AGNARR
Nuru-Baako straightened the wrinkled cuffs of his crisp, white shirt; no doubt to show off his new sliver cufflinks.
Again.
They were his Christmas present from Iduna - along with these fancy quills. He'd once said he needed a pair from Arendelle, in order to complete his collection, and he was well chuffed with them, showing them off at every opportunity.
Arianna shook her finger at him, the charm bracelet from Iduna rattling against her wrist, "Don't go showing off your present again Nuru." she scolded, though her voice was on the brink of cracking with laughter.
I slapped my palm against my forehead, "And what are you doing 'Anna?"
She turned to me and scoffed, "Don't be absurd! I'm not showing off anything."
I sighed in resignation and ducked my head to read over the swaying papers in my hand.
We were standing on the docks, waiting for the ship from Durtoriabi to arrive. It was Springtime, a couple days after the hype of our Spring Festival, and Nuru-Baako had finally heard word that it was safe for him to return home.
Apart from that, not much had happened over the last couple months.
Unless you count all the funny business from the Royal Guard.
They'd finally stopped hassling me about the girl who had rescued me, but that didn't put me at any ease because, instead, they'd started going on about other things, like how I needed to be more strict with my 'subjects' and how Lyone wasn't trustworthy.
But the thing was, we'd had a week's visit from Queen Adaline and she had seemed great! She was happy with the new Alliance (which had finally been sorted) and she seemed charmed by Arendelle. I didn't see what was so untrustworthy about her.
There was only one thing I could think of, and that was the hostility between herself and Colden, but that just seemed like Colden - until I remembered a comment he had offhandedly made once, about him and Adaline being acquainted once.
However, that still didn't warrant the entire Royal Guard being convinced we couldn't trust the Kingdom of Lyone!
I was just about ready to give up with my Royal Guard at this point. My father had been a very different King to me.
"Stop working 'Narr." Arianna snatched the papers from my hand, "Honestly. We are saying goodbye to Nuru and all you care about is this rubbish." she smacked her hand against them to highlight her point.
"It's not rubbish." I argued back, trying to grab the sheets she now held teasingly out of my reach.
"Well it isn't a love letter for Iduna, so why isn't it rubbish?"
I felt my heartbeat quicken despite the frown I plastered on my face and Arianna laughed.
"What's going on? I heard my name." a voice suddenly said.
"Iduna!" I whirled around to see the girl bending double to catch her breath.
Arianna whacked my stomach and then jabbed a finger at Iduna, clearly wanting me to say something I didn't want to say.
I shook my head firmly before crossing to Iduna and taking her hands to help her straighten. "You OK?" I asked, peering into her face with concern.
Iduna nodded, "Yeah. I'm alright. I just ran all the way here after hearing that Nuru is leaving today!" she turned her eyes on him almost accusingly.
Nuru-Baako turned from where he'd been staring out over the sea. "Sorry Id." he said, crossing over to us, "It was kind of short notice. Mother and father sent me a letter which I only received yesterday afternoon, saying they were sending a ship to collect me as soon as possible."
Iduna suddenly threw her arms around him and buried her head into his shoulder, "I'm gonna miss you."
He looked taken aback for a moment, but then hugged her in return, "I'm going to miss you too." then he looked at Arianna and me, "I'm going to miss all of you. You've made me feel so welcome here."
Tears welled in Arianna's eyes, revealing the vulnerable and sensitive side of her which was never put on show very often. "Why is saying goodbye so hard?" she gulped, wrapping Nuru-Baako in a hug too.
I suddenly felt awkward and uncomfortable and had to turn my face away, intently studying my new watch as if it were the most important and exquisite oil-painting in the world.
It really was brilliant though, what with it's golden rim and numbering, and the two silver hands which revolved the white face with the faintest, and an almost calming, ticking sound. It had been my gift from Iduna and I hadn't taken it off since Christmas.
I couldn't help but notice she always seemed to wear the necklace I'd got her as well.
But really, I was just relieved she actually liked it.
