A/N: And here we finally get wind of who is responsible. Who do you think is the culprit? Have your guess? Well, we're about to find out. After a tiny necessary jump into the past.

Chapter Five

Back In The Same Place

Long after the streetlamps faded into darkness and truths were told in secret, Harald and Lily returned to her home. The streets were abandoned, the town eerily quiet in the tight grasp of the night. Whatever warmth Harald had felt among Lily earlier had certainly dissipated during their return walk to her front step in the midst of chilling uncertainty.

"I'm glad you told me," he murmured as he came to a stop at the first step, still dumbfounded.

"What will you do?" Lily asked, holding onto his arm as he led her inside the house.

Harald frowned, displeased with what he was about to say. "I have to report it to Hans and Elsa."

"You can't," Lily gasped, "please, Harald." Her grip tightened as she squeezed his bicep.

He sighed through his nose, lost to other options. He had never kept a secret so seemingly important before, at least not that he could recall, save for one which changed the Southern Isles forever. "I have to. It's the reason I stayed. I have to protect the royal family. And regardless of the reasons behind it, I have to tell them the truth of what I learned."

"But if you tell them, Alrik…" she trailed off, her fingers grasping his arm.

"I have a good mind how he will react once the truth comes out in the open," Harald replied, putting his hand over hers in an attempt of comfort. "He may act volatile, but I will have other soldiers in the room to persuade him to keep control of himself should it be necessary."

Lily's hand began to sweat, the cool breath of evening giving her chills. Tears blurred her vision as the situation spiraled further and further out of her control. "But I told you everything. No one was hurt, and the stables can be rebuilt, can't they? I know Alrik can be a brute, but if this gets out to everyone, he'll… Can't you just keep it between us? Can't we pretend it never happened?"

"Where is she?"

"We can't pretend it never happened!"

Pushing back the voices rising from his suppressed memories, Harald tightly squeezed her hand with his. "No. Keeping secrets is as bad as lying. Believe me, I know. The truth doesn't just go away because you decide not to divulge it. It stays with you, lingering deep inside… eats away until there's nothing left."

"Where's your sister? What happened to Kris?"

Lily detected a shift in his tone, a somber note there when there'd been none before. "Harald?"

His hand slipped away from her, and he studied her for a moment as if he were forcing himself to pay attention to the matter at hand. "You should be there when I tell them the truth."

"Tell me the truth! That's all I want! Just tell me what happened!"

"Me?" she squeaked. "But I don't know what to say! I can't stand in front of the king and queen bringing them news like this!"

His voice was distant now, his gaze looking beyond her into the emptiness of her house. "I've brought much worse before."

"Where is Kris? Where is your sister? What happened to her? Harald! Answer me! You, Captain! Don't just stand there, send out a search party! Find my daughter! Find her!"

No longer able to remain in the present, his eyes glazed over as voices from the past overtook his mind, shutting out Lily and everything around him.

#

Occasional wisps of breath escaped from the three boys in the room, one sitting on the edge of the bed, the other slumped against the headboard, and the last sitting in a chair by the desk littered in papers. Hugo glanced at his brothers, but when none spoke, he returned to his wilted position, hugging his knees to his chest and leaning his back against the polished wood. Finally, Harald sighed, his red eyes sagging with exhaustion. "Is the door shut all the way?" he asked, glancing at Harken for confirmation.

Harken shrugged but shifted off his brother's bedside, opening the door and looking both ways to confirm. He balked as he noticed someone crouched just behind the door. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"Ouch! Ow! Ow, ow, ow!" Harken grinned sardonically as he yanked his younger brother by the tiny ponytail he wore into the room, the feeble figure of Heins struggling and fighting for freedom as tears gathered in his eyes. "Stop it! Stop it, it hurts!"

"I know," Harken hissed through a toothy grin, tossing his brother forcibly to the floor. The green and shining ribbon holding the ponytail in place wavered with the motion, threatening to come loose. "What did you hear, you little worm?"

