to escape while I'm not. think I made the right choice.

You made a fair point about Isolde. I should've thought about that before I left, especially considering how smart she is. Right now, she hasn't had a moment to let everything soak in because her ear has been hurting her since the sixth. She's had one or two cases of this before, but this is the worst it's ever been. Dr. Ingul and Dr. Waldus are treating it with oil drops and warm towels. It's getting better as time goes on, but there's some discharge; I'm just hoping that her canal will be okay after this is over.

So then, it was you. I knew it. I knew I wasn't losing my mind. It's even more astounding to think I actually played a part in your magic somehow. Sadly, I don't know any more about the vision that popped into your head than you do, but it definitely sounds to me like you saw the Magic Golden Flower.

Now that I think about it, maybe it happened because your powers were somehow picking up on the metaphysical sediments of old magic. Not necessarily sediments in me, but traces of the memory. I really don't have a good lead here, but the rock trolls might be able to clear up this one for us. In my heart, your snow bees would be more than welcome to fly into my window for a second reunion. It's the closet I might come to speaking to you directly, but I don't recommend meditating for hours on end just to accomplish this.

Trust me, you helped. We didn't need a second more to surprise Ragnar and turn the battle into our favor. Your whiteout did a terrific job. I've never been a fan of the cold, but I'm a devout kowtower now. Some of my soldiers have converted to Elsa-anity. Learn to give yourself credit where credit is due, because as I said before, you are one amazing woman.

From Corona,
VIII of January, 1850
Yours always,
Eugene