Chapter 4 – Negotiations

And now things get a bit more exciting (I hope) as Weselton calls a meeting to negotiate. Enjoy.

Kristoff battled his way to the coast guard to see if there were any messages from the Weselton fleet. Anna had been all set to come with, but he had convinced her to stay in the same place she had been for nearly a week: at Elsa's bedside.

Elsa's fever had got slightly worse, and no one knew if it was related to the storm she was sustaining or not. She roused herself every day to renew the storm, then flopped back into bed and drifted off in a slightly feverish haze.

The coast guard saw Kristoff coming, and had the door open, letting the Ice Master in.

"How is everyone handling the storm?" Kristoff asked, brushing the snow from his eyes.

"It's been hard getting around, but none of the ships outside the harbour have moved," the coast guard replied. "How is Queen Elsa? She didn't look so well when she came to see me."

"She's alright. Anna's been staying with her. Any news from the ships?" Kristoff asked.

"A message came through this morning." The coast guard retrieved it from his tiny desk. "I was waiting for my messenger boy to return from his last errand. Will this storm really last another week?"

"Depends on what this letter says," Kristoff admitted. "I should get back to the castle. Let me know if you hear anything else."

"Of course." The coast guard tipped his hat, and Kristoff stepped back out into the blizzard.

He trudged back into the castle, decorated as a large snowman, not unlike how he looked the day Anna had met him. The castle staff let him in without question, and he plodded upstairs to find Anna.

She was, of course, in Elsa's room, sitting next to the bed reading a book with her feet propped up on some concealed part of Elsa. Her face broke into a smile when she saw him. "Hey. You're back."

"Got a message," Kristoff dug the letter from his pocket. "How is she?" He nodded to Elsa.

"Her fever broke," Anna sounded relieved. "So, hopefully back on the road to recovery." She opened the letter and skimmed through it. "Oh."

"What?" Kristoff peered at the letter. "Good news or bad?"

"Hard to tell." Anna made a face. "They know it's us making the storm last. They're requested a meeting. To talk." Anna quickly lifted her feet off of Elsa as the queen started to move. "Are you awake? There's a letter here from Weselton."

Elsa blinked a bit, then manoeuvred into a sitting position. The half of her fringe that she had been lying on was sticking up rather interestingly. She rubbed her eyes, then scrubbed a hand through her hair, as though that would help.

It didn't really, it just made more hair stand on end. She sent Kristoff a look. "What are you doing in here?"

"Sorry," Kristoff backed out of the room. "I'll go wait downstairs."

"Don't be mean to my boyfriend," Anna handed the letter to Elsa.

Elsa just sighed, rubbing her eyes with her hand again, then taking the letter. She had to squint a little, since her vision was still unfocused and rather blurry. It took her a while to sift through the double letters and figure out which ones were there and which ones weren't.

"A meeting?"

"Seems like it," Anna said.

"Just with me."

"Yep. Do you think it's safe?"

Elsa handed the letter back to Anna. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because there's a fleet of ships waiting to attack."

"It states quite clearly in the letter that no ships will be moved during the meeting." Elsa yawned. "I should get ready."

"For what?"

"The Head of the Weselton army wants to talk to me," Elsa said slowly, as though Anna was the one struggling to understand basic, everyday things. "We're meeting on their ship. Well, I am. You are staying right here."

"You can't go by yourself," Anna looked aghast. "What if you collapse?"

"I'm feeling much better," Elsa assured her. Now that the fever was gone, all that was left was the storm in her chest, and she had become used to it now. The last week had been rocky and unsettling, with the fluctuations in the weather causing her heart to flutter or pound. But Elsa felt strangely peaceful today. She and the storm were obviously reaching an agreement.

Anna didn't look happy. "So, the first thing you're going to do after being bed for a week and a half is to march across a frozen fjord for a meeting with someone declaring war on your country?"

Elsa fidgeted with her hair. "Yes."

"Oh, come on! That doesn't sound safe!"

