11: Meeting with the Chancellor
Wednesday 8:00 PM
Hans resolved to sail to Greenland three days before the meeting was planned. While map-makers and navigators who had tracked the path to the realm had suggested it would only take 24 hours to reach, Hans insisted on doing everything he could to reach the island on time. It wouldn't bode well for a first impression if he was late.
Under normal circumstances, Hans would have asked Frederick, who had stayed amongst the commoners in Arendelle during the supernatural winter. However, Hans had been busy with obligations during his time as regent and prior to his marriage to Princess Anna. When his father had returned, he had ordered Frederick to return to the Southern Isles with him. Because Hans knew the old Captain as a friend, it was easy to forget the man was honor-bound to serve his Monarch.
Instead, Hans elected to have a twenty-two year old captain named Elisha Prier take him to the island. She had only attained her status last year, but Hans ensured her credentials by discussing the offer with her personally. The private talk spoke volumes for her character; she was charming, intuitive, and knew the workings of a sailing vessel inside and out.
In addition, she had agreed not to speak to the Regent unless he wanted her to. Although talking to Frederick had often settled Hans' mind, the old sea dog often forgot when to stop running his mouth.
At 8:00 PM precisely, Hans and his crew boarded the Erikson, a modest transport vessel suitable for the Regent and his bodyguards. The Captain took her stance behind the steering wheel as her stronger servants dragged up the anchor. Between the two staircases leading to the Captain's perch, her first mate, a burly man with thick facial hair and slits for eyes who used to serve on the royal guard, directed the shipmates in an effort to keep the ship running on all cylinders.
For such a large man, Dane Frome had a subdued voice that projected without harsh edges. This gave Hans the serene backdrop he needed to think.
Although he'd done his best to hide it, Hans wasn't as confident in this venture as his father believed. He didn't have a solid answer to his father's rhetoric regarding Greenland's distance from other lands. He could have mentioned that the Chancellor had accepted his request to visit, but King Harold probably would've struck that point down as well. He would say it was more than likely that the Chancellor would take advantage of his offers to dissuade other foreigners from coming to Greenland.
These arguments against Hans' expedition were far from invalid. But if Hans was going to avenge his late fiancée, he would need aid from places no one would expect.
His plans to effectively isolate the French from their allies would require support from several different nations. As long as Hans assured them he wasn't asking them to join him in some type of war effort, it would be easy to convince most of Arendelle's neighbors to join his cause. His father was a noteworthy exception which came as no surprise to Hans; as a ruler, King Harold had always been a pragmatist. This had been the reason he was so respected by his peers.
His back resting against the ship's starboard hull, Hans considered the vague nature of his plans. The only part of his "scheme" to take over Arendelle he kept in mind was the benefits he would reap from carrying it out. Ultimately, Hans had waited for the pieces to fall into place before he could make strides towards his goal. He may have had a better idea of how he was going to get back on the French, but the steps to getting there weren't much clearer.
Convincing the Chancellor to help me may be my best chance at getting this done . . . If I fail, how am I supposed to make up for what happened?
Hans had Francis, the French dignitary, confess a plan he had concocted to kill Queen Elsa in case negotiations fell through. In his conflicted state of mind, he had thought the representative was a perfectly reasonable individual who would forget his scheme as soon as Hans had shot it down.
He had been wrong. And because of his poor judgement, the woman he loved had been murdered.
Hans fought back a tear that threatened to spill from his eye. He had cried enough over her passing; he could never hope to reach his goals if he was emotionally compromised.
Finding his thoughts to be thoroughly discouraging, he approached the ship's second level. He marveled at Captain Elisha's beauty. Her round, chocolate brown eyes matched her hair perfectly. Her hair was tied in braids that flowed gracefully behind her. For a moment, Hans' gaze rested on her lips.
To be entranced like this feels sick. "Your Highness,"
Captain Elisha took her hands off the wheel and bowed. "What can I do for you?"
"I grant you permission to speak," Hans said, nodding. "I need some company."
She gave him a curious expression. "Begging the Regent's pardon, are you feeling alright?"
"Physically, yes," The Prince of the Southern Isles chuckled. "If I could keep my sea legs around ol' Captain Frederick, I can certainly do so here. This boat's nicer than his,"
"Thank you for the compliment, sir," she smiled. "I take great pride in this vessel."
"And you should," he leaned against the wood supporting the wheel. "Keep up the good work,"
Elisha shook her head, returning her gaze to the skies beyond. Hans held back for a moment but decided it would be best to open up to the Captain.
"To be honest, I'm worried about this trip. I told my father that my exploits against the King of France could be done; that I was so sure Greenland would be the key to fulfilling my goals. And now that I'm actually on my way there, I feel . . . lost, I don't know."
He wiped his hands through his hair. "I keep telling myself I'm doing this for her, but . . . I'm not sure if it's what she would really want."
Elisha was clearly mulling over his words.
