A/N: Hope you enjoy this chapter, I was told that there are a couple of questions unanswered that a few of you might be wondering about:
Why doesn't Elsa have an abortion? Well, from what I've heard about back in the times before modern day abortions they were sometimes painful and often dangerous to the mother. So, if they can help it, the council wants to keep their Queen in the best health possible. Also, I have tried to integrate a little religion into this story, not so much that you feel oberwhelmed but just enough to convey the idea that Arendelle is religious. And as far as I know/ have heard, in most religions, abortion is a big no-no. - I don'tmean to offend anyone with this, this is just what I have heard, sorry if I got any of that wrong...
Why didn't Elsa torture and/or kill Tomas ages ago? We all know that Elsa doesn't want to be a killer. Also, she is still very shaken up about the whole ordeal and I think she would want time to come to terms with what has happened before all that takes place.
I DO NOT OWN FROZEN!
"Marriage?" Elsa asked, her lips parted slightly. She looked around at the councillors, each and every one of them, none of them could meet her eyes. The slightest snow began to fall, no-one dared comment or even look up.
"Your Majesty, please we mean no disrespect-" Henning began. Elsa cast him a look that made him wince.
"No disrespect? Oh no, what's disrespectful about saying you have arranged a marriage behind my back?! Did you even consider the fact that we are at war with the Southern Isles, the fact that I have more important things to worry about?!" Elsa yelled. Henning averted his gaze and adjusted his collar.
"Your Majesty, w-we just thought... that you would need the support. And we believe that, if this child is to be born...then- then if it is done under the guise of a marriage...this way, the child... seems legitimate at least." Elsa's mind was racing, she felt heat rising in her cheeks, surely she was as red as a tomato. She felt completely powerless, like they had pulled the carpet from beneath her feet.
"You...I- I just don't understand. You seriously believe that this is the best course of action? I cannot believe that you would all be so inconsiderate."
"Your Majesty we do not wish to upset you and we have your needs at the very top of our list-"
"-I don't mean consideration for myself! I meant for this poor child, for Arendelle, the lies that you wish to feed them are disgusting." Elsa said sadly. There was a slight murmuring among the councillors for a moment or two before one of them piped up again. This time it was Sivertsen, a withered face like old leather and his voice croaky and slow, like a frog on its death bed.
"There is one other option, your Majesty." He said slowly, pushing his spectacles up his long, bony nose with a long, bony finger. Elsa didn't need to hear any more to know what he meant. She felt her stomach churn and her heart drop. What a vulgar thing to say. She had thought about it before but had always admonished herself for even thinking such a thing. But to say it! Aloud! As a genuine suggestion. Elsa's eyes narrowed and her fists clenched. She disliked him a fair bit, he was the oldest member of the council, the only remaining from the council of her father's rule. The pompous old man believed he was far more knowledgable than any of the others and carried an air of narcissism. But she had yet to find someone who could manage their docks like he could, so for the moment, he was staying.
"I cannot believe that you would suggest such a thing." She shook her head slightly in disbelief. Elsa stood, she held onto the edge of the table and closed her eyes for a moment. She took a deep breath, then another., opened her eyes. She was trying to see things from their point of view but she was angered by their secrecy. "Why is it that you wish to have me married, it won't change the fact that this child is that of a vile man. It won't change the fact that I can't look myself in the mirror any more, it won't change how I feel about the child so what is the point?" She asked sharply.
"We only wish that you do not go through these hard times alone. And, your Majesty, though I know you don't wish to hear it, you will soon become much more vulnerable. If we are to protect Arendelle from the Southern Isles then we all need you to be strong. I think..., what Henning was trying to say, is that with a spouse would come both support for yourself and the promise of arms. If we can make a valuable connection with a neighbouring kingdom then we have more chance of winning this war and protecting the kingdom. With this decision we are putting the kingdom first and we strongly recommend that you do consider this marriage if you wish to put them first too." Came the voice of Brekke, one of the two female members on the council. The room was silent. Elsa scanned the faces of each councillor, they all seemed concerned, they all looked like they were genuinely trying to help her make the best choice for Arendelle.
Brekke was the first to meet her eyes, she then looked to Henning, then Sivertsen, Larson, perhaps they were all just looking out for her and Arendelle. Perhaps they were not the political pigs she previously believed them to be. She took a moment to process everything that had just been said. If she were to agree to this then she would need to know details, to blindly agree would be foolish.
"If I were to agree...I would like to know...who exactly did you have in mind?" Elsa replied. The councillors all shared a look, they were not sure that her Majesty would even consider but now it seemed that she was just the slightest bit interested.
"We know that earlier this year you visited Urvea. We contacted them last week and received a reply this morning. The King and Queen have many sons." Henning said, handing Elsa an envelope with the blue wax seal of Urvea. Elsa took the envelope, opened it and removed the letter. She read aloud and carefully, knowing that with Urvea, there was likely a catch to the deal.
