A/N: This is a Dark!AU inspired by wandering-bard-from-the-id prompt which can be found on Tumblr. It is the second story in the Bound series which can also be found on A03 or Tumblr. While you do not need to read The Conquered to understand what's going on here, it will provide more background and context for what has led to current events. The ENTIRE series is rated M.

As always, many thanks to my beta-reader Fericita who is not on FFN, but is a remarkable writer. I highly encourage everyone to go read her stuff too!

Iduna stretched her arms over her head as Agnarr came into their bedroom. He smiled wearily at her as he began to unbutton his shirt.

"You should really let me do that," she said as she eyed him appreciatively. He laughed and shook his head.

"No. You deserve a man who's had a bath. Someone who doesn't smell like he's been on rough seas for the past week and a half. Be honest, the carriage was a bit ripe by the time we arrived. I could see Anna wrinkling her nose."

"Mmm. I don't care about all that," she yawned. "Some consider it a manly musk. But suit yourself. The girls are finally asleep?"

"It took two lullabies on the violin and several tales of France and Spain but, yes, I think they're finally asleep." He grinned at her and raised an eyebrow. "So we won't be interrupted once I'm decent."

"Decent wasn't exactly what I had in mind for your first night back," she laughed. Agnarr chuckled, winked suggestively and headed for the adjacent washroom. She sighed happily and lay back against the pillows.

She hated that he was gone so frequently, but at least he had done all he could to protect her and the girls in his absence. The Sommerhus had been such a lovely gift – originally meant to be a private country getaway used once or twice a year. But it had quickly become their refuge from Runeard. Mattias often stayed with them, bringing Halima and their children, Destin Jr. and Cecilia, when he wasn't traveling with Agnarr. And when he wasn't there, they were watched by troops who had been loyal to Agnarr during the first collection of the Northuldra Land Reform tax.

There had been surprisingly few questions as to why the young royal family wouldn't want to maintain their residence in the castle. The people of Arendelle, more concerned with their daily business dealings than those of royalty, believed the carefully cultivated tales of the Princesses' frail health and the need for fresh air away from the town. They understood the benefits of a childhood spent at play in the sunshine in open fields. And as for the politicians and ministers . . .well, even if they weren't entirely aware of the full extent of the rift between Agnarr and Runeard, they knew the king had become increasingly irritable and erratic and could understand why the Heir Apparent wouldn't want two young girls exposed to such behavior.

Runeard had fewer allies than ever. He had been livid enough to purge his Council after she and Agnarr had returned with more than enough trade goods to cover the land taxes levied against the Northuldra. He had fired almost every single one of his ministers, even those who had not helped them, earning himself a reputation as paranoid and disloyal. Notably, Marte Gundersen had maintained her position as the Minister of Trade as she had dispassionately told the king, in the midst of a tantrum, that her job was to make Arendelle money. To make the best deal. And she had done that.

But aside from Marte, many other of Arendelle's loyal public servants had found themselves out of a job. Word had spread among certain circles. The King was too arrogant. Too prideful. His sudden and short second marriage and tendency to ship Agnarr away had not helped his reputation. Iduna often found herself on the receiving end of quiet reassurances that those who had distanced themselves from Runeard were more than willing to pledge their loyalty to Agnarr once he ascended to the throne. For now, they were waiting in the wings for the aged king's health to fail.

Iduna smiled humorlessly as she stared at the ceiling.

Runeard had aged past his years. She had seen to it. He was no longer the massive, strapping, martial figure who had dominated her youth. His hair had thinned. He had lost weight. His skin had a strange sheen – an unhealthy, gray cast to it. He was plagued by fatigue and strange chest pains. She had it from the castle staff that he had collapsed on more than on occasion. She had made very certain it never occurred while her family was there. There were poisons that built up over time and only made themselves known once they left a body and threw it into withdrawal. She had consulted very carefully with her mother.

The king liked his cognac. He kept a small, personal store in his private office. To be shared with no one. Iduna didn't need assistants. Just access. And one of the first things she had learned when he had stolen her south was how to pick the locks of her massive prison. Sometimes, she would feel a pang of guilt when she thought of Agnarr. She disliked going behind his back. But he was entirely too good and honorable for the position to which he had been born. Too noble. Too gentle. He saw goodness and restraint where there was none.

She would not let Runeard hurt her husband and daughters the way that he had hurt her parents and brothers.

She would not.

"You look deep in thought," Agnarr leaned against the doorframe, toweling his hair. His wet skin gleaming in the candlelight. Iduna smiled and cocked her head, running her gaze along the length of his muscular form.

