Henry gazed out over the water. Somewhere in the distance he could see a hint of land, hazy on the horizon, but it wasn't Arendelle, and they weren't yet near Corona. They had left Arendelle the morning before, a few days after Inga's eighteenth birthday. They hadn't set a date for the wedding yet, and the council did not exactly object, but they would hold off on officially approving the engagement until they had a written proclamation from Henry's grandfather, the king. After all, it would be a political union, and had the potential to result in a personal union of the two countries, and there would be many things to work out even after they could officially be considered engaged.
As they had been standing on the dock saying their goodbyes, he had whispered to Inga just to elope with him and get married in Corona. She reminded him that he needed the official approval just as much as she did; it would technically be an act of war if he took her back to Corona without her parents' explicit permission. They laughed about that, but she was correct. And if he didn't have permission? He had never thought to ask what would happen to himself if he dared try such a thing.
He went down to his cabin and opened up his travel chest. Off to the side, carefully placed in one of his sketchbooks, was the photo of Inga's family that he had been using for most of his models. He now had many more sketches of her that he had made in Arendelle, but he still liked looking at the photo. It included her entire family, with Inga holding her baby sister, just like he had seen her do when he had visited Arendelle the previous fall. He enjoyed the family. There was a beautiful chaos in all they did.
August 22nd, 1865
Dear Henry,
I hope the good weather your ship has been having continues. I'm not sure how I'd manage on a stormy sailing, but I think I told you how terrible the voyage was for me last summer. It was worth it, and I wouldn't change a thing, but I don't handle the sea very well.
I'm sure Frederick spent plenty of time talking your ear off about the Navy last week. He's definitely looking forward to attending the Naval Academy in Corona next year. Even if we can't schedule the wedding any sooner than next summer, I'll at least have twice as many excuses to visit Corona.
I do hope you can send your grandfather's approval soon. Perhaps the Council here will let us hurry up the wedding then. My mother is rather hesitant about going around the council, even for her own family. I suppose I can understand, but I still wish we could be like anyone else and just run off and get married, and not worry about politics.
I'll write more later today. I promised a friend in town that I would visit her this afternoon. Actually, you met her husband-he's the captain of the castle guard. He's been a friend of the family's since, well, before any of us were born. Isabel, his wife, has been forced to stay home mostly, not even allowed to so much as get up to make a kettle of tea right now. Her maid is there, but that's not always enough company, especially when the maid has so much work. But, as I said, I'll write more later. Let me know how your voyage is going!
Love,
Inga
Inga released her letter into the air from a quiet corner of the castle garden, thanking the wind spirit, then going on her way. As she crossed the bridge into town, she saw Frederick standing by the low wall with his friends from the naval training voyage. She nodded and smiled in their general direction, not wanting to be drawn into their conversation. Frederick sometimes tried to do that.
"Where are you heading, Inga?" Frederick called over.
"Just visiting Isabel," she replied, hardly slowing down. "I'll see you later!"
"I might come by with Siggy when he leaves his post for lunch, then!" Frederick called, then went right back to talking with the other boys from the navy.
Inga walked on into the market square, contemplating the produce in the stalls, wondering if she wanted anything before she went over to visit Isabel. Since it was the end of August, the offerings were getting more plentiful. She would need to check in with her mother about planning the harvest festival soon.
As she walked along, she thought more of the time the fall before when she had unexpectedly run into Henry in the market than of the food around her at the moment.
It had been a week since her birthday, and only a few days since Henry had boarded the ship returning to Corona. They had decided to make the best of however long they would have to wait to make wedding plans. Henry had apologized profusely for not having things more ready. He had thought too much about romantic gestures, and not enough about the politics or laws.
Inga had been lost in her thoughts, and found herself outside Isabel and Siggy's house already. She knocked on the door.
"Come in!" Isabel called from inside.
"Hello," Inga said as she pushed the door open and walked inside.
She saw Isabel sitting on the sofa near the window with a small plate of crackers.
"Please tell me you have more breakfast than that!" Inga exclaimed.
Isabel smiled a little. "I don't have the appetite for much more than this at the moment. The doctor has me eating crackers and broth since they don't make me ill."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Inga said.
"Well, you're here to distract me now. Tell me all about this engagement of yours."
