W-A-R-M-T-H

"Unacceptable!"

"But I—"

"Inexcusable!"

"Brother—"

"No. This is serious, Hans. What were you thinking? Do you realize the consequences of your actions?"

King Artemis of the Southern Isles, Hans' oldest brother, sat at the far end of the dining table, giving Hans a disappointed look. Hans stood before the royal dining table in tattered old clothing, sporting a swollen, black eye where princess Anna of Arendelle had punched him, and wearing chains on his wrists and ankles. He had travelled directly from Arendelle straight to the Southern Isles to face his punishment. Word had spread to the king before he had arrived to dock, which gave enough time for Artemis to vent his anger on inanimate objects and curse angrily in the seclusion of his room. Now, Artemis was relatively calm; however, the rest of his brothers presently in the room were not.

All of the brothers currently living in the Southern Isles were gathered around the long, rectangular dining table. A large, clear chandelier swung above all of their heads, fastened to a high, blue ceiling. Glass stained windows surrounded the spacious room, glinting different colors in the bright sunlight. Servants and royal guards stood amongst the wall silently, watching the dispute go on.

Wyndell and Gregory had all but blown a gasket. Both had risen from their seats when Artemis relayed the news of Hans' treason to them, and had started yelling themselves hoarse, absolutely enraged that he had done such a horrendous act. Brom hadn't said anything, but his glare spoke louder than his words and threatened the youngest brother just as well. Kippler and Fredrick, his twin brothers, had tried joking around at first to lessen the tension, but stopped their imitations of a mother and father scolding their disobedient children to Hans when Artemis had given them a warning look. And of course, Cedric sat in the corner of the room not saying a word. His face held sadness and confusion, but he did not join in the pandemonium.

"Why would you do such a thing?"

"Our alliance with Arendelle was important, Hans! The ties between us are loose enough as it is! How will the new Queen ever begin to trust our kingdom after this incident?"

Hans closed his eyes, tired of their yelling, tired of all the accusations. Truthfully, this was the first in a very long time he and his brothers had been able to converse. Well, kind of, since they were doing a lot more of the talking. Artemis was always busy with paperwork and maintaining his kingdom. Wyndell was in charge of taxes and spent most of his time locked away in his office. Brom rarely talked with anyone to begin with and spent most of his time at the military barracks training soldiers and planning for possible attacks on the kingdom. The twins came as a pair, never leaving the other's side, and busied themselves with architectural building plans. His other brothers were scattered throughout the world, visiting and living in other countries or exploring uncharted lands.

Cedric, his older brother by only two years, was a mystery; no one truly knew what he spent doing with his time other than basic record keeping. He locked himself in his office away from the rest of the world, isolated and protected by a wooden door. Even when the brothers had been younger and closer to one another, Cedric had been estranged. And Hans had been left alone, much to his disappointment. As prince, he was assigned different duties just like his older brothers, but they were all far less illustrious. Arendelle had been the opportunity of a lifetime, a chance to prove to Artemis that he was worth more than letter opening or a messenger boy.

Of course, nothing ever works out as planned.

"The relationship between our kingdoms is ruined because of you!"

"Hans, are you even listening?!"

Hans snapped. "Damn it all, what do you want me to say?! I made a mistake!" He shouted.

Brom snorted. "Hmph. Spilling wine on the Queen's dress? Now that's a mistake. Pretending to love her sister, leaving her sister for dead, tricking the Queen, and eventually trying to chop the Queen's head off? A pretty big mistake if you ask me," he criticized, shaking his head.

Hans winced. "I-I know. I just—I wanted—"

"To rule? To take over?" Artemis inquired.

"I-well," Hans started. "Yes. I did want to rule Arendelle."

Kippler laughed. "Why the hell would you ever want to rule a kingdom?"

"Yeah," Fredrick chimed in. "Have you seen all of Artemis' gray hairs? A ton of them definitely aren't because of his age, you know. Even though he is getting up there in his numbers," he snickered.

Artemis glared briefly over in the twins' directions before settling back on Hans. He sighed. "There's more to ruling than you'd think, brother. Trust me, the throne is not worth all of its vexations."

Hans shifted, the chains on his feet clinking together. "A little late to tell me that yourself, don't you think?" He lifted the chains on his wrist for emphasis.