"You're welcome to distract me." He grinned and tossed the towel to floor, sliding under the covers and sidling alongside her. He pressed his lips against her neck and she sucked in a sharp breath. Iduna closed her eyes. "I missed you so much."

"I know," she felt his smile against her skin. The warmth of his body and breath against her as he slid his hands along her sides. "I read all the letters you wrote. The ones telling me you missed me. And the ones telling me what you wanted to do once we were together again." She opened her eyes again as he rested his forehead against hers, noses brushing. "Still, you looked a bit serious to be thinking of this," he said lightly. "Should I be worried?"

Thoughts of her actions against his father flooded her mind and, despite their comfortable closeness, her gaze wavered and she tensed. He sensed the change in her and pulled back, resting next to her. Agnarr brought a hand to her cheek and caressed her face.

"Should I be worried?" He frowned. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she tried to smile. She placed a hand over his and sighed. "I just sometimes wonder if you would love me if you knew everything about me." He smiled again and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.

"This has been hard. All these separations. But Iduna, nothing could change my love for you." He stroked the hair away from her face. "I know when I'm traveling it hurts that I can't share every moment with you. No matter how much we write, something will always get left out. Sometimes I feel like I'm keeping too many secrets from you."

"You do?" She raised an eyebrow. She hadn't thought him capable of keeping anything from her. Agnarr was an open book to her.

"I do," he smirked. "Even though I know it's a bit silly. And you can tell me anything and I promise that I will never think less of you. I can keep your secrets as well as my own. But you're also alone so often . . ." He sighed. "If you prefer to keep your own counsel, I understand. Sometimes I'm forced to do the same. I trust you. Just don't carry any burdens that are too hard to bear on your own." He ran the back of his knuckles along her cheek. "I don't like to see you so worried. I promise, I'll keep you and the girls safe."

How could she not love a man like that? An equally powerful rush of guilt and love surged through her as she brought her arms around him. She captured his mouth and melted against him as he turned into her, preparing for their personal homecoming celebration.

"I'm gonna find you eventually! You'd best just give up!"

Elsa giggled as she, Anna, and Cecilia ducked lower behind the sacks of flour in the storehouse. It was always fun when Colonel Mattias came to the Sommerhus and brought his family with him for a visit. Cecilia was half-way in age between she and Anna, but Destin Jr. was sixteen, a recent inductee to Arendelle's Cadet Corps, and couldn't be bothered to play "little girl games" any more.

Which is why it was so fun to steal his training sword and epaulets whenever the opportunity arose. They listened intently as he tried to move aside some of the large barrels of molasses, honey and salted fish – all very heavy – that they had easily crawled past earlier. Anna grinned and winked at Elsa. It had been her idea to hide all the way in the back this time. After a few minutes, they heard him curse softly and stomp off in defeat.

"He's learned the best words in Cadet Corps," Cecilia whispered as they began to emerge from their hiding spot. "Mother used up two whole bars of soap before giving up."

"But what does it mean?" Anna asked as they picked their way over the barrels.

"Don't worry about it, Anna," Elsa said as she hopped down. She held out a hand and helped her sister slide off the barrel. "It's alright for soldiers to talk like that. But Father would die of shame if we said anything like that in front of company."

"What company?"

"Yeah, I don't mind!" Cecilia laughed. Elsa smiled and rolled her eyes. She opened the door to the storehouse and stepped out into the sunlight.

"Gotcha!" Destin Jr. roared as he threw his arms around her and lifted her off the ground. She shrieked with laughter and tried to wriggle out of his grasp as Cecilia and Anna came rushing to her rescue. "Where's my gear?"

"Let my sister go!" Anna shouted, her tiny fists pounding against his left arm as Cecilia hung onto his right.

"No! Not until you give me back my stuff!"

"Destin!" Colonel Mattias' voice boomed across the yard. "Put! The! Princess! Down!" Elsa felt Destin Jr. holding his breath as he gently placed her back on the ground and loosened his grip. She looked over to where Colonel Mattias and Father were walking towards them. The Colonel looked far more put out by his son's behavior than the Crown Prince, who merely looked amused.

"What did she do now, Cadet?" Father called out with a smile.

"Uh," Destin looked beseechingly at Elsa.

"We stole his epaulets," she said, taking Anna's hand and squeezing it so that her sister would remain silent. She didn't want to get Destin Jr. in trouble. Cecilia still might tattle on her older brother, but Elsa couldn't do anything about that.

