The Young Diplomat [Frozen II post-canon]

Interlude

As Anna tucked the baby in the cradle next to the bed, there was a soft knock at the door.

"Mama?" Inga asked as she opened the door slightly.

"Shh!" Anna put her finger on her mouth and walked over to the door.

"Oh!" Inga whispered, "she's asleep?"

"Yes. Would you like to walk to the study with me?"

Inga nodded as her mother quietly shut the door to the bedroom. They walked silently at first. Her mother paused as they got closer to the study. This was the longest time she had been alone with her daughter since the new baby.

"You didn't tell me you replied to the invitation."

"Sorry," Inga apologized, looking down at her hands. "But it didn't seem like a good time to bother you."

"No need to apologize, in fact I'm happy you took some initiative." She took Inga's hand. "But in the future, I'd like to have some warning before being personally thanked by an ambassador for allowing my daughter to travel."

"Oh... right..." Inga's eyes widened. "Was Papa with you?"

"No," her mother laughed. "Thankfully, I got to be the one to tell him."

"Just to be clear..." Inga added hesitantly. "It's... it's not like the ambassador seems to be making it. You said so yourself. I just want a chance to go somewhere. And Aunt Elsa said she'd come along, so I'll really be just fine." Inga knew she was rambling now.

"Elsa is coming with you?" Her mother looked perplexed.

"Oh, I suppose that was after the ambassador left to talk to you..." Inga began rambling again. "I kind of lost track of everyone after that, and you know Frederick is coming, and then..."

"Frederick is coming, are you sure?"

"Yes," Inga answered as they started walking again. "He had told me he'd like to travel, remember?"

"Oh, of course. Sorry, go on."

"Where was I? Oh, Edith! Or Kate, maybe, one of them. It might have even been Isabel..." Inga shook her head. "One of them came over and started listening and pretty soon they were telling Elizabeth that if the only delay in her wedding was getting all the family together we should bring her mother and sister's and Lars's mother home from Corona with us when we go. And then Lars said he was going to be busy so perhaps Elizabeth should come with us, especially since she'd been talking about the coronation all spring and she would love to see it. And Elsa said that sounded fine, and I'm just glad that it's just Elizabeth coming along, because she really is quite nice, don't get me wrong. The other girls are quite nice, too, I don't want it getting around that I think otherwise... it's me, not them. But Elizabeth, she's interesting to talk to. And that didn't sound right, either..."

"Elsa is going to Corona with you?" Her mother repeated as they entered the study.

"Yes," Inga replied, "she volunteered right away. We had been discussing chaperones. I figured it would only make sense, since Frederick is so young."

"Of course, you're right," Anna replied absentmindedly. She sat down at the desk, and Inga sat off to the side, picking up a stack of unopened letters and beginning to sort them.

"Oh, here's one from Corona," Inga thought out loud. "Already? No, I only replied yesterday. It must be something else. Here you go, Mama."

"Thank you," Anna replied as she took the letter from her daughter. She read it silently, keeping her face as blank as she could manage, and not the confusion she felt.