Wyndell glared at his brother. "That's not the real problem and you know it. You committed a crime, Hans. A very much punishable crime. Treason. What say you to that?"

Hans' eyes narrowed. "My only regret is that I did not succeed in killing the Queen."

Outrage immediately broke out. Wyndell leapt to his feet, ready to charge at his brother. Gregory had begun shouting out curses. Brom had moved from his corner to keep Wyndell from attacking Hans. The twins, no longer wearing jolly faces, both gave looks of scorn towards their younger brother while Artemis sat stiffly in his high chair with a tight-lipped frown.

"Consider it a blessing that you failed."

All heads turned towards the owner of the voice. Cedric glanced at his surrounding brothers before looking back at Hans.

A shadow had fallen over Hans' face. "Come again?" He asked threateningly, his hands balled up into fists.

Cedric seemed nonplussed. "Be thankful that you hadn't succeeded. Because if you had," he looked away from his brother to look out a window, "you'd be dead." He said no more, simply watching the birds fly by outside, their figures distorted through the stained glass.

Hans opened his mouth as if to deny the claim, but quickly shut his mouth when he glanced at his oldest brother's expression.

"What's done is done," Artemis declared. "Our relationship between Arendelle is tarnished, if it wasn't already to begin with. I've already been sent a letter from Queen Elsa stating that she wants absolutely nothing to do with our kingdom anymore."

Brom scratched at his goatee. "Is there any way to remedy this?"

Artemis' brows furrowed. "Not easily," he said slowly. "But, first things first." He glared at Hans. "Your punishment."

Hans shuffled again, the haughty front he had tried to keep up slowly falling into a stance of uncertainty.

"I-I will not…executed, will I?" He asked, nervously shifting his gaze from the hard-polished wood floor into his brother's grey eyes.

"You should," Gregory mumbled.

This time, Artemis' fury wasn't directed at his youngest brother. "Do you really think I would kill my own brother, brother?" He snapped, satisfied when he saw Gregory wince slightly. "Do you honestly think that death will teach him a lesson? That we must always fight our battles through violence, with violence? No." He looked across the room at every one of his brothers. "That is not how I rule. I am proud to say, I am not our father." At this, everyone flinched. "And as such, I have raised you all in the same way. We are not our father. Which is why I," he said, pointing at Hans, "am extremely disappointed in you. This is something I would have expected from him, not from you. I am ashamed of your actions."

Hans sent his brother a guilty look before shamefully shifting his gaze out the window.

"And your verdict?" He whispered softly. "What is to be my punishment then?"

Artemis felt a twinge in his gut. By the time Hans had been born, Artemis had led three battles in the name of their father. He remembered Hans back then, a sweet, chubby boy with bright, green, curious eyes and an obsession for ham sandwiches and adventurous storytales. He remembered a young Hans prancing on his makeshift wooden horse stick, yelling throughout the castle about going off to be a knight. He remembered Hans sneaking into the kitchens to steal a jar of cookies, which he had reluctantly put back after being caught by his oldest brother. He remembered a Hans that had smiled a gap toothed smile every day, a Hans that brought joy into everyone's hard, tired life.

He remembered all of the times Hans had been happy. And he remembered all of the times he was sad, which unfortunately soon greatly outnumbered all the good times. Although he and his brothers had done their best to protect Hans' innocence, there were too many times they simply couldn't give him the time and attention he needed. Which left Hans alone quite often, a heart-broken, confused look on his face whenever his brothers would send him away from their offices to work, or leave him for months on end to face political issues or fight in wars. And they would leave him all alone with their father in the Southern Isles.

Their father. A pained look flashed across Artemis' face. It had come as no surprise to Artemis when one day after leaving Hans for almost a full year alone, Hans no longer had a smile on his face in greeting. His facial expression had joined the rest of theirs: blank.

He gave a slight shake of his head. No. The past is the past. It's time to focus on the present and the matter at hand.

"Hans."

Hans looked at his brother, a nervous tick developing in one of his legs. Artemis had risen from his seat and pulled himself up into an intimidating stance. Hans lowered his eyes to the ground.

