The Young Diplomat [Frozen II post-canon]

The Family Portrait

A knock woke them up, and the door creaked open a crack.

"Mama?"

"Yes, Inga?"

"Could you help with my hair, please?" She said as she opened the door the rest of the way.

"Yes, of course," she said as she sat up slowly, "come sit on the bed here."

Inga walked over to the bed and then stopped when she heard a snore, her skirt swinging like a bell, brushing the edge of the bed.

"Papa!" Inga chided, "Dinner is less than an hour! You need to get ready. I just had to nag Fred, too. I don't know what they were getting into in the stables..."

Kristoff sat up rubbing his forehead. "Is he cleaning up now, at least?"

"I threatened that Nanny would give him a bath if he didn't start right away," she said with a laugh, adding sternly, "you should do the same now."

"Or you'll send Nanny up here?"

"No... Papa!"

He got up and closed the bathroom door behind him. Inga sat down next to her mother.

"Sorry, Inga," said her mother beginning to part her daughter's blond hair, "I should have had Gerda let us know when it was time."

"No, I'm sorry, Mama, it's just, I do feel awkward when it ends up just being me at these things. I enjoy some of the conversations, but you know what most of them are hoping... ow..."

"Oh... it got tangled in back there, let me work at that," she said, working at it as gently as possible.

"...and I'm taller than most of them. I shouldn't care. I just wish I knew that I was done growing."

"Freddie is as tall as you now. I think you're done."

"You're probably right. But that still leaves me stuck dancing with short foreign princes. But I know you won't understand."

"You'd be surprised."

"Wait, what?"

"There, done," the queen said, pulling the last ribbon tight, "go take a look."

Inga got up and walked to the mirror. "Oh, that is nice, thank you!"

"Have a nice evening, and please don't let anyone bother you too much, it's just a dinner," she said as her daughter kissed her cheek and ran out the door.

As the princess ran down the long hall, she saw a young man at the other end. She stopped briefly, took a breath, and walked slowly as she had been trained to do when dignitaries were around. She knew several official ships from various countries had arrived that morning, and they would all be at the evening's dinner, but she wasn't used to seeing any of them on their own.

"Are you lost?" she asked, noticing that he was looking at one of the family portraits.

"No," he replied, hesitating, and recognizing an older version of the girl in the portrait he had been admiring. "Pardon me, I hope I'm allowed to be here, Your Highness. You would be Princess... Anna Iduna Ingeborg...?"

"It's fine to be here, but most people don't explore alone. And, yes... that is my name. Sorry, you are?..."

"Lars Nilsen, private secretary to His Excellency the Ambassador from Corona. I'm sorry if I'm in the way. I had nothing to do before dinner, and I decided to look at the paintings. I assume this one was a few years ago?"

"Oh, that... yes. I was only nine. That baby is seven now, and there are some more now...."

"Yes, I was debriefed before we arrived, I shouldn't expect to see the Queen for some weeks, and perhaps not His Highness, either?"