FOR QUEEN AND COUNTRY


Chapter 8

Crisis for the Crown


A/N: Welcome to the eighth chapter of a Disney continent-spanning conflict! Arendelle quakes in growing pains as it expands its territories into the Southern Isles, Weselton, and even Agrabah. Backstabbing, subterfuge, and deceit rule the day as Hans prepares to collude with the Hun warrior Amira into plunging the Company and Arendelle into civil war. Subject against liege! And in the eye of the storm are Queen Elsa and Sultanah Mariam, who must join this deadly game of politics…

As usual, reviews and feedback are welcome and appreciated!


In her throne room, where her ancestors had celebrated the ennobling of countless allies and loyal followers, Elsa stared down the man towering over her, the furious Governor of the Company and her sister's onetime fiancé. "I'm flattered you've sent your attack dogs against me, but it won't work. Get him off our backs," growled Kristoff, who looked remarkably intimidating in his red and black Company coat. "Call off that journalist."

But his Queen was undaunted. "Reimund is a respectable writer and a free subject under my reign. As are you. Don't forget that," said Elsa coolly. "Arendelle is a free society where you can say anything you want, even if it's about me. I'm not stopping him from writing what he wants about the Company. And don't you dare try to stop him from doing his work, or he is free to file an injunction of free speech violations to my government."

"Our officers will just deny Reimund's allegations about the opium plantations and the animal cruelty. Honestly, what are you trying to achieve? Because whatever it is, slamming us in the press isn't gonna work."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure." I'm really getting into this politics game, she thought to herself. "If he's publishing things you don't like, maybe it's you who should look into what your traders and officers are doing in the Southern Isles, Weselton, and Agrabah. Perhaps you should give some responses to my people, who are starting to demand answers about your less than reputable practices."

Kristoff's eyes were cold. "This is about the Presidency Armies, isn't it?"

Elsa stared right back up. "Oh, it's about so much more. I almost feel sorry for you that I no longer support the Company at all."

"Money doesn't grow from trees," retorted Kristoff. "I didn't grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth like you. I was selling ice when Sven was just a damn calf. I know more about earning my way in the world than you'll ever need to be bothered with."

"And would you like some help carrying that massive chip on your shoulder?" bit back Elsa, no longer holding back either. In some perverse way, their increasingly harsh words for each other were indicative of the lingering trust and affection they still harbored: they would never betray such an ugly side to their other enemies. "What's your point, mister wealth creator?"

"That I need finances to destroy Arendelle's enemies. To catch and finish Hans. But it's not just him. There are people supporting him in different countries, and we can't let him find haven in those kingdoms either. The only way is to bring them under Arendelle's flag until all this is over."

"You mean the Company's flag," argued Elsa angrily, "and I'm going to be stuck with this empire a lot longer than your petty campaign against Hans. Have you ever thought about what Anna wants? That maybe she couldn't care less about Hans and that she wants you by her side, not losing yourself in hate and revenge?"

"This isn't about Anna," cried Kristoff, "it's about justice!"

Elsa stared at him, stunned. "I can't believe what I'm hearing. What's more important, Kristoff? My sister or your sick idea of justice?"

Before he could answer, the glass windows to her throne room cracked and shattered, shards tinkling deafeningly onto the wooden floor. Despite everything that had happened between them, Kristoff instinctively threw himself around a shocked Elsa, shielding her from stray shards that flew at them. His eyes widened as a coterie of masked intruders, clad entirely in black, glided past the windows and landed silently on the ruined floor. Two, three, four… there were five assassins, and they quickly positioned themselves, surrounding the bewildered pair. "They're just like the one who tried to shoot Anna!" barked Kristoff in warning.

"I can't believe you!" cried Elsa, pushing the Company's leader away and glaring at him. "Did you actually send these men against your monarch –"

Kristoff genuinely looked panicked. "Don't you dare. They aren't mine." He whipped around just in time to dodge a lunge from one that had sprinted up and tried to thrust a dagger into his face. "See?" He clumsily avoided another attack, before swinging wildly and sending the smaller assailant to the ground with a painful thud. He drew his saber from its scabbard, which was slightly shocking to Elsa. She'd never seen him with a real weapon before. But of course, she remembered sadly. He was the leader of the Company now. Of course he had to protect himself.

