"Mother?"

"Come in," his mother called from the desk as Frederick knocked at the study door.

"Just me?" he asked, looking around.

"Yes," she answered hesitantly. "Inga isn't feeling well."

"Really? Is there something wrong? I know she had kind of a bad time at the party, but that was two days ago now."

"She'll be fine, she just needs some time to herself."

Frederick sat down at the desk opposite his mother, opening the letters that she didn't need to look at personally. The task was rather mindless, and he occasionally amused himself by wielding his letter opener like a weapon, swishing it around.

"Fred, please focus," his mother chided.

"Sorry, Inga and I were having sword fights in here last month when we got bored, so I kind of got in the habit."

"Well… well, just stay focused, please?"

He took out the next letter. It had the same handwriting as the one Inga had grabbed out of his hand a few weeks before, and he hadn't noticed that writing on any other letters. He had the feeling it wasn't one she'd want their mother reading first. Besides, an excuse for a walk might be nice, even if it was inside on a warm sunny day, it was a few minutes to himself.

"This one is for Inga. I'll take it to her."

"If it's from a suitor, it might be better for me to read it first."

"I don't think so."

"You don't think so? Fine, take it to her, but please don't get her upset."

Frederick nodded and walked down the hall with the letter that was clearly sent from Corona. His sister had been pretty eager to get the last letter he saw from Corona before anyone else, and he had the feeling she wouldn't want their mother reading this one first.

He knocked on Inga's door.

"Who is it?" she called from inside.

"Me."

He heard some rustling, and then she opened the door. She was in her nightgown, hair tangled.

"What is it?" she asked flatly. He wasn't used to seeing her disheveled. Even if she didn't pay close attention to fashion, she was usually neatly groomed and dressed by this time of morning.

"You have a letter from Corona. I promise I didn't open it. Mother wanted to read it first, but I said I'd take it to you instead."

Inga's expression was blank as she picked up the envelope and closely examined it. "You… nobody's opened this?" she asked as if she hadn't heard what he'd said a moment before. He was supposed to be the distractible one, not her. It was almost like she was still asleep, or in a trance. He couldn't remember her being quite like this before, even when she was sick.

"Inga, is everything all right? I haven't seen you since the party. Look, I'm sorry I asked you to snoop into Prince Tarkan's business. I was mostly joking."

"What?" Inga looked up with confusion. "Sorry, I wasn't listening."

"Nevermind. Is everything okay?"

"Fine, it's fine," she said, closing her eyes.

"It's a nice day, you should get out," he suggested.

"That… that's actually a good idea," she mumbled, looking down at the letter in her hands.

"I should get back," Frederick said as he turned to go.

"Thank you for bringing the letter," Inga called out as he walked away. He waved in acknowledgement.


There was chocolate. A lot of things could be ignored when there was chocolate. Like the truth. But they had a plan for Lars, giving him the ambassador position, and while there was gossip, all of it was so far off the mark that it was nothing to be concerned about. True, Inga hadn't taken it well when they told her about Lars, and they probably should have waited to tell her.

Another chocolate.

Why was Frederick taking so long getting back?! Why was this even bothering her? He could be forgetful, and he was still just a boy, even if he now had six inches on her in height. But something about the way he had insisted on taking the letter... Surely it was nothing. Had Inga told him? That didn't seem likely. Kristoff had mentioned that Inga had said it wasn't her secret to share. She would keep it. There would be a better time to tell Frederick. He was more easy going than his sister, but he might be too oblivious to the larger implications. He certainly didn't seem concerned that she didn't want him to join the navy. Would he be joining? That would be what the Admiral had in mind, wouldn't it? She would need to ask the Admiral. What had gotten into Frederick's head? Why did he think that she would be happy with the idea?

The chocolate was gone, and it was almost lunch. She could ring for someone to bring some proper food up to the study, but perhaps she could find Kristoff first. She hadn't asked him where he would be this morning, but she could check the stables first and then go back to the bedroom for a more private lunch. Walking down the corridor, she heard music coming from the ballroom. Inga had told her that Frederick had started playing piano again. She hadn't heard him play in a long time, and the playing sounded quite good. The doors to the ballroom were already open, and Frederick's back was turned, so she stood and watched him play.


Lars left the Ambassador's office. It was lunchtime, and Elizabeth had been planning to have lunch in town with his mother. He hoped he could catch them.