"I'll be fine," Elsa said. "I've got this under control." Elsa made a pointed effort to get out of bed alone.

Anna hovered, half of her wanting Elsa to fix this mess with Weselton and return everything to normal, and the other half of her wanting to shove Elsa back onto the bed and yell 'aha! I knew you couldn't get up! Stay put until you feel better!' "Shouldn't you send someone else?"

"They asked for me specifically."

"But can't you just say you're too busy, and send someone else?"

"No." Elsa would never admit it out loud, but she was a bit of a control freak. She didn't want anyone else to go negotiate, because quite frankly she didn't think they'd do the job as well as she would. She was fairly certain this would be a problem later in life.

Elsa closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. As she exhaled, the wind outside died down a bit, and the battering against the castle lessened.

"I really don't like this," Anna said. "You're not well enough to negotiate."

"Anna, the future of our country might be riding on this conversation. So far we've managed to avoid bloodshed in the face of war; I would like that to continue. I understand why you're worried, but the cold isn't going to harm me, and neither will anyone on those ships."

Anna shrugged. "I know, but-"

"See," Elsa smirked. "I'm excellent at negotiating."

It took Anna a second to get it. "Hey! Are you manipulating me?"

"I'm doing my job," Elsa replied calmly. A quick gesture of her hands formed her ice dress around her body. Taking control of the situation was already making her feel better, and the storm outside simmered down a little more.

"If you take longer than an hour, I'm coming after you," Anna warned, following Elsa's path down to the front doors. "Even in the storm."

"I'll slow it down," Elsa said patiently. Truth be told, she was fed up with the storm inside of her, and the thought of doing something to take her mind off it was thrilling. Even if she was negotiating the peace of her country.

Kai was standing in front of the door looking even more displeased than Anna. Kristoff must have tipped him off. "Someone else should be going."

Elsa opened her mouth to reply, but Anna beat her to it.

"She's the Queen," Anna said snidely.

Elsa sent her a slightly exasperated look. "You're correct. I am the Queen."

"And you never let us forget it," Anna rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'm already timing. Your hour starts now."

"Do you want the guards to accompany you to the docks?" Kai asked.

"We're already understaffed due to the weather, there's no need for them to follow me." Elsa glanced at Anna. "Stay safe."

"When have I ever done otherwise?" Anna asked innocently.

Elsa didn't bother replying, but she did raise an eyebrow.

Kai opened the door for her. "Don't do anything stupid."

"What?" Elsa stepped outside, and the storm parted around her, "Like freeze the whole city?"

There was nothing more than a light snow falling as Elsa reached the edge of the harbour. The coast guard pointed to the misty silhouettes of the ships.

"Your Majesty, they've been sitting there for the last week. The message came from the ship in front. Do you want me to accompany you to the ship?"

"No, that's not necessary." Elsa tucked some stray blonde hair behind her ear. "This won't take long."

Elsa conjured a few stairs to take her off the dock onto the surface of the frozen fjord. The ice didn't extend all the way to the ships, but she was confident that she could freeze her own path. She left a series of snowflake shapes on the ice as she walked, her train billowing out behind her.

The ice crackled as it thinned and Elsa could see the ocean water moving beneath. But she stepped forward self-assuredly, and each footfall solidified the water beneath her feet and held her up securely.

Now that the wind had stopped and the snow was falling gently around her, Elsa could see the ship clearly. The sails were down, and there were a few people watching her approach from the deck. The ice reached the ship before Elsa did, and the boarding ramp was dropped over the side.

Elsa waited at the bottom of the board, linking her fingers gently together in front of her.

A large, uniformed man came down to meet her. He hesitated before stepping onto the ice, and kept one hand very firmly on the ramp. He bowed politely. "Queen Elsa. My name is Captain Luka, I'm heading this fleet of ships."

Elsa nodded. "And what are they doing in my harbour?"

"They contain the army of Weselton. I'm sure you received the letter of war from the Duke."

"And I'm sure you spent the last few days wishing I hadn't." Elsa resisted the urge to cross her arms and glare.