"At least it wasn't his weapon this time," Colonel Mattias sighed. "A soldier should never lose his weapon." He gestured to Destin Jr. "And don't pick her up like that again. You're not kids anymore. That's not appropriate."

"It's fine," Father laughed. "To catch a thief, hm?" He beckoned to Elsa. "But it's time to come in and start your lessons for the day. Governess Albinka is waiting. And once she's done, I want to continue our conversation about Arendelle's export business with England." He glanced at Anna. "Anna, please give back what you took to Cadet Mattias. He has training he needs to do. And he can't join his company out of uniform."

"I know where they are," Cecilia said, scurrying towards the house. "I'll go get them!"

"Look at that, his company might be coming to him," Colonel Mattias pointed up the road. Elsa followed his gaze to the lone rider that was approaching. She could see the jacket that marked them as a cavalry trooper, but little else. She squinted.

"It shouldn't be for me," Destin Jr. said uneasily. "I'm not due at the training camp until this afternoon." Elsa didn't think he sounded very certain about his report time. Colonel Mattias didn't seem to think so either because he asked,

"You sure about that?"

"Oh! It's Sergeant Korhonen!" Anna chirped. "You can tell from the yellow hair and the red beard." Elsa looked admiringly at her younger sister. She sometimes wondered if Anna had a photographic memory for everyone she ever met.

"Sergeant Korhonen?" Father wondered aloud. "Who's he?"

"He's a cavalry trooper who sometimes gets assigned to the castle guard detail," Colonel Mattias said.

"We met him last month when we were waiting for you to come home!" Anna grabbed Father's hand. "He was really nice! He played tag with me." Father smiled at Anna and then looked over at Elsa. She shrugged.

"He was very talkative," she said meaningfully.

"Oh?" Father said lightly, but she saw the small creases in his forehead deepen. "A chatty type? Well, then, hopefully he's here for a nice chat." Elsa watched as he, Colonel Mattias and Destin Jr. all exchanged a glance. She frowned. She understood that Father might have to keep adult things among the adults, but Destin Jr. was barely three years older that she was and it was hardly fair he be included.

But that was a conversation to have with Father later. Privately.

"Good morning, Your Highness!" Sergeant Korhonen smiled broadly as he entered the yard. He dismounted and, keeping the reins in one hand, bowed to Father and then saluted Colonel Mattias.

"Hi Sergeant Korhonen!" Anna waved and bounced onto her toes. He grinned and waved back to her.

"Good morning, Princess Anna. Princess Elsa." He bowed his head to her. "It's nice to see you again, I hope you're both well."

"How's your son doing?" Anna asked. "Is he walking yet?"

"He's trying to," he laughed. "He's certainly falling enough."

"What brings you out here, Sergeant?" Father folded his hands behind his back.

"His Majesty wanted me to ride out here, Your Highness. To let you know to expect him in the early afternoon. He'll be coming out in the royal carriage with a guard, but he wanted to give you some time to prepare."

"Grandfather is coming here?" Anna's jaw dropped as she looked up at Elsa. "I don't remember him ever visiting before."

"Do you think something happened?" She asked Father.

"Oh no, Princess Elsa," Sergeant Korhonen shook his head. "Nothing like that. He just wanted to come and see you. I think it has something to do with planning a party for your thirteenth birthday in December."

"King Runeard is coming here to plan a party?" Anna and Colonel Mattias spoke at the same time. But while Colonel Mattias sounded skeptical, Anna sounded ecstatic. Elsa bit back her smile.

"My commander told me that His Majesty wants to discuss a family affair with, uh, the family, Sir." He shrugged apologetically. "I honestly don't know any more than that. Just that he intends to be here shortly after lunchtime."

"I see," Father looked down the road as though the King were to appear at any moment. "Well, Sergeant, thank you for alerting us. Will you be staying or do you need to return to Arendelle?"

"I was going to ride back home, Your Highness, if you've no need for me here. I'm not assigned to the King's Guard. They just needed someone to ride out quickly with the message."

Father nodded and waved a hand.

"You're dismissed, Sergeant, thank you," Colonel Mattias said. Sergeant Korhonen saluted, bowed once more to Father, and mounted his horse.

"I hope you all have a nice day," he said before snapping the reins and heading off.

"Maybe we can wait until Grandfather arrives to have lunch?" Anna suggested, hovering close to Elsa's side.

"Yes, Anna, I think that's a good idea." Father said.

"Do you want us to tell Mother?" Elsa asked her Father. He smiled at her.

