Welcome back!
I hope everyone had a good Christmas. I wanted to have this out before the holiday but time was against me. I believe I left the last chapter with some important stuff happening. Lets continue and see what happens.
The Frozen and Pierced Heart
Chapter 35
The sun was starting to set setting the sky ablaze in red and orange. On any other evening it would have been the perfect ending to a perfect day.
Today was not any other day though.
Anna and Kristoff stood together in one of the towers eyes fixed on the coast road heading north out of the city. They had been waiting up there for hours watching and waiting for the convoy to return. Anna was starting to get fidgety.
"We should go out there after them." She said staring out of a pair of binoculars.
Kristoff shook his head. "And do what? I want to help as much as you but the chancellor has soldiers standing by. If something did go wrong they would be more helpful then just the two of us."
"We have done it before." Anna pointed out.
"That was some wolves and a giant snowman designed by your sister who probably just wanted to scare us not kill us. This time of night we would be facing wolves again plus a large group of armed murderous thugs." Kristoff argued.
Anna sighed. "I still should be out there. Elsa shouldn't have to do this alone."
"She's not alone." Kristoff pointed out. "So took a large group of the castle guard with her."
"You know what I mean. I should be there to help her through this." Anna said.
"I know. And I get it. But you're helping her out by not being there. She has enough to worry about without her sister jumping in harm's way. I know if I was out there I would rather have you safe." Kristoff gently placed his hand on her back.
Anna sighed. "I know. It's not fair though. I'm stuck her having to worry about her all the time."
"I'm sure she worries about you plenty." Kristoff said gently. "Besides I'm sure any moment now hey will come down the road and everything will be fine."
Anna didn't say anything but kept watching.
"Yup any minute now would be good Elsa." Kristoff whispered to himself hoping he was right. As if silently begging Elsa to come home would make it happen.
They watched in silence for a while longer. Anna growing more nervous by the second. Kristoff wished he could do something more to put her mind at ease but to be honest he was starting to worry as well.
Suddenly Anna gasped. "Kristoff look! I see them coming!" She nearly shrieked with glee.
Kristoff grabbed his own binoculars and looked. Sure enough the convoy was approaching the city. He could even make out the royal carriage. "Finally." He breathed a sigh of relief.
From another tower a bell rang out signaling their approach. Anna's expression started to change from one of elation to one of worry again when she heard what sounded like shouts coming from inside the castle. "Kristoff I think there is something wrong."
"No, everything is fine you're just…" Then he noticed the speed the convoy was coming in at. Tearing through the streets of Arendelle at breakneck speed. "We better get down to meet them." His voice had a hint of panic in it.
They bolted down the stairs to the entrance the convoy appeared to be approaching. When they got to the main floor they saw a flurry of activity. Guards were taking positions. The medical staff was getting the infirmary ready. Anna saw Major Weatherford, the second in command of the castle guard giving directions. She ran up to him. "Major! What's going on?" She demanded her voice panicky.
Weatherford looked down at her. "I'm sorry your highness. All I know is the convoy is coming fast. It appears something may be wrong."
Anna shook at those words. Something had gone wrong. She moved her way up to the underpass a carriage could ride into just as they arrived. The doors burst open and the first guard out called. "We have wounded! Ready the infirmary!"
The guards made a path to the infirmary while other rushed to assist with the wounded. Anna could do nothing but watch for Elsa. Finally she saw her sister emerge from a coach. She looked upset but thankfully uninjured. Anna sprinted over and threw her arms around her. "Elsa! My word what happened?"
Elsa was still in tears and Anna watched shocked as the pulled a bloody Anders from the carriage and rush him to the infirmary. "They shot him!" Elsa sobbed. "No reason. They told me flat out someone was going to die."
Anna then saw Jessica step out of the coach clutching her bleeding arm as one of the guards escorted her inside. Several guards were also sporting minor wounds.
Erik appeared by Elsa's side. "Your majesty. We have to get you inside."
"Infirmary." Elsa ordered.
They followed the wounded into the infirmary where the doctors and nurses were getting to work. With the exception of Anders none of the wounds were life threatening.
They laid him on a table and the doctors went to work on him.
"Will he be alright?" Elsa asked in a panic.
"I don't know." The doctor answer. "Wait, what is this?" He pointed to what looked like frozen blood covering the wounds.
