The Arendelle Royal Chapel
The day had gone so far without a hitch. No assassinations and no serious interruptions beyond the Captain, well Admiral now. He was supposed to receive his Admiral status that day, but after his drunken rant, it was quickly changed to a private ceremony. The Next time Dieter saw him, the drunken man had already been promoted, as the same Petty Officer sat him down in the back of the chapel.
Unarmed as always, he stood at attention, facing the queen. His thoughts of yesterday had been all but dismissed. After all, magic? Simply insane. He had just been awe-struck, maybe a little sun-stroke. Sure his father said so as well, but his father also believed in trolls and will-o-wisps.
It wasn't a bad post. He was near the back of the chapel, where the sound of the choir seemed to be the best. He stood a listening to the pleasant music, as the final verses ended and the Arch Bishop placed the Golden Tiara of a ruling Queen onto her head as she bowed. She then, gracefully as always, returned to a poised standing stance. Dieter couldn't help but notice Princess Anna wave to someone in the audience, who appeared to be a prince.
That's never a good sign. Who is he?
Developing tunnel vision on a possible… security compromise, Dieter didn't notice the Queen almost grabbing the Regalia with gloves, her hurry to set it down, and he certainly didn't see the ice form on the Regalia during the Bishop's blessing. Then again, neither did anybody else…
…
It was early in the evening, before the Coronation Ball had really kicked off when the Frenchman arrived.
"Ah, you must be Henri Fusilier." Kai met the man, shaking his hand. "Please come with me."
The two walked into the still nearly empty room, where Queen Elsa stood, calmed and poised.
"Mister Fusilier, Queen Elsa of Arendelle."
Much to the shock of everyone in the room, the Frenchman simply uttered with a slight nod, "Mademoiselle." Dieter simply looked to the Guard opposite of him, both nodded in agreement, and both began to make their way to throw him out. No bow, no "My Queen, Majesty, Highness, etc., etc.," Nothing. Nobody treats my Queen like some random woman on the street!
Queen Elsa saw the look in his and his comrade's eyes and calmed them with a slight raise of the hand, a signal to stop. With perfect timing, the Frenchman's assistant came around the corner. A native Arendellian, his job was to explain native customs almost as much as help the photographer out.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness." The blond man said with a quick bow. "Henri doesn't like bowing to royalty."
The Frenchman interjected. "I was a young man during the Revolution, I fought in the armies of a Free France as every monarchy in Europe, including yours, tried to wipe us out. I do not bow to anyone, as I believe all are created equal in god's eyes. That is one principle I will not compromise. So I left France when they put another King on the throne."
"He is like the Americans like that, your Majesty."
"I am American!"
"Of course sir." The assistant began to set up the various equipment. The Photographer, turned to Queen Elsa.
"Mademoiselle, I must warn you about this process. I must create a flash to help create the photo, so try not to look directly at it, instead look at the Camera itself."
"I see, go on Monsieur."
"Well, that's all you need to know, the rest is just Technical details."
"I actually enjoy technical details."
"Magnifique! Where did you wish to start?"
"Well, I have barely heard about what it is called, Photographs? What's special about them?"
The Frenchman chuckled. "See that painting, of the King other there?" He pointed to the picture of her Father, King Agdar. It was a sore point, but she let him continue.
"How long did it take to paint that? Hours a day for weeks to capture that one moment?" He turned to his now set up camera, patting on it. "With this, you stand there for ten seconds."
Anna, who had also been present, while silent and bored, lit up at the idea of not having to stand still for any more family paintings. "And then it's done?"
"Well, Mademoiselle, It'll take several days in the lab before the photo is ready to be seen. But, that's my work, not yours."
Anna's excitement was cut short by her sister asking what she always had to ask: "How does it work?" She sighed, bracing for the long boring explanation, while the Queen perked up, fascinated at the new technology.
"You see, Mademoiselle, First I have to measure and cut an appropriate amount of magnesium to create the flash. When I take the photo, I set off the flash so the picture receives as much light as possible. Second I insert a "wet plate" into the camera. When I open the shutter, light enters through the lens, which is captured by the light sensitive wet plate, which absorbs the image. I then go into a dark room, treat the plate and in a few days I will have a number of images for you."
"I see. Shall we get started?"
"Of course, mademoiselle."
…
Dieter turned to look at the main clock tower, it was eleven at night. He adjusted the slung rifled musket on his shoulder, sighing as he kicked another loose stone. He had been sure to inform his Sergeant of his suspicions of the man, who had turned out to be a "Prince Hans of the Southern Isles", which like many other things, was taken into consideration. He didn't know it, but a pair of Arendelle's Gebirgsjager had been dispatched to shadow the two young love birds, to ensure no-one's… virtue was taken.