"I know Queen Elsa willingly gave authority over the kingdom to me, but I'm just not sure if I'm ready for this. It's not too early to forget about revenge and worry specifically about the well-being of Arendelle, but the first thing I've thought about when I wake up is how next to carry out my plans. Basically, what I'm trying to figure out is . . . If I'm doing the right thing,"
His head tilted to the floorboards, leaving the Captain out of his peripheral vision. "I know that doesn't make any sense, but, it's just how I feel."
Hans refused to leave the solace in the dented wood beneath him. Without warning, the Captain responded to his confessions.
"I may not be royalty, Your Highness, but everyone has these same struggles at some point or another."
I turned my eyes to her, a sentimental smile vivid on her face. "It comes with the territory of taking on a new responsibility. I had many of the same concerns when I was first promoted to Captain,"
Her expressions saddened. "My instructor did his best to convince me that I'd earned my position, but, a lot of my peers were under the impression I shouldn't have attained such status. I'm just a woman, after all; positions like this should be left to men."
She pulled back loose strands of hair from her forehead. "During my first captaining exploit for Arendelle, I nearly made a critical mistake. I was head of a colonial effort that was exploring the northern regions of Scandinavia. While hiring a first-time Captain for such a dangerous mission was an odd decision, Arendelle's council of governors felt I had the skill to run such an expedition. Besides, the mission was necessary; our neighbors needed a reminder that just because Arendelle was without a defined ruler, it didn't mean we would lose our role in the sphere of influence. Most of the journey was smooth-sailing until we came across an ice berg."
Her eyes shut. "For one terrifying minute, I panicked. I forgot all about my training at the Academy, and what I'd learned to do in those situations. I wanted to run to the powder room and hide like many of the others were."
Her right fist clenched. "But then, I realized I had a duty to complete. I had been chosen for this mission, and I wasn't going to hide from what I'd trained all my life to do. I gathered my bearings and steered us away from the ice berg."
She looked caring at the Regent. "Now, while I share in some of your burdens, I've never lost someone close to me like you have. I can't say I know how it feels to lose someone you love in such a senseless fashion,"
In a surprising gesture, Elisha placed her hand on his shoulder.
"But if you're motivated by enacting justice on those who murdered her, you'll make more than just yourself happy by following through with it."
Hans considered the Captain's words for a few minutes. These were the words he had tried to tell himself several times but hearing them from someone else made them all the more persuasive.
"Thank you, Captain Elisha," I saluted her. "Now, return to your duties,"
She beamed. "Yes, sir,"
Saturday 1:30 PM
Hans' vessel finally arrived at the port of Greenland. While several able men stood at the beach, ready to assist the crew in getting off the ship, the wooden entry way was shorter than normal, and there was no formal dock in sight. Hans was surprised a Kingdom with such little economy had the resources to avoid outside trade.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he looked towards the balcony of the humble abode where the Chancellor lived. He observed what looked like a small orange flame glowing just above the palm of her hand. An idea popped into his head.
I'm probably just seeing things, but . . . I'll have to chance it.
When the boat finally reached the shores, Hans was the first to get off the boat. The men around him were stronger than most he'd seen back home, but all wore hideously plain garments. The clothes they wore looked hand-made rather than manufactured.
And she gives herself a regal title like 'Chancellor'?
After stepping off the wooden entryway, the Captain bowed towards the Prince and his two bodyguards.
"We'll be waiting for your return at the docks, Your Highness."
"Thank you," his lips quirked up slightly. "With luck, this meeting will be quick."
Hans walked to the Chancellor's chambers, bodyguards in tow. While wider than most, the establishment was built from rough wood with straw roofs and had to have been the shortest royal living quarters he'd ever seen. Minute by minute, he found himself classifying the Greenlanders as primitives.
Still, he had to admire how beautiful the nation looked. The seas were a bright blue that complimented the sunlight perfectly, and the beaches had the same pearl-white complexion. The forests, meanwhile, were a refreshing mix of dark green trees of various classifications. Despite the plain décor, Greenland was nonetheless, a visually amusing change of pace.
When he reached the front door, Hans knocked three times. Promptly, a bodyguard opened the door. Aside from a coonskin wrapped around his neck, he looked hardly any different from the men he observed earlier.
"Regent of Arendelle," he bowed. His back actually arched too far down. "Welcome to Greenland. Please let me escort you to the Chancellor's chambers upstairs."
"Thank you, good sir," Hans nodded and followed the body guard to the stair way leaning against the right wall. Aside from some exotic fur skins hanging on the wall, a couple quilts beside them, and well-decorated rugs, the long halls were surprisingly empty.
Hans didn't get much of a chance to examine the lower level, however, because the bodyguard went straight for the stairs. At the top of the stairs stood the Chancellor. She was a fetching woman with long dark hair, a slender figure, and fierce black eyes. She regarded the Prince with earnest, if slightly tense, respect.
"Leave us, Detlef,"
The guard nodded, if hesitantly, and rushed down the stairs. The Chancellor motioned gracefully with her right hand for us to come to the balcony. She had clearly been practicing.
"I apologize for our modest abode," she smirked. "We don't get out much,"
"That's perfectly alright," Hans put on a charming smile, glad she took this meeting casually. "Your country is beautiful,"
"Thank you," she remarked, her posture straight as she approached the edge of the balcony. "However, I don't believe you came here to flatter me. What could a newly-appointed Regent want with my realm?"
