It was a crisp, spring morning in the kingdom of Arendelle, with air so fresh enveloping the region with its purity and the majesty of its surrounding forests releasing forth its nature in all its splendor. The early birds among the denizens of Arendelle arose from their slumber to the delight of the sun as they attended to their usual routines, baking, cleaning, opening their shops for the day's business. The fishermen of the land have also arisen from their nightly ritual, smiling under the bask of the morning rays as they merrily went their way towards the dock in order to begin their collection of their daily work with the marine life. One could almost see the entirety of the harbour's waters, the twinkle of its tiny ripples as evocative as the night sky itself during a lone man's stargazing. It could not have been a more beautiful and blissful spring day in the kingdom of Arendelle after the constancy of rain during the month of April. It also could not have been a more shocking thing to hear the screams of the sweet Princess of Arendelle at the dismal declarations of the state.
"By order of Queen Elsa of Arendelle, let it be known to all subjects and denizens that on this May the Third, 1845, the kingdom of Arendelle declares war against the Southern Isles for its volatile actions of imperialism upon its neighbouring states and a blatant disregard to the customs of state sovereignty that bind all kingdoms in peaceful harmony. Let it also be ordered by the Dronning of the State that all able-bodied men fit for duty be conscripted into Her Majesty's Royal Military, equipped for battle within two weeks time of this notice and prepared to fulfill the wishes of the Reign to provide due justice against the Isles in order to liberate the subjected states."
The Princess Anna approached her sister with disbelief and misunderstanding sparking in her usually naïve eyes. "Have you no sense in your decision Elsa?", the sweet pacifist interrogated. "This declaration of war shall evoke such serious consequences that will forever ruin the reputation of Arendelle and its maintenance as a peaceful state for all its people. Do you not realize the internal repercussions that could occur with conscription, considering our record of not evoking this act for centuries? I.. I do not understand why you intend to do this. Our land had been a serene and peaceful one". Her eyes began to glisten with the same twinkle of the Arendellian waters, only this time, there was no joy but a simple, sad beauty.
The Queen, pacing serenely across the bedroom floor, appeared on the exterior as confident with her decision as a Queen ought to be with her duties. However, one would quickly realize that a tension existed as the temperature of the room slowly dropped from its May warmth. "Anna, I have consulted with all my advisers, discussed every single possibility of action and inaction. The Southern Isles have become such a threat in its instability that there is no other option but to stop them. Do you fail to see their desperation of senseless victory, of their dangerous attempts to restore some made up glory that had been fabricated in their history books? Our inaction will cost the lives and freedoms of our fellow brethren kingdoms as the Southern Isles will continue its rampage for dominance. There is no other choice but to respond with force."
"Then perhaps you should have reconsidered the cutting of our trade ties with them", Princess Anna responded with an unusual cool.
A look of hurt almost reached the Queen of Arendelle. The ice crown that laid on her head felt heavy to the Dronning. She regained her composure just as quickly. "The adviser of the kroner has been conclusive in claiming that cutting trade ties with the Southern Isles would be more profitable as to benefit the other kingdoms' trade. Of course, these kingdoms are currently under subject now, but our liberating them will ensure even greater prosperity in the long term."
"Yes, greater prosperity as our own people suffer without a significant trade partner who demands our goods." Princess Anna countered. "I have walked across many parts of this realm, speaking to all the inhabitants and listening to what our denizens have to say. One smith, a maker of jewelry, pleaded me to lift the sanctions against the Southern Isles, for as you know, the kingdom of Arendelle has an advantage in producing luxury goods. With less nobility to buy these goods, the smith was forced to lower his prices and suffer with profits that hover dangerously close to negative. He could be out of his trade within weeks. Another tailor, a fine young woman with high entrepreneurial spirits, has lost half her drive as her clothes sit there in her shop without ever being sent abroad. She laments every night at considering this business as she loses wealth and fears that her family will suffer drastic changes. How could you possibly claim that a "greater prosperity" will exist when our own people are suffering now?"
Indeed, the ice crown on Queen Elsa's head felt like lead. "Anna. I do not have a choice. As Queen, I feel that the costs of inaction are too great given our current circumstances. I must consider the other kingdoms just as much as our own domestic affairs. And the only way to possibly obtain victory in this noble quest is to augment our forces with conscription" The crown sunk heavier still as Anna began to cover her arms at the sudden contrast of the temperature.
Now, it was clear that Princess Anna had such an altruistic spirit for her people that commended great respect; only a big, persistent heart could have such a spirit. After all, she was the more carefree and charming of the two Arendellian sisters; people would bow in reverence and gratitude to the Queen, but to the Princess, such customs were broken with a healthy banter and a colloquial greeting. Yet, like any other with a personal motivation, Princess Anna had one particular worry that leaped forth into her with such an ache.
"And what of the rights of the Sami people? You cannot possibly tell me that you are intending to break our centuries old agreement to leave them to their own rights and devices through conscription."
"Of course I would not allow such a thing to happen to the Sami. I am at least in accord with you that the costs of breaking our sacred ties is too great a risk. Their commerce for ice has continued to fuel much of the kingdom and given their small population, I will grant our promise for them to be autonomous in our regions."
