Frederick looked down as he and his brothers picked up the pumpkins from one of the farms on the hill above the town.

"That's a ship from Corona," he said while loading the pumpkins onto the wagon.

"How can you tell from all the way up here?" Anton asked.

"See the flag?" Frederick pointed.

Anton and Peder both stared down at the harbor.

"Oh, it is," Peder agreed. "I never really looked at any of the ships that closely."

The twins ran off to get the remaining pumpkins from the farmer, and Frederick started getting the wagon ready to return to the castle.

"I bet you that's Henry," Frederick said as they began to ride down the hill into town.

"Wasn't he just here?" Anton asked.

"That was last summer," Frederick reminded him. "It's been two and a half months since then."

"Oh, right."

"So, are they getting married now?" Peder asked.

"I doubt it," Frederick said. "Not from what everyone was saying. Maybe next summer?"


Henry couldn't quite remember how he left Inga's room, but he had reluctantly followed her parents as the maid was sent back in to help Inga dress for the day, and they led him into the study.

"I… I should probably write to my family," he said. Nobody had said anything for quite some time.

Inga's mother was the first to speak up. "Please let me know when you finish, and I'll ring for Kai to send it out with today's post.

"Thank you," Henry said, studiously avoiding eye contact with anyone.

He worded the letter as vaguely as possible, only making clear that the wedding was going to happen as soon as possible, but not giving the reason. He wanted to send a letter to his mother that would get there more quickly, but not with Inga's parents watching him. Also a letter to Hilde. She would surely guess.

He signed and sealed the letter, and sat at the desk looking at the wall.

"Here it is," he said.

Inga's mother rang for the steward, who showed up quickly, accepting the envelope.

"His Highness's room is ready," he mentioned. "Do you need any help in finding it?"

"If I may be excused?" Henry asked. If the room was the same as the one he had stayed in the summer before, he would need no help at all.

"We'll let you know if we need you," Inga's mother said with an air of formality, which he knew was covering up whatever she might actually be thinking about the situation.

He followed the steward to the room which was so familiar now, and burned into his memories.

Henry sat down at the table in the room and got his own paper out. First, he wrote a letter to his mother, merely a slightly more informal version of what he had just written, still not mentioning exactly why the wedding would be happening so soon, but alerting her that it would be happening as soon as they could make it to Arendelle. Then, before sending the first one, he began a letter to his sister.

Dear Hilde,

I don't know if this letter will surprise you or not, but Inga and I will likely be getting married before I return to Corona. We will try to make it a proper wedding, as I know you've told me what you think about me renouncing my claim and leaving you as the sole heir. I promise I will do my duty. I will leave the other details for a later time.

Your Brother,

Henry

Henry sent off the two letters from the window, and the wind seemed to guess at the secret he was keeping from his own family.

He heard the door opening.

"James?" he asked.

"Yes, Your Highness," his valet replied, walking over to Henry's wardrobe in order to put away the clothes he had brought along.

"Did I… Did you pack that suit, you know the one?"

"I did, in fact," James smiled, "I was actually surprised you didn't ask days ago, but one never knows when one might need to dress for utmost formality, particularly in your position, Your Highness."

"Thank goodness," Henry replied.

"I have not been informed of any occasions requiring formal dress, but do you have a particular reason for inquiring?"

"The wedding is going to happen," Henry said.

"Soon?" James asked.

"Yes, we're not entirely sure when it will be, the council hasn't met yet, of course I only just returned this morning…"

"I had understood the plans were for next summer. Is there a reason for the change?"

Henry looked away.

"Of course," James nodded. "I was afraid of that."

"I didn't say-"

"Then what is the reason?"

"I mean, it is… that… Inga just found out today."

"I see," James nodded.

"Do you think they'll suspect? My parents, that is… I know Hilde will probably guess right away. She'll tell me as much, I just know it."

"Your Highness," James said, slowly walking over, "if they don't suspect at first, they'll have no doubts later on."

