Hilde sat at her writing desk, looking over the water at the city of Corona. Her maid brought in a selection of the day's papers, and she picked up the first, glancing at the date.

November 3rd, 1875, Corona

The usual scandals and disasters showed up on the front page, and she skimmed them, hardly needing to read carefully.

"Here's a letter from your husband," the maid said, handing her an envelope.

"Thank you," Hilde replied, absentmindedly taking it and setting it down to the side.

"With all the stories about your brother, I'm surprised you've avoided any attention," the maid commented.

Hilde glanced up. "Has he sent any letters recently? Any I might have missed?"

"Goodness, it has been a month, I think," the maid said. "I hadn't thought about that."

"Father was asking me, and I realized-" Hilde began, glancing back at the paper as she turned the page, suddenly stopping, her eyes glued to a headline.

"Isn't that…?" the maid started. "Wasn't he here last week?"

"Have the groom ready my horse, and then come back to help me change," Hilde said.

0o0o0

Frederick sat near the piano in their front parlor, watching as Meibel opened up the new sheet music, leafing through to the piece he had suggested. She studied the first few measures, and then glanced over at him, smiling.

"Shall I begin?" she asked.

He nodded, readying the mandolin. He remembered the part perfectly, and she sight-read the music quite well.

At the end, she gave him a smirking glare.

"You sang that a little too well, Frederick," she said.

"I'll admit, the lyrics maybe weren't the best choice," he laughed.

"Well, it's almost dinner time. Are you up for a walk into town?"

"I think I'm feeling rested enough."

Frederick got up, and Meibel handed him his coat and his cane before he was even at the door. Frederick then watched as she readied herself to leave.

"You said my parents and Elsa went to Bergen," Frederick commented. "Is Inga still away at that spa?"

Meibel frowned, glancing at the papers by the chair. "You haven't been getting the papers, I take it?"

"Is there something new?" Frederick asked. "I know Inga and Henry get rather roasted by the Corona papers in particular, but that's hardly anything new. It's not like I want to read any speculations about myself, either, so I just avoid everything that's not from the Admiral."

"Someone said that Inga has run off with Siggy. Isabel says it's not true, but nobody has heard from Inga since she left."

Frederick sighed. That seemed like a fairly standard story the papers were running. Unfortunate, but not worth calling him home, as much as he enjoyed seeing everyone.

"Has anyone written?"

"She was going to get rest, so nobody wanted to disturb her," Meibel explained.

"Well, if she's actually resting…" Frederick hemmed. "A quick note from me won't bother her too much."

Frederick walked over to the desk, and without sitting down, grabbed paper and the pen, and scribbled out a very quick note to his older sister.

0o0o0

Lars sat on the stairs to the Glowerhaven embassy. Inga had come out earlier, having heard a hint of gossip that he and John had been trying to keep from her. Lars knew very well that, ideally, she should know everything, but with as uncertain as their business was here, they couldn't risk upsetting her more than she already was, and it was foolish to come to the Southern Isles at all, but perhaps it was foolish of any of them to be here.

Lars sat close enough so that they could speak quietly if Inga wanted to say anything more. She seemed to have been satisfied with his vague answer to her question about the rumors surrounding the events of a few years back, but he needed to sit for a moment and think about what her family had been told. She wasn't the only one who had been told a half-truth.

"I told you you could go back inside to the party," Inga said.

"Do you want to know anything more?" Lars asked.

"No, not right now."

Lars began to stand up again. "When we're in a secure place, I'll make sure John tells you what he knows. When you're ready."

"Do you mean to make it sound so horrible?" Inga asked.

Lars sighed. "I think-"

The breeze blew in, and Inga had a letter on her lap.

"Is that from- from your aunt?" Lars asked. He was blocking the light by the door, so the letter was in the dark. He stepped aside.

Inga looked at the handwriting. "No… it's from Frederick."

Lars looked and remembered the handwriting. It had been a few years since the incident, and just as long since Frederick had last written to him.

Inga opened up the letter rapidly and read it. She stood up very quickly, briefly grabbing Lars's arm for support. "He got a letter from Elsa while he was at sea, and he's now back in Arendelle…"

"Does he know where you are?" Lars asked.

