A/N: Welcome to another chapter, guys. Thanks so much to everyone who has faved, followed and reviewed; I'm so grateful that you took the time to do so. It's such an awesome feeling when I see that someone has faved, followed or reviewed because it means someone likes what I'm writing and that's the best feeling.

Thanks to everyone including: ForeverTwatDarius, PacingThePewsInAChurchCorridor(love the name btw), Thatfrozenguy, Ice Wraith, AU Over Canon(even if your review was a little strange), KyoTheCatLover, Guest, enochpowell, CasualCactus Thatfrozennerd (I don't know if you're the same person as Thatfrozenguy, so I'm thanking you separately), Alkus, Cassie-the-Librarian, Evbro55, Jojowolf28, Milvetta, SilverWolfGirl5, entropia86, kuroneko200, theSadOldOne, tamakaru2, Winter Garnet, Taiteilijan, SuperNova co, SmilingStarcat and ImpVarjack61.

I don't own Frozen; if I did I would be rich and not stressing my arse off at uni.

*{-} Red For the Drink That's Mixed With Suicide {-}*

Over the next few days, Elsa continuously found Anna at her bedroom door – at her study door – at the dining table – in the library, protesting the entire thing.

That evening as they arrived home, Elsa was subjected to the first of many arguments.

"This is insane! You can't seriously be considering this?" Anna yelled, expression incredulous.

"What else can I do, Anna?" She replied coolly with a raised brow. Elsa held out her hands to show that she was open to any suggestions. Seeing the frustration in her sister's face at the entire situation, she wondered if that was the way she looked.

"But- "

"- No buts. My decision is final. If there is anything I can do to ensure your happiness, then it will be done." Elsa said tone implying it was absolutely not up for discussion.

Had she been in any other mood, Anna might have laughed at the opening of Elsa's rebuttal. But, being the stubborn and rather annoyed little thing she was, she continued to argue. Day after day, she argued and argued.

Elsa was not to be swayed though. She knew – from the very moment the old troll had said it – that she would go through with this plan. It seemed the only way they might all – Anna, Kristoff, herself and her kingdom, that is – would be able to go forward and still be somewhat happy with their lives.

So, the next day, when Anna made yet another attempt at convincing her to drop the idea, Elsa was still convinced that this was the right thing to do. Anna kept trying but Elsa knew that this was what she wanted to do; she would do anything for Anna – anything to ensure her a happy ending to the nightmare that had been their lives before the coronation.

Anna was adamant as ever that Elsa was doing the wrong thing – giving up her own happiness for the sake of Anna's – and the princess was having none of it.

"I won't have you sacrificing your own happiness for me." Anna said angrily, having tracked her evasive sister the library. Elsa met her eyes sadly.

"I won't be sacrificing anything though, will I? I have nothing to fight for but your happiness."

Even a week later, Anna was just as tenacious as she had been on the day they discovered the unorthodox solution. And that morning, she was being particularly persistent.

She had taken to using some non-existent, future lover of Elsa's in order to convince her not to make such a hasty decision, as though the false promise of some future man would sway her.

"So, you aren't in love right now, but what if the right guy is just around the corner?"

"He isn't." Elsa said flatly. Anna could only frown.

"You don't know that. I'm sure the right guy is out there for you, Elsa."

Oh, Elsa did know. There was no man out there for her and – even if there were – he wouldn't be passing by anytime soon. That, she was certain of.

"Being with a prince for the sake of propriety would bring me no joy. You know, I would give the world for you to be happy, as you would for me." Elsa said, meeting displeased teal eyes once more. "You know, I wouldn't be happy if you were miserable, so why don't we explore this option as it seems to be the only way at least one of us can be content?" She added forlornly, taking Anna's hand in hers. She brushed her thumb over her knuckles, adamant that this was the only way.

A sorrowful smile graced the princess's lips. Her eyes softened though they showed remnants of reluctance as she pulled Elsa into her arms. The queen had seen the urge to argue in her eyes and she had seen the expression she so often caught in the mirror – guilt and defeat.

