The Rift

Chapter 13 Part 2

              It was a damp, cold morning in Arendelle. Droplets of water clung to the castle walls and windows as the ground soaked up the rain. Anna could not help but think of next year's crops benefiting from as much rain in the ground as possible as she stood staring out the window. She gripped a role of parchment in her hands and exhaled deeply as the sound of someone shifting met her ears. Unfortunately, Anna did not have the time nor courtesy to be thinking about something such as next year's harvest.

She turned around to face her company. In the castle library, Julia, Dominic, Daniel, and General Mattias joined Anna. She motioned for them to sit, but no one did. Anna squared her tense shoulders. The day before, she and Kristoff overheard Dominic's sister, Julia, telling Dominic that she had arrived in Arendelle to fetch her brother and Daniel to return to Westleton with her. Only Mattias had spotted Anna and Kristoff as they eavesdropped in the dungeons the day before. He had quickly told Anna what had happened despite her overhearing it all, and Julia had approached her with a contract regarding Dominic's return, demanding that Anna look at it as soon as she could. Anna, however, scheduled a meeting with the aforementioned group for the next morning so she could look through the document herself and take her time in doing so.

Anna cleared her throat, resisting the urge to yawn. She did not sleep well the night before. "Thank you all for meeting with me at this time," the young queen said in an orderly tone. She opened the prisoner exchange and scanned a few of the paragraphs. "Dominic, I assume you've been told why we are all meeting here, correct?"

Dominic raised his cuffed hands idly. "Word travels fast, Your Highness." He looked at her. "But I'd like to hear it from you."

Anna felt her jaw tense. He's fawning, she thought to herself. She looked down at the document. Dominic's words from the night before rang in her head. "Lady Julia has delivered me documentation regarding a prisoner exchange between Arendelle and Westleton," Anna explained to him. "Westleton has requested your return, granted that you remain a prisoner for life." She rolled up the document and paced a couple steps. "Since you are a ward of the kingdom, you need my permission to return if that is what you wish."

"It's not," Dominic answered swiftly.

"Let her finish," Mattias said in a low tone.

Anna turned and gazed at the fire that burned in the fireplace, and for a moment, it brought her a sense of peace. She turned back around and looked at Julia. "I have some questions for you." She opened the clause once more to scan it. "It says here that he will remain imprisoned for life with no chance of parole. Is that correct?"

Julia scowled. "Yes, although I've heard it's the same here. Why do you ask?"

"Ever since Westleton gave up Dominic's rights to Arendelle, he had become a ward of the kingdom," said Anna. She looked at Julia with steady eyes. "He has become my responsibility. It's my duty as queen to represent every person under my rule fairly and justly." Before Julia could respond, Anna continued, "Tell me what his daily routine would look like."

"What?" Julia scoffed as Daniel and Mattias exchanged glances. "Why does that matter?"

Anna's chest prickled with irritation, but she held her composure. "I want to hear every detail before making a decision," she replied.

Dominic grunted and almost took a step forward but was prevented from doing so by Mattias. "But I've already said that I don't want to return. Don't I get a say in this?"

"You don't," Anna said firmly. "Whether you refuse or not, ultimately the decision rests with me." She turned her attention back to Julia. "Please tell me what his daily routine would look like," Anna repeated.