In Frozen Fever, Prince Hans is alive. I wrote "The Unlikely Heroes of Arendelle" before that, in which I wrote that Hans had died on the voyage home. So it isn't canon anymore, but in this series, Hans is dead.


Chapter 9 – A Battle of Words

Gustav stood at the rail of the Easthaven Explorer, wishing the wind would die down and the ship would be stranded in the calm for weeks. Instead, the frozen ships from Weselton came into view over the horizon. As Captain Hugo sailed them closer, the rails were thronged with sailors, straining for a glimpse of the ships. Prince Dominic and his company pushed their way past the sailors, who took to the rigging for a better view. Gustav ignored their excited comments as they sailed closer.

Not much had changed in the three days since Queen Elsa froze the ships. Gustav had not seen them closely on his way out of the fjord, but on this close approach, he noticed that there wasn't a solid barrier between the four ships. It was more of a lattice of ice, with rounded tops. He peered at them, wondering what on earth Queen Elsa had done to the ships.

Captain Hugo joined them at the rails, bringing a glass with him. He looked through it, then handed the glass to Prince Dominic, who aimed it at the ships.

"By Jove!" he exclaimed, "what are those things?"

Sir Lester looked through the telescope next, then offered it to Gustav. Gustav recognized the barrier immediately, even though the shapes had softened as the ice began to melt, and decided not to say anything. Instead, he merely nodded and passed the glass back to Admiral Wordonn. They watched and waited as they got closer. They could see activity on the decks of the frozen ships, signal flags waved.

The laughter started in the rigging first as the sharp-eyed lookouts finally decided that they were seeing what they thought they were seeing, and then word spread.

Prince Dominic bellowed a laugh. "Sunflowers! She trapped them in a flower patch! Your queen fights like a girl, Gustav!"

"She couldn't have chosen a better way to humiliate them," Sir Lester said with approval. "You had us worried, Gustav, with all your talk of her delicate temperament. She's got a mean streak, though. No one will risk messing with her if she can immobilize a navy and then slap them in the face with a sunflower!"

Admiral Wordonn squinted at the ships. "Every single mast is broken. Only two ships are even attempting repairs. Were there orders to take prisoners, or have you left them alone, Gustav?"

"I wasn't there to hear the decision, Admiral," Gustav said politely.

Sailors were down on the iceberg. There was some activity around the hulls and rudders, but they weren't close enough to see what they were doing.

Captain Hugo blew a blast on the foghorn. There was a delay, and then a response from the Weselton ships.

"They'll wait for us patiently until our ships of the line arrive. I've never seen anyone literally put an enemy on ice before," Admiral Wordonn said. "But there's no concern about hurrying. They're not going anywhere. That will give us time to attend to first things first, and meet the queen. What a fantastic ability she has! Is Arendelle getting any ideas about military conquest? You wouldn't need an entire navy with her leading the invasion!"

"I assure you that Queen Elsa has no such ambitions," Gustav said.

"Pity! Maybe she could develop some ambitions, don't you think? We could use her help in this battle between the Southern Isles and Lingarth. It's about time the rest of us put that interminable war away for good. Easthaven is aiding the Southern Isles on this campaign," Admiral Wordonn said.

Gustav put an end to that idea. "Arendelle is historically and firmly aligned with Lingarth, your Highness. I assure you that Queen Elsa would disapprove of any suggestion that she aid you against our allies."

"Hmm, another pity. What would it take to change her mind?" Admiral Wordonn said, elbowing Gustav in the ribs.

Gustav moved away from him. "I cannot imagine."

"Leave it alone, Admiral," Prince Dominic said. "The Southern Isles may be coming after Arendelle next, whether she helps them or not."

"What do you mean by that?" Gustav asked.

"You people poisoned Prince Hans. He has twelve brothers, and that's a big enough group that at least some of them were going to get angry about it," Prince Dominic said. "I don't think you would have made them as angry if you'd simply executed the man outright, as you had every right to do. But sending him off with a dose of poison that killed him within sight of his homeland struck a few of them as unsporting."

"I assure you that we did not poison Prince Hans."