A long week it had been. Both queen and princess had argued their case and, no matter how much Anna protested, Elsa was queen, and her decision was final. She would ensure that Anna could marry Kristoff if it was the last thing she did.

"Your Majesty, surely you are joking?" Eriksson asked, brow cocked. She stared back at him with a stolid expression, quite the opposite of joking.

"No, Master Eriksson, I am not." Elsa replied, her stoic countenance unchanging. The councillors glanced sceptically at one another; they were all wondering what had possessed her Majesty to propose such an absurd thing.

"Ma'am, you claim these... magical beings may grant you a child if another woman would be willing to act as a surrogate mother, but why does that make a marriage necessary?" Brekke questioned.

"The child must be legitimate or else they cannot ascend to the throne; this would render the whole purpose of my having a child pointless, yes?"

"Yes, but, your Majesty... do you really believe this to be the wisest choice? It is certainly rather unorthodox and, whilst homosexuality is not entirely unheard of, such a choice may not be received in the best way." Elsa's brow twitched at the implications of Brekke's words, her cheeks flushing rose red.

"Are you implying that I desire such a relationship?"

"No, no of course not, ma'am. I was merely observing that it would certainly seem that way to others when the easier option would just be to marry Princess Anna to a prince."

"You forget that that is not an option; Anna will marry whomever she pleases. I will not have her forced into an unnecessary marriage when I now have the means to provide an heir without sacrificing her freedom." Elsa said in a warning tone, hostility on the tip of her tongue.

"So, you aren't the least bit concerned about the repercussions of such a proposal?" Eriksson asked, nose twitching as he tried to prevent his spectacles from falling down the bridge of his nose once more. Elsa met his eye – blue on blue.

"No. There is no law preventing succession as there is with morganatic marriage. I don't see why not. This way everyone wins; Arendelle has an heir, the princess can be happy, and we have formed an alliance with another kingdom." Elsa answered, seeming rather satisfied with the arguments she had provided in support of her case.

A hush fell over the courtroom; both nervous and indecisive glances were exchanged amongst the councillors.

"You are aware that this may lead to trouble with the people, ma'am? Arendelle has never known such a thing to occur in the royal family and I believe it might cause quite a bit of unrest. And, considering the trouble we are already experiencing with those violent protesters, I would remind you to proceed cautiously," Brekke concluded, meeting her monarch's eyes with concern in her dark orbs.

Elsa felt it in her words and in her stare. But she just could not bring herself to consider it to be of higher importance than Anna's contentment.

"It will make no difference to the people and if they stir appropriate actions may be taken to quell their concerns. I will do everything I can to ensure Anna's happiness-"

"- Even put your kingdom at risk?" General Nilsen asked, cutting in with his brash baritone voice.

Elsa bristled at the interruption but had to remind herself to stay calm if she wanted them to believe she was completely in control of this situation. That meant attempting to quell the prickling of frost at her fingertips.

"I will readily protect my kingdom, should the need arise, but that does not necessarily mean it will. Arendelle has been a peaceful kingdom for decades and others have left us alone over the years. I see no reason why this proposal should change anything."

"Because it will cause outrage – scandal! People will talk, and you know it." He retorted. Elsa nodded thoughtfully if only to make him believe she was considering his words. "Talk leads to rumours and rumours to fear. Fear leads to war."

"Indeed, they will talk. They talked when my mother and father passed, when my magic was revealed, when it was rumoured that the princess was courting a common man. Nothing was done because the other kingdoms are not as brash as you would like to believe; they know the consequences of starting a war with us. They know what I can do. They fear that they will not be able to beat it and so, they keep to themselves."

"You are so confident in your abilities?" Nilson's brow raised questioningly with the beginnings of what seemed like a patronising smirk forming on his lips. Elsa knew he had been in his position a long time and she knew that he had doubted her as a ruler but, until now, he had never voiced his concerns.

"General, I will not tempt fate by claiming I could ruin an army of thousands but, should it ever be necessary, I would defend my kingdom to my dying breath."

He bowed his head, the crown of his head barely covered by thinning, grey-auburn hair.

