Chapter 3

The spray of the sea slapped against the ship's bow as it slipped through the waves, angling towards the rising sun. After the previous night's squall there wasn't a single cloud to be seen except for far behind it to the south as the sun's rays gleamed off the sea. Boyed by a strong aft wind, it was a perfect day for sailing.

The crew was busy wrestling with the sails overhead so no one noticed right away when the ship's patron stepped from her cabin with a stretch until someone yelled, "Lady on the deck!" With that all the commotion stopped as all eyes turned to her and they all snapped to attention. She surveyed them silently for a moment before saying, "As you were, gentlemen," and just like that they resumed their work as she made her way forward, though a few continued to peek at her when they thought she wasn't looking. Any sailors that were in her path were quick to step aside, offering mumbled greetings or awkward bows as she passed. They weren't used to having royalty on board, much less a woman, and cast inquisitive glances at her back as she made her way across the deck. However, she had long since gotten used to attracting the attention of others and so ignored them as she made her way onto the forecastle at the front of the ship into the sun's light.

Clutching onto a dangling piece of rigging, Kresta leaned over the railing to scan the distant horizon. The morning breeze tugged at her chestnut hair as she momentarily closed her emerald eyes to take in a deep breath. While she was never one to get seasick the constant yawing of the ship had made for a long night so the gentle mist kicked up from the front of the ship blowing over her was quite refreshing. The haze combined with the warm sun playing over her olive skin actually left her feeling quite rejuvenated as she resumed her search only to come up empty and pull herself upright.

Rather than feeling disappointed, though, she simply turned and started making her way aft, descending the forecastle's steps with a bound onto the main deck. Normally a princess of Maneva would be wearing a dress at all times but she found it much more liberating to instead choose a pair of leggings and knee-high boots when she was out in the field. There would be plenty of time for fancy gowns later when she was in the halls of Arendelle.

Swaying with the slight rocking of the ship as she went, she began climbing the stairs to the stern deck while giving the elderly man standing above her a welcoming smile. "Good morning, captain," Kresta offered as she drew level with him.

He gave a smile of his own combined with a polite bow as he replied, "Good morning, Princess Kresta. I hope you managed to find some rest last night."

"Not as much as I would have liked but what can be done?" she said with another stretch, stepping up beside him and looking out to the horizon once more. "How much longer until we arrive?"

After offering a consolatory nod he followed her gaze. "Not long. In spite of the storm we're making good time and should be docking in Arendelle within a matter of hours."

"Excellent. And how is our escort?" As she spoke Kresta glanced over her shoulder at the pair of smaller ships tagging along in the frigate's wake. While hardly an armada there was no way her brother would have let them go without the proper protection.

"No issues that I'm aware of. We were fortunate that all ships passed through the storm unhindered."

"Well that's a relief," she said as she took a step back. "Continue as you were and please inform me as soon as Arendelle comes into sight."

"Of course, m'lady."

She was about to turn when she remembered a slight conundrum. "Oh, and captain? Where is my brother?"

"Prince Zacharia?" The captain's face fell slightly at the mention of her sibling as he gestured behind him. Her gaze following the motion, Kresta realized she'd failed to notice the solitary figure leaning against the far railing losing his breakfast into the sea. She inwardly cringed as she also noticed the faint retching sounds he was making. Beside her the captain seemed to be sharing her sentiment as he asked, "His highness really isn't one for sailing, is he?"

"I'm afraid not," Kresta replied, forcing a smile and giving him a nod, adding, "Anyway, thank you again for the hard work of both you and your crew, captain. When we return to Maneva I shall pass my praise on to the king," before stalking towards her brother without waiting for a response.

It took a great deal of concentration to ignore his illness as she stopped next to him to survey his condition. Although they were twins that morning they looked quite different. Whereas her skin was dark and full of color his was quite pale as he clutched the railing with a white-knuckled grip. Even his normally vivid green eyes seemed to have lost some of their luster as he steadied himself long enough to give her a sulking look.

"Remind… remind me again why we didn't just take a carriage?" Zach managed between shallow breaths.