"You are accused of high treason and attempted murder of the Queen. As much as I would like to give you a trial to defend yourself, I fear that the evidence is against you, brother. As such, I am not permitting a trial and will in fact decide your punishment right now and here." His voice was stern. "Hans, I regret to inform you that I hereby exile you from the Southern Isles for twenty years, and your title in our family will be permanently revoked. I will send word throughout all the kingdoms of your punishment, and you will not be allowed in any of their castles, and perhaps if they so desire, will not let you into their kingdoms. When or if you decide to return to the Southern Isles, you will be permitted to live inside the castle, but you will have none of the power you once had. Perhaps through marriage and maturity, you will be able to gain back your reputation and have power over something. That is my verdict." His eyes softened slightly. "I'm sorry, brother," he whispered quietly.

Hans' eyes had widened dramatically through his speech. Treason. Everyone would know. He wouldn't be safe anywhere, and he would be hated by all. "No," he breathed. "No, brother, I—"

"It's final, Hans. My word is law. You are lucky you received such pardoning from me," Artemis scolded. "Your actions could have given you the death penalty. But, if there is one true thing I know, it's this: I cannot kill my own brother," he said, his voice thick with pain. "I will not kill my own brother. Guards," he addressed to the royal guards in the room. "Seize him. I want him out of my kingdom. This is goodbye, brother."

Hans immediately turned around and sprinted for the door, briefly forgetting the chains connected to his ankles. He stumbled helplessly as one of the guards grabbed him by the shoulders and rammed him into the wall to keep him from moving anywhere.

"BROTHER!" He shouted. "NO! DON'T DO THIS! I'M SORRY!" Tears had begun to fall from his eyes. "I can change, damn it! Please, don't throw me away! Please! I am not like father!" He sobbed. "I AM NOT LIKE FATHER! Artemis! ARTEMIS!" Other guards joined into the fray and pulled Hans out of the room.

The rest of the brothers in the room could hear his anguished cries as he was led down the hallway. Silence fell upon the room and every brother felt a heavy weight on their chest. Even the twins didn't say a word, simply sitting there with worried expressions on their faces until the cries died out.

Artemis sighed heavily, gripping his head in frustration.

Oh, foolish brother, to think that the crown gives you any sort of satisfaction, he thought tiredly.

"What are we to do now? We need Arendelle," Gregory inquired.

Artemis stared solemnly at the table for a long second before giving orders. "Gregory, I need you to send a letter to Queen Elsa asking for our pardon. Also, inform her that she should also be expecting a letter from me as well. Brom, I need you to start organizing ships for departure."

Gregory and Brom both bowed. "It shall be done," they said in unison before leaving the room.

Artemis turned to Wyndell. "Wyndell, I need you to send letters to the rest of our brothers requesting for them to return home. If any of them having any rare or expensive treasures with them, tell them to bring it with them on their journey. And make sure to write to every brother."

Wyndell looked hesitant. "Even—"

"Yes," Artemis interrupted sternly. "Even Tybalt. That's an order." Wyndell nodded slowly before slinking out of the room. "You two," Artemis addressed the twins. "Can you handle the title as my new advisors and peace keepers?" The twins looked confused.

"Well, yes—"

"But why—"

"All in good time, brothers," Artemis assured them. He turned his attention on his last remaining brother. "Cedric," he started slowly. "I'm afraid I must ask something major from you…"

Elsa stood on her personal balcony, eyes moving back and forth quickly across the paper in her hands. She wore a troubled expression as she read the words on the paper. Her fingers trembled, small forms of ice glazing the edges of the letter.

Queen Elsa of Arendelle,

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gregory, and I am the fourth official brother of the current Southern Isles ruler, King Artemis. I am writing to you to address the unfortunate series of events that occurred on the day of your coronation. However, before getting to this, I'd like to congratulate you on your coronation as Queen of Arendelle, and also send my sorrowful condolences regarding your parents. Their deaths were most unfortunate and I pray that you and your younger sister, Princess Anna, are handling their departure accordingly. Secondly, I'd like to sincerely apologize for my youngest brother, Hans, actions against your crown. Words cannot even truly express how apologetic my brothers and I am. Rest assured that Hans has been properly punished and will never lay a hand against your kingdom ever again. Finally, I am to inform you that my brother will be writing to you about matters quite above my personal knowledge. I know that the tension between our two kingdoms is thick, but know that we had nothing to do with Hans' treason and would very much like to be on agreeable terms with Arendelle. Please, do not turn his letter away.

Warm Regards,

Prince Gregory of the Southern Isles

Formal. Regal. Forced. Elsa clenched the letter tightly in her hands, loosening her grip slightly when she noticed the frost on the paper.

