Hekla hadn't been exaggerating about getting Iduna up first thing the next morning, and she'd certainly been making her promise of being the hardest worker Hekla had ever seen hard to keep up. The past four days had been nonstop mucking, feeding, training, brushing…she was barely able to stay awake long enough for dinner before collapsing right into sleep until Hekla shook her awake to do it all over again.

But, truth be told, the hard work was welcome. Her brain was so full of horses and saddles and hay that there was no room to think about the forest or the future or what had happened just a few days before.

"Hey! Freyja doesn't have her bridle on!" Hekla's call brought Iduna back to the present, grimacing as she ran to the stable to fetch it. "Come on, girl, it's common sense. How's anyone supposed to ride a horse with no reins?"

For all of her gruffness, Hekla didn't seem to mind having an assistant all that much. She'd gotten a cot moved into her little cottage the day after Iduna's arrival, and she was remarkably patient as Iduna learned that horses were actually vastly different than reindeer, giving short bits of instruction and guiding her into doing things properly.

"There, just push the bit in. Freyja's a calm girl, she won't nip you unless you really mess up." Hekla crossed her arms as Iduna carefully got the reins over Freyja's head, then looked over as a young servant—not much older than Iduna, really—ran up to the gate. Hekla let out a tsk.

"What do you want, Kai?" she asked shortly, making the boy freeze up for a moment before he spoke.

"It's, ah, it's time for inventory," he said, not quite meeting her eyes. "So…if you could just…hand me your list of what you need so Rosskjell can…"

Hekla groaned. "Was that this week?"

"If…if you've forgotten, I can just tell…"

"No. Don't you dare," Hekla said firmly, making Kai stand up straight. "Rosskjell will never let me hear the end of it." She rubbed her eyes, then looked up. "Iduna!"

"Yes?"

"You can write, can't you?"

"Of course I can write." She patted Freyja's neck, then tossed her braid over her shoulder as she walked up to Hekla. Immediately, a pencil and scraps of paper were thrust into her hands.

"Go do a count of what we need, then take it in to Rosskjell. His office is in the west wing of the castle." Hekla gave her a push toward the stable. "If you don't, we'll have some very upset horses."

Iduna made a face. "Can't you do it? You know everything we need, and where Rokill is."

"Rosskjell, and why should I do when I have an assistant right here who promised to be the hardest worker I've ever seen?" Hekla gave her a smirk, then shooed her off toward the stable. Iduna sighed, but this time went to the stable. There was still a good deal of hay, but it wouldn't hurt to get a bit more. They were due to get a new colt next week, so they'd need horseshoes for him. Maybe a saddle, too? Better put it down just in case. And Balgruuf's blanket was getting awfully threadbare…

After what felt like forever, Iduna was pretty sure she'd gotten everything they needed. Now it was just…going into the castle. She had to admit, it was a little exciting; she hadn't been able to go inside yet. She wondered if it was as grand and bright as the outside. A few helpful guards doing their rounds told her how to get inside, and she slipped in through the servant's entrance.

It was very grand inside.

Lights blazed on just about every wall, and plush rugs nearly completely covered the gleaming wood floor beneath. There were paintings and swords and tapestries on each wall and servants milling about and a group of well-dressed young ladies walking down the end of the hall and…

Iduna shut her eyes, gathering her wits again. No, don't get distracted. She had to get to Rosskjell, in the west wing. Now, which way was west in here?

Iduna walked through the halls, trying to look as much like Hekla as possible rather than a girl worried about getting lost. Even so, she could practically hear her sister telling her how ridiculous she looked.

Was Yelana okay? What about Mother? Had Father…

She froze and shook her head. No. She wasn't going to think about that, especially not here. All she needed to focus on was getting the list to Rosskjell. Now, the west wing should be here. Or…here? Maybe up these stairs…

"And you're certain this is temporary?"

"Your Majesty, it's only been four days. He's likely only begun to recover from it; really, it's a lucky thing he's doing as well as he is."

"But what if he has amnesia or…"

"If he had amnesia, he wouldn't remember the year. Or your name. Or his name."

As soon as Iduna reached the top of the staircase, she caught sight of a man and woman speaking in hushed voices, and automatically she slipped out of sight. The man was in fine clothes, but the woman…her dress was made of heavy, dark damask, and her collar was lined with fur—but something much more delicate and fine than the reindeer and rabbit skins they wore back in her village. Jewels sparkled at her neck and on her fingers, but the most spectacular was the crown that sat on top of her head, the dark blue gems contrasting wonderfully with her golden hair.

Naturally, that had to be the queen. And if they were talking about what Iduna thought they were talking about, then this room must be the king's.

She'd clearly taken a wrong turn, and she should go back downstairs to find Rosskjell. But…the queen and the man—doctor, most likely—were going the opposite way. So if she were to just…take a peek…they probably wouldn't notice.