"Shh!" Inga hissed, quickly smiling again. "It's not official. According to the Royal Council, he's only courting me."
Isabel laughed. "That's ridiculous. What do your parents say?"
"They do think we're a bit young, and we have their blessing, but we need to wait for full approval of the council. So we have to wait."
"How long do you need to wait?"
"Well, we can't even tell people that we're engaged until Henry returns with a signed proclamation from his grandfather. And only then can we start planning a wedding. My mother suggested next summer, which is such a long time."
"Siggy and I had to wait until I was twenty-one. It wasn't so bad, I promise you," Isabel insisted. "It went by so quickly in the end. I'm sure you can't believe it now."
"I'm sorry, yes, of course," Inga apologized. She knew very well that Isabel had been engaged for well over a year when she finally got married. "I do wish it would count if Henry and I had just run off to see the trolls."
"Really?" Isabel giggled.
"I suppose not. My parents were able to do that with everyone right there. It would feel different if we were sneaking off behind everyone's backs."
"Of course," Isabel agreed.
"And even my mother couldn't change the law to make that wedding official."
"Didn't your aunt change that law in the first place?" Isabel asked.
Inga nodded. "Let's not dwell on the reasons for that."
"Of course," Isabel replied seriously.
Inga knew why her aunt had changed the law, though her family were the only people it applied to. All sorts of weddings went on in Arendelle, and nobody cared if they were legally sanctioned unless there was a question of royal succession involved.
Only a year before, Inga had assumed the change had been made for the reasons everyone else, including Isabel, also assumed: that with no other heirs, if her mother had died, the laws of the time allowed private vows to count as a marriage, and with no other direct heirs, as husband Prince Hans would take the throne. Her mother's assertion that no private ceremony had taken place was enough to deny the claim.
What nobody else had known was that there was, in fact, a potential heir, who could claim the throne if he could be considered legitimate. Lars wasn't legitimate, but that was why it was also important to declare all weddings illegitimate for purposes of the succession, other than those performed by the Bishop. Inga knew very well that the trolls had come close to marrying her parents before anything else, but someone who knew about Lars could have used that to claim his legitimacy. It didn't matter who the child's father really was.
Inga supposed, after all of this, it made sense that her mother was so insistent on following the rules to the letter. Perhaps it might be best to let her mother plan the wedding for the following summer. It was a year. Isabel and Siggy had been engaged for more than two years before they got married. Who was she to complain about waiting a few more months?
Inga caught herself staring out the window, taking in the view of the fjord below. Isabel was still in her chair, simply sitting, smiling, and enjoying simply having another person aside from her maid in the room.
Isabel's maid walked in offering tea. Both she and Inga happily accepted.
"So, now, Inga," Isabel said, having had a sip of the tea, "do you have plans to travel to Corona?"
Inga had certainly given the question plenty of thought, and yet she didn't have a ready answer. "I suppose I'll want to visit Frederick at the Naval Academy, and I can do that as many times as I like, even if I'm not officially engaged."
Isabel smiled knowingly and gave a nod. "Yes, I understand."
"Oh," Inga said, blushing with the realization that she'd allowed herself to ramble on.
"We had a rather long engagement," Isabel smiled over her teacup. "You find excuses."
"Of course," Inga replied, not asking some of the questions in her mind.
"Has Frederick passed his entrance exam, then?" Isabel asked, obviously sensing that it would be a safer subject for Inga to discuss.
"I think he told me the exam was going to take place in a few weeks. Their Admiral will be visiting, so he and the other boys from the training mission will take the exam then," Inga explained. "I'm sure Frederick won't have any difficulty, though. As much as he thinks he might have trouble, I don't think he will."
"I'm not surprised. Meibel has been telling me about that when she visits, but it's hard to keep track of her stories and gossip sometimes. That reminds me, at your party, Kate and Edith both were rather fond of Frederick's friend from the Navy, Jorgensen? I think that was his name, but he never came over to our corner of the courtyard when Frederick did."
"Ah, yes," Inga laughed, "I've heard about him."
"They weren't able to get his first name, and they don't want to ask directly, so I thought I might help them out by asking you."
"You're asking me Jorgensen's first name?" Inga laughed. "I wish I could tell you. I'm not even sure that Frederick could tell you. Jorgensen seems perfectly nice, of course."
