by Mari Mancusi
“Unsafe for you, Your Majesty. The attackers threatened you personally. There is no reason to assume Iduna would be a target.”
“Agnarr,” Iduna began. Her voice was stern. “It’s all right. I’ll be fine. Besides, I have work to do. The windmills, remember? I have people depending on me. I can’t hole up here and abandon them.”
“Yeah, but what if—”
“I’ll be fine.” This time she said it through gritted teeth, clearly annoyed. That usually would have made me back down immediately, but I ignored my better instincts and kept pushing.
“You don’t know that,” I said angrily. Why was she being so stubborn?
“Agnarr—”
I couldn’t take it anymore. “Iduna, I order you to stay in the castle. For your own safety. Until the threat is gone.”
“Excuse me?” Her face turned purple. “You can’t do that!”
“I’m the crown prince of Arendelle, so actually, I can,” I shot back.
The second the words left my mouth I regretted them. I was being stupid, ugly, cruel. To her, of all people.
She looked at me as if she wanted to punch me in the mouth.
Peterssen chose that moment to step in. “Prince Agnarr. A word alone, please?”
I let out a frustrated breath. “Fine.” I turned back to Iduna. “But we’re not done talking.”
“Oh, yes we are,” she said with a short laugh completely devoid of any mirth. “We definitely are.”
And with that, she pushed back in her chair and stormed off. I moved to go after her, but Peterssen grabbed my arm.
“Come on,” he said. “Let her go. You can apologize for being a blockhead later. Right now, you and I need to have words. One on one.”
Reluctantly, I followed him into the library. Peterssen motioned for me to sit in a nearby leather armchair. I slumped down, scrubbing my face with my hands. When I looked up again, he’d sat down across from me and was leaning forward, elbows on his knees.
“Agnarr. We need to talk about Iduna.”
“So you agree, then. She should stay in the castle until the threat has passed,” I said, surprised, but happy he was on my side.
But he only sighed and shook his head. Suddenly, he looked very old. “Look, I know I was the one who brought Iduna to the castle in the first place. I felt bad for her because of her situation—losing her parents and all. And I thought it would be nice for you to have someone your own age around the castle.”
I nodded impatiently. “It was. It is. Iduna’s the best, which is why we need her to stay here.”
“Iduna is wonderful,” Peterssen agreed. “And we all love her, Agnarr. We do. But…”
“But what?” I asked, beginning to get exasperated. What was he trying to say?
“But I’m becoming concerned that you love her in a…different sense than the rest of us.”
I felt my face flush. Not because I was embarrassed about my feelings for Iduna. If anything, it had become nearly impossible not to shout about them from the rooftops. But at the same time, I wasn’t stupid. I knew what the council would think if they knew about our relationship. They liked her fine as my friend. But in their eyes, she was no princess. No future queen.
My expression told Peterssen everything he needed to know. He nodded but didn’t speak. For several minutes the only sound in the library was the ticking of an old clock. Then he rose from his chair. He walked out onto the balcony and stared down at the town below.
“Maybe if it were a different time,” he mused. “Maybe if things weren’t so volatile. Maybe if your father hadn’t been murdered. If soldiers weren’t being assaulted by men in masks.”
“That has nothing to do with Iduna!”
“And yet it has everything to do with you.” Peterssen sounded sad now. “Arendelle lost her king overnight. I’ve tried to be the best regent I can, but things have been unstable. The citizens are uneasy again. They’ll be more so now, after the attacks. And in these times, they look to the crown to ease their fears.”
He turned from the balcony to meet my gaze. “Meaning you must be the king they need you to be. And a big part of that is marrying into another strong royal family. Forming an alliance that will help protect Arendelle in the years to come.”
I hung my head, my heart plummeting to my knees. My stomach felt as if I’d swallowed lead.
But that didn’t change how I felt about Iduna. My beautiful, smart, funny best friend.
