There was no worse feeling than returning emptyhanded.

His mind had been running tirelessly from the moment he had helped his son onto the water spirit's back before mounting the stallion himself, riding the Nokk across the Dark Sea as he felt the salty sea air blowing against his face, and the whole experience would have been somewhat thrilling for him -reminding him of his days at the sea as a Navy, if only his heart had not ached so much.

Elsa, his Elsa, had disregard his very words of warning, had acted out of her own hunch instead of coming to discuss it with him as husband and wife, had hidden whatever piece of information offered to her by the other woman that could lure her into leaving without telling even her loved ones where.

"Papa," Wilhelm's voice was quiet, almost unheard against the wind, but he had looked down to see the boy staring straight to where the beach was growing closer. "Mama will be alright, right?" his head tilted up, blue eyes bright and wide. "You will find her and get her home, right?"

The poor boy had merely wished for his mother's wellbeing, for her to return back home. "Don't worry, Wilhelm, I will try my hardest to get Mama." He didn't dare promise, didn't dare to speak of the word in fear that he may not fulfill it, he could only assure, because yes he would do anything in his power and ability to get his wife back.

The Nokk had halted right at where the waves lapped against the rocky beach, unable to step onto land without the Snow Queen's frost blanketing his body made of water, and he had dismounted as soon as it had stopped, boots creating a small splash against the water as he helped his son off.

The trek back was short and quiet, as the sun had set behind his back, and around halfway in he had lifted the young Prince after he yawned tiredly. He didn't quite have the knowledge of how tiring using magic was -he didn't even know if what Wilhelm had done back then had been magic or simply being his mother's son, but even so the travelling that they had done from Arendelle and then Ahtohallan may have been a little too much for such young child.

Anna was sitting by the fire with Kristoff and the Nattura siblings when he had reached the camp, leaping up onto her feet as soon as her turquoise eyes caught the sight of the auburn-haired Prince Consort, yet the excited expression on her face had soon fell when she did not see any trace of the platinum blonde hair of her sister.

"Where is she?" she questioned, as the Prince approached the warm fire, taking the half asleep boy into her own arms. "Hans, where is Elsa?"

And he told them of what he had seen in Ahtohallan as they sat back down, of the wonder of what Wilhelm was capable of -awakening the ancient river by being Elsa's son, the memories that was played before their very eyes, and the reason why Elsa had left without telling the truth.

"Duchess of Weselton?!" the Princess would have shouted, he knew she would, if only she did not have her nephew in her lap, and had opted for a sharp hiss instead. "She's meeting the wife of that weasel?"

"She may not be as bad as him." Kristoff suggested, though it had only prompted his fiancée to turn and glare at him, making him flinch. "Just an idea."

The exchange between them, and the clear dislike that Anna held over the duke, had caught the interest of the Northuldra girl, who had turned her attention to her with a curious frown. "Wait, who is this 'weasel' again?"

"He's a duke of a neighboring land." Hans explained, "He accused Elsa of witchcraft and attempted to turn our people against her years ago."

"All because he was a coward, that sneaky little thing."

Not exactly the word that he would have used, or one that Elsa would have approved of the Princess to say, but there was little to nothing that he could do. Besides, Honeymaren and Ryder were not royal guests or one of high statues, watching over their foul and perhaps even rude mouths did nothing to affect them as much. Still, he had elbowed her lightly against her ribs in a warning gesture.

"The point is," Anna continued, after throwing a roll of her eyes at his direction. "We need to go to Weselton."

"We can't rush into conclusions."

"Wait, what?" The strawberry blonde-haired Princess had a deep frown on her face, voice raising that had caused the boy in her arms to stir. "Are you being serious right now, Hans? Your wife, my sister, is out there with this lady that may or may not -the first being most possible, have a bad intention with her and you're telling me that you 'don't want to rush into conclusions'?"

"'Black Dahlia of Weselton'," his statement had done nothing but granted him confused faces all around him. "That is what the Duchess is known as. She's a smart lady, Anna, she can weave trading deals until it profits Weselton more than the opposing side. If she has Elsa with her, then she wouldn't be as foolish as to bring her to Weselton."

"What should we do then?" Kristoff may not be as vocal as the other two, but he could tell that the Mountain Man truly worried over her sister in-law to-be as well, he cared for the Queen just as much as the others. "Surely there is something, right?"

