Author's Note: *looks at today's date* Huh? *looks at last update date* AAAHHH!

*slaps keyboard, magically forms new chapter*

New Danger Lurks

If his tasks in the queen's study was anything to go by, acting as Arendelle's royal family's valet was a lot less strenuous than he had originally thought, Hans was pleased to note. He still felt a bit uneasy about having to constantly be around the very same people he'd come to grow rather fond of.

Which was a realization that bothered him the more he thought about it, so he decided to shirk that line of thinking and distract himself with the requests Elsa had as she sifted and read through the documents on her desk in the study. Apparently, thinking too much just lead to a brief lapse in judgment and caused him to attack Kristoff, which in turn lead to an intervention.

An intervention which made known the inconvenient feelings he had for the woman sitting behind her desk. It was a miracle that Anna hadn't blown up at the confession, or that Elsa hadn't spurned him.

Of course, that brief incident before meeting with Elsa and Anna in the throne room worried him. What even was that? It felt foreign yet… strangely familiar at the same time. Like something that he should be aware of, but it completely eluded his notice. If there was one thing that Hans disliked intensely, it was not being in the know on matters.

Because time and time again in the past, not knowing things ended up in a disaster.

He didn't get to ponder the severity of having those foreign thoughts and sensations for much longer, since Elsa suddenly spoke to him as he brought her an inkwell from the nearby cupboard when the other one ran dry. He made a mental note to let someone know to refill it later.

"I've just received a letter from King Pieter," Elsa said with a grim look on her face, placing a fold-creased sheet of paper on top of a large pile of papers.

"King Pieter… as in my eldest brother?"

Elsa nodded. "He's seeking asylum. He's been refused everywhere else."

Hans' heart dropped at the news. "What?"

"Do… you want to read the letter?" Her gaze drifted to the page she just set aside.

In response, Hans reached out to pick up the letter. Did he want to read it? Absolutely.

To Queen Elsa of Arendelle, the letter started.

I am overjoyed to hear that Prince Hans has not been executed in Corona and that you are seeing it fit to seek out an alternative. I do apologize for seeming like I doubt your judgment in saying that there are those among us that find the whole ordeal suspicious and we have sent Prince Anders to your kingdom to verify the veracity of his claims. As of the penning of this letter, he still stays in Arendelle and I hope his presence has not burdened you. It's difficult to know how he fares, since he never was one to write when he is traveling.

If I may make a request, if Prince Anders hasn't left yet I would like for him to return as soon as possible. While he was away, a group of people had made an attempt at the assassination of a few of my brothers, and considering that this is along Prince Anders' lines of work, his help in this matter would benefit everyone greatly.

The only patterns in their attempts is that they have targeted those among us that have not yet married, and that it is obviously a coordinated effort. With what little information that has been given to me, Prince Magnus has suggested that I make preparations for a getaway should these people try for, as he put it, "a larger fish in the sea." I loathe to think of having to leave my kingdom, but considering the circumstances it would be prudent to acquiesce to the possibility.

A singular king should have no problems trying to procure permission to stay in a foreign country he is allied with, but unfortunately I worry for leaving behind my brothers who have already been attacked and have requested they leave along with me. Of all the nations that the Southern Isles continues their alliances with (however tenuous), only Corona had agreed to accommodate me and six of my siblings initially. However, further correspondence had yielded no response from them, and I fear that I've dried up all of my other resources. Also, there is no telling if those who already have families of their own would also be on the assassination list.

It is a dreadful mess all around, one exacerbated by my unwillingness to strengthen foreign relations as I continue trying to accommodate to ruling a kingdom on my own. In doing so, I've made myself a stranger to those I should have been more open to without intending it and in turn I can't request any other ruler to aid me in the darkening hours. Its as if the world has suddenly gone silent around me.

Forgive me if I happen to be waxing poetic in my distress, but I do hope you understand how desperate this situation is.

Hopefully in writing all of this to you, you understand that I have no where else to turn to except to your kingdom. I plead with you, beg even, to allow me and a few of my brothers to find sanctuary within Arendelle's borders if, and when, the time comes. I know that my youngest brother has wronged you, your sister, and your kingdom. I know that his actions have shamed and tarnished the honor of the Westergaard name and ruined the ties our two kingdoms had once so strongly shared in the past.

But I also know that you are merciful and kind, and I have no intentions of exploiting your goodness in asking such a large request of you and your people. I can only hope that you can find it within your power to help us in our time of need.

May your rule be long and filled with wisdom.