Luckily, the two had returned to the castle, ending that headache. He paced over to Nordfjell, who starred off into the empty bay. The Sami broke the silence.
"Kamerat."
Dieter nodded in return. He paused, deciding to take advantage of the greeting.
"Nordfjell, how does a Sami end up in the Arendellian Army, let alone the Queen's Guard?" He asked, wondering what almost every man that had served with him had also thought. The two peoples had historically not gotten along, and that was changing only very recently.
Silence.
Dieter began to turn unsurprised when, for the first time, Nordfjell began to answer.
"I owe the King."
"How?"
"I was just a boy, and it was 21 years ago, the year without a summer." Dieter remembered from his older brother and his father the stories of that year. It wasn't truly a summer-less year, but it was so short that many crops failed. Everyone was hungry, and even the rich had trouble putting food on the table. However, no-one starved in Arendelle thanks to rationing and such.
"It was a bad year for the Sami. Many of the reindeer died, and nobody wanted to buy ice. We were starving. My father and uncle were part of a group that went to petition the King." He paused, lighting a pipe which he stuck in his mouth.
"Past kings had made deals… Starvation rations in exchange for young men to fight in their wars, our land, and our reindeer. Not King Agdar. He personally went north to supervise the food shipments, made sure we got what we needed. He ate what we ate that winter, so did his men. Only pregnant Queen Idun ate like a royal."
I never knew about that. No wonder relations have improved.
"When we asked what he wanted in return, as we knew nothing was for free when it came for lowlanders, he refused. He said that he nobody in his Kingdom starved."
It is a shame such a good King died so young. If Queen Elsa is half the ruler he was, Arendelle is in good hands.
"That year, I decided that when I grew up, I would serve that King. It took me longer than I expected, as I still had a duty to help feed my people, but I did it. Even if it is serving that man's daughter, I owe him a debt- all Sami do."
The conversation was interrupted by Sergeant Raewald walking by. "You kinder don't know cold. You think that was a bad winter? You had 2 months of summer." He coughed, before taking another drag from the pipe. "I was on this wall when your grandfathers were younger than you!" He paused, going from a boast to a more serious, grave voice. "I was there when the Snow Queen reigned."
Both men grew silent, both out of quiet respect but also to avoid scoffing at a mere myth. Decades ago, there was a winter. A bad winter. Kai, Gerda, and the late King and Queen were but children. Some starved, even more died of exposure and pneumonia. There was no summer that year. Anyone who lived through that was a survivor.
But some of the more superstitious of Arendelle's people attributed the brutal winter to a mythical "Snow Queen" or the "Fimbulwinter." Old pagan myths from an era of long ships and Viking raids.
"I don't care what you brats say. I was there, I was on this wall, and I saw it. I saw her." He smiled, ribbing both the younger men with his elbow. "It was my first day, too." He took another drag from the pipe, before quietly continuing down the wall.
The two waited before he was out of earshot before snickering. "Next, he'll try to convince us Baba Yaga is real!" Both laughed for a moment before heading back to their respective sections.
Dieter had begun walking back when he screaming from the main hall. He panicked, unslinging his rifle and shouted for Sergeant Raewald. Nordfjell reached him first.
"Hva er det?"
"I heard screaming from the Ballroom!"
"Are you sure it's serious, it could be-"
The main doors opened, revealing a panicked Queen Elsa, wearing only one glove.
"Someone may be trying attack her!"
The Queen began making her way through the crown, being greeted by oblivious and good natured citizens, which included Dieter's sister Edda. Sergeant Raewald had arrived on the scene, shouting to Guards on the ground to secure the Queen from danger.
Then a miracle happened. Queen Elsa had backed away from some of her subjects, bracing on a fountain.
Which froze.
Holy God…
This was no sun stroke or stage fright. That fountain froze. It was the Sami who asked him first.
"Eriksen, are you seeing this?"
"Yes…"
The door opened, revealing the Duke of Weselton screaming a command to stop her. Dieter snapped out of his amazement to level his rifle at the Duke and his men. For all he knew, he could be trying to kill her. He held his fire, waiting for a sure threat.
The Queen begged the Duke. "Please, just stay away, just stay away!" She was obviously scared, in a defensive posture with her hands raised slightly, as if signaling to stop.