Ryder had been quiet throughout the whole ordeal, listening intently as he sat by his sister's side, but this time there was something that crossed his face, his expression lightening up. "Maybe Elsa left a clue. A clue that she didn't even mean to leave." Receiving a lift of an eyebrow from the Princess, he added. "Obviously she wouldn't know where to go unless the Duchess lady told her, right? And how else do you royals exchange information other than letters?"

"We need to go back to Arendelle."

Her sleep was restless.

Tossing and turning, she could not find even the slightest of comfort from the hard mattress, feeling each and every fiber brushing roughly against her skin, prickling her. The nightmares that she often had -of the white dome that drowned her the closer she had gotten to the voices, jerked her out of her sleep, leaving her gasping for air as sweat rolled down her temples before she had used her power to cool herself down, rendering her exhausted and barely had the energy to do anything other than receiving care from Duchess Atalie.

She hated it, needing to be so dependent over someone, especially one that she barely knew, and each time that passed she would push herself to get up from the bed, training her body to move despite the Duchess' words, ignoring the desire to just give up and wait. She was running out of time, and before she knew it she would have been gone longer than anticipated, passed Hans' one week deal, and then he would have known the truth -if he didn't already considering the fact that she married a man who could read right through her at times.

And her stomach was growing.

It's unavoidable. And while she was more than glad to see that her unborn child was still growing in her womb -as healthily as it's mother could maintain; it was starting to get overwhelming for her to hide her bump seamlessly. She needed to get away.

The door creaked open, and yet her eyes remained shut, her breathing even. She had learned that no, she was not imagining things when she had seen the young woman that had entered her room, had learned that she only entered when the Queen was asleep and that she must have been a doctor of sort -though she had looked so young, coming to check on her every now and then. This strange young woman seemed to be the only one that knew of her existence in this inn other than the Duchess, and while trusting strangers were not her strongest point, the way that Atalie had spoken and acted around her had make her rather suspicious, as if the older woman didn't want her to leave, intending to keep her in this small almost unknown town.

Dainty fingers came to hold her wrist, feeling the pulse underneath the fair skin, and she had tried her best to suppress any sort of nerve-wracking feeling that could make her heartbeat picked up. The young woman was careful, far more so than the first time she had noticed her -and mistaken her for Anna no less, touches barely a brush if not necessary, avoiding to alert the supposedly sleeping woman.

The young woman had rose back to her feet, she could tell by the creak of the chair as her weight was lifted, and the muffled padding of her shoes against the floor boards as she made her way toward the door, closing it with a click once she was out.

Once assured, she had opened her eyes, sitting up as carefully as she could to minimize the creaking of woods of the bed, before letting her bare feet touch the floor, relying on the nightstand to prop herself up as well as to keep her balance before she was sure she was able to stand on her own two feet without help. Approaching the door, she had pressed herself against it, palms resting against the rough texture as her ears tried to pick up any sort of sounds coming from the other side.

"-her recovery is slow." Duchess Atalie's voice was muffled, but it was enough for her to listen to. "We don't have much time."

"We can't push her." This voice was unfamiliar, youthful, perhaps belonging the young woman. "There's something that I found." Whatever it was that she had discovered had been shared in a low and quiet voice, hushed whisper, until she could not catch even a word of it.

She had not expect for the sudden clicking of heels to come next, approaching toward the door in quick manner, until all she could do was to stumble back and away just as the door swung opened, revealing herself to the older woman, who stood at the doorway with narrowed eyes.

Though a thin smile had grew on her face, one that did not reach the eye and instead sent a shiver down her spine. "Queen Elsa," she had almost purred as she had spoken her name. "Is eavesdropping on people's private conversation not considered rude in your kingdom?"

"You're planning something." The older woman's act of kindness was welcomed -at first, but the further she was in, the more days that had passed, it was starting to feel like nothing but a fabricated lie. "You're not being honest."

"It amuses me, seeing such a naïve young Queen like you." Blue eyes darted over the Duchess' shoulder, to see the young woman that lingered behind. And now, under proper light, she could finally see the face that had been hiding under the shadow, could see the youthful features of her face, the stormy grey of her eyes. Atalie had caught her wondering eyes, and smiled even further. "Oh, how rude of me to not introduce the two of you. Queen Elsa, I would like you to meet my daughter, Sofia."

That was a form of betrayal, to know that the Duchess had broken her own condition of coming alone by bringing her daughter along while she had no one, not one person to back herself up.

"Do not give me that look," the reddish-haired woman rolled her eyes, and there was no more of that artificial warmth in her tone. "After all, I am not the only one who brings my child along to this meeting, isn't that right, Queen Elsa?"