"Then what happened? A perfectly healthy man in his prime turned up dead. Of course people are going to ask questions and assume the worst. Not many people in the Southern Isles cared much, one way or the other. But when those brothers get tired of fighting each other, they look for a common enemy. Revenge on Queen Elsa for fighting dirty has caught the interest of at least four of them, at last count. Lester, you've been to the Southern Isles most recently. Are there more than four who intend to attack Arendelle?" Prince Dominic asked.

Sir Lester shrugged and looked down his high-bridged nose with an expression of distaste. "It's so difficult to keep track of that many temperamental people. What difference does it make one way or the other? I doubt they'll try and attack before the war with Lingarth is settled."

"Queen Elsa did not poison Prince Hans," Gustav insisted. "And if you already know of the Southern Isles' warlike intentions, then I trust you will take the necessary steps to defend Arendelle, as required by the treaty."

"May we ask Queen Elsa to assist us?" Admiral Wordonn asked.

"Most certainly not."

"No matter," Prince Dominic interrupted them. "I'm going courting, not planning a military foray, Admiral."

"You may need to change tactics, your Highness. Her Majesty may not be what you thought," Admiral Wordonn said.

"I already knew that, Admiral," Prince Dominic replied, his eyes still fastened on the frozen warships from Weselton.

~###~

Bern rubbed his eyes, which ached from spending two days trying to decipher his mother's sharp handwriting in the ledger. The letters addressed to his mother were easier to read. The Duke of Weselton's handwriting looped more, and the lists of goods and payment matched up neatly. Most of the entries in the ledger matched up with letters written by the Duke of Weselton to his mother. The more he read, the worse it got.

He dipped the pen in the ink and added his signature to yet another letter addressed to the merchants and contacts who formed the network of their business arrangements. Soon, he needed to go to the village and hire messengers, since he didn't trust their servants to deliver these letters. They might have more loyalty to his mother than to him, and he was revoking her power of attorney and informing everyone in their list of contacts that his mother had no further right to enter into any transactions, and no obligations contracted by her would be honored in the future. He couldn't undo the damage already recorded in the ledger, but he could stop her from doing more.

Lady Nadja opened the door to the guest room without knocking. "Bernard, are you joining us for dinner? We haven't seen you since yesterday. Adele and Mirabelle are wondering if they've somehow offended you."

"Where was this ledger six months ago, Mother?" Bern asked. "When I came home at Christmas, I saw a different ledger. Where was this one?"

"You mean when you came home after Christmas, son. You didn't bother spending the holiday with your parents. It would have meant so much to your father, you know. Even if you don't like me, I couldn't understand why you abandoned your father too," his mother replied with a sad sigh.

"Would you have given me the truth as a Christmas present, Mother? If I'd come home a day earlier, would this have been the ledger I would have seen? Are you going to claim you were unaware of Arendelle's embargo against Weselton?" Bern felt that internal clench that warned him to silence, reminding him of the futility of trying to defend himself. But anger had been growing for two days. This wasn't just about him anymore. He could tolerate what she did to him, but he couldn't let her hurt anyone else. That clench in his stomach started to unfold.

"You didn't leave any specific instructions, son. Losing that much business all at once would have caused us some problems," Nadja said reasonably. She twined a long strand of black hair around her finger and affected unconcern.

"We could absorb the loss, and we did, at least according to the other ledger I saw six months ago. Where was this particular ledger six months ago? How long have you been hiding what you were really doing?" Bern asked. He had specifically told Elsa that he'd ceased all business with Weselton and taken a loss in the process. His mother had made a liar out of him. Yet his voice was still calm because grown men shouldn't yell at their mothers.

"The dates are right there, son. I'm sure you're bright enough to put it together yourself now that it's blindingly obvious. It took you long enough to notice what was going on. I really don't think you're smart enough for a position in government," Nadja said. Her eyes were glittering, and a sly smile crept across her face.

"It's treason, what you've done. You've increased the transactions with Weselton over this past year in deliberate defiance of the embargo. These letters from the Duke about payments and coinage show that you knew exactly what was happening, and that it was smuggling. How could you do this? This threatens our entire economy, Mother, how could you do this to all those innocent people?" Bern demanded.

"I only did what I had to do, Bernard. I asked you nicely to come home, and you decided to stay and play at politics. If you'd come home when you were supposed to, none of this needed to happen. Of course I'm sorry about all those other people who will lose their businesses or their fortunes, but it was all your fault. Every transaction was concluded under the authority of your signature on the power of attorney. Women can't engage in business for themselves," Nadja said with that smile still glittering on her face.