"No, Elsa, I'll tell her myself. Why don't you go and join Governess Albinka? There's no reason to interrupt your morning lessons. Mattias, could you please take Anna to Gerda? And Cadet Mattias, might I suggest setting out a little early so you don't get caught up in all the fanfare that's heading our way? I'd hate to have you delayed for your training."

Elsa felt her stomach churn as she started towards the house. Grandfather had never come out to the Sommerhus for as long as she could remember. She didn't like the idea that she was the focus of his visit any more than she had liked him interrogating her about her lessons when she had been at the castle.

Governess Albinka had taken biology classes in Berlin and told her all about dissecting frogs. She said you put them in a jar with ether to kill them, then pinned them down and cut them open to study the insides. But sometimes, the ether didn't kill the frog and it would start to squirm as the first incision was made. Elsa thought about that a lot. How the frog must feel to have someone dispassionately torturing it while starting down at it. Sometimes, that's how Grandfather made her feel.

And he didn't even know what she could do.

She hugged herself as she crossed the yard, staring at the ground as she walked. She looked up to find Cecilia frowning, her gaze drifting between everyone. She looked at Elsa.

"Why do you all look like someone died?"

"Over my dead body."

Runeard sighed as Agnarr leaned forward in his chair and his wife put a restraining hand on his shoulder. He took a sip of the cognac and placed the glass on the table. His granddaughters had been dismissed to do whatever it was they were allowed to do outside. Probably try to summon those damnable spirits all the way to Arendelle. The lazy, overly familiar sycophants that passed for staff at this shack had also made themselves scarce.

"Let's try that again, shall we?" He rubbed his face and winced slightly as he shifted in his seat and felt a twinge in his chest. "I am offering you, your wife, and your daughters the opportunity to return to a permanent residence in the castle." He held up his hand as the pair opened their mouths. "Let me finish. We should discuss this."

"There's nothing to discuss," Iduna said coldly. Runeard waved a hand at her.

"There's quite a lot to discuss. I appreciate you still might be annoyed about how I treated you before you were married-"

"Annoyed?!"

"-but I stayed true to my word. I didn't kill any more members of your family and I left your people alone. And you," he pointed at his son. "I found you a wife who was attractive enough and I did what was necessary to ensure she behaved. With a lineage that would give your children an irrefutable claim to the Northern Territories. And then you idiotically threw that away."

He found a mild satisfaction at the way Agnarr's jaw worked and how his eye twitched before he growled "I think it's time for you to leave."

"I think not." He reached out for his glass and took another sip. He studied how white Iduna's knuckle was as she continued to grip the fabric of his son's sleeve. He smacked his lips and sighed again.

"You won. The Northuldra will never venture south again. We can barely get a handful of traders to come down now. They pay their annual taxes and I certainly can't invade. Not only would my people refuse to back an expedition like that, we'd be crushed by those walking mountains that roam around up there."

Iduna snorted and Agnarr smiled humorlessly. Runeard rolled his eyes.

"Yes, think it's as amusing as you'd like, but your daughter is going to inherit the throne and the problems of a split kingdom. Our neighbors are growing stronger every year while we have the Northuldra situation hanging over our heads."

"The Northuldra aren't a threat to Arendellians," Iduna scowled. "We never were."

"My point," he glared at her. "Is that Elsa is going to rule as Queen one day. Heir presumptive though she might be, we all know that I'm not having any more children and – if you two have anything to say about it – neither will you. Elsa will be Queen."

"She'll be a fine Queen," Agnarr narrowed his eyes.

"I agree. She's a smart girl. With the right match, she'll be in an excellent position to have a long and prosperous reign." He gritted his teeth. "But surely you aren't deluding yourselves that keeping her isolated here in the country is providing her with the best opportunities to prepare for her future responsibilities?"

"Her lessons are going very well, thank you for your concern. Her tutors all came highly recommended and are experts in their own right. I poached some myself from other courts."

"That's all very well and good, Agnarr, but when you were her age you'd been attending Council Meetings with me for nearly two years. You can't learn to run a kingdom in absentia. Elsa should have the chance to learn – just like you did – exactly how Arendelle works. The best time for that is early on. Marte Gundersen thinks she could be drafting policy by age fifteen with proper training. And I'm sure you're giving her all your hard-earned pearls of wisdom from your travels around Europe, but lecture is no substitute for face-to-face diplomacy."

