Author's Note: Hi, guys. I know I'm a couple hours late in posting, but it was because I had to write the chapter this morning. So, if it has any grammar typos, I apologize. I didn't have a chance to go over it thoroughly. Anyway, thank you for all the great reviews, especially from those who are guests (because I can't actually send you messages thanking you, so thank you). I'm really tired from work yesterday, so I'm just going to leave this note at that and, as always, let me know what you think. See you all next Saturday!

13. To Have a Care

"Who marries a man she just met?"

– Frozen, Kristoff

Elsa hurried up the castle steps in search of her sister. She had to find her and explain the misunderstanding concerning Kristoff and the Eastern princess. While she still felt disturbed about the time she had spent with Hadyn, Elsa told herself she must focus on the more important matter of her sister's happiness.

It was near dinnertime, and she hoped to find Anna before then. Where she was, however, proved more of a difficulty to ascertain. When Elsa asked several servants where they had last seen her sister, they all seemed to have different answers. One said they had seen her going upstairs, another said she was talking to the cook in the kitchen. Basically, they were all useless.

Finally, after searching the castle for an hour as dinner rapidly approached, Elsa was about to give up and head into dinner when she finally spotted her sister while she walked the gardens. Anna, it appeared, was on the third floor of the castle with some servants. Elsa headed towards the castle in a rush, hoping to catch her sister before Anna entered the dinner hall.

However, she was stopped by the arrival of one of the many princes. She had no idea of his one's name, and she didn't care to.

"My queen!" He exclaimed, bowing low.

She didn't even give him enough notice to look at him appearance, which looked plain from a glance. Instead, she merely nodded her head and moved around him.

He moved in front of her. "My queen, tarry for a moment."

Elsa stopped, narrowing her eyes. "What is it?"

"You must know I cannot stop thinking about you. Your beauty…your…your power. You make me feel alive. Please, ignore all these other royals here to seek your hand. Choose me!"

Elsa stared at him, blinking. He could not be serious. In fact, he probably wasn't. "Sir, I—"

He didn't let her finish. "I know what you will say. I am here for your money, or for power, but I assure you that—"

"Sir, please allow me to finish my sentence." Elsa raised her voice. "You do not know me at all. In fact, I can't recall you from all the suitors. And honestly, I don't believe you. There is no reason for flattery, and if you want to convince a woman you love her and aren't just looking to gain power, I suggest you do a better job of it."

Pushing past him none too politely, Elsa headed out of the garden and inside the castle.

The moment she entered the open doors into a hallway, a voice beside her commented, "Tiring, isn't it?"

Elsa glanced over. Leaning on the door frame on the inside of the door was a tall young man. She couldn't recall if he was one of the princes or not. His dark hair, piercing black eyes, and slender figure reminded her of someone. Hadyn, in fact.

"What is?" She asked.

"Being pursued by all these suiters."

Elsa raised her eyebrow. "Aren't you one of them?"

The man let out a light laugh, pushing away from the doorframe and coming to stand in front of her. "Oh dear, do I have the aura about me? My apologies. No, I am not one of your suitors. I can promise you that. I came here with my cousin to attend the wedding. My uncle is a king and he always forces me to attend every royal wedding. It gets a bit tedious, actually."

She wasn't certain that she believed him, but for now she might as well believe his words until proved otherwise. "Oh, I'm sorry. I suppose I am used to every man I see trying to marry me. Where are you from?"

"The south, roundabout. My name is Lord Jain." Jain bowed his head.

"Elsa."

"I know. Who doesn't? Now, tell me, you seem to be in a bit of a hurry."

Elsa nodded politely. She didn't dislike Lord Jain; it was simply something about him that made her uneasy. He seemed polite enough, though, so it was probably just her. "I am looking for my sister."

"Ah, the bride-to-be. Of course. I saw her heading down to dinner."

"Oh." Elsa stated. It was probably too late to talk to her sister until after dinner then.

"Should we join her?" Jain queried.

Elsa sighed. "I suppose so."

Jain offered her his arm politely and she took it. Together, they headed towards the dining hall.

On the way, Elsa asked, "I forgot to ask you. Who is the cousin you came with? Do I know them?"

Jain shrugged. "I think you do, but I try not to associate myself with him. I would prefer if you just knew me for myself, and not for my rude cousin."

Elsa's eyebrows rose. No, it couldn't be possible. Well, he did look awfully a lot like Hadyn, but then Hadyn had never mentioned that he had a cousin of any sort, here with him or back home. And if he was here in Arendelle with him, why had Hadyn never mentioned him.

"You are Hadyn's cousin," Elsa said, more as a statement than a question.

Jain bowed his head. "Indeed. Do we look so similar that you could tell?"

Elsa shook her head. "You two don't look too similar. It's just that you have the same hair and skin. There are no other southern dignitaries in Allendale now, which narrows down whose cousin you could be. Also, why do you say he's rude?"

Jain looked at her, an expression of genuine surprise covering his face. "What? You mean you don't dislike him? I thought he would make enemies with everyone here immediately. He has that arrogant way of doing things that usually makes people annoyed."

"I never said he wasn't annoying. And he is rude, but I don't dislike him. At least, not anymore. But he's your cousin, so why don't you want to be associated with him?"

Jain didn't response immediately, instead simply staring at her face as if trying to decipher something. Finally, he asked, "You really don't dislike him?"

"Do you doubt my word?" Elsa shifted, and continued their walk.

Together, they entered the dining hall, which was already filled with people. Elsa immediately spotted Anna, who sat near the end of the table looking a bit tired.

As she stared at her sister, Jain commented dryly beside her, "Well, well, speaking of my cousin."

Elsa glanced at him and then surveyed the crowd. Her eyes paused on a pair of red eyes watching her intently. Hadyn sat far away, and yet she could see from even across the hall how intense he looked. He seemed to be looking at her and Jain as anger spread over his face. Why, Elsa wondered.

"I wonder what made him upset?" Jain asked.

Elsa shrugged, turning away. "I hardly know. His reactions are always so strange. Now, if you will excuse me, I'll join my sister for dinner."

Jain didn't let go of her arm for a moment, instead stepping closer and lowering his voice. "Before you go, let me warn you. I love my cousin dearly, but be cautious. He can be dangerous at times. I suppose he hasn't told you how many people he has killed."

Elsa looked up at him in surprise. However, before she could ask him to explain, Jain released her arm and departed. Feeling decidedly uncomfortable and unable to look at Hadyn, Elsa went to sit next to her sister, telling herself that soon all would be fixed and Hadyn was none of her business.