Before Isabel could reply, there was a familiar knock at the door. Inga got up to open the door, and Frederick was there, along with Isabel's husband, Captain Olsen.
"Good afternoon," Inga smiled, letting them in.
"Your Highness," Captain Olsen teased.
"Is that how you greeted my brother, too?" she shot back.
"Of course not," Frederick snorted.
"We were just talking about you, Frederick," Isabel said. "I hear you have your examination soon."
Frederick suddenly looked nervous. "Yes, that's true."
"You have nothing to worry about," Inga insisted.
Frederick shrugged. "Everyone says that."
"Probably because it's true," Inga assured him. "I know I've teased you a lot, but I don't think they'll be testing the details of Latin grammar, will they?"
"No, no, they won't," Frederick laughed. "Does anyone actually use Latin?"
Inga glared. "It has its uses."
"Yes, yes, that one Count still does, I know," Frederick sighed. "Who's going to write to him when you move to Corona?"
Inga paused. "I suppose the tutor can take over writing letters. Or Mother can remember what she used to know."
The maid had served Isabel's husband and Frederick some tea. The four sat quietly for a few minutes.
"So, Inga, did you have lunch yet?" Frederick asked.
"I think I had a cookie with the tea. I'm fine, really."
"Inga," Isabel cut in, "don't skip a meal just because I'm barely eating. You and Frederick go to Hudson's and have a nice lunch. You were going to come visit again Thursday, right?"
"That sounds like a good idea," Frederick agreed. "Siggy, you're off for the whole afternoon, right?"
"Yes," the Captain affirmed.
"Since you insist," Inga said, getting up. "Have a nice afternoon!"
Frederick and Inga walked back down toward the market square.
Frederick smirked a little.
"You're thinking about something," Inga told him, "tell me."
"Just wondering if you've written to Henry yet today."
"Just a short note," Inga insisted.
"How is Henry at handling sea voyages?"
"Better than I am," Inga said, "and when he and Hilde were traveling last year, I don't think either of them had any trouble."
"Well, that's good at least," Frederick said. "You're going to have to get used to it, you know."
"Please, don't remind me."
Inga sighed; as much as she wanted to marry Henry sooner rather than later, the reality that she would need to be the one to move to Corona was starting to hit her. Henry was, after all, the next in line after his mother for the throne. They would certainly expect him to stay around, aside from occasional travel. Ignoring this question wouldn't make it go away. Waiting a year would be good for figuring out those details.
They arrived at Hudson's Hearth faster than Inga had expected, having been so caught up in her thoughts yet again.
"So," Frederick said as they sat down, "when do you think the wedding will be?"
"I hope next summer. I don't want to wait more than that."
"But isn't there a lot to plan?" Frederick asked.
"I suppose it is, and lots of people will want to have a say, of course. I'm going to let them have their say, I think."
"Really?"
"Well, maybe not the ones insisting on a bedding ceremony."
"They still do those?"
"Supposedly, some of the neighboring kingdoms have. I don't think they've done any here in probably seventy or eighty years. Because who wants that?"
"Apparently some of the older council members. But joking aside, don't you want a say in your own wedding?"
"Frederick, I don't care that much about the wedding itself, as long as it happens, and as long as it's not delayed too much."
"Then why didn't you two run off to see the trolls?" Frederick gave her a look like he suspected something. "Or did you?"
Inga laughed. "No, though I almost wish we had."
"Would that have helped?"
"I can't exactly run off to Corona to get married without a major international scandal, but if we could prove we were already married, they wouldn't want to undo that."
"You have a point," Frederick conceded.
Anna had been traveling for several months now, along with Elsa and the Crown Princess Rapunzel of Corona. They were the only two who knew of the real reason for the tour of foreign kingdoms. They would stay a few weeks at each place, never long enough for anyone to notice that Anna's dresses needed letting out, or that the new ones she bought were always of a more forgiving cut than the previous dresses. She was a princess, and princesses got new dresses made all the time. Also, no official portraits had been sent out for thirteen years. Everyone simply assumed that the young queen's sister might naturally be stout. Many royalty were, after all.
Anna wished they didn't need to keep moving like they were. The sea didn't agree with her.
"Can't you make the waves stop?" Anna pleaded with her sister.
"I can't just freeze the ocean, Anna," Elsa sighed, rubbing her back.