"Nothing!" Heins replied, rubbing at his sore scalp, bringing his fingers to his face and gaping at the color. "You- you made me bleed! I'm going to tell Moder!"

"You tell her and I'll take your tongue off!" Harken threatened, towering over his brother.

"Stop it!" Harald barked, pushing his older sibling away from a trembling Heins. "We're in enough trouble as it is!"

"But he was listening in on us!" Harken replied, pointing a single accusatory finger at his brother.

"Only because Hugo p-promised to see the crown I made for him!" Heins gasped, a few tears pushing past the brink and sliding down his cheeks. He reached into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out a folded yellow paper, carefully unwinding it to reveal a crafted and cut crown. "He wanted one like Harvard had at the last p-party and I made him one!"

Hugo looked up and inched closer, quietly getting down and accepting the outstretched gift in silence.

"I wanted to make it out of cloth so it would stay longer…" Heins whined under his breath, "… but Papa said no, so I had to dye you a parchment one instead."

Harald knew his brothers were waiting on his cue of how to react, Harken hovering just beyond his back for a chance to strike at Heins once more. Huffing in displeasure regarding his sadistic brother's actions, Harald bent down over Heins, who flinched instinctively. A swell of ache overtook Harald as he hoisted his sibling up to his feet by the armpits. "You delivered what you wanted. Now go."

Heins started for the door, but stopped before he reached it, hesitantly glancing back. "Will… will one of you play with me later?"

"Go play with yourself," Harald muttered, waving a hand dismissively.

Heins became exasperated, his shoulders sagging. "I tried playing with Hans, but Moder says he's still too sick. And Papa won't open his door." He twiddled his fingers, his voice quieting. "I don't like being alone." Again everyone turned on Harald, who had slumped in his chair once more. Even Harken made no move to roughhouse with his younger brother, instead staring at the ground. Heins, seeming to sense something very wrong in the atmosphere, looked to his older brother. "Harald?"

"I will." All attention turned to Hugo, who had unfolded the paper crown and was staring at it with watery eyes. "I'll play with you."

"Really?" Heins gasped, his forlorn expression washing away to reveal ill-concealed joy, hands clasped. "You promise?"

"I promise," Hugo rasped, crawling to the edge of the bed and hoisting off, putting the crown on his head.

"Pinky prince promise!" Heins demanded, holding out his pinky to Hugo and wiggling it a few times alluringly, a serious look in his eyes.

"Yes." Hugo wrapped his pinky around his younger brother's and squeezed a little for emphasis. "Pinky prince promise."

Heins let out a little whooping cry of victory and jumped into the air, zooming towards the door and waving. "I'll go get some pillows and we can make a castle! And you can be the king because you have the crown and I'll be your fashion cordnator and I'll help you try on stuff that looks nice!"

"Yes, alright," Hugo replied, wiping his nose on his sleeve and nodding. "Now go. I'll come and find you in your room later."

"Okay!" Heins disappeared for a second, and then popped up in the doorway once more. "Remember, you promised!"

"I know, I know!"

Harken grumbled under his breath, pushing his brother out of the space of the doorway and closing the door firmly in front of him. "Of all the time wasting… fashion coordinating, indeed. I'll give him a pinky prince promise. I'll give it to him right up his-"

"Harken!" Harald snapped, grabbing his brother's attention. "He's only seven. Leave him alone. Besides, we have other things to talk about."

Unlike some of his brothers, Heins was never bothered by doors being closed in his face. A closed door was only an opportunity to knock, as far as he was concerned. That is, as long as you weren't liable to get beaten up for knocking. Not to mention, the conversations his older brothers had were usually rather boring, so he decided he would get a quick start on the pillow fort and the dress up to follow. He began heading off for his room, but suddenly slid to a stop when he realized something. He had forgotten what Hugo's favorite color was. Such information was essential for matching a perfect outfit for a future king. If he was going to be a real fashion cordnator someday, he needed to start right. Well, with the door shut, he would just have to wait outside until they were done. Sighing, he flopped down on the ground with an ear close to the cracks and started counting the threads of gold interlaced in the rich, red carpet.