The masked assassins wielded sharp, miniature daggers that seemed to be crafted for throwing at the enemy, and they didn't hesitate to use them. "Who are they?" growled Kristoff, as he parried two deadly blades hurled his way. He sprinted up to the assassins and slashed wildly, but they danced away, somersaulting back from his swinging sword. "I mean, this isn't screwing around. This is real. They're trying to kill us. Someone's trying to kill us both! Who sent you?" he barked at the assassins. But they only answered with a chilling silence.

It was the last straw for Elsa. She balled her hands into fists, cold vapor emanating from the fingernails that dug tightly into her palms. Traitors everywhere, and now they had even broken into the palace. How dare they put Anna and Mariam's lives in danger. How dare they enter this palace with such impunity! "If it's a fight you want…" she gritted, clenching her teeth. She screamed, her pent-up rage and sadness at last releasing itself in a burst of cold wind that hurled Kristoff away, slamming his back painfully against her own wooden throne. The other assassins struggled to move against the indoor blizzard, and they covered their masked faces as the howling hail and snow pummeled their bodies, rapidly covering the floor in slippery ice and water. By the time the whirling vapor dissipated, the assassins were staring at a huge shield, an impregnable wall that bristled with jutting popsicles.

"… You've come to the right place," snarled the Snow Queen behind her defensive wall, steam hissing through the icy diamond.

Kristoff groaned and forced himself up. "Wow," was all that he breathed.

Elsa waved her arm, and the conjured wall suddenly slid towards two of the cloaked men. It shot at them so quickly that they had no chance to escape the entire stretch of the enchanted barricade. Their shocked throats gurgled helplessly as the spikes stabbed into their squashed bodies, puncturing their heads, torsos, and legs with cold, bloodstained ice. Elsa glared at the remaining two assassins, who fell back, shooting desperately at her. She spread her arms, another wall of ice bursting from the floorboards. The lead balls from their pistols ricocheted uselessly off Elsa's shield. She raised a glowing hand, an eerie, cerulean glow swallowing her irises and pupils. "For the crime of attempted regicide…" She stomped her heeled foot, and jagged stalagmites erupted from the ground, much too quick for their targets to escape. One assassin screamed loudly as a stalagmite pierced through his groin and into his innards, killing him instantly. Another had tried to jump away – a dire mistake. A stalagmite punched through his stomach, impaling him neatly as he moaned and stilled, dropping his dagger.

Elsa strode over to Kristoff and hugged him tightly, and he happily returned the embrace, their conflict momentarily forgotten. "Kristoff. My Ice Master. Tell me it wasn't you who sent them," she said breathlessly.

Kristoff held her tighter. "Never. I swear. Are you alright?"

She released him. "Someone's trying to play us," she said quietly. "They either want us to kill each other, or plunge our own into in-fighting."

"Probably both," said Kristoff. "Someone wants both the Crown and the Company destroyed." He glanced around. "I need to get back to my directors. I guess… we can settle our differences another time."

"I understand," said Elsa sincerely. "I know we don't hold each other in the highest regard right now, but we certainly don't want each other dead. We might disagree over how to handle Hans. But this was never supposed to be a game of death."

"Yeah," agreed Kristoff. He looked at Elsa worriedly, before striding out of the throne room. "Be careful." Elsa's thoughts turned to Anna and Mariam as she began to pull her thoughts together. She stared at the silent corpses of the assassins and the broken glass shards. It was already night outside her palace, and the enmity between the Crown and the Company seemed to be getting much more complicated.


His coffee-colored coat draped around his chair, Reimund scribbled notes feverishly at his desk in the massive study Elsa had lent him for the duration for his stay. It was a magnificent environment to read and write. The Queen had lent him the keys to her entire library, allowing him to immerse himself in every subject under the sun, from politics to economics and foreign kingdoms. He was almost certain that he'd be the most educated journalist by the time his tenure here was over. His study was also extremely spacious, larger than his grubby apartment. He had a large table on which were piled books, notes, and past editions of The Witness. There was so much to work with, but he was under no illusions about how little time there was. Already the Arendellian occupation of Weselton had begun: administrators had already been brought in to regulate taxation and foreign trade levies. And as reluctant as Elsa was to implement colonial policy, she had her responsibilities, and had signed off a series of documents that would regulate open trade between Arendelle and Weselton.