Rolling her eyes, Kresta leaned against the rail beside him. He'd been complaining from the moment they'd set sail from Maneva and frankly she was growing tired of it. At first she'd been sympathetic to his plight but there was a limit to any sane person's patience. While she was eager to reach their destination to see the ones who had invited them she couldn't deny the fact that part of her just wanted to get there so that he could be someone else's problem for a while.

So, with that in mind she simply said, "Because that could have taken weeks to ride around the entirety of the Northern Sea. Besides, look on the bright side. The captain says we should be

there within a matter of hours."

"Never again," he gasped, glowering at the sea. "I don't care what I have to do, I am not taking this death trap back to Maneva. I swear, I'll walk if I have to."

Always so dramatic. "Then I'll be sure to tell our brother that you'll be back sometime next year."

She hadn't come to find him to discuss his ineptitude for sea travel, though, instead switching topics to why they were there.

"I can't believe little Anna is getting married," Kresta exclaimed in disbelief. "Last time I saw her she was still just a sweet innocent little girl. How long do you think it's been?"

Zach paused to think for a moment before answering, "Fifteen years give or take?"

Fifteen years…

Had it really been that long since she'd last seen the sisters of Arendelle? At times it seemed like it was only yesterday that they were all running through the halls of her father's palace, squealing gleefully as Kresta's older sister chased after them. Or playing in the sprawling gardens under their mothers' watchful eye. Their visits had been some of the happiest memories of her childhood, a welcome diversion from the day to day monotony of palace life for a young princess. That is, until they stopped coming altogether.

She'd always pondered why, secretly wondering if she herself was responsible for their sudden absence, until Arendelle had reopened to the world over a year ago and the most unbelievable news had come with it. Word of a queen who was the master of winter itself, sprouting ice from her fingertips and conjuring up frozen beasts too terrible to imagine. At first Kresta had dismissed them as hearsay but the stories wouldn't stop coming, growing more vivid and detailed with each new teller, to the point that her curiosity started to get the better of her. So, when a royal letter arrived announcing Princess Anna's betrothal and impending wedding as well as inviting a contingent from Maneva to attend she lept at the opportunity, volunteering herself to represent the family. Charles had consented without complaint, though he insisted on sending their brother Zach with her, so there she was, on her way to reconnect with some long lost friends.

So much had changed since she'd last seen them. Both of their fathers had passed away to be succeeded by their oldest children, Queen Elsa in Arendelle and her eldest brother Charles in Maneva. When they'd last come they'd all been children but she'd since grown into a strong young woman and by all accounts so had they. I wonder if I'll even recognize them. Or if they'll recognize me, she wondered pensively. "Do you think they still remember us?"

Zach didn't seem to share her reservations, nodding confidently. "Of course they do. How could they not?"

"What makes you so sure?"

"How could Elsa forget someone as charming as us."

Oh no. The corners of Kresta's mouth started to tug upward as she did her best to look serious.

"Don't tell me you're still planning on courting Elsa," she said, her voice twitching with mirth.

Fortunately he seemed to be too caught up in his own plans to notice, nodding with a smirk. "Of course. She's without a husband and it's high time that she found one. Who better than me?"

It was all Kresta could do to stifle a laugh. While he was a prince and all the very notion that he could woo a woman like Elsa, someone that every story she'd heard made it so very clear she was well and beyond his class, was amusing. When he'd told their sister Delphine his intentions for the queen of Arendelle she'd openly laughed in his face. And that was without even considering the issue that she was in fact a queen. Aiming a little high there, don't you think, Zach? Maybe you would be better off courting a baron's neice or something?

Still, she had to admire his gumption as well as give a slight twinge of pity. At the end of the day he was her brother, leaving her feeling compelled to help him. In some small way at least. Or, failing that, if she was going to be the one to crush his ambitions she could do it gently. "I don't know, Zach. A queen like her, Elsa must have a list of suitors a mile long. What if you're not the one for her?"

"I know I'm probably not her first choice in a man but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try," he growled before seemingly puffing out his chest slightly and standing a little taller. "I'm a prince of Maneva, after all."

Once again it was all she could do to subdue another spasm of giggles at the sight of him trying to look intimidating. Maybe I should bring him back down to earth a bit, she thought before slapping him on the back and cooing "Ahh, that's the spirit, little brother."