King Pieter of the Southern Isles

Hans turned the paper over, half-expecting for there to be more, wanting there to be more. The lack of details on the well-being of his brothers worried him. Were any of them injured? And Anders, he would have made it back to the Southern Isles by this time. Was he alright? Now Hans was regretting not having a proper goodbye when he left.

There was also the possibility that his family members wouldn't be allowed asylum in Arendelle. Elsa wouldn't stoop to be so petty to hold his own wrongdoings against his family and possibly doom them, but the thought was there.

"Prince Hans, are you okay?" Elsa said from beside him. He flinched, not noticing that the queen had stood from her desk to comfort him, a hand touching his arm. He shivered and tried to hide it, but Elsa noticed anyway and retracted her hand.

Get a hold of yourself, at least it isn't a hug this time, Hans thought, and he shook his head, both to ward the thought away and answer Elsa in the negative. There were too many emotions, both positive and negative, running through him to say anything just yet. He waited for her to speak before he made a fool of himself by blubbering nonsense by talking.

"I'm not going to refuse them should they need to come here," Elsa said, noticing his discomfort.. "Unless there's something about them coming here that would pose a problem."

"They fight. A lot. I hope you're prepared to hear plenty of those going around," Hans said, trying to hide the mixture of unsorted feelings in his voice. "Most of them are all bark, but some of the spats between a few of them tend to exchange bites."

"Then I'll ensure they don't share rooms in the same vicinity."

"I guess that would help reduce some of the quarreling, but it would actually bring up a different issue between Elias and Rasmus. Those two, uh, need to share a room together. Rasmus has this tendency to unknowingly stop breathing as he sleeps, and he hasn't suffered greatly for it since Elias is the one who wakes up and helps him to breathe again. He only trusts Elias to do this, since he's a completely paranoid person, but strangely he's also the only one he argues with."

"That is… peculiar."

Hans chuckled half-heartedly at her observation. "And it only gets worse from there. 'Peculiar' quickly descends into a nightmare within a few hours, trust me. Did you ever wonder how Anders received that scar on his face?"

"I thought it would be rude to ask him without knowing him first, but yes."

"Well, that's all Magnus' doing. When he's upset, he insists on having a duel, no matter how spontaneous the situation or inappropriate the setting might be. 'To settle matters properly like men' as he likes to say. He's definitely not prone to violent outbursts like Anders, but he finds a sick sort of satisfaction at leaving a few 'souvenirs' on the other person's body when he wins. Never to excessively hurt, of course, but enough to humiliate. Actually, I shouldn't say 'never' either. We all agreed he went too far with the mark he left on Anders' face."

"I had always assumed it was work-related."

Hans smirked. "Naturally." He shook his head, calling back the seriousness of the discussion. "Are you sure you want to do this, Your Majesty? King Pieter definitely left out a lot of those details from the letter. A good number of the allies to the Southern Isles knows of the incredible dysfunction in my family, and I'm sure that's a reason why they're having a hard time finding asylum."

"Don't you worry for their safety?" Elsa's eyebrow curved upward, confused.

Well, of course! Why was that even a question? "Absolutely."

"You make it sound like you'd rather not have them be here."

Hans could see the faint glimmer of suspicion in her eyes, similar to when he and Anna had announced their "proposal." She knew something was amiss.

Seeing that in the queen's face again… that hurt a lot more than he was expecting it to be.

"They're my brothers, Queen Elsa. And as much as I've detested them throughout the years, I'm still worried for them. But I'm also worried for what it means for your kingdom. They don't particularly like having me around. Imagine adding more problematic people like me staying in your kingdom for an indeterminate amount of time."

"You're not problematic, Prince Hans, just misunderstood. I'm sure your brothers are the same."

"Arendelle barely tolerates my presence here."

"And you'll have your moment to prove to them that they're crazy to feel that way." A reassuring smile curved her lips. "I thought we already discussed this."

He reciprocated the gesture and elicited a low rumble of amusement and replied in playful sarcasm, "Oh, forgive me, Your Majesty. It appears that we have. I fear for the impending audition that was forcibly scheduled upon me." He sighed, face falling back into an expression of worry. It seemed that his feelings during this discussion was constantly teetering between amusement and anxiety. The former was likely due to Elsa speaking with him, and the latter was due to the problem regarding his siblings. "Why are you so concerned about my thoughts regarding the asylum of my brothers? It's not as if I have any real power to make that decision."

"Wouldn't a friend do that to another? Ask their opinion on a matter, maybe even receive some advice? It's your brothers, after all."