"They couldn't stop the bleeding so I froze the wounds." Elsa explained.
"Probably why he hasn't bleed out. Your majesty I'm going to need you to stay here please. At some point you will have to unfreeze them so I can stitch him closed." The doctor said.
Elsa nodded and looked down at Anders who had passed out. She felt so completely powerless. She felt so sad and angry she could barely contain herself. He didn't deserve this. You was an aide. He had no agenda or desire to make policy. He was just good at his job and enjoyed helping with the work. Yet these people had shot him like he was a giant threat to their plans.
The doctor interrupted her thoughts. "Alright your majesty. If you could please thaw the wounds so we can proceed."
Elsa focused her thoughts and unfroze the wounds. The doctor then spoke again. "Thank you your majesty. If you could please step out. There is nothing more you can do here."
Elsa nodded and left the room letting the staff work. She sat down and waited with Anna and Kristoff. She looked up and noticed several council members asking questions about what happened. Erik was bring Weatherford up to speed on what happened. Colonel Davis had bet hit in the leg while trying to get to the queen. By some miracle none of the guards had been killed or seriously wounded.
Chancellor Byron made his way up to her. "Your majesty. I am sorry to disturb you, but perhaps we should convene the council now to discuss how we are going to respond to this."
Elsa did not want to leave the area but Anna leaned over. "It's alright. Kristoff and I will stay and come get you if anything happens. All we can do is wait. Go take care of this."
Elsa nodded, stood and collected herself. Erik noticed and went with her as she walked to the council chambers. It didn't take long for the members in the castle to assemble. Elsa quickly took her place. She wanted to get right to the point.
"Gentlemen. By now you should all be aware of what has transpired. I have no intention of making this a long drawn out meeting or debate. The people who did this must be brought to justice. I want all efforts made to identify them and apprehend them that they may answer for their crimes. It is clear that this is an organized group. While we have not had time to plan a response I want Defense Minister Cavnok and Intelligence Minister Tressel to head up the effort. I expect all of you to cooperate with them. I want plans of actions by tomorrow. That will be all for now." She stated simply.
She then left the room. There was probably more to say but she was in no mood to get drawn into a long debate about how to handle the situation. Besides she normally left criminal and tactical matters to her appointed ministers. It was not her forte.
She stopped to speak to both ministers letting them know that she wanted these people found. Yet at the same time she wanted to avoid some sort of war in the streets of Arendelle.
She returned to the infirmary were Anna and Kristoff were still sitting. "Any word?"
They both shook their heads. Elsa sat with them and waited. This was a nightmare. And she knew it could have been much worse. Now she had to make sure it never happened again. Part of her wanted to turn Arendelle upside down to find these people. But she knew that's probably what they wanted. They would probably love for her to react harshly and act as a dictator would. She would have to find a way to bring these people to justice without sacrificing the rights of the people she had been working hard to give them. As evil as these people might be she was not going to let them make her into the monster they wanted to portray her as.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the doctor came up. She stood and asked anxiously. "Will he be alright?"
The doctor sighed. "We managed to stop most of the bleeding. However, the damage was severe, far more then I can fix."
Elsa's voice shook a little. "What are you saying? Is there anything more you can do?"
The doctor shook his head. "I'm sorry your majesty. Besides the damage an infection has set in as well. I can try to make Ander's comfortable. But there is nothing more I can do, he probably won't last the week."
The following hours and days were spent sorting out the mess. Elsa found herself constantly in meetings discussing the response to this affront.
In the infirmary the wounded recovered while Anders had a constant stream of visitors to his bedside to say goodbye.
Erik was among them. The day after the incident he knelt beside Anders bed. "Hey Anders. How are you feeling?" He managed a weak smile.
Ander swallowed. "It hurts."
Erik smiled sympathetically. "Gunshot wounds do tend to do that."
Anders managed a small laugh. "You would know. How do you stand it?"
Erik chuckled a little. "I'll let you in on a little secret. Contrary to popular belief I don't enjoy being shot, stabbed, or whatever. It's rather painful. Just something I have to deal with now and then."
Anders managed another laugh before coughing. "Oh good. I thought it was just me."
Erik turned serious. "I'm sorry."