"And thanks to Her Majesty, I have unrestricted access to the treaties and government documents signed by Parliament in the past year… this is a goldmine for a reporter!"

There was so much to write about that Reimund's hand was aching. He already had three articles lined up for his editor: two about the trafficking the opium wing of the Company was committing, and one about the way seals and beavers were being bred to slaughter for their fur. That would damage the operations of two of the directors, and now he was turning to the spice bureau of the Company: such was demand for spice at the tables of Arendelle's aristocrats that the Company was importing slaves from the Southern Isles and Agrabah to grow the plants and cultivate the substances! And then there was Mariam's planned rebellion against the Company, which he would be reporting on…

If the reputation of the Company wasn't in tatters by the time he was done, he would have surely failed Elsa.

"Come in," he called at the knocking on his door across the study room.

"You wanted to see me, Reimund?" asked Anna chirpily, as she tiptoed in. She looked around, playing with her braided pigtails. "Wow, you've made it cozy in here. Hope I'm not disturbing you."

Reimund chuckled, shaking his head in slight disbelief. "I'm sorry. I can't quite believe yet that you're letting me summon you."

Anna giggled. There was a certain charm to Reimund's grim determination to speak politely. It contrasted with the rough edges of Kristoff, who meant well but would never use deferential language even to Elsa. And right now, Reimund was a heck of a lot more cooperative than the angry Kristoff. "I'll do my best at anything I can help with. I mean that, Reimund."

"Don't forget me, too!" piped up a high-pitched, but undeniably male, voice.

Reimund blinked and looked around. "Who was that?"

Anna giggled. "Have a guess."

To Reimund's astonishment, a stout snowman no higher than Anna's knees was waddling behind her, complete with a carrot nose and… "Buck teeth?" he muttered to himself in disbelief. "Am I seeing things, Princess?"

"No," laughed Anna. "This is Olaf, our bestest best friend. Olaf, say hello to Reimund."

"Oh, you must be one of Elsa's big-shot allies," gushed Olaf, "I've heard everything about Kristoff going nuts, the Company going all berserk on Weselton – " He shuddered, and Reimund couldn't help notice the irony in a snowman shivering. "It sounds just oh-so-awful."

"Anyway," said Reimund, coughing politely. He put the most recent issue of The Witness on the desk. "See the cover story?"

Anna picked up Olaf with her elegantly gloved hands and walked over. They stared at the cover and then each other, before laughing in glee as one. "I… I can't believe it. You've really published our interview. Omigod omigod omigod," she said exuberantly, admiring a vividly illustrated portrait of her own self. Anna's portrait peered at the reader almost sheepishly, resplendent in her royal coat and patterned collar. It was becoming her signature attire, and from Reimund's good mood, it was apparent that his readers enjoyed the narrative being shaped around her. "It feels so cool to appear in The Witness."

"All those hours spent posing and modeling for my artist really helped, milady," said Reimund. "Now we have the public's attention. They'll hang on to every word you say."

"If you want real marketing, you should do a feature about me," sniffed Olaf, looking self-importantly at his twig fingers. "Come on, I'd look great on a gazette cover! Anna, can I? Can I?"

Reimund tapped his pen on the mahogany desk, politely ignoring Olaf. "Do you mind me suggesting what you should say in our next interview, Princess?"

"Anything and everything you ask of me."

"Then first, the investigative report on the opium production in the Southern Isles. This Friday will see the release of my piece about the fur trappers. I've got a few informants who're leaking information to me. They know all about how the trappers treat the seals up north." Reimund grimaced. "They skin them alive, then kick them off the icebergs back into the ocean."

Anna looked sick. "I can't believe it."

Reimund pursed his lips. "You've already shared with our readers your revulsion about the fur trade. I hear from my editor that he's been receiving plenty of angry letters about the Company's ethics. Now let's critique their colonial policy: first Agrabah, then the Southern Isles… now Weselton. Obviously there's the prestige and power that comes with ruling an empire, but let's talk about the rising government debt and trade deficit between Arendelle and its colonies. But we can't investigate the Company's shady business for real unless we confront the officers and directors head-on. We need to see what they're up to in their colonies." He stood up, looking at Olaf and Anna. "My editor has provided me with a bit of money so we can hire a ship. We're going to follow a Company flagship and get the scoop that really damages the corporation, as Her Majesty wants."

"When do we set out?" asked Anna, still cradling a whistling Olaf in her arms.

