The Young Diplomat [Frozen II post-canon]

The One with the Wind and Sky

It was Tuesday morning. Despite the sun, Inga felt a sharp chill in the air as she opened her window. She shivered a bit as she washed and changed into a dress appropriate for the weather. After dressing, she took a deep breath, left her room, and walked to the study.

"Inga!" Frederick greeted her cheerfully. "Are you helping today?"

"Inga?" her mother asked in confusion.

"Yes, I thought you might like some extra help."

"Well, thank you," her mother replied, handing her a stack of letters.

Frederick gave her a sideways glance, which she pretended to ignore. They got through everything very quickly, with no conversation aside from the occasional discussion of who should get a particular letter.

"That's everything for now, I think," their mother told them when it wasn't quite lunch time, "Can you come to the meeting with Corona this afternoon? Your father will be at the trade guild meeting."

"Do we get a choice of meeting?" Frederick laughed. "The trade guilds usually serve better food."

The Queen glared at him. "Not today."

"I'll be there," Inga piped in.

Frederick nodded and got up, mumbling something about finding Anton and Peder for a ride, and letting the door slam after him.

Inga remained sitting across the desk from her mother. She didn't want to be rude and run out with barely a comment like her brother had just done. He could get away with that, but she couldn't, not today, at least. She needed to prove that she wasn't still upset.

"I didn't mean to pry yesterday," her mother told her. "I don't want you to feel like you can't talk to me."

Talking with her mother was exactly what Inga wasn't ready to do. Perhaps later. She nodded and maintained eye contact, doing her best to stay calm and composed.

"You don't have to come to the meeting this afternoon, you know."

"I'd rather come, but thank you," Inga said as she stood up, doing her best to hide any hint of emotion. "I'll see you in two hours."

"You're up early," Hilde commented as she sat down by her brother, who was staring out the window of the breakfast room. His food was untouched.

"Am I? The sun rises so early here, you know."

"That's in the summer," she corrected, "Sunrise is a half hour later here than in Corona now. I checked the almanac before we left."

"Really?"

"Yes," she said, rolling her eyes, then looked around the room to confirm that they were alone. "Now, since you've dragged me along on this trip over a month earlier than planned, will you let me know if there's anything going on? My maid keeps asking me questions."

Henry flushed. "What? You haven't... have you been telling her? I mean, what have you been telling her exactly?"

"Relax, I just ask her enough questions to get an idea of the general gossip. I swear I haven't been the source of anything, why would I want to do that? Besides, she only asks me about you because your valet never tells her anything interesting. I have better things to do. But... Do you know what they're saying about you today?"

"Today? Were they saying things before?"

"Nothing any of us do is really private, you know that, don't you? Of course they were talking. To be fair, I've never heard any interesting gossip about you except for the morning after the coronation ball. They talk about me, too, though apparently the only interesting thing about me is my clothing, so I give them that. And they talk about her..." Henry looked up wide eyed.