For the next few days Nathan was confined to only his room. While his parents worked hard to whittle down the staff to only those that they most trusted. They told people that he'd contracted something in the woods and didn't want it to spread. That eventually it would all blow over but for now they were obeying the doctor's orders. Nate had hoped that being isolated would mean that he wouldn't have any lessons... but he was wrong. The tutor would just stand outside the door, and they'd pass papers beneath it to see his progress in his studies. On occasion, books were left by his door for him to collect when the hall was clear. Having nothing better to do, he found himself reading through the books and impressing his tutor with his growing knowledge. He'd never focused so hard on his studies before and his parents were proud of his progress. It even looked like isolating him for this short time would be of greater benefit in the end. He just felt like a sick kid and that was fine. After the staff was cut down to a handful of people, his parents told him that it was ok for him to wonder around the castle. It was exciting to see the castle so empty. There was no one to bump into as he explored and no one to impress.

He stopped wearing his stuffy suits and ran around in his more comfortable nightshirt. The servants would laugh at his playful nature and tell him not to overexert himself, but he felt great. The only time he felt lonely was when he could hear the festivals in town. Although, it wasn't much different than before. He'd never been allowed to play with the village kids. To be a good king, he had to show no favoritism. He had to be separated from them to keep them from forgetting that he was a leader and not a friend that would bend rules for them. It was the only way to keep criminal behavior at bay... and it sucked. Leaning on the windowsill, he watched the people in the village celebrate the summer with carnival folk and puppet shows. People danced and sang. They dressed up in silly outfits and played pranks on each other for laughs. There were so many colors in the confetti and fireworks that they shot off. He pretended that he was ok, but deep down he felt a little lonely. Reaching out to trace symbols across the stained glass absently with his finger, he watched the people his age having fun and started to feel afraid that he'd never be normal again. He then gasped and stumbled off the window seat. Where he had touched the stained glass, frost was crystalizing out to encase the entire window.

Calling out to his parents, he rushed back to his bedroom and began to stoke up the fireplace. Getting the fireplace nice and hot, he extended his hands out toward it to hopefully help warm them. It was something he was supposed to do to keep his hands warm and hopefully prevent his ice powers. His room was already warm in the summer, but with the fireplace going it was practically an oven... even though HE barely felt it. The room just felt normal to him. It did help sell the illusion that he was sick though. After another few days and another incident of slipping on the stairs and freezing an entire stairway, his mother sat with him by the fire. Taking his hands carefully, she removed her own gloves and slipped them onto his hands. Running her fingers along his gloved palm, she told him with a warm smile. "Here. These will help. You freeze things by touch... The gloves will keep you from physically touching things. They'll protect you." Nate flexed his fingers in the soft gloves, closing his eyes as he felt a little safer. Just like his old teddy bear that scared away the things in the dark when he was a little kid, he knew these would help. He knew he was going to be ok if his parents believed they would help him. His dad rubbed his back, telling him with a warm smile. "It's just temporary. Don't worry. We'll take this one day at a time." Nate nodded with confidence.

As the weeks turned to months, Nathan began to see changes in his parents. His father was becoming more worried, and his mother would vanish into the study for hours on end. The gloves were working just fine, but it was clear that whatever he had... there wasn't much hope to fix it. Finding a spot in a hallway with pleasant pictures on the walls, he propped himself up on a bench and began to play a mandolin. He'd missed the sound of music so much that he started to learn it. Music was calming and it allowed him to forget everything. To fall away into the happy pictures on the walls. Make believing he was living some other life somewhere far away from where he was. For the most part, he was happy and content. It was only the future that had him uneasy. How long could he live like this? His father walked through the hallway, and he met his eyes. For that brief second, they smiled at each other, before Nate's smile faded. Within his father's eyes, he saw a dungeon cell and special shackles being made. Flashes of his dad touching his gloves and then touching a hand bolted into shackles rippled through his mind. Jumping upright on the bench, Nate dropped his mandolin on the floor.