After the events of her coronation, Elsa had immediately sent out a clipped, angry letter about the state of events and ended her long, angry rant by specifically stating that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with the Southern Isles. Even before her coronation, Arendelle and the Southern Isles had been on short terms with each other. Elsa was intrigued, though, at the mention of the Southern Isles' new king, Artemis. Their former king must have passed away recently then if the oldest brother had taken the throne.

Elsa had met the former king only once in her life during childhood. He had come to negotiate with her parents and her father had allowed her to watch the negotiations so that she could learn how to deal with other kingdoms when it would be her time to take the throne. The former king, King Hubert, had been a gruff, ill-tempered man with wild, graying hair and a long beard that reached to his extended, bloating stomach. He was broad and battle hardened, with scars littered around his face and had colorless, grey eyes that seemed to stare straight through a person. He demanded from her father for supplies not easily attained in the Southern Isles, which her father had reluctantly agreed after gaining something from the trade as well. While Arendelle had sent their supplies immediately after the negotiations, the Southern Isles had failed to give up what they promised. When her father had journeyed to receive his part in the negotiations, her father and his guards were denied entrance into the kingdom and forcefully driven away. She remembered him coming home with a broken arm and bloodied cloak, much to her mother's horror. As such, her father cut off communications with the Southern Isles. Even before this, the kingdoms have never had a good relationship despite being so close to one another due to a ten year war between the two regarding territory. The two battling kingdoms eventually reached a truce and stalemate, but bitterness between both still lingered.

All Elsa has known from her encounters with the Southern Isles' leader and of what her father had told her were that they were deceitful, treacherous, harsh, and unfaithful oath keepers. How could she trust such a kingdom?

Sighing, she set down the first letter and reached out to read the last one.

"Elsa?"

Elsa turned around to find Anna standing in her room, yawning and carrying a large, red blanket behind her. She smiled. Although she could never forgive Hans for what he had done to her sister and her kingdom, she had to admit that his actions had brought the two sisters closer together than ever before. She put her arms out, and just as she expected, Anna fell into her embrace, sleepily rubbing at her eyes. She looked up tiredly at her older sister.

"What are you still doing up? It's past midnight."

Elsa arched an eyebrow. "I could be saying the same for you, baby sister," she accused, poking Anna's freckled nose. "Why are you out of bed? Not off to sneak out and see Kristoff again, are you?" She asked suspiciously, putting a hand on her hips.

Anna's eyes widened comically and she blushed. "W-What? How did you even find—um, I mean, that's not true!" She quickly replied. "Um, I just came in here to have a sleepover. You know," she said shyly, "like the good old days."

Elsa's eyes softened. "Sure, we can do that," she said softly, smiling. "Just give me a minute, okay? I have queenly duties to live up to right now." Anna's nose wrinkled in distaste at that.

"Ugh!"Queenly duties" are the worst! How do you put up with all the snobbish, stuck up egoists in one room? Like the Ambassador of Grettlehorn!" Anna squished her face together. "Hi, I'm Ambassador Frogface and I like fixing my moustache every five seconds," she imitated.

Elsa laughed and joined in. "And I'm the Count of Durmingstam!" She crossed her eyes and stuck her nose up. "My hair is long and pretty, I brush it every day. Your hair will never look as perfect as my heavenly locks," she mimicked in a nasally voice.

They both broke out into small peals of laughter, enjoying their brief moment together.

"Alright, alright," Elsa said, face slightly flushed from laughing. "Let me finish this real quick, okay?"

Anna peered curiously at the letter. "Um, okay. But who is it from?"

Elsa's smile disappeared. "The Southern Isles' King."

"WHAT? Didn't they get the message, and yes I mean literally get the message, that they're not wanted and we want nothing to do with them?" Anna asked angrily.

Elsa sighed. "I know. Believe me, when I checked through the mail and found out the addressees of two of the letters were from the Southern Isles, I was just as shocked as you are. I was going to burn them, chuck them into the fire and make it seem as if I hadn't received the letter." She bit her lip.

"But…?"

"That would be running away from the problem," she explained. "I've read the first letter. It's a sorry excuse for an apology to tell you the truth, but it's something. And now, I just have to read this letter." She waved the letter in her hands. "I want to see why the King of Southern Isles' would bother writing to me after I specifically asked for no further contact between our kingdoms."

