Chapter Nine: Two Queens
Captain Aksel paused in his story as we reached the river that cuts across the north mountain. As it was high summer, the river's waters flowed freely with a noisy little rumble.
"I hope you don't mind getting a little wet, Your Highness," said the young captain. "There's a shallow part about half a kilometer from here where our horses can pass."
"I do mind, Captain," I said. "Fortunately, we don't need to get wet or travel the extra distance." I stretched out my hand and froze part of the river, just enough for our horses to get across.
"Impressive, Prince Fredrik," the Captain praised as he urged his horse forward.
I followed him. Although part of the river was frozen the rest of it was still liquid so there were occasional puddles. I encountered a bit of difficulty getting across as my horse kept slipping. But finally both of us reached the other bank of the river with only bits of splatter on my boots.
"Not quite as impressive as the Queen though," I commented when we were back to trotting on solid ground. "If she was here, she could probably build a bridge over the river and we won't even have to worry about slippery ice. Too bad I can't create large solid objects yet."
"You're young yet Prince Fredrik," he replied. "You'll get there. I bet you'll be good at a lot of other things by the time you take the throne."
"I hope so. I mean Aunt Elsa is a good teacher. Though I'd like to learn things from Admiral Westergard too. He seems to know so much and his strategies are brilliant. How did he manage to set a meeting for the ambassadors from the other countries with the Queen?"
Captain Aksel grinned knowingly like he was sharing a juicy secret. "That was easy enough. We just waited for them to arrive and slipped a note through one of their guards to meet with us if they are interested in getting rid of the Weselton threat. They had no idea the Arendellian fleet was even there though some of them knew Captain Westergard and had an idea what was going on. All five nations positively responded to the invitation. On the eve of the party I was assigned to lead one of the ambassadors to the Alexandra where Queen Elsa awaited. You'll never believe who I got to escort."
"Who?" I asked.
He leaned forward. "The queen of Glowerhaven herself."
I frowned. "Isn't she the wife of the Duke of Weselton?"
"The same one. Queen Constanza is the only surviving member of the Glowerhaven nobility after her father and three brothers were killed in a battle against Weselton five years ago. She surrendered her nation shortly after that and married the brother of her conqueror."
"Isn't that a bit risky to be meeting with the wife of the enemy?"
"I thought so too and I was surprised Captain Westergard extended the invitation to her at all. But the Captain assured me that she was a vital ally we could trust. I found out why that night…"
Queen Constanza was rumored to be a timid woman. She was married to the Duke of Weselton and was by reputation known as an obedient wife who did nothing to oppose the policies Weselton introduced into Glowerhaven no matter how deplorable they were. I expected to meet a delicate young girl that could only submit to her husband's wishes. Instead, what greeted me was a formidable lady that can be rivaled only by Queen Elsa herself. She appeared to be in her late 20s, slender with a firm jaw, tanned skin and dark eyes that seemed to have a dangerous fire burning within. Her hair was dark as midnight and cut so short that it was almost boyish. Despite her fierce features, she was easily one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen.
I found her by the balcony away from most of the guests at the party. She readily followed me alone to the docks after our initial greeting. I was surprised that she willingly came alone with a stranger. But during our silent walk to the docks I felt like I had more to fear from her that she had from me. She just gave the vibe that she could kill me if she wanted to.
She was the first of our "guests" to arrive at the Alexandra as the others were still working on attempting to make a subtle exit from the party.
"Well met, Queen Elsa of Arendelle," Queen Constanza said as soon as she boarded the ship and faced the woman that greeted her.
"You know who I am?" Queen Elsa said with clear alarm in her tone. I was just as astounded that the queen of Glowerhaven expected Queen Elsa's presence. We didn't exactly informed any of the ambassadors who they were meeting tonight.
"I have my ways, Your Majesty," replied the dark-haired queen. "You don't become the leader of your people's rebellion movement without knowing a thing or two about what's going on in the region."
Leader of the rebellion? I've heard from some of the Glowerhaven refugees we've rescued that there was a powerful leader coordinating the guerilla attacks in Glowerhaven in an effort to free it from Weselton occupation. Their moves started with simple theft of food stocks and supplies. However, in recent years they've become bolder and bolder, conducting sabotage and even assassination attempts on key Weselton officials stationed in Glowerhaven. Just before the war broke out in Arendelle, there were rumors that the destruction of a minor shipyard in the heart of Weselton's own city was done by a Glowerhaven saboteur—an indication that the rebels somehow reached beyond the borders of their nation.
I felt a sense of dread as I realized the person leading these attacks was standing before my Queen. I fingered the pistol on my side, ready to defend her for anything. If I suspected that this woman had the ability to kill before, I had no doubt now she was more than capable.