"No, he apologizes for interrupting my retreat." Inga read and reread the note.

"Anything else?"

"Elsa wrote to him while he was at sea and told him to return quickly, but now she and my parents have gone to find me at the spa," Inga sighed. "No… I never told Oline where I would be. Or Renata for that matter."

"How soon will they find out?" Lars asked.

"If they find Siggy, he knows exactly which ship I boarded."

"You stay here, I'm going to give our excuses inside, then I'll find John. I think we've learned enough this evening."

0o0o0

Anna sat looking through Inga's chest when Elsa walked in.

"Have you learned anything?" Elsa asked.

"Nothing much," Anna replied. "I found a diary here, but I don't want to read that if I don't have to."

"Hopefully we won't have to," Elsa agreed. "But at some point we might need to. Would her own words be any worse than what some of the papers print?"

Anna shook her head. Just then, the wind whipped up outside, and the sisters looked at each other.

Elsa walked to the window and opened it, and the letter landed in her hands. She quickly opened it.

"I should have expected this," Elsa said. "It's from Frederick."

"Frederick? Why would you be expecting something?"

"Because I wrote to him a few days ago and told him to return to Arendelle."

"Do you think he needs to be involved in this?" Anna asked.

"I'm certain that Inga isn't anywhere near Arendelle, so, yes, I think we need Frederick's help."

"The question, then, is do we return to Arendelle, or do we wait for him to meet us up here?"

0o0o0

Frederick and Meibel returned to town silently. As they passed the street leading to Isabel's house, they heard some commotion.

"Uncle Frederick!" Arianna called out, running over to hug him, nearly knocking him off balance.

"Hello, Aria," he said, returning the hug once he had steadied himself.

She looked up at him and began speaking rapidly. "I heard you were coming back but I didn't think you really would. It feels like everyone is leaving and I'm so glad you're back at least."

"I'm probably only staying for a short visit," Frederick apologized. "Have you had dinner yet?"

"No," Arianna sighed. "I hadn't decided yet. There's nothing really at the castle right now, and-"

"Frederick?" Sofia called out from the doorway. "I was wondering if you were really coming… how are you?"

"I'm fine," he said, not wanting to treat his sister's question as anything other than a social nicety. "We're heading back into town for dinner. How are you?"

"We've been discussing what the papers have been writing, what do you expect?"

"Is Isabel at home?" Meibel asked.

"Yes, she is. Siggy is still in Bergen, of course, or that's what Isabel says," Sofia said. "I'm sure Meibel has filled you in-"

"Frederick!" Marie exclaimed, pushing past her older sister through the door. "You're actually home?"

"I suppose so," Frederick replied, laughing a bit.

"I can ask Isobel if there's room for you to join us for dinner," Marie suggested.

"Well…" Frederick hemmed, glancing at Meibel.

"We're just going into town, but maybe tomorrow?" Meibel replied.

"Can I come with you?" Arianna asked.

"Come back to the castle when you're done with dinner, and we'll meet you there," Frederick suggested.

Arianna nodded silently.

"We'll see you and Marie, too, right Sofia?" Frederick asked.

"Of course!' Sofia replied.

Soon enough, they were at the unassuming door next to Hudson's Hearth. Meibel got out her key and went in.

"Hello?" she called out.

"Meibel?" General Mattias called back.

Meibel ran over to his chair by the fire and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Look who's here!" she exclaimed.

"Frederick?" he replied. "I thought you were planning on two more months!"

Frederick checked that the door behind him was closed.

"Elsa sent me a note to return as soon as I could," he said.

"Have you been reading the papers lately, Papa?" Meibel asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," he replied. "What does Elsa know?"

"She didn't say," Frederick said, walking over to take a chair by the fire.

"Are you taking care of yourself, Frederick?" Mattias asked.

"I am," Frederick answered quickly.

Mattias looked questioningly at Meibel.

"I'm sure Mr. Pearson makes sure Frederick isn't taking unnecessary risks with his health," Meibel said.

"He is," Frederick said. "He also approves of my staying active."

"Frederick," Mattias began, "staying active is one thing, but never ignore it if your body tells you to rest. I've seen too many men ruin themselves that way."

Frederick shifted in his chair thankful when a moment later Halima walked in from the kitchen with tea.