Anders looked at him funny. "What on earth for? You didn't shoot me."
Erik looked at him sadly. "I should have been faster. Come up with something. I'm the trained soldier. You shouldn't have had to do what you did."
Ander shook his head. "Don't do that to yourself. You have been the hero of the day who knows how many times. It was someone else's turn now. Besides you had four people to try to protect. I decided to give you a hand. Granted the getting shot part I didn't plan on."
He coughed and groaned. "Just do me a favor. Keep her safe. I know you always have but I'm afraid they are going to try something again. And make sure she doesn't blame herself for this. I don't and I'm the one dying."
Erik placed his hand on Anders shoulder. "I promise. And you're not done yet. I don't care what the doc says you keep fighting."
Anders nodded and Erik left him to rest. He didn't leave the infirmary though. He had a couple more stops to make.
Next he stopped by Jessica who was sitting up on her bed. She gave a small smile as he walked over. He examined her bandaged arm. "So how are you?"
She sighed. "I'm alright I guess. Doctor says I'l be fine. Nothing major was hit."
Erik sat down beside her. "Well that's good. I didn't have a chance to tell you but you did excellent work yesterday."
She looked down at the floor. "No I didn't. I panicked. You had to risk your life to come get me because of it."
"You did just fine." Erik assured her. "You have never been under fire before and were not trained for it. No one can blame you for what happened."
Jessica looked back up at him. "I never got to thank you for coming to get me. I don't know how I can ever repay you for that."
"Think nothing of it." Erik waved it off. "I wasn't about to leave you out there. I promised I would keep you safe. I'm just sorry that happened." He pointed to her arm.
"Its fine" She smiled shyly. "It could have been much worse."
"Well you should probably stay here for a while." Erik told her. "I'll come see you later."
"I look forward to it."
Erik had one more stop to make. He made his way over to where Colonel Davis was sitting up in his bed sporting a bandaged leg. Erik saluted. "Colonel. How are you doing?"
Davis looked up from the report he was reading. "Doing fine Captain. It went clean through so no worry if infection. I should be back up in a few days. Anything new?"
Erik shook his head. "Nothing yet. We have people out in the city watching and keeping their ears open. There is still no formal decision by the queen on how to respond. She is consulting with her advisors on the matter."
Davis nodded then studied Erik's demeanor. "Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"You're blaming yourself for what happened. Same thing you always do whenever things go wrong. Both you and the queen have that same habit. I'm not sure who learned it from who, but it's a bad habit. This was beyond your control." Davis explained.
Erik's shoulders slumped a little. "I am her majesty's personal guard. I am supposed to make sure these things don't happen."
"And thanks to your actions before and during the incident things did not go worse. You risked a lot going and finding a decoy without permission. Then you did everything you could to assure her majesty's safety. We both are veterans of many battles. You know as well as I do things don't always go to plan. You can't blame yourself for the actions of others. What you need to focus on now is how we respond to this. Because believe me. One way or another we will hit them back."
Elsa knew her simple statement to the council would not be enough. They wanted to meet again to discuss the matter in further detail. They also wanted information on what happened during the events in question. Elsa soon found out they wanted more than facts and information. They wanted someone to blame.
One by one various members of the staff and guard were questioned before the council. Even some of the council member's themselves were stood before their peers and questioned. Although the council did not generally agree with Elsa's decision to meet with the hostiles they dared to question her.
This did not stop them from having her personal guard from facing scrutiny though.
Normally Erik would try to comfort Elsa some before she had to face the council regarding something difficult. Today it was the other way around.
As they stood outside the chambers waiting Elsa placed a hand on his arm. "It will be alright. Many of the council members still remember what you did years ago when you stormed the chamber with the guard and helped saved their lives."
Erik tried to smile but he also knew that several members did not hold him in high regard for various reasons. Some did not believe a common soldier like him should hold his position. Then there was the matter that he had butted heads with several members over the years. They had come to him hoping for some inside information on Elsa but were unhappy when he refused to give it. The fact that he was sometimes less then tactful in his refusals didn't make things go any better. He felt like he might have to pay the price for that now.
The doors opened and Erik was summoned inside. Elsa waited outside. She had come to an agreement with her council that she wouldn't interfere in his questioning as long as any action they took was approved by her first.
