Lt. Jones' POV

The kingdom of Arendelle, began to come into view. A coastal country bordering the northern wastelands, Arendelle was an important trade partner to my own King Marcus and therefore we were regularly paroling the waters that separated our two nations.

Today the familiar fjords loomed closer than usual and for the first time in over 4 years, we would be allowed to disembark.

Arendelle wasn't only an important trade partner, with 2 unwed princesses, Prince Hans, 13th in line for the throne, saw it a golden opportunity. The princesses' self imposed isolation had allowed them to escape the eyes of his older brothers, but Hans had jumped at the chance to attend the coronation of Queen Elsa.

His father had agreed to the small delegation. Hans was taking no chances of there being any additional competition. He was indeed the only one of royal blood on the ship. I personally didn't know the man well, being only a lieutenant in his father's royal navy, but my brother, Liam, had served with one of his older brothers when he was but a cabin boy. It was by Prince Lars' favor that the both of us had been allowed to rise and therefore as irritable as Prince Hans could be at times, the crew and I held our tongues, letting the prince win at dice every night, even if it meant cheating to secure a loss.

Prince Hans had made it very clear. He had specifically chosen Liam and me for a distinct mission. We were not just transporting the prince, but we would be attending all the events as delegates along with him. We were to stay as close to the princesses as possible while keeping other potential suitors away to allow Hans his best shot at them.

Liam and I had privately jested that with the prince's pompous attitude, he'd need all the help he could get.

Land approaches and duty calls.

We had been greeted at the docks by an envoy of the Regent who had been overseeing the activities of the country for the 3 months since the death of the King and Queen. Princess Elsa was turning of age only this week. Her coming out ball coinciding with the need to crown her Queen in her mother's place at the coronation scheduled the next day.

Prince Hans had complained that the princesses were not there to greet us, but he made sure that only Liam and I could here the complaints. He was very aware of the gossip of servants, which was why the crew had been given extra coins to spend and in their wake, spreading stories of the prince's generosity and wisdom through the town surrounding the castle.

Hans had maneuvered himself into a different room than the one originally planned. Although, Princess Elsa was his primary target, her wing of the castle was practically walled in, so he had settled for a room as close to Princess Anna as possible. His trickery was rewarded by two-blue eyes peaking at us through a crack in the door as we walked down the hall towards the dinning hall.

Hans smiles smugly even as he pretended not to notice.

"Regent Samuel," Hans gushed as soon as we entered the dining hall. "It is so kind of you to allow us to arrive early to the coronation."

"Of course your highness. Guests from the Southern Isles are always welcome." Replied Samuel primly. He had been the advisor to Elsa's father for many years and you could still see the sadness in his eyes whenever he was reminded of his current, elevated position.

Hans though continued without noticing, always having loved the sound of his own voice just a bit too much.

"I always love being prompt and with the sea as unpredictable as it can be, I thought it best to set sail under calm seas. Speaking of sailing, please let me introduce you to my traveling companions: Captain Liam Jones and his brother Killian. Both men have distinguished themselves in my father's navy for being such excellent sailors."

Liam and I both bowed respectfully as was proper as Hans continued to tell the Regent of our "amazingly quiet crossing".

"Ah Princess Anna." The Regent's relieved voice interrupted the prince as the younger princess entered.

Introductions were once again made. Hans quickly taking advantage of the princess's moon-struck eyes. She had clearly lead a very sheltered life and immediately latched on to Hans as a new friend. She immediately plied him with questions about the Southern Isles hardly waiting to be seated before launching into her next question.

Hans loved the attention. No doubt allowing it to further feed his inflated ego. Liam and I both remained quiet, speaking only when a question was directed to us or Hans prompted us for collaboration to his stories.

Finally, Princess Elsa arrived. Everyone stood to greet her as was proper. She was the picture of cold reserve. Nodding to us each in turn as we were introduced, but without speaking a word.

It was only when everyone was seated again that I noticed that Liam hadn't moved since she had walked into the room. I pulled on his jacket to bring his attention. Oh boy. I thought to myself. Liam was smitten and the girl was going to the Queen!