Queen Elsa continued to give an even expression though I felt a drop in temperature. If Queen Constanza noticed it, she gave no indication of it. Instead, she held out her palms in a gesture of non-violence. "I did not come here to hurt you, Your Majesty. And don't worry your fleet's position is safe with me. I've taken care not to let my husband know. I want to help you."
The air restored to its usual warmth. "I'm glad," Queen Elsa replied with obvious relief. "Captain Westergard vouched that you would support us." She led her guest to sit by a small table on the top deck. I moved about to serve refreshments and I couldn't help but overhear their conversation.
"Your captain is a dear man," the Glowerhaven Queen said rather fondly. "He's been helping the refugees from my homeland find safe harbor in other countries for years. I'm grateful to him."
"He helped refugees escape?" I interrupted.
Captain Aksel nodded with a grave expression as if he was remembering something horrible. "In the last five years since Glowerhaven became occupied territory, the atrocities to its citizens were terrible. There were forced labor camps, whole communities relocated to work at dangerous mines or huge project works without thought to their safety. Children as young as seven were forced to work in factories or made to dive in the deep seas to obtain pearls. Young attractive girls were selected, taken from their families to become…" he stopped and shook his head, unable to say more. I knew enough from my readings in history what happened to those poor girls.
"A lot of them tried to escape by getting out of Glowerhaven only to fall victim to pirates who would sell them to slavers," Captain Aksel continued. "Captain Westergard could never turn down any of the refugees we encountered. Often we find them starving and desperate. We take them along and drop them off at kingdoms that would accept them. Arendelle is one of the few that shelters refugees."
I knew about that. Aunt Elsa established a policy for providing safe haven for refugees in light of the growing slave trade in the region—mostly propagated by Weselton. She even granted citizenship to foreigners that integrated successfully into Arendelle society and became useful in their chosen trade. I was struck by a sudden realization that this must have been what happened to Admiral Westergard.
"Captain, was Admiral Westergard among those that were sheltered by Arendelle? You did mention before he was granted citizenship here."
"Yes, he was. He was a slave before and was rescued by one of our own ships. It's probably why he was ready to help any refugees when he can. He always kept extra rations in the Christina bought from his own pocket to make sure any stragglers he picked up would be fed. He knew how it felt to be destitute. He told me once it was something that can change a man and he wouldn't want anyone to experience it."
"Wait—he was a slave? I thought he was a pirate." I asked.
"He was both. He was a pirate before but his own crew betrayed him and sold him off to a slaver. He spent three months in captivity and was about to be brought to the Americas when then Captain Rochport's ship intercepted the vessel carrying him and took him back to Arendelle. He applied to the military and rose through the ranks."
What an amazing journey this man had been on. I was sure he had plenty of stories to tell and so much he could teach me. A thought occurred to me. "Do you think I can be assigned to the ship under him next year if I pass the military exams this fall?"
Captain Aksel suddenly went silent.
"Captain?" I asked.
"Well… er… I suppose you could," he began uncomfortably. "I mean they assign new recruits randomly per ship… "
"But if I asked, couldn't they make a consideration for me? I may rule one day and don't you think it's best that I get military training from the best?"
The Captain refused to meet my eyes and said nothing.
"Captain did I say something wrong?" I asked.
He shook his head. "No, of course not. It's just that… well… you're Queen Elsa's nephew and her heir."
"I don't understand. What does that got to do with me being trained under Admiral Westergard?"
He bit his bottom lip and sighed heavily. "I can't… I can't say. I'm sorry, Your Highness, but it's not my place to tell you. You should ask Queen Elsa or Princess Anna."
That was strange. I remembered the previous tales I heard from Kai, Lady Anja and Captain Anbjorn and each of them hinted that Aunt Elsa had problems trusting the Admiral. Was it because he was a pirate? Was she afraid he would be a bad influence on me? But then why promote him as the head of her military if that was the case? My aunt was not the type to be prejudiced over people with a past so what was the concern with him?
As curious as I was, I could tell Captain Aksel was struggling with the issue so I decided not to pry any further. I would be sure to ask Mama or Aunt Elsa when I get back.
"I'm sorry Captain if I made you uneasy. Forget I asked. Please do continue what happened with the queen of Glowerhaven."
The young captain looked glad to return to the story at hand…
"I'm also grateful to you as well Queen Elsa," the Glowerhaven queen said with a reverent expression. "A lot of my people would not have survived if you hadn't accepted them in Arendelle."
"We do what we can," replied Queen Elsa. "We could not have stood by and let others suffer if we could help."
"I appreciate it. I'd like to do the same for you. I don't have a navy to offer, but a lot of my people are scattered all across the region as refugees. We have ways to communicate. One word from me and they will do what they can to help you."
Queen Elsa took her hand. "It's more help than I could hope for. Thank you."