"And then what?"

"People will lose interest and find the next thing to occupy their attention. Some people will bring it up whenever it serves a purpose. I shouldn't worry if I were you. As far as youthful indiscretions go, this was a mild one, not to mention a common one."

"Youthful indiscretions? You make it sound like I was… in the habit of doing such things." Henry stood up, facing James, and then walked past his valet to the wardrobe, mindlessly looking through his suits hanging there.

"Yes, but you're not married yet. Until that happens, it's important not to let too many people know. A few people will figure it out quickly enough, but most people can't be bothered. Just don't give them any proof."'

"You figured it out quickly enough."

James gave him a look.

Henry turned around, looking over his shoulder at James standing by the window. He sighed.

"Of course you suspected," Henry said.

Henry walked back over to his desk and sat down, opening an empty page of his sketchbook but feeling no motivation to draw anything. James continued unpacking. Henry's thoughts began processing everything from the morning, now that the shock was wearing off. What were he and Inga going to do once they were married? They hadn't thought this out. They hadn't even agreed where they would live yet. They hadn't even discussed it. They could travel back and forth, he supposed, but Inga might not like that. She had mentioned how terrible sailing had been for her. It would be nice if they had some place that would be their own, but what? Where? Money wasn't an issue, that much was true.


Hilde sat on the balcony overlooking the city of Corona, reading a book she had recently acquired. All of a sudden, a gust of wind blew in, stopping almost as soon as it started, and a letter deposited itself in her open book.

It was from Henry. He hadn't bothered writing during his voyage so far, so why now? She was hesitant to read it, and was briefly relieved that it seemed positive; no one was sick or dying or hurt, he was just excited about getting married. Except then she reread the letter. He would be getting married before he returned to Corona, and they would try to make it a proper wedding?

Hilde closed the letter inside her book and went to find her parents. She checked the royal study, and her grandfather was there with some advisors.

"Clothilde, come in!" he bellowed.

"Sorry, Grandfather, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. Have you seen my mother?"

One of the advisors looked up. "Your Highness, your parents are having a luncheon with some distinguished visitors."

"Who?" Hilde replied.

Her grandfather waved his hand. "My dear, if it is important, you may interrupt your parents' lunch."

Hilde ran toward the dining room, and found her mother alone outside reading a letter.

"Mother, I was told you were having a luncheon?"

"Yes, but I just received a letter… it's from your brother."

Hilde considered her words carefully. "What does he say?"

Her mother looked at her and then back at the letter, beginning to mindlessly crumple it in her hands.

"May I see the letter, Mother?" she asked. "He sent me one just now, too. I can't imagine he would say anything to you that I haven't seen."

Her mother handed the letter over.

Dear Mother,

There will be a letter arriving in the official post next week, but I would like to see you all sooner than that if it is at all possible. Inga and I will be getting married before I return to Corona, and if I hear word from you, we can schedule the wedding so that you can attend. Please let me know.

Love,

Your Son,

Henry

"He told me he was getting married, he didn't ask me about coming to the wedding," Hilde commented.

"Why is he getting married so soon?" her mother whispered.

Just then, her father came out.

"You've been out here a while, sweetheart, what's going on?" he asked.

"Henry is getting married in Arendelle," Hilde told him. "And apparently he'd like us to all come. I have no idea how we'd let him know soon enough to schedule anything."

"Oh," her father muttered.

"I'll write back to him, he'll know by this evening," her mother said.

"I thought Arendelle didn't have telegraph lines yet," Hilde said.

"Henry didn't tell you how he sent you the letter, didn't he?" her father asked.

"No." Hilde knew that there was something Henry knew about sending the letters, but now she realized she might be the only one who didn't know how it worked.

"So," her father said, turning to her mother. "Are you going to tell your parents now or wait for the letter?"

"Grandfather is with his advisors right now," Hilde said.

"Actually, we left some Maldonians in there, you know," her father said. "So we should probably wait."


