Anna ran onto the dock, seeing Elsa conversing with three others, Captain Lars, Chancellor Johan, and Captain Eric. Behind them, guardsmen and seamen loaded weapons and supplies onto a ship, the Crocus.
"Elsa! I just heard. Who's attacking us? What are we going to do?"
Elsa tuned to her sister. "There you are. I was worried. Where were you?"
"In the stables, helping Kristoff get ready to leave. He says his sentence is up. Somehow, I never thought of living in a castle as a prison sentence."
Looking beyond Anna, Elsa saw Kristoff, and his constant companion, Sven, standing at the entrance to the dock.
"A fleet of ships, led by a known mercenary commander, is entering fjord," Elsa began. "We need to talk about what you are going to do while I'm gone."
"I'm going with you." Anna replied, pointing at the ship.
"No, you cannot."
"Of course I can! Look, I can help." Anna took Elsa's left hand in her right, and then sprayed some snow into the harbor.
"Anna, someone has to stay here. Most of my senior staff is going, and someone has to be in command, here."
"Let Johan stay. I'm sure he can run things for an hour. How much trouble can a bunch of soldiers be for us?"
"Princess Anna," Lars interjected, "do not underestimate our adversary. I know this particular mercenary. Commander Thurmond is very capable. However, I believe we can resolve this situation without any fighting whatsoever. The plan does require myself, the Queen, and the Chancellor."
"But not me," Anna said, dropping her head.
"I need you to stay here, especially if things go wrong," Elsa said.
"Something can go wrong? I thought you had a plan."
"We do," answered Lars. "There is an old saying among military leaders; no plan of battle survives contact with the enemy. We will have to adapt as needed, and, if it fails totally, we may have to fight."
"Anna, I need you to get to the castle. I suspect they are after me, not Arendelle."
"Then just leave," Anna suggested. "I'll say you wanted some alone time and went on a long ocean voyage."
"Then they may try and take Arendelle and hold it hostage, to get to me. I will not use our subjects as a shield. Now, in case I don't make it back. I need you…"
"Elsa! Don't say things like that! Of course you'll come back. There is no need for…"
Elsa raised her hand to interrupt Anna. "This is dangerous. I could be hurt, or I could be killed. If I don't make it back, you will be Queen. You need to think about continuing the Royal line." Anna shook her head, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Having only two members of the Royal family is bad enough. Marry. Have children. Keep the Kingdom safe."
"I cannot believe you are saying this, I just…" Anna stepped forward and hugged Elsa, crying on her shoulder. "We just got back together. This can't be happening!"
Elsa returned Anna's hug, holding her for a long moment. Eventually, Anna took a step back, continuing to hold Elsa at arms length.
"You can be sure that, no matter what transpires, we will make every effort to preserve the Queen's life," Lars said, as calmly as possible. "I judge the chances of total disaster to be very small."
Anna blanched at the mention of "total disaster".
"Anna, it's a good plan, and we have a good staff. I really feel this will work. You should be able to see everything from the castle." Unexpectedly, her lips formed a sly little smile. "Expect a chill in the air."
Anna nodded grimly, releasing Elsa and backing off a step. "I love you. Try and be safe."
"Love you," Elsa replied.
Anna watched as everyone filed up the gangplank. Sailors cast off the mooring lines, and the ship was backed away from the dock. Anna continued to watch for several minutes as the ship made its way toward the seawall.
Captain Eric guided the Crocus through the harbor, tacking against the southerly wind, and into the fjord. Once clear of the harbor's seawall, they could see three ships, less than a mile away. With the wind behind them, the invaders were closing quickly. Captain Eric ordered the Crocus turned toward the enemy, directly into the wind, and the sails dropped.
Elsa had been keeping amidships, staying low. Lars came to her side.
"I'm fairly sure they haven't seen you. They don't know if you are on the ship, in the castle, or someplace else. Are you ready?" he said.
"I think so. I've never done this with my Power, at least not on purpose. It's going to be…painful, emotionally painful," Elsa replied.
"Do it soon," Captain Eric called from the bridge. "We will lose headway and be in irons momentarily."
"How did you do it before?" asked Lars.
"It's only happened twice. The first time was right after I heard my parents were lost at sea. The second time, when Prince Hans told me I had killed Anna." Elsa looked at Lars with haunted eyes. "Both times I was filled with feelings grief and hopelessness. That's what I need to feel now, if this is to work."
Lars looked at Elsa, feeling her pain. He had not realized exactly what he had asked of the Queen when he seized upon her comment about being able to becalm the attacking ships. "Think about when you lost your parents. Do the best you can."
Elsa nodded, dropping her head. She remembered that fateful day, just over three years ago, when she had learned that her only anchor to controlling her Power had been ripped away. Slowly, she raised her hands to her sides.
