Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with Frozen or anything else surrounding the franchise. They belong the creative forces behind Disney.
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Aleksander Strand stood at the bow of the Florian's Flight, his eyes focused on the port of Arendelle. From what he could he see, the kingdom seemed to be in good order, in spite of his Uncle the Duke's proclamations to the contrary.
'Perhaps this will not be as difficult I thought it would be,' he thought to himself confidently. 'Not difficult at all.'
He decided it was time to get prepare for the landing. He didn't have much to do before he would treat with the ruler of Arendelle but he wanted to be ready nonetheless.
Aleksander Strand turned at the bow to make his way back down the deck of the ship. Only, his turn didn't go as he had planned. Instead, his right foot stayed in front of his left as he completed his turn, causing him to tumble to the deck below when he attempted to take his first step.
He couldn't be sure if the crew was laughing at him, but he would ignore it. He had learned to ignore that sort of thing over the years.
'Just ignore it and pretend your face doesn't feel like it feel through a row of tree branches,' he told himself mentally as he pulled himself to his feet. 'Just ignore it.'
He waited for his vision to reset itself before he started walking.
"Captain Falk," he said to the ship's leader, "I'll be in my cabin. If it isn't any trouble, could you send someone to tell me that we have arrived?"
"It will be no trouble at all, Lord Strand," Captain Falk said, his lips pursed together, as if trying to suppress a laugh.
"Thank you, Captain," Aleksander Strand said. "Carry on."
As he walked toward his cabin, he could hear the entire crew that had been on deck began to howl in a swell of laughter. Aleksander found himself smiling a little.
"It was a little funny," he told himself, entering his cabin and shutting the door behind him. 'Last time I try to look like I'm sailor.'
He walked over to his desk. Admittedly, he hadn't gotten much use out of it as he had learned that sea travel and trying to read and write was not exactly conducive to a settled stomach. He had spent most of the voyage with his head in a chamber pot. He knew it was the only way to get Arendelle from Weselton, but he didn't have to like sailing.
Making sure he didn't look over the papers, he gathered them quickly and placed them into a bag he had had specially made for such works. His clothes were packed and he was sure that his bad breath had abated as he hadn't vomited in more than two days.
Setting down the bag next to the bed in his cabin, he laid down. He wanted to be well-rested when he met with this Snow Queen. He wasn't sure what he would find in Arendelle, but he wanted to be sure that he wanted to be ready.
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"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Anna asked for what felt like the millionth time.
"I don't know," Elsa replied for what felt like the millionth time. "But, King Florian…"
"The High Chief of Weaseltown?"
Elsa had to hide a smile. While renaming the country had been a mistake on Kai's (well, everyone's) part, nor had it even been her best insult, it was the most appropriate way to tell the Duke off. It so succinct and so perfect where the Duke was concerned.
She continued, "…has sent an emissary to Arendelle and it would a poor choice diplomatically to not meet with him."
"You cut off contact, you think that would clue him in that you didn't want an emissary, or ambassador, or whatever this guy is supposed to be."
"True, but his letter didn't reach us until just a couple of days ago," Elsa said. "That puts us in an awkward situation."
She prayed it was only an awkward situation. That was something she could handle – for the most part. If this was a feint and Florian (and, by extension, the Duke) was sending the fleet into the port of Arendelle with a declaration of war, she was in trouble. Arendelle had no standing army and she was still not confident enough in her powers to protect her country. And, even then, she was only one person.
'No,' she proclaimed, 'it won't come to that. I won't allow.'
"I still don't like it," Anna confessed.
"Neither do I, Anna, neither do I."
"So…" Anna said, breaking the momentary silence between them, "…do you think he looks like his uncle?"
Elsa's head slowly turned toward her sister, an eyebrow raised most un-regally.
"What?" she asked.
"I mean, do you he looks like a weasel or like Hans?"
Elsa smirked mischievously but in ever so slight manner. She couldn't let Anna see that she was plotting something "Anna, I don't think Kristoff would approve of you checking out other men," Elsa countered.
And it worked. Anna looked utterly scandalized and, amazingly, her blush was even visible.
"I am not!" she declared.