Frederick slowed down the wagon as he and his brothers returned to town. As they passed by Isabel and Captain Olsen's house, Meibel ran out the door. Frederick stopped the wagon.

"You got the pumpkins, Frederick?" she asked.

"Of course we did, Meibel," Peder scoffed.

"Do you want a ride into town?" Frederick asked.

"Sure, why not," Meibel smiled.

"It's not a far walk," Anton interjected.

Meibel climbed in, ignoring the twins.

"Is that the Corona's flag on that ship?" Peder asked.

"I told you that, remember?" Frederick sighed.

"Are you excited to go to the Naval Academy there?" Meibel asked.

"Ugh!" Peder exclaimed. "He's been talking about nothing else. Please don't bring that up!"

They arrived in town, and stopped by Hudson's Hearth to unload the pumpkins.

Halima stepped outside, and Meibel jumped up and ran over and gave her a hug.

"Did you see the ship from Corona?" Meibel asked.

Halima smiled and nodded, glancing over at the castle.

"How are you boys doing?" Halima asked Frederick and his brothers.

"Good," Frederick said. "I should go check if Henry arrived on that ship. Inga has been looking forward to that."

"Is she feeling any better?" Halima asked.

"I hope so," Frederick replied. "I suppose I'll be stuck entertaining Henry if she's not."


Anna and Kristoff stood in the library, staring at the door as Henry followed Kai out of the room. Anna had hardly let herself think for the past half hour. Had it only been a half hour?

"Now what?" Kristoff asked.

Anna shook her head and sat down on the sofa, and Kristoff joined her. They sat silently, and her mind went over and over what had been said in Inga's room.

"What were you going to tell Inga?" she asked Kristoff.

Kristoff shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. I hadn't thought things through."

"You had to have had some idea," Anna insisted.

"I guess… what I was thinking was that nobody would have noticed if we had another. That way maybe we could have figured out a way to make it look like it was ours."

"If the two of them weren't both so determined to get married, I think I would agree with that."

"You think they'll be happy, then?"

"Who knows," Anna admitted. "But I think he's determined. He might not have thought things through, but I think Inga could do worse than marry him."

There was another knock at the door.

"Come in!" Anna called out.

Kai stepped in. "Your Majesty, the council is ready."

"I'll head out," Kristoff said.

"Are you sure you don't want to be here for the meeting?" Anna asked.

"Yes," he replied.


James had left the room an hour earlier, judging by the church bells outside having just chimed for a second time. Henry heard the wind suddenly rattle at his window. He had gotten used to these isolated gusts of wind letting him know that Inga had sent him a letter, but right now she could simply slip any note under his door. He thought about sending her a note, but first he needed to see what this was at his window.

He opened the window, and a letter blew in. It was his mother's writing.

October 23rd, 1865

Dear Henry,

We were very surprised to see your letters to myself and to Hilde earlier today. We are making arrangements to travel to Arendelle in two days. We will save the many questions we have until we arrive there, and we will be there within two weeks. Your grandparents will be traveling with us, as well as Hilde, though you neglected to mention inviting her to the wedding in your letter to her.

Love,

Mother

Henry took a deep breath. His mother knew that he had written to Hilde as well. He hadn't even realized that he hadn't invited Hilde to the wedding, it had not been an intentional slight, but apparently they had discussed the letters with each other. At least they were coming soon. He wrote out a quick note to Inga, and folded it up. He had no idea what he was expected to be doing, so he was going to slide the note under her door. As he opened his door, Inga was standing there.

"Hello," he said.

"Hi," she said. "I wanted to see if you were here."

Henry stepped out into the hall, and closed his door behind him.

"Funny thing," he choked out, stopping himself from laughing. " I was going to bring you a note. My mother already wrote back."

"Oh," Inga said.

"How are you feeling?" Henry asked.

"Tired, but I'm well enough, I guess."