After all, you couldn't save someone and spend hours staying silent next to them without wanting to make sure they were okay, right?

She waited until the queen and the doctor were a few doors away, and made sure that there were no other servants coming this way. Then, as quietly as possible, she padded down the hallway's rug to the door. She peeked around again before reaching for the door and, very, very carefully, opened it just enough to slip inside.

For a king's room, it seemed…rather plain, especially compared to the rest of the castle. Certainly there was furniture, and a massive bookshelf by the window, but…nothing that looked like it belonged to a boy. Maybe that was part of being a king.

The bed was impressive, and it was so large and covered in thick down comforters that she almost couldn't tell there was a person on it at all. But she saw a tuft of blond hair between the blankets and pillows, and the tiniest shift of the blankets.

There. He was alive. She hadn't realized how much she'd worried that he's been really hurt, but she'd gotten her confirmation that he was okay and could go on her way.

Or…she could get a better look at him. Just to be sure.

She bit her lip as she stepped a bit closer. This was stupid. She'd get in so much trouble if she was found out, but her curiosity wouldn't let her stop. Just a bit closer…

There.

She tilted her head. He looked more or less the same as he had when she'd gotten him into the cart, but with a touch more color in his cheeks. He breathed softly as he slept, a wave of blond hair falling over half his face.

So. This was the King of Arendelle.

How horrible.

Kings, she knew, had nothing but responsibilities to attend to. The last king had seemed shifty and shallow, with smiles that only seemed to last as long as they needed to. Before the fighting had broken out, this boy had seemed bright-eyed and ready to learn from the Northuldra. Would he be like his father now that he was king?

Then again, it wasn't really her place to wonder that, was it?

She'd better get moving, anyway. Hekla would begin to wonder after her, and that might mean a box on the ear. She stood up and turned, carefully padding out.

"Who're you?"

Iduna froze in place as she heard the hoarse voice, and she slowly turned around. The king was sitting up, pale green eyes unfocused as he looked at her sleepily.

"I…I'm lost," she stammered out as the king rubbed his eyes and grimaced.

"Lost?"

"Y-yeah. I'm…looking for Rosskjell?"

To her surprise, the boy let out a quiet laugh. "You're really lost. Gimme a minute, I can…um..I should…sorry, I'm drawing a complete blank."

Iduna shook her head, starting to back toward the door. "Really, it's fine. I should be…" She tilted her head, eyes widening as she heard footsteps. Someone was coming. She looked back at the king, then pressed her finger to her lips. He dazedly copied her, watching as she sprinted across the room to hide behind his curtains just as the door opened.

"Agnarr! What are you doing?"

Iduna peeked out from behind the curtain, watching as the queen swept over to the bedside.

"The doctor says you're to stay in bed until you've recovered, and that means laying down. We need you to be well as soon as possible."

"I'm fine."

"You're not fine, now lay down."

The king—Agnarr—mumbled incoherently as he laid back down.

"What was that?"

"There's a girl in here."

Iduna bit back a gasp, instead holding her breath as the queen looked around curiously.

"You're imagining things, Agnarr. No one's allowed in but me, the doctor, and Petra." She knelt leaned over the bed, smoothing her son's hair out of his face. "Now please, rest. Things will be…difficult soon, and you need to be as well as possible."

Agnarr hummed distantly, eyes fluttering closed. The queen stayed by his bed for a moment longer, then straightened up to walk out.

"Mother?"

The queen paused, turning to look back at the bed. "Yes?"

"I can't remember where Rosskjell's office is."

"Do you really need to know now?"

"Yes, it's important."

The queen sighed, clearly debating whether it was worth humoring her son or not. "You go down the stairs, turn right at the first hallway, and go down to the door at the end. Does that help?"

"Mm-hm."

The queen sighed, shaking her head before exiting the room. Iduna held her breath until she heard the click of the door, then leaned back against the cool window for a moment. That had been way too close. After a moment, she slipped out from behind the curtain, sending a big smile toward Agnarr…but he was already asleep again. Iduna's smile grew smaller, but no less genuine, then silently made her way out of his room and toward Rosskjell's office.

Well, that hadn't gone as bad as it could have. But she was going to have to keep a big distance between her and the king from now on. That could get dangerous really fast.

There was one fundamental flaw in her plan to keep away from the king: she was a servant in his castle. Granted, she lived on the grounds rather than in the castle, and, according to Hekla, she'd likely spend all but the most important holidays out here. It wasn't like stablehands had to attend balls or meetings, after all. And according to the gossip, King Agnarr was still on strict bedrest, and likely would be for some time. Once he did fully recover, he'd likely be busy with all sorts of kingly duties. So Iduna was safe.

