4-Take a Message Back From Me
Elsa stood on the dais in her throne room, watching the enemy Commander approach under guard. For this interview, she had dressed as The Snow Queen, in her glorious ice dress complete with its delicate, icy train. It was for special occasions, and this certainly qualified. Anna was to her right and slightly behind her, wearing a jacketed dress in the Arendelle colors. The green complemented her hair and complexion nicely, and she was wearing her hair up today, as befitted a formal Court.
Elsa was imposing when she held Court in a simple, elegant court dress. When she donned her full on Snow Queen persona, she was downright drop dead magnificent. She glowed. Elsa was a palpable Presence, one that could be felt, like hot August sunshine on your skin, burning in its intensity.
She looked down at the Commander of the invasion force. He wasn't in chains; he had given his parole. His scabbard was empty, though. His sword lay at Elsa's feet in token of his surrender.
"Well, Admiral?" Elsa threw the question at the officer who commanded Arendelle's Navy. He cleared his throat, and began to explain what he had learned from questioning the enemy officer.
"It seems, Your Majesty, that the Duke of Weaseltown..." The prisoner didn't bother correcting the Admiral. Under these circumstances, he wouldn't do or say anything that might provoke the Queen after that spectacular display of her powers yesterday. He still wasn't sure he'd be getting out of this escapade with his head still attached. "...had decided that he needed some recompense for the 'unseemly treatment' he received after your coronation." The Admiral frowned.
"However, apparently his intelligence service is not quite as competent as it could be. The attack was planned for yesterday because the Duke believed Your Majesty would be out of the city, visiting one of the remote farming towns."
Elsa grimaced. "That was plain dumb luck, I think. My schedule changed at the last minute when that storm hit several days ago, and the mayor of the town requested a delay while they got caught up on the harvesting." She glared down at the hapless Weselton Commander. "What else, Admiral?"
"The Duke knew that any attack on a location where you were present would be a disaster. The strength of your magic, and your ability to disarm almost any attacker with it made any such attack futile. Hence the plan to strike while you were gone." The Duke may be venal and greedy, Elsa thought to herself, but he wasn't stupid.
"And what did he hope to accomplish?" Elsa wanted to know what the old weasel thought he could get with such a brazen breach of diplomacy, technically an act of war. Well, not technically. An actual act of war.
"Nothing less than taking this city, and your sister, hostage, and looting us of everything that could be carried off." The Admiral finished.
"He WHAT?!" Elsa didn't scream, but the fury was clear in her voice. "My sister?!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." confirmed the Admiral. "The Duke knew that if he held Princess Anna as hostage, as well as the city, you would be helpless to repel his invading force, and he would be able to loot us with impunity. To give him some due, he intended to return Princess Anna unharmed once his convoy had returned with their treasures to Weselton." The Admiral glanced at the Weselton Commander. "At least, so I am told. Whether he would have gotten greedy, and attempted further blackmail, we can't know."
Fortunately for the Commander, Elsa's magic didn't manifest with a mere look, or the scowl she directed at him would have left a large block of ice in her throne room. With him in it. "Well? Do you have anything to say, Commander?"
He was no coward, or he wouldn't have risen to his present rank. His voice was firm and steady as he answered her. "No, Your Majesty. Except to confirm that my orders were explicit concerning Princess Anna. We were to treat her with all due respect, and my own life was forfeit if harm of any sort should befall her."
"Small comfort that. In a battle, chaos reigns, and no man can foresee who will live and who will die, intended or not." Elsa shot back at him. "If harm had come to my sister, not only would your life have been forfeit, but all the lives under your command. And that of the Duke, no matter how long it took me to hunt him down and exact my vengeance on him!"
Elsa's voice alone could have frozen the fjord just then, no ice magic required. The Commander grimaced at her words. He knew she was right about the chaos of battle. Elsa went on, her demeanor that of someone holding a berserker rage under rigid control.
"Take this message back from me, Commander! I am Elsa, Queen of Arendelle, defender and protector of this realm, and as long as I draw breath, NO ONE will attack this kingdom without suffering dire consequences. I stand between my people and those who would do them harm. Go back and explain what happens to those who would try!"
Elsa then placed her foot on the Commander's sword. It froze, and when she put her weight on it, it shattered into tiny shards. The Commander gulped. That sword had been the finest Damascus steel, worth two years' pay. And she had turned it into metal splinters with a touch.
"I will convey your message back to Weselton, Your Majesty. And I will be sure to convey it with all the conviction I can muster, to insure that the message is understood." He hoped he could muster enough conviction to convince his paymasters. This had been the worst disaster he had ever had the misfortune to be part of. And he never wanted to engage in an operation against Arendelle again.
"Return him to confinement, Admiral." Elsa ordered. "I believe it will take several days to repair their ships so they can sail back to Weselton. They may leak, but that's why ships carry pumps; and improvised masts may make the trip longer than usual, but get them ready to sail as quickly as possible." The Admiral nodded, and Elsa addressed the Weselton officer again.
"Commander! I will allow you to select craftsmen from your crews to aid in this repair effort. You will give their parole that they will make no attempt to escape. Is that clear?" He nodded. "The sooner you are gone and no longer fouling my harbor, the happier I will be!"
She allowed herself one last glare at the Commander. "You are all dismissed! Leave me now." The throne room emptied quickly. Elsa enraged was someone even brave men wanted no part of.
Once everyone was gone and she was alone with Anna, Elsa sat on her throne and put her head in her hands, breathing heavily. Anna went to her, and knelt next to the throne. She looked up at Elsa in concern.
"Are you okay?" Anna wasn't sure how she could be. She herself had been hard pressed to maintain an appearance of outward calm as she listened to the explanation of what had been planned and what Elsa would have done if someone had harmed Anna. Anna didn't lack courage, even if she was a bit overconfident at times, but that didn't mean she was foolish, or lacking an instinct for self preservation.
Even so, she was far more concerned for Elsa's emotional state. A Snow Queen with no restraints on her emotions could do tremendous damage to anyone and everyone around her. They had already had a glimpse of how that would work. No one wanted a repeat performance, particularly one without Anna to save Elsa from a rage without end. Anna resolved that she and Elsa would need to talk about this, and not let it fester.
Elsa took a long, shuddering breath, raised her head from her hands, and looked at Anna. "I'm okay."
Anna nodded. Elsa stood up and reached for her sister's hand.
"Let's get something to eat. I couldn't eat last night, and breakfast was meager." Anna smiled as she took Elsa's hand.
"You don't have to ask me twice to get lunch! Let's go." The two of them went off to the dining room. Elsa hoped she would be able to keep her food down this time.