That seemed to deflate Zach a bit as he shot her a look. "I hate it when you do that. We're twins. So you were born five minutes before me."

"Sooo that makes me older," she replied with another laugh before giving him a warm smile. "Any woman would be lucky to have you, you know." Then her smile dampened slightly. "Just… don't go reaching too far."

That seemed to mollify him for the moment as his gaze slipped away to the ocean behind them. As she watched his ambition subside, though, Kresta felt her pity for him grow. They were the youngest of four children but while she'd always been on good terms with her sister her brothers always seemed to be on the wrong foot. After all, it couldn't have been easy growing up in their brother's shadow, especially since Charles had been crowned king and Zach was still toiling along behind him without so much as a real title to his name. It was almost as though he was desperate to prove himself and that marrying a queen could be the way to do it. And while part of her wanted to believe in him that didn't mean she was just going to sit back and watch him get hurt. Five minutes older or not, Kresta still felt compelled to protect him from the harsh truths of the world.

"What about you?"

Startling from her thoughts, Kresta glanced over to see that Zach was now looking at her expectantly. After a moment she flatly asked, "What about me?"

He didn't so much as blink as he replied, "Do you think he's there?"

"Oh." Instead of saying more, though, her gaze dropped to the deck beneath her feet as she fell silent again. The breeze played with her hair but she was too lost in thought to answer. Several moments passed before she spoke, quietly yet deliberately. "He was in my dreams again."

Now it was Zach's turn to roll his eyes as he gave her a skeptical look. "Oh yeah? What was he doing this time?"

Ignoring the mockery in his tone, she screwed her eyes shut to focus. It had been so vivid last night, as it had been so many nights before. A silhouetted figure standing in front of a shimmering wall of flames, his face completely hidden in shadow. The heat was stifling and the roar of the fire deafening as he would reach out his hand to her and each and every time she would take it with her own. He would then pull her behind him as he proceeded to disappear into the raging inferno. But before it could consume her as well she would wake up in a cold sweat, alone in the cool dark of her bed.

The dreams had started months ago, at first as sporadic as once per week but had steadily become more frequent to the point that he would be there more often than not. She had never been one for superstition but one thing had become abundantly clear. Her dreams were speaking to her and all she had to do was listen.

Realizing that Zach was waiting for an answer, she gave a shrug. "The same thing he does every night. I think he's trying to show me something."

"To think my sister was as superstitious as an old spinster. Ha!"

"Think what you want, Zach," Kresta replied without looking up. "I know what I saw. And yes."

"Yes what?"

She glanced over at his confused expression. "You asked if he's there in Arendelle. The answer is yes."

"How do you know that?" he asked skeptically, his eyes mocking.

Rather than taking the bait, though, Kresta merely shrugged again and looked at the deck again. "I just know."

How did she know? Frankly she wasn't sure. All she knew was that it felt as though some unseen force was trying to draw her to Arendelle and she wasn't about to resist it. Whomever was speaking through her dreams was also showing her the way.

In the middle of her thoughts, though, Kresta realized Zach had said something else to her. "Sorry, what did you say?" she asked, looking up with a blink.

But rather than repeating himself he just gave her a quizzical look. "I didn't say anything."

"Oh." Really? But I could have sworn he did. "Thought I heard something." Must have been one of the sailor's voices caught by the wind.

Sure enough, at that moment a call went up, sounding from the crows nest high above. Shading her eyes with a hand, she looked up to see a man pointing ahead of them and crying out, "Land spotted, captain!"

Rocking to her feet, Kresta trotted towards the side of the ship and leaned over to scan the horizon again only this time she saw it. The highest peak of a frost covered mountain poking out from the sea. At its base would be a sheltered fjord and within it their destination.

She allowed the roll of the ship to straighten her as she glanced over her shoulder to see Zach looking to her for confirmation. Nodding confidently, Kresta gazed out over the sea before her. "Destiny is calling, brother. Can you hear it?"

When the only response she got was more unspeakable sounds she suppressed a shudder. I suppose destiny is calling to some of us a little louder than others. Even so, the time had finally come to reach Arendelle and find this mystery man as well as reacquaint with a fabled snow queen.