"You weren't too bad, Meibel!" Frederick said as she finished playing.
"Thank you, Frederick!" Meibel said as she got up from the piano. "I'm going to have to hurry to get to school on time."
"Oh!" exclaimed Frederick. "I hope this won't make you late!"
"Well, I'm not sorry," Meibel laughed.
"Uh, that's good… Have a good day!" Frederick mumbled, watching her rush out the door.
Sofia sat down on the bench. "My turn!"
"All right, Sofia, let's hear what you can do."
Sofia began to play confidently, but in a completely different key from what was written.
"No, look at the music again, Sofia," Frederick groaned, "that's middle C. You were playing B. And everything else was off, too. Didn't it sound weird to you?"
"No," Sofia huffed, "all the music you play sounds weird."
"We'll have to work on that," Frederick sighed.
"Frederick?" Inga called from the door. "Sofia? Oh! Someone mentioned you were going to have lessons with Frederick, I'm glad you're doing that."
Sofia swung around on the bench. "Well, I'm trying. He says I sound weird."
Frederick sighed and looked over at Inga. "I just told her she played it in the wrong key."
"Oh, I won't interrupt, then," Inga giggled. "Be careful, Sofia, that's a good way to get on Frederick's nerves!"
"It won't bother me," Sofia said, turning back around. She started hunting for middle C, then began playing correctly.
Frederick quietly got up and walked over to Inga, but she had been joined by Henry. Frederick suddenly felt uncomfortable. He remembered how awkward Henry and Inga had seemed when he found them in the stables the day Henry had arrived for Inga's birthday party. He wanted to say something to Inga, but not with Sofia in earshot, even if she wasn't paying attention.
"So you're giving piano lessons now?" Henry asked.
"Not really," Frederick mumbled, "but Sofia pointed out that nobody would be playing when I leave for Corona, and one thing led to another, and I promised to teach her. And I guess I'm teaching Meibel, too. It's nice they'll have something to do together this winter, I guess."
"I didn't know Meibel was going to be in on it too, but that is nice," Inga smiled, watching Sofia play the music stiffly but accurately.
Frederick stood awkwardly for a moment, focusing on his younger sister at the piano. He didn't want to risk making eye contact with Henry, because he wasn't sure if he could control his expression.
"Meibel seems to know what she's doing," he said. "Sofia probably does, too, but she gets a bit defensive."
Sofia finished playing the song for the third time through. "Frederick!" she called. Frederick quickly ran back to her, not wanting to deal with his urge to say something to his older sister and Henry.
"That was good, Sofia, now let's try this one."
"We'll leave you to that, then," Inga said, and she and Henry quietly slipped out the door.
"I wasn't expecting to see you," Inga said as they walked down the hall.
"I heard the music and wanted to see what was going on," Henry explained.
"That's why I was there, too," Inga smiled, putting her arm into his. "Do you have any other plans today?"
"Nothing in particular. I really don't have anything more that I can do until my family arrives."
"How long is your family staying here?" Inga asked.
"I'm not sure. My mother wasn't very clear about that in their letter. I'm sure that a lot of it will depend on how official talks go. I think my parents and grandparents are going home in a few weeks, but I don't know about Hilde."
"It's just… I hope that I won't be expected to leave right away. I want to stay here through Christmas."
Henry pulled her close. They were in a quiet corner of the hallway. "If it's up to me, I won't make you leave here until you're ready. I don't know how much will be up to me, though."
After a moment they continued into the castle courtyard. It was a crisp fall day, not too cold and not too wet. People were coming and going from the town, a few smiling and waving at Inga, who politely returned the gesture, and a few stopping to look at Henry, clearly trying to decide who they were looking at.
Siggy was standing guard at the gate, finally back to work after having taken some time to care for his wife.
"Hello, Siggy," Inga said. "Do you remember Henry?"
"Of course I do!" Siggy smiled. "And we can officially congratulate you now?"
"I think you can," Inga said. Henry shook hands with Siggy and nodded.
"Excuse me, sir?" a young man asked at the guard house.
The other guard on duty was busy with another person, so Siggy gave Inga and Henry a look of apology and turned his attention away.
"Yes?" Siggy replied, at attention.
"I'm looking for Ambassador Meyer, do you know where I would find him?"
"I couldn't tell you his schedule today, if that is what you're asking," Siggy replied. "But I can send someone with a note to Mr. Pincar, his private secretary, who would be the person to see for appointments."
"Well, I suppose that will have to do," the young man sighed. "Here's my card."
"I see… Mr. Holst? Oh, you're with that paper from Corona, are you?"