He heard music coming from the piano in the ballroom. It was a piano piece he had never heard, and it sounded much newer than the pieces that Elizabeth's sisters would play in their parlor in the evenings.

As Lars approached the doors to the ballroom, he noticed the Queen standing silently in the doorway. He tried to turn around and leave, but the music paused at a page turn, and Lars winced as his shoe squeaked against the floor at just that moment. The Queen turned around at the noise and stared.

"Your Majesty, please excuse me," he stammered with a quick bow.

"No, please..." the Queen pleaded, oddly flushed, looking like she meant to say more.

"Mother, is that you?" Frederick called as he came out to the hall. "I'm sorry, I meant to come straight back to help you."

"Don't worry," she assured him. "I enjoy listening to you play. You should do that more often."

"Okay," Frederick mumbled, blushing a little. Lars was a short distance behind the Queen, trying to find a way to politely get away, and Frederick noticed him before he had the chance. "Lars! What are you doing here? You've been too busy, I haven't seen you lately."

"Oh, hi," Lars replied, feeling almost physically unsteady from the contrast between the Queen's nervousness and her son's gregarious enthusiasm. "I was passing by and heard you playing; I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

"Oh, sorry, I guess I should close the door when I do that," Frederick apologized awkwardly, glancing at his mother.

"No, it sounded very nice," Lars insisted. "I have no idea what it was, but you play very well."

"I guess I need to get better at turning pages, huh?" Frederick smirked.

"I… what do you mean?" Lars wondered if his embarrassment was that obvious.

"It's just that I think I blew your cover," Frederick laughed.

"I wasn't… I wasn't trying to sneak around," Lars protested, glancing at the Queen.

"You'll excuse me," Anna interrupted. "I was going to get myself lunch. Frederick, you can do what you like, and I'll see you this afternoon." Lars stepped to the side of the corridor as she passed by, watching until she turned a corner.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you," Frederick apologized. "I wouldn't worry about it. Everyone has been a bit odd lately. Are you getting lunch? I need to get out."

"Elizabeth and my mother were talking about going into town for lunch, and I was hoping to meet them. You're welcome to join us, I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

They began walking through the courtyard and toward the town. They were silent until they reached the gates, when Lars broke the silence.

"Back there," Lars began, "right after your mother excused herself, you said everyone has been acting odd lately."

"Yes?" Frederick prodded as Lars trailed off.

"It's just…" Lars thought about what he wanted to ask. Frederick seemed considerably calmer than his sister, almost to a fault sometimes, but it probably meant he was a safe person to confide in. "I had been noticing the same thing… well, I don't know if it's the same thing, but since I got back, several people have been acting differently around me. Your sister-"

"I think that's my fault," Frederick interrupted. "I mean, I was kind of teasing her at the party."

"I… I really don't think it's that. I think I've seen enough of you two, a little teasing from you shouldn't get her to the state she was in. Did you see her after she left the party? Besides, it's- I hope you won't find this offensive, but your parents- even your father seems distant lately."

"A lot of people would say that's normal," Frederick laughed.

"Fine, distant might have been the wrong word. I don't know. Maybe I'm imagining things. Maybe it's just the… the Ambassador thing."

"Are you accepting that?" Frederick asked. "You know you don't have to. I think it's crazy. I know Inga was rather upset when they told us about it, too."

"I suppose that was why she was upset, I don't know… but, yes, that would make sense, I think. Still, I can't make a decision until Mr. Meyer hears from Corona."

"You can't officially decide," Frederick corrected, "but I hope you know what you want. It would be nice if someone around here did."


"Have you heard Frederick playing recently?"

Kristoff looked up. They had been eating silently, windows open to enjoy what might be the last nice weather before winter. He supposed she was trying to make conversation, and just shook his head to let her continue whatever she wanted to say.

"He's very good," she continued. "I hadn't really paid attention before, but I heard him playing on my way up here, and stopped to watch."

Kristoff smiled a bit, then sighed. "He'll be fine. They'll all be fine."

"Will he? Why did the Admiral have to get the idea of the Navy into his head?" Anna vented. Kristoff wasn't quite sure why she was bringing this up right now.

"I don't think the Admiral put that in his head. It was all he was talking about when they got back from Corona. Sorensen just saw an opportunity. You know he's been asking for more money. He's playing the long game. The Admiral is not about to take too many risks with Frederick."

"I suppose so, but it still worries me," Anna admitted as she got up to ring for their lunch to be cleared.