"So what are we going to do? Who's going to tell father?" Harken queried, pacing towards the window.

"No one," Harald lashed out a little too quickly, wiping a drop of spittle away. He rested his chin on his desk, arms folded around him, head buried among them. "No one's going to say anything, not until we know how."

"But Hans knows," Hugo murmured, looking pale in the light of the window. "He was there."

"Hans doesn't know what happened," Harken replied with a well-placed scoff. "He's too sick to know anything right now. He probably won't survive to squeak a word."

"Don't say that," Harald growled, turning to affix his brother with a stare.

Harken avoided meeting his eyes, instead choosing to look to Hugo as he spoke. "I'm only repeating what the doctors said. You know how long he was in the water, and after she stabbed him with that sword trying to get him out…"

"We know," Harald replied quickly, cutting off his brother from possibly continuing.

"We can't just pretend it never happened!" Harken snapped back to finish his thought. "Hans may recover. When he recovers, he'll come to you."

"He'll come to us." Harald met his brother's gaze this time, something inside his body squeezing too hard, making him choke on the words as he spoke them.

"Don't do that. Don't try and pass the blame on to us," Harken ground out as he rose to his feet from where he'd been sitting, pointing a finger squarely at young Harald. "You can deny it all you want, but this was your fault. Kris' death is your fault. And if Hans dies, that will be your fault, too."

"No," Harald whispered, unable to control the tears which suddenly seemed to gather in his eyes, his lip quivering as the horrific events of only a few weeks ago replayed in his mind over and over uncontrollably. "No, it's not my fault."

"It is." Harken felt confident as he saw his brother sink on his knees to the ground, staring at his palms. A swell of predatory power overtook him and he slowly walked a circle around his younger sibling, a sadistic smile spreading on his face. "They're dead because of you. You led Hans there. You made him see us across the lake because you wanted to smoke. You didn't run for help right away because you were too scared."

Harald was struggling to stifle his crying, but a steady stream of tears escaped regardless, which he frantically wiped away on the back of his arm.

"Harken, stop it," Hugo quietly protested in a shaky voice, afraid of his older brother.

Harken had no intention of stopping, much too absorbed in watching his brother break down to notice Harald's hands curl into fists, squeezing until his knuckles were white. Grinning to expose his teeth and squatting in front of his brother, Harken leaned close to Harald's ear, whispering a cold, horrible word which, unbeknownst to him, would influence Harald's entire future. "Coward."

Suddenly, something inside Harald snapped. Before Harken could get up, the ten year old hurled himself into the fourteen year old and knocked them both to the ground. Harken's head slammed into the wall, the stone cutting into his scalp and causing blood to flow down the back of his collar. Fists began to pummel into Harken's face repeatedly, and his previous confidence drained away to be replaced by panic. He flailed wildly to escape the rain of his brother's blows, curling into a ball to protect himself. Still his brother persisted in his attack, thrashing and crying as if he had been driven mad.

"Stop it!" Hugo leaped onto Harald and pulled with all his might, pinning Harald's arms behind him and hurling him off Harken's shaken form. "Stop!"

Harald staggered back, body wracking in shaking sobs, breath coming in quick gasps as spittle mixed with tears on his dirt-streaked face.

Harken scrambled to his feet as he realized the blows had stopped, backing up against the wall, wincing and coughing. One eyebrow had split open, and his lip was swelling with another cut. His nose steadily oozed a stream of blood. Bruises were already showing on his face, his eyes still wide in terror. The dark rage in his younger brother's eyes petrified him.

