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The attendant led them to a hall upstairs, where the king and queen anticipated their arrival. On entering, the lieutenant bowed low and greeted,

“Your Majesty. My Queen, it’s an honor to meet you.”

King Agnarr reciprocated, and the queen curtsied. “Greetings, lieutenant! Welcome to Arendelle.”

Alex stood at attention and wished them loud and clear,

“Good morning, Your Majesties!”

The king and queen couldn’t help but smile. King Agnarr replied,

“Good morning! At ease, my boy!”

As instructed, Alex stood at ease. The king continued, “Young man, welcome to Arendelle. What is your name?”

In a calmer voice, he responded, “Sergeant Alex, Your Majesty.”

King Agnarr inquired, “And how do you like Arendelle, Alex?”

Alex smiled and answered, “Very well, Your Majesty! The fjord has the most picturesque landscapes, and the bread at the plaza was delicious!”

King Agnarr made an effort to remember something and then happily remarked, “Oh yes! Aunt Maiken’s loaves are the best in Arendelle! Don’t they just taste marvelous?”

Without any hesitation, Alex agreed, “Yes, they do, Your majesty! That is probably the best bread I have ever had in the world!”

At this moment, little Anna decided to come out of hiding from the corridor that led to the room. She had never seen anyone else in that castle save her mother, father, and elder sister Elsa some years ago. She padded with her hands at the back and her head down. Only her big, blue eyes looked up worriedly at the visitors. As she entered from behind the king and queen, they did not notice her.

King Agnarr went on, “Speaking of the world, where did you harbor previously, lieutenant?”

The lieutenant told the king, “Your Majesty, we harbored at the port of Bordeaux in France last. When we were en route to Arendelle, we passed by the Kingdom of Vesterland but did not harbor there.”

Alex could not help but notice little Anna behind them. The king continued, “And how many from the Exploration Corps had arrived yesterday, may I ask?”

The lieutenant reported, “Seventy-six cadets and three officers, Your Majesty.”

The king seemed amazed, “Wow! It seems you have a pretty large vessel! I have wanted to travel the world and see places far and wide too.”

The lieutenant did not immediately respond to that as he was surprised. He thought to himself,

‘The king’s people are happy and prosperous. His neighboring kingdoms were also peaceful and friendly, so why did he not fulfill his desire? Why did he lock the gates to his people and live like this?’

Alex took advantage of the brief silence. He motioned to Anna,

“Your Majesty, is that your daughter?”

The king turned back and looked. He confirmed, smiling, “Yes, she is.” Then, he asked his daughter, “What are you doing here, Anna?”

Anna continued to stand there without uttering a word. Perhaps she was shy. “Oh, she can be a little shy sometimes.” mentioned the king.

“Oh, aren’t they all, Your Majesty? But it is the shy ones you must be watchful of, as they are very often the more voluble ones when they’re older!” proclaimed the lieutenant.

All the adults in the room were reduced to laughter, which soon subsided. Alex again seized his opportunity and asked nervously,

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Your Majesty, may I?” he inquired whether he could go and see the little princess. The king briefly looked at his wife. She responded with an affirmative nod. King Agnarr then confirmed, “Sure, go ahead, Alex.”

The sergeant slowly moved toward Anna; the others stood quietly and watched. As Alex took the first few steps, Anna ran and hid behind a wooden table. Alex slowly walked and stood next to the table.

“It’s okay, don’t be scared, I mean no harm.” he soothed her.

Anna cautiously came out of hiding and stood opposite to him. The sergeant smiled,

“Hello! My name is Alex, and I like making new friends! And what’s your name?” he greeted her warmly and offered her a handshake.

“Anna.” replied the little princess, as she tentatively shook his hand.

Alex observed her dress and remarked, “That’s a beautiful dress you are wearing, Anna.”

Taking the compliment positively, she smiled, “You like it? It’s called a bunad. We Arendellians wear a particular color and design. Did you know each kingdom or region has its very own? Like the Hardangerbunad, or the Trondheim bunad or the oldest: the Setesdalsbunad!” As Anna said this, all the anxiety vanished from her eyes, and she was talking as though Alex was an old friend. “And, oh! Do you see this brooch?” She pointed at a silver ornament that clasped the collar to her neck. “It is believed to be crafted by mountain trolls, who are excellent silversmiths!”

