CHAPTER 1
Cpl. Alan Meggette of the United States Marine Corps stood at attention on the docks. He had been specially selected by his commanding officers to serve on the honor guard for the foreign delegation. The President wanted it to be perfect, and so it would be. The blue uniforms practically glowed in the sunlight, as crisp as the formation of the men wearing them. Cpl. Meggette gripped the bottom of his Springfield Model 1842. His palms were sweating with anticipation. Everyone was anxious to see the ship land.
The Presidential carriage had arrived ten minutes ago, and President Polk leaned against it, nervously watching the ship come in. The gangplank lowered, and the ships passengers began to disembark. First were the plethora of diplomats, scurrying like squirrels across the docks into arranged transportation to the embassy. The closer advisors unloaded next, strolling across the quay to the waiting buggies. Finally, the royal family itself disembarked, free after their two week long voyage.
The Marines snapped their muskets to their shoulders and saluted. Cpl. Meggette looked on in awe. The young queen looked absolutely radiant in a white and blue dress. Cpl. Meggette made a concious effort to not stare, as the President approached the royal family.
James wiped his brow a few times. He needed a good impression now. The royal family disembarked from their ship, and he drew a breath. Now or never. He walked down the dock to the family, and faced the young queen.
"Queen Elsa. Welcome to America"
Kristoff gazed out the window at the Potomac River that rushed by him. He had never felt quite comfortable in Arendelle. No matter what Anna assured him, he had always felt out of place in the royal court, amongst the rich and privileged. But this land was different. This was a land where a mans merit, not his birth, would determine his worth in life. No nobility. No kings or queens. Not that he would ever share these views out loud, of course. Elsa had enough problems with her Kingdom crumbling around her. She didn't need dissension from inside the palace, much less inside her family.
The American envoy had been a great surprise, albeit a welcome one. The invitation to stay two weeks in the White House had been a greater, more welcome surprise. Kristoff was no politician, but he knew that Elsa hoped to get an economic lifeline from the United States. He hadn't seen her so happy since the Thaw.
Everything had changed then. The Weselton trade was supposed to be easy to replace. It hadn't been. The destruction of Arendelle's economy abroad had been coupled with the destruction of their domestic agriculture during the flash freeze. People were starving in the streets of the capital. Elsa had been forced to beg for food at exorbitant prices from her neighbors.
Internally, the Kingdom had schismed after the fall. A large amount of the populace, especially in the mountains, still saw Elsa as responsible for the freeze, and viewed Hans as their saviour. It would have come to civil war, had the faction for Hans' kingship ever been able to find him. The Southern Isles refused to give him up. Elsa had been pleased with what she thought were improving relations, until the Southern Isles severed diplomatic contact. After that, whatever popular support she had withered away in he face of the Pope's excommunication for witchcraft and the Weselton armies massing in the mountain passes.
Externally, she hadn't fared much better. The French, British, Prussians and Austrians were all content to let the region sort itself out in a storm of blood and ice.
In light of this, the American invitation had been a gift from God. Elsa had been as giddy as a schoolgirl, and Kristoff couldn't help but feel happy for her.
"Enjoying the view?" Kristoff started. Anna had this otherworldly ability to sneak up on him whenever she chose, it seemed. "It's an impressive city" Anna stood next to him at the window.
"It's bigger than our home."
"It's a bigger country." Kristoff embraced his wife from behind, nuzzling the crook of her neck. The marriage had been the happiest day of his life. How long ago it seemed now.
"Mmmm. That's true. It was nice of President Polk to put us up in his home." Anna turned her head to give her husband a quick kiss.
"I wonder how Sven is doing. I wish we could have brought him."
Anna giggled. "Don't be silly. Elsa has enough attention from the Americans. She doesn't need any more."
This was true. The crowds that greeted the Queen of Ice at the White House were thronging, waiting to see some of the infamous magic. They had been obliged for a few seconds with a cheap snowball trick before the honor guard took the royal family into their quarters.
Kristoff smiled and placed his hand on Anna's belly. The rumor around the palace was that there was a new heir on the way. Naturally, the royal family hadn't confirmed the rumors, but they had been spread by those in the know...
Anna separated from Kristoff and walked to the door. "I'm going to convey our gratitude to the President and Mrs. Polk. Anything you'd like to add?"
"Ask me in a few days."
Kristoff turned back to the window as his wife left the room.
The view of the Potomac in autumn really was splendid
Jack Rothscotter pulled the overcoat to himself as he marched through the biting rain to the President's Arms tavern. He entered the sturdy old establishment with a shiver, and hung his coat at the door, careful to retrieve the Colt-Walker revolver from the side pocket. Placing the sidearm in his pocket, he sidled up to the bar, waiting for Jansen to see him.
Jansen was the elderly bartender of the President's Arms. He had been since before the War of 1812, and seemed as old as the tavern itself. In fact, he had opened the saloon, the name a not-so-subtle play on the classic King's Arms name. Jansen quickly spotted his friend Rothscotter, and slid a beer across the bar.
"Jacky Boy! Your friends have been waitin' for ya! Same place as always."
"Much obliged, Jansen" Jack slapped a 20 dollar bill on the table and ascended the stairs to the back room.
When he entered the room, he saw his motley crew of men. All in all, they were about 15, equal parts revolutionary idealists, common soldiers of fortune, and Arendellian expatriates. They called themselves the Brotherhood of the Crocus, and they had one goal: the toppling of the monarchy in Arendelle, the removal of the House af Arendelle from power, and the establishment of a Republic of Arendelle in the old Kingdom.
