A/N: Hi folks, sorry for the delay. Too much to write, not enough time to do so. This chapter is a bit short, unfortunately. But we are in the aftermath of the assassination attempt now. Secrets are being revealed and fears are unfolding.

As always, please read and review!

"The queen lives."

Mikkael shot up from his seat, eyes wide with disbelief, "WHAT?!" He stalked towards Sorenson and grabbed a fistful of the man's tunic, "You said she was as good as dead!"

"S-She was, my lord!" The man began spluttering. "I destroyed all the flowers and made sure to delay them as much as possible-"

"Then how is she still alive?!" He growled, shoving the man back.

"I-I don't know how, sir, but they found a flower." He shook his head, "I-I don't understand how."

"Perhaps because you're an incompetent fool with the brains of a-!"

"Christen." The admonishment came from the other man in the room. Mikkael swiveled to address him.

"I swear to God, Edvin, if you say 'I told you so'…"

But the man simply rose and took a puff of his cigar. "I wouldn't dream of it. Besides, now is not the time for laying blame, no matter how justified I may be."

He approached Sorenson, his sharp, hawk-like stare sending a strange chill down the servant's spine. "You. Are you positive no one knows of your involvement? No one saw you destroying the flowers?"

The man nodded furiously, "No, sir. No one knows I was responsible."

"And this sorcerer you went to? He did not identify you?"

"Not at all." Sorenson puffed up at that, "I kept my identity well-hidden."

Fritjof nodded thoughtfully. "See Mikkael, the situation is not so bad after all." He took another puff, "Perhaps we did not kill the queen, but we have an opportunity to try again."

Mikkael shook his head, "How? Maybe there is no trail yet, but that bloody hound of a captain will sniff us out sooner or later."

"He will not, my lord." Sorenson cut in. "I can keep track of the investigation, let you know of the developments. No one will ever figure out the truth."

Fritjof beamed, "Well there, there's a good man!" He turned to Mikkael, "I must commend you for selecting such a dedicated soldier, Christen. A fine man indeed." He clapped the servant on the shoulder, "Sorenson, you do us a great credit by offering your assistance-"

Sorenson bowed his head, "You flatter me, my lord."

"Hardly, man, I only speak the truth." The baron tapped his cigar ashes onto the floor. "You have been an invaluable asset to our efforts thus far…which is why I hesitate to ask you this, but I'd like you to do us one more favor."

"Of course, Your Grace."

A gleam shone in Fritjof's gray eyes. "You see…we must make absolutely certain that we are not found out. Otherwise we will not have an opportunity to try again. You understand, of course."

"Indeed I do, sir." Sorenson agreed, "But you can rest assured. I have made sure not a single witness exists to point a finger in our direction."

The baron nodded, "I have no doubts in your thoroughness, Sorenson. Why, the queen herself has praised your dedication and work ethic to the council many times before…"

The servant beamed.

"But I must still look out for myself, and for my friend, Mikkael." He gestured to the man beside him, "After all, there is no one else brave enough to do what is needed for this country's wellbeing."

"That is true, sir. You and the minister are vital to this country's future."

"Yes…which is why I must do my due diligence, Sorenson." Cold gray eyes bore into his, "I do sincerely hope you understand."

There was an indecipherable movement, and before Mikkael could even blink, the servant was sinking to the floor, a knife sticking out of his chest, blood dripping onto the expensive Turkish rug he had recently purchased.

"Damnit, Edvin!" Mikkael turned to his friend, "Must you ruin yet another rug? My wife will have my head for this, man!"

The baron shrugged and reached for his handkerchief to wipe off the excess blood. "You can thank me for keeping the bloodhounds off our trail later." He gestured to the body. "We have only a few hours till sunlight and a lot of work to do."

Elsa woke to a rapid banging on the door.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

Beside her, Anna grumbled and pulled the sheets over her head, "Isstooearlyforthis…"

Elsa couldn't help but agree. Though she'd spent the past three days in a coma, she was still dead tired, pun unintended. But then again, work never did wait for a monarch, and given the weekend's developments, it seemed anything was possible right about now.

God, I could really use that holiday right now.

But she disentangled herself from her sister and opened the door anyway, only to be met with a somber-looking Gerda. Her heart sank at the sight.

"What's going on?"

The woman seemed on the verge of tears, "Y-Your Majesty…there's something you need to see."

The man lay on the floor, arms spread like an eagle, one hand clutching the very weapon that had robbed him of his life. His eyes were closed, but it would have been a mistake to call the expression on his face peaceful.

Anna was the first one to react, releasing a startled gasp before clutching onto Elsa's upper arm with a death grip.

Elsa found herself envying her sister in that moment, because unlike Anna, she did not have the courtesy of expressing her emotions so openly.

But finding one of her most trusted and loyal servants dead was a sight that shook her to her core. Sorenson had long been a part of her castle staff. She'd practically grown up in front of his eyes, had sought comfort in his words of wisdom when the weight of the entire kingdom had fallen on her shoulder overnight, had become the queen she was today because of his careful counsel and insight.

And now…

She batted away tears, forcing herself to focus on the man approaching her.

Captain Vilhelm bowed. "Your Majesty, we apologize for the early morning interruption but as you can see, the matter was urgent."

Focus, Elsa. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she sought Anna's hand for comfort. "What happened, Captain?"

"One of the guards found Master Sorenson like this in the early morning, ma'am. We sent for the physician right away." It was then that Elsa noticed the old woman hunched over Sorenson's form, her weathered face grim with concentration.

"And her conclusion?"

He hesitated.