"Oh! Frederick!" she exclaimed. "I was not expecting to see you today!"

"I won't be home for long, unfortunately," Frederick said.

"It's probably something to do with the gossip in the papers," Meibel said as she helped with the tea.

"We got a letter from Siggy in Bergen just this morning," Halima said. "And Isabel has no worries about those stories, at least. Do you know anything different, Frederick?"

"I've been avoiding the papers," he said. "But Elsa might know something we don't."

0o0o0

Rapunzel stood outside the meeting room door. She had called her foreign minister, the minister in charge of the telegraphs, and the ambassador from the Southern Isles in for a private meeting, off the record. She wasn't sure if she would regret the inclusion of someone officially from the Southern Isles, but she had no reason to suspect anything from him. As far as she could hear, they were not discussing anything behind the door.

She entered. They stood up in unison, she greeted everyone and acknowledged their greetings in turn, and then invited everyone to sit down.

"I hope you can guess my reason for bringing all of you together like this," she began.

The minister she had spoken to about the telegraphs clearly knew what the problem was. Her foreign minister seemed to be genuinely surprised, while the ambassador from the Southern Isles seemed to be very skilled at the art of appearing innocent.

"I have been informed," she continued, looking at her communications minister, "that the telegraph lines to the Southern Isles haven't been working for over a month. I expect to be informed of such things in a timely fashion."

The foreign minister cleared his throat. "Ambassador Pincar was involved in those negotiations, and he told me that there wasn't much to communicate, so I saw no reason for concern."

Rapunzel glared at him. "I'm very aware of the ongoing negotiations. You may have been aware that they had requested a member of the royal family, and my own son agreed to step in."

"Of course, of course. I'll write to Ambassador Pincar tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Rapunzel asked.

"I have a meeting with Ambassador Mustela this afternoon," the foreign minister explained.

"Unless Wesselton is involved in the telegraph problem, please cancel that."

She noticed the ambassador from the Southern Isles quickly glance over at the foreign minister.

"It is a matter of some importance," the foreign minister insisted.

Rapunzel turned to him. "If it is important, then I should attend the meeting, don't you think?"

0o0o0

John looked around the stables, which were surprisingly quiet for as bustling as the party appeared to be. Perhaps some people were in borrowed or hired carriages. Some of the smaller principalities might resort to that, after all. He decided to walk toward the kitchen door, to see if he could learn anything there.

There was a small, gritty courtyard near the back, and he could hear people coming and going from the kitchen around the corner. A man standing in a corner of the courtyard noticed him.

"You're new here, who are you?"

"I'm here with someone from Corona," John replied.

"Really?" the man said. "I think there are a few of them here tonight."

"Indeed?" John asked. "What about you?"

"I work for Glowerhaven, just their embassy, of course."

"I see," John nodded. "How are they as employers?"

"Pretty decent, overall. I don't need to take any extra work, if you know what I mean."

John nodded. "Anyone from Bielsko here?"

"They're all busy tonight with the party. You looking for food? I can show you where they've left out some for us."

"That would be perfect," John said.

They walked into the servant's hall. A cook and his assistant were at the center table focused on plating some appetizers for the party guests, but there was a pot of soup and some loaves of bread set aside clearly for any people lingering around the servants' hall, though at the moment they seemed to be the only ones not working.

"So, Corona," the man said as he and John enjoyed some refreshments.

"That's right," John nodded, looking as the cook and his assistant went back into the kitchen.

"Do you know if that prince is supposed to show up?" his new friend asked.

John did his best not to react. "Which prince?"

"The one from Corona, you know, there's always some gossip in the papers about him. I had heard he was in town."

"I didn't know he was expected here tonight," John said. "But tell me more. I've never been to Corona."

The man laughed. "My last job was working for their ambassador, though I was never at the embassy at the same time as the prince. Interesting guy, that ambassador, good friends with the newspapers, you know."

"Who is this?" John suspected that his new friend was talking about Ambassador Pincar, but he didn't want to make assumptions.

"Ambassador Pincar," the man said. "He'd give me a cut when he shared a story, I think because he didn't want me talking. I really didn't want to make my money that way. I felt uneasy. Let me just mend collars and arrange schedules, that's more my speed."

