Chapter 10 – Welcoming Easthaven
Lord Councilor Gustav scanned the harbor as the sailors of the Easthaven Explorer and the dock workers made the ship fast and ran out the gangplank. He was wearing his dark blue Council topcoat, standing next to Prince Dominic and his party, who were also formally dressed. Gustav could see the royal sisters and several members of the Royal Council, but Bern was not on the dock. His heart fell.
Prince Dominic preceded him down the gangplank, and then Gustav caught up with him to make the introductions. Castle Guards stood at attention, lining the dock, impressive in their green uniforms. Violinists were playing Easthaven's anthem in welcome. In spite of his mixed feelings at the occasion, he tucked away a compliment for Princess Anna and the way she'd pulled off a proud welcome with very little notice.
Queen Elsa was waiting for them in the small courtyard where the castle island opened out onto the harbor. She wore a high-necked deep purple gown, with a black yoke setting off her slender waist and a short black cape at her shoulders. Her pale blonde hair was wound up into a bun, showcasing her slender neck. Those brilliant blue eyes were formal and distant; her slim hands were bare. Gustav gave an internal sigh of disappointment at how beautiful she looked, and checked for Prince Dominic's reaction, which was as expected. Prince Dominic had never seen Queen Elsa before, and the start of delight was undoubtedly genuine.
But while Prince Dominic had an excuse for looking at Queen Elsa like that, Sir Lester most certainly did not. Gustav narrowed his eyes, and then followed Sir Lester's gaze. He wasn't looking at Queen Elsa at all, his eyes were fastened on Princess Anna, who was stunning in a green gown with blue trim, and blue ribbons in her hair. Gustav surreptitiously looked around, wondering why on earth Kristoff wasn't here.
Gustav stepped up. "Your Majesty, may I present his Royal Highness, Prince Dominic of Easthaven." Then he hoped the man would do something terribly awkward, like reach for Queen Elsa's hand.
Prince Dominic went down on one knee and produced a single sunflower, which he held up for the queen. "Your Majesty, I am your humble servant. I regret I do not have a better token of my esteem, but I hope this will serve as a promise of my affection."
If his life had depended on it, Gustav could not have said how Prince Dominic had procured a sunflower, until he remembered a boat launch that had hastily been sent out ahead of them as they approached the harbor. He now knew what errand was so pressing that it couldn't wait until they had docked.
Queen Elsa accepted the flower with her tiny smile. "You are welcome to Arendelle, Prince Dominic. Your timing is commendable. Indeed, we are most happy at your prompt response to our request for military aid."
"That was merely a fortunate coincidence, your Majesty, although I am everlastingly grateful for the opportunity to help our favorite ally. With your indulgence, I hope to mix business with pleasure, and make this visit about a more pleasant topic than an unsuccessful invasion," Prince Dominic replied. He stood and bowed deeply, his voice calm and measured. The overbearing boisterousness that Gustav had observed on the ship was gone.
Elsa nodded once, with queenly reserve.
Prince Dominic begged the opportunity to introduce his traveling companions. The introduction of Major Felix and his battalion of two hundred soldiers caused some concern, but Queen Elsa quickly turned them over to Councilor Vilrun and Captain Torvin. Major Felix assured them that they did not require quarters, merely a meadow where they could make camp.
As the group turned to return to the castle, Prince Dominic fell into step beside Queen Elsa, while Sir Lester managed to walk next to Princess Anna. Gustav held back a few steps and waited for Rodmund to join him.
"How did the conversation go?" Gustav asked him.
"It couldn't have gone worse," Rodmund said, his lined face grave. "We're in disgrace, old friend. My first attempt to talk to the queen resulted in her freezing the room and set off a tiff with the princess. I had to send Gerda in to calm them down. Then when I was able to talk to her, she was very upset we burned the betrothal agreement. She hasn't spoken to me in days. Vilrun assured me she specifically asked me to be here, but that's the most notice I've gotten from her since we talked."
"Did you tell her the agreement had been signed?" Gustav asked, digesting this bad news.
"Yes. I hope that wasn't a mistake, but it seemed best to come clean with all of it at once, rather than risk her finding out at a later date," Rodmund replied.
