Author's Note: Sorry this chapter has taken an eternity to finish. Between working two jobs, business taxes, personal taxes (and combining the two this year), raising kids, studying for a new certification exam, keeping my wife happy and soccer season, it's been a bit busy for the last two months. I'm trying to write faster, I promise.
Cover Art for the story is by the incredibly talented Trixdraws from DeviantArt. Thank you again, Trix!
Please see Chapter 1 for my Standard Disclaimers!
Feel, Don't Conceal
by Jo K.
Chapter 10: The Other Queen's Speech
You don't have to feel like a wasted space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe a reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt your heart will glow
And when it's time you'll know
You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the Fourth of July
'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show them what you're worth
-Katy Perry, "Firework"
"You're going to be okay up here?" Elsa asked Kristoff.
They stood at the building she and Anna had taken to calling the stables, although they could have called it the guesthouse, considering Kristoff insisted on staying in it with Sven.
"Yeah, we'll be good," Kristoff said, nodding happily. He had arranged wood and straw inside the rock circle in the center of the small building to prepare a fire. Elsa had adjusted the temperature inside the building to be warmer than expected for what was essentially a large icebox, but Kristoff felt more comfortable with a fire he could control than magic he couldn't when it came to keeping himself and Sven from freezing to death.
"We have plenty of supplies inside the castle if you need anything," Elsa said. "Get rested up, then come join us in a few days. All the excitement should be over by then."
Kristoff looked off in the distance toward Arendelle. A snow storm prevented him from seeing the city of Arendelle itself, despite the fact that an hour or two of daylight remaining before the gloaming took hold. He turned back to Elsa, coolly radiant in her silvery-blue ice gown. Her hair sparkled with ice crystals scattered through her blonde tresses, making her blue eyes look quite otherworldly. "I still can't believe you let them just ride off on that thing," he said to her, casting another glance toward the snow storm, which to a careful observer might be seen to actually move as it receded in the distance.
"Anna's more capable than you think," Elsa said, careful to not let an edge creep into her voice. Kristoff was their friend, after all, and he didn't mean anything derogatory by his comment. "She's been practicing, too."
"Practicing what? Riding—"
"Lots of things," Elsa said, cutting him off. "She's determined to protect me, just as much as I'm determined to protect her."
"More than a bit ironic, then, that you two split up to deal with this."
Elsa nodded, her eyes reddening slightly. She had felt that way as well, although it was something that the constraints of time had forced upon them. Anna, however, had not been quite as calm about that idea.
"I don't want to go back to Arendelle without you!" Anna said hotly.
"Nor do I want to go to Maiden's Pass without you," Elsa replied calmly. "But time is not on our side, and my powers will be needed to deal with the Karelian army."
"And how exactly am I supposed to deal with a religious cult trying to take over our country?" Anna shot back, her arm flying up to point behind her in the general direction of Arendelle. "PRAY with them?"
Despite trying to be serious, Elsa still snickered at that. "I'm sure you'll think of something, my love," she said calmly, pulling Anna close and giving her a hug that led into a warm kiss. "I trust you with everything I love."
Anna held tightly, not wanting to let go just yet. "I still wish I was going with you."
"I know," Elsa said, smiling sadly. "And I wish you were too. But from what Ygrit has told us, we're nearly out of time. We have to move now, and that means we have to be both at Arendelle Castle and at Maiden's Pass as quickly as possible."
"And the only way we can do that is to split up," Anna finished for her. "I agree, I guess. I just don't like it."
Elsa smiled again, this time without a hint of sadness. "Then take it out on the Glavadians when you get to Arendelle," she suggested.
Anna smiled back, her blue-green eyes sparkling with a hint of moisture gathering in them. "I'll do that." She hugged Elsa again. "Thank you for sending some of your magic with me."
"You're welcome, my love," Elsa replied. "It's your magic too; you just have to wield it differently."
"I will," Anna said, but a hint of doubt crept into her voice; she looked away quickly after she spoke, glancing in the rough direction of Arendelle from their current position.
"I'm..." she started, only to falter at the words. She took a breath, then tried again, her voice quietly strained. "I'm scared, Elsa," she said. "I'm scared I can't do this without you." Anna's lower lip quivered, and she finally allowed herself to drop the wall of confidence she normally carried. She turned and grabbed Elsa, letting herself cry as she held her big sister, her wife, tightly.
Elsa held Anna for several minutes, not rushing her younger sister. Though she was born a princess the same as Elsa, Anna was still a teenager, and Elsa was quite familiar with how frightening it was to face lofty expectations and the risk of failure, of letting down those who love you. This was a field where her experience far outstripped Anna's.
She paused before she lifted her right hand to cup Anna's cheek. "Anna," she said, letting the pride and love she felt for her sister suffuse her voice. "You also have a magic that's entirely your own. It's what's inside your heart, inside your soul. It's the strength and stubbornness that kept you trying to help me when I was too afraid to help myself. It's the courage that let you ride into a blizzard because you wanted to save me. It's the spirit that others see and love, what makes them love you and look up to you as a symbol for the entire country." Elsa smiled as Anna slowly lifted her blue-green eyes to look into her own icy blue gaze. "It's what makes you you, my love. It's what makes me love you. And there is no one I could ever trust more than you to do this."
Anna's eyes flickered, dancing in place as they searched Elsa's eyes for any sign of doubt or exaggeration. But all she could find in her big sister's eyes were confidence and love. If Elsa believed in her that much, then she had no choice but to believe in herself, no matter her doubt and fear. "You always know what to say to me," she whispered as she rested her head on Elsa's collarbone. "I love you."