The wind died. The air grew still and cold. Moisture condensed into snowflakes, hanging weightless in the air. The waves in the fjord calmed, leaving the surface still and mirror smooth, reflecting land and sky. No noise came from the rigging, the hull ceased creaking, and even the gentle sound of waves lapping on the sides vanished. An eerie silence fell across them all.
Elsa looked around, seeing what she had done.
"Are you alright?" Lars asked. "Can you keep their ships becalmed?"
Elsa nodded weakly. "I think so. Now that I know how it feels to express my Power in this manner, I should be able to continue doing so without much discomfort."
Lars took out a spyglass. "Then let me see just what Commander Thurmond and his men are doing." He cast a glance at Chancellor Johan. "Meanwhile, you have a boat to catch." Near the starboard railing, some seamen readied a small rowboat to be put over the side.
"Sir!" came a call from the crow's-nest. "They're launching longboats!"
Lars ran to the bow, and raised the spyglass to his eye. "Blast! They'll be able to get troops ashore. I had hoped they would not bring those boats, they use up most of the deck space." He turned to Elsa. "You'll have to freeze them in."
"You want me to freeze the fjord? Then they can just walk to shore," Elsa protested.
"Not the entire fjord," Lars held his hands a few feet apart. "Just a strip of ice from us to them, locking all ships in place."
"I will need to see what I'm doing, to aim. Between that, and the flow of Power, they'll know I'm here, on this ship."
Lars looked like he had tasted something bitter. "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy," he said quietly. Then to Elsa, "there's no helping it. We'll just have to make do. Their troops are well out of archery range, so you should be safe. Don't try for concealment, just go as fast as you can."
"I'll be able to do it faster if I can touch the water." Elsa said. At the port side of the ship, she made a snowy stairway leading down to the sea. Touching the snow with her right foot, the tread transformed to ice, allowing her to walk down to the placid surface. She froze a small area of the water, and then walked away from the ship, far enough to see the enemy. Elsa raised her right leg, and then brought her foot down sharply. With a sweep of her hands, a fifty foot wide strip of milky-white ice formed, extending to the three invading ships, as well as surrounding her own.
"Did I get them all?" Elsa called up to the sailor in the crows-nest.
"Not quite. The last ship is still ice-free," he called back down. Elsa gestured at the ice. "That did it, their ships are all trapped. Wait…" The sailor studied the enemy with his own spyglass. "They are trying to pry their longboats out of the ice."
"Oh, no you don't," Elsa declared. She gathered some power in her hands and projected it into the ice. A wave of white light swept out and away. The ice became bitterly cold, hard, and crystal clear.
"Your Majesty, it would be best if you returned to the ship," Lars called down. "Their troops are deploying to the ice."
"Very well," Elsa replied. Back aboard, she saw Johan was about ready to leave. He held a pole, upon which was affixed a white flag.
"You're sure Commander Thurmond will respect a truce?" Johan asked.
"I know him well. He is an honorable man," Lars responded. "Thurmond did not become mercenary for the fighting, or the blood, but for the money. If he has an opportunity to achieve the goals of his employer without fighting, he will. Its just good business." The commander gave the Chancellor a slap on the back. "You're a family man, Johan. I wouldn't ask you to do this unless I had every confidence in your safe return."
Johan frowned, before walking to the stairs. He waved his flag in the air a few times, walked down to the frozen sea and in front of the Crocus, then waved it some more.
"They've seen you," Lars called out, as he looked through his spyglass. "They've stopped their deployment. I would estimate half the troops are on the ice, the rest still aboard the ships. You'd better get going."
Lars and Elsa watched as Johan made his way across the frozen sea. Soon, four members of the enemy troops came forward to meet him.
"How did you come to know so much about Commander Thurmond?" Elsa asked of Lars.
The Captain looked uncomfortable, pausing for several seconds before replying. "I served in his command for three years."
"What? That wasn't on your job application!"
Lars sighed. "Your application asked only about my last job, and why I left. I have actually had three major jobs, and several minor ones. First, I was a new recruit in a Royal Army. At the completion of my term of service, I sought employment elsewhere, and found Commander Thurmond. My third job is the one you already know about."
Across the ice, the four enemy soldiers grew closer to Johan.
"Eventually I became weary of the constant travel, the shipboard life, and never having a home. I left the Commander's service amicably, and looked for employment someplace where I could settle down."
"I did not expect this from you. I'm disappointed."
"There was no intent to deceive, although I was somewhat concerned about how you would view mercenaries. Some see them as nothing more than pirates-for–pay. If you had asked about my employment history, I would have held nothing back." Lars came to attention. "If you wish to discharge me, I will understand. I only ask that you wait until the current situation is resolved."
"We'll talk, later," said Elsa. "For now, it looks like Chancellor Johan has met his escort."
