Anna entered the gardens, trying her best to look pleasant. The false Prince Stig's sudden idea of hosting a brunch had made her very uneasy, but it would distract him for at least a half a day—so she would play along. Despite her determination, she almost gave herself away as she screamed when two hands covered her eyes.

"Oh! I didn't mean to scare you, dear princess!" the hands flew away and Anna spun to meet her suspicious guest.

"Oh!" she tried to regain her composure and quell the urge to punch him in the face. "Sorry! I, er, startle easily!"

"A thousand apologies!" he dropped to one knee and began to kiss her hand. "I shall not frighten you so again, my lady! Please, join me for brunch! I have taken great pains to bring the cuisine of my homeland to you, today."

"How thoughtful." She slipped her hand away and backed up. "I'm so grateful that you would think of something so sweet."

"It's the least I can do for my beautiful and gracious host. Come!" he escorted her to a richly decorated table neck to the rose bushes.

Even Anna had to admit, he'd brilliantly coordinated with the kitchen staff to present an exotic array of dishes. For a moment, she doubted her intuition. This "prince"—gaudy and boring as he was—had shown no signs of malice, and seemed to have an encyclopedic knowledge of Prince Stig's culture.

Yet... she couldn't bring herself to trust him, and with another person—too weak and bruised to be faking it showing up to claim that they were the real prince—her gut won over the temporary lapse in conviction. Until Elsa returned, Anna must assume this was not the real prince and keep the guards on alert. She didn't have to fake her interest in the food, however, as many of the dishes were colorful and rich with spices.

"How do you like my cooking?" Prince Stig joked.

"I'm amazed that our chefs were able to recreate your homeland dishes so well!" she took a big bite of something made from a purple squash layered with tomato sauce. "Are they close to being authentic?"

The prince smiled. "There had to be many substitutions with the spices—but a fair comparison to the real thing, I assure you."

"This is awesome!" she ladled more of a creamy sauce made from beans on her plate.

"Well, the food is grand." Prince Stig wiped his mustache and stood up. "But until you've tried my country's prized wine, all else pales in comparison."

He sauntered to her end of the table with a purple glass bottle in hand.

Her mouth was too full to protest as he poured some into the empty crystal goblet by her plate.

"It's especially a fine way to chase the flavors of the meal before dessert. Please, take a sip and tell me what you think."

Anna swallowed her food and reached for the goblet. "You have dessert with brunch? What an odd custom."

Prince Stig grinned and shrugged. "We believe every labour deserves its just reward."

"What an odd way of putting it." Anna swirled the wine, breathing in intoxicating fruity hints and a deeper, earthier tone she couldn't quite identify.

"I hope you like it." Prince Stig set down the bottle. "It's a one-of-a-kind blend."

"What kind of wine is it?" Anna took another sniff, the aromas even more tempting. "It doesn't smell like anything I've had before.... Though we get most of our wines from the West."

"Try it, and I'll let you guess." He leaned on the table.

Curiosity getting the best of her, she took a small sip. The wine flowed smoothly, too delicious for such a small sip—so she took another, then a bigger sip, and then a large gulp that drained the goblet.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, wiping her mouth. "That was really good—I can't believe I drank the whole goblet."

"It's the taste." Prince Stig smirked. "It's designed to compel the drinker to ingest it all, to maximize the wine's effects."

Puzzled, Anna set down the crystal goblet. "Wait... what effects?"

Fear began to creep up her spine, and she pushed her chair back. "What... what was in that wine?"

"Calm down, princess." Prince Stig gingerly stepped towards her, hands reaching out.

"N-No..." she backed away, her mind feeling fuzzy. "Wh-what was in that wine?!"

Fuzziness broke into full-on dizziness and the world began to spin. "You—what have you done?"

The Prince still advanced towards her, and Anna struggled to crawl away as her limbs became numb, she tried to call for the guards, but only a weak gasp of air came out. "P-poison!"

"Hardly." A strong, silken voice cut through the wine's effects.

Anna lifted her heavy head, bewildered by the black shoes standing in front of her face. The shoes peeped from under a black robe, and the robe ended at a sharp, pale face with dark purple lips and yellow, hellish eyes. With a scream that sounded more like a squeak, Anna tried to push backwards, right into the embrace of the fake prince.

"I have no need to kill you, daughter of Arendelle." The face came closer, sharp white teeth beneath the moving lips. "The wine is merely... a persuasion."

Anna tried to concentrate, to fight off the call of sleep. "Per...persua—for what?"

"Oh, my dear," the sentence was a long, drawn out sigh. "You're going to help me dispose of your sister, and surrender your kingdom to my rule. I've been in the shadows for far too long... it's time for me to take my rightful place again, as Queen of Arendelle."

"You're insane!" Anna's vision began to blur. "I-I'll never help you!"

"Oh, you will. The potion you just drank will ensure your loyalty... and you will deliver your kingdom to me."

"Elsa..." Anna's eyelids were so heavy... "Elsa... will... stop you..."

"Your sister will have little power against me." The dark voice began to chuckle. "After all, how can she defeat the source of her power?"

"Sleep now." She heard the voice of Prince Stig, so far away... and then everything went dark.

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A/N:

Thank you for joining me on this wonderful fanfic adventure-- this part is the last piece I polished for fanfiction.net, so from here it may get a little rough and bumpy, but I hope the story is still enjoyable, and if you're liking it, please give it a star or comment on how you feel so far! :)

~Maegan