He could see the grudging acknowledgement of that statement in both of their faces. For all of their many, many, many faults and personal slights against him, Runeard knew that they loved their girls. He would wager – was wagering – that he wasn't telling them anything that they hadn't worried about when considering Elsa's future. There would be no need for dead bodies this time. He knew how to get Iduna to agree to return to the castle. Agnarr too. He drew a deep breath and looked down at the table.

"I . . .owe . . . you both, the both of you, an apology." There. Distasteful as the lie was, he had forced himself to say the words. Which was ridiculous. Kings didn't apologize. But their equally shocked expressions were somewhat amusing. "For past actions. I failed to control my temper as I should have. I spoke too disparagingly to you both. Unfortunately, that led to this situation where my granddaughter is not being well served by any of us for her future position and responsibilities."

"Under no circumstances am I sending my daughter to live with you," Agnarr said firmly.

"I'm not asking you to," Runeard drummed his fingers against the table top. "I am extending an invitation for you – for all four of you – to return to the castle. It will give Elsa the proximity she needs to be at the center of things. To learn firsthand what will be expected of her one day. Anna – well, I don't think she's ever met a stranger. She always seems so happy whenever she's in town. And she'd have the opportunity to make more friends there. To be introduced to society. You've both been very indulgent, but she is a Princess of Arendelle and she's going to have to meet her social obligations one day."

"I'm not bringing the girls to stay under your roof while my husband is gone." Agnarr looked at his wife as she spoke in a flat tone. Runeard tried not to sneer as he covered her hand with his own. Had he ever been so sickeningly affectionate with Agnarr's mother? Well, yes, but she had been a treasure who knew her place and stood by him. Instead, he forced a small smile and bowed his head.

"I know. And that's easy enough to arrange." He waved a hand and glanced at his son. "I'm not getting any younger. It would make sense for you to – slowly – start taking over some of my duties. Of course, that would mean that you wouldn't be going out on diplomatic missions any more." He smiled as Agnarr and Iduna exchanged a look. He thought that would get their attention. "So long as your family is in residence at the castle, you have my word that I will not send you abroad. You can remain with your wife and daughters."

"And you think I trust you to keep your word?" Agnarr frowned.

"If I break it, you can always send them back here just like you did the first time. I'm not telling you to sell your . . .charming little Sommerhus." His lip curled. "I can't stop you from packing up and leaving again. The scandal isn't worth it." He shrugged. "I don't need an answer right now. You can think on it. But you should ask yourselves what you want for Elsa – what would be best for her. Anna, too – she seems a bit lonely all the way out here now that she's older. Hell, you should be a little selfish for a change and ask if you want to keep seeing one another only a few months a year!" He pointed at Agnarr. "Your mother and I were never apart for more than two weeks. I know it can't be easy." He drained his glass and stood.

"So think about it. And if it's agreeable to you, then I think once you get back from your trip north to collect the annual tax would be an excellent time to make the move. We can even have your belongings brought over while you're travelling. That would make everything nice and smooth. And I think we could all use a little nice and smooth for a change."

"Psst! Hey, Elsa!" Anna shook her sister's shoulder. Elsa rolled over and yawned.

"What?"

"Grandfather already left!" She climbed into the bed and sat cross-legged.

"He left hours ago, Anna. You were just asleep." Elsa sat up and reached out to light the candle on her nightstand.

"I can't believe I got sent to bed and you got to stay up. That's so unfair." Anna sighed. "What were you all talking about?"

"I don't know what he was talking about with Mother and Father. He just asked me how my lessons were going with Governess Albinka. Why?"

"I dunno, I'm just curious," she shrugged. "He was asking me how I liked it out here and if I had made any new friends." She rolled her eyes. "Like there's anyone to meet out here that isn't a rabbit or a goat. He said he thought I must get lonely."

There was a moment of silence. "Do you get lonely?"

"I mean, a little. There's nobody else to play with and Destin is really boring now that he's an adult. Don't you?"

"Well . . .no. I have you." Anna smiled at her sister's response and then immediately felt guilty for what she had said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't -"

"No, it's alright, you like people a lot more than I do. But I mean it. I don't get lonely here. I've got you and Cecilia comes to play. We've always got Mother and it's so nice when Father is home. And the staff. That's enough for me." Elsa reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "But I'm sorry that you're lonely. I didn't really think of what it's like out here for you. Especially with Arendelle so close."

"Yes, I'm so lonely – so terribly lonely," she grinned. "And you know what the only thing that can make me feel better is?" Elsa groaned good-naturedly and opened her hands, palms facing the ceiling.

"I know, I know. Do the magic."