Siggy gave a quick glance over to Inga and Henry, who did their best to hurry into town.
"What was that?" Inga asked when they were out of earshot.
"I think he might be the gossip columnist that Hilde complains about. I'm not sure what he's doing in Arendelle right now. Hardly anyone knew I was coming."
"It looks like a ship just arrived, though," Inga said, pointing to the harbor.
Henry looked across the bridge toward the town, and recognized the flag of Corona on top of the steamship that was just beginning to unload.
"It couldn't be, could it?" he muttered.
"Do you think they've arrived already?" Inga asked.
"I've lost track of how many days it's been," Henry admitted. "But this seems about right."
They hurried across the bridge and down toward the harbor.
The ship was tied up to the pylons along the dock. As Inga and Henry approached the docks, a few eager passengers were getting off in between porters bringing down luggage and various servants overseeing it. A man on the dock and a man on the ship shouted some commands at each other.
Henry hadn't yet seen anyone from his family, but soon he saw the ship's captain step out. As the captain walked down the plank and stopped at the bottom, behind him came Henry's grandfather, followed closely by his grandmother, then his mother and father, and finally his sister.
His grandmother and grandfather smiled and spoke to the captain as the rest of the family stood politely waiting. They hadn't looked in their direction yet, but they were also still in the middle of a growing crowd of onlookers. Arendelle got its share of foreign dignitaries, but people seemed to understand that this was a larger and more important contingent than they would usually get.
Henry stepped forward from the crowd of onlookers, and Inga quickly followed, still holding his arm, but trying to keep a respectable distance. Henry's family saw him, and there were greetings and congratulations as they all came down from the ship.
His parents immediately rushed to hug him and Inga both.
"I was worried that we hadn't told you which ship we would be arriving on, but here you are," his mother said.
"I'm happy you could make it on such short notice," Henry said, hoping at least for Inga's sake that there would be no questions while they were out in public.
"Well, we wouldn't miss it," his father replied.
Henry glanced over at his sister, who seemed to be studying Inga. He caught Hilde's eye.
"Will they be ready for us?" Hilde asked, looking up at the castle.
"Of course!" Henry said, glancing at Inga.
"We're always ready for guests," Inga said.
They began walking back to the castle. His parents, he knew, had been there more than twenty years before, and they were studying the town intently.
"This place has grown!" his father exclaimed, looking around the market square.
"I suppose so, though it's still nice," his mother smiled, taking his father's arm.
They strolled through the crowd of onlookers who were trying and failing at looking like they didn't care.
"I have to admit, we were surprised by your sudden letter," his grandfather told him. "You certainly didn't have a date set when we were discussing this last month, and I had understood that the plan was going to be for next summer, but the next thing we know, we get a message that the wedding will be happening this month?"
"The council decided that with your approval we could move on," Henry said quickly.
"It's an interesting turn of events, for sure," Hilde said quietly a few inches from his ear, looking at him, and, he guessed, judging him already, "but I know that you two were eager, so I think I understand."
Henry looked away uncomfortably, grateful that his father had made some comment about the wedding decorations before anyone else had noticed his exchange with his sister.
"Those are left over from the harvest festival," Inga said. "I'm not sure if there are plans to decorate the town for the wedding."
"I can't imagine they wouldn't do something," Henry's mother commented.
"They'll have a few more days to work out the details, along with the rest of the wedding planning," his grandmother said, smiling at Inga.
They approached the castle courtyard, and Frederick came out, followed by his sister Sofia.
"I didn't realize the ship was arriving this morning!" Frederick exclaimed. "I would have come out to see it."
"Well, we're here now," Henry's father said.
"Frederick is going to be at our Naval Academy starting this winter," Henry explained. "I don't think he was coming to see you."
"I'm happy to see all of you again, too," Frederick laughed. "Is that why Ambassador Meyer's secretary was heading into town?"
"Was he?" Henry asked.
"Is that newspaper reporter still here?" Inga asked.
"What newspaper?" Frederick asked in return.
"Never mind, then," she said, looking at Henry. "I suppose I should go change now."
"No need to rush," Henry whispered.
"What's this?" Henry's grandfather asked.
"I believe," his grandmother said, "that she might like to freshen up with guests here. It's understandable. I think we would like to, ourselves."
"Kai, our steward, should have all the rooms ready for you," Inga offered.
"It was a pleasure to see you again," his grandmother said.
Inga left, and Henry found himself alone with his family.
"How was your talk with Frederick?" Anna asked as Kristoff walked into the study.