A thick lump had suddenly formed in her throat, at the realization that now her secret -one that she had desperately tried to keep hidden and safe, was discovered. "How did you—?"

"Your attempt in hiding it is remarkable, I must admit." Cold grey eyes glanced down, and in the utmost protective instinct her hand had moved over to her belly, feeling the curve of it under the icy fabric of her dress. "But you do know you wouldn't be able to hide it forever, do you?"

"What do you want?"

Duchess Atalie's eyebrow rose, intrigued. "Right at this moment? For you to come with us."

She could barely hold back the scoff that threatened to escape her lips as she eyed the older woman. "And why would I?" she was not exactly in her prime condition, even now when she was merely standing she already felt slightly lightheaded, but she could take on these two with her powers -simply freezing their feet to the ground would not take much of her energy, then she could run out and ask for help, perhaps a passage back to Arendelle even.

But her power may affect her child.

There was nothing funny, not a single word, but yet the Duchess had let out a small amused chuckle before she took a step forward, prompting the Queen to raise her hand in a matter of defense, yet that did not seem to shake her at all. "Tell me, Queen Elsa," her voice was lowered, hushed whisper barely heard if not for the small distance between them in such a small room. "What do you value most? Yourself, or your family?"

"What?"

"Because if you're wise, if you value your family -and I'm sure you do, you will do as I say, Queen Elsa."

They found the letters.

At the bottom drawer of the desk in the library, buried underneath old ones, out of sight from anyone unless those who has the intention to look letter by letter. Elsa was smart in terms of keeping secrets, she knew her study would be the first to be searched, and had instead spent her time somewhere else, somewhere where she could pretend to do something else if someone was to walk in on her. Each one of them had the same seal, of a dahlia design pressed on black wax, belonging to none other than the Duchess of Weselton herself.

They had ridden for Hølen, a small trading town far enough from Arendelle that he was sure most of the townspeople there would not recognize them if they did not have the kingdom's crest etched onto their clothing. Perfect place to keep a Queen without detection.

A few guards had followed, led by Lieutenant Mattias, just in case extra hands were needed. People had parted their way as the royal horses passed them, heading for the plaza, before the Prince Consort had dismounted.

He had asked around, as did both Anna and Kristoff, describing his wife and questioning her whereabouts, but shaken heads and collective no were the only ones that they had received. He was growing desperate.

"Mister," a small voice had called for him, drawing his attention as he looked down to a girl no older than ten, with long dark hair and matching wide dark eyes. "I saw the pretty lady with hair as light as snow."

That had intrigued him, as he came to kneel before the girl, coming at an eye level with her. "And where did the lady go?"

A finger was pointed toward a tavern. "She went there, with another lady with a headpiece made of gold." He was just about to thank the girl when her finger had moved, now pointing at an inn. "My older brother brought her to the inn, after they said she fell unconscious."

The prospect of Elsa fainting had done nothing but increase his worry, as what could possibly had caused her to lose her consciousness like that? "What is your name?"

"Rhanda."

"Thank you, Rhanda."

The group made their way for the inn, though only him with Anna and Kristoff that had actually walked in while the guards were posted outside, coming for the reception desk to ask for the platinum blonde haired Queen to the middle-aged lady behind the desk.

"Yes, she had remained in her room ever since they brought her in." The lady nodded in confirmation. "The Duchess said she was ill. Poor thing, even her food had to be taken up for her, and I can hear her retching every once in a while."

Anna's jaw tightened at the mention of how sister may actually sick for real as she leaned forward, hands pressing against the wooden surface of the desk, driven by her desire to know of her sister's whereabouts. "Are they still here?"

And the three of them had dreaded the moment the lady had shaken her head. "No, they just left, in the middle of the night. They were acting rather strange," she noted, brows furrowing. And when regarded to explain what she had meant; the lady had shrugged. "I offered to fetch for a doctor -I couldn't stand the idea of a guest being sick like that, but the Duchess declined, said she already had a healer with her, but the only one that I saw was with her was this young teenage girl. Almost felt like they were trying to be as discreet as they possibly could, honestly."

"Do you know where they headed?" Kristoff stepped forward, standing by the Princess' side, a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, it's not my business to ask where my guests are going to, young man." The lady shook her head. "All I know is that they were in a bit of a hurry. The Duchess paid with cash, too."

They were too late.

Those who said they don't like/trust the Duchess, well... you're right.