Now they were heading for Corona, Rapunzel's own kingdom. Anna was unsure of how long they might stay in the capital, but Rapunzel had promised that she would have a remote house ready as soon as they might require it.
Anna had asked Rapunzel what she had told her husband, and Rapunzel had assured her that she hadn't told him anything. He had been left behind in Arendelle, and was going to keep Kristoff company. It was better, for now, if fewer people knew.
"I feel bad that Henry had to go to Arendelle alone," Rapunzel sighed over breakfast. "I know Hilde had agreed to go to that other wedding, but we could have gone with him."
"I think we know very well why he was going," Eugene laughed, "and I don't think he'll need our help."
"Eugene, you know what I mean," she retorted.
"No, not really."
"Well, he was going to be expected to attend all sorts of official functions while he was there. If we were there, I don't know, we could have let him just be there for fun."
"We're talking about Henry. What do you think he'll need so much extra time for? You've heard James talk about him."
"You know he's been writing to her," Rapunzel reminded him.
"Yes, of course. He does seem to be serious about her. Whether it's a good idea is another matter."
"She's a nice girl, and her family is nice," Rapunzel insisted.
"I know, but Henry is so young. Do you really think it's a good idea?"
"Hilde is supposed to get home tomorrow, maybe we should ask her what she thinks about this," Rapunzel suggested.
"Or what she knows."
Hilde joined her parents for tea on the terrace at the palace in Corona. She had attended the wedding of the sister of the Duke of Bielsko, reacquainting herself with several people she had met before, and meeting some new faces whom she hadn't crossed paths with before. All in all, she considered it a successful trip.
"Hilde," her mother began, "I was wondering…"
"Yes?" she replied, not sure what her mother had in mind to ask her. She wasn't hiding anything about her trip, but some parts weren't particularly interesting.
"It's just, it's about your brother."
"Oh," Hilde laughed. "What about Henry?"
"How serious do you think he is about Inga?"
Hilde thought a moment about her response, since she had promised Henry to keep his secret, but she couldn't lie to her parents. "I think he's pretty serious. He wrote to her a lot on our tour, you know."
"Really?" her mother asked.
"And gifts. He sent her something from nearly every port we stopped at."
"I suppose we should invite her to visit Corona, then."
"I'm sure they'd both like that," Hilde smiled. She had told the truth, but also kept her word to Henry.
August 25th, 1865
Dear Henry,
I wish I could see you for your birthday this year. I know I told you that last week when you left Arendelle. It's still true. Part of me wishes I'd come with you and eloped in Corona, even though I'm sure you were joking, weren't you?
I'm sure the time will go by quickly, but it feels harder to wait now than it did before you arrived in Arendelle. It's been a week since my birthday, but it feels like longer.
If I can't visit Corona right away, I hope you find a way to visit again soon. I hope you can come here for the Yule Bell, but perhaps another year, since it is a difficult time to travel. Perhaps you can come to the Harvest Festival? You only missed it by a few weeks last year, you know, so you should come this year.
We'll figure something out.
Nonetheless, I miss you now.
Love,
Inga
Inga folded the letter, letting her hand linger, and giving it a kiss. She looked at her drawer, and found his photo again under the ever-growing stack of letters from him. It would have to do until she could see him again in person. She set it back in the drawer and took her letter to the window.
Henry stepped onto solid ground at the harbor in Corona. His parents and grandparents and sister had all come down to the docks to greet him. He hugged each of them, and Hilde gave him a knowing smirk, so he felt certain that she was still the only one here who knew about his engagement. As much as he didn't want her telling everyone before he could, it did mean that he would need to figure out how to tell everyone.
Stopping back in his own room, took some time to write a quick note to Inga before changing out of his travel clothes.
August 28th, 1865
Dear Inga,
I made it home, and my family was all assembled at the harbor to see me, just like at the beginning of the summer when Hilde and I returned to Corona. Hilde told me, once again, her disappointment at missing your party, though she seems to have had a nice time at the estate of the Duke of Bielko.
It will be time to change for dinner soon. I still haven't told my parents and grandparents about our engagement, and I'll do so right this evening. I miss you terribly, and I wish I could have you at my side when I tell them, but the sooner I have their official permission, the sooner we can set a date for the wedding. Besides, it's better not to keep things too secret. Speaking of which, after dinner tonight I'll write you a proper letter telling you that I arrived safely in Corona.