"He was giving lessons, so it'll have to wait until another time," Kristoff sighed, sitting down across from her.
"Kai told me the ship from Corona should be arriving soon," Anna said. "Did you see anything?"
Kristoff looked behind her out the window. "If it's a steamship, I think I see it out there on the harbor."
Anna turned around. "You may be right!"
"Do you think we should go meet them?" Kristoff asked.
"Kai has everything ready for them, so I don't think we need to rush. Henry might want a chance to see them without us there, I imagine."
Kristoff walked closer to the window and looked down at the courtyard. "Is that Meyer's new secretary?"
"Pincar has been here for a year now, that's hardly new," Anna laughed, stepping over next to Kristoff to take a closer look. "But, yes, I believe it is."
"Maybe you should greet them before Meyer catches up?" Kristoff asked.
"That sounds like an excellent idea."
"I'll go up and change," Kristoff said. "You go ahead."
Inga found Oline on her way back to her room, so she would be able to change into nicer clothes and get her hair arranged fairly quickly despite being distracted in thought from having just seen Henry's parents and grandparents for the first time in over a year.
"Oh, dear, Your Highness, I'm sorry," Oline said, letting go of the back of her dress.
Inga's thoughts had wandered off so much that she hadn't even noticed how long Oline had been trying to fasten the back of her dress. She looked in the mirror. "Perhaps you can lace me up a little more?"
Oline looked at her through the mirror. "Perhaps it would be better to get this dress adjusted. I can do it myself if you'd prefer."
Inga realized that Oline must suspect something. "Yes, if you could. How long do you think it would take?"
"I suppose I can have it done in a week or two. Is it true you're going to move to Corona when you get married?"
"That seems to be the plan," Inga sighed. "I meant to ask you, Oline, would you be willing to come with me? I can understand if you want to stay closer to your family, of course."
Oline smiled, beginning to take off Inga's dress. "I would love the adventure, and if I may be so bold, you are nice enough when I get to know you."
Inga couldn't help but laugh a bit at what could have been an insult from anyone else. "Thank you, it would be nice to have a familiar face to help me."
Oline hung the first dress back in the wardrobe, and brought over another.
"This is one of those newer styles with a higher waist," Oline said, holding up a dress Inga vaguely remembered getting a month or two prior. "So I think it will work better."
Inga swallowed. "That sounds like a good idea."
The dress fastened easily enough this time, and Oline made quick work of Inga's hair.
"I'll get started on adjusting your dress, and with your permission, I'll see if any of the others need work."
"Thank you, that would be very nice," Inga said as she left the room.
She walked slowly down the hall, looking at the walls, wondering if she was really willing to give this up. It was hard to say. There were so many things that she and Henry would need to discuss if they got a chance. She hoped that at least some of the things they could discuss alone, just the two of them, but now she wasn't even sure of that. His family was here, and they would hold the official negotiations as soon as they could. She had always known, on some level, that everything would be so very public whenever she got married. She realized with no small sense of irony that it was her fear of all this public spectacle that had led her to spend that night with Henry that summer.
She passed by a mirror. She didn't look different, not really, but some of her dresses were already not fitting, and Oline suspected enough that she was not going to ask anyone else to do the work. Her maid didn't need to state the obvious, that having all of her dresses altered at once would be a source of gossip. Henry had suspected that his sister would have guessed already, but his grandparents seemed unaware. Did Frederick have any suspicions? He had seemed a little off earlier in the morning.
She got to the stairs, still lost in thought, and began her way downstairs. A door opened loudly on the ground floor, startling her, and she missed the next step. Before she could even let out a scream, her father was holding her.
"Don't do that!" he hissed as he set her down carefully on the floor, groaning a bit. She was not a small child, and he had just caught her in the middle of a fall.
"Sorry," she said meekly. "How did you-"
"We saw the ship from Corona arrive," he said, still a little out of breath. "I had to stay back to clean up and be presentable, so it's lucky I was here."
"Why?" Inga asked without thinking.
Her father grabbed her shoulders.
"Because you would have-" he sighed. "Look, I know I said some things that maybe I shouldn't have said, but please be careful with yourself?"
Inga looked away, trying not to think about what had almost happened. Her father was worried, and he knew his words had, perhaps, hurt, even if she had forgiven him. She started thinking about some of the stories she had read, where a girl in her own situation might try something so rash. She had never really thought about such a thing, though she wondered what she might have thought if Henry hadn't arrived when he had.
Inga took a deep breath and put her hand on her father's. "I'll be careful, I promise," she told him. She meant it.