How could I marry someone else? Someone who was bound to be inferior to Iduna in every possible way. And once I was married, what would happen to our friendship? It seemed unlikely we would spend time together once I had a wife, at least alone. It wouldn’t be proper.
If only I had been born a peasant. A soldier’s son, perhaps. If only Mattias had been my father instead of the one I actually had. He would have loved Iduna. Especially her amazing laugh. It reminded me of his. I closed my eyes for a moment, imagining the two of them together.
And suddenly I understood my mother’s pain. Why she had left as she had. Trapped in a loveless marriage with my father. Maybe she, too, had loved someone out in the world once, someone her heart told her was right when everyone around her said he was wrong.
Maybe she had to leave him behind when she came to Arendelle to become our queen.
Peterssen was watching me, a sorrowful look on his face. Sorrowful and…if I didn’t know better, I’d say guilty, too. What was he hiding? I groaned. Just what I needed—more secrets. “What aren’t you telling me?” I demanded, finally feeling able to ask for the answers I had wanted for so long.
“Agnarr—” But at that moment the captain of the guard rushed in, her face pale.
“There’s been another attack!” she reported. “A villager this time, inside of Arendelle. He was leaving his shop when it happened. A man in a sun mask jumped out and started beating him. He barely managed to fight him off, and the man ran away.” She paused, then added, “He says he’s pretty sure it was a Northuldra.”
Peterssen let out a low growl. “And I suppose he’s running around, telling everyone this tale?”
“He doesn’t have to. Everyone’s already gathered in the town square to hear him speak. They’re frightened to death. They’re talking about forming a militia. They say if the crown will not protect them, they will move to protect themselves.”
“This must stop!” Peterssen exploded. He pushed off the balcony railing and strode across the library to the guard. For a moment, they conferred softly so I couldn’t hear. Then Peterssen turned back to me.
“Agnarr, it’s past time you go and address your people. You need to promise them that you will take action. That you will do everything within your power to keep them safe.”
I nodded stiffly. “Just tell me where and when.”
Peterssen’s shoulders relaxed. He spoke again to the guard. “Tell everyone that the prince will address the people in ten minutes. Be sure they gather to listen.”
The guard gave a salute, then disappeared out the door, trailed by Peterssen. I ventured to the library’s windows and looked down onto the streets below. The citizens of Arendelle were milling about anxiously. They all looked afraid.
Peterssen wasn’t wrong. They needed a leader. They needed a king.
I just wasn’t certain anymore that I wanted it to be me.
“Conceal, don’t feel,” I whispered to myself. It was the only thing left to do.
“AND THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER!”
I closed the book, smiling at the children who sat on a colorful rug in the warm, cozy Arendelle library. There were only a handful today, though usually at least a dozen came to my weekly story time after school let out. I guessed the rest of their parents had kept them home, too afraid of going out onto the streets of Arendelle after all the recent violence.
It had been a week since the first attacks, but the seemingly random acts had continued with alarming frequency. The people of Arendelle were living in fear—never k
nowing what was around the corner. The castle had closed its gates. No one was allowed to enter or leave until they determined what was going on. Soldiers stepped up their patrols, but they seemed to do no good. The attacks continued. And no one knew who was behind them.
It was a scary time.
But I kept a brave face, continuing to meet with the farmers to help them with their windmills. They always commented on how brave I was, a woman traveling alone in times of such unrest. But fear wasn’t going to power their mills, pump their water. It wouldn’t feed their children.
I also kept up with story time. I knew it was something the children—especially the orphans—looked forward to each week. Their lives had been turned upside down. I wanted to give them something happy and safe to enjoy.
I smiled at my small group now. “Any questions?” I asked, setting the book on my lap.
A boy of about seven raised his hand. “Are the bad guys in masks going to kill us all?”
I sighed. I had meant questions about the story I had just finished. But I knew it was hard to concentrate on fairy tales right now, when real life had become so scary.
“Of course not,” I assured him. “They won’t even be able to get close. Not when we have such wonderful, brave soldiers patrolling the streets of Arendelle. They are smart and strong and they will keep us safe.”
