Chapter 25
~ All hail Queen Elsa ~
Anna's heart pounded as they headed towards the royal meeting room.
Kristoff glanced at her. "Does it still hurt?"
Her cheek tingled from the medicine in the cloth; underneath however, was a burn that wouldn't quite go away.
"Nope."
"She apologized?"
"Yep." Before he could ask the specifics, Anna quickly added, "Let's just go in. Elsa said she'd explain everything."
Anna hadn't changed her clothes since coming back. Her hand drifted to her chest, grasping the dolls on the underside of her cloak, and some of the weight seemed to leave her shoulders. Elsa would never hurt me.
Two guards were stationed in front of the meeting room. As she approached, they saluted and stepped aside, pulling open the door. Raised voices spilled out.
"–cannot condone your attack on their ship!"
"–Majesty, the people are frightened!"
"–what if Weselton retaliates?"
The ministers were livid, their hands slashing left and right.
"Please, calm down! Everything will be clear soon." Elsa sounded frightened, desperate even.
"Again you say that! Pardon me for saying this, Queen Elsa, but we had enough headache the last time you froze twenty countries' ships!" came an oily voice. "Are we to see another disaster again?"
Anna stomped into the room. "Hey!"
Every head snapped to her. For a second, she regretted calling out. Then she found her voice again. "Are you bullying my sister?"
"Anna." Elsa's eyes flashed with guilt. Anna knew her face was still red. She shook her head slightly, giving a smile. A moment later, Elsa returned it and stood straighter.
All ten ministers were here, evenly spaced around the circular redwood table. Elsa was at the end of the room, opposite Anna and Kristoff, while Kai, Eirik and two guards were positioned by the side. Though there were chairs, no one was sitting. The room was spacious, but with the air so tense, they might as well have all been cramped into Oaken's sauna.
"So…" Anna glared about. "What did I miss?"
"We were talking about the incident at the harbour," Elsa said.
"Incident. Incident!" Nafanieus said, poison dripping from his voice. The Minister of Foreign Affairs had sleek hair as dark as night and sideburns that reminded her too much of Hans. "All due respect, Queen Elsa. But we can hardly call it an incident."
The sisters had a nickname for him: Nafanieus the Meanie. Always quick to challenge Elsa and muscle in his own opinions. He had never been so bold when her father was King. Sometimes she wondered if Meanie thought himself more capable than Elsa as a ruler.
"You are accountable to your people! To us! This attack on a Weselton trade ship, mind you, shall have dire consequences. I for one, do not relish having to bow my head to the Duke of Weselton. And I doubt any of my fellow ministers do either!"
Murmurs of agreement fanned through them. Elsa said nothing, but her lips were set in harsh line.
Anna was caught unprepared when Meanie turned to her. "Princess Anna, say something! You saw first-hand how terrible the situation was!"
"I…" A knot formed in her throat. It was terrible, wasn't it? Kristoff's hand slid into hers. "I… don't know."
Meanie gave her a long searching look before huffing. "Kai! What about you? As Royal Butler, you have eyes and ears where we don't. Do you really not see the harm her magic has wrought upon Arendelle?"
Everyone was hushed. Anna felt her muscles going taut, her knuckles tightening till they ached.
Eirik stepped forward, towering over the rest. "Minister Nafanieus, please watch your tone."
Meanie's expression betrayed no fear. "Damn you, guard captain, you know full well Lord Louis would never have allowed this to happen while he was in charge!" Someone coughed.
Louis stood opposite him, eyebrows raised. "Indeed I wouldn't. But I see no purpose in bringing my name up, Nafanieus."
"I was making a point. Save your humbleness, M'lord, and teach our young queen how she should rule a kingdom. Please."
Louis, Minister of Finance, was once her father's closest aide. He later served as Regent, ruling in Elsa's stead until her coronation. Everyone addressed him as 'Lord Louis' still, even Elsa and Anna. It was just one of the things that carried over from his three-year regency.
Louis twirled his wispy moustache. "Nafanieus. Nafanieus. Nafanieus… Has our queen not ushered in an era of prosperity never before seen? Surely, you've not forgotten how that it is her magic that makes our kingdom feared and respected."
Anna winced; did he have to use the word 'fear'? Elsa brought in trade and tourism through hard work, careful planning, and diplomacy. It wasn't just magic.
"What's more," Louis said. "She handled the Southern Isle issue most gracefully I say."
"True. A fight with those island monkeys was averted. But that was then. My concern is today, now, and future. You think Weselton will take this lying down? They'll want revenge! Our blood!" Meanie rapped his knuckles on the table. "This needless attack will only stoke the flames of conflict."