He took his place standing before the council. Hyrop greeted him. "Thank you for coming captain. You may be seated if you wish."
"I prefer to stay standing my lord." Erik answered standing at attention.
"Very well. Why don't you start by telling us what happened." Hyrop said.
Erik began to tell about the events that had happened two days ago. The council members sat listening. A few made some notes. When he finished one of them spoke up.
"I am curious to know more about this plan you had you had to use a decoy."
"As you wish my lord." Erik answered and proceeded to tell them about the plan he had in place and how he put it together. Jessica was no longer a secret so there was no need to hide the information. When he was done explaining Lord Roqfort spoke up.
"Curious captain. You say you had this plan in place and put it together but mentioned nothing about gaining approval from the council or the queen herself."
Erik locked eyes with the man. "That is correct my lord. I knew Queen Elsa would be hesitant to risk the life of someone else. I decided it would be better if I showed her the potential of a plan if it was already in motion. As for the council I felt secrecy was the best policy.
"You feel you could not trust us?" An angry voice spoke up.
Trust the lot of you to keep your mouths shut and preserve the secret? Not especially. Erik thought to himself but answered another way. "That was not my intention Lord Uhler. My thoughts were that the more people that were brought in on the plan the more of a chance the secret would be compromised."
Lord Roqfort sneered down at him. "I'm sure. Noble as your intentions may have been the more concerning part is that you felt you could usurp any authority in the matter. Most troubling if I do say so."
Erik glared at the man. "As far as I am aware my lord matters of the queen's safety are at my discretion."
Roqfort smirked. "Maybe that is a policy we need to revisit. Especially if you are going to take such liberties with it. How are we supposed to trust you if you flaunt that around like some sort of power that makes you immune to consequences?"
Erik snarled back a little too quickly. "With respect, something had to be done. The queen was about to be placed in a highly dangerous situation. There was no help being offered from this body so it was time for someone else to step in."
That was a mistake. Several members of the council stood and shouted at him angrily.
"You dare speak to us that way?"
"I should have you arrested!"
"You think you know better than us?"
Hyrop kept his mouth shut but shook his head a little at Erik letting him know he shouldn't have said that.
When order was finally restored Erik spoke again. "Forgive me I should have phrased that better. I am her majesty's guard for a reason. I have to make the difficult and sometimes on the spot decisions to keep her safe at all costs. If that means going around the council then so be it."
Roqfort replied angrily. "So you think you can take whatever actions you desire with no thought to consequences?"
"Of course not." Erik replied calmly as possible. "I am saying that in the heat of the moment faced with a difficult choice I may have to take action now and deal with the consequences later. In that moment I don't have the benefit of hindsight."
Another member spoke.
"So you are saying you are willing to accept consequences for any actions you take?"
"Yes my lord." Erik answered. "I have come to accept that as a part of the job."
"I hope you remember that. I have a feeling you will be required to." Roqfort glared at him.
Erik left the chambers to find Elsa waiting for him. She had a concerned look on her face. "That didn't sound like it went to well."
"We had a bit of a disagreement your majesty." Erik admitted.
Elsa wasn't looking forward to what the council would have to say. She had heard the shouting from outside the doors. It worried her, Erik hadn't exactly endeared himself to them since her coronation. Some of them felt he had no place holding the position he did. Others felt his actions put Arendelle under scrutiny. Several members did not care for the fact that Elsa and he had grown close. To her anger several had suggested behind closed doors that he was he favorite and she kept him around for other uses. She also suspected a few were simply jealous of the attention he got for his actions.
Hyrop joined them both and they stepped into a side room. "Young man what were you thinking?"
"I apologize my lord. I was making a generalization. I have nothing but respect for you." Erik answered.
"I don't care about that." Hyrop said. "It's the fact that you accused the council of doing nothing to solve the situation. As much as that may be true you can't shove that in their faces. Some of them may be self-absorbed baboons, but they are powerful self-absorbed baboons. Right now they want someone to blame for this atrocity since they can't punish the real perpetrators right now. You don't need to be giving them any excuses to blame you."
Hyrop then turned to Elsa. "They will be ready for you now. I can already tell you you're not going to like what they have to say.