"I love you, too. And I believe in you, Anna."
"I'll make you proud. Just like you make me proud." Anna smiled, confidence again aglow in her smile. "Be careful, my heart."
"Always," Elsa replied. "Yourself as well. Don't do anything needlessly reckless, but show them just who rules Arendelle. Show them exactly what the new queen of Arendelle can do."
"I will. And you better be back at the castle in time for dinner. I'm not going to wait on you all night."
Elsa smiled coyly. "Yes, Your Majesty," she purred.
Anna grinned. "Love you, Elsa," she said, giving her wife another kiss before turning and walking to her mount. Ygrit was already waiting on her, sitting nervously and trying to remain perfectly still atop the ice saddle Elsa had crafted for her. The folded quilts she was sitting on prevented any damage from the frigid seat, but their size made her sit uncomfortably high in the saddle, adding to her already significant anxiety about their impending journey. The slow, deep rumbling from the beast beneath her did little to allay her anxiety.
"Love you, too," Elsa said quietly, nervous beyond compare as she watched Anna walk away. She wasn't exactly going unarmed, but Elsa was still sending her to Arendelle to face a very dangerous group of people. Even with Ygrit accompanying her, Anna was facing difficult odds. "Be careful yourself, my love," Elsa whispered to herself. "And be strong."
Elsa shook herself out of the moment. The storm she had sent with Anna was now much smaller with distance, but it still loomed larger than the city of Arendelle itself. It would provide Anna cover until she dismounted, guaranteeing her reaching the castle safely, at least. Then it would be Anna's turn to wield her own magic.
She turned to look in the direction of Maiden's Pass. Following the North Mountain's curved, jagged spine would take her directly there. But it wasn't the journey she dreaded. Part of her didn't want to see the carnage if the battle had already begun, but she knew that she couldn't turn away from what was happening. Arendelle's soldiers were in danger today, with the rest of its citizens joining them tomorrow should Karelia gain a foothold through the mountains.
She gestured in front of her; flickers of frost spiraled from her fingertips, swirling together energetically to form a white winged horse, so detailed and lifelike that only close inspection would reveal it was made of snow and ice.
"Nice ride," Kristoff said, his voice much lighter in mood than Elsa's heart was at the moment. "Why didn't you make one of those for Anna?"
Elsa stopped just steps away from her mount, which had obligingly knelt to allow its queen to take her seat upon the icy saddle. She turned just enough to face Kristoff, head slightly turned over her shoulder. "Does my sister look like the type who'd ride something as boring as a winged horse?" she asked, a smirk on her face.
Kristoff nodded in acknowledgment. "Good point," he admitted. "Yeah, her ride definitely fits her personality much better."
As her mount stood, Elsa settled herself in the saddle, gripping the reins loosely. "If you ever do anything to make me mad, I'll tell her you said that," she said with a laugh.
"I'll remember that," Kristoff said in reply, smiling. "Safe travels, Queen Elsa, and good fortune."
Elsa smiled. "And may the wind always be at your back, dear Kristoff. Tell Sven and Olaf that I'll see all of you in a few days, at Arendelle Castle." She turned and lightly tapped her heels into the snow horse's ribs; it was more a reflex than a necessity, as it responded to her mental commands, but the old habit made Elsa feel more comfortable for the few seconds before the horse's galloping hooves left the frozen ground behind, climbing quickly into the gray-blue sky.
"Are you sure we're flying in the right direction?" Ygrit yelled for the fourth time as she and Anna flew atop their mount. She fought the urge to look over her shoulder again; even though she most likely couldn't see anything keeping pace behind them, she didn't want to risk it.
Anna grimaced; despite the ice mail hauberk's hood layered beneath her cloak's hood, Ygrit's voice was still uncomfortably loud in her ear. "Yes!" she shouted back. "I told you, I can see just fine!"
Ygrit closed her eyes against the blowing snow and wind striking her face. They were surrounded by a blizzard that felt strong and cold enough to bury a medium-sized castle in thick snow, and she could barely see far enough to register that her hands were still attached to her arms. She had already known that Queen Elsa was immune to the ice and cold, and she had seen firsthand that Princess—no, Queen Anna was now similarly immune to the cold.
Ygrit shivered involuntarily as she recalled precisely when she realized just how significant a change that was. Sitting down on their toilet in the Ice Castle, as they called it, had taken at least five years off her life. It was one thing to understand the concept of a castle made entirely of ice; it was something else entirely to experience the sensation on one's bare buttocks.
She opened her eyes just enough to squint against the biting cold and snow. She shook her head slightly; she still couldn't see anything beyond Anna's hands. Which was probably for the best, she thought to herself. Anna hadn't flow them into the side of a mountain yet, so she supposed things were going well so far. She closed her eyes and ducked her head back down, using Anna's dark green cloak to shield her face and trap some much-needed warmth as they continued their approach to Arendelle.
As the Eastern Plains came into view beneath her, Elsa summoned a small snowstorm to conceal her approach. It was essentially what she had done with Anna's mount, just on a smaller, less noticeable scale. As she drew close enough to make out tents and masses of people far below her, her heart fell slightly as she registered the large expanse of open field between the army beneath her and the mouth of Maiden's Pass.
"Loki's tits," she hissed to herself. She knew the army closer to her would be that of Arendelle, situated between the mouth of the pass and the rest of the country. General Anders Tyrssen was a very competent field commander, and there could be only one explanation for his army to be stopped with camp fully set up this far back from Maiden's Pass: Karelia had beaten them there.