Sounds like a threat to me. Dieter cocked his rifle, lining up a good shot. He didn't have to. In a burst of ethereal magic, an ice bolt shot from her gloveless hand at the Duke and his men, turning the stairs to ice and causing them to slip and fall.
The Duke skid to his feet, the little white haired man pointing and yelling "Monster, MONSTER!" The crowd had begun to recoil from Elsa in terror, unsure what their momentarily ago beloved Queen was capable of. Dieter drew his rifle back, unsure of what to do. He couldn't make sense of what was going on.
Was the Duke Bad? Was the Queen Bad? Were both bad? Were both good? What started this?
While he was still stunned, the Queen made her way through the crowd, to a small gate way. The men stationed there had made their way into the crowd a minute before to secure the Queen, leaving nobody to stop the Queen from escaping. Not that it mattered, it lead to nothing but the Fjord.
Dieter ran down the wall, to get a better position so he could make better sense of whatever was going on. Princess Anna and the Prince Hans from earlier gave chase, with Princess Anna begging Queen Elsa to stop. The terrified Queen backed up to the edge of the water, which froze solid.
Oh shit, she's not trapped!
Realizing her new options, the Queen cautiously set her foot down, testing the limits of her powers. The moment her foot made contact, the water froze. She then began hauling across the water, while Princess Anna slipped on the edge and was stopped by the young Prince.
Thank god, the Queen may walk on water, but that Ice may be thin. Better that the young Princess not risk it. If the Queen wants to be alone, so be it. Let the Gebirgsjager pick her up.
He uncocked the rifle, returning it to the sling on his shoulder. He took one last look at the Fleeing Queen, when he realized that the whole Fjord was freezing, trapping all the ships in the bay. And it began to snow.
His breath already fogging, he muttered a curse. Nordfjell and Raewald joined him, staring in both wonder and horror as the bay turned to ice. Their wool uniforms which was so damned hot this morning, suddenly seem inadequate for the weather. But what chilled them most of all was a simple phrase from their older Sergeant.
"Götter hilft uns, not again…"
Neither of the younger men had to ask what "again" meant.
The Fimbulwinter. The Snow Queen.
…
Bit of notes.
First, I am not a photography expert. I did an hour or two of reading on various early photography, trying to find the "quickest" process while staying in the general era. The process I ended up with was still a decade or so from invention from the generally agreed on 1840 date for Frozen, but I still felt it was close enough. I'm also sure experts on the subject will tell me how I "butchered" the explanation, but as I said, I'm not an expert. I still defend my addition of it as it adds volume to what was an already short chapter, and would have been something a scientific patron queen like Queen Elsa would have requested.
Also, I decided for the sake of plot, Arendelle is a hybrid of Christian and Nordic beliefs, with both pantheons being more or less equally revered. The older people and country folk tend to worship their Nordic Gods, while the younger town folk tend to follow Christian belief. So some may say God, others say Gods. Definitely not historically accurate, but this is also a world with trolls, snow queens, and frozen hearts.
One last bit. I have used both German and Norwegian phrases during the story. There is a reason for this. Historically, during the beginning of the 1800s in Norway, German was the language spoken in Norway, if I remember correctly. As time went on, Norwegian supplemented and replaced German. So, I have decided to use Norwegian for rural and Sami characters and German for the townsfolk. I also reserve the right to switch them about if I don't like a phrase in a language. If this annoys you… well, it's a fanfic about Disney's Frozen, not a treatise on Norwegian language customs of the early 19th century.
Glossary-
Baba Yaga- Nordic mythical witch that lived in the woods. The reason parents gave to children why not to go into the woods. Pretty much if you saw her, you died. Think the Blair Witch on steroids. Known for her house that walked on chicken legs and her flying mortar and pestle.
Fimbulwinter- A mythological 3 years of winter, signaling the beginning of end of the world. Here it is adapted to refer to the 12 month winter only the oldest people in town remember. I like the theory that Frozen is a sequel to Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, so my story assumes that is how it went down. So Kai and Gerda did meet the Snow Queen when they were children, and they were helped out by a young Prince Agdar and Princess Idun, who they decided to serve as they got older.
Götter hilft uns- Gods help us. Sergeant Raewald is one of the men who still reveres the Old Gods.
Kamerat- Norwegian forComrade.
Mademoiselle- French for Miss, refers to a young, unmarried woman. To English speakers it sounds fancy, but would be considered disrespectful to address a monarch as this.
Monsieur- Mister in French. Queen Elsa is likely proficient in a few languages, or at least aware of basic titles.
Hva er det? Norwegian for What it is?