Fredderick simply wanted to live out his retirement on his little plot of land, with his chickens, his books, and his dragonling. He didn't want to go to the city, with all its people, and noise, but where else do you go for supplies?

When he came home to find strangers asking for beds and food, he didn't really want to host them, but he couldn't turn away the help around his house.

 When spies were captured in Verdenhelm, he didn't want to care, because spies were always caught in cities, for any sort of reason. 

When Verdenhelm began its march to war, he didn't want to care, because neighbors were always at each other's throats.

Unfortunately, Fredderick knew in his heart he wouldn't get what he wanted...