"I'm sorry," Henry said. He wanted to hug her, but at this point, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. "Have you spoken to your parents since-"

"No," she shook her head. "My maid came back and, well, I had to tell her. She had been so sure that the gossip was baseless, I felt bad."

"James knows. I wish I could say he was surprised, but I think you know."

Inga nodded.

"So, um," Henry began. "The weather seems nice?"

"Let's go outside to the garden," she suggested.

Henry reached for her hand, and she gave him a squeeze, then linked her arm in his respectably.

They walked out the nearest door, and found themselves in the garden.

"I should be helping with preparations," Inga said as they approached a bench. "The festival is happening tomorrow, and I just feel like I'm avoiding everyone."

"I think everyone understands," Henry said.

They sat down next to each other, linking fingers briefly, before some commotion nearby caused them to simultaneously sit slightly separated from each other, as if overcorrecting their behavior now would fix what was already done.

Henry saw two of Inga's brothers run across the way at the other. Following them was Frederick, who happened to look over. He glanced back in the direction of the twins before walking their direction.

"Henry!" Frederick called out.

Henry stood up, and shook hands with Frederick.

"Is it true you're going to get married while you're here?" Frederick asked.

Inga was turning a shade of pink, looking away.

"Um, yes," Henry said. "News travels fast, huh?"

"Father just told us that Mother is speaking with the bishop right now, and enough of the council is in town that they're going to meet this afternoon."

"What else did he tell you?" Henry asked.

"That was it," Frederick said.

"Oh, that's good," Inga said, with obvious relief.

"I wouldn't worry, Inga. Father didn't seem happy about it, but he's not stopping anything. I don't know why he's not happier about it. Henry is pretty nice."

"Thanks?" Henry said.

"I mean it, and I'm not just saying that because Inga likes you."

Inga took Henry's hand, and Henry sat back down with her.

"I suppose he doesn't want me to leave here," Inga said.

"You will have to move to Corona, then?" Frederick asked. "I'm glad I'll be there, then."


Anna returned to her study from the council meeting and rang for Kai. She had managed to get the provisional consent of the council to allow the wedding to happen in the next few weeks, since the bishop had agreed to it already, and spoke in favor of allowing it to happen without undue delay. They would approve whatever details were agreed on with the royal family of Corona once they arrived.

Somehow, nobody had asked if there was a reason to make the wedding happen quickly. She valued the small blessing.

Kai arrived.

"Hello, Kai, could you make sure that Henry is invited to dinner with the family?" she asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Dinner will be in an hour, is that still good for you?"

"Yes, that works well. I don't know if Inga will be able to make it, but make sure that Oline checks in on her."

Kai nodded and left.

Anna stopped by their bedroom, and Kristoff was already dressed, about to head over to dinner.

"I told Frederick and the twins about the wedding," he said as they began walking.

"How much did you tell them?"

"Only that it's happening soon. They'll figure out the rest one of these days."

Anna nodded. "I suppose all three of them will be at dinner this evening, then? I told Kai to make sure Henry is invited. At the very least, even if Inga isn't feeling up to joining us, we don't need Ambassador Meyer finding him tonight."

Kristoff grimaced. "You make a good point."

As they arrived at the dining room, they were surprised to see Inga and Henry already sitting at the table. It wasn't clear if they had been talking about anything when Anna and Kristoff arrived, but the younger two were holding hands and let go the moment she and Kristoff walked into the room.

"Sorry to interrupt," Kristoff said somewhat gruffly, walking over to his usual seat.

"We were outside and Kai told us Henry was invited to dinner," Inga explained.

"I'm happy to see that you're well enough to join us, Inga," Anna said sincerely, though she wondered how much her daughter was forcing herself for the sake of appearances now.

"I've heard back from my mother," Henry announced. "They're coming on the next steamship to Arendelle. My family, that is."

"All of them?" Anna asked.

"Yes, everyone will be coming, including my grandparents," Henry replied.