Bern wrestled with the temptation to throw the ledger at her and yell words he'd stifled for years.

"You can't leave me alone, Bernard," Nadja switched to pleading with him. "Your father is dead now. You're all I have left and I've given up everything for you, son. You have no idea what I had to sacrifice for you. You should make a sacrifice for me too. I wouldn't have done any of it if you'd just come home when I asked nicely. But you forced me to do this. Now you can come home, where you belong."

"This isn't a home; it's a prison!" Bern shouted at her.

Nadja shrank back. "It frightens me when you raise your voice at me, son. I just wanted you to come home. Is it so bad that I need my son?"

Bern turned his back on her and started shoving letters and ledgers inside the satchel. He had to leave. He could finish this from the castle, from the dungeon if Elsa wanted to arrest him, but he couldn't last another minute in this place. The thought he couldn't stand to think was that this ended his hopes for a life with Elsa. The queen couldn't possibly marry the man who was responsible for an economic disaster of this magnitude.

"You can't go back to the castle, Bernard. She'll have you arrested," his mother pleaded. She came into the room and tried to stroke his face and arm. He jerked away from her and she gasped as if he'd slapped her.

"I'd rather face Queen Elsa's justice than your mercy," Bern said, biting off the words and backing out of her reach.

"Nadja, is everything all right?" Lady Adele asked, approaching the guest quarters. "Mirabelle and I wondered why you'd been gone so long."

"He's leaving me," Nadja said, and she started to cry. "He's all I have left, and he's leaving me."

Nadja leaned against Adele and Adele patted her shoulder and made comforting noises.

"Bern, do you have to go so soon? Perhaps a few more days would see your mother in better spirits," Lady Mirabelle suggested.

"She doesn't want a few more days. She wants the rest of my life," Bern said bitterly.

"But I saved your life, son! You would have died like your brothers and sisters if I hadn't done what I had to do. Oh son, I just want to be your mother again, and you shut me out and push me away every chance you get." Nadja was sobbing by this time.

Bern's hands were shaking as he did up the buckles on the satchel. She'd destroyed Arendelle's economy, his career, and his hope for Elsa's love, and yet she somehow managed to make it sound like she was the suffering victim and he was the terrible son.

"Bern?" Mirabelle asked.

"I can't stay. I have to talk to Rodmund and Gustav immediately. There's an economic crisis brewing, and it turns out Mother caused it. She's organized a smuggling ring with Weselton, in defiance of the embargo, and accepted debased coinage in exchange. It's destabilizing Arendelle's entire economy. She's done it under my authority under a power of attorney I granted her two years ago. She set out to ruin me so I would be dismissed from the government and be forced to come home. She's succeeded. But I have to do what I can to stop any further damage." Bern's voice was shaking as badly as his hands. He had no idea if an explanation about something as dry as economics could possibly convey the panic he felt right now, and the depth of his mother's betrayal.

"It's a lie! I don't know why he tells such terrible lies about me! I've done the best I can with our family business, but Bernard hasn't helped me at all. I made a mistake, and he's so angry at me!" Lady Nadja said.

Bern turned a look of outrage on her, and felt slapped by the hatred burning in her eyes. She knew exactly what she'd done, and she hated him for finally telling the truth.

"You've destroyed everything I've ever wanted, Mother," Bern ground out.

"Then you should have wanted the right things, son. But if you want me to be the bad guy, fine, I'll be the bad guy. You'll get everything you've ever dreamed of, Bernard, and then you'll wish you could trade your soul to give it back because your own desires will destroy what you wanted most," Lady Nadja said.

Bern couldn't reply to that. He didn't have the depths of cruelty in him that his mother had, and he couldn't take any more. "I need to leave. Excuse me, ladies," Bern said shortly. That clench in his gut was back, twisting hard enough that he wasn't sure if he was going to cry or pass out, but he knew he didn't want to be anywhere near them when it finally happened. He left everything behind except the satchel of letters and ledgers.

