Winter's End

Chapter 12: The Bachelors

Author's Note: Thank you guys for your continued support; means the world to me!

--

"Strange place for a meeting, Mother. And so late at night?"

Therese glanced tiredly over at Johannes from her seat by the fire as her twelfth son entered the room, her eyes narrowing slightly when she observed him run a smooth hand through his fine blonde hair.

She'd been staring into the flames for a few minutes by then, waiting; when she heard Fredrik finally close the door, she knew that they were all finally there, just as she'd asked.

"I needed to speak to you all in private," she explained succinctly, and her gaze flitted briefly to Emil and Henrik standing on either side of her chair. "And your brothers were kind enough to lend us their office for the occasion, especially considering they'll be starting so early in the morning tomorrow."

"And what is the occasion, exactly?" Kristian inquired, and rubbed his eyes sleepily, glancing at the grandfather clock by the opposite wall. "It really is getting late."

Therese rolled her shoulders back against the chair. "This won't take long, I assure you." Her eyes passed over each of the princes in turn, landing last on Fredrik, who returned her stare with a narrower one. "It's about the Queen of Arendelle."

Adrian's eyes lit up. "Queen Elsa?"

"Is there any other?" Kristian retorted, earning a scowl from the strawberry blonde. He looked between the brothers gathered in the room—Johannes, Henrik, Emil, Adrian, Fredrik—and his brow furrowed. "This doesn't have anything to do with . . . marriage, now does it, Mother?"

Therese's lip almost lifted at the observation. "Why, yes, actually," she returned after a requisite pause, and smiled with all of her false pleasantries. "It has everything to do with that." She continued more seriously: "In fact, I'll simply make it clear: Arendelle may not be the largest kingdom in the North, or even our most important trade partner, but with Queen Elsa at the helm, it could prove to be a powerful ally for us."

She drummed her fingers lightly against the arm of the chair, watching her sons' reactions closely. "I know it may seem odd to ask this of all of you, especially considering that our family has not made the best . . . impression on the young queen in recent years, but . . ." she trailed off for a moment, and her hand stilled. "I'm hoping we can change that, while she's here with us. And all of you will be integral in making sure that our relations with her . . . improve, so to speak."

A knowing look slid across her eyes. "And that means being on your best behaviour during her visit."

"And I was beginning to wonder why Tor wasn't here," Adrian remarked with a snort, leaning on one of the many over-filled bookshelves inside the spacious, oak-lined chaplains' office.

Johannes blinked uncomprehendingly. "What does he have to do with anything?"

Fredrik's brow rose before the Queen's could, and his arms crossed impatiently. "In case you haven't noticed, Jan," he drawled, and Johannes glared at him, "Mother wants us to try and court Queen Elsa."

The youngest prince frowned even more deeply. "What—we're all potential suitors for Queen Elsa?" he asked, slightly disbelievingly. "Mother, isn't that . . . isn't that too much?"

"Much as I hate to admit it, I have to agree," Adrian added, displeased. "Wouldn't it be better to entrust just one or two of the more capable among us with such a task?"