Elsa noticed. "Her conclusion, Captain?"

He sighed and looked up, "Suicide, ma'am."

Anna blanched beside her, "Suicide?!"

Breathe, Elsa. Breathe. "And your conclusion?"

"I think there is more to the story." The man pulled out a note from his pocket. "This was found on him."

Before Elsa could reach for it, Anna had snatched the note and begun reading. Her eyes grew wider with each passing second, her teal eyes flitting back and forth as if she couldn't believe the words before her.

"Anna?"

The girl looked up, all pallor gone from her rosy cheeks, horror morphing her features. "I-I…" She let out a strangled sob, locking eyes with Elsa for just a second.

And then, she turned and fled from the room.

"Anna!"

But the princess didn't cease in her flight, instead rounding the corner and disappearing into the depths of the castle, her skirt billowing behind her. Elsa felt her heartbeat pick up at the sudden turn of events.

She looked back to the captain. "What did the note say?"

The man sighed apologetically. He did not speak for a few seconds, but then, "Ma'am… it appears we've found the traitor we've been looking for."

No.

"You-you can't mean Sorenson?!"

The captain nodded, "He admitted his involvement in the note, my lady. I wish it weren't so, but we have no other leads at the moment…none other than his confession."

She struggled to wrap her mind around it all, "But-but suicide?"

"Perhaps he feared he'd be caught, ma'am. Perhaps he preferred death by his own hand to a death sentence."

She didn't want to believe it. Couldn't. Sorenson had always been like a brother to her…

"Your Majesty, with your permission, I'd like to conduct a search of his quarters. It is imperative that we determine his motives and find any accomplices."

Conflict warred in her heart, past dueling with the reality before her. But if there was one thing she could conclude, it was that she needed more information. She sighed, "I'd like a report by this evening, Captain."

The man nodded and dismissed himself, leaving Elsa alone with the weight of all that had transpired… Sorenson's death, his betrayal…and then, there was Anna's strange behavior. Why had her sister run off like that after reading the note? Was it the shock of his admission, or something more?

Questions. Far too many questions and not nearly enough answers.

The day had just begun, but Elsa turned back towards the castle a weary, troubled soul to search for her sister when -

"Your Majesty?" Physician Bodil came up to her, "How are you feeling?"

The question caught her off guard. "I'm fine, Physician Bodil. But you know that. You gave me a clear bill of health last night."

The woman nodded, casting a wary glance over her shoulder, "I did, but I'd still like to conduct an assessment this morning, ma'am. Perhaps we could address any remaining concerns in private."

Realization dawned on Elsa. "Of course, Physician Bodil." They discretely moved away from the others and into an adjoining storage room.

Once the door was closed, the old woman sighed. "I fear our troubles are not over, ma'am."

I had a feeling she'd say that. "What do you mean, Physician?"

"I told Captain Vilhelm that Sorenson's injury appeared to be self-inflicted, and given the presence of the note, that would be a logical conclusion to come to. But what I have found does not support that theory, my lady."

Elsa felt a chill down her spine, "What did you find?"

The old woman had never looked so grim. "The angle of the opening wound does not align with the way Sorenson was found holding the knife, nor does the blood splatter match the expected pattern for such a self-inflicted injury." She bowed her head, "I did not reveal this information to the captain because I could not be sure of who to trust, especially now. But you know as well as I what this means, ma'am."

Elsa felt her heartbeat in her throat. She'd thought something was off when she first saw him. But this? ….

"…This was not suicide, Your Majesty. This was murder."

Anna just ran. And cried. She didn't know where she was going or what she planned to do whenever she decided to stop, but it didn't matter.

All she could think about was getting as far away from it all as possible, about hiding from what was turning out to be perhaps the biggest disaster she had ever manifested with her own two hands, or at least the greatest disaster since the Great Freeze.

My fault, it's all my fault…

Her mind flashed with visions. Every wince he'd tried to hide at the mention of curing Elsa, his suspicions about Alvar – raised only to make Anna doubt in the sorcerer's capabilities just when she should be trusting him, his insistence at playing safe when it was time to risk it all…

She had mistaken his words for concern, understanding, the unique counsel Sorenson was known for providing. Confusing at first glance, but always well-intentioned, always wise.

But no, they were not indications of well-intentioned concern, not pearls of sage counsel. Now his words, his actions seemed different in the light of day.

They looked like the actions of a traitor.

But I didn't even notice.

And perhaps that was what she was most terrified by. Because every obstacle that had erupted in their path over the past couple of days now made sense. Every inexplicable hurdle now had an explanation.

But she hadn't noticed the connection until now...until it was almost too late.

Elsa had very nearly paid the price for his meddling, but Anna…for all her blathering about upholding her obligations as crown princess and protecting the queen, she had failed to see the threat right before her eyes. Had told him of her plans to save Elsa, had included him in every important conversation regarding the safety of the queen and the future of the nation.

He had access to everything, had every opportunity to thwart us and kill Elsa…and all because I trusted him!

She choked on another sob and collapsed to the floor, shaking with the weight of her realization. Sorenson's betrayal, it seemed, only served as the pinnacle to her already spectacular failure as princess regent.

She'd trusted the wrong people, prioritized the wrong things, chased after fantastical cures instead of doing her duties.

It mattered not that Elsa had lived, because the real test hadn't been saving Elsa's life, it had been managing the kingdom in her absence.

And that…well, that was the test she had never even tried to complete.

The echoes of the council's harsh words rang in her ears. She had never had cause to disagree with their assessment of her fitness before, but now…now it was as clear as day.

"I don't deserve to be heir to the throne…I never did."