The Fantasia Coalition
Chapter 2: The Offer
"The what?" Elsa questioned, a look of exasperation plastered to her face.
"The Fantasia Coalition" Hans repeated. "A coalition being a collection of people, groups, or countries that have joined together for a common purpose. We're here to help society", Hans retorted with a snort
"I'm not stupid, I know what a coalition is. But what is this Fantasia Coalition?
"Well, I mean, technically, you would be an agent of the Princess division." Hans muttered dismissively, rolling over her last question.
"Whichever idiot thought that was a good name really has it coming." Elsa grumbled to herself, shifting from side to side, unusually impatient due to the stranger sitting calmly in her living, room drinking her tea. It could have been worse. He could have found her hot chocolate stash.
"P.R.I.N.C.E.S.S. stands for Peace Reorganization Initiative for Negating Crises and Evaluating Successive Struggles." Hans continued coolly, choosing to ignore Elsa's lamentations. "Each Princess is paired with a member of the Prince Division, or Power Regulation and Information Networking Committee for Enhancement."
Elsa just stared at Hans, eyebrow raised, with a look of disbelief plastered across her elegant features.
"We're your tech guys, informants, and eyes in the skies." He smirked. "As I said, each Princess is partnered with a Prince, and the powers that be chose me for the oh-so-lovely Ice Queen." His slender lips broadened into a coy smile.
"As much as I would love to take you up on your offer," Elsa responded coldly, "I can't leave Arendelle defenseless. If you are supposed to be my Alfred, you should know that the Arendelle City Police Department is rife with corruption, and crime has been through the roof these past couple of months..."
Hans stood up purposefully, wiping the crumbs from his lap and daintily dabbing his mouth dry.
"Oh, you wouldn't be leaving Arendelle, per se. The Fantasia Coalition simply brings the brightest minds and strongest heroes together for incidents that require more than one person of unique talents. You will still be able to return to Arendelle when you aren't needed for missions of greater importance."
Greater importance, my ass.
"Okay fine, so who else is in this special club?"
"Like I've said, we have the best and the brightest. There's Cinderella from New York City, Mambo from New Orleans, and The Dragon from bright and shiny San Francisco."
The Ice Queen went slack-jawed. These are the greats. She had only joined the superhero game two-and-a-half years ago and still considered herself a noob. Mambo might have been on the scene only a bit longer than Elsa had, but she had already made a name for herself by saving the senator's daughter from the Shadow Man. The Dragon was the mysterious she-devil of the golden city. She didn't seem to have any powers, though, it was not as if she needed them. Her swords were enough to strike fear into even the most hardened criminal. As for Cinderella, she had been in the game for as long as Elsa could remember. She had the unique ability to maintain an aura of grace and beauty even while smashing a crystalline fist into a thug's face.
"Why do you want me, then? I can't compare to these guys!" Elsa blurted out, confused and awed.
"We've been watching you for quite some time now and we believe that your powers may surpass those held by some of the other Princesses. Yes, your lack of experience may be an issue, but we will deal with that once you are in the field."
"I'll- I'll consider it, okay? This is kind of a big decision. I just need some time, alright?"
"That would be perfectly acceptable, Ms. Kristensen. Call me within 24 hours. That should be more than enough time to make a decision. I look forward to hearing from you, and hopefully working with you in the near future."
With that, Hans gave a small bow and smoothly exited the apartment, shortly followed by the sudden sound of a car engine revving and roaring off into the distance. Elsa stood there in shock, not knowing what to think, what to do, not even knowing what had happened in these past 15 minutes.
Anna.
Anna had been sitting there the entire time, tissue box clenched in hand, knees to her chest, silent. She has always been here for me. Elsa slowly shuffled up to Anna's chair.
"Anna, I-"
"When?" the red haired sister interrupted,
"I'm sorr-"
"When were you thinking of telling me? How could you keep something like this from me?"
Ever since their parents' deaths three-and-a-half years ago, Anna had been the one who supported Elsa through her depression, anxiety, and need to withdraw from the world. Anna was always there to lend an open shoulder to cry on, even when she felt like she was drowning or becoming a true ice queen. It hurt her so much to see Anna, of all people, like this.
"I-I just couldn't handle it if you got hurt. After mom and dad... If I told you who I was... What I could do... They could find you and they could hurt you." Elsa choked out, the words catching in her throat.