In the stable, he packed the satchel and slung the saddlebags over Star's rump. Then he gulped, his stomach heaved, and he buried his face in Star's neck and held on for dear life, shaking so badly he was afraid he really would pass out. He'd never stood up to his mother before. He was sure he'd be proud of himself as soon as he got over wishing he could die. Star nickered into his hair and Bern squeezed tighter. A groom threw a saddle blanket over Star's back, and then the saddle. Bern kept his eyes shut and hoped to get out of there before he had to talk. He listened to the groom get the saddle cinched, and then the bridle in place.

"Get on and let's get out of here," Kristoff said, flipping the reins into place.

"I told you to leave!"

"I did. I just didn't go very far," Kristoff said. "Mount up and let's go."

~###~

Elsa was following Anna around the castle as she rattled on about the plans for Lord Tyvard's memorial service, and then for the arrival of the military delegation from Easthaven. Anna had soaked up a surprising amount of protocol, along with her lessons on diplomacy.

"We'll have to have a formal dinner for Easthaven after they arrive," Anna said. "That can happen once the most urgent military matters are settled, which shouldn't take all that long since the warships never even got here and no one got hurt. This will probably be the easiest obligation under the defense treaty they've ever had to settle. Arendelle is so impressive!" This declaration was accompanied by a squeal and triumphant fists. "I suppose we'll both have to attend all the military meetings. I already invited Harbormaster Stollen, Councilor Vilrun and Captain Torvin to be at those meetings too. Are you going to let Rodmund come or are you still snubbing him?"

"I'm not snubbing him," Elsa replied. "I haven't decided what to do about him yet."

"So when was the last time you talked to him?" Anna demanded.

"Not since he told me about burning the betrothal agreement," Elsa admitted. She wore a plain blue gown, trimmed only with black ribbon along the bodice and waist, which she kept fidgeting with to keep her hands from balling into fists.

"Elsa, they were trying to help you," Anna said. She stopped walking, and Elsa nearly walked into her.

"That betrothal was father's dying wish, Anna. They burned it because they didn't trust me to handle the marriage, and they were worried my husband would try to upset the balance of power in Arendelle. That's too much to set aside," Elsa said.

"Would you really marry Prince Dominic just because father wanted you to?" Anna asked.

"I don't know. Please stop talking about it so often. I'm trying to think, and every time you start telling me what to do, it ties my thoughts into knots," Elsa said.

"Maybe you should think about it less and trust your feelings more," Anna said.

"People like me don't get to have feelings," Elsa said.

"Oh, please!"

"My feelings are wrong, and they complicate things. When I have feelings, storms start, and crops die, and people start accusing me of being a wicked sorceress. Do you know what it's like to be afraid the room will freeze every time I have a nervous twinge? I have to keep my feelings under control to keep my powers under control. I wish I could get rid of one or the other, I really do. If I didn't have these powers, maybe I could have feelings like everyone else. But because I have these powers, I can't have feelings," Elsa said. "I know you want to argue with me, but that's just the way I am. You can't fix it, Anna, and the harder you try, the more frustrated I get."

Anna grabbed her and hugged her tight. Elsa almost relaxed and then she caught herself. She knew acceptance was the key to controlling her powers, but how did she accept something that complicated her life so much and caused embarrassing displays right when she most wanted to act calm and collected? Elsa tried to hold onto the memory of the good days. Everyone had bad days sometimes, they just didn't cover a room in icicles like she did. She took a deep breath, and centered herself on the fact that she really did want to do the right thing, as soon as she knew what it was.

"You were amazing when you froze those ships from Weselton, Elsa, and that was only three days ago. I love you, and you're going to do just fine," Anna said.

"Thank you, Anna," Elsa said.

Anna let go of the hug when Vilrun, Councilor over Public Order, rounded the corner.

"Your Majesty! Your Highness! A ship from Easthaven is sailing into the harbor as we speak. It's a lone frigate, not a response to our request for military aid," Vilrun said.

"Already?" Elsa asked, startled. Her mind went to the letter from Prince Dominic that Rodmund had given her. He'd said he was following the letter without waiting for a reply. It must be him.

"Go change into something more queenly," Anna told her.

Elsa nodded. "Vilrun, would you please invite Rodmund to join us at the dock, along with any other Councilors who are available?" Elsa asked.

"Of course, your Majesty," Vilrun replied.

"Good decision, Elsa," Anna whispered.

Elsa gave her a tiny smile in reply. Then both sisters dashed off to get ready to welcome the ship from Easthaven.