Chapter 3
Would he ever find someone?
The thought had been plaguing Frederick for some time.
There had been whispers in the media. He still had several years before turning thirty - not that he could wait that long.
He wasn’t exactly an old man, but he was rapidly approaching the customary age for the monarch or heir to be married.
It wasn’t a legal thing, but was widely regarded as something that should be legally enforced.
And as the monarch, he was expected to father at least two legitimate children.
Emphasis on two - and on legitimate.
His twin younger brothers were both dating people - out of the limelight.
Much easier for them to do so while attending graduate school in the States.
The relatively small, but highly exclusive and academically challenging, school was found in Southwest Missouri of all places - not exactly teeming with paparazzi.
His younger sister - the baby of the family - had all but disappeared not long after her eighteenth birthday. She kept in contact with their mum, but only enough to confirm she remained among the living.
Postcards mailed from around the world indicated she was using a passport - but Frederick didn’t know if it was her official one, her legal one with an alternate name, or a fake one.
Christmas and birthday cards arrived every year since her disappearance.
He chose to believe the fairly generic preprinted message was also a heartfelt one - the use of her childhood nickname for him helped with that.
She’d hugged him.
Though it happened less often after his change in status, it hadn’t stopped entirely.
But it had been four years since he’d last seen her. She’d only left a short note to say goodbye, but looking back he remembered her holding on a little tighter and a little longer than normal the last time he’d seen her.
“What are you thinking about?” Elise’s soft voice brought him back to the present.
Her thumb ran along his knuckles, grounding him.
“My siblings. I see my brothers a few times a year, but they’re studying in the States. I haven’t seen my sister since January 2021. I miss her.”
Frederick had never told anyone how he felt about his sister’s disappearance.
“That has to be hard. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if someone I loved voluntarily left and didn’t come back or didn’t stay in touch more than a couple of times a year. Do you have any idea where she is?”
He finally opened his eyes to look at her. The compassion on her face took him by surprise though it shouldn’t have.
“I don’t. Mum might, but if so she hasn’t said. She sends me copies of the postcards she gets once a month or so. I’d be surprised if Cap doesn’t know, but he’s not saying anything either way. Each card comes from somewhere different. The only continent she hasn’t sent one from is Antarctica.”
“It is a little harder to get there than most places.” The smirk on her face made him smile.
"That is true, but it's not impossible. There are ways." He shifted his hand until his fingers linked with hers.
Her hand curled around his. "I looked into cruises to Antarctica a couple of years ago. They're incredibly expensive. I don't know how much access she has to funds, but it would probably be a challenge unless she has a trust fund or access to a large bank account."
Frederick closed his eyes and tried to think about his sister's financial status. "I'm not certain what she has access to. Mum or Cap might."
"Cap?" Elise asked, her thumb once again rubbing against his skin.
"The guy with the long hair who told us I couldn't leave the plane for security reasons.
His name is Steve, but everyone calls him Cap.
He's the head of security for my entire family.
He doesn't always travel with me, but some of the heads of security decided to meet and discuss…
security things." He shrugged. "I'm not really sure what they were talking about.
Probably something to do with the Games, but I don't actually know. "
"It makes sense one of them would know where she is."
He watched as she tried to stifle a yawn and failed.
Frederick released her hand and reached out to brush a bit of hair back off her face.
"We should probably try to get some more sleep.
" He'd gotten a look at the clock on the far side of the room.
"We have a few more hours before we need to be awake. "
She nodded and pulled her blankets up around her chin, snuggling deep underneath them.
Frederick brushed his fingers against the hair at her temple a couple more times then pulled his hand away. If only he could truly find someone to share his home, his heart - everything.
Stifling a sigh, he rolled to face away from Elise and try to get some sleep.
It took longer than he would have liked to actually doze off, but he did feel more rested than he had before.
Quietly, he slipped out of the room and into the main cabin area of the plane.
Cap looked up from his tablet and tipped his head. “Good morning, Your Majesty.”
Frederick stifled a yawn. “Morning. Is there any word on when we’ll be able to leave for Southern Santiero?”
“About twenty minutes.” He looked toward the bedroom. “Will you wake Ms. Stephens or would you like me to take care of it?”
“I’ll wake her. Thank you.” Frederick turned to walk back toward the bedroom, but stopped and looked at Cap. “Do you know where my sister is?”
Cap looked up, an impassive expression on his face. “My apologies, sir. As you are aware, I am unable to share the location of protectees except under specific circumstances. That also extends to confirmation of knowing that location.”
If he’d had any doubt before, it no longer lingered. Cap knew more than he would say.
Frederick gave him a slight nod then went back to the task at hand. By the time he pushed the door all the way open, Elise was standing on the other side of the bed, folding her blankets.
“I didn’t mean to wake you.” He stayed in the doorway.
“You didn’t.” She continued folding. “I was already awake, just not coherent enough to open my eyes.” A slight smirk crossed her face. “I’m still not overly coherent. Mornings aren’t really my thing, especially if I haven’t been able to get enough sleep.”
What he tried not to notice was how adorably rumpled she looked first thing in the morning.