Dear Queen Elsa of Arendelle,
It is with the kindest regards that I write this letter. My wife and I have recently heard the news of your unfortunate situation. Our hearts bleed for you, a kind young woman like yourself does not deserve such a thing. We hope that we can offer some semblance of support.
We have been informed that you wish for our help, not only to father your child but to put up arms against the Southern Isles. There is no love loss between them and ourselves, we would readily fight with you should you agree to the remainder of our offer. My wife and I have been lucky enough to have seven sons, we don't see the harm in sharing a little. We would be willing to offer our middle son as a potential suitor and offer our men as aid in the war against the Southern Isles.
So, Queen Elsa, I offer you this: Marriage to my middle son and our aid in the war in return for your commitment to our kingdom. I request just two things: The first, a trade deal in which we give you nineteen percent of our crop yield every two months in return for 25 percent of your timber yield a month, as you know the woodlands are very sparse and damaged since our tremendous storm just a few months ago. And the second, a favour that will call upon at a later date. Now, I know this sounds selfish on my part, you may think I am taking advantage of a bad situation but trust me. I sincerely believe both Arendelle and Urvea will benefit from our commitment to each other.
Depending on when you receive this letter, my son Gabriel will be, at most, two days away from arrival in your kingdom. I hope that the two of you will get along, I know he hopes to impress you and though I may be slightly biased, I think he is a fit and fine young man worthy of, at least, your consideration as a partner. He is kind and considerate and I know he looks forward to meeting you. I completely trust that he will act in an appropriate and proper manner due to this being such an auspicious visit. I can only hope he makes a good impression, I'm hoping we can strike a deal and that it will result in a long and prosperous relationship between our two families.
Regards, The King and Queen of Urvea
Elsa just stared at the letter for a few moments. This was real. Her council had really reached out to another kingdom, on her behalf, and requested a partnership between herself and one of their sons. But she had come to see their point. She would soon be unable to leave the castle with a child on its way. It would soon be painfully obvious that it was more than a little extra weight and there would be many questions, many looks of disgust, many judging her for something that she didn't mean to happen. This marriage seemed to be a solution. Not an ideal one, but was, all in all, not a terrible idea. At least this way the child would not be born without a real father, without the support of a second parent. Elsa knew this was probably the best thing for Arendelle, the baby and herself.
"Though I am not thrilled at the fact that you contacted Urvea without my permission, I feel that you did it in my own and Arendelle's best interest and I do appreciate that. We will see if Prince Gabriel is worth the merit his father gives him. However, something tells me this 'deal' is non-negotiable, we either accept or we don't. Brekke, import, export and inventory is your area of work, do we have the timber to spare?"
"Our timber supply is healthy at the moment, the numbers look promising. I am quite sure we would be able to meet that criteria. I will instruct my men to begin putting a small amount of timber aside to, hopefully, get a head start on it."
"Councillor Henning, this... plan to wed me to the Prince of Urvea... does this affect the rights of the child? If we are to claim that it is his child and that it was conceived by two people of a lawful marriage then it would certainly look suspicious should they not inherit the throne when the time comes to do so." Elsa said, raising her eyebrow slightly when she saw the cogs in Henning's brain haul into overdrive. He looked around at his fellow councillors and they exchanged many odd expressions. Elsa waited, gave him a moment to wrap his head around the question, almost enjoying the slightly pained look on his face. Larson raised his hand.
"May I, your Majesty?" Larson asked. Elsa gave a curt nod in his direction. "I think it should." The seven other councillors all turned to face him and Elsa was surprised at what he was suggesting. "Don't you agree, if this marriage takes place and the public believes the baby is legitimate then why can't it be? I don't see why her Majesty should not be able to decide for herself whether or not this child has any calling to the throne." He added. Sivertsen was shaking his head but the rest of the councillors were quiet, still processing what they had just heard. A few looks were exchanged, some of interest, some of confusion.
"Larson, are you suggesting that we completely disregard the rules? That we should allow a child of impure blood to eventually ascend to the throne?" Sivertsen expressed his disapproval through the tone of his voice. "That would go against the entire Arendellian bloodline, which has been pure for a lot longer than even the oldest of men can remember."
"But to keep the child from the throne would reveal the truth, it would make this whole thing a waste of time, if we are to start on this path then we must follow it to the end and if that means this child ends up King or Queen then that is what will happen." Said Henning. Sivertsen frowned, his face twisted into a foul expression, like one was sucking lemons, and he replied:
"That is ridiculous, to taint the bloodline would show complete disregard for all the rulers that came before."
"Sivertsen, we can do one of two things, there is no compromise." Brekke began. " We can either give this child the chance to one day become ruler or we can follow the old ways and reveal the truth to the people, there is no other way. I'm sure we would all rather we didn't have to make this decision but the world is cruel but as we know, sometimes men can be crueller. As of this moment, it is just a question of what is better for our Queen and for Arendelle. What the people don't know will not hurt them." She added. Sivertsen cast Brekke a degrading look, it was clear what his opinion was but it seemed that his fellow councillors disagreed.
