Late September, 1916
Anna didn't realise she'd dozed off until she started with a jolt, waking up to nothing but pitch darkness. The rocking of the ship must have put her to sleep, because it seemed she was still in the jewelled muslin dress she wore that evening to the dinner party - plus, the way the floor beneath her lurched gently was practically enough for her to pass out again.
As soon as these two thoughts rose up in her mind, Anna could feel her corset squeeze against her sides like a circus balloon was being inflated inside her, and winced in discomfort.
"Wretched thing," she muttered as she tried flipping over to face the wall - it was also another attempt get rid of the feeling of air being pushed forcibly out of her lungs.
Just as Anna thought she was about to faint from breathing struggles, a voice whispered to her through the darkness. "Anna? Are you awake?"
A light suddenly flickered on some ten metres away, and Rapunzel's troubled face became visible clearly.
"What's the matter, Punz? Can't sleep?" Anna yawned tiredly, her eyes crusted from hours of remaining closed.
"I'm scared," Rapunzel admitted.
"Why should you be? We're arriving at Corona tomorrow."
"I've actually never met the Duke before," continued Rapunzel in a trembling voice, as if she hadn't heard her.
Anna was stunned. "Well, of course not! Every princess has an arranged marriage when they come of age. You're no exception." She pushed off the covers, and swung her skirt-bound legs over so that they leaned against the side of the bed.
"That's the thing. Since I've never met him, I don't know whether...you know boys. They either mature upon turning twenty or don't mature at all. In this case, what if he's the latter?"
"Hush, Punz," Anna soothed her, stepping over to give her a heartfelt hug. "Don't worry about a thing. I'm sure that he'll turn out fine. Even if the Duke isn't what you hoped for, maybe if his love is strong enough, he'll change just for you. Just like any other true man would do." Rapunzel gave a small smile and pecked her affectionately on the cheek.
"You're a great friend, Anna. Any man would be terribly lucky to have you." Anna returned her smile as both lay back in bed, and Rapunzel switched off the lamp, plunging them into the black of night once more.
-o0o-
The shot of a hundred cannons was heard quite distinctly during dawn - then several rounds of firecrackers, and finally the distant chorus of cheers.
At the edge of the ship (fairly close to the bronze mermaid that wrapped around the bow seductively) the first glimpse caught by the crowds who stood at Corona's city port was a young burly sailor, his yells ringing across the distance of sea between land and the ship itself. As the mist and fog cleared, there stood the King Agdar of Arendelle, proudly standing in his traditional uniform and medals, to whom everyone shrieked in joy to see the father of Corona's bride-to-be. Beside him was his wife, and his four daughters; they were dressed in the most lavish of furs and white silk dresses, matching floppy hats - it was the fashion - atop each woman's head. A set of glittering diamonds and pearls were wrapped around their necks, and could be found on earlobes and wrists - no doubt they'd been pampered up for the meeting with the Prince and Princess of Corona, along with their only son.
Gerda felt the wind rush through her hair as she eyed the skies, grey from the rain that had occurred not long ago. Luckily, they had dove under the deck in time, so their clothing had been miraculously saved. She noticed, however, that Rapunzel's face had turned white and nervous upon first sight of the port. Was she, perhaps, frightened of Corona, a foreign land? Gerda wondered why.
The noise of the crowd became louder and more distinct as the ship approached the port. Gerda would have liked to hop on the foot of the bow and shout, "Land ahoy!", but that would have meant an endless lecture from her mother afterwards, about 'lady's etiquette,' and 'keeping restrained,' and other nonsense Gerda really didn't need to be told to understand.
After what seemed like an eternity, the ship's front hit the shore, and the girls' ears were beaten mercilessly by the great confusion of noise and crowds that surrounded them at the port. Anna blushed furiously once she was in plain sight - she must look silly, if not childish, wearing her long hair in two braids as if she were a ten year old.
But Anna had no choice in the matter - her mother often told her that her hair was like a wild mane, impossible to tame. Also, she wasn't considered a young lady in society, as she hadn't quite turned sixteen yet; meanwhile, Elsa and Rapunzel, having already passed the womanly age of sixteen, were allowed to wear their hair in a plait wrapped around their heads like garlands, just as they did now. Gerda didn't have to have her hair fussed with as much as Anna's - their mother allowed her to wear it out at most times in public. The Queen said this was because Gerda's hair was perfectly straight and silky. Anna thought it was perfectly maddening.