For the next few long minutes, no one dared speak. Shaking, Hugo attended to Harken with some spare cloth, and the blood congealed enough to stop trickling. Harken gained a look of both fear and admiration as he stared at his younger brother, who had positioned himself by his desk, his knees drawn up to his chest as he sat.

Then, suddenly breaking the silence, Harald spoke in a raspy choke, his dead eyes focused solely on the floor. "We'll pretend he's invisible."

"Who?" Hugo asked in a whisper, tense from the fight, staying behind Harken.

"Hans. We'll pretend he's invisible. No one talks to him. No one interacts with him."

Harken pressed the cloth firmer against his wounds, his voice shaky. "For how long?"

Harald was silent for a lingering moment before replying, in a hollow voice. "As long as it takes."

No one responded to the chilling solution, until Harken shifted off of the wall where he'd been leaning. "Okay." Hugo said nothing, following Harken as they left the room, stepping over the rumpled carpet along the door crack. Hugo closed the door behind him, taking pause only a moment to bend over and pick up the stray green ribbon he assumed must have fallen from Heins' ponytail. He'd return it to him when they engaged in their playdate later, he mused, tucking it into his pocket without question.

Harald, now left entirely alone, relaxed his fists, looking down at his shaking fingers. Ever so slowly, he turned the quivering hands over to see his palms. Somehow amidst the rage, parts of them had become discolored with his brother's blood. The longer he stared, the more he noticed how deeply the red seemed to be staining the delicate swirls and patterns of his hands. His breath quickening, he vigorously wiped them on his black pants. He looked again, and though the stickiness of the blood was gone, they were still red. He began to hyperventilate, wiping his palms on his vest and pants, and on his bedspread, where he looked once more at his hands. He could still see the blood in his mind's eye. There, too emotionally exhausted to try anything further, and convinced Harken's accusations held truth, Harald collapsed on the floor and wept.

#

"Harald? Harald?"

He suddenly teetered, blinking as Lily reached a hand out to make contact with his cheek, a sensation which brought him back from the past. "I'm alright," he murmured.

Her hand smoothed over his stubble a few times. "You're cold."

"It's the middle of the night." He stepped away from her touch. "I'll tell them the news tomorrow morning, before they officially begin holding audience. Should I come get you?"

"I know my way around Arendelle," Lily replied, concern still evident in her puckered face. "Are you certain you're alright? You were muttering about telling them worse news once and then you were quiet for quite a while…"

Harald turned away from her, shifting his attention to the future and shutting out the past as he was an expert at doing after so many years of practice. "I already told you I'm alright. I'll be there tomorrow when you come into the throne room. I'll guide you on what to say and when to speak. Everything will be fine, you'll see. Nine o'clock, is that alright with you?"

"Yes. I'll be there." Lily waited as she heard his footsteps begin to fade. "Whatever it is that's bothering you… I wish you would tell me. What secret could you possibly hold so dear?" The footsteps seemed to give pause, slacken, and then continue until she could no longer hear them. She sighed, closed the door, and leaned against it, hugging herself for comfort.

#

The next day left Harald feeling refreshed. The sky was blue, and though the breeze was cool, it was gentle. His purpose for remaining in Arendelle was complete, and he had successfully managed to temporarily forget the past. He opened one of the windows in the throne room to air the room out a bit, taking note that his request for the presence of a few extra soldiers had been obeyed. He was not certain where this revelation would lead, but he had a plan, and though it was not entirely thought out, it would serve for the moment, as long as Lily came. Alrik entered the room, glancing up at him, and the two exchanged short, formal greetings. Not long after this, Hans and Elsa appeared. Hans gave a friendly wave to his brother, but Harald did not return it. Instead he merely nodded in response.

"Something's wrong," Hans murmured as he and Elsa took their respective seats.

"What?" Elsa responded with a whisper. "With Harald?"

"Yes. But I don't know what." Hans watched as the doors opened and Lily came into the room. "Something must have happened yesterday."