Nearly a sigh of relief escaped the lips of the Princess, but she quickly ceased the action with her hand. The overall matter was still far from resolved in her perspective. "Elsa. I am still hurt that you would even consider this drastic decision. However, as your sister, I... I will still support your endeavors and maintain a position of solidarity so that the stability of this crown will be maintained in Arendelle." The words hung empty across the chilled room, stuck onto the frost of the frozen windowpanes.
The Queen turned around with a slight smile on her face, although the room itself remained as icy as before. "I accept and appreciate your solidarity with me sister."
Night has fallen onto the realm of Arendelle and it is through this night that the lights of the people's hearts are truly seen. The fishermen had been successful in harvesting their fish throughout the day, yet upon inspection of the harbour, one could observe barrels and barrels of these watery creatures laying dormant without claim. The total amount sold was the usual in domestic lands, yet foreign demand of the renowned Arendellian fish remained non-existent. The fishermen returned home with gloom and unending silence. Meanwhile, the rest of the denizens' optimism of the sun was quickly distinguished with the reality of the night, as issues of the lack of trade persisted and a lack of imports caused prices of essentials to rise as high as a balloon that is carelessly discarded by a child. With prices so high, the denizens began to scheme deviant ways of obtaining their needed goods, possibilities of thievery, false liens, and forged claims of property. As the moon began to shine upon the kingdom, it is possible to see with the silver atmosphere the rising discontent of the citizenry stemming from the cracks of the kingdom's foundation to support its own people.
At the same time, Princess Anna began her ascent up to higher ground through one of the forest trails. Her claim of absence was that she desired some fresh air due to the day's events, simply a few moments of introspection for herself. However, the light of her heart was also shown by the moonlight as she had a great longing to see a certain individual. The Princess proceeded up the trail with the green cape she wore on her previous journey to find her sister. Thoughts spiraled before her on her sister's convictions, swirling with despair with the rest of her worries like shooting stars that dashed across the endless sky. How could she possibly allow conscription when the Kingdom is already in a state of discontent? The trees seemed more ominous than usual as she neared the clearing of the forests. Surely there are better alternatives than outright war, perhaps a bilateral meeting is in order, or maybe a quick compromise between the Southern Isles and Arendelle for colonialism to end. Her thoughts ran on and on but upon the appearance of a cozy cottage near the edge of the clearing, such ideas ran short. Instead, one solace warmed her with certainty, and that solace was waiting for her inside the cottage.
It would be natural for a Princess of her stature to seek close companionship amid the dredge of customs and duties within the castle; her interests would fall to the ground at suitors who only saw kroner in her purse or at servants who had ears only for the sweet trickle of a sensational story. Now, her willingness to remain at the castle sunk six feet under with even her sister contributing to the castle's dredge, when she would have normally been the solace from her problems. But strangely, a kind of warmth filled her as the Princess thought of seeing her beloved companion. It had been weeks since she had last saw the blond-haired scruff, as a pile of official duties and unofficial duties to the denizens of Arendelle occupied her dwindling schedule. Perhaps Kristoff has been doing well with his trade in ice, spending a bountiful of time with Sven as they always have been journeying together.
She approached the door, expecting Sven from the stable to leap out and kiss her with welcoming warmth and love. No such thing happened. She proceeded to knock on the door, calling his name, demanding his scruffy self to get out. No response. Perhaps he went out for a nightly stroll with Sven. I shall surprise him inside I suppose when he comes back.
Princess Anna opened the door and all the expected warmth of her solace has been replaced with a howling despair that had a strength threefold of the miseries of her castle duties. It was as if a winter storm had been unleashed within the formerly cozy home, furniture and possessions scattered across the floor, dishes shattered, food in disarray. She let out a gasp so frightful that it seemed to bounce across the interior of the ransacked home and to travel across the clearing into the forests. The Princess was well aware of the discontent that arose from the citizenry but to see it occur to a deeply close companion was a completely different matter. Tears began to flow as infinite as the rivers of Arendelle; the disbelief she had back at the castle was a trifle in comparison to the crippling despair she was experiencing now. Her solace. Destroyed.
She walked across the ravaged home as if in a funeral march towards the bedroom. Again, furniture was in disarray and the bed sheets appeared almost torn in savagery. She then noticed a small piece of parchment paper that laid on the disorganized bed, gingerly picking it up with daze. The front side was empty, but turning it around, the Princess noticed an icy emblem that was imprinted at the back. It was a crown. At that moment, the room seemed to spin relentlessly as she understood the context of this symbol. Spion. Arendelle's peaceful kingdom had decided to implement its intelligence unit without any restraints. She remembered in history books the symbol of this shady organization, as if one would only hear of such stories in fables and bedtime stories to scare little children. To see this symbol in the flesh was a real travesty to Princess Anna. Thoughts of hate, lies, and disbelief consumed her at great length, her sentiments devoid at this point from the sheer shock of her sister's schemes. The crown on her head indeed falls heavy over her blatant disregard to respect the people. Now the Sami are forced into this mess as well. And Kristoff..
She remained in the room with total defeat prostrated at her being as distant screams were heard from across the distance. It appeared as if the people of Arendelle had enough of their dissatisfaction as conflicts began to erupt across the Kingdom.