Love,
Henry
Henry sent off the letter, then changed for dinner.
"I'm going to tell them tonight, James, and ask for the official letter."
"I'm happy to hear that, but have you given them any hint of your plans? Your sister is, perhaps, too good at keeping secrets, I think."
"I suppose I haven't exactly told them in so many words."
"Well, I wish you luck," James said.
Henry sat nervously through the first courses of dinner, until finally, there was a lull in the conversation. He took the opportunity.
"I have some news I've been meaning to tell you all," he said, looking around to make sure he was heard. Hilde smiled, trying to look like she didn't already know exactly what he was going to say.
"Yes, Henry?" his grandfather asked him.
"I… I'm engaged."
"You're engaged?" his grandmother asked, looking at his parents for some kind of clue that they knew something she didn't. His mother looked at him like she'd suspected something all along. Hilde was enjoying the whole thing.
"Well, not officially," Henry hedged, "but I asked Inga to marry me, and she said yes."
"Inga? Who is this Inga?" his grandfather asked.
"Grandfather, it's the princess from Arendelle we met last year," Hilde explained. Their grandfather grunted and nodded approvingly.
"So, not officially?" his mother asked him.
"Not quite…" Henry admitted, turning to his grandfather. "They need a letter from you, Grandfather, telling them that Corona approves of this. Then we can be officially engaged."
"I see," his mother replied. "Father, we'll need to look over the laws on our side, won't we?"
His grandfather nodded approvingly.
"And then we can plan the wedding," Henry said. "We don't want to wait very long."
"How long are we talking?" his father asked him.
"I don't know. We'll see what we can manage. We were hoping sooner, but Inga's mother is suggesting next summer."
"Next summer doesn't sound like too long to wait," his grandmother interjected.
"Well, anyway, congratulations are in order!" his mother smiled.
His grandfather ordered a round of drinks brought in, official engagement or not, it would need to be properly celebrated.
Hilde finally got him alone the next morning at breakfast.
"So, Henry, I received your letter when I was in the middle of a picnic at the Duke of Bielko's estate. I have no idea how I got it there, I didn't see anyone handing it to me, but it just appeared in my hand."
"I can explain-" Henry began.
"Never mind that, you can explain later," Hilde interrupted. "You said in your letter that you were engaged, but I take it there's no date set and it's not even official?"
"No, there isn't a date," he admitted, "but her mother promised that we can set a date once it's official.'
"And when will that be?" Hilde asked skeptically.
"As soon as they've received the letter from our grandfather, it'll be official and we can set a date," Henry insisted.
"I see," Hilde chuckled. "And I'm sure once that starts, Inga is going to realize how many details she needs to plan for, and a wedding next summer will start to look optimistic?"
"I'm pretty sure Inga doesn't want to wait, either."
"Well, then, I suppose it's just as well you'll be far apart for most of the engagement."
"What do you mean?"
"My maid heard some interesting gossip from one of the porters. For Inga's sake, I hope it's nonsense."
Henry feared that his sister could probably read his face as easily as a book right now. "What did she hear?" he asked nervously.
"Something about you entertaining some other girl, I think?" Hilde asked evasively. "I can't imagine you actually having some girl in your room, but that's the rumor."
"Oh," Henry scoffed in relief, "there was a girl wearing the same dress as Inga at the party, and I accidentally asked her to dance with me, and by the time I realized it wasn't Inga, it would have been rude not to dance. Inga thought it was funny, too."
"Thank goodness that's cleared up, then," Hilde smiled, "since the story got twisted into some story of the girl spending the night in your bed."
"What?" Henry asked in shock.
Hilde laughed. "I wouldn't worry, it was a situation where a friend of a friend of a friend overheard something in the laundry room. They said your valet was there in the laundry, but of course he would be. I can't imagine James gossiping."
"Oh, of course," Henry said, suddenly feeling a bit warm. James had told Henry he knew very well what he had seen that morning, but he knew James wouldn't betray his confidence. "Inga did stop by so I could give her a birthday gift without a crowd around. Someone might have seen her outside my room there."
"I see," Hilde hemmed. "Still, if I were you, I would just ignore them and avoid saying anything at all. If you try to explain it, people might even get the idea that someone saw Inga in your bed."