Captain Luka gave another small bow. "Please, come aboard. So that we can continue to talk more comfortably." He gestured up the boarding ramp.

Elsa stepped past him, giving him a quick glance to check for weapons. He didn't appear to be carrying any. She felt ice push at the tips of her fingers, but she held it back. The storm in her chest, which had settled and almost vanished, suddenly flared again.

Captain Luka led her to a lavishly furnished room on the ship, and through the window Elsa could see Arendelle. That was comforting. At least she would know if the city spontaneously combusted or something.

She sat down on the couch, keeping her eyes out the window.

Captain Luka sat opposite her. "Would you care for some tea?"

"No, thank you," Elsa answered tightly. "I'm much more interested in this war."

"I'll get right to the point then. We are currently running low on supplies for our troops."

"Oh?" Elsa said innocently. "Why didn't you just go home?"

Captain Luka's expression was not amused, and he deadpanned, "The wind was against us."

"Huh."

"We wanted to discuss an alternative. To war."

"I'm all ears."

From the other side of the Weselton ship, a small group of about twenty men descended onto the ice. They were all heavily armed.

The team leader glanced back at the ship, checking exactly where the window of the cabin faced, and ensuring that his men moving across the ice could not be seen by anyone on the ship. Or, at the very least, anyone on the ship who was not from Weselton.

They moved swiftly, towards the unsuspecting city of Arendelle.

Anna had grown bored waiting for Elsa, and had abandoned her activity of staring blankly out the window in favour of dragging Kristoff up to her bedroom again. ("Now she really won't know; she's not even here!")

They weren't doing anything wrong, or even naughty. Kristoff was trying, unsuccessfully, to teach Anna how to actually use the lute, as an instrument and not a weapon of mass destruction. Anna just wasn't very coordinated, and holding strings down with one hand whilst plucking them with the other appeared to be an intangible skill to her.

"No, no, no!" Kristoff groaned. "Keep that hand still! The other one is moving!"

"Can I turn it around?" Anna rotated the lute, "This hand stays still much easier."

"No! It's meant to be the other way!"

"Why?"

"Because I can't teach you upside down. Turn it the right way."

"You mean the wrong way." Anna plucked at the strings again, and managed to get one finger trapped beneath them. "Woops."

Kristoff let his face fall into his hands. "How can you have never played a lute before? Didn't you say you sent years by yourself? You must have had some hobbies."

"I was talking to people," Anna replied, slightly smugly.

"What people?"

"The ones in the paintings."

There was a strange silence that followed, while Anna extracted her finger, and Kristoff questioned his taste in women. Maybe he just needed a break.

"I'm going to check on Sven."

"Right now?" Anna questioned, raising an eyebrow. Her finger came free with a twang.

"Yeah. We haven't spent much time together since the storm. He's probably a little lonely. And feeling cooped up. He's not usually inside so much."

"Okay," Anna waved a hand dismissively. "Go and play with your reindeer. I'll try to get the hang of this lute thing. If Elsa comes back, let me know."

"Don't hurt yourself."

"How can you hurt someone with a lute?" Anna wondered idly, apparently forgetting that she had concussed a wolf with one.

Sven brayed a greeting when Kristoff entered the royal stables. He pushed at the door, trying to get out.

"Hey, buddy," Kristoff smiled. "I know, you want to go outside. Well, there is a break in the blizzard. Come on, let's get some fresh air." He opened the stable door, and Sven bounded outside, leaving big hoof prints in the snow.

Kristoff sat down, his back against the stable wall, and watched Sven play. The reindeer bounced around, catching falling snowflakes on his tongue and galloping in circles. After a while, he tired, and came to flop down at Kristoff's side. Kristoff watched the sky, the grey clouds still snowing lightly, and rubbed Sven's ears.

The reindeer snuffled, pushing his nose into Kristoff's side and demanding attention. Kristoff leant against him, enjoying the feeling of thick fur against his neck, and the contented sound of Sven's breathing. They stayed like that for a while, until Sven suddenly raised his head and looked towards the harbour.