Elsa's eyes narrowed as she discarded her preferred plan of contacting Anders and getting his suggestions on how best to approach this situation. She had already considered this possibility she now faced, and she had also formulated a plan to deal it. She would worry about the price it exacted on her soul later.
Prince Wilhelm cursed quietly as his boot slipped on the damp deck of his ship as he burst from his cabin. The Dark Current had been in northern waters for nearly four weeks now, and the combination of cooling weather and near-constant overcast skies had seemingly made everything on board cold and damp. He managed to regain his balance quickly, only visibly unsteady for a moment, but he was furious at even that slight appearance of awkwardness. However, as his gaze followed that of his ship's crew, he immediately forgot about his minor stumble.
A blizzard which appeared large enough to swallow most of Arendelle City seemed to hover over Arendelle Castle, its vast body of clouds a dark green-gray visible beneath the swirling streams of snow encircling the storm. As Wilhelm watched, the dark clouds seemed to visibly move, but their nebulous edges made it difficult to judge accurately. He visually measured the foreboding storm against the castle itself, rechecking it after ten seconds, then again after thirty. The storm was definitely enlarging—in minutes it appeared it would engulf all of the castle and much of Arendelle City.
"So you've finally come out to play," he muttered softly, a menacing smile stretching across his face. "Bring us closer!" he called out, setting the crew in motion. "But not too close. And keep all cannons idle and weapons below decks. If we do happen to be seen—and may God help you if we are—" he added, looking around at his crew, "we're here merely to warn the good Queen Elsa of the savage Karelian army massing at her eastern borders." He allowed himself to again smile thinly. "Such a shame that weather slowed our journey, or we might have been able to provide a proper warning." He ignored the weak chorus of laughter that spread across the gunship's deck, his mind already lost in thought as he contemplated the blizzard and its implications.
Just beneath that blizzard, the bitter silence hanging over Arendelle Castle and the blood-spattered ground just outside its walls was broken first by the crash of metal as iron-clad legs struck the ground, immediately followed by the meaty thump of the rest of a man's body impacting the ground. Wet burbling from the prisoner's slashed throat was next, lasting only seconds before mercifully ceasing.
"Send out the queen or we kill another prisoner!" yelled the inquisitor who appeared to be in charge of the mob which had taken positions in front of the castle, a tall, lanky man with an ashen complexion and dark eyes. When combined with the thin beard on his sallow face, his appearance might have suggested a diplomat, or a scholar, were it not for the blood-spattered leather and chain armor he wore and the dagger he held in his left hand, still dripping the evidence of his latest murder.
"Bring me another prisoner," the inquisitor said over his shoulder.
"Man or woman?" came a voice in reply, hesitant and unsure.
The inquisitor kept his sight trained squarely on the castle gates. "No difference," he coldly answered. "All nonbelievers are equally worthless in the sight of the Burning God."
A woman's shriek rang out, only to replaced by the noise of a mild scuffle. By the time the inquisitor could turn, the woman cried again, this time louder then before. His coal-black eyes took in the sight of a young boy, likely no older than nine or ten, his legs futilely churning as he was held off the ground by two crusaders. Sprawled on the ground behind the boy was a younger woman, maybe thirty years of age, maybe not. She was reaching out for the boy, but the firm grip of another armored crusader held her back.
The inquisitor smiled. Sometimes virtues could be found even among the unbelievers. He motioned for the two crusaders to bring the boy to him. At the movement, the boy's legs stilled, and his gaze fixed on the inquisitor's long face, hatred burning from his eyes.
"What's your name, boy?" rumbled the older man, looming over the boy despite him being held off the ground.
The boy hesitated for a few seconds, holding the inquisitor's gaze as he waited. "Edgar," he finally said. "And I'm not afraid of you."
The inquisitor nodded approvingly. "And that's your mother, I take it?" he asked calmly.
The boy nodded once, his face growing increasingly ruddy.
"The Burning God approves of bravery," the tall man said, sliding the dagger back into the sheath on the side of his belt. "Only one god can reign supreme, and only the bravest can follow that one supreme god." He motioned toward Arendelle Castle with his right hand. "All those who sin against the Burning God must either reject their sins and beg for forgiveness, or they will suffer his wrath. Blasphemers, false prophets, fornicators, abominations, followers of the pretender gods, all those who follow the ways of evil will fall before His fiery judgment." He looked back down at the boy as he added, "As will all those who shelter or defend them."
The boy jerked, but to avail. "Queen Elsa and Princess Anna are not evil!" he shouted, drawing another cry from his mother where she remained restrained. "They're kind, and they care about Arendelle! They saved us from the Eternal Winter!"
"Yes, which your devil of a queen caused to begin with," the inquisitor calmly replied. "Even now, they lie together in unholy sin, letting all of Arendelle bleed and burn while they hide behind those castle walls."
"That's not true!" cried the boy. "They're..."
The tall man paused, waiting for the boy to finish his statement, but nothing further came. "I give you one chance, boy," he said, motioning for the guards to lower him to the ground. However, they continued to grip his arms and shoulders tightly. "Kneel before the One Supreme God, and swear your soul to Him. Do so and I'll spare the life of your mother."
Before the boy could reply, a bitter blast of frost and snow swept across the hard ground of the field, enveloping everyone present in winter's grip. The boy tried to break free to run to his mother, but he was only able to shrug off one guard's grip; the other tightened his grasp and forced the boy to his knees as he bowed his own helmeted head to try and keep the icy wind out of his face.
