The guests were welcomed in the palace and seemed to be getting along well with the royal family.
Princess Anna was giving Princess Gwendolyn a tour of the palace.
"Now I've saved the best for last. The kitchen," Anna said, adding. "So tell me. Do you like chocolate?"
Gwendolyn's eyes went wide. "Are you kidding?"
"Ha, okay, well then you're in for a treat. Elsa and I are absolute chocolate fiends. They always have some goodies in the kitchen for us."
"You don't have to tell me twice," the younger Princess said.
The girls went to the kitchen and, just as Anna had said, found chocolate treats of all kinds there.
They spoke as they ate.
"So what do you think of Arendelle so far?" Anna said through a mouth full of chocolate.
"It's beautiful. And the ruling family seems very nice."
Anna smiled. "Glad you like it, and us."
"So," Gwendolyn asked, "Tell me a little about the ice harvester that my brother is chumming around with this morning. He had quite a reaction when Nicholas made that snow angel comment."
"Yes, well we are engaged." Anna held out her hand to display the ring that Kristoff had given her.
"Pretty nice for an ice harvester."
"Yes, well he went to a jeweler that Elsa had 'recommended'. He got an unusually good deal there."
"She, uh, covered what he couldn't, right?"
Anna nodded. "They won't confirm it but I think so. She did go with him to pick it out. Under the pretense that she'd could help with ring size."
"You have the same ring size? Otherwise it's kind of a weak cover story."
"Oh, yes," Anna said. "Even though she's taller, we have the same ring and shoe size." Anna added, "She has small feet, I don't have really huge ones or anything."
Gwendolyn laughed. "Okay, more detail than I needed."
Anna then turned to a different subject. "So you haven't told me anything about your Kingdom."
"Well it's very green; most of the year anyway. Our castle is near the forest. It was built right on the border of the two Kingdoms that had merged into one. The Kings had vowed to build a magnificent home for their children. One grander by far than a palace in Rome...and it is. You must come see it sometime. With your sister and your handsome mountain man of course."
"Don't get too taken with my Kristoff now."
"Oh, now who's the one turning a little green?" Gwendolyn asked.
"Well you can't blame me. I made a bad call the first time, but I'd say I hit the jackpot the second time."
"I agree." Gwendolyn answered. "What does his family think about him marrying into the royal family?"
Anna grinned. "Well let me tell you about his family."
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"Trolls huh? And I thought I had an interesting family history," Nicholas said.
"Yes Trolls." Kristoff confirmed. "I don't remember my birth parents but I have a great family with the trolls. You'll have to meet Pabbie sometime. I'm sure he'll have something to say about your magical background."
"I'll look forward to it," Nicholas replied
"They should be interested in all you and Elsa have in common." Kristoff smirked.
"Really, why so?"
Kristoff thought for a moment about how to approach it...After all it was an odd topic for two men to talk about; but he had promised Anna he would find a way to bring up the subject.
"Well the trolls are kind of obsessive match makers."
Nicholas' eyebrows rose. "So since we have similar powers we must naturally be a good match. Is that it?"
"Not necessarily, but you do seem to get along well. And it wouldn't be too objectionable, would it."
"Well I can't deny that."
Then Kristoff saw the look of epiphany on the Prince's face, followed by the question, "So which of the girls goaded you into bringing this up?"
Kristoff sighed. "Anna." Then he added, "Elsa just wants my assessment of you. I have a lot more experience with people than either her or Anna."
"So do you think you would have spotted Hans for what he is?"
"I wouldn't have known exactly what he was up to, but I would have spotted that he wasn't the great guy everyone thought. I may not be Pabbie but I know a bad egg when I see one."
The Prince nodded. "And what is your verdict judge Kristoff?"
"You seem like a good guy."
"I'm glad to hear it. I really am becoming fond of your soon to be sister in law."
"Definitely got to take you two to see Pabbie then."
"Ha, we'll see. I am curious to meet them. My only experience with magical creatures is fairies and that was when I was very little."
"Alright I'll try to arrange it."
"By the way you know the dress Elsa was wearing."
"Yes, what about it?"
"She made that with her ice powers. Just out of curiosity, can you do that kind of thing?"
Nicholas shook his head. "Oh no, I'd look terrible in a dress."
"HAA,ha,ha!" Kristoff doubled over in laughter. In his own way so did Sven.
After he caught his breath, Kristoff said "Let me be more specific. Can you make things THE WAY she did with the dress."
For an answer Nicholas stood out in a rather heroic pose as ice covered him. When the mist cleared he was wearing an ice breastplate and carried an ice sword and ice shield."
