Three and a half years later...
Elsa was looking through letters,requests for trade agreements and the like before hearing a knock at the door. "Come in." She calls out as she picks up another letter and starts scanning it. The door opens and her steward,Kai enters the room with another letter,but this one looked like a simple note.
"I hate to disturb you,your majesty,but this just came in. The gentlemen who brought it said it was for your eyes only and honestly...it was difficult to even get him to agree to that,he was rather insistent on bringing it to you personally." He said as he hands her the note,which makes her put the one she had to the side and take it.
"Thank you,Kai...why don't you go take a break,you've been busier than usual today." She suggests with a light smile. Kai returns the smile and shakes his head. "That's not necessary,but I appreciate your concern." He said respectfully. "Besides,you shouldn't have to deal with this mess by yourself." He smiles a little more,making her smile grow a bit.
"Don't worry about me,I can handle it." She said in a friendly tone. Thank you,though." She smiles as Kai bowed his head. "It's no trouble,your majesty...and if you need anything else,just let me know." He said kindly before leaving the room.
"Of course." She smiles a little before examining the simple looking note as she breaks the seal and opens it:
"Queen Elsa,
I am honored that you have asked me to visit Arendelle and humbly accept. However,I feel I should
tell you that this letter should arrive on the day that we land on your shores as previous complications
in Skyrim have made travel difficult,so me and my bodyguards left as soon as we could while things
were calm enough to actually focus on foreign relations. Our ship should arrive within the week if things go as planned,but
as a precaution,I took the liberty of sending a local adventurer ahead to help keep an eye on things in Arendelle and you have my word
he will use the utmost discretion in doing so. I know how this action may seem,but our enemy here in Skyrim may consider you a threat as well
if they learn of our communications,so I wanted to be careful.
I thank you again for your invitation and look forward to meeting you in person.
Sincerely,Ulfric Stormcloak;High king of Skyrim."
She studied the letter curiously when she got to the end as her mind raced on what was going on that this new dignitary would go through the trouble of sending an agent to keep an eye on Arendelle and request that he do so discreetly. The thought worried her and she figured it'd probably be a good idea to tell the guards to keep an eye out for anything suspicious,but hesitantly put it out of her head considering Ulfric didn't really give her details about what exactly was going on in Skyrim.
"Hmm. I appreciate the courtesy,but I'm not sure if sending an agent was necessary. Then again,I really don't know what's going on in Skyrim,we haven't had much contact with anyone there." She said to herself as she puts the letter to the side.
She decided to get up for a minute and went to her window,her icy blue eyes scanning the courtyard when she got to it,however after the incident with the dragon she was still kind of hesitant about going near it. The guards and staff scurried through the courtyard as they got ready for the foreign dignitaries to arrive and so far,everything seemed to be going smoothly,but Elsa couldn't help feeling like something wasn't right.
That's when she noticed a feminine figure in some outlandish black armor and a hood covering her face moving through the crowds,somehow managing to keep from disturbing the activity in the courtyard when she did. "How is she doing that...wait,who is she,anyway?" She asked herself as she watched the figure slither through the courtyard.
The woman stopped for a moment then turned her attention to Elsa's window which made her nervous,especially when she noticed the fiery orange gems shimmering from under her hood. They just watch each other for a moment,neither of them sure whether one could see the other or not as they tried reluctantly studied each other.
"Queen Elsa?" Kai calls out,making her quickly snap around to face him. "Are you alright?" He asks in a concerned tone as she nods her head a bit. "I thought I saw something..." She said in a kind of quick tone. "Is something wrong?" She asked calmly,making him shake his head a little.
"No,your majesty. The high king of Skyrim has arrived." He said calmly,making her nod a little. "I'll be down in a minute." She said. "Of course." He said with a bow before leaving again while Elsa's curiosity tugs her gaze back to the window then notices that the strange woman was gone.
She scanned the courtyard a little longer before shrugging it off and heading to the door,catching herself looking back every now and then before she actually left the room. Her mind raced as she tried to imagine what the people of Skyrim were like,she had heard it mentioned a few times before,but nobody really told her much about it other than it being a dangerous,harsh environment where it's people would have to be just as harsh to survive not only the bitter weather,but the savage creatures dotting the landscape.
She made her way downstairs and into the throne room where she noticed the three men standing a respectful distance from the throne. "Queen Elsa of Arendelle." Kai announced as she entered the room before the men bow respectfully,making her lightly bow her head in return.
"It's an honor to finally meet you,your majesty. I am Ulfric Stormcloak of Skyrim." The men stood as the man who identified himself as Ulfric addressed her before motioning to the others. "This is my housecarl and second in command,Galmar Stone-fist." He said as he motioned to the man at his right,who basically looked like a walking bear.
And my captain,Ralof." He finished when he motions to the man at his left,who had blonde hair and wore a suit of padded chain mail armor that was adorned with a blue sash. "Pleased to meet you." Elsa says respectfully,offering the men a light smile.