His dad skidded to a stop before reaching the door at the end of the hallway, turning quickly to ask him in a concerned tone. "Nathan? Are you alright?" Nathan stared down at his gloves, watching the icy mist leak from under the fabric. His hands were shaking, and he felt so betrayed. His dad moved closer to him, asking in a loving fatherly voice. "Nathan? What's wrong?" Nathan sprang to his feet before his dad could touch him, yelling over his shoulder bitterly. "Don't touch me!" While passing staff in the hallway, he met their eyes and saw images of the worst deeds they'd ever done. For some it was stealing from his father. For others, it was people they'd hurt both emotionally and physically in their lives. Covering his eyes to keep himself from looking at them, he rushed off into his room and slammed the door. Dropping by the fireplace, he heated it up and tried to warm his gloves. His heart was breaking though as he thought about what his father was doing. Tears ran down his cheeks, and in his frustration, he yanked off his gloves. He wanted to toss them into the fire but couldn't. Tossing them aside, he yelped as thick snow shot from his hands to cover his floor on one side. Dropping his hand, his whole body trembled with fear. He wasn't just lightly frosting things anymore. He was making thick patches of snow now. His power was getting stronger.

Rushing to the other side to snatch his gloves back up, he yanked them back on quickly and hugged himself. Falling to his knees, he buried his face into his hands and cried. He'd never felt more like a prisoner than he did right now. He was powerless and helpless to what was happening to him. In the castle study, Queen Iduna wrote more in her journal about their progress with Nathan's powers. Her idea with the gloves was a breakthrough, but it wasn't going to be enough. She could tell his powers were growing. He'd need more than a security blanket. Slamming her journal shut, she turned to her old children's books that she'd had on her when she'd been carted off to Arendelle during the war. Flipping through the pages for the hundredth time, she tried to remember what her mother had taught her about them. She hadn't thought about her heritage in years. She had pretended to be Arendelle born and bred for so long that her memory was fuzzy. Flipping to a page that was written entirely in Northuldran and had a picture of a woman made of colors, she froze. Straightening up, she whispered to herself. "The Mother of the Northern Lights. The Ahtohallan River." Closing the book, she moved up to the study's window and opened it to look out toward the Dark Sea.

A breeze gently blew into the study and pushed her long hair off her shoulders. Closing her eyes, she leaned into the breeze and faintly heard a woman's voice humming on the wind. Opening her eyes, she whispered back to herself. "Mother...? I think I understand now. It's time to go home." Behind her, Agnarr asked her in a soft voice. "Honey? Did you find something?" Iduna turned to face him, answering confidently. "Yes. I have to go home." Iduna closed her books and started to put papers away, while Agnarr nervously said. "What? Iduna, I don't understand. You are home." Iduna walked up to him, answering gently as she stroked his cheek. "I meant my homeland. Agnarr... We're looking for answers in the wrong place. Whatever this is... It didn't come from Arendelle." Agnarr took her hand in his, saying perplexed. "How do you know? What have you learned?" She pulled Agnarr to a seat and pushed him down into it. Starting to pace a little, she told him openly. "It just hit me... My mother once told me about a river in Ahtohallan. A sacred place where the Northern Lights touch the sea. Where you go for answers when you're lost."

Agnarr shrugged, mumbling out. "I've never heard of such a place." Iduna rolled her eyes, chuckling out as she touched his chin. "Of course not. You weren't born in Misthaven. The story is about the Northern Lights taking the form of a fifth element. A woman that the Northuldran people call the Mother of Memory. She is the bridge between magic and life. She lives in Ahtohallan during the daylight hours. Then goes back to stars at night, where she searches for lost souls to help guide them back home. When we get lost in the woods... We were told to follow the Northern Lights home." Agnarr shrugged, telling her gently. "Honey... Ahtohallan... It's a story. What proof do you have that this... 'Mother' actually exists?" Iduna kneeled in front of Agnarr, putting her hands on his legs, before telling him sweetly. "I can't explain it to you. I just... feel it. You don't have to believe me. But I have to go. If someone is living in Ahtohallan. Maybe they'll know what to do." Agnarr looked deep into her eyes, stating out firmly. "Ok. I'll have one of our ships prepare for the voyage as soon as possible. Traveling up to the Dark Sea shouldn't take too long. It will give us plenty of time to search and-" Iduna raised a hand to stop him.

Getting to her feet, she told him seriously. "You can't come with me. Who will look after Nate?" Agnarr got to his feet, interjecting in a loving tone. "I'm not letting you go alone. You don't know what's up there. It could be dangerous." Iduna pointed at him, saying sternly. "I'll be fine. But your son needs you here." Agnarr huffed, grumbling out under his breath nicely. "No. He needs his mother. He needs your nurturing warmth." She shook her head, starting to tell him. "You need to be here in case something happens to Arendelle. I'm... I'm Northuldran. I'll be safe there. It's dangerous for you..." Agnarr put his forehead to hers, whispering lovingly. "We do it together. Or not at all..." Iduna rolled her eyes, asking him nervously. "And Nate? You want us to take him with us?" Agnarr cringed, mumbling out reluctantly. "I don't think that's a good idea. He's been... He'll be safer here. He'll be more comfortable here. I don't want to get his hopes up if... If there are no answers there." Iduna bowed her head but nodded. As much as she didn't like it, she had to agree. Nathan's emotions were linked to his powers. The more upset he got, the more dangerous he was. It would be too cruel to give him hope and then take it from him. It was better that he didn't know.