"I've heard of him. Is he here tonight?"

"I doubt it," the man laughed. "I don't think anyone's heard from him in a month."

"Is that so?" John asked, glad that his new friend obviously didn't notice the carriage he had driven here.

"You've heard about the fellow who owns that gossip newspaper, right?"

"Which one?" John knew very well that he was probably talking about Ludvig Holst's paper, but he wasn't going to let on.

"The gossip paper, you know. Always prints scandalous stuff about Corona and Arendelle. Before I left Pincar last year, I started hearing whispers that they had some interesting dirt on Corona."

"Dirt on Corona?" John repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean, I'm sure you've heard some of those rumors," the man hinted.

"Well, of course, but if we're talking about the same paper, who really believes any of those stories?"

"That's just it. Nobody really reads past the first paragraph, do they? Nothing believable there."

"Ah," John hemmed. He didn't want to say just how familiar he was with the trick.

"But even with the true things, it's usually not that interesting, I'm sure you've noticed that."

John laughed and nodded. Having grown up with the Westergaard family as he had, he knew very well just how little that got printed that was true was actually interesting.

"The thing is, what I heard was big, and very interesting, and as far as I know, very true. Not just the succession, either. Of course, everything relates back to-"

The door opened, and a footman came in from upstairs with an empty tray of food. They watched him closely.

"Sorry, but there won't be any fancy leftovers for you," the footman said, smirking at them as he set down the tray.

The footman picked up one of the plated trays of food and went back up to the party.

John and the other man watched as the door swung closed.

"So," the other said, "I should have asked, you said you're with someone from Corona, you're not working at the embassy, I assume?"

"Why do you ask?" John replied, evading answering.

The man looked over his shoulder to be sure no one was there. "I had a bad feeling about nearly everyone there, if I'm being honest."

"You and me both," John muttered.

"So you are there?"

"Not officially, but I've been staying there," John admitted. "None of them know I understand the language, so I hear a lot."

"That makes me feel better."

0o0o0

Eugene sat in the library, trying to decide if he should do anything while Rapunzel was meeting with the various ministers, when he heard the door open.

"Father?"

It was Hilde. He jumped up and went over.

"Hello," he said.

"Did you see the news?" she asked.

"What news?"

She showed him the gossip paper.

LUDVIG HOLST FOUND DEAD

"When did this happen?" Eugene asked before thinking to check the date on the paper.

"It doesn't make any sense," Hilde said, sitting down. "He was going to reform."

"What? He was still publishing all those stories," Eugene retorted. "I know, I know, don't speak ill of the dead and all that."

"He told me himself," Hilde said.

Eugene stopped. "This seems like something I shouldn't just be learning now."

Hilde looked around. "He had to keep publishing those stories while he was investigating, otherwise people would know something was up."

"I feel like I'm missing a lot of information here," he sighed.

0o0o0

Lars left Inga where she had been, and returned to the party.

"Oh, there you are!" Princess Beatrice exclaimed.

"I do apologize, Your Highness," Lars said with a small bow. "I needed to check in with someone."

"Was it your sister?" Mrs. Abele asked. "She seems to have disappeared."

"Yes, it was," Lars said. "She is fine, not to worry."

"I hope it's nothing in the food," Mrs. Abele mused. "That would be unfortunate."

"Did your sister grow up in Arendelle?" Princess Beatrice asked.

Lars paused for a moment. "Yes, yes she did."

"I'm curious about the queen's family there," she continued. "My brother-in-law visited there once. He had awful things to say about it, but I wouldn't worry about him. I hope to visit sometime. Have you spent much time there?"

"Not as much as I could wish," Lars replied honestly.

A footman came back with a tray of food.

"Oh, these are delicious!" the princess exclaimed, taking one.

Lars took one politely, though he wasn't feeling hungry at the moment.

"Your brother-in-law is Prince Tarkan, is that right?" Lars asked.

"Ah, yes, indeed!" the princess replied. "Have you met him?"

"Once," Lars replied. "That was before your marriage, I believe."

"Is that so?" she said with a bit of a stifled laugh. "My husband tells me that his brother was trying to get married first, but going about it in such a terrible manner. I can't speak to that, as I never met him until our wedding."