"Conflict will find us." Elsa's voice rang loud and clear. "Whether or not we wish it."
Meanie's gaze was like cold steel. "Indeed? What about the Weseltoners you killed, Your Majesty?"
"The only one who died was the mercenary that attacked me. When the ship fell, I used my magic to shield the sailors. They are all alive and well."
Anna's hand flew to her mouth to stop her gasp.
Meanie was at an utter loss for words. "R–really? I thought..."
I was wrong. Elsa's fine. She was always in control.
"You thought wrong. Did you think, for even a moment that I'd murder innocents? I admit, many were hurt. And I regret the harshness of my action, but at least I stopped the Weselton conspiracy."
Wait, what?
The ministers peeked around, their surprise matching hers. Meanie however, seemed frozen, unable to escape Elsa's eyes boring into his.
"Do you doubt my words, Nafanieus?"
"Weselton conspiracy? I don't– I don't understand." His voice came out like a little boy's.
Elsa released him as she shifted her gaze to Anna. "The truth, is that Weselton has always wanted me dead. Two days ago, the Eternity returned to our shores, and the first mate, Sorby, lured me into the ship."
Anna felt her breath quickening. Beside her, Kristoff tensed.
"Once I was in, Captain Lars attacked. I barely defended myself with magic, and that was when he told me," Elsa grimaced from the pain of the memory. "He told me he'd stranded my sister and Kristoff in Weselton, so that his fellow conspirator, Mayor Rasmus of Belking, would approach them, seemingly with good intention. All so he could sneak his men past our defences to kill me!"
Anna's mind went into a blur. Lars and Sorby betrayed them? They had nothing but good to say about Elsa! Were Lars' words all lies then? Had she been nothing but a fool all these while?
"No!" A cry jolted her back to her senses. "They were not that kind of people!"
"Kristoff…" Elsa looked at him, pity in her eyes. "Lars was a good liar. You couldn't have known."
"But! Anna and I chose Rasmus as the delegate! Lars had nothing to do with it."
No. She was the one that did, solely because he was the mayor of the one chocolate-making town. A decision made on a whim.
Elsa nodded patiently. "Lars described Rasmus in great detail. That's why I recognized him at the harbour and attacked. What you had was the illusion of choice. No doubt, whether or not you wanted it, he would've come still."
Someone cleared her throat. Isabelle, Minister of Labour and Regional Development waited till she had everyone's attention before she spoke. "Your Majesty, if I may ask, what evidence do we have of this treachery?"
The ministers mumbled among one another. Respected, clever, and beautiful even in her fifties, Isabelle's words always carried weight. Elsa nodded at the guards. "Please come forward."
The pair stepped out of the shadows. Roy and Jakob.
"Tell them what you saw when the Eternity arrived, two nights ago."
"Your Majesty," Jakob greeted. "The ship arrived in the dead of night, when security was at its thinnest. Before permission was even given, the gangway plank lowered, and the crew came out. Despite us asking for information, they would give no answers. Instead, a man ran onto the deck, claiming that Princess Anna was in great danger, and that you were needed."
No, no, no, no no no–!
"What happened next?" Elsa said.
"You sent us to get more guards, while you entered the ship."
Elsa gestured to Roy. "What did you see when you returned with more guards?"
"Ice all over the ship, Your Majesty, as though a fight was taking place within. When we entered to help, we saw you fallen against the wall."
Anna drew a sharp breath. Her fingers found Kristoff's. He trembled harder than her.
"Captain Lars stood before you, with ropes in his hand." Roy raised his fists before everyone in the room. "Lars, the traitor, tried to strangle our queen. We killed him."
Elsa closed her eyes. "Were it not for our guards, I would have died."
The ministers' faces were grave, even Meanie's. Eirik looked at his men with pride. Kai crossed his arms, frowning.
"This morning, when the Splendor arrived on our shores, I let fear get the better of me. Rasmus would've taken my sister hostage just to kill me. I saw the crossbows and I–" Elsa spun around. "Anna, I am so, so sorry I slapped you. It was– it was supposed to be a ruse to lower their guard, to confuse them. I said crazy things, and I hurt you. We defeated them, but I shouldn't have lost control, shouldn't have hurt you."
Elsa held her gaze for a long time. Anna could hear the blood pounding in her ears. She dug her fingernails into her palms, but the relief of pain eluded her.
I screwed up.
Anna put on her best smile, but it did nothing to douse the guilt eating her.
It's just like Hans all over again. Elsa was trying to protect me; she was only ever trying to protect me. Anna whipped her head to the side to hide her tears. I trusted the wrong people and nearly got her killed again.