"Elsa suggests in the coming week. She told me that Mariam has a particular distaste for Stefina, the overseer of the Company's opium trade." Reimund's eyes glinted. "So in the name of the Queen, we're going to ruin her reputation first."

"Oh this all so gossipy and devious," squealed Olaf, rubbing his twigs together. "We're going on an adventure!"


Elsa had never sought comfort in anyone's arms. Perhaps it was because she never had anyone to run to. Usually she was more used to Anna running to her. It was never a burden, but sometimes she would wonder to herself, on the darker nights that she stayed awake on her bed, fretting over her kingdom's affairs: "Who will hold me?"

She had found her answer. Mariam's slender arms were wrapped around her, and she exulted in it as they lounged purposelessly the foot of a carpeted stairway. The Arabian queen sat a step above her, nuzzling the nape of her neck, and lightly pressing her nose against her exposed shoulder. The Sultanah's passion was overwhelming, beyond anything Elsa dreamed she could encounter. It was like a fantasy in her most secretive of dreams come to life. But it was not just an emotional partnership. They discussed everything, from their different traditions of governance to social injustice and more. Elsa shared with Mariam the history of Arendelle, how legendary men with strong frames, bloody axes, and an insatiable hunger for exploration carved out villages in the snow, which in turn became the first settlements of the desolate north. In turn, Mariam retold the story of Agrabah, of its genies and flying carpets, high culture and multifarious faiths, until a mighty religion from desert companions became the one true belief, uniting the empire under a single god and a single caliph.

They could talk endlessly into the night, or simply fall asleep wordlessly in each other's embrace. It didn't matter. As long as they were together, nothing seemed insurmountable, not even the Company.

"Are you like this to your courtesans and viziers at home?" wondered Elsa aloud, swaying ever so slightly from side to side as Mariam cradled her.

"My court is quite ritualized. From our dances to our conversations, formality and protocol rule the day, even for the Company officers that visit me," murmured Mariam, draping herself around Elsa's torso. "Even the brighter colors and louder music of my palace can't match Anna's lust for life, her exuberance."

"You're full of life," said Elsa, clutching Mariam's hand. She kissed it playfully, nibbling at Mariam's willowy fingers and eliciting an amused rebuke from the latter. "You've been a godsend amidst these dark times of mine. I'm still so ashamed I couldn't stop the Company from occupying so much of Agrabah."

"This is no fault of yours. You may be the high ruler of this land, and blessed with mastery over the cold elements. But you're still one woman. You can't overcome every institution in Arendelle, just as I couldn't presume to wipe out the Company's armies with my fire magic alone. Their influence was more than simply muskets and cannons. They're changing the way we trade and barter in Agrabah, our entire economy. Someday, I think Arendelle and my kingdom will trade on equal terms, as the Company is forcing my people to do now."

"It's dinnertime," said Elsa softly, after several moments of reflective silence. "I've asked my cooks to surprise us, so I don't know what they've prepared…"

"I know. I've taken the liberty to visit the kitchens. I've had my attendants advise yours with some… new touches. I hope that's not too out of line."

Elsa blinked, looking back up at her lover. "Not at all, but… why?"

"My servants brought along some curries and spices from Agrabah. I thought you'd be interested to try it with some saffron rice and juicy mutton." Mariam grimaced. "I hate the Company, but I must admit their shipments arrived in a very timely manner, as I had paid for."

Elsa smiled. "I can't wait to try."


The Queen of Arendelle stared in wonder at the colorful shades of yellow and orange that brightened her meal. She felt like an inexperienced child looking at a wondrous new thing she'd never seen before. The thick, rich sauces had been poured on scrumptious chunks of stewed lamb, and were presented in bowls of pure gold and silver. The Arendellian cooks only needed to provide dessert, and tonight's selection was fresh fruit imported from the Southern Isles: juicy grapes, berries of colors blue, red, pink, and black, and even huge watermelons that could be crushed to make a sweet and refreshing drink. But for Elsa, the curry, made from ground seeds and herbs only found in Agrabah and its neighboring empires, was unsurpassed in its exotic taste.