A… friend. Okay, that descriptor might have stung a bit (especially after his embarrassing confession not too long ago), but it could mean anything. However, it was more appropriate for an enemy to transition to be a friend than straight to a love interest. If there was any interest in such a way. She never made her own stance in the situation obvious, after all.

Elsa was an enigma, but despite the lack of assurance, he couldn't help the feelings that bubbled up whenever she smiled or talked to him. Completely stupid, since such feelings were absolutely unbecoming of a cold-hearted, power-hungry, and manipulative man that he is—

Was. Man that he was.

He decided that, of himself and Elsa, she was handling the whole debacle with a lot more patience and confidence than he was. A fact that might have caused him to be bitter before, since no one had ever dared to surpass him in such traits. He might've called this new Hans a wuss, a weakling. Instead, it was a reassurance. He didn't have to constantly rely on himself for ends to meet, especially if he was trying to redefine himself at the moment and needed to find a new direction in his life.

There was something bothering him, however, with the way the queen explained her motives. It was as if she was keeping back information, something she knew about his brother's situation…

Something dangerous.

Elsa stooping so low to keep him wondering after all her openness and kindness and light to his darkness? That was unthinkable! She wasn't a hypocrite like him. It was probably old paranoia kicking in.

Still, that slight crease in her brow as they shared a smile kept plucking at old nerves that tensed whenever his brothers had a "plan" for him when he was little.

But she wouldn't hurt him intentionally, it wasn't who she was. No, if there was information he should know about, and if she wasn't sharing it with him, it just meant there was a reason behind it. A benevolent reason behind it. No need to be so paranoid like Rasmus, or even Magnus, his third-oldest brother.

Whose paranoia had somehow convinced the eldest of all of them to find safety in Arendelle.

What a disaster waiting to happen.

###

Elsa could see that Hans knew she was hiding something from him, but was relieved when it didn't seem like he would press the issue. Anna definitely would've berated her for "shutting her out" again, but her sister was a different matter entirely. Hans already had a lot to deal with and accustom himself to at the moment, no need to have him worry about some secret society being out to wreak havoc around the neighboring nations. Certainly not when he was still so fragile after his earlier distress and the fact that there was little information on how to address the band of assassins.

The letter had helped with one of the issues of trying to amass the numerous number of leaders, namely trying to find some sort of reason to invite the Southern Isles to the cause. King Pieter wasn't exaggerating when he said that ties between her kingdom and his kingdom were extremely tense and strained. When her father was king and Hans' father still ruled, the relatively close proximity of the two kingdoms had built historically strong connections between the people and cultures.

But that history fell to almost be forgotten when Arendelle shut its royal family to the outside world, and then the late king of the Southern Isles died, leaving King Pieter to take the throne. Hans' eldest brother turned out to be as shut in as Arendelle if one were to look at his actions for foreign relations: absolutely dismal and nonexistent. And the act of treason that Hans wrought against Arendelle when he came as a representative of the Southern Isles didn't help matters either. Generations of work that kept the two kingdoms together had been easily severed by a few years of poor decisions. It was as if her people had forgotten that time in recent history where Arendelle and the Southern Isles were so close, they were jokingly considered to be the same kingdom.

That fact made it hard for her to see if there was a way to reach out to the king and see if he would be willing to attend the summit the French dignitary had suggested. Providence had at least solved that problem for her.

If only it would solve the new problem that, apparently, having more Westergaards in her kingdom didn't sit well with Hans. At first it seemed like a good idea with the possibility to repair the damage done between the two kingdoms, but after hearing a few details about the brothers, she wasn't so sure.

But it was for the good of the many kingdoms if their kingdom didn't fall. If Arendelle's castle would turn into a war zone with the brothers around and didn't spill out into her kingdom's streets, she'd gladly welcome them within its walls for their safety. Maybe she'd learn a bit more about Hans and his past when they came, learn a bit more about what made him tick and if there would be any problems the family would have regarding the interactions between Hans and Elsa.

To be more effective at helping him, of course! No need to think like it was a vetting process for a potential suitor.

Because Hans wasn't qualified as a suitor, and he wasn't her type, and she wasn't interested in him in that way. Right?

Right…

But along that train of thought, the emphasis on targeting the unmarried siblings was strange. Why would the Order only attack them? Their own attempt at killing her coincided with that evidence, since she fit the bill as a royal without a spouse. She made a mental note to discuss that observation with the Council at tomorrow's meeting.