After a few minutes of shutting every sound out, I scratched my head and looked up again. The three had broken apart from the hug and now stood together, with me standing just on the outskirts of their circle. I cleared my throat and twisted myself around to join the huddle, "The boat should be arriving soon, right?
"Want to get rid of my that easily?" Nuru-Baako grinned teasingly.
"Of course not. It's just -"
Nuru-Baako laughed, "I was teasing Agnarr."
Iduna nudged my shoulder, "Come on Arendelle. Can't you take a joke?" she laughed, and just like every other time she laughed, I felt warmth in my chest and had a strange feeling that I knew that laugh. It bugged me how I couldn't place it.
"Of course I can take a joke, it's only that -"
Arianna patted my shoulder with mock-sympathy, "We get it tough guy. Let's just change the subject shall we?"
I dropped my head into my hands, "That'd probably be best."
Everyone laughed again, though I felt a hand squeeze my shoulder with something more than just teasing.
When I looked up, the hand was gone.
"OK, so trolls." Nuru-Baako said, glancing between us slyly, "Are you gonna go troll hunting?"
Arianna rubbed her hands together eagerly, "You know it! We'll send you a specimen!"
"Please don't, I've seen pictures of those things; if anything about them shows up on our doorstep, my mother would freak." Nuru-Baako grinned.
My sister pouted. It seemed to be an expression which drove guys around her crazy and I found it hilarious. Especially with Frederic; she had him wrapped around her little finger! It was brilliant!
"Hey!" Nuru-Baako threw his arms up in surrender, "Don't shoot the messenger. I'm just saying it like it is."
We all laughed before engaging in an in-depth discussion about the existence of the rock trolls which were supposedly native to Arendelle.
I'd read about them in lots of books, and during the last couple weeks of winter we had begun discussing them. It all started when Iduna randomly mentioned them in a conversation about something completely unrelated.
And then, only a few days ago, both Iduna and Arianna had burst out that it would be a genius idea if we actually went in search of these trolls.
Unfortunately, Nuru-Baako wouldn't be able to join the search now, but we vowed to find them for him.
Just after we shook on this, my personal guard, Gustav, joined us and pointed over the horizon.
"The ship is near, Your Highness'." he gave a low bow; a sign of respect and yet the others glared at him like he'd done something wrong.
"Thank you Gustav, for letting us know." I gave a salute as he walked away towards the other guards.
Nuru-Baako followed him with his eyes until he was out of earshot. "Doesn't that guy ever make you feel unsafe Agnarr?" he asked.
"Why would he?" I replied, "I mean, sure, he's had his moments; he's a bit pushy at times. But why should I ever feel unsafe around him?"
Iduna shivered beside me, "He gives me the creeps."
I wrinkled my nose with a sort of laugh, "How so?"
She frowned at me, and I backed off.
I knew that face. Arianna was good at that face. It never meant anything good.
As if he was sensing some rising tension, Nuru-Baako cut across us and said, "So. My ship is here. I guess that's good. I've missed home. Unfortunately, I've also grown fond of you three and I'm a bit torn."
"You can always come and visit again some time." Arianna smiled, "We hope you can anyway."
"Of course I'm going to come again!" he cried, "I wouldn't miss the next ship here for the world!"
"Maybe bring your folks next time?" I poked, clapping his shoulder and grinning.
It was no secret how Nuru-Baako's parents were quite strict and not really keen on travelling - or Arendelle in general, really. They only agreed to give us a chance because I was King now, instead of Runeard. And, though it went unspoken, I was sure they also took into account whether Nuru-Baako enjoyed his stay here.
"Maybe. Though I'm not sure how they'd react if I tried to drag them here." he grinned too, and then his eyes lit up, "Hey! Isn't it your birthday soon?"
I nodded, slightly confused until I realised his implications, "Yes! It is! Maybe we'll be seeing you sooner than we thought!"
"Oh brilliant!"
"If you two are finished with your little love-fest," Arianna began, moving away from us to stare over the ocean, the wind from the sea blowing her hair all about her face, "then I think it's time we really say goodbye."