"I won't say anything," Elsa replied, the coy smirk turning into a coy smile.
"I am not!"
"Kristoff will never know."
Anna glared at her, but it only made Elsa smile more. Teasing Anna was something she had missed. More importantly, it was something she loved. If love was the thing that controlled her powers, she was going to need Anna and all of the things she loved if she was going to make it through this meeting with the envoy from Weselton without it ending in disaster.
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The ship came to a stop as Aleksander's eyes opened again. How he had he let his uncle talk him into going to Arendelle?
'Right, I wasn't talked into it,' he declared inwardly. 'I was told I was going after I got back from the Colwen Grounds.'
His uncle had a habit of doing that. But, his uncle was the King and Aleksander saw no reason to try and talk him out of him it. There was the whole seasick thing, but he could let that slide as King Florian was not exactly known for his sea travels either. Regardless, he was here with a task and he planned on completing it quickly and efficiently.
"Lord Strand?" a voice called out from the door of his cabin. "You said you wanted to know when you could leave the ship."
Aleksander turned to the cabin boy. "Yes," he replied, taking a hold of his travel bag.
"The gangplank is down and the Queen is waiting for you at the port."
That was odd. Normally, the sitting leader was not just waiting for him when he arrived. The Lady of Colwen Grounds was a notorious recluse and he had worked with her through her son, who served as the go-between. The same could be said of the Lord of the Westernwall. Though he could recall that his uncle, the King, used to meet with foreign dignitaries when they had arrived, so there was a precedence for the event, it was just something he wasn't used to having happen.
Aleksander stepped back out onto the deck, shutting the door behind him. Before he even considered walking even further, he made sure his bags were secure in his hands. The last thing he needed was to drop them in front of the ruler of Arendelle especially since he was arriving without an entourage.
'Let's do this,' he thought as he walked toward the gangplank, ready to make a small mark on history.
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"I was only teasing you, Anna," argued Elsa, only to be met with an uncharacteristically silent Anna. "I used to do that to you all the time."
Anna remained silent.
"Fine," Elsa said, folding her arms. "If you don't want to talk anymore, that's fine."
"What you said wasn't funny," Anna said, contradicting Elsa's command almost immediately.
"How did I know you were going to do that?" Elsa queried.
"Call it payback," Anna said, not looking away from the ship that was making its final docking preparations.
The sisters watched the gangplank finally move from the inside of the vessel and onto the dock. They looked up to see a tall man at the very top of the plank.
"Queen Elsa," he called out. Though his face was obscured by the sunlight, his voice was strong and it carried over the sounds of the ship, "it's a pleasure to be here in Arendelle. My name is Aleksander –"
The man on the gangplank never had a chance to finish his sentence as he seemed to trip on seemingly nothing and went tumbling down the gangplank, his bags flying through the air. Anna was the first to move, racing to the man, who was shaking off what had happened.
"Are you okay?" Anna asked.
"Yes," the man said. He was clearly frazzled by the fall, but he seemed fine. Almost as if he was used to this sort of thing. "I'm fine. A little embarrassed, but I'm quite alright."
He dusted himself off and cleared his throat before turning his attention back to Elsa.
"Your Majesty," he said formally, bowing quickly before extending his hand, "My name is Prince Aleksander of the House of Strand, Councilor of King Florian I on Foreign Affairs, it is a pleasure to meet you at last."
Elsa gave the smallest of polite curtsies and extended her hand as well. "Mr. Strand, it is a pleasure to meet you as well." The two shook hands. "However, I'm afraid that it was a wasted trip."
Mr. Strand did not seem to react at her statement. He merely nodded before he spoke again, "I understand your reticence, Your Majesty. However, I feel that it would rash to make such a decision without hearing Weselton's terms first."
"It's more than just reticence, Mr. Strand, your uncle attempted to have me killed."
"And that has not gone unnoticed," Mr. Strand stated. "In fact, it is one of the terms in the agreement that I drew up my…" He looked down at his hands. "Oh my…"
His voice seemed to shrink when he realized he had dropped both bags he had been carrying. Mr. Strand's eyes quickly darted toward the side of the ship and into the water.
"Oh no," he said.