"Good decision. It turns out King Agdar didn't trust us any more than we trusted him. He'd sent a signed copy of the betrothal agreement to Easthaven before he died. I suppose asking me to send it as well was a test of my loyalties, which I obviously failed," Gustav said. "Prince Dominic brought the signed agreement with him."
"Worse and worse," Rodmund said with a sigh.
"How did Bern take the news?" Gustav asked.
"He doesn't know a thing, Gustav. He received word his father was dying the same morning I'd planned to meet with them, and left in a tearing hurry. Lord Tyvard has passed on, God rest his soul, and we haven't seen Bern since then. I heard that Kristoff went with him, and things haven't gone well, but I've no idea of specifics. Mirabelle and Adele both went to attend Lady Nadja, so I hope Bern and Kristoff can get back soon," Rodmund said.
Appalled, Gustav had no reply.
~###~
Queen Elsa's first impression of Prince Dominic was that he had an imposing presence, which he instantly restrained as he offered her a sunflower. Elsa said something appropriate as she took it, and wondered if Gustav had told him about her preference for sunflowers. After introductions, he walked next to her back to the castle. She noticed he didn't offer his arm, or make any move to touch her, and she again wondered if Gustav had given him advice about her preferences. Perhaps Gustav had changed his mind about Prince Dominic's suitability for her, and was willing to encourage the match.
"Arendelle is the most beautiful kingdom I've ever seen, your Majesty. The backdrop of the mountains framing the village with the ocean at its foot is stunning. Do you have a painting of the setting? I would love to see how an artist portrays Arendelle," Prince Dominic said. His brown eyes were darker than Kristoff's, and his straight brown hair was neatly combed down, except for a few stray strands at the back that defied the attempt to make them lay flat. He did have enthusiasm and charisma bursting out all over, but he seemed charming more than overbearing.
"I don't believe we have such a painting," Elsa replied.
"I wish my small skill as an artist could be equal to the task," Prince Dominic said with a sigh. "I enjoy painting with oils when I have the time, but I wouldn't dare paint Arendelle for fear of not being able to do it justice. Do you paint, your Majesty?"
"No, I'm afraid I don't," Elsa said. Painting was one more thing she couldn't do with her hands, along with embroidering and braiding rugs.
"Yes, you would do better as the subject of a painting, if any artist could possibly catch such beauty in something as prosaic as paint," Prince Dominic said.
"You flatter me, Prince Dominic," Elsa said, ducking her head.
"Please call me Dominic," he answered.
Elsa couldn't ignore the question in his voice. "Thank you. You may call me Elsa, except when the audience requires greater formality."
"Then we shall avoid audiences whenever possible, Elsa," Dominic said.
She just had time to smile at him when Olaf burst out of the castle, running and bouncing towards them. "Hi! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"
Dominic stopped and stared. Elsa heard sounds of surprise from all the men of Easthaven, and then Dominic recovered first. "I've heard of you, Olaf. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Olaf looked at the hand Dominic offered him without taking it. "Am I famous? How come you don't want a hug?"
Dominic laughed loudly and crouched down for a warm hug. Olaf's snow cloud got a few flakes on Dominic's red military coat, which he touched curiously as he stood up. "Yes, you're famous. We've all heard of the brave snowman of Arendelle and his devotion to the queen."
"And Anna too!" Olaf insisted.
"And Princess Anna too," Dominic agreed.
Olaf bounced off to greet everyone else and Dominic watched him intently. "Are there other such creatures you've made?"
"Not ones that last," Elsa said, twirling her sunflower. "It isn't a power I use on a whim, Dominic. The less seen of my ice and snow, the better."
"Of course, forgive the intrusive question. I will restrain my curiosity," Dominic said. "I beg the liberty of one question about the military situation you have at hand, though. Once our ships arrive, would you be able to thaw the ice trapping the warships from Weselton, or should we plan to wait as long as it takes for the ice to thaw in the ordinary course of time? I only ask because our ships may be here soon, and the amount of ice we saw may not melt for most of the summer. Again, I beg your pardon and hope I haven't made you uncomfortable with the question."
"I would be able to thaw the ice if necessary," Elsa said.
"Is that possible from this distance? Or should we plan to sail you out there?" Dominic asked.
