Chapter 4:

Truth or Fiction?

Isabelle knew that she had to convince Eric to go along with her plans. The only way should could do that is if she had close contact with him all the time. Late one night, she snuck aboard the ship that was to set sail for Arendelle in the morning, and hid somewhere below deck. When they arrived in Arendelle, and the coast was clear, she would sneak off the ship, and find somewhere to stay in Arendelle, all the while keeping contact with Eric of course. There had to be something she could do that would get him on her side, but what? The boy was smart no doubt about it, and he had a heart of gold as well. But with the right words, and careful planning, Eric could become the ultimate weapon, and she would use him to destroy Paul and Elsa. Aaron's death will finally be avenged.

Early the next morning, Eric and Thomas woke up early to board the ship that was heading back to Arendelle. Eric still felt a little peeved at his parents for disciplining him so harshly, but it wasn't enough to ruin his morning. After having a healthy breakfast with his family, he boarded the ship, and began the journey home back to Arendelle. Along the way, Eric thought about the woman named Isabelle who he met yesterday. Who was she? And why was she telling him all these lies about his parents? His mother and father were the kindest people in the world; they wouldn't hurt a fly. True, they had been mysterious in their talks about Aaron, but maybe they had a good reason for that. Whatever it was, it must be important.

When the ship arrived in Arendelle, Eric decided to make it up to Thomas for neglecting to take him shooting yesterday. With his father's permission, Eric took two rifles from the shed, and the two headed for the shooting range.

"Alright, now you're going to really want to lean into the stock," Eric instructed his brother. "Remember what I taught you, hold the weapon steady, and pull the trigger slowly.

"Got it," said Thomas.

Thomas aimed his rifle at a scarecrow that was mounted at the end of the range. Cocking the gun, he closed one eye, and slowly pulled the trigger. BAM! The bullet hit the scarecrow right in the head, causing it fall off onto the ground.

"How did I do?" Thomas asked, looking at his brother.

"You did great! You've really come a long way," Eric complimented.

"I told you I've been practicing," Thomas boasted. "I'm going to be the best marksman in all of Arendelle."

"Ok hotshot, don't get cocky," Eric said, patting his brother on the back. "Let's see if you can do that twice in a row."

Eric stepped back and watched as his brother reloaded his gun. As he did so, he heard a noise from somewhere behind him. Eric turned around to see what it was. There standing just a few feet away was an ordinary bush, but something was different about it. The bush was moving; at least its leaves were. If Eric didn't know any better, he'd say the bush was also making noises.

"Just keep shooting, I'll be over in a minute," Eric hollered to Thomas.

The young prince made his way over toward the bush. He assumed it was just an animal, but he still wanted to be sure. Kneeling down he slowly parted the leaves, and saw a woman nestled inside.

"Hello, Eric!"

"AH!" Eric cried, sending a blast of snow into the air.

Thomas turned around when he heard his brother shout.

"Is something wrong, Eric?"

"Everything's fine, Thomas. I just saw a spider, that's all."

"Wuss," Thomas called out. "When you're done scaring yourself, come back over. I want to have a contest with you."

"Will do."

Eric looked closer at the woman in the shrub. To his horror, he recognized who it was: Isabelle!

"What the hell are you doing here?" he whispered, so Thomas couldn't hear him. "Didn't I tell you that I'd have you executed if you ever come around me again?"

"Listen, Eric, I know you're in denial, and that's alright. But I'm telling you the truth: you have to listen to me."

"Listen lady, if you don't leave by the time I count to ten, I'm going call the guards, and they'll personally escort your ass back to where you came from."

"Please listen to me, Eric. You're Uncle David is in grave danger. We have to put a stop to your parents plan to take over the kingdom."

"Do you really think you're going to convince me of your crazy lies? Listen lady, I don't know what you have against my parents, but I'd greatly appreciate it if you leave me and my family alone."

"Eric! Thomas! Boys, come here for a minute!" a voice called out. Eric turned around and saw Elsa standing on the palace steps. "Boys! I have something to tell you!" she said.

Thomas put down his rifle and ran towards the palace, calling out to his brother to hurry up.

"I'll be right there!" Eric called back. He turned back towards Isabelle, who was still looking at him with pleading eyes.

"Just get out of here, now!" Eric hissed.

"If you don't believe me, Eric, just look at your mother. She's got the scars to prove it."

Eric had had enough. He stormed off from the bush, and headed over to join his mother and brother. When he arrived, Elsa greeted him with a warm smile.
"Hello, Eric, nice of you to join us. I was just telling Thomas that since it's such a nice day out, we should go for a picnic out in the gardens. What do you say?"

"That sounds great, mama. Just let me go inside and change my clothes first," Eric said.

"Of course. I need to take a bath myself. I'll meet you too in the garden in a little while."

"Ok" the two princes said in unison. Thomas ran off toward the garden, already anxious to start eating. Meanwhile, Eric went upstairs to his room to change into more appropriate clothing for the afternoon. As he ran down the hallway, he saw the door to his mother's room cracked open. Inside he heard her singing. Elsa had such a beautiful voice; when he and Thomas were little, she used to sing them lullabies to sleep every night before they go to bed. He always loved hearing her sing. Eric stood the open door, listening as Elsa sung a tune he recognized from their childhood. From his angle, he could see his mother removing her dress in the bathroom. Knowing it was impolite to stare at people at a moment like this, Eric quickly turned his head. But in doing so, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. Unable to hide his curiosity, Eric leaned forward ever so slightly, and peered into Elsa's room. He saw his mother stepping into the bath. But it wasn't her actions that got his attention, it was something else. On Elsa's back was a large pinkish scar that looked like it had been there for quite some time. It almost looked like a burn mark. Eric could see where the flesh had lost its original color, and had slowly healed as well as he could.

Where did Elsa get that scar? She must have been burned pretty bad to get something like that. But what could it have been? Elsa isn't that reckless. Someone must have given that scar to her, but who? Instantly thoughts of Isabelle returned, and he remembered what she told him about Aaron and his ability to create and control fire. No. That was ridiculous. Certainly there was a logical explanation for the scar on his mother's back. There was no way that someone intentionally burned her, let alone his uncle. As Eric entered the palace gardens, Eric saw his brother and father chasing each other around the yard. But his attention wasn't on his family for long. When he looked to his right, he saw Isabelle peeking out from behind a tree, smiling mischievously. And right there and then, Eric was struck with the realization that this mysterious woman just might be telling the truth.

A/N: Now Eric is slowly being entranced by Isabelle's spell. There will be more interactions between the two in the next chapter as well as the first step in her plan. Stay tuned!

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