Kristoff followed and took her hand. "It will all be fine."

"We don't know that," she said quickly. "I don't even know if we should tell Frederick about Lars now. Maybe we should have waited to tell him together with Inga. Maybe if Frederick had been there she might have been a little less…"

"Less what?" he asked.

"Not throwing around wild accusations at everyone."

"She didn't accuse you-"

"And I'm the one person who wasn't blameless."

"Lots of people have been keeping the truth from her, not just you."

"That's not what I was talking about."

Kristoff exhaled. "I don't know how you can blame yourself for that. I don't blame anyone but him."

"I shouldn't have-"

"You were young."

"I was eighteen."

"Inga is seventeen."

"I know that," Anna snapped. A moment later, she looked up apologetically. "Sorry. But she… it's not the same."

"She hasn't been isolated. She's seen at least some of how the world works, but still-"

"Still, she knew enough to send that Prince Turkey packing, whatever his name was."

Kristoff chuckled. "Even Frederick picked up on that one being slimy. I wouldn't give Inga too much credit there. Do you really think she would have done better than you?"

"Maybe. I mean… I don't know." She stared out toward the fjord. "Is that a ship? It looks official, but I thought the Belgian delegation wasn't coming until later in the week."

"The stable hands will be getting back from lunch soon, and they usually know what's going on in town," Kristoff offered, glad to play along with Anna's change of topic.


"Please, let me pay," Lars insisted.

"I've got this," Frederick said, grabbing the bill, which they had been in a friendly argument over for several minutes since Halima had brought it over.

Lars turned his head to the bright light from the door opening as Meibel skipped in. She was looking around the room, her eyes adjusting to the relative darkness inside. Lars had met her on his first day exploring the town, helping out in her guardian's establishment. Initially he was surprised to learn that the elderly couple had taken in so many wards, but as he learned more, each one made sense. Isabel, the oldest, now married, had felt to the General like practically an obligation, since she had been some relation to someone under his command. Edith and Kate, he later learned, were sisters whose widowed mother had died along with their infant brother, at almost the same time as the twin princes were born. He couldn't help but wonder what would have happened to his brother Karl if such a thing had happened when he was born. Meibel was several years younger than the other girls, almost eleven now, though no one knew her age exactly, since she had been rescued from a shipwreck.

"Frederick!" Meibel shouted once she spotted them. "Did you see the ship? I saw it on my way home from school just now. Can you come and tell me which one it is?" she grabbed his hand, and he let the bill fall on the table as she led him outside.

Lars quietly picked up the bill and walked over to pay Halima, then went out, intending to tell Frederick he needed to get back to work soon. As his eyes adjusted to the early afternoon sunlight, he was shocked to see an official ship from Corona docked a short distance away. He could tell it wasn't Elizabeth's father's ship, but he hadn't heard any news of another ship scheduled to arrive in Arendelle any time soon.

"Hey, Lars," Frederick called over from near the dock, "did you know about this?"

"No," Lars admitted. "Certainly not this soon, at any rate. Did you hear anything?"

"Inga would be the one to know," Frederick laughed. "She keeps getting letters from Corona."

"Oh?" Lars raised an eyebrow, wanting to ask more, but Frederick wasn't paying attention.

Meibel was climbing the low wall near the docks to get a better look at the ship. Frederick was about to follow, but stopped and looked toward the square. Lars followed his gaze, and saw his mother and Elizabeth returning from their picnic. He waved at them. They both waved back happily, and Elizabeth quickly made her way to him.

"That's one of Corona's royal ships," she whispered as she stood close to Lars. "My father hadn't heard anything about one of them coming here. Do you think they knew about- no, they couldn't have, could they?"

Lars looked at the ship. Someone in official Corona livery left the ship, and after a brief discussion with the harbormaster, hurried over to the castle. "I need to catch up with him, I think," Lars whispered.

"Are you sure?" Elizabeth asked, holding on to her husband's arm.

"I was on my way back from lunch as it was."

"Oh! Look who's here!" Frederick shouted. Lars looked up to see the young Prince and Princess standing by the gangway, apparently arguing with the ship's Master about being let off or not. Frederick ran over to the ship, and Lars watched as Frederick talked the Master into allowing his friends off the ship.

"Henry, Hilde," Frederick said, leading the pair toward Lars and Elizabeth, "do you know Lars?"

Lars gave a respectful bow, and Elizabeth curtseyed as the two approached.