Rothscotter himself had founded the group. His family was steeped in the tradition of liberty for all, and he was firmly in the "revolutionary idealist" camp. His grandfather had been a Minuteman in Massachusetts, and had faced the British at Lexington and Concord. His father had grown up on the stories of liberty, and had left the family home in 1808 to fight with Napoleon. Now Jack was ready to cement his name in the annals of Rothscotter history, and he had chosen for his target the most obvious symbol of autocratic monarchical power in Europe: the archaic Kingdom of Arendelle.
For the last year, he had gathered to him a small band of men he could trust. He intended to sail to Arendelle and exploit the regency to create chaos. But he had waited too long, and his ship sailed too early. He missed the coronation, and the power void was filled.
Until the Winter Crisis. It had been just what he needed. The Brotherhood sat on the sidelines in Washington and watched Arendelle freeze for four days, and then burn for four months. And now the prey had been delivered unto him.
"Gentlemen" he smiled. "As you all know, her Royal Highness Queen Elsa has arrived in our city."
Jorn, a burly Arendellian, grunted. "What are we doing about it?"
Alexander, a Russian mercenary, spoke up. "We must exercise caution. Exposing the Brotherhood could be a true setback for our cause throughout Europe."
Edward, a bitter, elderly Welsh republican, snapped back. "What do you care? You get paid no matter what we do!"
The other mercenary in the group, a suave Spaniard named Alonso, attempted to defuse the situation. "Calm yourself, Edward. We are all here together, for one purpose."
Jorn spoke back up. "The old man is right. We may all be here, but you lot only care for the money in it!"
Alexander coolly reached for his pistol. "Would you like to make something of it?"
Before Jorn could respond, Jack stepped in the middle of the brewing confrontation. "Gentlemen. Calm yourselves. What we are going to do will be simple, but will engender a lasting response that will topple the unstable situation in Arendelle to a republican revolution. We will show the people of Arendelle that they are not alone. We will show them they have support from their American brothers."
"Gentlemen, we are going to assassinate the Queen of Arendelle."
Anna snuggled into her husband's sleeping embrace. Times had been hard for the royal family in the past few months, Elsa had been stressed, Kristoff had been confused, and the capital had been in near revolt, but the one thing Anna could count on was being able to bury herself in Kristoff's arms at the end of the day. She closed her eyes to go to sleep.
And there it was again. It sounded like a wounded puppy. Unfortunately, Anna knew exactly what it was. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, put on her nightgown, and left the room. Barefoot, she padded down the hallway until she reached the door at the end of the hall. Another wounded yelp. She sighed, and opened up the door.
The chill wind hit her before she could even close the door. The room was a solid 20 degrees colder than the rest of the White House. She could see her sister laying in a fetal position on the bed. This had been a problem for months. Elsa would have horrific night terrors, and wake up screaming, sweat literally frozen to her skin. No one knew how to stop them, and Anna could only provide whatever emotional support was there to provide.
The red-haired princess sat on the bed and cradled her sister's shivering head in her lap. After ten more minutes, Elsa awoke with another yelp, and broke down in tears. Anna ran her hands through her older sister's hair. "Shhh. Shhh. I'm here. I'm here."
"Anna?" The Queen blinked away her tears and sat up.
"It's alright. You're here with us. What was it this time?"
Elsa hesitated. "We...we were back on the fjord. You were…" Her voice broke as she fought off tears.
"I was frozen?" Anna's voice was gentle. She had plenty of opportunities to learn how to deal with these situations.
"Yes." Her sister's voice was soft. "And...everyone else was there too. All the dignitaries. All the servants. All my subjects. I stood there and they told me about what I had done to them. About how I had destroyed their lives. About how I was a witch, and a curse on Arendelle…" Elsa's voice trembled.
Anna drew her sister into a tight embrace. "It's not real, Elsa. You're not a bad Queen. You're not a bad person, and you're not evil. You're my sister, and you are a great person and a great Queen, and the kindest, warmest person I know."
"Thank you, Anna" Elsa's voice was barely a whisper now, as the room began to warm back up.
"What about Hans?" He had always featured heavily in Elsa's terrors, for obvious reasons.
"He wasn't there. I don't know why not"
"That's good, isn't it?" Anna ran her hand down her sister's braid.
"I suppose" Elsa squeezed out a smile. "Thank you, Anna. I'll see you at breakfast?"
Anna smiled. "You'd better"
By the time the Queen reached the White House dining room, Anna and Kristoff were already dug into a meal of sausage and eggs. Sarah Polk met her on her way into the room with a curtsy.
"How was your night, Your Majesty?"
"It was fine," the queen lied. "And please, call me Elsa."
"That's good to hear Queen Elsa. Your sister and brother-in-law are already at the table."
"So I see. Thank you, Mrs. Polk." Elsa sat down across from Anna.
"So, we thought you might want some space today. Seeing as you'll be negotiating and all…"
"That's kind of you, Anna. What were you thinking of doing?"
"Well...we were going to take a carriage up to Baltimore!"
"Baltimore?" Elsa wracked her brain for information about Baltimore. "Whatever do you want to go there for?"
"We thought it might be nice to see another big city while we were here. And Richmond is so hot, I hear…"
"Well, I'm not going to tell you no. Have fun."
Anna smiled. 'Come on, Kristy. We should get a carriage."
Kristoff rolled his eyes. "You know I hate it when you call me that."
Anna gave him a quick kiss. "I'm sorry, baby. Let's give my sister some space now."
Kristoff nodded and got up. Before he left, he leaned across the table. "Good luck."
Elsa nodded. "Thank you."
She watched her sister and brother-in-law exit the dining room, and sat back. An aide entered the room. "Your Majesty, the President is ready for you in the Oval Office."
Elsa smiled briefly. "I'll be right there."
She composed herself quickly, and walked to the President's office, repeating the words her father had taught her so long ago.
Conceal, don't feel
Conceal, don't feel
Conceal, don't feel
CONCEAL, DON'T FEEL