14: The Summit
A steady applause followed the Governor's introduction. Bowing, he took his seat and lifted a pile of papers to his eyes.
"Alright," he scanned the words on the page. "Our first order of business is Arendelle. As we all know, the country's second-born, Princess Anna, was killed by a French dignitary almost three weeks ago. I recall each of you presented opinions on the matter, but, I'm curious to see if anyone's has changed. Who here would like to start?"
"I'll go," King Magnus bellowed as he stood up.
"Alright," The Governor surveyed the attendants. "Does anyone object to King Magnus starting us off?"
From where he sat, Hans tried his best not to look concerned. Requesting he sit down might give away his plans for the summit, but the King looked like he had a hard time keeping a secret. If he openly threatened the French with the possibility of war, the Lower Countries might be forced to fight the entire Triumvirate. Even with Greenland on their side, Hans knew this wasn't plausible.
Please, follow the plan.
"As you know," Magnus crossed his arms. "I endorsed Prince Hans of the Southern Isles being granted the position of Regent of Arendelle,"
The King had a curious habit of over pronouncing his Rs.
In the meantime, several heads inclined in Hans' direction, including the King of the Southern Isles. As was to be expected from such gatherings, none showed any emotion on the matter, just reaffirmed the topic of discussion was the Prince.
"During the storm bestowed upon the land by Queen Elsa," he swept his arms out. Princess Anna assigned this man Regent of the land as a show of trust. As many can attest, he filled those expectations to the utmost degree."
He slipped out of his seat and headed towards the huge stain-glassed window of Mary. The King hated sitting in one place for too long.
"The people rejoiced when he provided them food, shelter, and warm clothes to last them as long as they needed to." Okay, now he's exaggerating. "And when Princess Anna failed to return from her quest to find her sister, he gallantly set off to find her. At the time, he only located the Queen, who had no way of knowing how to control her power. Princess Anna, meanwhile, arrived back at Arendelle accompanied by an ice harvester, and with a kiss of true love, broke the curse Queen Elsa incidentally placed upon her."
When did his dignitary get the chance to probe Princess Anna for this info? I probably couldn't give that detailed of an account right now.
"Realizing their love for each other, the Princess and the Prince scheduled the day for their wedding, a mere three days after the crisis was averted." 'Looks like I underestimated exactly how much of a romantic the King was. "However, this event promptly turned to tragedy,"
He leveled a hooded glare at the King of France who, at least for that moment, stayed perfectly composed.
"In a senseless act, the dignitary from France murdered the young Princess, nipping the bud of their love before it could begin to blossom."
Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry.
"But through all of this, Prince Hans has stayed strong. He has gone to great lengths to keep his Kingdom stable and keep his people optimistic in the midst of tragedy. Through the aftermath of this incident,"
He gave the Prince a big smile. "He has proven to be as capable a ruler as any of us. I say, give him a standing ovation for all the work he's done."
Hans pretended to absent-mindedly rub his eye as the people around him clapped. He knew it was a ruse; a gesture to hide anyone's true feelings on this particular matter. Only some at the table truly believed the King's rousing words.
Still, it's . . . I'd always dreamed of proving myself . . . I guess, I really have come far after all.
"That's all I have to say," He strode across the floor and plopped down in his chair. Another hearty grin crossed his face as he awaited the next speaker.
"If you don't mind, Governor Maurice,"
Hans had almost forgotten about the short, old, wig-adorned man with dapper round glasses perched above his nose. Bowing as low as his hips, he completed his statement. "I would like to say a few words,"
"Any objections?" None were said. "Alright, go ahead,"
"Thank you," he gave the King of the Southern Isles a cheeky grin. That's right, I'd forgotten about their long-standing trade agreement. The Duke always drove a hard bargain, though.
"Thank you," he met eyes with each of the attendants. "As the Duke of Weselton, I'd have to say I concur with King Magnus' statement. I believe in the wake of this tragedy, Prince Hans is a fine man to take the job in light of Princess Anna's death."
Prince Hans nodded. "Thank you,"
"You're quite welcome," he snapped his fingers. "However, in actuality, I'm also glad to see the wicked sorceress, Queen Elsa, taken from her spot on the—"
Perturbed glares followed the Duke's every subtle movement. Sheepishly, he pivoted on his back foot and sat down. "Di-Did I just say that out loud?"