It was harder than any of us could have imagined - saying goodbye. With Frederic is hadn't been so bad as we'd seen him so many times before; we knew we would see him again as his parents loved us! But Nuru-Baako's family was different, they weren't as accepting, and we hadn't known him before that ball six months ago. There seemed to be some kind of unthinkable idea that we may never see him again.
He'd also been here so long that it was the routine now to walk into my office each day and see my desk neat and tidy and Nuru-Baako placed behind it. It was routine to go on a walk around noon with him and just talk. It was routine to play chase every Saturday in the Castle grounds. And it was routine to say goodnight to him at nine o'clock each evening as he went to bed ridiculously early.
Now we'd have to find a new routine.
We stood on the docks and waved to him as his ship slowly disappeared behind the horizon. None of us budged until he was gone; leaving behind no trace of his ship ever travelling across Arendelle's fjord.
I returned home absolutely exhausted, and so did Iduna and Arianna. Despite it being only five in the afternoon, we all flopped down on the dark, velvet sofas in one of the living rooms and fell asleep.
By the time my eyes were fluttering open, Arianna and Iduna were awake and playing a game of chess on the floor.
I watched them for a while, pretending to still be asleep.
Arianna was leaning against the sofa opposite me, snuggling her other gift from Iduna - a beaded pillow. She had a tendency to run her fingers across the detailed design; it was some kind of calming quirk she'd adopted.
Iduna was lying on the floor with her fingers under her chin and her legs swaying in the air. A thoughtful look crumpled her face until she picked up a piece and moved it forwards, taking one of Arianna's pieces along the way.
I'd never understood chess. My mother and sister had played it all the time when we were kids, but I'd spent my free time focusing on horse riding and fencing.
I screwed up my face as I tried to follow the game, until somehow my sister won though I couldn't for the life of me figure out how, and they reset the game.
That's when I decided I might as well let them know I was awake and I rose groggily from the sofa, shrugging off my blazer in the heat of the warm sun.
"You look like you just rose from the dead." Iduna teased, twisting her head around to grin at me.
"You don't look so great yourself." I sent back, gesturing to the wispy strands of hair which had escaped the ribbon securing her bun. It was a lie though, she still looked great. It was a charming sort of sleepy look and I was all for it.
She smoothed her hair down with one hand, a sad sort of expression on her face and I immediately felt bad. "I brushed my hair and everything!" she groaned, "Usually it stays put."
"Maybe it's the slipperiness of the silk." Arianna suggested, "I knew I should've given you a velvet ribbon."
Iduna shook her head, "Don't worry about it. This is what I get for sleeping over without going home to get my own things."
This confused me and while I rubbed my eyes I asked, "What time is it?"
There was silence and when I lowered my palms, the two girls were staring at me as though I were crazy.
"What?" I objected, sliding my feet onto the floor.
"What time is it?" Arianna repeated, raising her eyebrows, "Blimey."
"It's almost eight o'clock." Iduna said, pointing to the grandfather clock. "In the morning."
My eyes bulged in their sockets and my hands gripped the cushions beneath me, "How can that be? I would have been asleep for ... fifteen hours!"
"You really needed it though." Arianna told me, sitting up straighter, "You haven't slept so long in ages."
"I've never slept so long." I reminded her, before my stomach growled, "And now I'm starving."
"You missed dinner and breakfast." Arianna gave a nonchalant shrug, "I'm not surprised you're hungry."
Iduna seemed to be hiding a chuckle and I frowned at the both of them before striding out of the room to grab something to eat.
I had marched all the way down to the kitchens before I finally realised why Iduna must have been laughing.
Breakfast wasn't served until half past eight. I hadn't actually missed it after all!
Oh Arianna was gonna get it.
By the time I returned to the living room, the two had gotten back to their game and Iduna was looking smug so I assumed she was winning, which seemed to be surprising Arianna.
"So." I said, hands on my hips, "Turns out I haven't missed breakfast."
Again they stared at me for a moment, before just bursting into hysterics.
"I can't believe it took you so long to realise!" they both chorused.
My frown deepened and I pointed at them accusingly, "I'm going to go change, but this is not the end of this conversation." and with that, I turned on my heel and strutted to my room with a fake arrogance that had them laughing all the more harder.