Inga walked down the hall. She and her mother had been able to discuss the wedding dress, and both of them seemed to be better for it. She still didn't want to talk about some things, particularly about what had happened to her mother at her age.

"Inga?"

It was her aunt coming down the hall.

"Aunt Elsa?" Inga smiled. "I didn't expect you to arrive so soon!"

They hugged.

"This is important, of course I'm here," she said.

"Is anyone else with you?" Inga asked quietly.

"Olaf, of course," Elsa said. "But your mother told me that you were keeping the ceremony small."

Inga looked at her aunt, who seemed to know. "What else did she say?"

"She didn't tell me anything specific in the letter, but I've already talked to her since I got here."

"Oh, of course," Inga said. "Are you coming to dinner? It's a bit early, but I suppose the dining room is already set up."

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea," her aunt replied.

They walked over to the dining room, and much to their relief, the room was already set up, so no servants would be intruding on any conversation they had until everyone else arrived.

"So, you know," Inga said as the door closed.

"Yes." Her aunt seemed to be forcing a smile. "I suppose you didn't want to wait to get married, anyway."

"I know we were foolish," Inga said. "You don't need to tell me that."

Her aunt sighed.

"I'm not here to lecture you. It's…" Her aunt seemed to pause to consider her words. "If you want to ask me about- about anything?"

"You mean my mother's… situation?" Inga asked.

"I suppose that is what I mean," her aunt replied.

"I know I'm luckier than she was, in a way, I guess," Inga said.

"I don't know, there was a lot of luck then that it wasn't far worse," Elsa said.

Inga was about to reply when there was a knock at the door.

It was time to get dressed for dinner, a ritual that Kristoff had long ago grown accustomed to. He idly fed the fire, keeping the room warm against the cold wind that had blown in that afternoon outside.

"Anna?" Kristoff said as she walked out of the bathroom.

"What is it?"

"Is Inga okay?" he asked. "It's just, I heard there was an argument at the dress fitting."

"She was frustrated, and we exchanged some words," Anna said. "It's better now, at least I think it is. She's scared, which I can understand."

Kristoff was still feeling overwhelmed by the situation. Had they just been that naive regarding Inga? Somehow, she had managed to get into this situation, being pregnant before she was married. And what if Henry hadn't quickly come back from Corona to visit? He clearly had no intention of leaving Inga alone at this point, no matter what Kristoff's fears might have been about the situation. At least Inga would not have been so alone in any case, not like her mother at the same age. He and Anna would have helped her. Secrecy would have still been necessary, but she wouldn't have been quite so alone.

"I think it's stressful for everyone," Kristoff said.

"Of course," Anna said. "I haven't even asked you how you're doing lately."

"I've been offered congratulations as word has gotten out. I tried to be nice about it. That's about it."

"I suppose it's good that you have your reputation, isn't it?"

Kristoff smirked. "Oh, and I ran into the tailor this morning. He asked if we had suits, so I invited him over. Frederick's dress uniform is almost brand new, so we don't need to worry about that, but the twins have grown a lot, so he's measuring them for new suits."

"Thank you for taking care of that," Anna said. "I'll have Kai get your good suit out of storage."

"I hadn't even thought about that," Kristoff admitted. "When was the last time I wore that thing?"

"Good question. I think it was for the painting we had commissioned when Sofia was a baby."

Anna walked over to the mirror to check on her hair. Kristoff sat back down on the bed to watch her. Anna had ended up fine, hadn't she? And she was arguably in a worse situation than their daughter was currently finding herself in. Henry was here, and he did seem to be devoted to her. He hoped their young age wouldn't make things too difficult in the long run.

Anna looked into the mirror at Kristoff, and he could tell that she had been crying. He got up and went over to her.

"Are you going to be okay for dinner?" he asked.

"Of course. It's just family."

"What about Henry?"

"You're going to have to get used to that," Anna said.

"You're right."

Anna stood up, and Kristoff went with her over to the bed.

"Oh, and Elsa arrived this afternoon," she said as she sat down.

"I'm happy to hear that," Kristoff replied. "How did she react?"

"She wasn't exactly surprised. She wasn't expecting it, but I don't think any of us were."

Kristoff sighed. "When I heard the gossip last summer, I was only worried about what Henry might have been doing, it didn't occur to me that Inga was doing anything."

"I know. We should have realized that their stories didn't really make sense, but I think we wanted to think that they were acting sensibly."