"No need to thank me," she said though she returned Queen Elsa's hand squeeze. "This benefits me as much as it does you. I have a four-year-old son. I won't rest until I see him as king of a free Glowerhaven. You're giving me the opportunity to do that a lot sooner."
"I still thank you," said Queen Elsa sincerely. "I'm glad I met you earlier than the others."
"I'm glad I came early," she said and this time a smile lit her face that was almost mischievous. "I didn't think I would be missed at all at the party. In fact I think Queen Ariel would rather have me out of her sight for the entire evening so I thought I'd do her a favor."
"Why?"
She gave a hearty laugh. "The same reason you're here and not out there socializing with the rest of their noble guests as befits your position."
Queen Elsa looked puzzled.
"You're not the only woman romantically linked to Eric. After he broke his engagement with you, Grimsby briefly tried to get Eric married to me. We never really got along that well so I understand why he decided to leave. I would have said no to him if he hadn't run away so fast."
It was Queen Elsa's turn to laugh. "He ran away?"
"Took the first ship out of Glowerhaven and left poor Grimsby to deal with it. At least you got a note. I didn't even get one. That man has a serious problem dealing with confrontational situations."
They laughed together like they were old friends. I was fascinated by the duality of her personality. One minute she was a frightening leader of a vicious rebellion and the next she could gossip and laugh like a carefree teenage girl.
"His wife found out just this morning that Eric was my previous suitor. I can sense the little mermaid is jealously paranoid about me being in the same room as her husband so I decided to remove myself at the first opportunity."
Queen Elsa gave a tiny grin. "I think I know what you mean. I'm partly to blame for that. I did try to get into his good graces a few days ago. But she need not worry. I think deep down Eric loves her."
Queen Constanza shook her head. When she spoke her voice lost its mirth and she had an almost wistful look on her face. "Marrying for love. Can it really be worth it?" She stopped and seemed to hesitate for a moment." Can I ask you something as one queen to another?"
"Of course."
"Forgive me if the question is rather personal but I've never met another queen I can relate to. I do admire you for keeping your independence this long. But would you marry for love if it will put Arendelle at a disadvantage?"
Queen Elsa readily answered. "No. I've always known as queen that I cannot marry without thinking of the consequences on the nation I rule. I will not have my personal happiness paved by the detriment of my people. I think you know as well as I that marrying for love is an indulgence that neither of us can afford despite our different situations." She paused and stared at the younger queen intently. "But then we are not so different, are we?"
The Glowerhaven queen gave her a knowing smile. "No we are not so different at all." They seemed to have reached a silent understanding of mutual trust.
It left me pondering on how Queen Elsa was taking a road similar to Queen Constanza's—driven to sacrifices when it came to for the sake of her people. It was humbling to say the least. In a world where kings were held in high esteem over female rulers, here were two women without reliable husbands but were so much more capable to stand up against a powerful nation. It made me think of the irony that they were both rejected once by the same king who replaced them with a woman who was so engrossed in her own petty little fairy tale world she wasn't even aware of the consequences of her actions to her husband's kingdom.
There was a whispered greeting from below and I looked down to see the other ambassadors from the other nations had arrived. I promptly informed the queens of the coming company.
"Well Queen Elsa," began Queen Constanza as she rose from her seat. "As the rest is here I look forward to hearing your proposal on how we can help you win this war. I might have some ideas of my own to contribute."
"It would be a great help to know that," Queen Elsa replied graciously before turning to her newly arrived guests.
Four ambassadors from each of the other nations of potential allies alighted on the Alexandra. They were all astonished at the presence of Queen Elsa and looked half-frightened to be so near the famed mistress of ice and snow. But Queen Elsa quickly put them at ease with her graceful manner and the presence of Queen Constanza reassured them. They headed to the main dining cabin that served as the Queen's conference room. I was assigned to guard duty outside the door so I had no opportunity to hear their conversation within.
An hour later they emerged and they appeared to have settled the matter. All the ambassadors apparently agreed to an alliance and were willing to go along with our plan. Queen Elsa seemed to have impressed upon them so well that not only were they ready to offer support in terms of ships and men but they were proposing for deeper alliances on her hand in marriage to their sovereign princes. Queen Elsa in her usual calm grace replied that she would consider such formal proposals only after the war was won. They were just concluding the arrangements when Captain Westergard arrived.
"Captain, was the party not to your liking?" Queen Constanza asked, noting that it was rather early.
"The party is over," he said while gasping for breath. He seemed to have run the distance from the castle. "The birthday girl had a rather embarrassing encounter with a crab in front of all her guests. She took a small boat and ran away to the ocean. I need all of you to keep out of sight for a while. King Eric is on his way for an audience with Queen Elsa."