A little girl around four raised her hand. “I’m scared, Miss Iduna,” she said; then she stuck her thumb in her mouth.
“It’s okay to be scared,” I assured her. “You know, I get scared sometimes, too.”
The children stared at me, so wide-eyed that I almost laughed. To them, I was a grown-up. And grown-ups weren’t supposed to be scared.
If only they knew.
“You know what I do when I’m scared?” I asked, setting down my book by my side. “I sing.” I smiled down at them. “Anyone want to sing with me now?”
They all did, of course, and so I taught them a silly song about reindeer and carrots and a really stubborn pig. By the end of it, they were laughing hysterically and no one looked afraid anymore.
“Okay,” I said, rising to my feet. “I hope to see you next week!”
They filed out, talking among themselves. Some were even still singing. I watched them go, feeling a warmth in my heart.
“You’re so good with them,” Mrs. Reedy, the librarian, complimented me, coming over to stand beside me. “They’re lucky to have you.”
“I’m lucky to have them,” I assured her. “They always make me smile.”
“Our Iduna, what would we do without you?” Mrs. Reedy declared, drawing me in for a hug. “You are a true gift to Arendelle. A princess of the people!”
I laughed her off, even though her comment stung a little more than I wanted to admit. Not that she would realize it, of course. “Oh yes! A true princess,” I joked, “in mud-stained boots.”
After we exchanged goodbyes, I headed out of the library. My plan was to bake bread for some of the older ladies and men around town who were too sick or too worried to go to the market. I was still learning to bake, now that I had my kitchen. And some of my results had been…questionable. But still, there was something about it that always put my troubled mind at rest. The act of measuring each ingredient out so exactly and creating something entirely new somehow put me at ease.
Made me forget, for a moment, even about Agnarr.
I hadn’t seen him since the night they’d closed the castle gates, the night of Peterssen’s stern reminder and our fight. He’d been hustled to a makeshift stage in the town square, surrounded by a ridiculous number of guards and dressed in his official Arendelle military uniform. I’d fled the castle after our argument, enraged at how entitled and privileged he’d acted, and watched from far back in the crowd as he gave a grand speech about working to root out the enemy and keep Arendelle safe. It was his number one priority.
And I had to admit he looked and sounded like a true king.
I missed him more than I wanted to, but I was still upset about our last conversation, when he’d all but bought into the idea that the gentle, peaceful Northuldra could be responsible for these attacks. I’d thought he was different, the only one who believed, like I did, that there was more to the story about that day by the dam. But it turned out that when push came to shove, he was just like everyone else, letting fear and rumors lead him.
I sighed, reaching for my key to open the front door to my small haven. It was for the best, I told myself. Agnarr and I never had a future anyway. Everything we’d shared was nothing more than a beautiful dream.
And it was high time I woke up and faced reality.
I had just pulled my final loaf of steaming hot fresh bread from the oven when I heard a knock on my door. I was surprised to see Lord Peterssen on the other side. From what I understood, he didn’t leave the castle very often anymore, especially now, with the gates closed. But he stood alone, without even any guards, waiting at my front door.
I ushered him in quickly.
“Sorry to come unannounced,” he said, taking off his hat and setting it down on the table. His hair had begun to thin, I noticed. And I could see shadows of strain on his face.
“Not a problem,” I assured him. “Would you like some tea?”
It wasn’t the question I was dying to ask, of course. I wanted to ask if they’d made any headway in figuring out who was behind the attacks. And I wanted to ask about Agnarr. How was he holding up?
Did he miss me?
Peterssen shook his head. “No thank you,” he said. I caught him glancing toward the door. “Look, I need to tell you something important. May I speak frankly?”
Fear shot through me at his words, but I kept my tone level. “Yes. Of course,” I said.