Anna glanced wearily over at the letter. "Well, alright," she said slowly. "But make sure to wear your gloves when opening it. Nothing wrong with being too cautious." Her eyes momentarily widened. "What if it's poisoned? Or filled with love potion?"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "And with that, I think it's time for you to go to bed, sweet sister." She took Anna's hand and led her to the bed. To her surprise, Anna didn't put up much of a fight.

Anna yawned and flopped onto the bed. "Alright. G'night, Elsa," she mumbled. In seconds, she was asleep, snoring softly. Elsa smiled affectionately down at her younger sibling and ruffled her hair before returning to her work. She sat down at her desk, fingers nervously clutching the second letter. Finally, with a small exhale, she grabbed the letter opener and slipped it easily against the envelope, freeing the piece of paper.

Queen Elsa of Arendelle,

Greetings. In case my brother forgot to mention it in the previous letter, I am King Artemis of the Southern Aisles. I'm sure you are very surprised and even a little upset that you would be receiving any form of letter from our kingdom. Believe me, I understand truly and heartily. I will be completely honest with you: your kingdom and mine have not been on very good terms even before the whole fiasco with my brother. King Hubert ran my current kingdom almost like a dictatorship; you can only imagine what he was like as a father. His ways of teaching and nurturing me and my twelve younger brothers were, questionable to say the least. Hans was an unfortunate victim along with the rest of us of my father's cruelty as he fed into the belief that power was the only way to prove oneself and all magic was full of corruption and darkness. I'm here to let you know that I do not share my father's views, and as such, would like to start anew with the kingdom of Arendelle. First off, my brother, Hans, has received harsh punishment for his crimes and will never hold the title of prince of the Southern Isles again in his lifetime. Second, I'm bringing my brothers together for each of us to deliver gifts upon your kingdom, if you so permit and grant us access to your docks. We will come unarmed, naturally, and each of us will apologize once more for troubling your kingdom. Third, the Southern Isles would like to offer free trading routes between our kingdoms for the next five years, if you so choose to trade with us once more. Finally, I may have to ask something drastic from you.

Elsa paused in her reading at this line. Uncertainly, she sipped at the tea next to her before continuing.

Let me be very clear: this request that I am asking from you, you have the absolute right and authority to refuse. All other offers are on the table if you so choose as well. Nothing I ask of you is demanded. With that cleared up, I'd like to bring up the other mandatory events preceding your coronation.

Elsa stilled, eyes widening.

I know this is very sudden and shocking to you, but as I have said before, I would love for our kingdoms to be on peaceful terms and prosper together. As such, I'd like one of my brothers to be considered as one of your possible suitors in the Courting Ceremonies. The brother I choose, I assure you, will not be anything like Hans. He will be courteous, polite, and genuine. Most importantly, he will be honorable and honest, a trustworthy character who will pour his heart and soul into whatever he does. Please, Queen Elsa, I implore you to at least think about my offer.

Sincerely,

King Artemis of the Southern Isles

Elsa continued to stare blankly at the letter, even after re-reading it three more times to make sure she had read it correctly. Frost had gathered around her desk, covering it in a flurry of snow. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly to rid the storm inside her. This couldn't be happening. The Courting Ceremonies were in the not so distant future; how could the king possibly think that she'd be ready to even face his kin, much less marry them? Elsa's eyes darkened, remembering just how sincere Hans had seemed right before he had tried to bring his sword down on her turned back. Any brother of Hans had just the same amount of potential to betray and hurt her, or even worse, her sister.

Yet, the king had seemed genuine, even more so than his other brother, Gregory. Would it be so bad to take up his offer? Elsa groaned, putting her face into her hands. Elsa felt conflicted; on one hand, she wanted to throw the letter away and continue giving the Southern Isles the cold shoulder. On the other hand, free trading routes were promising for her kingdom and she was curious how Hans had turned out to be so deceitful. But was it worth letting the Southern Isles' family into her kingdom and possibly being attacked when she was vulnerable? And could she even take the King's word on his last offer? Marriage was a scary thing to her, whether the suitor was from the Southern Isles or not.

After almost two hours of indecision and shooting shards of ice accidentally into her ceiling, Elsa had reached a decision. She grabbed a quill, ink, and paper and began to write.

King Artemis of the Southern Isles,