June 21, 1828

Dear Elsa,

Today is my birthday and I am seven years old. I wish you could have been here to selebrate it with me. I had a cake with yellow and pink flours on it. Grandfather gave me a sword and sed that it's tradishon, and that one day I will be a worrier queen and leed our people into battles. It is only an ornamemtal sword though, not very sharp. It is only to practice with until I am bigger and will get a real one. It has a sea monster on the handle. I said I would like one with flours on it too, like my cake, but Grandfather said that's silly. Did you get given a sword on your seventh birthday as well? What did it look like? Do you still have it? We should play swordfighting when I come and visit you. And we should play with your special gift (wink wink) as well because I really miss that.

I try to keep smiling like you told me to, but I do feel very sad that it is my first birthday without you here. The hole day felt like something was missing. Like when you put one shoe on and forget to put the other one on and walk around like that until someone tells you. It has been months now and I miss you lots and lots. My room feels very empty and I cry sometimes, especially at night when I wake up from a bad dream and you are not there. I feel lonly when I have nobody to play with. I try not to bother Mama and Papa though, because I think they also miss you a lot. Mama espeshally cries a lot while she looks at your old toys and clothes. Sometimes it feels like you are dedd.

Everything has changed now and I have to do a lot more classes and learn a lot more boring things now that I have to be the queen one day. You made it look so easy to do everything perfect all the time but I feel like it's too hard already. I forget lots of rules and lose my homework all the time. The other kids dont want to play with me as much either, now that I'm the air to the throne, so I have to play by myself. I wish things would go back to the way they were.

I still don't understand why you had to go away but I hope you are feeling lots better with the fresh air and open space. You must be feeling less nervus without being shouted at and having to hide your special gift (wink wink). So I hope you can get better soon and come back to live with us again. Maybe you could even still be the queen one day, like you were suppost to, or if that is too hard for your nervs, maybe we could be the queens together!

I can't wait to meet Mama's eckstended family when I come and visit you. Life in the countryside sounds like a lot of fun. Are there lots of animals? Do you get to swim in the river and run naked in the breaze? I hope you are having fun and have a lot of people to play with. I miss you lots and cant wait to see you.

Your best friend,

Anna

July 25, 1828

Dearest Anna,

Thank you for your letters. They brighten my darkest days, just like you always have done and always will continue to do.

I'm sorry I don't write as often as you, and as often as I would like to. It is difficult to find any free time here on the farm. As there are no servants, we must do all the work ourselves and I find my days full up from dawn to dusk with chores and tasks. It keeps my hands busy but my mind has nothing to do except miss you and dream of when we are together again.

I wish I could have been with you for your birthday, as well. I have enclosed some flowers that I have pressed and glued to a collage, I hope you like them. They make me think of you. I am also making you another gift that you will see when you visit. I would have bought you something but I don't get any allowance. To answer your question, no, I did not receive a sword on my seventh birthday - or any birthday. Grandfather says people like me should not have access to weapons, which doesn't make much sense when you think about it because we don't really need them anyway. But I guess it's symbolic. But we can play whatever you want when you come and visit me. There is a lot of space to run around and some really great new trees you will love to climb. And yes, there are a lot of animals. Some of them are very cheeky - you will get along great, ha ha.

I wish I could be there when you wake in the night. I also wake often, in the night, and when I see the Northern Lights I always think of you. So if you wake up and you see them, think of me and you can know that I'm probably looking up at the same sky thinking of you too. And then it's sort of like we're together, right?

I'm sorry you're lonely, and have to do more work now. I with things could go back to the way they were, too. Do you know what's funny? I always wished I didn't have to do so much study, and now that I no longer have any classes or assignments, I actually miss them! I even miss my tutors and their terrible jokes. There are so few books here and I have read them all already. Do you think you could bring me some new ones when you visit me?

Lastly I would like to say that I think you should try not not worry too much about being Queen. It is a long way away and when the time comes you will be much older and prepared, and I will be here to help you too. And let me tell you a secret: everybody feels like they aren't doing a good job, and most people are just faking being confident (even Papa)! Please do not worry about me and my "nerves" either. Adults make things sound worse than they are sometimes because it's easier than explaining the truth when the truth is complicated or they don't want to tell the whole truth. Although I miss you terribly, I am not sick - in the head or otherwise.

Please try to keep your chin up for me, and for Mama and Papa, and know that this will get easier. It has to, right? That's what I tell myself. It can't rain forever.

Love you the most,

Elsa