Elsa suspected he meant to do so under his breath but she heard it quite clearly. He quickly turned to her, a sheepish look on his face.
"If you could be ever so patient," he finally said, racing down the line of the harbor, screaming, "No! No! No!"
Elsa and Anna covered their mouths in concern as Mr. Strand dove toward the end of the harbor, slamming into the ground and grunting in pain when he landed. He pulled himself up, a thick bundle of soaked papers in his hand. He desperately tried to pull the soaked bundle apart to find his putative agreements, the papers tearing as he made a noise that Elsa could only recognize as complete and utter distress.
Mr. Strand stood up and shook his head, as if to compose himself and reclaim his dignity. He walked over to both Elsa and Anna, the former was still watching him carefully while the other seemed thoroughly amused by his plight. (Though doing her best to conceal it).
"I want to apologize for that display," he began. "It was unnecessary and I would not hold it against you if you included that in your report to my uncle, the King." He stopped himself before another thought seemed to cross his mind. "Though, I do see this as a chance for both of our kingdoms to be reconciled. Looking back at the contract I drew up, I feel it a little unfair to Weselton…If it isn't too much to ask, I think we could work on an agreement that is mutually beneficial to both of our countries."
As he rambled, Elsa was not sure how to take this all in. He seemed utterly real but she had to remember how the Duke and Hans had pulled the same ruse and both she and Anna had fallen for it (Her sister more than her, not that she'd ever tell Anna that). This was the Duke's nephew, so, regardless of his supposed authenticity, he would need to be watched.
But who could she trust with such a sensitive matter? Lord Harald had left Arendelle on his own mission. She could ask one of her advisors, but would they let it slip? She was never which one she could trust and which one would be turn wherever the political wind blew. So many choices and so many could go so horribly wrong.
It was moments like this that made her wish she wasn't queen. The world, however, was not made on wishes but on actions.
'I'll do it myself,' she decided as Mr. Strand stumbled forward, almost tripping over his own feet.
"Your Majesty?" he asked. "Are you okay? I hope the weather isn't bothering you." His face contorted as he realized it was close to the winter solstice. "Not that I believe the cold bothers you. But, if it does, we can possibly move this discussion inside?" He took a deep breath. "If that's okay with you, of course. I am your guest, after all."
It took everything Elsa had not to smile at that comment, it reminded her of someone she knew quiet well.
"Captain," Anna called out to the head guard, "can you retrieve the carriage please?"
The guard nodded and waved the carriage over, the driver directing it gently toward Elsa, her sister and the currently tongue-tied diplomat.
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The ride back to the castle gave Anna a chance of her own to size up Mr. Strand…or was it Prince Aleksander…Or was it Lord Strand…No, she remembered Elsa mentioning that his father was still alive…and his father was a prince as well…Maybe it was better to ask.
"So," she said, trying her best to sound casual, "are you called a Prince or a Lord?"
"Anna," Elsa scolded under her breath.
"It's perfectly alright," Mr. Lord Prince Aleksander Strand replied. "It would be easier to refer to me as Prince Aleksander or Mr. Strand. My full title is rather long and," Anna felt his eyes move over her shoulder and rest on Elsa, "I would rather spend the time wasted on that on something more constructive."
Anna turned to Elsa and watched her look away from their guest, lost in a thought most like. She looked back at Mr. Strand.
"So, Mister Strand it is?" she asked.
Sander nodded with a smile, catching himself as he almost tipped out of his seat. Anna knew that feeling and she smiled at him when he took a deep breath after realizing she had caught him. He quickly turned his head to watch the streets of Arendelle, taking in the sights of the shops and homes and all of the places Anna herself had gotten to now in her time outside of the castle walls.
"That shop right there makes some of the best sandwiches in all of Arendelle," she declared, getting Mr. Strand's attention. "That building over there is actually two halves of one business."
This seemed to surprise Mr. Strand. "Really?"
"Yes, it was a bit of a surprise, but I find that surprises can be…for the most, pretty wonderful."
