Chapter 16

Fredric

Fredric was replenishing the vegetable garden when one of the monks motioned for him to come inside. He wanted to put his hoe back into the gardener's shed where it belonged, but the monk just told him to lay it down in the dirt, but the monk shook his head and continued to motion him inside.

It was all about a delivery that needed to be brought inside. Seeds for planting, supplies for making and selling food stuffs, wood, bricks and mortar for patching and building and ink for writing; all needed to be taken off the wagons and placed in the storehouse. These supplies were delivered on demand, some were delivered monthly. Sometimes, depending on the how many supplies were ordered, many of the stronger, younger men would help unload.

This was the first time that Fredric was picked, but he was glad to do it. After all, they had given him shelter and he was grateful in many ways.

And so, it had become a regular thing. At first, he hadn't thought about using it as a means to escape, but on this day, he began to wonder if he could get away with it. He could see the fjord from his room, but would have to walk down to it and there was still a lot of forest to get through as the church and the monastery was set in the center of the island. He would need to check the map and calculate the distance. He had seen ferries running back and forth and wondered if he could catch one of those. He'd have to get off by the castle to get into the village and he wondered if he could get into the castle without being recognized.

But how would he know if they would be there? It was hard now that Brigitta and Greta didn't work there anymore and who knows where they were after the plan backfired. There was talk among the sailors and merchants who delivered goods to the monastery that two bodyguards who used to work for the Duke of Weselton had been taken to a prison somewhere, but he had never been there and wouldn't have any idea where to look.

His sister and her friend could be imprisoned somewhere else, but as he hadn't heard anything from them, he wasn't sure where they were.

In the wee hours of the morning, Fredric calculated how long it would take to walk to the harbor and discovered that it would take him about a half hour to forty five minutes. From there, if he wasn't caught, he could catch a ferry once they started running. That could take fifteen minutes to cross the fjord and then he would see if he could sneak into the castle, but it wouldn't be that easy now that he was no long a dignitary or a council member on official business.

But he would see what happened once he began the journey and where it would lead him. If it led him back here, so be it. But he didn't think that anything would happen to him at all. All that consumed him was the hate in his heart. And the more he thought about it getting revenge, the more excited that he became to get started.

And so he waited until the next delivery day. He would help unload the wagon and just wouldn't go back to his room. He'd hide out in the woods until sunset, and under cover of darkness and, using the moonlight and stars to guide him, Fredric would make his way down to the harbor.

He was sure there wouldn't be any problems at all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Henrik, Kristoff, Elsa and Anna

Second Day, Fun Family Festival, Enchanted Forest

The second day of the festival was everything Kristoff promised it would be. The Noble Singers of Arendelle were a big hit and sparked several encores. The magic shows proved to exciting and wondrous for everyone. Kristoff was a bit nervous about the sawing, but by the end of the show, it seemed that he was still in one piece.

And that was a good thing indeed.

But Kristoff did notice that something was upsetting Elsa and Henrik and quite frankly, so did Anna. And she brought it up right before they all retired to their tents. The kids were off again playing with the Northuldra kids and they were more than happy to let them.

"Elsa, something is bothering you and you know I can always tell," Anna said, although she hadn't always paid attention to her older sister as much as she had in the past.

"It's the spirits again, Anna," Elsa said, "and this time they are getting Henrik involved."

Kristoff looked at Anna and then back at Elsa. "Maybe we should shut it down a little earlier than we had planned."

"I'm not sure if that's it, Kristoff," Elsa answered, "Bruni ran off this morning into the woods I assume. Yelena has been restless all day and…"

"Yeah," Kristoff added, "Ryder sort of mentioned that the reindeer have been a little jumpy."

"And Henrik's been awfully quiet and standoffish," Elsa said as six pairs of eyes turned toward him.

Henrik kept looking up at the sky. "Something is coming, guys. I can feel it and I hope I'm wrong."

He looked at Anna and Kristoff. "You guys worked on advertising for this festival?"

"Yes, we did," Anna said, shrugging her shoulders. "It wouldn't be the first time."

"Maybe Henrik is right," Elsa said, looking at Kristoff and Anna. "We can always postpone it for another time."

"We'll all meet in the morning with Yelena," Anna answered, looking at Kristoff. "I'm sure we can come up with something."

"In the meantime, let's try and get some rest." Henrik said, getting up. "Tomorrow is another day."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Kristoff and Anna

"Henrik is worried about Fredric, isn't he?" Anna said, sitting in her usual spot on the makeshift bed.

Kristoff nodded. "I agree, Anna. I hope he's wrong, but he has a sense about these things.

"What's happening with him? I had heard that he was doing better in that monastery they sent him to."

"You heard what I heard," Kristoff said, "The monks there take a vow of silence, but they always have a spokesman who answers questions. Fredric is watched day and night. Since he tried to escape our dungeon too many times, Brigitta had him moved to the monastery, so he wouldn't feel confined. Brigitta and Greta have moved into a house on the other side of the island and work for the clergy there, which is run by the same church. They are helping out with chores and they are keeping out of trouble. They are watching Fredric closely or supposed to be anyway. It was part of a deal we made with them."

"What about the others?"

"Erik and Francis confessed and are confined to a prison where they will be spending the rest of their lives."

Anna nodded and moved closer to him. She ruffled his hair and kissed him on the cheek. "Not to change the subject, but don't feel bad if we postpone this thing and don't take it personally, Kristoff. This is not something that you can control."

"I won't," Kristoff smiled and pulled her close. " You know, I couldn't have done any of this without your patience."

Anna smiled. "Hey, no one's perfect, Kristoff. We all learn and grow."

"I don't know how you put up with me when we first got married. I was a pain in the neck, but you never gave me up on me."

Anna smiled and ran her hand through his blond hair. "Why would I ever want to give up on you? I'm sorry that I've been busier than usual, lately and I always appreciate your support."

Kristoff smiled, put an arm around her and pulled her close. "As was explained to me, a King Consort is supposed to support the Queen at all times and in any way he can."

He kissed her lightly on the lips and brushed the hair away from her face. "I couldn't think of anything else I'd rather do, but support and protect you. You and the kids are my life."

Anna smiled and moved in to kiss him.

And everything else was forgotten, for the moment anyway.