Lily hesitated as Harald walked over to her and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and followed him forward. Hans turned his attention to Alrik, noting the man's look of displeasure. He cleared his throat, and his brother immediately snapped to a rigid posture of attention. Alrik, only slightly longer on the uptake, remained stiff as he awaited instructions. Hans did his best to sound serious. "At ease, please, both of you. Harald, I was told there was something important you needed to discuss with us."

"Yes, your majesty," Harald confirmed, letting his body slip back into a relaxed pose, arms at his side. "That is to say, the cause of the fire the night of the coronation has come to light."

"It has?" Hans gaped, completely taken aback. "How? When?"

"Indeed, I heard no news of this," Alrik interrupted, stepping forward, looking at Harald with a confused, irritated expression. "When was this uncovered and why was I not informed?"

Harald held out a hand out to Alrik. "Please. Keep your peace. It was discovered late last night, too late to discuss."

Though he may not have been happy with it, Alrik could not dispute the sensibility of that fact. "And? What did you discover?"

Harald gestured to Lily and took her by the hand. "I have here a witness, in fact, perhaps the sole witness to the event."

"A witness?" Alrik repeated, arching his eyebrows. "Lily? How? That is, she… how could she have seen?"

"She will explain." He released her hand but stood by her side, his hand going to rest on the hilt of his sword. "And as she explains, you will remain calm and controlled as the captain you are."

Alrik waved Harald off with a nod. "Very well. Let us hear what she has to say."

As silence settled over the court, Lily wrung her hands. She could not see their eyes, but she could feel their gazes burning into her, and sweat beads began to form on the side of her head. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"We are not going to punish you for withholding any information, Miss Granthson," Hans assured her, trying to settle her obvious nerves. "We simply want to know who the culprit was."

"Therein lies the problem, your majesties," Lily managed, wringing her wrist. "I… I am."

"You're what?" Hans asked, looking to Elsa to see if she understood.

"I am the culprit… of the fire. I started it." Lily stated flatly, bowing her head. "I'm so sorry."

Elsa waited for a moment, her heart going out to the girl before them. She knew how easily fear could cripple someone, and this girl already had so much to contend with every day. "Why don't you explain from the start?"

Lily nodded, and began speaking in a soft, reverberating voice echoing in shame. "It started the night of the coronation. Everyone was either given the night off or was celebrating at the parties in the kingdom. I thought it would be the perfect time to practice my sword fighting on my own. I'm not usually allowed in the practice yard, you see, so I stay near the corner of the yard, where the connection to the stables and the storage are located."

Alrik swallowed, but retained his posture, his eyes never leaving Lily.

"It was alright at first. The soldiers who would have been there at night weren't present because of the decorating done earlier that day taking so much of their time, so I had access to everything I needed, and I was alone."

"That's true," Alrik vouched, "we were told to hang banners for the Southern Isles along the walls and over the canopies. Everyone was dismissed early that day in order to show support to the Isles."

"I didn't know anything had changed in the yard. I relied on my memory alone," Lily murmured, hugging her arms. "But the banners… I heard something ripping, and I must have snagged one somehow, because my sword was stuck. I pulled, and I heard something clatter to the ground. There was the smell of smoke, and I knew there was a fire because I heard it crackling, but I… I just couldn't see it." She squeezed her arms tighter. "I ran. I finally stumbled into a little boy, and told him there was a fire, but I couldn't have stayed…"

"Why not?" Hans asked, listening patiently to the whole story. "Beyond the obvious facts regarding your impairment, of course."

"Because I knew that if Alrik found out what I had done…" Lily bowed her head. "He wouldn't let me back there, ever. And I… I love training. It makes me feel like… like my father is still with me," her voice choked.

Harald took over, sparing Lily from having to force any further explanation. He addressed the court with a firm voice, betraying no emotion. "The culprit of the fire was Miss Granthson. The whole matter was not, as I first presumed, a matter of rebellion and conspiracy against the throne, but rather a simple accident. I admit I was hasty to assume otherwise."