"Nafanieus. Isabelle. Any other questions?" Elsa said.
Meanie took a step back as though he could hide in the shadows. Isabelle shook her head. Surprisingly, it was Louis who spoke. "I just–I just can't believe… my sources in Weselton indicated no such…"
"Of course," Elsa said without a beat. "Weselton chose its spies well."
"Could this be some kind of misunderstanding?"
"Misunderstanding?" Impatience bled into Elsa's tone. "I think they made their intention clear when they planted Lars as a spy."
"But why?" Louis gestured weakly. "I knew the Weseltoners were greedy bastards, but what reason could they have to want you dead?"
"Isn't it obvious? The Duke called me a monster. The mercenary scum called me witch as he tried to shoot me! They fear my magic, as do some in this room." The colour drained from several ministers' faces. But they were spared further disgrace when Louis's finger shot out at Kristoff.
"You! Boy! It was your responsibility to protect Her Highness! You opened our gates to the wolves!"
Kristoff let go of her hand. "Whoa! Whoa whoa whoa, hold on a sec. I didn't know!"
"Didn't know? You invited Rasmus! You chose Lars!"
"No!" Anna darted forward. "I was the one who decided!"
Louis ignored her. "Fool boy! Your stupidity will cost us–"
Elsa slammed her hands were on the table, sending a silence ripping through the room. "I will not have anyone speak ill of Kristoff, not even you, Louis."
For the first time in her life, Anna saw the former regent lose composure. His mouth opened and closed several times before he found the proper words. "My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty."
"Not just to me."
Louis scowled. After several seconds, he turned to Kristoff. "Sorry."
Kristoff managed a weak grin. "No problem."
Elsa swept her gaze through the room. "Ministers. I need your full support if Arendelle is to get through this. Isabelle, our people trust you. Go to the town square and let them know they've nothing to fear from my magic. Nafanieus, meet with our foreign ambassadors. Assure them the situation is under control, but do not reveal that we know of Weselton's schemes. Louis, speak to your spies. Tell me of any suspicious movement within Weselton. Eirik, recruit more guards and procure more weapons; I will approve the budget. Kai, summon Admiral Vigard. We have need of the navy now, more than ever. The rest of you, resume regular activities." Elsa's eyes narrowed. "Weselton will pay for this treachery, but for now, we will lie low."
Too many frowns and hard looks were exchanged. Anna stepped before the table, leaning forward. "I believe in my sister, and so should all of you." They said nothing, so she continued. "Please, has Elsa not done enough for us?"
Something unsaid passed through the ministers. One after another, they faced Elsa, pressing a hand to their chest. Louis scanned through the nine, and upon seeing their nods of approval, returned one to them. He snapped two fingers to his forehead. "The Council of State place our trust in you. We look to our queen to guide us onwards in this tumultuous time. Amen."
"Amen. All hail Queen Elsa," Eirik said.
"All hail Queen Elsa!" they echoed.
Anna couldn't help but beam widely. Elsa's eyes met hers, and the corners of her mouth pulled up.
All was still. Her kingdom was asleep. Everything was right again.
Only one task left.
Elsa moved like the wind, her heels clinking rapidly as she climbed the stairs. She strode into the room, her presence announced by a gush of chill. The pigeons beat their wings, having been startled out of sleep. The bird-handler sprung to his feet, already alert. Clearly, he'd been expecting her.
"Your Majesty! There's one!" His hand fumbled within his shirt before he plucked a letter out. With barely contained excitement, the boy sauntered towards her, thrusting the letter forward.
She took the envelope. The wax seal had the bear-and-wolf mark of the Weselton royal family. It was addressed to Anna.
Elsa broke the seal. The words were simple and the strokes scrawled, as though the hand holding the quill had been shaking.
X|—••••••••••••••••×••••••••••••••••—|X
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†
The demon is loose.
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X|—••••••••••••••••×••••••••••••••••—|X
Once, she might've been concerned, or scared even. Once, she was a pathetic thing rotting within a stolen body, full of fear and hate and regret.
But Freya Solberg was dead.
Elsa crushed the letter. "You have done well. Do not breathe a word of this to anyone. Not even to my sister. Understand?"
The boy bowed deeply. "Yes, Your Majesty! Swear, no one will know."
Elsa strolled towards the window, ignoring his hungry stares after her. She held the letter out. Her hand glowed, and sapphire veins burnt into the letter. She poured forth so much magic even the ink shimmered. Then, unable to contain the winter any longer, the paper disintegrated. She watched silently as the icy dust was caught by wind before being consumed by the night.
She smiled. All hail Queen Elsa.
A/N: 10 more chapters before this story wraps up. Thank you for your continued support.