He snorted uncertainly.

"What's wrong, pal?" Kristoff asked.

Sven lurched to his feet, nearly toppling Kristoff into the snow, and grumbled worriedly.

Kristoff rose to his feet as well. The snow made it hard to see very far, but there were definitely people moving in the distance. That was strange; everyone had been staying safely indoors. Whoever was running towards the castle was certainly moving fast.

Sven snorted, and nudged Kristoff's arm.

"You're right," the ice harvester replied to an unspoken sentence. "Something doesn't seem right about this. Come on, let's check it out."

The Weselton men made it to the docks, undetected in the snowfall. The leader (let's call him Fluggard . . . I don't know why that sprang to mind, but we'll roll with it) looked around to ensure there was no one nearby.

Every one of his men were armed with a cross bow, with another one slung across their backs, swords on their hips, and a few carried spears as well. The team gathered, climbed off the frozen fjord and into Arendelle.

They began moving towards the castle, swiftly and quietly.

The gates were open, and unguarded, and the layer of snow on the ground helped to muffle the sound of foot falls. Fluggard's team were through the gates, and moving directly towards the castle, when something big and solid rammed into his side and knocked him off his feet.

Fluggard rolled away from his attacker, and leapt to his feet easily. The team fanned around him, and the clicking of cross bows being drawn played all around him. Every weapon was immediately trained on Sven, who fixed Fluggard with a glare.

"What's going on here?" Kristoff yelled, finally catching up to his runaway friend.

The answer was non-verbal; one of the Weselton men changed targets, and fired.

The arrow shot into Kristoff's arm, and he dropped to his knees with a very surprised and agonised yell of pain. Sven launched at the man who had fired, roaring his fury at seeing his friend hurt. His sudden movement surprised Fluggard, and the arrow he shot missed Sven and lodged harmlessly into the snow.

The next one did not.

Sven jabbed his antlers into two men, the tines were not sharp enough to pierce flesh, but the force of his charge certainly cracked a few ribs and knocked the wind out of both men. As Sven raised his head, turning on the next person closest to him, Fluggard's arrow sank into the reindeer's hide.

As did the next one, and the next one.

Kristoff, his own pain forgotten, stumbled to his feet. He was aware of someone screaming, "No! No!", and realised that was him.

Sven collapsed onto the ground, bawling, and the snow around him started changing from pristine white to bright red.

The remaining Weselton men continued towards the castle, moving faster now that the noise of a pained reindeer was resounding through the air. Someone was going to hear them, and Fluggard gestured to his men to run faster.

All cross bows were reloaded, and the men advanced on the castle.

Kristoff cradled Sven's head in his arms, aware of the biting pain in his arm, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. "Hang in there, buddy, stay with me. Sven! Sven, open your eyes."

The reindeer groaned and shuddered.

"I've got you, buddy. I've got you. It's alright, I'm here."

The blood was soaking into Kristoff's pants, he could feel the sudden warmth over the chill of snow.

"I'm here, boy. I'm here."

Kristoff barely even noticed his own blood running down his arm, he smoothed the hair on Sven's face tenderly, "Hold on, pal. Someone is coming. Someone will help you. Just stay with me."

Sven's eyes held onto Kirstoff's, and he could see the fear and pain in them. Sven whimpered, pushing his nose hopelessly against Kristoff. He thrashed once, feebly, then settled on his side again, and Kristoff could see the deer's eyes growing heavy.

"No! No, Sven, don't you dare close your eyes! Sven!"

There was the faint sound of a weapon being fired, far away, and then a scream resounded from the castle.

The snow fell softly around them.

What an excellent place to stop! The next chapter is written, just needs to be spell checked, and should be up in a day or so, depending on how much work I have to do. Reviews are much appreciated.

Added note, apparently my paragraph breaks have not been working, hopefully they are now, because you miss some of the drama without them. (I'm kidding. It just makes the story seem a little . . . clumped. Oh well, everyone's a bit of a fixer-upper.)

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