She could feel him relaxing. "Good, now, should we find everyone?"
"I think they're still in the courtyard," she replied, and held his arm as they continued down the stairs.
Anna went down to the courtyard to find Frederick speaking with the Corona royal family.
"Your Majesty, it is such an honor to have you visit us," Anna said as she approached the King, giving a slight nod.
"We've been speaking with your son here. He's grown quite a bit since we saw him last year," the King told her.
"I believe he has, yes," Anna acknowledged.
"He was just telling us how much he's looking forward to attending the Naval Academy," the Queen said kindly. Anna forced herself to smile in agreement.
"You're looking well," Rapunzel said. "It's been so long since we've had the chance to see you."
Anna smiled again. "Yes, so much has happened since then. I'm sorry I wasn't able to make it to Corona last year."
"I assume your sister Elsa will be coming soon?" Rapunzel asked Anna as they all began to walk toward the castle.
"She arrived earlier this week," Anna replied. "She's been a great help, and of course, she and Inga are especially close."
"I definitely could see that last year when they visited." Rapunzel glanced over at Frederick "And Frederick, my goodness, he's practically grown up, too. He really resembles his father, doesn't he?"
"I suppose you're right," Anna laughed. "But I know he's very excited that he's been invited to attend the Naval Academy, so you'll get to see quite a lot of him now."
"I have to admit," Rapunzel said, "I was surprised when I learned that we hadn't had anyone from Arendelle before, but your Admiral seems quite enthusiastic about your son."
Anna smiled, not wanting to think too much about the topic of Frederick going into the Navy, but happy enough that they weren't discussing the wedding plans just for the moment.
As they approached the main door to the castle, she saw Kristoff standing there with Inga holding onto his arm. She wondered if they had spoken; she hadn't thought to ask, but she knew there had been something of an uncomfortable tension between them ever since they had learned that she was pregnant.
The proper introductions and greetings were repeated as everyone got to the door. Queen Arianna complimented Inga on being changed so quickly, and Kristoff was as polite as could be expected while Eugene was sharing a story of some adventures they had shared twenty-one years earlier.
Inga had made her way over to Henry and Hilde. One look at Hilde told Anna that certain things were not going to be a secret for very long at all, if they ever would be for anyone remotely paying attention. Henry's sister seemed to have a knowing look, and seemed a bit too quick to compliment the choice of a high-waisted dress.
Kai came over to tell her that they could have a luncheon ready in as early as half an hour. Upon learning that their rooms were ready, the King and Queen excused themselves and went to freshen up, leaving everyone else to talk amongst themselves some more. Anna noticed Ambassador Meyer's private secretary returning from town, and hoped they would not have to worry about the Ambassador himself quite so soon.
"If no one else is planning to change before the luncheon, perhaps we could make our way to the library?" Anna suggested.
Everyone agreed to the plan, and she led them inside and to the library, which would be somewhat more private than being in the open courtyard.
Inga followed everyone to the library, pausing to decide where she should sit, partly to let her parents and Henry's parents decide where they would sit first. They were on sofas facing each other, leaving herself and Henry standing awkwardly while Hilde and Frederick grabbed separate chairs for themselves.
"I think I'll sit by the fireplace," she whispered to Henry before walking over. The carpet was particularly thick, so it wasn't as uncomfortable as other parts of the floor would have been. Henry sat just far enough from her to maintain decency, but they could still occasionally have their own conversations, however limited.
Henry's father continued the story he had begun to tell in the courtyard, of being taken to meet the trolls some years before. Inga realized that it must have been the time that her mother was traveling to Corona with the official story of a royal tour, but secretly there to give birth. Hopefully, even with the timing being suspicious, she would not need quite so much secrecy.
She noticed her mother looking out the window during the story, and she had obviously realized when it must have happened. Her father was holding her hand tightly, looking oddly polite and attentive to the story.
"Father, why didn't you ever tell us about this?" Frederick asked.
"I guess I forgot," he replied.
"Now that hurts," Henry's father laughed. "Did you really forget?"
Henry's mother gave her husband a look.
"Mother," Hilde said, "you were traveling with Inga's mother and aunt then, weren't you?"
"Yes, I was," she replied. "That was a very productive tour, I think."
Inga listened as Henry's mother told several anecdotes with no hint as to the real reason they had been on that trip. She was thankful that no one had asked her any awkward questions, because there were so many of them right now that would be awkward to answer. She felt Henry quietly take her hand. She squeezed it and held on, remembering that Henry now knew the story behind the trip, as well. It would work out, and they would figure out the details.