The sleet and snow continued for several minutes before it abruptly dissipated, leaving the crusaders huddled in small bands or beneath any available shelter, nearly an inch of snow accumulated around and on the castle itself when the flurries stopped as abruptly as they had arrived. The sun was setting on the day, but enough light yet remained to reveal a cloaked figure standing atop the castle wall. The cloak was still blowing in the remnants of the chill wind, revealing dark clothes covering mail that appeared unusually bright over the wearer's arms where it was exposed. As both the crusader's camp and the town behind them watched, the figure's arms slowly came up. With deliberate patience, the lone figure lowered the cloak's hood, revealing hair the color of copper, twin braids now blowing in the cold wind.
Anna carefully studied the scene before her, seeing how the crusaders had burned the homes and buildings adjacent to their encampment. Guards and hastily constructed barriers separated them from the town proper, with a matching contingent of city guards a few blocks away, behind their own barricades. Between them, buildings were damaged and destroyed, with scant signs of life visible in those areas.
The tears running down her cheeks startled Anna; she hadn't felt them start. She sniffled, trying to clear her nose as it started to run lightly. The blackened, gutted buildings and other visible damage she could see through the city of Arendelle made her heart ache. Maybe she and Elsa couldn't have prevented it even if they had been here, but they'd never know. They had chosen each other over Arendelle, and Arendelle had paid the price.
She knelt down, covering her face with her left hand to hide her tears. Despite the burning in her throat and in her chest, she still knew that she loved Elsa more than Arendelle. It felt like a betrayal, that she could put someone or something over the country she had been raised to help rule, but denying her feelings for Elsa would have been a betrayal of her own heart. And despite all the damage dealt to Arendelle, Anna would choose Elsa again if she had to.
She wiped her eyes before she slowly stood and pulled herself up to stand atop one of the crenelations of the parapet wall. As she came back into view of the field in front of the castle and the parts of the city closest to the castle walls, she heard a murmur of voices below her. Slowly the voices grew stronger as others noticed and recognized her, despite the distance and dimming light. The castle guards hurriedly lit the torches both inside and outside the castle walls, replacing the sleet-soaked wood staves with fresh fuel as Anna and the Glavadian church's crusaders, as well as the senior inquisitor in command of the religious soldiers, continued to study each other.
Truthfully, Anna was waiting for Ygrit to return from adding a layer of chain mail and another layer of padded clothing to the leather armor and layered clothing she had been wearing. Ygrit had seen the need for the mail, but she had questioned why she would need two more bulky layers of padding were they to come to blows with the Glavadians. She had raised objection to Anna's directions, citing the need for agility as well as quickness in combat, but Anna had overruled her. She had also wanted Ygrit to see Idunn once more, should the potential battle go much worse than she was expecting. It was a thought that made Anna's heart sink, but she knew it had to be acknowledged. However, as she stood atop a column forming part of the castle's parapet, she became aware of something she truly had not been expecting.
It began with a rustling among the voices below her, mostly from the yet-free part of the city closest to the castle, but as the noise coalesced into applause, it was joined by those held prisoner inside the Glavadian ranks, then by those inside and just outside the castle. The applause steadily grew in intensity before shouts and cries could be heard, mostly whistles of approval or cries of Anna's name ringing out from the city and the castle both. The cheers became a swell, finally settling into a mixture of claps and shouts of "An-na!" which went on for several minutes.
Anna's face began to burn as she realized just how right Elsa had been. The citizens of Arendelle did look up to Anna, and Elsa had known it all along, despite Anna's protests to the contrary. Yes, Arendelle loved Elsa too, but that love would always be tempered with respect and more than a touch of fear, due to Elsa's powers and the events of the Eternal Winter. But Anna was her own symbol for Arendelle, the bright, fiery, approachable counterpart to Elsa's wintry elegance and restraint.
"Hand me my bow, please," Anna said to the guards standing behind and below her, not taking her eyes off the contingent of crusaders gathering around the boy and tall soldier who appeared to be their commander. She shifted the ice-hilted sword sheathed on her left side, moving it slightly farther back along her waist.
Despite the leather gloves he was wearing, the guard who picked up her glittering longbow felt his fingers begin to numb in the few seconds it took for Anna to take the bow from his hands. Made entirely of mystical ice, its frosted body and delicate-looking drawstring sparkled in places where the light from the setting sun and flickering torches played across its length. She undid the clasp holding her quiver's leather cover closed, flipping the leather flap open and tucking it out of the way to reveal a bundle of silvery-white arrows, likewise shimmering as the dappling light played across their icy lengths.
Anna stepped forward, using the wall of the parapet to boost herself up high enough to grasp the edge of the roof of the nearest tower where Arendelle's flag flew. While the inch of fresh snow and ice atop the tower would have normally made the slate tiles dangerously slippery, for Anna the slushy mixture showed its allegiance to her and her wife by gripping her foot firmly, allowing her to pull herself up atop the rampart and stand in front of the blowing flag of Arendelle before slowly stepping closer to the edge.
Miles away, Elsa's flying horse lit carefully atop a peak helping make up the northern half of the steep valley of Maiden's Pass. With a flick of her hand, the winged horse dissolved back into sparkling snowflakes; she would need all her concentration to carry out the dire task before her. The swirling flurries hid her figure from the army encamped in the valley below, but they did nothing to hinder her own sight. Elsa estimated Karelia's force to be well into the tens of thousands, possibly even a hundred thousand strong. They occupied nearly three-quarters of the entire pass, firmly entrenched on the side opening into Arendelle's eastern lands. Driving them out would be a bloody, tedious ordeal for Arendelle's forces, one to which Arendelle's queen was unwilling to subject her loyal soldiers.