"I guess we'll make the best of it," Kristoff said.

Anna leaned on his shoulder. "We have to make this a happy occasion. It's happening whether or not we think it's the best thing the way it's happening."

"It's probably the best outcome under the circumstances." Kristoff sighed, lying back on the pillows.

"I'll miss her, though," Anna sniffed.

"Come here," Kristoff said. He didn't like to think about Inga moving so far away, even though he knew that it was expected.

"He's second in line after his mother, so it will be expected that she'll go with him," Anna said, repeating the conversation they'd had several times in the last few months. "When I talked to her today, she said she'd like me to visit. I don't know how I feel about that."

"I can see that," Kristoff agreed. "I've never been there, but I understand why you wouldn't want to go. It's another reason I wish this whole marriage thing could have waited."

"Fred!" Anton called into the stable. "It's time for dinner!"

"I know," Frederick replied, patting his reindeer, and stopping to check the horses. "I'll be there. The food will be there all the same."

"Aren't you hungry?" Peder asked.

"I was at Hudson's an hour ago, I'll be fine."

"Aunt Elsa is here, she was just telling us to get changed, and we promised her we'd tell you," Peder said.

"Oh! Why didn't you say that before?" Frederick said. "Tell her I'll be there."

The twins ran off, and Frederick ran to his room to change.

As he arrived at the dining room, he could hear voices inside. It sounded like Elsa and Inga. He knocked before coming in.

"Who's there?" Inga said, sounding startled.

Frederick opened the door.

"Frederick!" Elsa exclaimed. "I was wondering if you'd be at dinner tonight."

"I told Anton and Peder to tell you I was here."

"They haven't shown up yet," Inga said.

"Well, what have you been talking about?" Frederick asked.

"I've just been asking Inga about the wedding plans," Elsa said, smiling oddly at Inga.

"Oh, okay," Frederick said, sitting down. "Kate and Edith were asking me about that this afternoon."

"What did you tell them?" Inga asked.

"I told them I haven't been involved, so I didn't know anything. They were disappointed, of course."

His sister and aunt both chuckled a bit.

"Have they asked about bridesmaids or anything like that?" Inga asked. "I haven't had a chance to speak to them, but earlier this fall they made me promise to include them."

"I don't remember," Frederick admitted. "Are you going to do all of that?"

"I suppose I will," Inga said quickly, again glancing at her aunt. "It would be expected to have some. I'll have to ask Henry if his sister will expect to be involved."

"Is she coming?" Elsa asked.

"Yes," Inga said. "Henry told me his entire family is on their way, even his grandparents."

"That will be a lot," Elsa replied. "Has anyone else been invited?"

"I don't think so. Most invitations wouldn't even arrive until the wedding has already happened, after all."

"Why not wait a bit longer so they can be invited?" Frederick asked.

His sister and aunt exchanged yet more odd glances.

"That is a lot of people," Elsa stated.

"I guess if Inga doesn't like a big spectacle focused on you, that makes sense," Frederick replied.

"That's it!" Inga blurted out.

Just then, the door opened again, and their parents walked in.

"Elsa!" his father exclaimed.

Greetings were exchanged, and Henry soon arrived followed shortly by the twins. Anton and Peder had also run into Sofia, but it seemed that she had been invited to dinner by Meibel, and Olaf had gone along, as well, so they would not join them this evening.

"We were almost late to dinner because the tailor needed our measurements," Anton whined. "He had our old measurements mixed up, too, mine and Peder's, so he was trying to figure out whether or not we had grown."

"I'm not sure how you two would actually be mixed up," Inga laughed. "But I suppose you've started catching up to Peder now."

Soon, dinner was served, and the conversation dwindled for a few minutes.

"Henry?" Elsa asked after a break between courses.

"Yes?" Henry asked.

"Inga was telling me about your drawings. Have you been working on anything this week?"

"I've been rather busy," Henry said, looking over at Inga, who was looking at her plate.

"That's unfortunate," Elsa replied.

"How much do you have to do to get ready for the wedding, Henry?" Frederick asked.

"I wish I could say I've been doing more," Henry admitted.

"You wrote to your family," Inga said. "That's something. It's not like I've done that much, either."

"Well, we don't need to keep tabs on everyone," Kristoff said quickly.

Elsa nodded. "Right, and I think everyone's had a lot of wedding planning to think about."

Frederick nodded. The stress must have been getting to them. Even Aunt Elsa seemed to be acting oddly this evening. Anton and Peder were the only ones who seemed normal.

