Day 6

扫一扫收听英文朗读

The maid pretended to look contrite, but Anna saw a small smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. “I'm just trying to make you as beautiful as possible, Princess. After all, you aren't just going to be seeing new things outside the gates. You are going to be seeing new people. New single people. New single people who have never seen you before. You're eighteen now. You want to make a good impression.” The royal maid waggled her eyebrows teasingly.

Shaking her head, Anna brought herself crashing back to reality. “That's crazy,” she said to Gerda. “I only have twenty-four hours. There is absolutely no way I'm going to fall in love.”

“You never know unless you take the chance,” Gerda said. “There are many kinds of love out there. You loved your parents. You love your sister. All I'm saying is that you never know where or when love will find you. You only can know that it is there—waiting. ”

As Anna stared at her reflection, her eyes filled with happy tears. She was a young lady. And for the first time in forever, she actually did feel beautiful and special. The gown fit her perfectly. Gerda had done her hair in a simple updo and she had only the barest touches of makeup. Still, she had to admit, she looked regal.

“Oh, Gerda, thank you!” Anna gushed, throwing her arms around the woman. Then she straightened up and brushed her hands over the skirt of her dress nervously. “Well, guess it's now or never. Real world—here I come!” Taking a step forward, she yelped as the toe of her new shoe caught on the dress. Windmilling her arms, she regained her balance and looked sheepishly over her shoulder at Gerda, who was watching in amusement. “Okay, let's try this again.” Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and carefully looked out into the hall. The clock was ticking. She didn't have a moment to lose!

The castle was alive! It was the most amazing thing to see. Unable to stop herself, she began to skip down the hallway.

Reaching the end of the hall, Anna turned left and then right and then right again. Every hall she turned down was full of people and every door she passed was open. I didn't think we had this many rooms,Anna thought as she passed by another grand chamber. Inside she could make out a maid humming to herself as she dusted a long-neglected piano.

Anna was at the castle's main doors. Eagerly, she pushed them open. In front of her, the gates were open, revealing the courtyard beyond. Anna put a hand to her heart. “Beyond those doors lies my future,” she whispered. “So what am I waiting for?” Breaking into a run, Anna burst into the sunshine, ready for her adventure to begin.

Hans looked over the bow of the ship and smiled. He had made it! In a little over an hour, his ship would dock in Arendelle's port and he, Hans Westergaard, thirteenth and youngest son of the king of the Southern Isles, would finally have a chance to make a name for himself. He would become the next king of Arendelle—or at least that was the plan.

He knew that if he was to get what he wanted, he needed to take initiative. He needed to make himself the most knowledgeable man in the Southern Isles about the kingdom of Arendelle. He needed to be the preeminent authority on the ins and outs of Arendelle's customs and learn the proper ways to pay respect to their queen on her coronation day. Not someone who should be seen as the sole representative of the Southern Isles. So in between his tasks, and with Lars's help, Hans had done hours and hours of research on Arendelle and its soon-to-be queen, Elsa.

There were plenty of old texts that told of Arendelle in general.

Elsa, however, Hans thought as the ship sailed closer and closer to port, was still a mystery. There wasn't even a picture of her. For all Hans knew, she could be eight feet tall. Or bald. Or have a fanatical interest in rock collecting. The only thing he had learned for sure was what Lars had told him that long ago day: she never left the castle. Ever.

Now, as Hans's ship docked next to one of the long piers that jutted into the water surrounding Arendelle, he let out a breath it felt like he had been holding since leaving the Southern Isles. All he had to do now was find Princess Elsa and get her to fall in love with him. How hard could that be?

Did I honestly think I was just going to walk into town and bump right into Princess Elsa? She is probably locked inside getting ready, not out wandering the streets looking for love ...

“Hello, Princess! How wonderful to see you outside the castle gates!”

A woman's voice cut through the crowd and Hans pulled back on his reins, stopping Sitron. Princess?Had he heard right?

“It is so wonderful to see you, Princess. It's been too long!”