"I would need to sail out there," Elsa said.
Dominic nodded and dropped the subject, turning to watch Olaf insist on hugging Admiral Wordonn, who complied with a bemused expression. "Charming," he murmured.
Princess Anna stepped up and announced the arrangements for their rooms, and apologized that the formal welcome dinner would have to be postponed until tomorrow.
"No matter, no need for much fuss. I am not my brother, the king," Dominic said. "We are simply grateful to be welcomed here, and are at your disposal to discuss military matters, although I hope that doesn't get in the way of the more pleasant matters that brought me to your shore." Dominic smiled at Elsa at this last comment, and she gave him her tiny smile in return.
Olaf came running back, and Elsa handed him the sunflower, which he accepted gleefully.
"You may rest and refresh yourself before dinner," Elsa offered.
"Thank you, Elsa," Dominic said with a deep bow. "I hope to see you again soon."
Prince Dominic followed the delegation from Easthaven into the castle, with Princess Anna and Chief Steward Kai showing them to the rooms they'd hastily prepared. Elsa could only imagine what a fuss Gerda had been in to prepare for high-ranking guests on such short notice.
"Gustav, a word with you please," Elsa said. "Rodmund, you too."
"I am at your service, your Majesty," Gustav replied.
"Yes, your Majesty," said Rodmund.
"Gustav, Rodmund informed me of the actions you took when my father tried to arrange a marriage between myself and Prince Dominic several years ago. I trust neither of you will interfere in this matter again. The decision will be mine," Elsa said.
"Yes, your Majesty."
"You are both excused from the formal dinner tomorrow evening. I won't require your presence at that time. Good afternoon, gentlemen," Elsa nodded and walked away from them. Her hands were balled into fists, and she didn't look down, hoping that the icy footprints she was leaving would melt quickly enough in the hot sun that no one else would notice them.
~###~
Gustav and Rodmund watched Queen Elsa walk into the castle and then Gustav sighed. "It gets worse, Rodmund," he said.
"Do tell, because I can't think of anything worse on my own," Rodmund replied.
"Before I knew that Prince Dominic knew about King Agdar's signature on the betrothal document, I made the mistake of mentioning Queen Elsa's regard for Bern in the hopes that Prince Dominic would abandon his intentions towards her. Instead, Prince Dominic hinted that my continued service in government depends on persuading Bern to go live abroad," Gustav said.
Rodmund cocked an eyebrow. "At least he doesn't plan to challenge Bern to a duel and kill him."
"That cheers me up, Rodmund, thank you," Gustav said glumly.
"Has your opinion of Prince Dominic changed at all? Perhaps the marriage and the alliance could work," Rodmund suggested.
"No, my opinion of him hasn't changed. He's as charming as most womanizers typically are, and he'll remain charming until it no longer suits his purposes, which will be after Queen Elsa is already trapped in marriage." Gustav stroked his goatee and thought. "Since I'm already in disgrace, there could be no further harm in speaking my mind to the queen. If I don't try to warn her, I'm sure I'll regret it later."
"You may regret warning her," Rodmund said.
"That goes without saying. The question now is which regret will be easier to live with. I think I would rather regret speaking my mind," Gustav replied.
~###~
"The battalion from Easthaven is encamped in the meadow south of Arendelle Village, your Majesty," Councilor Vilrun reported. "I have asked Captain Torvin to assign two squadrons of Castle Guards as liaisons to smooth any issues that may arise. They brought money to buy provisions, which they've been able to get from the marketplace, although the supply may be strained and prices may be affected by the demand to feed another two hundred people unexpectedly. That's an issue I would refer to Councilor Bern upon his return."
"Thank you, Councilor. That is satisfactory. Is there an update on the ships from Weselton?" Elsa asked.
"Harbormaster Stollen reported that the last sighting of them at dusk showed no change," Vilrun said.
Elsa smiled at him. "I commend you for your work, Councilor."
"As always, I am pleased to do my duty," Vilrun replied. Elsa won Vilrun's wholehearted devotion by offering him a second chance after he made errors in judgment during the Battle of Arendelle. His work since then had more than repaid her mercy.