Anna stood up to face Elsa.
"You selfish bitch." She spat.
Elsa reeled from the raw, stinging numbness left by the slap across her cheek and the internal pain of being called that, by her sister.
"You don't think I know that? That doesn't mean you have to hide it from everyone! I read comic books, for God's sake. I mean, even Batman tells some people his secret identity, and he's Batman!" Anna exclaimed, flailing her hands about like a madwoman.
"But I'm not Batman, I'm not some comic character who can magically make people forget who she really is if they find out," Elsa explained, obviously irritated by her sister's ignorance. "People die out there, in the real world, and the only people who actually stay dead in the comics are Batman's parents!"
"I just want to be here for you!" her sister cried out. "You always come home with bumps and cuts, and- and eventually your excuses became so ludicrous, I decided to stop questioning you! Elsa, I just want to make sure you are safe, that you are alright. Is that too much to ask?"
"No Anna, it isn't." Elsa sighed, brushing a stray hair out of her face. "I'm sorry. I was just so terrified of my powers and after mom and dad died, I wanted to avenge them so badly. I wanted to go and find the drunk bastard who killed them and freeze his heart. But I didn't. I couldn't. It's not what they would have wanted, nor was it what I wanted my own baby sister to think of me as. A murderer."
Anna wiped the tears from her eyes and embraced Elsa. Both sisters shook heavily from the strain of raw emotion.
"Elsa I could never see you as a murderer or a monster. You are an amazing person and I love you. You know that? Sure, I'm pissed that you hid your powers from me, that you go risk your life every night, and that you kick butt while doing it..."
Both girls giggled at this, the sisters' eyes slowly meeting.
"But I could never hate you. Call Hans, accept the offer, go fight crime, join the Justice League , and know I'll be here, cheering you on every step of the way."
"Anna, I couldn't do this without you. You are my rock. You always have been!"
Crap, do I always sound this lame?
"I'm going to call Hans, but I'm only going to accept on one condition."
Elsa paced around the indigo rug of the living room, whipping her head about to shoot glares towards the paintings adorning the walls or to give a quick glace to the yellow corded telephone on the coffee table in the center of the room. With a few mumbles to herself, she dialed the number, bracing the phone on her shoulder like one would do with a child. With a few quick rings, Elsa was greeted by a familiar composed voice.
"Ah, Ms. Kristensen—May I call you Elsa?—I didn't expect to hear back from you so soon."
"I want to join. The coalition, that is. But only under one condition."
"And that would be…? If money is an issue we have many generous donors who would be more than happy – "
"No, no, money's not an issue," Elsa interjected, "You met my sister Anna, right? If I'm going to join, she has to come with me. And be protected."
A very heavy sigh came from the other end of the line.
"Yes, of course. We can make accommodations for the family and loved ones of agents. She can stay with us under 24/7 protection, better than the Pentagon and Fort Knox combined." Hans' voice sounded annoyed, but resigned.
"Thank you, Hans. That means the world to us."
"Well, now that this is all settled and done, can I expect you at headquarters in one week?"
"Yes, of course, I'll just have to make sure everything's in order before I leave."
"Thank you Elsa. You will not regret this decision."
The phone clicked off.
Elsa turned to Anna, who had been patiently waiting in the dining room next door.
"Well, guess who just joined the Justice League?"
[CASE FILE: Hans Southerland]
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Designation Number: 034.
City: Southern Isles, Alaska
Partner: Elsa Kristensen-035 [Ice Queen]
Skills: Hans Southerland graduated Princeton Class of 2011 a Political Science Major with a Minor in a Communications. Since then, Hans achieved a Silver Medal in Fencing at the 2012 Corona Summer Olympics. He is a skilled military tactician and has also been proven to be a very effective diplomat. Hans is fully versed in field medical procedure and can provide more than adequate treatment until professional help arrives.
Author's Note:
Hello! So I'm quite happy over all the favorites and follows from last chapter. Thank you very much. Also I'm not too keen on the Case File addition at the end of each chapter, what do you guys think? Next chapter Elsa and the gang will finally head to the Coalition HQ and meet some other heroes. I appreciate any feedback, ideas, or comments! Next chapter, The Palace!