Elsa looked across the valley to the peaks comprising the valley's southern wall. As she watched, a small murder of crows flew across the pass, either oblivious or unconcerned about the humans below them, girded for warfare and killing. Elsa smiled slightly as she watched the birds, their inky forms contrasted against the white mountains forming their backdrop as they flew westerly.
"One for sorrow, two for joy," Elsa found herself singing at a voice just above a whisper, the old nursery rhyme springing unbidden to her lips. "Three for girls." She closed her eyes and extended her arms to her sides, unclenching her fists and splaying her fingers as she began to draw upon her icy power. "Four for boys," she continued as she felt the shivers of power build in her arms, opening her eyes and flexing her arms slightly forward as she turned to her left. "Five for silver," she continued, breathing the words out as she directed her right hand at the mountains across the valley and her left arm parallel to the peaks she was standing atop. "Six for gold." The power surged through her body, down her arms and legs and out her hands and feet as wet, heavy snow began to rapidly accumulate on both mountain ranges at the same time. She closed her eyes again, not fast enough to catch all the tears that were building in her eyes. "Seven for a secret, never to be told."
Anna listened to the cheers and shouts of her name, both from outside the castle as well as in, for several minutes before she finally raised her right arm, signaling for quiet. As silence settled across Arendelle, she saw the Glavadian soldiers begin to gather in force in the center of their camp.
"We demand the queen's immediate abdication of her throne!" came a shout from the forefront of the crusaders' ranks.
Anna looked down to see the tall, weathered man she been watching earlier. His addressing her confirmed her was in charge, as least of their military forces. "And who are you, making such demands?" she replied loudly, knowing that choosing her words carefully was a must here. Funny, that her first act as a queen was facing down an insurrection. She grimly hoped it wouldn't be her last.
The gaunt man stepped forward, left hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "I am Lord Inquisitor Droclis, Commander of the Crusaders of the Glavadian Church, servant of Grand Inquisitor Pauluus and the iron hand of the One Supreme Burning God!" As he spoke his deity's name, he and all the crusaders saluted by thumping their right fists against their chests, the noise echoing off the castle's nearby walls.
"I am—"
"We know who you are!" shouted Droclis, interrupting Anna. "An abomination, a lustful demon, seeking to corrupt the innocent and damn the souls of your whole country!"
"Well, that's putting it a bit harshly, don't y—"
"We have no interest in talking to you, whore! We will speak only to the Queen!" shouted Droclis, his sallow face becoming increasingly red as he spoke. "Tell your harlot of a sister to come out and surrender herself, or we will continue to kill another Arendellan every ten minutes."
Droclis turned and motioned for the guard to bring the now-stilled boy forward to him. The guard had taken three steps when a noise somewhere between a whistle and a sizzling sang past Droclis's right ear. The guard's head jerked back as his body spasmed and fell to the ground, a glittering white arrow protruding from his left eye socket.
Wasting no time, the boy ran for the castle gates, his feet slipping on the snow-slicked ground. Another guard ran after him, keeping his exposed face turned to the ground to let his helmet provide protection against arrows and other missiles, although they should have been well out of range of Arendelle's longbows. He was gaining ground on the fleeing boy when another silvery arrow drove deep into his neck between his helmet and armor. He stumbled to the ground, his momentum carving a shallow rut in the snow before he stopped jerking.
Anna drew another arrow, nocking it to her bow's string but not yet drawing to aim. The magic Elsa had infused into her longbow and arrows was impressive in itself—even Elsa could hit most targets at medium range with them, despite never attempting to learn archery—but when Anna was wielding the bow, there was a synergistic effect between Elsa's magic and Anna's skill that neither of them had anticipated.
Droclis whirled to face the crusaders gathering behind her. "Two of you with shields, seize that boy!" he hissed. Two of his soldiers immediately charged forward, obediently angling their large rectangular shields to defend themselves from Anna's arrows.
Anna grinned as she drew her bow and took aim at the faster of the two crusaders pursuing the boy. She thought about her target, visualized the arrow driving through the wooden shield as if it were no more substantial than fog before burying itself into his neck, then she gently released the drawstring.
Droclis stared in amazement as he saw the lead crusader's body jerk and spin, flinging its shield aside at it lifelessly fell to the ground, a white arrow thrown into stark contrast by the dark armor clearly sticking out of its neck. He was even more amazed as the other crusader pursuing the boy careened to a halt, nearly falling in his attempt to break off pursuit.
Atop the castle rampart, Anna frowned slightly as she held her position with her bow drawn, her right hand tucked just beneath her jaw as she continued to aim at the other crusader. She hadn't anticipated him letting the boy go. She glanced down to see the boy run, now nearly halfway to the castle gates. She gently released her grip, controlling the string and leaving the arrow nocked as she returned the bow to a resting position.
She smiled as she lowered the bow to her side, still gripping it firmly with her left hand as she watched the inquisitor glare up at her.
"Arendelle will stand against you, Crusader!" she said, loudly and clearly. "We will all stand against you!"
Droclis looked briefly at the boy as he made it to the bridge across the castle moat, drawing closer to the castle gates, then he slowly returned his gaze to Anna's position where she stood atop the tower's peaked roof. Without a word, he raised his left hand, holding it above his head.
Anna squinted slightly as she tried to determine what he was doing as he stood still for several seconds. Then his arm dropped downward.
The whistling of a flurry of crossbow bolts cut through the cold air. While most of the bolts missed the boy, more than enough found their target. Anna screamed as he fell to the stone walkway of the bridge, black quarrels protruding from his back, legs and arms.
