Chapter 23
Fredric, Henrik
"Fredric?"
Henrik was a little uncomfortable walking into Fredric's hospital room, but he felt he could handle it. And from what the Abbott had told him, Fredric was anxious to see him.
"I'm by the window, Henrik," he answered, turning around to face him.
The two stared at each other. It wasn't the first time they had seen each other, but it was the first time up close. They examined each other. It was like looking in a mirror. They had the same thick head of sandy hair, the same deep brown eyes and the same dimples when they smiled, although not in the same places.
Fredric smiled. "Hello brother, it's nice to see you again, under different circumstances this time."
Henrik was speechless. After all that rehearsing, after all the excitement at seeing him again, the words just wouldn't come.
Fredric shook his head and smiled. ""Cat got your tongue, although I can understand your hesitancy. I'm afraid we got off to a bad start."
Henrik looked at him, the emotion rising in him. He nodded and smiled. "You're right, I agree."
Fredric moved closer. "I know how you're feeling, I feel the same way. I don't know whether I can trust you or not, I need to know if everything you said to me while I was out of it was the truth. And yes, everything that I told the Abbott this morning was true."
"There would be no reason for me to lie to you, Fredric. You are my brother; you'll always be my brother no matter what happens."
And they both came together, Fredric rushing into his arms, despite a slight wave of dizziness that passed over him.
"I'd like to make up for it, Henrik. I want to get to know you; I want you to teach me what you know. I want you to trust me."
Henrik smiled through his tears. They pulled apart and stared at each other. "If we are going to do this, really do this, I will your undivided attention and your cooperation. I need you to believe in yourself, Fredric. I need the hatred gone and I need you to trust me. Can you do that?"
Fredric nodded. "I can, but you'll have to be patient. I can be stubborn and I have a temper."
Henrik wiped his eyes. "It's funny how we are so alike. My guardian used to say I had the worst temper she'd ever seen and told me to learn to control it. She was right."
Fredric narrowed his eyes. "So what did you do? You seem so.."
"I taught myself to control it and I will teach that to you too, probably first thing when we are alone. And I mean alone, Fredric, no visitors, no friends, no nothing and that goes for me as well."
"How long do you think it will be?"
Henrik looked at his brother. "Six months, a year maybe, I'm not sure. Basically, it's up to you."
A wave of dizziness swept over him again and he almost collapsed if Henrik hadn't held him up. "Time to lie back down, Fredric. The doctor wants you to rest. We might need a week, maybe longer to get you back to my temporary tent in the Enchanted Forest. In the meantime, I have a meeting to attend and we will be able to spend the entire day getting to know each other, just me and you. What do you say?"
Fredric nodded. "I would like that,"
"Rest then, I'll see you later."
Fredric watched him open the door and then close it behind him. Another wave of dizziness came and went.
He thought about Henrik's proposition and wondered if he would be able to turn things around as quickly as his brother thought. Maybe Henrik had been right, the two of them alone, getting to know one another and to learn about each other. Maybe he just needed time to learn to accept himself as the person he really was and not what society wanted him to be.
Would he ever forget a lifetime of revenge and hatred; of not belonging anywhere or of not fitting in and to finally be at peace with himself?
Fredric decided he was going to take that chance, to find out just who he was and what he could be going forward. And it was all going to start as soon as Henrik came back from his meeting. It was all he had left and he was going to make the most of it.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Henrik, Council Members, Father Pederson and Brother Jakob
Henrik hurried to what was known as the meeting center. It was brand new as the meetings were always held at the rectory and it was only attended by the Abbott, Father Pederson and Brother Jakob. When the meetings started to include other members of the clergy, this new center was built to accommodate them. The way it was set up now reminded Henrik of a cross as the hospital was located at the top of it while the entrance and lobby were located toward the bottom. The monastery was situated to the left while the church itself was located to the right. The large meeting room was in the middle and, in this way, it could be reached easily by all four locations, if needed.
"Sorry I'm late, but…." Henrik said, walking into the meeting room. It had been made larger, Father Pederson was explaining as he entered, to fit all twenty four members of their council. They were put on rotation, meeting in different places of worship bimonthly. Their turn was coming up in two weeks sand they were going to be ready.
Father Pederson stopped and looked up as every face in the room turned to face him. "I was just explaining to our guests that the meeting has been postponed until further notice. Something has come up, Henrik, but as I was telling the Queen, the Prince and the rest of our esteemed guests, the Abbott, Brother Jakob and I have given you permission to take Fredric with you back to the castle this afternoon for further care. We feel he is safer with you than he is here where he'll feel more comfortable, at least that's what he explained to the Abbott this morning."
No one moved, no one said a word. Everyone looked at everyone else.
"But there is still a lot to discuss," Anna said. "What about Brigitta and Greta? Do they stay here? I will not have them follow Fredric to Arendelle just because he will be there."
"I'm not sure if I like the idea of Fredric moving inside the castle," Henrik said, "but that will be up to the Queen and the Prince. But that aside, the Queen is right. They have already been dismissed as nannies and cannot be trusted. I was a bit surprised to find out that they were on the island at all."
"We didn't want them in the Forest or for them to remain at the castle," Yelena spoke up, "The Prince and I, as Special Envoys, both agreed that the best place for them was to live and work on the other side of the island where they would not be seen, but would hear updates every day. It was the only thing that everyone agreed to."
"It was sort of a temporary thing," Kristoff continued. "They were to be watched to see if Brigitta and Greta were telling the truth. The deal was no involvement between the two parties whatsoever. We gave them a year to prove themselves. If nothing happened during that time, the three of them would be reunited. They would still be watched closely by the Guards that we posted on the island and if something happened, all three would be sent to separate prisons. They knew that from the start. We made it clear when Brigitta and Greta admitted that they had been spying on the Royal Family for years. We gave them the benefit of the doubt, Henrik. Maybe Yelena and I were wrong, but as the leader of the Northuldra told you, it was what everyone thought was fair and what everyone agreed to."
Kristoff looked around the table and his eyes rested on Father Pederson. "Has something happened that we don't know about?"
"Something has, Prince Kristoff," the Abbott's voice filled the room. He had Greta with him and Brigitta was bringing up the rear. Fredric was being wheeled in by the Guards.