But now that she thought about it, Prince Magnus, whichever brother that happened to be, and his suspicions weren't without substance. King Pieter could very well be next.

She couldn't just outright invite the brothers out of nowhere, however. Her people didn't need to know of the secret society of assassins, since it might tip off those who were a part of the organization that she was aware of their existence. After all, no one knew how to tell if someone wasn't a member.

She knew that she and her Council would be able to come up with something.

Elsa didn't realize that she was lost in her own thoughts until Hans cleared his throat. Elsa was horrified to see that she was staring right at his face when she blanked out, one that was filled with worry and had that slight hint of suspicion ghosting almost imperceptibly in his eyes. She felt her face flush when she noted the mixture of yellow and green his irises were.

Okay, Anna was probably onto something that Elsa herself wasn't noticing.

Probably.

###

"Are you okay? Are you still hurt?" came the worried prodding of Kristoff's fiancée as he led Sven out of the stables. Anna patted his torso to look for any new injuries. He pushed her hands away, laughing, though not without a small wince when she aggravated the sore spot on his ribs.

"Anna, please, I'm a grown man. I can take care of myself," Kristoff said, trying to pacify her concerns for him. Sven snorted in agreement.

"Hey, don't agree with him!" Anna scolded the reindeer, wagging a stern index finger in his direction. "You didn't see the mess he was in after that scrap. He got me worried sick!"

"Relax, Anna. Breathe," Kristoff instructed when he saw her starting to hyperventilate. He demonstrated with deep breaths of his own until she mimicked him and visibly started to ease. "It's not good to work yourself up like that."

"I know, I know." Anna heaved a sigh. "I'm just so confused about everything that's been going on. First there's all the nonsense involved in keeping Hans in Arendelle, and then there's the fact that you and I still need to figure out the details of our wedding, and trying to figure out how to deal with this wacko group going around trying to attack leaders, and to put the final touch Elsa and Hans having weird feelings for each other? Yeesh."

"Wait, what? Go back to that wacko group. Did I miss something?"

"Oh… haha…" Anna gave Kristoff an sheepish smile. "Don't tell anyone this, since it seems like it's confidential. Uh, there was a Council meeting earlier, and the French dignitary brought it up. Looks like there was a mixup with sending some of the convicts over here and he came to address that."

Kristoff looked to Sven, a sensation of dread coming from the pit of his stomach.

"Are these convicts in any way related to the people who attacked a while ago?" he asked, lowering his voice.

"Um, yes…" Anna covered her eyes, ashamed. "I'm freaking out more over Elsa and Hans than I am with a possible coup d'état. I need to get my priorities straight."

"Well, for starters, is there anything you can do about it?"

"Ah… not really, no."

"Then I think it's best that you've got other things on your mind, at least with the former, you have enough influence to do something."

Anna's eyes lit up, "Oh! That reminds me, we should start announcing the audition dates for the talent show."

"And you were reminded of this because…"

"Well…" Anna drawled. "Just letting you know ahead of time it was Elsa's idea, not mine. I take no credit, especially if it turns out terrible."

Kristoff raised an amused brow. "Oh? Well, go on. Shoot."

"She wants Hans in the show. He'll be disguised and all, so people don't run him off, but she also wants this big reveal thing. Maybe it'll make the people more sympathetic towards him somehow, or something."

A beat.

Then Kristoff and Sven looked to each other with the former bursting out in laughter. The reindeer snorted in response.

"See? I knew it was a terrible idea! Oh, but Elsa was so sure, and I didn't want to hurt her feelings and—" she started, but was cut off by the gasping blond.

"No, no, no," he wheezed, waving a hand dismissively. "It's just –" Kristoff composed himself, swallowing back a fit of giggling. "It's just that it sounds ridiculous. I don't think that's how you get people to like you."

"Well, so-rry, sir. I'm not a cynic like you."

"Anna, sorry if it came out mean, I didn't intend it that way. Look, this is Prince Hans we're talking about. Sure, he's changed and all, but even so he's still super serious. I don't think he's even capable of easing up a bit to entertain an audience. Really, just imagine it: rigid, likely really boring. I wouldn't be surprised if he were to perform a funeral march at a wedding,and given how much I've come to learn about him, he seems to be the kind of guy to actually do that."

Kristoff saw Anna squint her eyes and looked skyward, probably imagining the ludicrousness of such a performance. Then a choked laugh escaped her lips as she shook her head.

"You've got a point there," Anna said. "But he's still going to be in it, as Elsa requested."

"And what was his stance on it?"