He's dead. My first action as queen, and I got a little boy killed. Anna put her hands to her head as she fell to her knees sobbing, nearly dropping her bow as she did so. When it touched her temple, its coolness sent a jolt of clarity through her head. No. I didn't kill him. These heartless murderers who think they can do anything, any act of depravity or cruelty, just because they say their god wants them to do it. They're the ones who did this, and they'll do it to all of Arendelle if we let them.
She shuddered as she fought to bring her tears under control. They'll do this to Elsa. To me. They'll kill us both, just because we love each other. To Ygrit and Idunn, two truly kind and caring souls. If their god truly exists, he deserves nothing but contempt.
A wooden clattering brought Anna out of her thoughts. She looked around, taking a few seconds to realize that the noise she was hearing was the sound of arrows striking the stone of the castle walls. The castle's archers had kept the crusaders at a distance just out of the range of their own archers, but now they were testing those limits. Trying to kill her.
She raised her bow and drew the string, taking aim at one of the archers walking toward her, daring to close the distance to the castle. She thought about her icy arrow driving entirely through his helmet and skull, loosing the missile and nocking another without bothering to watch her first target fall, or her second, or her third, or her fourth. Her gifts from Elsa were beautiful and terrible, and she fully accepted that dichotomy now. This was not an archery set designed for target shooting or entertaining; it was a set of weapons, created to defend their love and their kingdom, to punish those who sought to hurt them or Arendelle's people in a manner that would strike fear into the hearts of their enemies.
And Elsa and I are the same. We're just different weapons.
It was more evident with Elsa, more natural, given her powers. She was capable of creating astonishing beauty or awesome destruction with nothing more than her will and her emotions. But it was just as true for Anna now. She knew she was naturally loving and friendly, yet she had learned to kill, both to provide for those she loved as well as to defend them. Rulers had to balance being kind and being firm; Elsa had taught her that, and she had done the same for Elsa. The two had to exist together, as either quality alone would eventually lead a kingdom to ruin.
She lowered her bow again as she watched the remaining Glavadian archers retreat. She had taken over a half dozen lives in less than ten minutes, and she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that. But she was sure that she couldn't stop to consider it just yet.
Droclis told one of his aides to mobilize the forces stationed outside Arendelle City. It was time to either take the castle or burn everything else to the ground, to make it clear what would happen to those who opposed the One God. As the young soldier hurried through the garrison of troops, Droclis turned back to the young girl standing atop the castle. She had to be tied to the flagpole, he thought, as gravity and the icy snow atop the slanted tower roof should have plunged her into a deadly fall the first time she fired her bow from her position. He smiled darkly. She would make a much more effective deterrent once her lifeless body was hanging from her perch.
He stepped forward again. "Arendelle is lost!" he called out. "While you might be able to defend the castle for some time longer, you cannot do the same for the city, or its citizens." He looked around before pointing at the body of the boy sprawled on the castle bridge. "His will be the fate of Arendelle, all because of the blasphemy you and your sister have committed!"
"By loving each other?" Anna shouted back. "By recognizing and acting upon the true love we share? What kind of sick god responds to acts of love with murder and cruelty?"
"A stern god! A god who punishes those who disbelieve, who sin against his wishes!" shouted Droclis. "No different than a fearsome father, teaching his children to respect his commands!"
Anna felt her face burning with fury. "Any parent who kills his or her child because that child disobeyed doesn't deserve to be a parent!" she screamed, pointing to the boy lying on the bridge. She took a moment to rein in her anger before she spoke again, trying to channel Elsa's confidence and eloquence in her words.
She turned to look not at the crusaders gathering in battle lines below, but rather at the Arendellans now gathering in the streets in the parts of the city uncontrolled by the crusaders and confessors. "Citizens of Arendelle, see exactly what the Glavadians and their god truly offer you! They offer you suffering, hatred and death! They'll burn Arendelle to ashes, until they're satisfied that no one who might offend their god remains alive! All of us remember what they did to Ruthenia, how they destroyed families, burned homes, ruined crops, slew animals and caused the death of millions, all because they disagreed with a royal marriage. Today in Arendelle, they try to do the same again." She looked across the city as she paused, hoping that her words were stirring the city into action. "Today, we'll show them that Arendelle does not fear them and their message of hate!"
"And what do you know of hate, child?" shouted Droclis. "Or of love, for that matter? You've lived your whole life inside your precious castle, never having to work or want! Your life has been as far removed from Arendelle's peasants as the mountains from the sea!" He allowed himself to sneer at her naive arrogance, at her presumption that she could understand what a worker, a soldier, a fisherman, a carpenter could possibly think or feel. "You're a foolish child! A spoiled princess whose isolation and depravity have corrupted the holy institution of marriage, who threatens to drag her entire country into hell with her!"
Anna already had the arrow nocked and the bow half-drawn when she realized that this required more than simply killing him out of anger. She had to be better than that, to make a statement more powerful to Arendelle than simply killing this Lord Inquisitor and creating a martyr for his troops, no matter how satisfying it might feel. But she didn't take the arrow off the drawstring as she thought. What would Elsa say in this situation?
Seeing her hesitation, Droclis smiled, a gruesome smile that had witnessed dozens of brutal battles. "I have four thousand troops gathered in your city and outside your gates!" he shouted, raising his arms confidently. The cheers of his crusaders and the confessors accompanying them rang out.
"Is that all you brought?" Anna shot back, her growing irritation with the arrogant man prompting her to speak without considering her words. But as she heard a mixture of laughter and cheers through the crowds watching and listening to the exchange, she realized where she had been going wrong. I'm not Elsa. And I'm not supposed to be.