There was a knock at the door of Elsa's private study and Vilrun opened it, showing Rodmund and Gustav.
"I was just leaving," Vilrun told them.
Elsa noticed that he squeezed Gustav's arm as he left, with a look both sympathetic and serious in the dark eyes under his beetled brows. She hadn't thought of it before, but perhaps Vilrun was hoping she would also offer Rodmund and Gustav a second chance as well. Honestly, she missed them already and felt more inclined to be lenient than she had been this afternoon.
"Your Majesty, I beg your indulgence for a few moments," Gustav said. "I accept the rebuke you have given, but as long as I serve as Councilor, I feel it is my duty to offer counsel, even if it is unwelcome. You are free to disregard it, but my conscience compels me to speak."
"You may sit down," Elsa invited them. They waited until she seated herself on the straight-backed chair by her desk before finding their own seats.
"Your Majesty, I deeply regret the concern you must feel right now about our actions four years ago," Gustav began.
"Gentlemen," Elsa interrupted, "I have considered Rodmund's explanation, and in all fairness, I must admit that I was not approachable four years ago. While I do not excuse what you have done, I do understand why you might have felt that you couldn't talk to me directly about the matter."
Both of them noticeably relaxed. "Thank you, your Majesty," Gustav said. "We had many concerns about the marriage; we did not know why Easthaven was willing to ally themselves with Arendelle. In an arranged marriage, there are usually promises made on both sides. Easthaven obviously came with military capabilities, but there were no promises that Arendelle had made, at least none we knew about. If you and Prince Dominic should come to an agreement between yourselves, that question would be answered, and we would work to carry out Arendelle's best interests."
Elsa relaxed too. This was what she needed to hear.
"However, all our previous concerns about the imbalance of power between Easthaven and Arendelle remain," Gustav continued.
"Easthaven is both powerful and ambitious, your Majesty. An alliance may turn out to be a conquest by marriage and Arendelle will simply be absorbed and cease to be a separate kingdom with its own identity. We'll be nothing but a tributary of Easthaven," Rodmund said.
Elsa had also considered this issue in the days since she had talked to Rodmund, and come to a conclusion that she knew they wouldn't like. "We're going to be conquered eventually anyway. There have been two military threats since my coronation, and both of them were sparked by a hatred of me and my powers. Arendelle has been at peace for decades, and then I'm crowned and we've had two invasion attempts since then. It's me – my existence caused this problem. If I can fix the problem by marrying someone, then it's my obligation as queen to do what's best for my kingdom."
Rodmund and Gustav exchanged looks. Elsa started to fidget with her skirt. The answer had seemed so obvious when she'd thought it out in the privacy of her own mind, yet it was just as obvious that they did not want to agree with her. She tensed up again.
"What's best for Arendelle is to maintain its independence," Gustav said carefully.
"How, Gustav? We can't afford a military big enough to defend Arendelle. Would it be me? Do you think I can protect us?" Elsa's voice started shaking. She'd thought of it, lying awake at night, staring at the ceiling and wondering if she could actually freeze someone to death on purpose, even to defend her kingdom. "I'm not a weapon. I can't kill people with these," and she held out her bare hands, "and live with myself afterwards. I would rather marry than try to be an army and navy all by myself. We can either be conquered by military might, or conquered by marriage. If it's by marriage, at least no one dies," Elsa said.
"You'll be the only casualty," Rodmund said.
"I'm not more important than the good of Arendelle," Elsa said, looking away from the concern in Rodmund's eyes.
"Unfortunately, your Majesty, you can't throw away your happiness that casually," Gustav said. "I'll admit that others can. There are many marriages contracted for convenience, or economic reasons, or for the succession. They happen as frequently among the commoners as they do among royalty, whether or not history takes notice of them. But you don't have the luxury of deciding on a marriage that your heart rejects. Your powers can only be controlled by true love. If you marry without love, you lose control of your powers again."
"I have Anna. She'll always be here with me," Elsa insisted.
"She was here for you all thirteen years you spent in your room, unsuccessfully trying to control your powers. She was here when you froze the entire land. Her love helped you put an end to it eventually, but she's not a magical talisman of control for you, your Majesty," Rodmund said. "You can't lay that burden on her. She'll try to carry it for you, but what will happen when your fear of Prince Dominic overwhelms Anna's ability to love you? There are things between a husband and wife that can't be healed by a sister."