And even if she wanted to snoop more, there was just no time for it once their new colt arrived. Hekla had named him Jarl, certain that he'd grow into the name, then passed him off to Iduna for breaking. He could be a darling, when he felt like it, but he had a strong enough stubborn streak that Iduna's whole days were filled with trying to get him to eat on time, trying to get him used to his bit and bridle, trying to get him to just listen to her. And, of course, Hekla was hardly any help, only assuring Iduna that she'd be able to figure things out on her own. Really, it seemed like she was trying to break the both of them.

Today's task was teaching Jarl how to be led. He didn't seem to mind the bit as much today, but trying to steer him was nearly impossible.

"Come on, Jarl," Iduna grumbled, playing tug of war with the reins. "It's just a little walk. Just follow my lead."

Jarl huffed at her, and Iduna huffed back. She heard footsteps behind her, but they could wait for a moment for her to coax Jarl around the run. She tugged again.

"I'm not even asking you to do anything fancy, Jarl. Just walk with me."

"It's you! You're real!"

The voice startled Iduna, and Jarl took the opportunity to throw his head, nearly tugging her off her feet.

"Don't do that!" she chided, then called over her shoulder, "Not you, the horse. And of course I'm real. Jarl wouldn't be so fussy if I weren't."

Her visitor gave a stifled laugh. "Clearly. Still, I'm glad I wasn't imagining strange girls showing up in my room."

Iduna froze up, and Jarl took the chance to tug his reins away, finally making her lose her balance and faceplant into the dirt. He let out a triumphant nicker before trotting away. Iduna let him go, instead scrambling up to bow as best she could.

"Y-Your Majesty! I…I'm sorry, I didn't expect…I mean, I'm very sorry for…I…" She grimaced as she peeked up, brow creasing as she tried to avoid making eye contact with the boy leaning against the gate before ultimately bowing her head again. "I…I hope you'll forgive me for, um, breaking into your room?"

She still wasn't looking, but she was going to assume that the rustle of fabric was a shrug. "Well, you needed help, and I'm supposed to help people. I don't think there's anything there that needs forgiving. Um, you can stand up, if you want. That doesn't look comfortable."

Iduna stood up as quickly as possible, and Agnarr stifled another laugh before looking over at Jarl. "He's beautiful. Is he new?"

"Yes, and stubborn as anything," Iduna said with a sigh as she crossed her arms. Agnarr glanced at her, then reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a couple of sugar cubes. He gave a whistle, smiling as Jarl looked over at him. Slowly, the colt made his way over, interest piqued as Agnarr held out the sugar cubes.

"This is how I got my horse to like me," he whispered to Iduna as Jarl carefully nosed his way toward the king. "Hekla told me off for giving him sugar, but now I have a friend for life."

Iduna smiled, watching as Jarl finally nibbled at the sugar and willingly let Agnarr stroke his nose. "I might have to sneak some out here, then." She glanced up at the king, still hesitant to look too long. "Are…you feeling better? After what happened?" Agnarr's smile faded, and Iduna swallowed nervously. Maybe she shouldn't have asked that. "I'm sorry, I…"

"You apologize a lot," he said quietly. "But I guess I'm going to have to get used to that, if I'm king now."

Iduna bit her lip. "So you know what happened."

"If Mother hadn't told me, I'd've heard from everyone else." Agnarr stroked Jarl's nose a few times in silence before he said, in a much more formal voice, "Yes, I'm better. Thank you for asking." He turned his head slightly, green eyes looking at her curiously before he bowed his head. "I'm sorry. I'm keeping you from your work."

"I wasn't getting very far with it," Iduna said, reaching forward to pat Jarl's neck. "He's in a much better mood now, so I'm glad you came."

Agnarr smiled, a smaller one than before but still genuine. "If you'll let me, I'd like to come back. I'm not really supposed to be out here yet, but I could only stay inside for so long."

"Only if you bring sugar cubes," Iduna said with a teasing grin before she realized who she was teasing. "I-I mean, of course…they're your horses, after all, and…"

"I'll fill my pockets with them," Agnarr interrupted with another laugh, then looked up as several voices called "Your Majesty!" around the grounds. He sighed. "I guess that's my sign to go. Thanks for letting me meet Jarl." He reluctantly pulled away from Jarl, started to walk away before he stopped and turned back to them. "Sorry, I'm so rude, I didn't catch your name?"

She blinked. "Ah…I'm Iduna."

"Iduna. Iduna," he repeated, as if committing it to memory. "I'm Agnarr. I mean, you probably knew that. You definitely knew that. I…" He looked up as he heard another call. "I'll be back soon, Iduna!"

Iduna smiled. "I'll see you then, Your Majesty!"

As Agnarr made his way back toward the castle, Iduna looked up at Jarl, who nudged his nose against her head. Well, so much for keeping her distance. But at least the king seemed nice enough…and willing to forgive egregious trespassing.

She found herself looking forward to his next visit.