Droclis stopped smiling. "Your army left days ago, and they're too far away to help you now!" he shouted. "Do you truly think that the few remaining righteous men and women of Arendelle are willing to die to protect you and your cowardly sister?"
Anna's slight smile instantly turned into a scowl. "I think the men, women and children of Arendelle are more righteous and brave than you and your murderers put together," she replied. "They've seen the truth of what you and your religion represent, and they stand firm against it. That's why you're resorting to such cowardly acts as torturing and killing prisoners, because you can't fool them with your lies any longer."
Droclis raised his arm to point directly at Anna where she stood atop the castle tower. "I give you one final chance to save this city and everyone in it! You—"
"Other than those you've already murdered, you mean," Anna interjected loudly, venom dripping from her words. "In the name of your holiness and divine justice, of course." Though she wasn't amused in the least, she forced herself to smile widely to drive home her point. I only have to be myself. That's what Elsa was trying to tell me.
While Droclis was doing his best to ignore her retorts, he was becoming increasingly irritated at her insolence. "Surrender yourself, your sister and your castle, confess your sins and accept the Supreme God's judgment, and we will spare the lives and lands of Arendelle's citizens!"
"And I suppose Elsa and I will just have to take your word on this?" Anna shouted back. "Since you've been so dependable and trustworthy to this point?" She could see the rage building in the inquisitor's body language as she spoke. He had quite obviously been prepared to speak with Elsa, someone who would deal with him seriously and rationally. Anna, quite naturally, wasn't her sister. She couldn't help but grin. Balder's blue eyes, Elsa's smarter than even I give her credit for.
"So be it!" screamed Droclis, flecks of spit flying from his lips as he shouted. "You have doomed all of Arendelle and her citizens with your insolence, you ignorant child! Your city, your entire country will be burned to the ground, your people hunted so long as the Church of Glavadia exists!"
Anna stood as tall as she could and walked to the edge of the sloped tower, seemingly oblivious of the icy cover on the tiled surface as the snow and ice held her securely with each step. "I am not a child!" she shouted back, letting her resentment of this man and his brutal army finally boil over. "I am Anna, QUEEN of Arendelle! Sister, wife and true love of Elsa, Queen of Arendelle! And you, your church and your religion are no longer welcome in my country!"
A roar of cheers erupted through Arendelle, from inside the walls of Arendelle Castle through the reaches of the city proper. Anna looked at the crowds, still holding their positions away from the crusaders' camp but starting to mill with restless activity.
"I have four thousand crusaders with me!" shouted Droclis, trying to blunt the growing fervor of the crowds of Arendellans. "Four thousand experienced soldiers, ready to erase your blasphemous stain from the earth!"
Anna waited a few seconds, letting the crowd's cheers fade enough for her voice to be heard clearly. The breeze blew across her bare head as she conspicuously examined her fingernails; the soft wind set the hairs which had worked their way loose from her twin braids into gentle motion as she waited. When Anna was satisfied she could be heard clearly, she loudly replied, "I'll accept their surrender now if any of them are so interested."
Droclis's mouth opened in amazement. "Are you insane?" he shouted. "How many guards do you have in your castle? One hundred? Two?"
Anna turned to look down into the castle courtyard. She saw the entire contingent of guards gathered below, close to a hundred and twenty armored warriors. She also saw a brave handmaiden, clothed in armor buried between several layers of padded clothes, looking slightly like a well-armed snowman with her sword, shield and an expression that revealed her fierceness. And of course, there was Anna's new pet, which had brought them down from the North Mountain. She smiled.
She turned to face Droclis again, conveying a significant lack of concern in her expression. "I'd say we've probably got thirty or forty guards here, at least. Plus a few handmaidens who can swing a sword or a halberd. More than enough. I don't care if you surrender all at once or make a little line. Whatever you prefer."
"And how do you plan on defeating an entire army, Queen Anna?" Droclis asked, injecting as much disbelief as possible into his use of her title.
"Maybe she'll shoot us all with her little arrows!" said one of the crusaders several paces behind Droclis, getting a round of guffaws and laughter with his joke.
The jerking of the crusader's body backward, combined with the wet thump of an arrow driving through the man's armored chest, instantly stopped the laughter. As he fell to the ground, gasping futilely for breath a few seconds before he died, the other crusaders turned to look at a glistening white arrow smeared with crimson blood embedded deep in the wood post behind where he had been standing.
Droclis and the other crusaders slowly turned to look back at Anna's position atop the tower. She still held her bow in front of her, left arm fully extended as she held her pose after shooting. She slowly, deliberately lowered her bow before saying, "Well, I suppose I could shoot you all, but my arm would get tired."
Droclis quite audibly growled as he turned and strode to the post, seizing the arrow and beginning to work it back and forth out of the wood. It was intensely, bitterly cold, even through his leather gloves, but he finally succeeded in ripping the shaft free. He examined it as he returned to his previous position. "I believe you'll run out of arrows before your arm gets tired, you little bitch!" he shouted, punctuating his sentence by snapping the arrow in two.
Anna smiled, resting her right hand on her hip as she shifted her stance to a more relaxed position. "I was wondering when you'd think of that," she said. "It only took you seven or eight soldiers."
The noise of someone approaching along the parapet drew her attention from Droclis. "Wait a minute," she called out before turning away from his disbelieving stare. She turned to see Ygrit approaching her, her usual form now rather lumpy from the extra layers of clothing. "Warm enough?" she asked sweetly, getting an impressive glower from the dark-haired younger girl.
"I feel ridiculous," Ygrit grumbled.
"Well, if we get into the fight itself, you'll be very glad you put those layers on," Anna said. "Until then, you'll just have to trust me."