When she finished repacking her bedding, they went back to their seats and, a moment later, they were taxiing toward the runway and Southern Santiero.
It took all of Elise’s willpower to keep from going wide-eyed and slack-jawed as Frederick ushered her through the wide halls of the Palace of Caledania. Yes, she’d been in the one in her homeland the day before, even slept there for a few nights.
But this was different.
She’d toured the home of the Second Santierian Dynasty several times as a child. It didn’t cover much of the palace itself, but did include a tour of a different part of the gardens each time.
It had been easier to be herself, to keep her astonishment visible but not overwhelmingly so, when Jacob, the new Prince Consort of Eastern Novigradia, was her guide around LyonSkye. After all, the new prince was also a commoner.
King Frederick was, well, the king.
Even if they had slept together, in the literal sense, just a few hours earlier.
And kissed the day before.
Elise gave herself a mental shake. Was it the day before? She had lost all sense of time, especially since they hadn’t stayed in Northern Santiero for a full night and arrived in Southern Santiero while darkness still ruled.
They reached a sweeping staircase and walked up it together. At the top, an aide waited, along with an older woman in a uniform of some sort.
Frederick turned to her. “This is where I leave you. Mrs. Powers will see you to a room. You are welcome to freshen up and go to your other accommodations or, if you’d prefer, you can remain here for the duration of your project.”
Elise caught herself blinking rapidly. Stay at the palace? She gave him a polite smile. “I appreciate the offer, but I will go to my hotel this evening. Thank you.” She dipped into a curtsy. “I appreciate your kindness in the last day.”
“It’s been my pleasure. I do hope we’ll have a chance to talk again before your departure in a few weeks.” He tipped his head her direction then walked away, talking quietly to his aide as he did.
“Right this way, ma’am.” Mrs. Powers directed her toward a different hallway.
There weren’t as many twists and turns as Elise would have expected and, in just a few minutes, she was alone in her quarters for what was left of the night.
The furnishings weren’t as over-the-top as she might have expected.
They were definitely among the nicest Elise had ever seen, but not ostentatious.
A glance at her watch told her she should try to get some sleep, but her schedule was so messed up after the travel oddities that she wasn’t certain she’d be able to.
Rest.
She needed to at least get some rest. Her luggage hadn’t arrived yet, but the clothes she wore were comfortable enough that she didn’t worry about it.
After kicking off her shoes, climbing under the covers, and snuggling down, Elise wondered if her bags would show up before she needed to get ready for the day.
At least the strange bed was comfortable.
It wouldn’t have surprised her too much if the mattress was closer to a hard rock than a pillowy haven. A palace seemed like it would favor furniture for form rather than function.
Sinking down and pulling the covers up to her chin, Elise closed her eyes and succumbed to the sandman.
When she woke to a buzzing sound, the heavy curtains over the windows meant Elise had no idea how much time had passed.
The buzzing continued from the side table. Rolling to the side, she reached for her phone to see a call coming in from a local number, but not one she had saved in her phone.
Odd, but probably one of the producers or production assistants to discuss the first day of shooting.
“Hello?” She tried to keep the sleepy sound out of her voice but knew she failed miserably.
“Ms. Stephens, please hold for the king’s assistant.”
Before she could reply, the line clicked and music began to play. Guess the operator - or whoever placed calls on behalf of the king’s assistant - didn’t need to wait for an answer. Elise wondered if anyone would say no or just hang up before the next person…
“Ms. Stephens?”
“Yes?” Had the king ever told her the name of his assistant? She didn’t think so, but he likely had more than one anyway.
“Your presence is…” There was a slight hesitation. “…requested by the king in his office. Your escort will arrive in five minutes.”
Elise sat straight up. “Um…” What time was it? How long before she needed to be at the set?
But the call had already been disconnected.
For about fifteen or twenty seconds, she just sat and stared at her black phone screen, but then realized the implications of what she’d been told.
A meeting with the king. Probably in his office, but possibly somewhere else. Unlikely in the private residence.
It only took a few more seconds to determine her luggage hadn’t been delivered - at least not where she could see it.
Moving to the well-appointed bathroom, she found her suitcases stacked neatly near the far wall. How had she slept through someone carrying all of it through the bedroom?
No matter now. Her time had likely dwindled down to under four minutes. Several seconds were spent unzipping her main suitcase. A pair of jeans and a hopefully wrinkle free shirt were right on top, next to her small toiletries bag.
Jeans wouldn’t be her first choice, but she didn’t have time to dig further.
Changing took longer than she wanted. Of course she fumbled with buttons and zippers when she was in a hurry.
Did she have time to brush her teeth?
Nope.
Instead, she swished some mouthwash around as she pulled a brush through her hair. There were too many knots to get them all out, but as she gathered it into a ponytail, the mouthwash went into the sink.
Putting their hair into a decent ponytail was something most women with long hair could quickly, and she was no different.
As she released the band, Elise stared at herself in the mirror. She could do this. Using a big brush to dust a layer of loose powder over face was all she had time for.
The knock on the door came as she slipped her feet back into the ballet flats she’d kicked off before her nap.
Elise stopped in front of the door and sucked in a deep breath.
She could do this.
Whatever it was.
She could do it.