"I can only hope you're right." Came his quiet reply. "And that this doesn't come back to bite us."

"Though, I can't help but wonder when you will start putting Arendelle first" He added simply, cocking his head slightly. Elsa raised a questioning brow. "Only, it seems that – at this moment – you aren't."

"Arendelle will always come first – how dare you suggest she does not." Elsa growled.

"Surely not; from where I stand, it seems Princess Anna comes first. And always will." He looked to Halvørsen for support, knowing that he – as the captain of the guard – would understand the danger this proposal could bring to Arendelle. Halvørsen would not meet his gaze.

Elsa's features hardened in annoyance.

"Arendelle benefits from this as much as she does." She replied flatly.

"There is a far greater risk. We don't know how the people or other Kingdoms will react."

"If they will react. And, if they do, I shall deal with it." Elsa said harshly, finality in her voice.

Nilson made to argue but Elsa cut him off.

"My decision is final, general." Elsa believed that, in the unlikely event that the troll's method failed, Anna and Kristoff would already be wed and so none of these matters could be further disputed; their children would have to be accepted as they would be the only children in House Árnadalr and therefore the closest eligible heirs to her throne in terms of blood.

That afternoon, a proposal was sent to the Kingdom of Venetia proposing the joining of their two kingdoms through the partnership of Arendelle's queen and Venetia's princess.

The terms of the proposal were generous. Venetia would have unlimited access to Arendelle's ice market and would receive 14% of Arendelle's annual timber supply.

Venetia had been agreed upon as Halvørsen claimed to have heard that the Italian princess had disgraced her family years ago and that her father was now eager to wed her before her biological clock expired.

Elsa had been hesitant at first to take advantage of such a situation but had decided – if that was her only option – then so be it. Despite the feeling of guilt that settled in the pit of her stomach, she knew it was in Arendelle's best interest and her guilt would increase tenfold if she were to force Anna to marry a prince instead. She simply could not allow her sister to compensate for her own misgivings.

It just so happened that the queen also received a letter that afternoon. One of quite different nature, but altogether just as depressing.

She had to read it twice to really make sense of the words on the parchment. A frown settled on her face. Such a shame.

The King of Dubois had committed suicide not a few days before.

Elsa hadn't known the Frenchman well, but he had visited Arendelle once or twice in the past year and she had found him to be pleasant enough.

She remembered that he was a tall man – towering her by at least a foot – and that he had been ruling France for many years. He had been ruling since long before her birth, even.

Elsa remembered being in awe of the confidence he exuded and wished that she would one day be so sure of herself as he was. So firm in her position and confident in her station, that the opinions of others would not bring her down. She had always wanted to ask him how he found it within himself to be so indifferent to the opinions of others.

But, with his daughter Princess Charlotte soon to be taking his place as ruler of Dubois, it seemed she would never get the chance.

Elsa knew the princess, not personally of course, but he knew she was older than herself by almost ten years. She was also very beautiful and had quite the reputation as a "free" woman with rather loose morals – amongst other things.

Despite her rather shallow knowledge of the soon-to-be Queen of Dubois, Elsa would never have pegged her as a murderer. So, when rumours arose that the princess' spite and greed were the cause of his death, she found herself rather sceptical.

Surely one would not poison their own father, would they? Apart from everything else, what about the suicide note that was discovered beside his body written exactly in his hand?

A/N: So, that's one more down and goodness only knows how many more to go until I decide that I'm done.

Any predictions on what Charlotte might bring to the table/what kind of character she'll be and how she could rev up the drama...?

And yes, I just stole Dubois from A Streetcar Named Desire because I read it in English Lit and thought poor old Blanche deserved a shout-out. That girl was done dirty by everyone. 'Nuff said.

The Princess of Venetia will be making an appearance either in the next chapter or the one after that, depending on how my sleepless brain decides to write it. I think you're gonna like her... eventually...

Finally, massive thanks to my beta reader JustNeedToReview; you've helped me so much and I'm extremely grateful!

Fave, follow and review; I'm so happy when I see new reviews, faves or follows in my inbox!

- Fly :P