The King and Queen nodded at the citizens of Corona as they passed by through the crowds; behind them, the four princesses, all beautiful in the envying female commoners' eyes, waved and smiled with grace, as they had always been taught to do, even as their thin satin slippers scraped uncomfortably against the cobble-stone road.
Elsa's posture and regal wave were perfection - Anna only wished she was like her, a proper princess, never having to worry about tripping over her own feet or appearing awkward, seeing as she was in her middle teen years. How does she do it? she thought, feeling the same jealousy as the other girls in the crowd.
"His Royal Majesty, King Agdar of Arendelle," a herald announced in a booming voice before the King arrived at the large marble staircase leading up to the main doors of the Corona palace. By the time "Her Royal Majesty, Queen Rosemary of Arendelle," as well as "Their Royal Highnesses, the Princesses Elsa, Rapunzel, Anna, and Gerda of Arendelle," had been welcomed into the country, all were already at the top of the steps, gestured by several guards and officers to enter the room.
-o0o-
Just as Rapunzel imagined, the Corona throne room was a mighty grand spectacle to behold, with its tall golden pillars, curtains of shining velvet, and the flag - emblazoned with the royal symbol, a sun over a purple background - hanging over the wall where three thrones were vaulted to a three-stepped platform.
Rapunzel was in a daze as she was individually introduced to the King, as well as his son and daughter-in-law the Prince and Princess of Corona. She'd forgotten she was here for a certain reason until a gold-ringed hand slipped into her palm to shake it. "The Duke of Corona, Prince Eugene Flynnigan," the owner of the hand, a young man of twenty, offered.
Eugene was tall for his age, and wore a vest matching the colours of the Corona flag - purple striped with shades of gold. Otherwise, he wore a puffed up sleeved shirt underneath and leather boots over a pair of trousers. He had a flat mass of brown hair, a handsome goatee, and a pair of almond-shaped hazel eyes that seemed to stay fixed on Rapunzel for long periods of time. No matter how good-looking he was, all Rapunzel could think of was running off to contemplate over things in the palace lavatory - was this really what she wanted?
"Welcome to Corona, Your Majesty. It is truly a honour to invite you and your entire family to meet my young grandson." The King of Corona then smiled broadly, his hands spread out and emphasising on the word honour. "May we see your daughter, the Princess Rapunzel?"
Gulping silently, Rapunzel stepped stiffly forward. The King insisted her upon moving up furthur until at last she was nearly chest to chest with him. "I trust you're happy to marry Eugene, eh?" he asked, indicating the purple-vested man standing on his right, his white moustache bristling in question.
"I-I suppose," Rapunzel stammered, wringing her fingers behind her back. "I mean, Mother and Father did choose for me-," but she barely got to finish her sentence, before her mother glared at her, and Gerda managed a swift cunning kick that pained her numb legs. "That is, I'm satisfied with the choice, Your Majesty."
"Very well," the King nodded with a thoughtful frown. "I think, before our lunch banquet, you and Eugene can have a little time by yourselves." She agreed reluctantly. "Good. Dear Queen Rosemary, won't you and your other daughters join the Princess for a get-together with tea? Meanwhile my son and I'll have a talk with this man as well." He elbowed Agdar, who laughed and nudged him back.
Rapunzel glanced back over her shoulder like a lost, wistful puppy at her sisters while Eugene linked arms with her. Elsa, Anna and Gerda gave her apologetic looks as they too were led away by the King of Corona, and mouthed, Good luck, Punz.
Rapunzel was forced to endure the next few hours listening to Eugene speak about his day-to-day life, like flirting with the ladies and combing his hair every morning. When it was her turn to talk, she hurriedly excused hegrself and sped off to find the first bathroom she came upon.
To her relief, the lunch banquet had commenced shortly afterwards, and so she was reunited with her sisters and parents in the royal dining room.
"How did it go?" whispered Elsa as the loud clinks of forks and spoons followed the murmers of brief prayers that took place.