"Accident or no," Alrik surged as he walked up to the other side of Lily, looking to Harald, "with this new knowledge I cannot under any good conscience allow her to continue to follow this course. Her actions have nearly caused the death of not only royal steeds, but on a much larger scale, visitors from the Southern Isles." He frowned as he gestured to Harald. "Not to mention destruction of a large part of the stables and willfully putting other citizens in danger as they attempted to put out the fire." His attention turned to Hans. "Do you not agree, your majesty?"

Hans blinked, stunned that the man was looking at him. Yes, Alrik was speaking directly to him. Not since he'd arrived had someone come directly to him for an answer. Elsa put her hand on his for comfort, which helped him focus. He loathed that it had to be such a sensitive matter on all sides he was faced with judging. "Well…" He looked from Elsa to his brother and to Alrik. All eyes were trained for his response. His father had always said when making difficult decisions, it was best to take each piece of the problem in hand, laying them out on the table before settling on the final choice. He would attempt to follow that example. "It is true that the fire has caused some damage to those affected, on both physical and emotional levels."

"Then you agree she should not be allowed on the premises of the training grounds," Alrik pressed further.

Hans battled to keep his facial expressions under check. He began to wonder how his father remained so regal in these situations. "I agree left alone she has no basis for her practice," he ventured, "but could not someone be given the task of assisting her in her desires?"

Alrik's face seemed to flicker with a sudden debate. "When her father, the late Captain Erik, passed on in the wake of the King Agdar and Queen Idun, God rest their souls, I took responsibility for the promise I made to him."

"Promise?" Hans questioned.

"Yes, I promised him I would look after his daughter. It seems that Captain Erik was often bothered by his past decisions."

"What decisions are you referring to?" Hans pursued.

"He dismissed much of the guard when the staff was ordered to be reduced, over a decade ago. Obviously, the people who were dismissed were not pleased. There were often riots and storms against the castle gates. He worried for his daughter's safety and appointed me her guardian should he ever pass. I was no more than a young boy then, but I was sworn to obey my captain. I know her passions run deep, as they always have… but I cannot look after her and my men at the same time, not when she is surrounded by so much danger...I don't have the ability. I simply can't." His eyes and head tilted to look to Lily, who was turning a shade of pink in shame. "I'm sorry, Lily… no."

Hans grasped for what to say in the absence of the right words. "I… understand." He leaned back in his throne to contemplate. "I believe you've been put under a great deal of undue pressure, Alrik. It would be not only unfair but unwise to direct your focus to one potential soldier rather than the many seasoned men who fall under your command already. And you seem to indicate that you cannot find people willing to take Miss Granthson under their wing, is that correct?"

"That is correct, your majesty," Alrik replied, staring ahead at the empty space before him. "If I knew she was safe in doing so, and had someone willing to train her who I deemed appropriate, I would allow it, but that is not the case."

Then, Harald, who had been incredibly quiet during the session, spoke almost unwillingly. "I will."

Alrik looked at him with a stunned expression, but it was Hans who replied. "Wait… you'll what?"

"I will train her." His adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, but continued in a strong voice. "There has never been a war in the Southern Isles in my lifespan, and I find myself with an abundance of spare time after my daily exercises with my soldiers are completed. I propose that Miss Granthson return to the Southern Isles with me tomorrow, and I will sufficiently train her as intensively as she desires. When she is ready to return to Arendelle, I will have a ship prepared and return her here."

Lily's breath seemed to catch in her throat. He's offering to train me. Him! The captain of the Southern Isles, the prince! Oh, Harald… What should I say? What's Alrik going to say?

Alrik turned to face her, as if he had heard her thoughts. He looked at her for a long time, brow furrowed, Harald's words fresh in his mind.

You're a coward! If you really loved her you would want her to try!

