MD3: Cross Purposes Chapter 6: Discovered, a frozen fanfic

Cross Purposes

by Concolor44

. . .

Author's Note:

Just wanted to reiterate that the chapters are short because I'm playing catch-up and want to get back to the current action as soon as possible. Also, I can post a lot more frequently this way.

Chapter Five: Discovered

. . .

Elsa's Study – Saturday 27 November 1841, 11:10am

The Queen sat bolt upright in her chair and sent a frantic message to Carlos. [[ Come quick! No, wait … you can listen from there. ]]

[[ Listen to what? ]]

[[ Shh! Listen! ]] She brought his mind into hers, and tuned him to the frequency she used for the spy-bird she had placed in the Austrian Embassy.

It had been there for four days, and until this moment had done them no good whatsoever. She'd quickly determined that she would need to hear through her creation in addition to seeing through its eyes, since it had to stay out of sight most of the time. It hadn't taken much experimentation to figure out how that might be accomplished. Sadly, all Elsa had caught were a few boring conversations about how cold it was (which was true), the Countess's complaints about the lack of decent food (to which she took exception), and how there were people and places they missed while being stuck in the frozen, backward north. All predictable, mundane, and distressingly normal.

Carlos concentrated on the two speakers, who were conversing in French.[[ You'd think if they were supposed to be Austrian, they would be speaking Austrian. ]]

[[ Just listen. ]]

"Haven't you heard anything at all from Thiers?"

[[ That's the fake Countess. ]]

[[ I know. ]]

[[ Who's Thiers? ]]

[[ Could be the French Prime Minister? His name is Thiers. ]]

[[ Can you fly the bird around so it can see into that room? ]]

[[ I could, but I don't think I should. Can't risk having them spot it. ]]

"Don't you think that if I had, I would have
told you? No, I haven't heard anything!
It's only been ten days since I sent the letter.
He may have only just received it Thursday or Friday."

"The ball takes place in a week!
I need to know that he approves of our plan!"

[[ Plan? I'll show that rancid hag a plan! ]]

[[ Not just yet, dear. ]]

There was a short pause, and an audible intake of breath.
"My dear Maria Cristina … he told us before we left
that we were to use all available tactics.
Do you imagine he would have changed his mind?"

[[ Maria Cristina?! By the Saints! That's where I've seen her before! She's the deposed Regent. ]]

[[ That does explain quite a bit. But why are they pretending to be … wait … ]]

[[ They're pretending to be from Austria so that you won't take revenge on France. I'd bet a stack of gold as tall as you are that's their plan. ]]

[[ Very well. Revenge for what? ]]

[[ Still working on that one. ]]

"Maybe," countered the imposter, "
and maybe not. I'd like something in writing."

"… Surely you aren't getting cold feet!"

"Absolutely not! We will succeed, regardless.
But I want to know I don't have to
watch for a knife in my back."

"Seriously? You're worried about a double-cross?"

"You came to me. Remember?"

There were sounds of heavy boots stomping off.

"Cardin! Don't turn your back on me!"

The stomping got fainter.

"Come back here!"

Lighter steps followed and faded out.

[[ So. Now we know France is involved. Thiers is the one who wields the true power of the state. Louis Philippe may be the king, but he doesn't involve himself in the running of France. Or much of anything else that doesn't involve his women or his parties. ]]

[[ Naismith may have been more of a prophet than he knew. ]]

[[ Huh? ]]

[[ With his talk about us raining destruction on Paris from above. If the French think they can threaten you like- ]]

[[ No. ]]

[[ But, Elsa! ]]

[[ No. I'll not destroy a sovereign kingdom that hasn't attacked Arendelle. I've said before that I will not be used as some indomitable weapon of conquest, and I meant it. ]]

[[ Preserving your life is hardly conquest! ]]

[[ If they come here and make trouble, I'll deal with them, just as I dealt with Hans's pirate rabble. But I'm not going to bring down any sort of Doom on another nation. ]]

[[ … Fine. You stay here. I'll go handle it. ]]

[[ Carlos! ]]

[[ What? They don't know me, or what I can do. I'll be subtle about it, work only at night. Certain of the people in charge will be gone when the servants come to wake them for breakfast. That's all. No one will be the wiser. ]]

[[ Carlos, no! You can't! It's wrong! ]]

[[ Trying to kill you … is wrong. What I am proposing is justice. ]]

He could feel it when Elsa rubbed at her eyes. [[ I really don't want to discuss this right now. ]]

Deciding that temperance would work better than opposition, Carlos Sent, [[ Okay. We'll wait and see what they're up to. But, Elsa, please know that I will brook no threat to your person or mind, and will take whatever actions are necessary to prevent it. ]]

[[ … I understand. ]] Since she felt the same way about him, she could hardly argue the point.

. . .

Elsa's Study – Friday 03 December 1841, 10:00am

The light, familiar knock on her door drew Elsa's attention, and she smiled as she glanced up. "Anna. Come in, come in. You know you don't have to knock when the door is open."

"You looked like you were concentrating on that letter pretty hard. I didn't want to startle you and make you mess it up."

"Kind of you." She noticed an envelope in her sister's hand. "What's that you've got?"

Anna flicked the message against her palm. "You recall when the Austrians first got here how you couldn't find the Countess in the Registry?"

"Ah! Yes. You were going to write away for a new copy, since ours was almost as old as you are. Did it come?"

"It's on the way. But I also asked the archivist in Amsterdam to look her up, if he could."

"And did he?"

For an answer, Anna simply handed the envelope to Elsa.

Quickly she opened the letter and studied it, shortly giving a small chuckle. "Dead. Why does that not surprise me?"

