By the time Herr Edvind Edvinsson arrived in Grasse a full-size winter fire was banked up ready to be stoked again, as he stood dripping on the rug, and the shutters rattled against the howling night outside- the villa's converted sea view serving only to open it to the sound of thundering surf and screaming winds and salt spray. Candles had been ranged about the room, evidently having been needed even by day with the sky's storm-blackness.

None of which had improved the temper of Prince Eugene of Corona when the servants got him out of bed. He absolutely wasn't going to get angry with a low-ranking ridder of Queen Elsa's who'd just come hundreds of miles through storm-racked mountains and snowy plains to deliver news- not when news was barely getting through from the rest of France, never mind from Germany and the North- but being gracious while shivering in one's nightshirt was a little beyond Eugene's princely experience and the lack of dignity was niggling him.

"You can't speak to the Princess of Arendelle, she's in bed. The Princess of Corona is in bed. I was in bed."

"It is urgent, your highness. There's a crisis in Arendelle, and there has been for nearly six weeks now."

"I'm sorry- there's been a crisis in Arendelle for six weeks and you want to get the princess out of bed right now? Why are we only being told now?"

"Because you're in the south of France, sir."

Eugene sighed at some length, and rubbed his eyes.

"And a fine waste of time that's been. Sea-bathing, the doctor said. Help Rapunzel recover from being ill last year, he said. And what do we get?" What they'd got, after ten days in a carriage and once their ludicrous pantaloon-suits had been finished, was one day of the two princesses splashing about followed by storm after storm rolling down from the mountains to the north, making the beach freezing and the way home almost impassable- nothing to do but stay in and watch the date palms thrashing and the famous flowers of Grasse getting scattered in full bloom.

The only thing that had gone right was that Rapunzel had poured her energies into young Anna, who was still brightening up from the change of scene- well, Rapunzel would have understood how a little exploring and a few new friends would go a long way. In fact Rapunzel seemed to have understood her very well, very quickly.

When Rapunzel had peeled the princess away from the bridal party in Arendelle it had only been ten minutes before Eugene had found them in the portrait gallery and Anna had already been in tears- saying something like: "…but it's not so bad, h-Hans- he- he wants me to go and stay in the s-Southern Isles for a while with his family and, and, it'll be great, really, I d-don't mind giving them the space, and, and they sound okay…"

"I've a better idea," Rapunzel had taken hold of her hands- "I'm going to go sea-bathing for a few weeks in the Cote d'Azur and I think you should come. I want you to come with me."

"You- you want me there?"

"Uh-huh."

"What about your husband?"

"Oh, I've always got him with me. And he wants you there too. Don't you?"

"What- ow! Yes. Didn't know you even knew I was there. Yes. I insist. Come with us. Do as your cousin tells you."

"Oh- I better had, then, hadn't I? I mean- I'd better ask Elsa, but as long as I go, I don't think she'll mind where…"

"Wait, what?" Anna blinked from under her fringe- she'd sort of waved a brush in the direction of her hair when Rapunzel had got her out of bed, but she'd not made much impression on it. "You're telling me my sister has gone…"

"…she seems to be suffering from, ah, nervous exhaustion."

"Elsa's sick? How sick? Sick how? I mean- what do you mean?"

"Um…"

"Are you telling us that the Queen has had a nervous breakdown?"

"That was not actually the words used, sir."

"Was that what the words that were meant?"

"Yes and no, sir. It's a little more than that."

"I don't understand it. Elsa just got married. I thought she was happy! What's wrong with her?"

"Ssh, ssh." Rapunzel managed to find Anna's hand among the shawls that wrapped the two of them in what looked like one continuation of crochet and paisley- "You told me all about what Elsa could be like with people. Marriage can take some getting used to."

"How much getting used to?"

"Rather depends on who you marry."

Over Anna's shoulder, Rapunzel had a good enough view to notice that Eugene actually didn't roll his eyes at that. In fact he was looking rather more as if Rapunzel had said something serious and to the point.

"Can I… can I go home to her?"

"I think you're expected to, sweetheart."

"Hey, hey, not so fast girls. You know what they said about the mountain passes…"

"Um…"

"What now, Herr Edvind?"

"It's actually very hard to get in and out of Arendelle right now, ma'am. Um… this weather…"

"Yes?"

"The sea is frozen. The German Bight and the Ulsires are an ice soup and the Great Fjord of Arendelle is rock-solid frozen about fifteen feet thick. Nobody's sailing in or out."

"And you got out by…"

"Reindeer train over the Catthroat Straits. Only way. You must have noticed the freak weather…"

"We've been cut off. They were talking about snow in Paris and it coming down from the north, but…"

"Queen Elsa's picked a fine time to have hysterics. Or is this why she's had hysterics?"

"Er."

"Er?"

"Well, no. She was taken… not right… before this started. King Hans has been taking her place through the crisis very well, but it seems appropriate that the princess at least knew what was happening. It's been said- it must be said that King Hans has been well thought of by the people, but it has been implied that Queen Elsa has perhaps not always taken easily to married life."

"Ah."

"If Elsa's sick, I want to be there. If she lets me."

"'King' Hans?'" Eugene's studied nonchalance had definitely slipped now- with the candle below his face, reflected in his dark eyes, Rapunzel hardly knew him. "Since when has Hans of the Southern Isles been calling himself 'King'?"

"Princess, there's something you should know."

"What? I want to see my sister- I know the weather's terrible but if she's not well and she's not letting Hans look after her-"

"Princess- please. I said that the queen became… not herself… before this weather started, and it's true, but, well- the truth is there's more of a connection than that. The queen didn't become ill because the weather turned. The truth is, the queen has come over… how can I put it…"

"In one word?"

"Magical."