"I wore this when I was involved in the search for the lost Princess of Corona. The only blade that can pierce or cut it is the sword of truth."
"Sword of truth?"
"Long story. I'll tell you about it sometime."
"Alright you can tell me on the way back to the palace. By the way, on the subject of palaces, did you know about the ice palace that Elsa built?"
Nicholas' expression gave Kristoff the answer. "No I hadn't heard about that."
"It's amazing," Kristoff told him. "At least for someone whose whole life is about ice. You should ask her to show you. It might be a good place to practice. No need to worry about anyone getting in the crossfire."
"I might do that. But are you sure you trust me alone with your Queen? Her guards won't be there."
"Like I said, I think you're okay. But if I'm wrong, there's always Marshmallow."
"Marshmallow...I'm guessing that's like the way that a really tall man is called shorty, or a big guy is called tiny."
"Something like that. Now about this sword of truth." Kristoff asked as the two started back to Arendelle.
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The command that the Duke had been waiting for, and dreading, had finally come.
When he returned from Arendelle he had promptly reported to the Queen...bringing the letter informing them that Arendelle would no longer trade with Wesselton.
Queen Caroline had remained silent for probably only a few seconds, but it felt much longer.
"You are dismissed," She told the Duke. "I will discuss this with you further at a later time."
The Duke had been kept waiting for a very long time, at least it seemed so to him. Finally he was to be informed what action Wesselton would take, and what his own fate would be.
He really didn't know what to expect. The Queen had not been on the throne very long. Her husband, King Magnus, had fallen ill and had recently succumbed to his illness. He and the Duke had seen eye to eye on most subjects. He didn't know what to except from this new Queen.
The Duke was announced and entered. There he found, as he knew he would, Queen Caroline and her young son Prince Benjamin. The queen sat at the throne to the left of the empty one that had belonged to her husband, and would one day belong to her son.
On her left was a decidedly less ornate seat, set lower than the ones belonging to the ruling couple. In it sat the young Prince.
Queen Caroline looked down on the diminutive man approaching her. He was the embodiment of all she disliked about royal politics. The Duke, like her husband, seemed to see it almost as a game. To get the better of other Kingdoms or others within your own Kingdom.
Oh, she knew how to play their game well, but she found it distasteful and tiresome; not that she would ever let the Duke know that.
One exception her beloved King Magnus made to his maneuvering was marrying her. The daughter of a mid-level official from England who had accompanied the earl of Greystoke on a diplomatic call shortly before he, his wife and their infant son were lost at sea; she offered no political advantage, only her love, and that was all either wanted of the other.
She did have two political aims though. To preserve her husband's throne for his son, and to prepare the young man to take that throne when he was old enough.
"Your Majesty." The Duke addressed his sovereign with a bow.
Queen Caroline held the proclamation from her counterpart in Arendelle for the Duke to see. She and her son had already read and discussed the situation and now needed to hear the Dukes perspective on the matter. She addressed the noble.
"I sent you to show good will to our closest trading partner and establish good relations with the new Queen. Now I find that you were involved in an attempt to overthrow and kill both her and her sister; and that, as a result, our economic relationship with Arendelle has been severed." She glowered down at him. "You will explain yourself now!"
The Duke had anticipated this of course, and had gone over numerous ways he might respond, but the Queen and Prince were unknown factors and there was no way to be sure what would put him in the best possible position.
"Your Majesty, Queen Elsa is a witch. She proved it in front of me. I believed that we could be in grave danger. When we sit to negotiate trade she might very well inform us that trade will be on her terms or our whole Kingdom will be encased in ice in perpetuity." He added, "And then later I believed that she'd killed her own sister. If her sister found no mercy, no one would."
He may well have believed that, the Queen thought. After all he was greedy, but not evil at hart; although her son wasn't so sure about that. The Queen chalked that up to the personal conflict that always seemed to exist between the two of them. They very simply did not like each other.
She was satisfied that the course of action that she and the young Prince has settled on was the best course. Queen Elsa had likely acted in haste, out of the intense emotion of the moment; something she and Magnus had cautioned their son against.
They would present the Queen with a face saving way out of that mistake, so saving both Kingdoms a great deal of trouble.
She addressed the Duke. "I will pen a personal message to Queen Elsa to be delivered by no less than the crown prince himself." She paused a moment before adding. "And YOU will personally apologize to both Queen Elsa and Princess Anna. And know this Duke; your fate hinges on their willingness to accept your apologies. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes your Majesty, Perfectly."
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AN: So readers don't become confused I wanted to point out that I made a small change. I changed the name of the Prince of Wesselton form Magnus to Benjamin.
