Snow, Charming, Anna and Regina had arrived at the docks after a long, icy walk through the depths of Arendelle. Hundreds upon thousands of people had gathered by the fjord's waters to watch a large incoming of royals, princes, kings, queens, dukes, the lot.
Regina looked around the mass of people and sighed.
"I can't see him anywhere!" She said despairingly. Snow took hold of her hand.
"It's okay Regina, we will find him, we will always find him." She smiled at her.
"So Anna," Charming coughed a few times. "Any idea what's happening?"
Anna looked around the dock, she scanned over the masses of people to the hustle and bustle that she had seen a few times before. SHe smiled, thinking back to when she was 18 and she had watched, for the first time in her life that she could remember, the arrival of a thousand ships (or at least that's how many she guessed) landing for the coronation of her sister, and the ball that ended in disaster thereafter.
But of course! Anna beamed at Charming.
"It's a ball! Ingrid is throwing a ball!" She smiled
"Yes, tonight, at the palace." A man said standing next to the group. "To celebrate the young Princesses, as it is halfway between there birthdays, Princess Emma is 16, and Princess Elsa is...well, she must be 13 now!" THe man smiled, a slight dazed look over his face.
"You're joking right?" Anna laughed, "Elsa isn't 13...Elsa's.." David put a hand on Anna's shoulder.
"You say Princess Emma and Elsa are only teenagers?" David asked the man.
"Oh yes, and they are quite beautiful too!" THe man looked over the shoulder of Charming. "Oh look! Here is the arrival of the Princes of the Southern Isles! I'll see you there tonight then, well at least in the courtyard! That's where all of us can go huh?! Lucky Princes, anyway do excuse me!" He pushed past Snow and Regina, as did most of the crowd.
"David...Emma, she's...16?" Snow felt light-headed, she had never even seen her daughter at 16, how could she recognise her now?
"Snow..." David embraced her.
"And Elsa's 13?" Anna looked up at the castle, glittering in the twighlight.
"David, we have to get into that ball. Emma...she's so young, so vulnerable!" Snow clutched at her husband's hands.
Regina sighed.
"Perhaps Emma will know where Henry is, Regina. After all, she's not going to have completely abandoned him is she? She loves him!" Snow said. "We have to get inside.
As Snow voiced the final syllable a wisp of purple smoke had encircled them and there they were, suddenly, on a ship.
Regina wiped her hands in each other. Snow looked over at her. Regina was wearing a full length gown, dressed to perfection, with jewels and rings and tiny beads decorating her purple dress.
"Regina!" Snow cried "What if Ingrid notices!"
"Well, if she can have a little fun so can I." She smiled at her dress, and then back to snow who was wearing one of the white ballgowns she used to wear in the enchanted forest.
"We have to be careful, Regina. Ingrid definitely knows who we are, and she could easily find us." David said. He was secretly pleased to be back in the red jacket and fur lined cape he had proposed to Snow in. "And anyway, we only need to be in there for enough time to find Emma, Henry, Kristoff and Elsa."
"Don't worry, I know this castle." Anna said as the ship began to dock at the port of the fjord. She stepped towards a man in Arendelle livery who raised his hand towards them. "We'll find them. I promise." She handed the fake golden invitation to the fake footman who helped her off the boat and towards finding those that she loved.