"I trust my letter found it's way to you?" Ulfric asked calmly,making her nod lightly. "Yes and...if you don't mind my asking,what exactly is going on in Skyrim that made you send someone ahead?" She asks curiously. "Heh." Galmar chuckled with a snarl.
"Old enemies that refuse to give up on their quest for domination. I'm not sure if they know of your kingdom,but considering their persistence I thought it best to send him just in case they have spies here." Ulfric answers in a simple tone,making her raise her eyebrow a bit.
"I see...well,I certainly appreciate the courtesy,but are you sure your enemies would be a threat to Arendelle?" She asks calmly. "The Thalmor make it a habit to interrogate their prisoners...if they got a hold of one of our soldiers who may have known of our communications,they could use that information to deal with a current threat and a potential one at the same time." Galmar explained,making Elsa nod a little.
"Fair enough..." She said in a somewhat nervous tone. "Don't worry,we brought a few soldiers just in case they are here...and of course the adventurer we sent to keep an eye out for any spies ain't somebody you want to mess with." Ralof chuckles,making Ulfric nod a bit.
"Hopefully,we won't have to worry about such an attack and come to a mutual agreement." He said calmly before Elsa nods lightly. "Of course. I need to be honest,though,I don't know much about your homeland...is there anything you can tell me?" She says in a calm,curious tone.
"There is much I can tell you about Skyrim,although I can't promise that they'd be much different than anything you may have already heard. Our homeland is indeed a dangerous place,but our people are more than proud to consider themselves her sons and daughters." He says simply before a guard rushes in with a mortified look on his face.
"Your majesty?" The guard said in a hesitant tone,making everyone look towards him. "What's wrong?" She asked quickly before they noticed him shutter then look between them like whatever he saw was about to make him sick.
"You'd...have to see it yourself." He answered in a nauseous tone before looking between everyone. "I hope you have a strong stomach,your majesty." The guard said simply before leading her out of the throne room. "If it's not too bold to ask,queen Elsa,may we accompany you?" Ulfric requested simply,making her nod a little.
"I don't see why not,this maybe something to do with your enemies." She said calmly before the group followed the queasy guard out of the castle. He led them through the courtyard and out to where her parents were buried,not saying a word and keeping his head down the whole time.
When they reach the site,he motioned for them to look between the gravestones which seemed to have a bloodied skeleton propped against an iron spike with it's arms crossing it's chest as it's hands dangled by it's head. There were two torches on each side of the skeleton and judging by the pieces of meat still attached to the bones,the body was still fresh.
Elsa's jaw dropped when she saw the display. "Who would...?" She started,not even being able to finish the sentence before turning to the men of Skyrim. "Did the...?" She starts again before Ralof shakes his head. "They're damned,over-zealous witch-elves,but I've never heard of Thalmor doing anything like this." He said as Ulfric studies the scene for a moment.
"Do things like this happen often,your majesty?" He asks calmly,making her shake her head quickly. "No..." She said simply as she studied the display over and over again until her stomach starts grumbling like she was about to throw up.
"Could be necromancers...but what would they want here?" Galmar suggested,making Ulfric nod lightly. "Maybe the Thalmor hired a few to deal with us...they wouldn't do this themselves because it would sully their political influence,but they're not above sending more...questionable parties to do their dirty work." He said simply,making Elsa shutter at the thought.
"Is there any way to be sure?" She asks hesitantly before Ulfric shrugs lightly. "Not without a more experienced opinion...maybe the man I sent will contact us soon and be able to give us more information." He said,making her nod reluctantly.
"Yeah,I think he'd know more about this than any of us..." Ralof said simply,making her look towards him. "Has he fought necromancers before...?" She asks calmly,making him laugh lightly. "There probably ain't a damn thing he hasn't fought." He answered.
"Well,we'll find out when he reports in." Ulfric said simply,making everyone nod in agreement. "Does he know how to get to the castle?" Elsa asked curiously. "If he doesn't by now,it'd surprise me. However,if he does suspect spies or worse,he may find some...alternative means of telling us what's going on." Ulfric answered,making her think about the woman she saw in the courtyard earlier.
"Then we should head back to Arendelle in case he shows up." She suggests before looking to Ulfric. "Would it be rude of me to ask you to have your soldiers help keep an eye on things?" She asks calmly as he turns to face her then bows.
"Of course,your majesty. I'll give the order when we return to Arendelle." He said simply,making her give him a light nod. "Thank you." She said before they turn around and head back to the city. When they were out of sight,a man wearing dark armor that was adorned with a hooded cloak and mask steps out of the shadows and investigates the scene.
He rubs his chin for a moment as he took in every detail that seemed out of place and would possibly give signs as to who did it. After a few minutes,he pulls out a journal and flips through a few pages before looking between it and the scene in front of him.
"Hmm..." He closes the journal and studies the scene a little closer until he found a round amulet made of jade that was decorated with a carving of a skull. This pretty much confirmed his suspicions and made him motion for somebody to come out.