"After I told him that my sister wanted him to perform, he said yes. And, oh my goodness, you'd think that he was a naïve, hormonal teenager who talked to his first crush with how shy he got. Ugh! Seriously, that was the man that tried to woo me and take the kingdom?"

She didn't say her complaints as vehemently as it could have been, Kristoff was pleased to note. It meant that she was trying to move past it, which was admirable to see in his fiancée. That said, she still sounded annoyed.

A servant approached them and apologized for interrupting their conversation, saying that the queen wanted to meet with the two of them in the gardens. Upon hearing the summons, the both of them sobered, whatever they were discussing forgotten. Kristoff tugged Sven to follow him.

Given that the queen's requested meeting-place were the gardens, it was going to be a "family meeting."

###

"Okay, so now that we're all here, does anyone have any news they would like to share before we begin? Thoughts? Concerns?" Elsa asked from where she sat on a marble bench. Anna hunkered down beside her, pulling her feet onto the slab in an unprincesslike manner. Elsa didn't think much of it, since they weren't at a formal affair. One unspoken rule about family meetings was for one to be themself, to be open. If Anna didn't want to follow the rules of propriety during the meeting, no one was going to scold her.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Hans said from where he rested against a nearby tree. He gestured to Sven and Olaf. "Why are they here?"

"It's a family meeting, and they're part of the family," Anna said matter-of-factly.

"Alright." Hans nodded, then with an inquisitive, squinted eye, "Why am I here if this is a family meeting?"

"Obviously whatever reason Elsa wants to talk about with us, it concerns you."

The small bite in Anna's tone didn't go past Elsa's notice, and so she cleared her throat to draw the negative tension in the air to attention. Anna, realizing Elsa's insinuations, smiled meekly at her sister and Hans and mouthed "sorry."

"I've got a thought!" Olaf called, hopping on one foot and waving his twig-hands in the air. Elsa nodded for him to continue. "Apple slices make terrible noses."

The rest of the gathered looked at the snowman in disbelief, the context of his statement not apparent.

When it didn't appear that Olaf would elaborate, Elsa brushed off the peculiarity of the snowman and gestured for anyone else to have their moment to share.

Elsa was pleased to see that Kristoff was used to the "family meetings" dynamic by now from his months residing in the castle and took the opportunity to share.

"I finally got Hans and I to reach an understanding," the blond stated. "He should be free from any outbursts like earlier for a while."

"That's good to hear," Elsa said. "I was worried I made a mistake in leaving the two of you alone, but I'm glad to see that you're more than capable at handling this situation."

"Believe me, Princess Anna found a keeper right there," Hans said, a hint of sarcasm lacing his tone. Kristoff rolled his eyes and grinned but said nothing to retort.

Strange. How were those two so friendly to one another so suddenly? Elsa just might have to pry the details from Kristoff later, since it was already a given that Hans wouldn't share such things. Yet. But that was a matter she could discuss at another time. It seemed the mood of the meeting was settled enough to break the news.

"King Pieter and six of his brothers in the Southern Isles will be seeking asylum in Arendelle," she announced, not wanting to lose the chance to address the matter by easing into it slowly. "I've already made my decision, but I wanted to let you guys have proper warning before their arrival. And… possibly come up with ideas of how to welcome them in a way that Arendelle doesn't see their motives for coming here in a hostile light."

"Wait, wait, wait. What?" Anna interjected. "Asylum? What happened? What's going on?"

"Prince Hans' brothers have been attacked by a group of coordinated assassins while Prince Anders was here, according to the letter the king sent me. The king requested asylum here since he hadn't received responses from anyone else."

Elsa tried her best to word it in a way to explain the situation to those listening, leaving out the details of the Council meeting, and was glad to see that Anna was able to put two and two together with how her eyes widened slightly in realization. The princess knew that Elsa suspected the Order of the Lynx was related to the attack in the Southern Isles. Hopefully, the list of people who knew that ended there, since it would prevent further complications.

"So you want ideas on how to get them over here without raising the hackles of the people?" Kristoff asked. Elsa nodded affirmatively.

"If you have any ideas, I'm open to them."

The group fell silent, even Olaf seemed a lot more subdued than usual.

It was Anna who came up with a plan.

"It's probably a terrible idea, and who knows how they're going to behave and all that, but… what if we invite them to the wedding? We're inviting a lot of royalty and nobility from nearby kingdoms, so why not? It won't look as weird, I guess. People will just think we're being polite, considering that the Southern Isles is just a few days' boat ride over."