"Oh, of course, that will be good," Anna nodded, sharing a brief glance with Kristoff, and glad that Inga was the only other person in the room right then. Having his entire family in attendance would help the appearances of this being intentional. "How much have you told them?"

"Just that the wedding will be happening soon after they arrive," Henry replied.

Anna wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or uneasy. They would have to know the truth at some point.

She and Kristoff sat down at the end of the table.

Frederick arrived just then. "What did I miss?" he asked, sitting down across from Inga and Henry.

"Henry just heard back from his family, and they should all be arriving within two weeks," Inga informed him.

"All of them?" Frederick asked, "I thought your grandparents didn't really travel."

"Um, yes, they all want to be here," Henry replied.

"I guess the council decided to let you go ahead and get married?" Frederick asked.

"Did they?" Henry asked, turning to Anna.

"Yes, with very few questions. The bishop helped considerably."

"But usually they have so many questions," Frederick commented.

"So, Frederick, how are the plans coming along for the naval academy?" Anna asked, intentionally changing the subject.

"There's a term from January through May, and another term in the fall. And then the spring after that I would become a second lieutenant."

"Will you be sailing much?" Inga asked.

"Oh, there will be sailing," Frederick replied confidently. "It would be rather ridiculous to become a naval officer with no sailing experience, don't you think?"

Inga laughed, while Anna quietly wished that her son could find some other way to make his mark on the world. Kristoff seemed to notice, putting a calming hand on top of hers. She realized she should try to include Henry in the conversation.

"Henry, what do you know about the naval academy in Corona?"

"My grandfather takes particular pride in it," he told them, "he wasn't the one who founded the academy, but he expanded it considerably when he took the throne. It was his idea to invite select foreign candidates."

"Why hasn't Arendelle sent anyone before?" Inga asked him innocently.

"I… I don't know," Henry said, clearly not having been asked the question before, or perhaps not sure what answer would be safe in front of Arendelle's queen.

Anna wasn't going to be offended, not at this point, but before she could say anything, the twins and Sofia arrived at the same time.

"Sofia, you're joining us tonight?" Anna asked. She hadn't said anything one way or the other to Kai.

"Nanny said it was fine," Sofia insisted, "and Anton and Peder were on their way, anyway when Meibel was going home."

"I don't see why not," Inga insisted, "I no longer had dinner with Nanny when I was her age, unless it was some kind of state dinner."

"That's true," Anna agreed, noticing Kristoff looking uncomfortable. Sometime later that day they would need to discuss whether they were going to adjust the rules for Sofia going forward.


October 21st, 1865

Dear Elizabeth,

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write back to you. Planning the Harvest Festival was keeping me quite busy, but the festival went very well yesterday, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves quite a bit. I've enjoyed reading about your little baby, and I hope you tell me more about him.

Meanwhile, I'm going to have to keep this letter short, because I'm still quite busy, but I will have some news to tell you soon enough. I suppose you won't be particularly surprised.

Sincerely,

Inga

Inga sealed and addressed the letter, and couldn't help but feel guilty for not writing more, especially after so long of a delay of writing to Elizabeth.

She dropped the letter in the tray that Kai would pick up for the post later that day, and made her way to the Cathedral. Henry was waiting outside the door for her, and the clock was chiming the exact time that her mother had told them to meet her there with the bishop.

"Has my mother arrived yet?" she asked Henry.

He shook his head silently, and just then, the bishop came out the front doors of the cathedral, motioning them to follow him inside.

Inga had felt well enough to put on a good appearance at the Harvest Festival the day before, introducing Henry to people, some of whom had already met, and others who were new faces. Thanks to the permission of the royal council, they were able to say they were engaged. They had managed to avoid seeing the council in person, since their personal consent had been taken care of the previous summer. Between the letter from the King of Corona, and the word from the Bishop of Arendelle that he believed it was best, the matter was settled with surprisingly little grumbling. It helped that they had a quorum without the less agreeable members of the council, whose notifications had been delayed by a few hours.