"Nothing of ill-intent, I assure you," Hans raised his hands in a leveling gesture. "I wanted to discuss an agreement of sorts."
She tilted her head suspiciously. "Go ahead,"
"Well, I'm sure one of your representatives told you about how a dignitary from France assassinated Princess Anna of Arendelle." The Chancellor blinked in affirmation. "I may be Arendelle's Regent, responsible for the protection of the land, but I also stand to protect their honor. Letting the King of France getaway with this treacherous act would be wrong."
"What do you plan to do about it?"
Her cavalier attitude perturbed Hans. "I want to remind people at every diplomatic summit in the future of exactly how immoral what the King of France did was. In the long term, I hope to distance Prussia and Britain from France in hopes of them eventually deciding to exclude them from the Triumvirate."
"So, you want to sever their ties?" She guessed.
"Yes. Those three are far too powerful for any of the other nations take on, even if we banded together. While the King of France may be shrewd, he's also impulsive, considering how unsubtle this assassination was. I presume he meant to cripple the Kingdom in hopes of not only sending Queen Elsa through a traumatic relapse, but also of intimidating his smaller neighbors. I'm out to make sure this doesn't happen."
"My plan is to get several nations to agree to warn others at diplomatic summits to criticize the French harshly for their actions. Britain and Prussia have moral codes they adhere to quite strongly, and they are no doubt displeased at their ally's actions. I plan to exploit this to get them to break ties with their neighbor."
"But wouldn't those same moral codes compel them to keep their agreement with France?" She pointed out correctly.
"That may be so. But, it's like in a family; you may be close to the other members because of the ties you have, but if someone sires an illegitimate sire, it's a permanent spot on their reputation. My goal is to expand that France's stain exponentially in volume."
"Once that's done, I don't believe it would be too difficult for me to isolate France, and then gather an alliance of the smaller nations to conquer France and split up the territory amongst the members of this pact."
I paused for a moment. "Your thoughts?"
"I see no problem in aiding you in that much," she smiled. "I have no interest in seeing that French poodle get away with his crimes."
"Excellent," Prince Hans clapped his hands together. "There's just one more thing I want to discuss."
"What's that?"
He placed a scroll, a feathered pen, and a tub of ink on the table bordering the entrance to her balcony. "I want you to promise me that if we decide to declare war, you will aid in our efforts."
A dark expression took over her face. "You're wasting your time if you're trying to coax me into fighting such a large threat. I've sworn myself off of diplomatic ties for a reason. Besides, my people are no more than primitives; none of them know how to wield modern weapons."
"That may be so," Hans smirked. "But your people do have another power."
She scoffed. "What are you talking about?"
"I noticed it when my ship was sailing into to the docks," he pointed at your hand. "You have the ability to generate and control fire."
She placed a hand on her hips and laughed. "You're acting absurd. You probably mistook the bright lights of the sun for a fire. Just because Queen Elsa has such powers doesn't mean I do; it wouldn't be any different than accusing the Governor of Netherlands."
"I know for a fact he doesn't have powers, he's my brother. But that's beside the point,"
Hans approached the Chancellor confidently. If he was going to convince her to accept this deal, he was going to have to do it right. "You do have a point. I have no solid proof such powers exist in your land except what I thought I saw. However, people know little of your country,"
Hans began to circle the Chancellor, prompting to raise her hand menacingly. "They don't trust you; if I say I saw someone like Queen Elsa in this land who had similar powers, they might actually believe me. They'd come to your Kingdom and try to attack you. To protect your land, you'd have to reveal your abilities."
"Once that would happen, our neighbors would take one of two opinions of you; either they would fear you, prompting them to cease their attacks, or band together to attack with a stronger force. Many innocents would die, and your Kingdom would never be hidden again."
"Assuming I have these powers," she glowered. "What keeps me from incinerating you on the spot?"
"Absolutely nothing. In fact, judging by your temperament, you sound like you're the kind of person who'd go to such lengths to protect her people."
I returned to center of her room. "However, if I disappeared for no apparent reason, they would blame you. And the chain of events I just described would happen, only because of a different catalyst."
I twiddled the feather pen in my fingers. "On the other hand, if you decide to sign this contract, you wouldn't have to reveal your powers until the war. And by that time, people would realize how commendable a fighting force you were and leave you alone. And, if you're interested in such things, I could supply you with resources that would improve your living conditions greatly. If you wanted land, I would give you that as well. Because you see, Chancellor . . . "
"Alaqa," She snapped.
"Right; because you see, I'm not doing this out of selfishness. I'm doing this because the King of France ordered my bride-to-be dead,"
A sinister glare crept over Hans' eyes. "And I will go to any means to see that fat demon pay for what happened."
The Chancellor of Greenland puzzled this over for several minutes. This was the last straw; if she said no, my prospects of attaining revenge would be all but gone. If she agreed, and she did have powers to the magnitude that Queen Elsa did, she would be immeasurably useful to my cause.
Finally, she decided.
"Agree to never contact us again afterwards, and we just may have a deal."