The young woman Elsa saw in the courtyard steps out of the shadows and approaches him as he writes out a note,using the journal's cover to keep it steady. When she reached him,he folds up the letter and hands it to her.
"Get this to either queen Elsa or high king Ulfric,if you can't,give it to somebody that proves trustworthy enough to deliver it to them." He said in a kind of quick tone before she nods. "Easy enough." She said calmly before she starts turning around to leave then stops for a moment.
"What about you?" She asks in a simple tone before he starts scanning the landscape then looking towards her. "I need to make sure...maybe some of his lackeys have a camp close by that'll have more legitimate information." He said calmly,making her raise eyebrow a bit.
"Then why send the letter if you're not sure?" She asks curiously. "Precaution." He answered simply,making her nod in understanding before they each went their separate ways as the man simply vanished into thin air while the young woman disappears into the forest and makes her way to Arendelle.
A man wearing a black,hooded robe disappears into a small cavern under Arendelle before approaching a figure cloaked in shadows then kneeling as it's fiery purple eyes flicker in the void. "My lord,the high king has arrived..." He said simply.
"Good. Then I assume everything is going according to plan?" The figure asks before it's servant nods. "Yes,my lord. We are ready to act on your orders." He said humbly. "No...I think I shall attend this little affair myself..." The figure said in a sinister tone.
After Kristoff returned from the ice fields and Elsa introduced him and Anna to Ulfric and his men,they settled down in the throne room and exchanged stories about each other's kingdoms,finding each other pretty surprised by the similarities of their culture and environment despite the fact that Skyrim sounded a good bit more dangerous in comparison to Arendelle.
"How exactly does somebody survive things like that?" Anna asked curiously,making Ralof shrug. "Very,very carefully." He answered simply,making the princess laugh lightly. "But,still...giant spiders? Dragons? Werewolves? Vampires and who knows what else?" She continues curiously.
"You get used to it after awhile...hard to get passed the spiders,though..." The stormcloak captain shuttered when he thought about the spiders. "Out of all the other things to be worried about...why spiders?" Kristoff asks in a confused tone.
"Too many eyes..." Ralof answered simply,making most everyone in the room let out a light laugh. "Well,can't blame you there." Kristoff chuckled as Ralof grinned then downs a mug of mead. "Hey,didn't you say there were trolls here?" He asked quickly,making the mountain man nod.
"Yeah,but they're nothing like the trolls in Skyrim." He answered calmly,making the stormcloak laugh. "Lucky you." He said quickly,making Kristoff raise his eyebrow a bit. "I think this guy's been hit in the head a few too many times..." He thought to himself.
"You...said you wished to discuss an agreement?" Elsa asked curiously as she turned her attention to Ulfric. "Indeed,I believe we could both benefit from an alliance between our kingdoms. If we can come to an arrangement." He answers calmly,making her study him for a minute.
"Exactly what kind of agreement were you hoping on?" She asks calmly. "Skyrim is full of resources that you could greatly benefit from,if you're interested anyway." He answers calmly,making her think for a moment before addressing him again.
"And what would you want in return?" She continues. "That's what I was hoping to discuss during our stay,your majesty. If you have anything to offer in exchange,then perhaps we can arrange a trade agreement and if not,with your permission of course,we'll set up a trading station in your harbor and discuss a price...nothing too steep,though,I assure you." He answers simply,making her nod a little.
"That sounds pretty fair...how long do you plan on staying,if you don't mind my asking?" She inquires calmly. "As long as you'll allow us,your majesty." He answered simply,making her and Anna look between each other for a moment.
"Hmm...well,you're welcome to stay here as long as you need to and hopefully,we'll come to an arrangement before you leave." She says calmly,making him nod contently. "As do I,your majesty." He says calmly before they heard the door open as Kai entered the room.
"I'm sorry for interrupting,but someone asked me to bring you this." He said before holding up another letter,making everyone study him curiously for a moment. "Did they say what it was about?" Elsa asks calmly,making Kai shake his head a little.
"No,she just told me it was important...and only meant for your eyes or high king Ulfric's." He answered calmly,confusing everyone a little more. "Okay..." Elsa said before reluctantly taking the letter then opening it. She studied it for a moment until her face went pale before she starts looking around the room with concern.
"Your highness...can I speak to you...alone?" She asks hesitantly,turning her gaze to Ulfric as he nods then stands to follow her into the corridors. "Is something wrong?" He asked when he noticed the urgent look in her eyes before she hands him the letter.
"I think your agent just reported in..." She said quickly,making him raise his eyebrow before scanning the letter,a grim look formed on his face when he did:
"The king of worms is active in Arendelle..."
"This is worse than I thought..." Ulfric muttered to himself as they each studied the letter...
Yeah,I know,could have been a better cliffhanger and probably could have been a more interesting chapter,
but sometimes,that's the slow shit for ya...Lol
Anyway,here's the "official" first chapter,hope y'all like it either way.