"Exactly. The Dowager Countess Brustella of Savoy died in childbirth twenty-eight years ago."

"So … why would Maria Cristina have chosen her? Surely she knew someone would check her story."

"Maybe she doesn't pay much attention to detail," said Anna with a careless shrug. "We still don't know why she's going through this elaborate charade, but this shreds her claims rather thoroughly. If you want, you can arrest her now."

"Quite. Impersonating a peer is a crime in both Austria and Savoy." Elsa folded the letter back together and rested the end of it against her chin, thinking the situation over for a moment. "We know Cardin is a partner in her plot. I wonder if the rest of the Austrian delegation is unaware of this, or if they are all in together on … whatever it is she's up to."

"My money's on the whole bunch of them working together." She pursed her lips and temporized, "Except for Fleurette. That sweet little thing wouldn't be involved in anything as shady as what has to be coming together at that house."

"Hmm." Elsa's fingers drummed lightly on her desk. "The Countess's party is tomorrow."

"Yes, it is."

"They'll all be there in the same place. Convenient, don't you think?"

Anna, grinning, pointed between them a few times. "We think alike."

"Yes, we do. Let's pay Jørgen a visit. There's no one in the dungeon at present. Plenty of room."

. . .

On board the Sable, leaving Arendelle Harbor – 3:30pm

Maria Cristina took a quick look out the window of her cabin, shivering at the sleet tacketing against the glass, then turned her sour countenance toward Mssr. Cardin. "This is outrageous. Sneaking on board ship. Skulking around like common thieves."

"All quite necessary, I assure you."

"All quite inconvenient, you mean."

"That, it may be. But we must be well away from Arendelle when the trap is sprung."

She crossed her arms and showed him her back. "It would be better to have them guessing who took the Princess. When we can't be found, there will be no doubt."

"It has always been the plan to blame it on Austria. This will simply cement that conclusion for them. And if any tiny thing goes wrong, they would have us in their power. The Queen is already suspicious of us."

"You're imagining things."

Once more fighting down his irritation, Cardin ground his teeth for a moment and countered, "Even if I am, this tactic still won't hurt anything. We will sail down to Farsund and meet up with our agents. If they have her, we are safe. If not, we won't be cooling our heels in Arendelle's dungeon."

"I think you overestimate their intelligence."

He stuffed his immediate reaction back into its box, straightened his shoulders, and gritted out, "I guess time will tell." Then he took his leave. He didn't speak to her again until they docked forty leagues to the south.

. . .

Arendelle Castle – Saturday 04 December 1841, 3:30pm

Elsa frowned, pondering the news she'd just received. "Indisposed."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"But the Countess wants the party to go on without her? That … that is simply …"

Anna, who stood beside her sister, supplied, "Weird. That's what it is. Why would she blow off her own party? She's been so terribly excited about it."

The messenger bowed once more, the feather in his cap nearly brushing the floor. "A thousand pardons, Your Highness, but I was not told. I only know the Countess had taken ill, but did not want her absence to lessen your enjoyment."

Anna muttered quietly, "Her absence would likely increase mine."

Elsa waffled for only a moment before saying, "Thank you. Please extend to her our wishes for her improved health."

He bowed low again and quickly left.

"She knows we're on to her."

Elsa glanced over at her sister. "That would be the most logical conclusion."

"Do you want to go over there and arrest the lot of them?"

"Don't you want to find out what their big, secret plot is? I doubt they'd admit to anything, and all I have on her at this juncture is the fact she's impersonating a Countess. At present, that lets the rest of them off the hook."

Anna's mouth opened and closed a couple of times. "Okay. Your point."

"I think we should go ahead with the party as she suggests. I'll make sure we are all thoroughly warded, and we'll be on our guard against … eh, whatever she has planned." She quickly contacted Carlos and gave him a short synopsis of the situation.

[[ This has 'trap' written all over it. ]]

[[ You needn't tell me twice. We will be on high alert during the entire event. ]]

[[ And afterward. They may be waiting until we think the danger is past. ]]

[[ Then we will make our goodbyes and withdraw to our rooms. They can't do anything to me in my study. Or my bedroom. ]]

[[ We'll use your study. I won't be separated from you for anything until we know exactly what they're trying to accomplish. ]]

Elsa stifled a giggle. [[ My hero. ]]

[[ I'm serious, Elsa. Yes, you're more powerful than I am in normal circumstances, and I can't really cut loose with my power while we're indoors. But I'm a great deal faster, physically stronger, and more durable than you are, and I aim to make sure anyone trying to get to you will regret it. Deeply. ]]

She nibbled her lip a bit. [[ I understand. And you're right. We should present a united front, especially since we don't have all the information. ]]

Anna had waited patiently at the edge of the conversation, but felt compelled to chime in. "What about bombs?"

Elsa took half a step back, blinking a few times. "I'd not considered … but … how would they even do that?"

[[ We should search everything they bring in to set up the party. That's a good catch, Anna. ]]

"Yeah, they're going to do a string-quartet thing. You can hide a lot of gunpowder in a bass violin."

Elsa took her sister by the forearms. "Thank you. So much. But now I have to see about warding the palace against explosions."

"Can you do that? Way cool if you can, but … how would you go about it?"

"I don't know yet. But I'll see what may be seen between now and then. I've got three hours."

Anna frowned. "But they'll be here to start setting up in half an hour, tops. We'll need all hands on deck to search their stuff."

[[ I'll be right there. ]]

"We'll get Jørgen to draft some of the Guard," said Elsa. "He'll know who would be good for that."

"Sounds like a plan."

. . .

All comments welcome!