"Terrible," Rapunzel answered. "I can't believe I'm about to marry a man who spends half of his days wooing the women of Corona, even if he doesn't know most of them. Wish I was with you all in the tea room."
"Don't bother," said Gerda, "because tea time was just as worst. The King always came into the room every ten minutes, chatting on and on about how lucky a man he was to be able to marry off his only grandson. And then there was the Princess - she was so dreadfully boring, I thought I would fall asleep and spoil the contents in my cup."
"Gerda!" Elsa chided her sternly, but Rapunzel could tell that their eldest sister, polite as she was, agreed just as much. "Look, Rapunzel," she said in a low voice, so that neither Anna nor Gerda would hear, "It's not always a given that you marry the Duke, if it isn't true love. You're a princess, Rapunzel, a daughter of the King of Arendelle. No one can stop you if you decide to call the entire engagement off."
"They can if I decide to cut it short too early," argued Rapunzel, "and if I've barely gotten to know him. Maybe if I look deeper, Eugene might turn out to be more than just a self-centered person. You never know, right?" Elsa shrugged, her expression neutral. "I'm just saying, it doesn't hurt to remain engaged to him a little longer," she said, her mind fully made up.
"I suppose," said Elsa. "At least you've made at least one choice. And your choices matter a great deal, Punz, even if you don't realise it." Rapunzel was left staring pensively through walls, even as Elsa returned to cutting her meat into bite-sized pieces.
-o0o-
October, 1916
It was ten o' clock at night in autumn-filled Arendelle. The howling wind and leaves in differing shades of red and gold pattered against the windows. One in particular, however, was glowing with light in comparision to the others consumed in dark, as well as echoing with the giggles of four girls, all in matching lace nightgowns and sitting cross-legged on a single quilted bed side by side.
"Pipe down, everyone!" Rapunzel protested as her sisters exploded into gales of laughter. "Mother and Father will hear!"
"Are you embarrassed that we found out about-" Anna pulled out a folded letter peppered in ink-drawn hearts "-your love letter?"
"Is that why you asked me to come to your room?" her sister demanded, swiping for the paper clutched in her hand - but Anna passed it over to Elsa, who was the tallest and hovered it over Rapunzel's head. Grinning sneakily, Elsa beckoned Gerda over. "Here. Read it."
"Don't!"
"Nice try, Rapunzel." Gerda opened up the letter, and read it in her best aristocratic voice, with a touch of romantic affection: "I may deeply regret this, Eugene, but I think I love you...You're so handsome, I feel so overwhelmed to marry a man like you...I'd simply die if it meant we could share a life together..."
"Okay, that last part is definitely untrue," Rapunzel began, the slightest hint of amusement in her irritated voice, when they heard somebody passing by in the form of several hurried steps, then a pair of doors slamming shut close by. The girls exchanged meaningful glances, all read the same way: Who was that?
Gerda was the first to leap off the bed and creep slowly towards Anna's bedroom door. Like a chain of force pulling them in, her older sisters followed her. Before they knew it, all were out in the freezing hallway, arms wrapped around themselves and shivering from lack of layers over their bodies. A chink of light peeked from a door that was open a crack down the hallway.
Elsa's eyes widened. Father's study, she motioned to the others with her lips. Something was wrong. Father wasn't usually up this late at night, especially not where he was now.
Suddenly, they heard him speak. "Where is he?"
Anna started to ask a question, but her sisters promptly shushed her before anyone else heard.
"What do you mean, he's not there?" the King's voice seemed to rise in volume with every syllable he pronounced, followed by a pound, presumably from his fist slamming the desk. "I cannot have this now! This is the worst possible time! Arendelle is not prepared!"
Elsa picked up another man's voice, seemingly coming from the telephone - was it a minister? - speaking from the other end of the line. "There's no choice, Your Majesty. You know the ruler of the Southern Isles, he insists upon everything he wants to be done. Besides, this is a war we're talking about, and in that case it's an entirely different matter."
The princesses glanced worriedly at each other. War? The Southern Isles?
The King's breath heaved audibly, as if he'd given in. "Very well, then. If his Majesty has made a declaration to do so...Minister Baglien, arrange for the armies and volunteers to join the front - we are going to war."