"You used to be guests of our parents at the palace, you and your brother, I remember," Prince Henry said. "Hilde, do you remember Lars Nilsen?"

"A little," his sister admitted, "but I do remember Elizabeth from her visit last month."

"Your Highness," Elizabeth addressed Hilde, "have you met Lars's mother?"

Mrs. Nilsen curtseyed and smiled.

"I've seen you around Corona," Hilde smiled.

"So," Frederick interrupted, "Why are you here? Is it about Lars?"

"This is probably not the best place to discuss it," Henry said, looking around. "At any rate, the messenger ran on ahead to find Mr. Meyer."

"I really should go, then," Lars insisted.

"Why? You're with us. I think that should satisfy His Excellency," Henry laughed.

"We might as well head to the castle, though, if there is something important to tell us," Frederick suggested.

Lars noticed Prince Henry looking around as they walked through the market, looking less sure of himself than his laughter would indicate. He saw Hilde looking at him, as well.

Hilde stepped over to Frederick. "Where is your sister?"

"Which one?" he smirked.

"Inga was with us until a few minutes ago," Elizabeth offered, "but she disappeared."

"I'm glad to hear she got out today. She hasn't been feeling well since the party the other night," Frederick sighed, "but I guess she went back already, too bad."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that she's been unwell," Hilde said, glancing at her brother, who seemed very quiet now.

Lars had slowed down to offer his mother his arm, and she seemed to be particularly pensive as they walked along. He supposed Corona was going to give an official word on whether, or when, he was going to be taking the new position. He hadn't spoken with her about it, and that would need to be fixed.

"Mother?" he asked when he noticed there was no one else nearby.

"Yes, Lars?"

"I've never really asked you about, well, how you know the former Queen. It's just that the Ambassador was asking me why they might be taking a special interest in me here, with the new position, and that was the only thing we could think of."

"Perhaps… I think…" she sighed, "I think it might be good if we found some time to speak privately, just you and me."

Lars looked at his mother, trying to decipher her expression, and failing. "If you think that's best, then certainly. Perhaps after dinner tonight?"

She nodded as they walked across the bridge to the castle, following the others.


Anna looked down at the commotion in the courtyard. She had seen a messenger run through. A few minutes later, she saw Frederick walk into the courtyard with a young woman whose picture she had seen somewhere recently. Elizabeth was with them, as well, and a moment later Margit Nilsen walked in with Lars. Anna wondered where they had all been, and if she would learn whatever news the messenger had. Frederick stopped at the stable, and Kristoff came out. Frederick introduced the young woman to Kristoff, and then he looked around, said something to the young woman, and the two of them both looked around. The young woman shrugged. Elizabeth joined Margit Nilsen, who had caught up with the group. Lars was nowhere to be seen.

Anna suddenly remembered that the messenger was dressed in Corona livery. She remembered that Elsa had said something about writing there again. So of course they were here already. She glanced out again to see the young woman- of course, it was Princess Clothilde, she had received the official photograph with the invitation that summer, and her brother, Prince Henry, Anna also recognized, was just then entering the courtyard.

There was a knock at the door. "Your Majesty?"

"Come in, Kai."

"Your Majesty, a ship just arrived from Corona-"

"I saw," she interrupted, "and the young Prince and Princess are here. Did the messenger find you?"

"Yes, and he asked to be directed to their Ambassador. Would you like to have a small dinner arranged for this evening?"

"That would be lovely, yes," she smiled.

"Your Majesty," Kai addressed her somewhat hesitantly. "If the Prince and Princess are there, the Ambassador will probably expect to be invited to dinner, and if the topic is what we expect…"

"That will be fine. Let Kristoff know, and inform Frederick that he should come."

"And Inga?" Kai asked.

"She hasn't been feeling well," Anna told him, "but I'll tell her and let her decide. Thank you, Kai."


"Sir?" Lars knocked on the Ambassador's door, not sure who he'd find in the room.

"Mr. Nilsen," the Ambassador replied, opening the door, then gesturing to the solemn looking man standing in the room. "This is Georg Weber, special emissary from Corona."

"Mr. Weber," Lars nodded.

The Ambassador cleared his throat, looking expectantly at Mr. Weber, who remained silent. "Mr. Weber has made very efficient time getting here from Corona, it seems. More importantly, Corona has made the decision regarding the American position for you, and the ship that just arrived has three candidates for me to select from to replace you."