Lars nodded. "Is your husband here?"

"Oh, yes, I last saw him with the Glowerhaven ambassador. Have you met him?"

"I have not had that pleasure," Lars replied.

"There he is!" the princess exclaimed. She ran over to her husband, whispering something to him, and Lars walked over.

"You remember Mr. Nilsen from that state dinner in America, don't you?" she asked her husband.

"Ah, of course!" the prince replied, then turned to the man next to him. "Have you two met?"

Lars wondered at the fact that no one seemed to question his presence here. Still speaking with the Glowerhaven ambassador would be useful.

"I do not believe we have," Lars replied.

"Well then," said the prince, introducing him to His Excellency from Glowerhaven.

Short bows were exchanged between the two.

"Your name sounds familiar," the Glowerhaven ambassador mused after the introduction. "But I've never been to America."

"Have you been to Arendelle?" the prince suggested.

Lars did his best to stay calm, but again, no one seemed to be questioning this. Most people forgot that Arendelle hadn't had official diplomatic relations with the Southern Isles for some thirty years now.

"I served as ambassador to Arendelle for a few years, in fact," the man from Glowerhaven replied.

"Well, there you go!" the prince declared. "I've been meaning to see the place myself someday."

"Wait… Mr. Nilsen, were you working for Ambassador Meyer?"

"Yes, in fact," Lars admitted. "I attended the Diplomatic School in Corona."

"Of course, they have a very close relationship, Arendelle and Corona, don't they?"

Lars agreed.

"Glowerhaven, of course, has recently strengthened its relation with Corona, has it not?" Prince Joseph inquired.

"Indeed, Princess Clothilde's wedding was a most wonderful event," the ambassador replied. "She is visiting there this fall."

Lars nodded, wondering if there would be any hint of rumors from this corner.

The footman returned with more food, and after serving them, went over to his employer, the Bielsko ambassador, whispering something to him. The ambassador looked over at the Glowerhaven ambassador, and then at Lars.

"Do you know him?" the Glowerhaven ambassador asked Lars quietly, nodding in the direction of the party host.

"No, I can't say I do. I feel amiss," Lars said, "as I have been enjoying his hospitality this evening. Are you acquainted?"

"Enough to make an introduction," he said, turning to the Maldonian prince and princess. "If you'll excuse us, Your Highnesses."

"Of course," the prince replied. "It was a pleasure."

"Likewise," Lars said with a small bow.

They walked over.

"Your Excellency!" the Glowerhaven ambassador said with a small bow. "Have you met-"

"Mr. Nilsen?" the man said. "I'm surprised to see you in the Southern Isles. I had heard no rumors of relations with Arendelle… thawing…"

"Anything is possible," Lars said, wondering how far his identity was known.

"But I believe that you came here from the Corona embassy?" Bielsko's ambassador asked.

"Of course," Lars replied, seeing no need to lie on that matter. "The rest were indisposed."

"That wasn't the version I heard," the other laughed.

"I've been out of the loop on the gossip," Glowerhaven's ambassador said.

"Pincar's valet was last seen on a train to France. My source said the forwarding address was Isigny-sur-Mer."

"Perhaps the valet has new employment?" Lars suggested. "I try to avoid servant gossip, myself."

"Well, if you see Pincar this evening, you can ask him yourself."

0o0o0

Henry stood in the abandoned courtyard, with this man who wouldn't give his name, but seemed to know enough about him.

"I'd rather stay here and take my chances," Henry said.

"Your ambassador had very different thoughts on the matter."

"Pincar?" Henry asked.

"He took our offer very quickly."

"Where is he now?"

"He's on his way there, but we've arranged it so that as few people know as possible."

"Oh," Henry said.

"You'll be safe and taken care of. You should think about it."

"But what about my family?"

"Haven't you ever dreamed of starting over, having a clean slate?"

Henry stared at the man.

"I suppose I haven't made myself clear," Henry replied.

"Tell me what you want so that we can arrange something."

"I want to see my family, and I don't like being away from them. I was only here because I thought I was needed-" Henry began coughing.

"We should get you back inside. I'll see if we can find you a nicer room, perhaps that will put you in a more cooperative frame of mind."