"What's best for you is what's best for Arendelle. Marry where your heart lies, and let true love show its power again," Gustav said.
Elsa abruptly stood so she could move away from them. "Why do you assume Prince Dominic won't love me? I've met him now. Perhaps I disagree with your opinion of him. Perhaps it would be a marriage of true love."
"That is possible," Rodmund said carefully.
Gustav's eyes were full of frustration and concern, and he bit his lip to keep the words back.
"Gustav does not think so," Elsa replied.
"The matter may be too personal. My opinion is unwelcome, and not based on anything but my own observations," Gustav said.
"That's true enough," Elsa said coolly. "I have one last question, and then I will bid you good night. Rodmund, why did you want Bern at that meeting? It would have been terribly awkward."
"Yes, well," Rodmund cleared his throat and exchanged another look with Gustav, who simply looked resigned. "We noticed your mutual regard for each other, and, well," he trailed off.
When it became obvious he wasn't going to finish the sentence, Elsa nodded. "Very well. I trust you won't do anything to make it awkward for him to continue as councilor. Our regard for each other can't influence this matter. I trust Bern is professional enough to handle any personal disappointment without letting it affect his work."
Gustav looked even more miserable.
"Good night, gentlemen," Elsa said.
They murmured good night and left.
Elsa dropped into her chair when the door shut, folded her arms and curled up tightly. No ice and snow intruded, not even when the conversation had turned tense. She allowed herself some pride at this small victory before returning to the matter at hand. The longer she thought about it, the more necessary the marriage seemed. Elsa had been raised on the mantra of doing her duty despite the personal cost. This fit neatly into her life philosophy. If she was too happy, she would feel guilty about it.
Briefly, she remembered the feeling she'd had on Christmas Day, when she'd thought that someday she would marry Bern. But she couldn't decide such an important matter of foreign policy based on an emotional whim. Don't feel it, she reminded herself. Feelings were such unpredictable masters. She regretted Bern fiercely. She wished she hadn't let him get close enough to get hurt, and at the same time she was terrified he'd go away. He would do anything for her, and she needed him to stay, even though she had to marry Prince Dominic.
~###~
Dusk wrapped the summer evening in soft, gray light as Kristoff turned off the shore road and into the trees. "We'll camp here tonight, unless you want to go ask at one of these houses for permission to sleep in a barn."
"This is fine," Bern replied, dismounting.
Sven tossed his antlers as Kristoff got off and bleated at him.
"Whatever," Kristoff answered. "I don't get fat, and I haven't had much to eat in the past couple days anyway." He pulled the saddlebags off of Sven.
Star whinnied and Sven invited him to amble off towards a stream and a tasty patch of grass. Bern dropped the hobble he'd intended to put on Star and let him go.
Kristoff opened a saddlebag and started getting food out and setting it on a cloth.
"Where did you get all that food?"
"I went to your kitchen and asked for it," Kristoff replied. "Do you want ham or a hard-boiled egg?"
"Both. I'm starving. I haven't eaten decently in days," Bern said. He found a log to sit on and started helping himself.
Kristoff wrapped meat and vegetables in a flatbread and started eating. "Do you want to tell me what set all that off back at your house?"
"I told the truth about what my mother had done. It freaked out both of us," Bern said, licking his fingers. He felt calm about it now, relieved that he didn't have to pretend anymore.
"So? Keep going."
Bern searched for words that would make sense to Kristoff, and convey the enormity of his mother's crime. "Do you know what the economy is?"
"You explained it to me once," Kristoff said. "It's got something to do with money, and everyone's work. Stuff like that."
"I've been tracking some problems that have come up in the economy. Like a lot of coins are coming into Arendelle that aren't worth what they should be worth. And there is a lot of smuggling with Weselton, even though we have an embargo against them. An embargo means no one in Arendelle should buy or sell anything to anyone in Weselton. Does that make sense?" Bern asked.
"So far," Kristoff said, still chewing.
