Dear Eugene,
What is it going to take for me to convince you that you belong in Arendelle? Your decision to stay is noble and unselfish, but it's also dangerous and near-sighted. What's going on between your port city and your municipalities is unpredictable. You can come back to Corona as many times as you wish, but you can't live there while its recovery is still hanging on a thread. By the time things get worse, it'll be too late.
My captains won't return when another flare up claims the higher ground. I cherish your compassion, but what I need from you is your cooperation; you're doing more harm than good by choosing to disobey me. Surely, you understand that. Even with Isolde, I feel like you're not giving me the full story. You need to be open and honest so that you and I can work together to accommodate Isolde's special needs in the future.
For the record, I am standing where you're standing. It's on the end of a plank, isn't it? The one you think it's your duty to stand on, but you don't have to jump off to prove your loyalty. I can see that this is hard for you. Now think about how hard it will be for your entire kingdom to lose a king and a father if something bad happens to you again; how much more alone would it be?
With that said, would you mind telling me why on Earth you locked my snowman in your study? I figured that the broom-bopping would happen, but I didn't think you'd actually attack him. Blizzard isn't going to eat you alive. You probably frightened the poor thing half to death much more than he had frightened you. He's just a newborn snowgie, after all, and if you could, I would appreciate it if you went back to check on him.
Blizzard's personal flurry won't last him more than three months. After two, the homing spell I put on him will fade away, and he'll be apt to run around making one big mess everywhere he goes. Try to set out a plate of sweets before opening the windows to let him out in April. He should return to Captain Brøgger's cargo ship all by himself. And please don't lock up the snowgie who's delivering this message; he can say enough words to start fussing at you.
Thank you for what you said earlier. I am happy that you feel the way you do, but if I could meet you halfway on that, you aren't disposable. I haven't seen you be a "useless king-replacement" or a "crown-snatcher," which you had ample opportunity to be after my uncle passed away. My choices and Arendelle's tragedies aren't your fault; you couldn't snuff out an illness that you knew nothing about. Shady tabloids from northern princes, whose timing couldn't be more cruel, shouldn't stifle human compassion.
Your past is up for another one of my fact-finding missions, but you've made genuine efforts for Corona, and those efforts have so far shown me a caring man. Sometimes we don't always get it right the first time, especially when it actually is our first time reigning with a national crisis, but from where I'm standing, you seem to have the heart of a king. Based on what my mother told me, my uncle was a lot like you in his youth: hardheaded and bighearted (I hope I'm not being too "honest" by saying that). He wouldn't have chosen you to marry my cousin and help her rule if you lacked honorable traits.
And yes, actually. I am officially engaged to Prince Aloysius, but I don't plan on staying engaged. Furthermore, he jealously thinks you're my second suitor even though such nonsense couldn't be further from the truth. My prime minister feels the same way, but if I wasn't engaged, what other escape hatch are you offering?
My situation isn't completely hopeless, Eugene. Through the engagement, I have more access to the homework I wanted to do on Hans and his brothers. If I can gather enough physical evidence to prove that there's a separate scandal going on in the Southern Isles like I believe there is, then I can break the engagement and expose Prince Aloysius to the Storting for what he is. I'm very confident about my plans. It turns out that sometimes making one temporary trade-off can open more doors than you ever thought possible.
I hate to say that I learned that from Prince Hans. Please think things through before you decide to reject my own offer again.
From Arendelle,
IV of March, 1848
Elsa