Henry looked away.
"I hope I haven't shocked you with that idea," Hilde chuckled. "But if you're getting married, you know…"
"Shocked?" Henry asked, looking at his cup of coffee.
Hilde gave a bit of a smirk. "I hadn't exactly- how shall I put this? Thought of you as particularly… worldly?"
"I suppose I wasn't," Henry admitted.
"Wasn't?" Hilde set down her coffee and looked at him. "I don't think you got up to anything on our tour. Is there anything I should know?"
Henry looked away again. He wasn't sure he should be admitting anything, even to his sister who was good at keeping a secret. "I shouldn't say anything," he said.
"Are you keeping any secrets from Inga?" she asked in almost a whisper.
"Absolutely not. More like… keeping a secret for her."
Hilde groaned. "Henry, stop right there while I can honestly still say you haven't told me anything. I hope that you haven't done anything too foolish, though."
Their father came in just then. Henry wondered how obvious it looked that he was hiding something, or failing to hide something. Hilde hadn't actually come out and said what she suspected, but he had the feeling she knew very well that he and Inga hadn't been simply spending the night talking.
"Good morning you two," their father smiled at them. "This is nice. Can I join you here? You've both been gone too much."
Henry nodded, and Hilde gestured at the seat opposite where she was sitting. Henry stared at his coffee some more as his father sat down.
"Henry, what's wrong?"
Hilde spoke up. "Sorry, I think it's my fault, I brought up how long it might be before they're married."
"It's probably for the best," their father assured him, "she's barely eighteen, and you're not that much older."
"Father," Hilde grumbled, "I'm right here, so if there's one word about oats or anything like that…"
"Don't worry, Hilde. Just promise me you won't try to one-up your brother and run off and get married before you're twenty."
Hilde shook her head. "No, that's not my plan."
"Well, that's good. And as far as-"
Hilde got up. "You know, this feels like it should be a man-to-man talk, so I'll leave you two alone," she smiled as she left the room.
"So, Henry," his father said after his sister had closed the door. "I suppose we might as well follow your sister's advice?"
Henry looked up at his father. "Her advice?"
"You know, a man-to-man talk. I haven't seen very much of you in the last year, so we should try to catch up. Ask me anything."
"Anything?" Henry repeated.
"Well, I suppose. Or I can ask you the questions. Which would you prefer?"
"I don't know, actually," Henry admitted. "I mean, what does James tell you about me?"
His father looked at him in surprise. "That's an odd question. He doesn't tell us much of anything, and we've never asked him to. I suppose he'd tell us if there was anything really wrong."
"Oh, okay," Henry sighed in relief.
"We told him to keep an eye on you when you and your sister were on your tour. I'd be lying if I said we aren't worried when you're gone."
Henry nodded and smiled. "And was Hilde's maid keeping an eye on her?"
His father didn't answer right away, but sought out the coffee and poured himself a cup. "I don't mean they're spying on you."
"I know," Henry replied. "James told me the same thing, that you asked him to keep an eye on me."
"It wasn't a secret."
Henry nodded. He wasn't sure where he should be drawing the line between secrets and privacy, especially when Inga was involved.
"Why don't you tell me about what you did in Arendelle?" his father asked.
"I had a nice time," Henry said, "though I did get stuck having dinner with the ambassador one of the nights I was there."
"That's a bit of an occupational hazard, of course."
Henry smiled a bit, and tried to relax. "I did a bit of drawing while I was there."
"I'm glad to hear that. Anything you want to share?"
"I'll take a look to see if there's anything that came out as well as I'd hoped," Henry answered.
His father nodded, as if he suspected something. "So, you did some drawing, you had dinner with the ambassador, and you came home engaged. Or, well, not technically engaged, I guess?"
"Well, yes, like I said at dinner last night. Their council has rules they insist on following."
"So, was this engagement not planned?"
Henry knew for certain now that his father suspected something, but he needed to be careful with what he said, since he might be suspecting something different.
"The engagement was planned," Henry insisted. "I bought the ring in Portugal last spring."
"Is that so?"
"I just didn't think to look up Arendelle's rules about these things."
"Waiting a little bit will probably be good, you know. You'll see."
"Everyone says that," Henry sighed.