Anna studied the emissary from Weselton and tried to get a feel on him…Oh, that sounded wrong…She tried to get a grasp…Nope that sounded even worse. He seemed friendly enough, maybe even a genuinely nice guy. But, after the incident with Hans, she knew that you couldn't trust someone merely on face value. Granted, you couldn't always know them even after you thought you had gotten to know them. There were still things she was learning about Kristoff and she knew he would never lie to her.
"Surprises can be good," Mr. Strand stated, once again looking over her shoulder and focusing on Elsa.
Anna was starting to wonder if his mother ever taught him it was rude not to look at person if you're talking to them.
"And I hope to surprise you both," he continued. "My uncle, the Duke, has left a bad taste in your mouth, I understand. But, I wish to show you that not all citizens of Weselton as greedy as he is."
"I do not believe that they are," Elsa finally said. "It's the leadership I do not trust. I feel as if I'm beating a dead horse. This trip was a waste of time, Mr. Strand, but I will give you a chance to say your piece. A good Queen always hears both sides."
Mr. Strand nodded. "That is all that King Florian asks. Thank you, Your Majesty."
"You are quite welcome."
Anna watched this exchange, trying her best not to make the tension worse.
"Look, we're finally back to the castle," she declared happily, hoping some of her optimism would ebb out into the two parties before they began to negotiate.
She could not predict what would happen next. But, it was something that should not have surprised her, but completely did.
Mr. Strand, it seemed, wanted to get started straight away.
"While all the ideas are still in my head," he had explained.
Elsa, however, wished that the schedule of the castle not be altered for the sake of a single emissary. Her coronation was one thing but the up until a day ago unknown arrival of an ambassador would not disrupt her carefully-constructed day.
"You'll have to write them down," Elsa declared as she entered the dining room. "You are more than welcome to join us for…"
Anna wondered could've made Elsa stop speaking midsentence and cause her eyes to widen when she herself caught sight of a shadow that had been cast on the wall, a shadow with stick arms that waddled.
"Are you okay, Your Majesty?" Mr. Strand asked, as if caught the change in her expression.
"I'm fine," she said, though Elsa's tone clearly said something else.
Anna was about to move to try and keep Olaf out of the room but she proved to slow for the magical creature as he entered the room.
"Elsa, you said you would –" he called out before spotting Mr. Strand. "Oh, we have a new friend."
Anna was just about to say something when Kristoff stepped into the doorway, stopping her from grabbing Olaf.
"Hi, my name is Olaf and I like warm hugs," the little snowman declared.
Mr. Strand turned around and seemed surprised when he was met by no one…until he looked down.
Mr. Strand's eyes widened as he took a breath and seemed to suck in both of his lips.
"AHH!" he screamed, kicking at Olaf and dislodging his head from his shoulders.
Kristoff caught the head and looked to Anna. "I am getting the strangest feeling of déjà vu."
Anna glared at him before turning her attention to catching Olaf's body before it got too far away.
"Is that how people say 'hi'?" Olaf inquired.
"I think royalty does," Kristoff quipped.
Meanwhile, Anna saw that Mr. Strand had taken a seat.
"What was…what was…?"
"That would be Olaf," Elsa said. "It's very long story."
"If he is a friend of yours, I apologize profusely."
"No need to," Olaf said, head still detached from his body, causing the emissary to jump.
"How does he?" Mr. Strand asked.
"As I said," Elsa stated, "it's a very long story."
"I have time," he said.
"I will try to explain it over dinner."
"If I'm still invited."
"Of course you are."
"Then I will return as soon as possible."
"Gerda," Elsa called out in her most regal of voice. "Show Mr. Strand where he will be staying."
"I will, Your Majesty," the older woman said. "Mr. Strand, if you will follow me."
He was out of the room by the time Anna had wrangled Olaf's body to submission and reunited it with it's head. Olaf had tried to help, he had whistled but considering his part that could hear, that hadn't made much sense.
"Olaf," Elsa said to the now one snowman, "I want to say thank you."
"Okay," he said. "For what?"
"Ever since I received that letter, I have been dreading this meeting. However, thanks to you, I think Mr. Strand will be easier to handle than I had previously thought."
Olaf nodded and looked over at Anna and Kristoff, the former getting a vague idea of what her sister meant while the latter was a little lost.