"This is delicious," she declared, after she had gulped down a mouthful of curry mutton and rice. "I've never tasted anything like this. Now I know why the Company's spice trade has been so successful. I can't blame my aristocrats for their spice obsession. And this… rice… is a lovely alternative to our potatoes. I must ask our cooks to master Agrabah's culinary arts." She put a hand to her mouth, embarrassed to be talking so much. "I'm sorry… the best my chefs can offer you is roast venison and goose, and smoked salmon. It's the most expensive food Arendelle has. But it's surely boring compared to this curry."

Mariam smiled, lifting a grape to her mouth and gently biting it halfway. Juice squirted from its pierced skin. "Well, I ate this every day at home, so the pasture is always greener on the other side. But I've got more to offer. Agrabah has seen better days, when it was the conqueror rather than the conquered. We've absorbed many kingdoms in the past. Now, one province might specialize in yoghurt and sour sauces, but a neighboring county might be all about fish and seafood. Food is completely provincial and organic, which is what makes our regional cooking exciting."

Elsa chuckled, taking a sip of watermelon juice – no wine for her tonight. Reimund and Anna were already making preparations to leave the palace. She would need to coordinate with her royal guard new defenses against the ever more frequent intruders. "You came here on a diplomatic mission, but now I want you to teach me everything there is to know about your culture."

Mariam looked languidly at Elsa. "What else are you thinking about, Snow Queen?"

Elsa poked absently at her plate with her fork. Her smile had faded. "We have traitors in my palace. We aren't safe anywhere." She looked at Mariam across the long table. "The Company might not be our only enemy. I've already told you about the assassins that tried to dispatch both Kristoff and I. And whatever our differences over Anna and Hans, Kristoff would never want me dead. And I would never want him harmed in any physical way. Ever.

"There's someone trying to destroy everyone else, Mariam. This complicates our war against the Company. We might either be looking at some disgruntled enemy of Kristoff's, or perhaps a traitor in our ranks."

Mariam bit her lip, staring at Elsa uncertainly. "Do I sense correctly that you fear for Kristoff?"

Elsa couldn't meet Mariam's gaze. "I know you're his enemy. But he doesn't deserve death."

"Perhaps not. But you promised me justice for my people, Elsa. That can't be addressed unless you understand that my only enemy is the Company. I'm willing to instigate a war in my own kingdom because I trust it will help us both in our goal of dissolving the Company. That will harm Kristoff in one way or another, whatever we feel about him. I'm duty-bound to hold you to that promise."

"I understand," said Elsa quickly. "And if I ever break that sacred vow, turn your flames on me and I will let myself burn. I'm just saying that we should dig in. Prepare ourselves for the long haul. And that will mean shifting alliances and enmities."

"That I can agree to." Mariam rose from her chair and walked around the table, stopping before Elsa's side. The monarchs from distant continents but brought close together stared at each other for several long moments. Then Mariam suddenly reached for the mukhwas, which were inside a goblet near the fruit. She held the fragrant fennel, coconut, sesame, and other assorted seeds before Elsa. "Take some and chew. They're coated in sugar and peppermint oil. I want your breath fresh so that our kisses will be even more pleasant."

Elsa blushed and did as told, taking a sprinkling and slipping the seeds past her lips. She scrunched her eyes as their flavors exploded in her mouth, astonishing her tongue with an overwhelming gamut of sweetness, mint, and slight bitterness. She swallowed, looking up at Mariam vulnerably. The other looked satisfied as she cupped Elsa's cheek. "I can see us both, felling our enemies together with the combined fury of fire and ice. Side by side, in unison. But I can also see more for us together, beyond all the diplomacy and war. Something more… domestic."

Elsa smiled sadly. Mariam's proposal was a wonderful idea, and she was touched at how deeply the Sultanah's affection ran. Now she was certain: Mariam had abandoned her harem for her alone, and she would never leave her. "But it may be some time before we can plan beyond our present concerns," said Elsa.

"That's fine with me," came the reply.

Elsa looked down, closing her eyes. "Will you be good to me?"

"I will," promised Mariam, gazing at the Nordic woman.

Elsa's red lips parted slightly. "Will you make me happy? Make me feel good?"

"Yes. In turn, may God make me worthy of you," whispered Mariam, taking a quivering Elsa in her arms, "and may he make us worthy of victory."


Next Chapter: The Company struggles to maintain its hold over Weselton as Amira initiates her treacherous plans. How did Kristoff's humble ice company become a continental trading corporation? Stay tuned for the story of the North Mountain Company and its officers…