"Are you sure you want my brothers at your wedding?" Hans asked. "Don't you want your special day to be, I don't know, perfect?"

"Oh, please. Perfection in this world? I might be naïve, but even I know that's impossible. Besides, the whole elaborate wedding ceremony is for the benefit of Arendelle anyway. Plus, as much as I've hated you in the past, I don't really like turning people away if I have something to help them out with."

Elsa smiled at the friendlier-than-normal dialogue between her sister and the prince. It was nice to see Anna show a bit of her selfless side shining through, now that the anger between the two wasn't so visible.

"Okay, all those in favor of Anna's plan, say 'aye,'" Elsa said, turning to look at each individual in the group in turn.

"Aye, of course," Anna said.

"Aye," Kristoff responded. Sven grunted, which Kristoff translated as an 'aye.'

"Aye," Hans murmured hesitantly.

"Those who oppose, say 'nay,'" Elsa continued. They all looked to the snowman, who was distracted by a butterfly that landed on a nearby flower. Olaf snapped his head to witness everyone staring at him.

"Olaf, 'aye' or 'nay?'" Anna asked.

"Oh! Eye! Because I've got two, and I'm not a horse," Olaf explained cheerfully. Anna slumped her shoulders and sighed. Kristoff slapped a hand to his forehead, exasperated. Hans, however, looked like he was trying to fight to urge to smile.

"Now that's all settled, anyone else have anything else we need to bring up that everyone else should know about?" Elsa asked the group.

Hans stared at the floor and kicked the dirt beneath his foot, obviously trying to keep attention away from him. However, his attempts were in vain, since all eyes turned to him.

"Should we discuss the date of another execution?" Hans said, shrugging sheepishly.

"What? So soon? Aren't they supposed to be spaced out by few weeks or something?" Anna asked, gesticulating wildly.

"Queen Elsa said as soon as the call comes that I tell someone. While the few weeks of a buffer was the pattern, it appears that the land doesn't want to follow it right now."

"Do you think you'll be okay until the end of the week?" Elsa asked. Hans nodded. "Okay, we'll schedule for an execution for then."

The "family meeting" went on for another half-hour, mainly with Anna and Kristoff discussing the details of the wedding, and the occasional whim of thought or observation by Olaf.

By the time it was over and everyone was about to return to whatever business they had next, Hans lightly clasped Anna's upper arm with a gloved hand, getting her attention. He drew back his hand when it was apparent that he was testing her patience a little.

"I'm sorry, I'm just –" he said hastily. He cleared his throat. "Thank you."

"For what?" the princess asked.

"To be willing to help my brothers. I still have some unsettled business with them, but I worry for their safety just the same."

Anna shared a small smile. "Really, it's nothing. But you know what? Now you've got more incentive to make your performance in the talent show more worthwhile: you get to be performing for your brothers! And I've got the perfect piece for you to play."

Elsa giggled at the horrified expression the prince had when he made that realization. It was refreshing to see the two not so at odds with one another. Though Anna might not have had proper closure regarding the events during Arendelle's eternal winter, it warmed her heart to see that her little sister was working past it. Greater still was the fact that she was able to do so in the presence of the very same man who wronged her.

With all the tumult that surrounded everyone during these perilous times, it seemed that things were finally starting to fall in place for the better.

Author's Note: I am so sorry for not updating this sooner! The past few weeks haven't really been conducive to creative writing (sickness, school, looking for a job, etc.) and as the days pass by, it's become apparent that I won't be able to make multiple updates a week like I was able to during the summer. It might end up being a biweekly (or twice monthly, if I want to be more flexible) update schedule from now on.

All that being said, now that I've mentioned a few new brothers:

Magnus — Story: "Delaying is Not Forgetting"; Character: Mrs. Meta Mogens (Quick research told me Mogens is a form of the name Magnus, which was the name of a Norwegian king, and I was like, "Hmm, Mogens, or name of a king? King it is.")

Elias — Story: "The Wild Swans"; Character: Eliza (Did a bit of a switcheroo with the name)

Rasmus — Story: "Aunty Toothache"; Character: Rasmussen the brewer

Finally, a puzzle piece set up for the end of this story has been put into place, albeit a rather poor excuse for one. Oh well. Will the ends justify the means? I guess it'll all come down to how you lovely readers will respond to it when the end is nigh (which isn't quite yet).

Thank you to everyone who left a review! It's for each and every one of you that I keep coming back to write, even when life doesn't make it easy for me to do so. Hopefully, the next chapter won't be so delayed in updating (but I also make no promises).