"Can you two explain what's happening here?" Kristoff asked.
Anna turned to Elsa. "Should I tell him?"
"Of course, Anna," Elsa said, turning around and heading for the kitchen to make the request of the day.
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Lord Harald Erikson's small boat floated through the smooth waters of the aptly-named Stillwater. He had hoped to enter Weselton without any sort of fanfare and, so far, he had succeeded. When one is on a covert mission, one tends to want to keep things on the more sly side. However, he was also trying to meet in secret with a king and a king, in spite of even their own deepest wishes, never travelled alone.
"Lord Erikson," a strong voice called out when he finally reached the harbor that linked up with the castle of Stillwater.
Erikson looked up to see the world-weary face of Sir Sigmund Barstow, the Lord Captain of King Florian's personal bodyguard. The knight held out his hand, bidding the older noble to take it.
"Lord Captain," Erikson replied, nodding to his own guard that everything was safe. A member of King Florian's private guard, particularly the Lord Captain, were loyal to the king and the king alone – even the crazy ones, but that was neither here nor there, "it is good to see you again."
Sir Sigmund helped the older man onto the dock of the harbor and gave a respectful bow. "It is good to see you again, my lord. Though I have to say that I would've expected you to have arrived with a little – What's the word?"
"Fanfare?" Erikson asked. "That was never my style, Sir Sigmund. How is his Majesty?"
"He is well," the knight stated, biding Erikson to follow him. "He looks forward to meeting with you."
The noble saw the two horses at the end of the dock and smirked when he recognized the one that was not cloaked in the arms of the private guard. King Florian had named this horse Fireball. She was bred for both beauty and speed, something that Harald could appreciate. Though it would not take long to reach the castle of Stillwater, a good horse could spell the difference between a covert mission and a blown cover. He preferred the former over the latter.
When they finally did enter the castle, Sir Sigmund enter the private chambers of the king first to tell him of Erikson's arrival. Standard protocol, Erikson knew and he waited for the Lord Captain to give him permission to enter.
"Lord Erikson," Sir Sigmund said, "the King will see you."
Erikson entered the chambers of King Florian.
"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice," Erikson said, the candles in the room creating a dim light. He could not see the old man in the dimness, though he could make out a silhouette in the room.
"Oh, it's not an issue at all, Lord Erikson," the King replied. "I did spring Aleksander on your Elsa quite quickly myself."
"Yes, but I think those two could handle each other," he said.
"I wouldn't have chosen Aleksander if I didn't have faith in him," King Florian said, finally coming into focus. "So, that begs the question, why are you here?"
"To the point as always," Erikson said. "Nice to see some things will never change."
"Oh, they change eventually. When I'm gone, things will be different."
"But, hopefully, that won't be for a very long time."
"We take that time we are given. Have a seat, Lord Erikson."
The two men sat at the table that had the largest candle.
"Again," Florian began, "I ask why you're here?"
"My Queen has sent me on a mission," Erikson confessed. No sense in lying to the man. "A simple mission on paper, but one that perplexes us both. Why did you make the trading pact with Queen Ingrid all those years ago?"
"Harald, have we forgotten our history lessons?" Florian chided good-naturedly.
"I'm aware of the official reason, your Majesty," he said. "I wish to know the real reasons."
Florian's eyes narrowed before he reached for something next to his seat. Erikson saw him place a dead plant on the table between them.
"What do you see?" he asked.
"I see a dead plant," Erikson answered.
"But, is it?" the older man asked before taking the plant in his liver-spotted hands and closing his eyes.
Erikson was stunned to see that they had begun to glow green and the plant sprang to life in the King's hands.
"So, now you know one of the reasons," Florian said, "but would you like the other?"
Erikson firmed his jaw before saying, "Yes. Tell me everything."
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A/N: And that is chapter two. I really hope everyone enjoyed reading. It took some doing as I had a lot I wanted to do with it but wasn't sure how to get there. I want to thank Soulless Warlock (who gave me the opportunity to finish his story) and 100YardDash for helping me with the rough parts. This chapter is for both of you.
I hope you all let me know what you think because I cannot get better without your input. So, until next time, this is T.S. Blake signing off.