The bishop led them up the back stairs to the choir balcony, and told them to wait while he finished discussing matters alone with the queen.

"How are you doing?" Henry asked Inga.

"You keep asking me that," she sighed.

"Well, I mean-"

"Have you heard about the acoustics of this place?" Inga said, cutting him off before he could say anything else. "Even if you're whispering, people can hear you perfectly even in the back row of the pews."

"That's interesting," Henry said, sounding confused. "But why are you telling me this?"

"You wouldn't believe how many people don't know about this, and what they think is a secret is known by everyone in town because someone was sitting hidden away in a dark corner of the cathedral listening while they were up here talking."

Henry's eyes widened, and he nodded.

The bishop brought them into his office. Inga's mother was sitting in one chair, and the bishop showed them to two more chairs across from his desk. Inga made sure that she was sitting in between her mother and Henry. Her mother may not have been as visibly upset as her father had been, but it still seemed more comfortable that way.

If the bishop knew of their reasons for hurrying the wedding, he didn't show it, though Inga felt certain that he must know. He seemed satisfied that she and Henry were, indeed, getting married for reasons other than feeling forced to do so, and he would proceed with the plans, and with the regularity of the steamship Henry's family was on, they would schedule the wedding for one week later.

Inga and Henry thanked him, and he seemed to sense their disappointment that it would not be sooner.

"While I understand the desire to expedite things further, any sooner and it would look suspicious now rather than later."

The bishop knew.


The next day, Inga stood in the middle of her room with her mother and the dressmaker and several assistants. They had taken several measurements of her and shown several different drawings of the latest fashions from Paris. Her mother asked her a question that she didn't quite hear. Inga's mind was thinking about a thousand different things.

"Inga," her mother repeated, "you need to pick which one you want. They don't have a lot of time to make it."

"Just pick the dress you like!" Inga shouted at her mother in frustration, sitting down gracelessly in the chair in the corner of her room. The dressmaker and her assistants looked between Inga and her mother helplessly.

Her mother walked over, kneeling down gently on the floor next to her. "Inga, it's your wedding, you need to be the one to decide what you want. I can't tell you."

"But I don't know! It's a dress! I could decide if it was something practical, but it's not. I really don't know what I want."

"Well, maybe you should have thought of that before," her mother said under her breath.

"What did you just say?" Inga asked, barely keeping her voice from rising.

"I'm just saying, I can't make this decision for you."

"It's a dress. It's a stupid dress. Pick one, and the dressmaker already has my measurements, so let's call it a day."

Her mother sighed, stood up, and walked over to the dressmaker. The two discussed matters for a few minutes, and then the dressmaker walked over with some samples of fabric and a fashion plate.

"Will this do, Your Highness?" she asked Inga.

"Um, fine," Inga mumbled, "thank you, that will do."

"Very well," her mother said to the dressmaker, "You can work out the details with Kai downstairs, and let me know if you need anything else, thank you."

The dressmaker and her assistants left the room, and Inga's mother closed the door behind them.

"What was that all about?" she asked Inga sharply.

"Exactly what I said!" Inga cried, "I don't care about the dress I'm wearing, as long as it fits. It's never been something I've ever cared about. I should wear something appropriate to my position and the occasion, I understand that. But why does that mean I need to pick something myself?"

"Because it's your wedding, not mine or the dressmaker's wedding or one of your friends."

"If it were really my wedding, I would have just gone and gotten married," Inga grumbled, walking over to sit on her bed.

"No one is stopping you," her mother snapped, "No one has stopped you from doing anything you've ever wanted, not in your entire life. You're the one making your own life difficult, so don't complain to me."

"Fine, I won't!" Inga shouted. She flopped down on the bed. "Now can I be alone, or is that just getting what I want like I always do?"

"I'll come back to check on you before dinner," her mother said, suddenly calm. She left silently, closing the door firmly behind her.