"I say we take a vote." Henning said, the councillors agreed. "Which of us think giving the child the right to the throne is absurd?" Sivertsen raised his hand. "And which of us would be willing to bend the rules of old this once and allow the child a claim to the throne, should her Majesty wish to do so?" seven hands including his own.
All of a sudden, Sivertsen slammed his bony fist down on the table.
"This is madness! You can't do this, it...it's wrong. That child cannot be allowed to rule over Arendelle! What would the Gods think if we let a disgusting bastard chi-"
"-How dare you!" Elsa growled, ice shot across the table in sharp, violent spikes. The other councillors moved back in their seats. "I didn't want any of this! I never wanted this to happen but I am dealing with the consequences! You, on the other hand, have no idea what I've been through and yet you feel you can judge this child and myself with out fault. I want what is best for Arendelle too but sacrifices have to be made in order to protect the reputation of the monarchy. If that sacrifice is pure blood then so be it because I don't want to disgrace my family any more than I already have. So you see why I think a small lie for the sake of generations of grief is necessary."
Sivertsen just stared, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, words failing him.
"I...I-Your majesty... I jus-" He stammered, his eyes wide with fear. Elsa cast him a withering look as the ice retraced its path up the long oak table. At least he would be silent for now. She turned to Henning.
"If the majority ruling of this council is that we should allow the right to the throne then I believe we should. I trust that you all have Arendelle's future in mind by agreeing to this. If there is nothing else to discuss then I-"
"-Actually, your Majesty, there is one other thing." Brekke cut in. Henning looked at Brekke with wide eyes. He knew what she was going to say, they had been discussing it just after they sent the letter of to Urvea. "If a marriage is to take place," Elsa gave her a nod and signalled for her to continue. "then we...we will need to cut all the loose ends. We can't have Tomas escaping and revealing what he did." Elsa cringed at the use of his name but Brekke was right, if Tomas somehow escaped and told anyone it would surely cause uproar.
"So, what is it that you had in mind to prevent that... problem?" She asked. Elsa steeled herself for the answer, knowing she would like what she heard one bit. Brekke took a breath and a quick glance at Henning, knowing that she had to tell her.
"You need to execute him."
Elsa looked at Brekke with wide, almost sad eyes. She wanted to hurt Tomas, make him pay for what he did, but execute him? That is what she should have done about two and a half months ago but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. To take a life.
"Execute him. O...okay, yes, execute him but...but what for? We can't have him killed for rape, it will destroy the base of this marriage idea. People would start to ask questions."
"Murder, theft, violent behaviour, trading stolen goods...anything, its your decision." Brekke replied. Elsa nodded her head slightly, taking it all in. She thought for a moment, what should he be executed for? Murder seemed too ironic, seeing as he hadn't taken a life but had created one. She couldn't think of anything fitting of such a man except theft, a justice of sorts. He is guilty of theft, he took something from her without her permission, though it may not have been a physical object that he stole, it was still stolen from her.
"I want him executed for theft. For- for stealing from the Royal family." Elsa replied, her voice cracked a little and she felt her throat tighten but she knew he deserved it for all he had done.
Brekke nodded as did Henning and Larson, along with Calland, Rodberg, Torvik and Valen.
"So he will be executed for the crime of theft." Valen began. She stood then continued: "Your Majesty, of course, you know the tradition. If Tomas is to be executed then you must be the one to deliver the final strike." Valen knew this was why the Queen had waited so long to agree to an execution.
"Yes, I know. They who pass the sentence should swing the sword." Elsa replied flatly. Valen looked to Torvik as he cleared his throat and stood.
"Your Majesty, we could have someone else do it if it would please you. You don't have to do this."
"No, if someone else did it then it would show a connection between him and myself, it would raise suspicion. I need to be the one to do it." Elsa said, her tone a mixture of anger and sadness.
"It is settled then, but when? That would be your area of expertise wouldn't it Torvik?" Valen asked. Torvik pondered for a moment. He knew that the execution would have to take place sooner rather than later if Elsa were to do it herself.
"In two days, that's the soonest we could do it." He said.
"Agreed, two days it is." Said Elsa with a stoic expression. She would have to mentally prepare herself for that day but hopefully it would bring her some peace to know that he was gone.
A/N: Yes I stole that line from Game of Thrones. I just love the idea that if you want to execute someone then you have to have the bottle to do it yourself. I also think it is fitting that Elsa gets to kill Tomas after all he has done to her, it seems only fair that she gets to lop his head off, right? So... how about that letter from Urvea...Will Gabriel make a good impression. Will Elsa open up or will she remain distant? Will she have the guts to give Tomas the chop? Will I stop asking rhetorical questions? Maybe... Hope you enjoyed this chappie, write a review if your feeling it, any opinions, anything you wanna let me know, go ahead. Thanks for reading guys.
-Fly :/