Johan continued walking as the four approaching men surrounded him. Silently, two fell in behind the Chancellor, as the other two turned about face, to lead him back to their ship. Johan noted the soldiers wore light leather armor, well oiled. A canvas vest was worn over the armor, into which several pockets had been sewn. Each pocket was filled with cork. They all carried lightweight swords and an ice axe.
As he approached the ship, Johan saw that several ladders had been lowered over the side. He was led to the nearest. After passing up his pole, Johan climbed onto the deck. As he took back his pole, the chancellor noticed several timbers spanning the deck, from the port rail to the starboard, reinforcing the ship.
A heavy-set man with black, curly hair and beard approached Johan. "Who might you be?" he asked.
"Chancellor Johan, at your service," he replied, bowing. Upon rising, Johan casually set his pole on his shoulder, while keeping the flag well in view.
"Commander Thurmond."
Neither man offered to shake hands.
"I assume you are here to discuss terms of surrender?" Thurmond asked.
"I am here to discuss, with your employer, how the present situation can be resolved without bloodshed," Johan offered.
Thurmond's eyes briefly flicked toward the stairway leading below. "The identity of my employer is confidential. You will deal with me."
Johan paused for a moment, and then bowed his head.
"Here are our terms," Thurmond began. "A contingent of my men will go to your ship. There, Queen Elsa will surrender herself to us. The men will place her in manacles, and bring her to my ship. We will take her to a mountain in a remote location. There, she will be imprisoned, away from everyone, for the rest of her life. As long as the Queen makes no attempts to use her Power during this process, no hostile action will be taken against Arendelle, its soldiers, or its citizens."
"Away from everyone? May I ask what she is to eat?"
"Once imprisoned, she can use her Power to make whatever food she wishes from snow and ice."
Johan shook his head. "The snow Her Majesty creates is just snow. The ice is just ice. Neither is a substitute for food. The Queen has the same requirements for subsistence as you or I. What you propose is she submit herself to execution by starvation."
Thurmond frowned, his shoulders dropping a fraction of an inch. "But when she was living in her ice palace…"
"Upon returning, the Queen was famished."
"Fine. Arrangements will be made to deliver her food. When can we expect her to agree to these terms?"
Johan locked eyes with Thurmond. "Her majesty will not be surrendering."
"What? Why ask about food?"
To put you off balance, just a little, Johan thought. "Idle curiosity as to your plans. Her Majesty will be remaining on the Crocus, and any approaching troops are subject to attack. She invites you, and your employer, to meet with her to peacefully resolve this situation."
Thurmond laughed. "Why should I do that? I can easily take your little ship, and your Queen."
"You may find it somewhat harder once Queen Elsa dispels the ice between our vessels."
"We are fully prepared for that."
"And when she re-freezes the water?" Johan asked.
"We are prepared for that too."
"Yes, I saw how your men are armed and armored. But I feel you do not truly understand your situation."
Almost casually, as though it had become tiring to hold it up, Johan lowered his pole, bringing the flag to waist level.
A wave of white formed at the Crocus. The ice between the ships was thrown up into the air, and dispersed. Some of the mercenary soldiers standing on the frozen sea backed away, while others prepared to enter the water. There was no need, the wave of Power stopped just short of Thurmond's lead ship.
Moments later, the sea began to re-freeze. Not the thin layer of ice Johan had walked across, this sheet was dozens of feet thick. Blue-white stalagmites grew upward on its surface, their weight forcing the ice into the sea, causing it to groan, crack, and shatter. New ice formed on top of the shards, while the entire mass continued to grow toward the mercenaries. In seconds, the ocean between the ships was filled with a towering, chaotic mass. A frozen spire rose near the Crocus, on top of which stood Elsa, arms outstretched, exalting in her Power.
Johan barely looked at the spectacle, choosing instead to study Thurmond. The commander stood very still, transfixed by the display of Power.
"If you had ordered you men into the water," Johan began, "they would now be entrapped in the ice. There, unable to move, and unable to breathe, they would perish. Do not harbor the idea you can tire Her Majesty with multiple wave of attackers. She can use her Power repeatedly, without growing weary. She can, and has, brought down mountains. The Queen could shatter your ships, despite their reinforcing, as easily as you or I would break an egg.
"Commander Thurmond, the Queen has no desire to kill anyone, but she will do what is necessary to defend herself, and her Kingdom. This is a battle you cannot win. Again, I implore you to cease this attack. Return with me to the Crocus, to negotiate."
Thurmond looked at Johan, his face filled with anger. He looked at the mass of ice, then back to Johan. His hand dropped to his sword. The Chancellor could see Thurmond's anger was quickly turning into all-out rage. Johan calmed himself, stood quietly, and wondered just how many seconds he had left to live.