Some people never change. Hans shrugged.
"Anything else, Duke Oswald?" The Governor shrugged.
"No, no, haha, that'll be all," he leaned back in his seat. "Continue on,"
"Who's next?" The Governor looked around the room. A minute passed, but no one elected to speak.
Abruptly, the King of France, decorated in his pearl-white wig and over-done blush, stood up.
"I would like a chance to speak next, Maurice," He hissed with gravitas.
"O-of course, Your Excellency," the Governor sunk into his seat with a sigh. Not good. He's probably going to try and intimidate the Lower Countries into submission. If I try to do anything here, I'll reveal my intentions. And if that happens, I'll have no hope of separating the King from his allies.
"As you have all correctly deduced, I am indeed the one who had Princess Anna murdered. To be entirely honest with you, my target was Queen Elsa. But, considering the extraordinary amount of power she demonstrated, Princess Anna was a safer bet."
Even King Harold seemed perturbed by King Louis's blatant admittance to the crime. Near the French Monarch, his allies in the Triumvirate clenched fists at their sides.
"I did this action because I feared the Queen's terrifying power," he shook his head with false sympathy. "Someone with so much power, yet so little control, was able to enslave an entire kingdom in her icy grip without even meaning to. Imagine what she might have been able to do if she had continued to harness her powers as she did."
Hans attempted a slight glance at Andrew. His father intercepted his silent body language, preventing Hans from finishing it.
"Such a figure would have the ability to usurp control over all the Lower Countries."
The Duchies of Scotland and Ireland exchanged worried glances. The King of the Southern Isles and Hans, however, remained steadfast.
"I saved your tiny realms from the threat of a potential tyrant," his fingers crept from his forehead to his lips, nimbly avoiding his bright red cheeks. "Had it not been for me, mass damage could have been done."
He threw his head back to look at the stained-glass window.
"Despite the immense power, and threatening words, I've thrown your way, I have been gracious enough to keep you from meeting certain doom; pray you do not forget you owe me this debt."
"Theoretical,"
"What?"
The attendants' heads snapped in Hans' direction.
"What did you say?" The King sneered at the confident Prince.
"That's a theoretical possibility, something you presume could have happened," Hans stood from his seat. "Unlike you, I was actually in Arendelle during the crisis," Hans put a hand to his chin. "And, from what I remember . . . The Queen had no interest in using her powers for ill. The reason she ran away was to live her life freely in a place she thought no one could harm her. Once she realized the truth, she broke down."
The two Lower Country Dukes wiped the sweat from their foreheads, relieved to be out of the spotlight.
"From the story King Magnus told, the Queen struck the Princess with a curse that would have killed her had it not been for your intervention," his right eyebrow raised. "Am I correct?"
"Yes," Hans said. "But—"
"Then, there is no denying she could have been very dangerous." He addressed the other rulers.
"With all due respect," the Regent of Arendelle spat. "Queen Elsa's power lashes out in response to strong emotion. When someone has been told all her life by her parents to repress her abilities, it's inevitable that as they grew in strength with age, they would eventually snap."
"Such a person is dangerous," King Louis narrowed his eyes. "And cannot be allowed to live,"
"Are you suggesting murder because someone could be dangerous?" Hans said, voice now a yell. "After she reconciled with her sister, things had gone back to normal! She had regained control until she was forced to retreat into isolation to deal with her powers because you murdered her sister!"
"I did what was best for everyone!" King Louis' fists crashed against the table. "If it meant killing hundreds of people, I would do it if it meant keeping the world safe."
Every face showed disgust at what the King had just said. The King of France was seething, face even redder than normal, eyes bulging at the seams, veins protruding from his hands.
"I understand what you're trying to say," the King of Norway gritted his teeth at the King. "However, I need to make a small correction; you would murder hundreds of people to keep the world safe from something that might be a threat. If that was the case, everyone at this table would have to go. Every human in the world would have to die. And King Louis,"
A psychotic grin planted itself on the Norwegian Monarch's face. "You would be the first to die."