“You seem to read a lot, Anna! That’s good.” Said Alex.

Anna reasoned immediately, “That’s because we have a huge library! Do you wanna come and see?”

The sergeant glanced at the lieutenant, who only shrugged and continued to watch the interaction. Alex turned over to Anna and replied, “Sure, Anna!”

The little princess grew delighted and grabbed his arm. “This way,” she directed. Pulling him along, she childishly required, “Come on, come on!”

Alex was surprised by every moment he had spent with Anna—never had he met someone so genial in his entire life. Perhaps it was because she was all alone there and just wanted a new friend.

Soon, both of them reached the royal library. Alex was short of breath, but nevertheless, he gasped. “Woah!” he exclaimed, dumbfounded. Never in his life had he seen such a vast library. The wooden shelves were tall as the sails of his ship.

“So,” asked Alex, “What have you been reading about lately, Anna?”

“The world.” she began. “And all the places I could go when I’m older!” she pointed to a stack of books on the common table. He was impressed, “Wow! That’s something interesting to read about. Well, I did travel to some parts of the world.”

Anna quickly clutched his sleeve and demanded, “Tell me about it! Where did you go?”

Alex was taken by surprise. “Hey! Calm down, Anna. I will certainly tell you. But first, let us settle down there, shall we?” he suggested, pointing at a map on the table. Anna casually shrugged and agreed.

Both of them then sat down at the table and began to discuss.

“Anna, do you know where Arendelle is on the map of the world?”

“Ummm…” she ran her eyes over the map and quickly finalized. “Over here!” she declared with a victorious smile.

“That’s right! See, you’re smart…”

Both of them talked about people and places nearby and far away. Alex painted with words a beautiful picture of the ship and all his friends in it for her. Anna listened intently and enjoyed every second. Hours passed, and it was almost noon. Alex was explaining to Anna the route the ship had taken to reach Arendelle.

“… Then we harbored at the port of Bordeaux in France, here.” pointed Alex. “People there do not live in villages or towns as your people do. They live in huge gray enclaves made of limestone bricks called ‘cities’.”

Anna was mesmerized. “Woah! I never knew that!” she confessed. A royal attendant, Olina, approached them, looking amused.

“Both of you have been here for hours! Aren’t you hungry?” she asked.

Turning to Anna, she hinted with a smile, “We have your favorite butterscotch ice cream today, princess.”

Anna’s excitement could not be contained. “Butterscotch?!” she gasped. “We’re coming!” cried little Anna with joy.

Tugging Alex yet again by the sleeve, she demanded, “Come on, Alex!”

Alex couldn’t help but give in to her persuasion, “Hold on, Anna! I’m coming.”

Both of them arrived moments later at a circular table. Alex and Anna sat down and awaited their treat. Soon, Olina brought two scoops of butterscotch ice cream in shiny silver bowls. Little Anna was delighted to see the tray. Olina served Alex first.

“This is for you,” she said. Alex broke his gaze from the delicious bowls and glanced at her.

“Thank you, miss.” he expressed.

She smiled and went over to Anna. But, as she was about to serve the little princess her favorite dessert, it fell out of her hand.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” Olina apologized.

What could Anna do now? Her favorite ice cream was spilled on the floor. Anna was heartbroken. Her face puffed up, and she was at the brink of tears—it was her most favorite treat after all.

Without hesitation, Alex offered her his bowl. “Oh! Don’t worry, Anna. You can have mine.”

This made Anna’s spirits rise again. “Really?” she asked, holding back a sob.

“Yeah. I don’t mind, Anna.”

“Oh, thank you so much, Alex!” Anna said as she devoured the ice cream.

Olina grew concerned, “But what about you? Wouldn’t you want--”

“No, no miss! I am fine. You need not bring me another.” he quickly reassured.

“Alright then.” she smiled, thanking him quietly for his act of kindness, and then left.

Anna finished the ice cream and felt good as ever. She yawned and leaned on the sofa. Soon, she drifted into the sweetest of slumbers. Alex only stared at her in surprise. Never had he seen someone go to sleep as quick as her. Not wishing to disturb Anna, he got up quietly and started looking for the king and queen elsewhere in the castle.