Getting a charter together, they told everyone that they were leaving to settle a diplomatic issue in the Southern Sea. It would give them two weeks to check things out and hopefully they'd be back sooner than that. Nathan stood by the window of his room, staring out at the sea as he hugged himself. He could see their ship loading the last minute supplies. Shaking his head, he told his mother defensively without looking at her. "I don't want you to go. What if something happens?" His mother slid off the bed, walking up to him. She started to reach out to touch him, but he moved away from her quickly. Afraid to look into her eyes, he stared at her feet and mumbled out. "Mother, I'm begging you. Stay. Let dad go deal with the diplomatic issue. There is no reason for you to go too." His mother's hands folded across the belly of her dress, telling him tenderly. "They need to see that we are a united front. You'll be ok. It will only be for two weeks. We'll be back before you know it." Nate watched his mother's hand slowly reach out for his hands, asking him curiously. "Nate? Look at me?" Nathan turned away to look at the fireplace, upon saying griming. "I can't. I... Mother, please. I can't do this on my own. What if...?"

His mother very slowly wrapped her arms around his shoulders, causing him to cringe and slam a hand on the mantle of the fireplace. Keeping her arms around him, she whispered to him lovingly. "You will be alright. You are safe here in the castle. The staff will give you anything you need." Her hand slid down his arm to his hand. Her fingers hesitantly pulling up his sleeve to see if he was wearing his gloves properly, before taking his hand cautiously. Curling his fingers around hers, he struggled internally as he turned his head to look at her. He didn't want to look into her eyes, but part of him needed too. When her eyes met his, she smiled warmly and kissed his forehead. She then pulled away to walk toward the door and a silent tear ran down Nathan's cheek. Gripping the mantle harder, he tried to compose himself. She always checked for his gloves... because she was afraid of him. She saw him as... a monster. Trying to keep her from seeing his pain, he straightened up and walked her to the front door. His dad didn't touch him, and his mom only hugged him after checking his gloves yet again to make sure they were on securely. Giving them a princely bow, his dad told him warmly. "You'll be fine, Nathan. We love you. We'll try to be home as soon as we can. I promise."

Nathan went back to his room to watch the villagers wish them well and to see them board the ship with a heavy heart. When the ship sailed out of sight, Nathan tried to go about his day as usual. After only the first week, Nathan was playing his mandolin in his usual hallway, when a servant slowly approached him with the gloomiest face he'd ever seen. Her hand shook when she handed him the letter and told him in a shaky voice. "Your highness. I'm so sorry." Her eyes filled with tears, and she curtsied to hide them from him. Looking over the letter, he recognized the seal from a nearby kingdom. Shrugging, he asked her curiously. "What's wrong?" The woman didn't look at him upon telling him softly. "We got word that... The King and Queen didn't make it. They encountered a hurricane three days out. The Captain was found adrift. There were no other survivors." Bolting upright, Nate shoved the mandolin into her arms and rushed off to his parents' bedroom. Opening the letter once he was alone, he started to read it. The more he read, the more he slumped back against the door and slid down to the floor. The second he finished it, he crumpled it up in his hand and started to shake as he fell into despair.

Burying his head against his raised knees, he threw out all composure. He didn't care who heard him cry. Without realizing it, his despair caused the floor and walls to start frosting over as it expanded out from where he sat. When the frost crept over the ceiling of the room, bits of it rained down like falling snow. He wanted to believe that they had survived. That they just hadn't been found yet. However, as three years pasted... it started to become clear that they were never coming home. The servants finally covered his parents' portrait with a sheer mourning cloth and the news was finally released to everyone publicly. Though most had heard the news long before then. While watching the villagers from his bedroom window as all of Arendelle celebrated the life of the King and Queen in traditional black clothes, the King's Regent gently informed Nathan. "Your highness... I know you want this time to mourn. But other Kingdoms are looking at Arendelle's empty throne. It's been three years. I think it is time for your coronation." Reluctantly, Nathan nodded. It was time for the world to meet their new king. To Be Continued...