His father seemed to notice that he was looking around at everyone.

"So, Frederick," he said. "What have you been up to this week?"

"Not much," Frederick shrugged. "Sofia roped me into giving her a piano lesson tomorrow morning."

"You are doing that, then?" his father smiled. "I'm glad to hear it."

Anna tried to relax as the family gathered in the library after dinner the way they always did when her sister visited. At some point Olaf showed up to tell them that Sofia had arrived home from dinner with the General and Halima and was already in bed. The conversation had already been dancing around avoiding awkward subjects relating to the wedding plans, and now it became even more difficult.

"I'm so glad I saw Elsa yesterday so I could get here early for the wedding," Olaf said. "Have the invitations for the wedding gone out yet?"

"We haven't sent out formal invitations," Anna said. "It's going to be a smaller wedding."

"Oh, that's nice!" Olaf exclaimed. "Elsa didn't show me the letter, but I'd love to hear all the details."

Anna knew that her letter to her sister hadn't contained anything particularly noteworthy, but she had written that she would fill her in on the details when she arrived. Of course, what details would Elsa need to know about a wedding?

"By the way, I've been wondering," Frederick interjected, "did the council say anything about the succession?"

Elsa gave her a questioning look, and Inga was glaring at her brother.

"They didn't bring that up this week," Anna said. "I was not about to bring that up to distract from their approving the wedding."

Frederick nodded slightly.

"Because," he said, "I was telling Inga I wonder if they've decided now. I'm fine either way, but it's been long enough to make a decision, don't you think? And doesn't it seem like something they'd decide before approving this?"

"I don't know if they've thought things through as thoroughly as you have, Frederick," Elsa said.

"Why don't we talk about something else now?" Kristoff added.

"Do you have a dress yet, Inga?" Olaf asked.

At some point, Kristoff found a point in the conversation to say he was ready for bed, and Anna agreed that she was tired, so they excused themselves and walked silently down the hall.

As they closed the bedroom door, Anna let out a big sigh.

"I think that went well," Kristoff chuckled. "If anyone was trying to get information out of us, I don't think they could have learned anything."

"We're going to have to be careful around Olaf, of course."

"Of course," Kristoff replied.

"Do you think Frederick suspects anything?"

"I'm not sure. I think he suspects something is off, though," Kristoff replied.

"I'm wondering if you should talk to him in the morning."

Kristoff looked up at his wife. "You mean serious talking?"

"I don't know," she sighed as she got into bed next to him, snuggling up. "He seems so… like he's almost there as far as knowing about… all of this. I don't know. He obviously knows there's something odd about why the wedding is happening so soon, but I'm not sure if he really needs to know why just yet. He's going to figure it out eventually."

"Everyone is going to figure it out by next summer, I think."

"Hopefully there will be enough to distract everyone. I guess that's the positive way to look at Inga being so far away."

"Frederick won't be that far away, and I hear the gossip papers in Corona can be pretty vicious."

Anna looked toward the door, then back at Kristoff. "I'll ask Rapunzel when she arrives just how bad it is… All the more reason to talk to Frederick before he goes, I think."

Kristoff smirked a little. "He was on a naval ship this spring, and I'm sure he'll be hearing more. And, yes, that's a good reason to talk to him."

"His friends who are going to the academy with him seem perfectly nice."

"I really don't think he's likely to go astray, if that's what you're worried about."

Kristoff walked down the hall toward Frederick's bedroom, intending to invite him to come along with him, just like his wife had suggested the night before. It was still quite early, but that wasn't a problem, not for him, and Frederick wasn't one to have trouble with early mornings when they were out in the wilderness, at least.

Kristoff knocked on the door and waited. There was some shuffling inside.

"Sofia! I told you I'd meet you at eight, and it's only seven!" Frederick shouted from the other side of the door.

Kristoff chuckled and knocked again. Frederick opened the door half dressed.

"Oh, it's you," he said, "you could have said something rather than knock again."

"I know," Kristoff laughed. "I knew you said you would be giving her lessons, but are you really expecting Sofia this early?"

"She wants to do it before she meets with her tutors."

"Oh, I see," Kristoff said, again relieved at not needing to negotiate with another piano teacher just yet.

Frederick had completed getting dressed while Kristoff stood at the door.

"So, Father, was there anything you wanted?" Frederick asked as he walked out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

"Well, I was interested in taking some time to talk, but maybe later, since you've got plans this morning. Are you doing anything later today?"