“In an attempt to root out the source of the recent attacks, the council has enlisted the help of a specialist. His name is Sorenson and he’s a scientist of some regard. He claims he’s created a foolproof test to uncover lies. The council plans to use it on every citizen of Arendelle to find out what they might know about the men with the sun masks.” He looked regretful. “They’re going to be asking questions. Lots of questions. Looking into everyone’s histories.”
I stared at him in horror. “Everyone?” I whispered, realizing what this could mean. “Even…you?”
“No. Not me. And likely Agnarr will also be spared. You, however…” He trailed off, giving me a knowing look.
He didn’t have to go on for me to get his meaning. “I haven’t done anything wrong,” I protested, my heart pounding in my chest. “I was only a child when it all happened.”
“I know that, of course. But the townspeople are on a rampage. Their fear flies through the streets. It’s irrational, but real. And dangerous. If they learned that the crown has been harboring a Northuldra for the last five years…if they knew their future king was in love with one…”
I stared at him in surprise. We’d gone to such great lengths to be careful. “Lord Peterssen—I—”
He waved me off, looking tired. “I’m not blind, all right? I know about you and Agnarr. I may have known before you knew it yourselves. Your secret is written all over your faces. In the glances you give one another when you think no one’s looking.” He sighed deeply. “I should have never brought you to the castle. It was folly! I only wanted to help you. And to give the prince a chance at a true friend. If I had any inkling of what would happen…” He stared down at his hands. “I was oblivious, obviously. And now…”
My heart slammed against my rib cage. Every beat felt like a punch. “What do I do?” I asked, my voice hoarse. “Should I leave town?”
“No. The guards are asking so many questions of people going in and out of the village that if you leave now, you’ll only arouse suspicion. But if you stay, I cannot guarantee you won’t be called in for an interview. I’ll do my best to shield you. You’re the prince’s best friend. Beyond suspicion. Whatever it takes. But if they start to dig, they may begin to realize the in
consistencies in your story.” He rushed through his next sentence, as though it pained him to say the words out loud. “And if they discover who you truly are? Well, I’m afraid there’s not much I can do.”
I lifted my chin defiantly. “Well, maybe it’s time the truth came out, anyway. I’m not ashamed of who I am. Where I came from. Maybe it’s time I come clean. Let them judge me as they will.”
“That’s very noble,” Peterssen replied with a wry smile, almost as if he had expected that to be my answer. “And under other circumstances, I’d agree it would be the best plan. Unfortunately, in this case, you alone are not at risk of losing everything. It won’t take them long to realize my involvement in the matter. They will strip me of my title. And possibly begin a challenge to Agnarr’s claim to the throne as well. How can he effectively rule a kingdom, they’ll ask, if he is in love with their number one enemy?”
“But that’s ridiculous,” I sputtered. “Northuldra are not the enemy! I’ve never seen even one of them in my entire time here! Whoever is behind the attacks is pretending to be them. Agnarr and I visit the mist twice every year. They’re all still trapped!”
“I know that as well as you do,” Peterssen assured me. “But it makes no difference. Fear will make them act without reason. And if Agnarr is found unfit to rule, the kingdom will fall into further chaos. There would be no clear heir to the throne. And with me gone as well, there would be no one to step in to lead. The neighboring kingdoms would certainly see an opportunity open up. The Southern Isles, for example, have always envied our position on Arenfjord. The Kingdom of Vassar is a valued trade partner, but they won’t hesitate to move for an advantage if they see a chance to do so.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “I don’t want to hear anymore,” I said. I could accept responsibility for my own fate, but it seemed unfair to place the entire future of Arendelle on my shoulders. “I should have never agreed to any of this. You should have left me in that orphanage. Or better yet, had me arrested that first day and tried me as a traitor.”
“No.” Peterssen’s expression was fierce. “I refuse to regret my decision to save an innocent child. You have been a wonderful gift to this kingdom. An asset, not a danger. The work you’ve done with the farmers and their windmills? Iduna, I couldn’t be prouder of the young woman you’ve become. I just…wish things were different, that’s all.”