"I have your shield," said Ygrit, lifting up a round shield crafted entirely of clear, sparkling ice. "And truth be told, the extra gloves are pretty handy for it. It's much colder than ice usually is."
Anna nodded. "Tell the guards that when the fighting starts, their first priority is to rescue those prisoners the crusaders are holding. Don't go out with them when they charge. I need you to stay back with me."
Ygrit bristled slightly but nodded in affirmation. She didn't like watching others fight while she stayed behind, but her first obligation was to protect Anna. She turned and went back to the steps leading down from the parapet.
Anna walked back to the edge of the tower, facing Droclis again.
The Lord Inquisitor looked madder than a wet hen. He stood fuming, awaiting word from the aide he had dispatched to the troops outside the city. Once their siege weaponry was readied and the infantry arrived, it would be time to attack. And he would personally cut the red-headed brat's head from her shoulders. "You can kill a few more of us before you run out of arrows!" he yelled. "Then we will take your castle and slay everyone in it!"
Anna reached back to her quiver, resting her right hand on the soft leather as she looked in turn at each of the arrows she had loosed, starting with the one whose halves Droclis still clenched in his gloved hands.
The Lord Inquisitor nearly jumped when the two halves of the arrow he held turned into water, spilling out of his hands and onto the ground. The trickles coalesced into a single small puddle before rolling away from him, toward the castle. The other arrows that were visible to him transformed similarly, turning into clear liquid before sliding away from their victims.
Atop the tower, Anna smiled as the first small puddle crested the castle wall, running up her leg without wetting her clothes before slithering into her quiver and freezing into a glittering white arrow once again. Once all the magic arrows had returned to her quiver, she turned back to Droclis and flashed a smug grin to the irate crusader. "So about that whole breaking my arrows thing..." she said as she slowly drew one of her silvery shafts from her quiver again. "Don't think that's going to work real well for you."
The sound of running footsteps behind him made Droclis turn. "Please tell me they're ready," he hissed to his returning aide. "I want this witch's head on a pike before the moon is full in the sky."
The younger crusader nodded. "They're ready. The catapults are being loaded and the siege platforms are readied. The rams are coming now."
"Good," Droclis said coldly. "Have four divisions spread out into the city. Carve out footholds for the rest of the forces, then start burning everything on our flanks. Force them out into the open, where our cavalry will run them down. No prisoners. Send them all to their pagan gods."
He turned back to Anna, calmly walking toward her as the other crusader ran off to deliver his orders. "There will be no mercy for you or your people," he said, coming to a slow stop.
He was daring Anna to kill him, and she knew it. That was the sole reason she hadn't put an arrow through his throat yet. But he was pushing his luck.
"You could die with honor!" Droclis called out. "Earn a place in your Valhalla by dying like a true warrior of your people!"
Anna squinted slightly as he spoke, trying to see where he was going with this. She remained silent, waiting on him to finish.
"Stop hiding behind your castle walls, using arrows to kill brave soldiers like a coward, and meet me in single combat! Die bravely, not like a coward hiding behind others!"
Anna made a show of considering his words briefly before replying seriously, "Well, it is my castle."
"Then you will die as a coward and be denied a seat in your afterlife!"
Anna smiled. "I'm not going to die today," she said calmly.
"How do you plan on surviving? Do you have a secret army hidden in there with you?"
"Nope," Anna said, shaking her head. "Don't need one. I have something better."
Droclis sneered. Her bluff was about to be called, in a very painful, agonizing way. He would make sure she personally witnessed as many deaths as possible before she was allowed to die. "And what, pray tell, is that?" he asked condescendingly.
Anna's grin became a full-blown smile, stretching her freckled cheeks to show her bright teeth.
"I have a dragon."
She motioned behind her, and a massive shape surged up from the castle grounds to perch upon the castle parapet, like a hunting bird eager to strike. Its brilliant frosted white scales shifted as it unfurled its leathery wings, crystalline planes making up their ivory folds. The beast, easily the size of a medium house, straightened its neck and roared as its snow-white neck frill extended into a fearsome display.
Despite their training and experience, several crusaders stepped back from the sight and sound of a monster straight from the pagan fairy tales.
Anna reached over and lovingly patted the beast's nearest wing. She turned to look at Droclis again. "Still feeling so sure about all those threats?" she asked.
Droclis drew his sword and pointed it at Anna. "We have the Burning God on our side!" he proclaimed. "We have no fear of an unholy ice creature! It will fall before our onslaught like the rest of your city!"
"Oh!" said Anna, concern on her face. "Well, in that case..." she said, looking up to the grey-green clouds swirling over the city before turning back to the ice dragon beside her. "Kill all those soldiers in the dark armor, both inside and outside the city, but don't hurt anyone else. And don't kill the one I was talking to. I need him alive for now."
The dragon turned to look at her, giving her a slow nod.
"And call the others," she added with a smile.
The ice dragon roared again, a higher pitched bellow more like a shriek that lasted several seconds. No sooner had it ended than a matching cry was heard from high above the castle.
Anna looked at Droclis again, her smile obvious. "I'm glad I brought five of them."
Author's Afterword: Wow. That took much, much longer than I had planned on to finish. I cut it there, because there's still more to this battle, but I HAD to get something out for everyone who's been so patient. It just feels like everything's been working against me to get this chapter finished and posted, including having to take my wife to the hospital for four hours earlier tonight. She's back home and okay now, and I'm feverishly trying to get this chapter up. I'm trying to get back to a decent update schedule, but please give me two weeks to get the next chapter finished and posted. Thanks for being patient with me! See you soon!