"No, I don't think so," Frederick said, "I really haven't had very much to do lately."

Kristoff nodded, following Frederick down the hall. His son hadn't said not to come along.

"Oh, so do you want to meet after lunch?" Frederick stopped to ask when they were at the top of the stairs.

"That sounds good," Kristoff agreed, "and if you're telling me to stop following you, I can do that, too."

"Um, not really, just, I thought… I don't know, sorry." Frederick looked around. "You can come listen if you want, but I'm not sure if Sofia wants anyone else there."

"Don't worry about it, I have plenty of things I can be doing," Kristoff smiled. "You know where to find me."

Frederick found himself in the ballroom nearly a half hour before he had promised to meet his sister Sofia, and seeing no one else around, he began playing. He didn't bother looking through the music and simply started with something by Beethoven he had memorized years before. It was calming, playing something so familiar, pressing the damper pedal with his right foot at just the right times to emphasize the best parts. It also made it feel like he was back in that simpler time in his life when he had first learned this piece.

He couldn't quite put his finger on what had changed. Perhaps it was him, or perhaps it was his family. It wasn't just Inga and the sudden wedding. Their parents had been out of sorts for a long time. Perhaps it was the youngest baby? No, they had seemed perfectly fine when she was born. Perhaps it was something that had happened while he and Inga had been in Corona the year before. It was soon after they had returned that he had noticed the people around him changing. Perhaps he'd ask his father this afternoon.

Frederick reached the end of the first movement, and realized he couldn't remember how the second movement began, so he decided to go through the sheet music to find something else to play. He liked the songs from his friend in Bergen, but again, they weren't useful without Inga around to sing. He supposed he could figure what to do about that, or find something he could sing now, but it didn't seem worthwhile when he had other things he could play.

He leafed through one of the new pieces without words that he had just gotten, and decided to try it. It was just difficult enough to require all his concentration to play, which was even better for clearing his head.

He felt rather pleased with himself when he finished, only needing to stop once during the first movement to turn the page. He looked up at the clock and realized that it was nearly eight now. He came across the sheet music for the piece he had tried playing earlier, and turned to the partially forgotten second movement, which was all the reminder he needed of how the movement went, and his muscle memory did the rest.

He paused to turn the page to the third movement, then his mind went right back to where it had been earlier. Inga had changed the subject so quickly when he'd asked her about having children once she and Henry were married. Inga had been exhausted enough planning the harvest festival this year, and a few weeks earlier he had been talking about how their mother had often been exhausted the same way.

Frederick suddenly stopped playing. The harvest festival had supposedly made Inga so tired and sick, and they suddenly decided to have the wedding immediately rather than waiting, and Inga said his questions were too personal. He was staring at the music, but not looking at it, and his fingers felt like they were hovering over the keyboard.

"I'm sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt you," he heard Sofia call from the entrance to the ballroom. "Please keep playing!"

Frederick blinked, realizing he was sitting still, staring at the music, which refused to make any sense right now. He turned around, surprised to see Meibel standing behind Sofia. "Oh, no, I was done playing, I need to practice that one before really playing it again." It was not quite a lie, but he certainly wasn't about to tell them what he was thinking about that caused him to stop playing.

"I forgot to ask if it was okay to bring Meibel along," Sofia told him, "but when we were playing yesterday, she said it sounded fun, and besides, today's her birthday, you know."

"Oh! Happy Birthday, Meibel!" Frederick said, looking over at their friend, "I'm sorry I forgot."

"Thank you," she smiled, "And don't worry about it, it's not like it's really my birthday, but I can tell people I'm twelve now, so that's something, isn't it?"

"So, Frederick," Sofia declared as she walked across the room, "What are you going to teach us today?"

"Both of you?" Frederick asked.

"It's not a problem, is it?" Sofia asked, "Meibel needs to get to school at nine, so she should go first."

"That's fine, I guess," Frederick hemmed, scooting to the edge of the bench patting the other side for Meibel to sit down. "Meibel, have you had any music lessons before?"

"No," she said, suddenly sounding shy, "we do a little bit of singing in school, but nothing really, not much."

She sat down on the bench.

"Well, can you read music? That makes a difference, you know."

"Oh, yes, a little bit," she smiled. "The schoolmaster teaches us to read music."

"Good, that will make it easier," Frederick said, grabbing the music book he had selected for his sister Sofia earlier.