Alrik hesitantly took her hand and held it gently in his as it quivered, his voice low. "Is this what you want?"

She could hear every hidden longing of his heart contained in those words. She nodded slowly, her pulse pounding in her ears. "Yes."

Still he was quiet for a few long moments. He bowed his head. "Then you have my permission. Harald is an excellent soldier. I am confident he will train you well and I am certain you will enjoy yourself," he trailed off.

Lily sprung towards him and hugged him tightly. She leaned into his ear to whisper. "Thank you."

Alrik wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close, and whispered in return. "I hope you find everything you're looking for. Don't forget me." He took in her scent one last time, the faint scent of honeysuckle which grew so wildly about her cottage. He would feel an emptiness walking by that lonely place from now on without seeing her there.

"I promise… I won't." Lily released him, and turned back towards Elsa and Hans, beaming.

"Well, then." Hans looked at Harald with a mixture of a smile and pursed lips. "It seems the matter has been settled." Do you like her? You must if you invited her home. But do you really have the spare time to train her? What about the rest of our brothers? Are you sure about this? He made a mental note to ask his brother the questions himself later.

"May I request a few of your soldiers to assist in packing anything Miss Granthson may need to bring and transporting it to my ship, Alrik?" Harald asked, stone-faced.

"Of course," Alrik replied. "I'll send some men to help you."

"Thank you. Miss Granthson, I have some things of my own to be sure are stored correctly on the ship and men to debrief who will be sailing back to the Isles. I will come to see you on the morrow." Harald turned to Hans. "That is, if you have no further need for me, your majesty."

"No, please, attend to your business," Hans replied with a nod, watching his brother go. But don't think we're finished yet.

#

Hans found his brother at the end of the day exactly where he guessed he would be. He was standing on top of the wall overseeing the training yard, a very similar position to where he would be found in the Southern Isles. The sun was setting, leaving the sky a golden red palette of bright colors.

"So… mother and father will have a new acquaintance to meet when you arrive, won't they?" Hans asked, coming up beside his brother. "Do you think she'll want to stay for a while?"

Harald did not reply right away, his face set in grim lines. "Do you remember this past winter?"

"How could I not?" Hans replied. "I did nearly freeze solid."

"I thought it would be forgotten after that. Obviously I was mistaken," Harald replied, sounding far away.

"What would be forgotten?" Hans asked, worried to see his brother's attention so incredibly distant from their conversation.

"Nothing… it doesn't matter." He turned, now present and now aware, meeting Hans' eyes. He motioned behind them to a bench on the top of the wall where both of them sat down and made themselves comfortable. Seeing his brother in a relaxed state was a rare thing, and Hans felt privileged to be able to witness it. Harald eased his legs out, rubbing his right arm. "I'm glad I could be of service to you… after going through so much of life disregarding you. I've no idea how long Lily will stay, but she will be welcomed as long as she so decides."

"You make it sound as if it will be easy," Hans replied with a half-hearted chuckle. "But you're forgetting about something." His eyes followed Harald's hand as it massaged his forearm. "Is your arm bothering you?"

"No." Harald crossed both of his arms as if in defiance, then relaxed again. "Perhaps a little. I did not want to display weakness in front of new subordinates, so I have put off the physical therapy the doctor recommended I follow. But if you are insinuating I have forgotten about Lily among our soldiers, don't concern yourself. My men will be civil around her and she will be accepted among them, I can assure you."

"I meant our brothers," Hans replied with a wince. "Or do you think they'll accept her, too?"

"They will not cause her any problems." Harald grunted, a small smirk growing on his face. "I'll see to that."

Wow this chapter got so long. So you're aware, this sequel does not just involve Hans just as the first book did not just involve him. It also involves his brothers. There may be chapters where Hans and Elsa are absent entirely. Don't worry, there are still plans for them and much to be discovered, but I'm just letting you know there are other storylines to follow as well. Reviews feed me and let me know what you like! Please take a moment to tell me.