"It turns out my mother has been working with Weselton to smuggle, and bring in all these bad coins. She's weakened the economy, and it will cause problems for everyone in Arendelle. She's done it under my authority. I signed a power of attorney two years ago that gave her permission to run our family business, and then I didn't check up on her very often. I looked at a ledger every few months, but I didn't keep close track of what she was doing. She's cheated everyone in Arendelle, and it's all my fault," Bern said.
"But if she did it, then it can't be your fault," Kristoff said.
"Kristoff, if Lieutenant Moyes signs something telling you to do whatever you want, and you go out and do something wrong, is Captain Torvin going to yell at you or at Moyes?" Bern asked.
"Oh. You were in charge so you're the one in trouble?"
"I was in charge," Bern agreed with a sigh. "She's ruined me. I'll take the blame for this, which ends my career in politics. I'll return to being a merchant, which will mean starting over, because as near as I can tell, I'm fairly close to bankruptcy. I had a job offer as third mate on a fishing schooner, maybe I'll take that one."
"That's harsh. Is this when you start fighting back?" Kristoff asked, tossing Bern a wineskin.
"I don't fight back," Bern said after taking a couple of swallows. "She's my mother."
"You know, when I lived for a few months with my aunt and uncle, I had this cousin who got into the habit of beating me up. I let him do it for a while. I thought he'd get tired of it and leave me alone, but the more I took it, the more he dished out. I finally fought back. I was a lot smaller than he was, so I had to use a stick to get my point across. But after that, he left me alone."
"That's so straightforward that it's refreshing. If my mother would beat me, I would do something about it."
"She beat the daylights out of you these past couple days, Bern, she just used words instead of her fists. And you just take it. She'll keep dishing it out as long as you take it."
Bern's temper flared for the second time that day. "What do you think I should do, Kristoff? If I fight back, I become like her. My life goal is to be as unlike my mother as possible. Every time I have to decide how to behave, I wonder what my mother would do, and then I do the exact opposite. She fights to get exactly what she wants, so I never fight to get what I want. She twists words, so I'm as honest as I can be. She holds on too tight and calls it love, so I keep letting go of the person I love the most. If I'm willing to act like her, then I become like her. And yes, I'd rather get defeated than win if I have to act like her in order to win."
Kristoff took a few more bites and thought silently. "Yeah."
"Yeah, what?"
"Yeah, I don't know what to say."
Bern bit back an angry retort. He wanted Kristoff to come up with something because he was out of options himself.
They finished eating. Kristoff pulled blankets out of a saddlebag. Bern used Star's saddle blanket and wrapped up on a bed of loam and leaves. Kristoff fell asleep instantly. Bern wasn't used to sleeping on the ground, and the branches and rocks under his blanket kept him awake, shifting in an effort to find a more comfortable location.
The turmoil in his mind wouldn't let him relax anyway. Finally, he got up and walked across the road to the shore of the fjord. The reflection of the quarter moon in the sky floated on the water. Bern climbed up on a large rock and sat down, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders, staring down at the moon's reflection in the water. His thoughts took a melancholy turn as he watched the moon ripple in the water, tied to the moon in the sky. Reflections were shallow, without any reality or substance of their own. That moon in the water had no freedom, it was tied to the real moon in the sky and could only reflect what the real moon did.
Reflections. Bern frowned at the water as the night breeze ruffled through his black curls. He threaded his fingers through his curls. They were exactly like his mother's curls, only short. His eyes were as gray as hers. They had the same mouth and chin and fingers. He was already a reflection of his mother. Reflections were tied together, even when they did the opposite. An opposite is connected to its original as well, just flipped the other way around. He was reflecting his mother, even when he tried to be as unlike her as possible, he'd only managed to flip the reflection the other way around. They were still connected. She still controlled him, just like the moon in the sky controlled the moon in the water.
He'd gone along with her reality his entire life, and had never noticed the way it had turned his entire personality into a reflection of hers. He put his head on his knees in despair at his failure to break free from her. She would always be part of his life. No matter how hard he tried, he could only ever be like her, or be her reflected opposite. There was no independent life for him.
Bern picked up a small rock and threw it as hard as he could at the reflection of the moon in the water. The shallow ripples disturbed the reflection, and then smoothed back out, as if the rock had never been thrown.