Elsa stared at the recommendations some of the council had written down. She looked up at them with a mixture of anger and annoyance. "No. These are unacceptable. I will not have Captain Slovak arrested, dismissed, banished, or flogged. I will address his breech of protocol. However, I will remind you it is by his actions and those of the castle guard that we managed to escape such a mess. So I suggest you stop worrying about hurt feeling and worry more about how we are to prevent any future acts like this."
With that she left the chambers and left the council to their own devices. Right now she had a more important matter to attend to. She quickly walked to the infirmary. There she found Anna talking to doc. Elsa approached and asked. "How is he?"
Doc knew exactly who Elsa was referring to. He sadly shook his head. "Not well. His fever is very high. All we can really do is try to keep him comfortable."
Elsa's eyes welled up some. "How long?"
The doc shook his head. "Probably only a day or two, if that. If you have anything to say to him I would do it now."
Elsa stood there in shock. She didn't know what she would do. Let alone what she should say if anything to Anders. Despite how often she worked with him she didn't know him on a personal level that well. She now felt guilty about that. But now it looked like it was too late.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Anna touched her arm. She looked over at her and Anna said. "I think he would appreciate it if you talk to him."
Elsa looked into Anna's eyes and they seemed to communicate something. Then it hit her. The way Anna looked at her and the way she said it told her what she never knew. Anders apparently had been harboring some hidden feelings for her. This made Elsa feel worse. While she didn't have any romantic feelings for the young man she felt she could have gotten to know him better.
She slowly walked over to Ander's bed and looked down at him. He smiled weakly back up at her. He still half grimaced in pain and seemed to be sweating from the fever.
"I thought I would come by to see how you're doing." Elsa managed to say.
"Thank you your majesty." Anders was able to croak out. "I'm doing alright."
"Is there anything you need?" Elsa asked.
"No I'm good your majesty." He lied. "Just feeling kind of warm."
Elsa managed a slight smile. "I may be able to help with that." She placed her hand on his forehead and let out a small wave of cold against his skin. "How's that?"
"Much better. Thank you your majesty."
Elsa then gently held his hand. "Get better, please. It's not the same without you. I'll be back tomorrow."
Elsa had to get back to work. She smiled and left not knowing how much better she made Anders feel.
The rest of the day and into the next Elsa spent most of her time going over options with her advisors. None of them seemed to be appealing. Her military advisors wanted a swift and severe response but she did not want to go down that road yet. Especially considering they didn't know who exactly their enemy was. She refused to consider anything that resembled anything a tyrant might do. Unfortunately it was not as simple as rounding up some criminals and locking them away. They were well organized and hidden criminals. This had to be handled with care. The actions she took would not only reflect on her but on Arendelle.
A knock came at the door interrupting the early morning meeting. She nodded to one of the guards and they opened it. One of the butlers stepped inside.
"Yes. What is it?" Elsa looked at him.
The butler looked at her nervously. "Your majesty I have some news."
"Very well. What is it?" Elsa asked.
The butler spoke carefully. "I'm sorry to have to bring you this news my queen. But I have been informed that Anders has passed."
The room seemed to close in around Elsa. At the same time the voices of the people around her faded into the background. She had been warned this was coming but somehow she had still been convinced that he would pull through somehow. Now there really was no hope. Anders was gone.
She stood and walked to the doorway. "If you will excuse me gentlemen." She said in a hollow voice.
Her footsteps seemed to have a mind of their own as they walked her to the infirmary. She didn't even know for sure why she was going there. She couldn't do anything. Anders was gone. Even with her powers nothing she could do could change that.
Anna met her on the way. "Oh Elsa I just heard I'm so sorry."
Elsa couldn't even answer. She just kept walking. As she entered the infirmary she saw Anders laying on a bed his eyes closed as he lay still. His sister Rebecca sat there crying as she lay on her head on his shoulder. Elsa slowly walked over and put her hand on Rebecca's shoulder. "I'm so sorry Rebecca. If there is anything I can…"
Before she could finish Rebecca quickly stood and slapped Elsa hard across the face. "This is all your fault!" She screamed. "He's dead because of you! Lane is dead because of you! All you bring is pain and death!"
Elsa held her hand to her stinging cheek. Tears welled in her eyes. Not because of pain, but because she feared Rebecca may be right.
Erik and Warwick both grabbed Rebecca pulling her away from Elsa.
"Stop!" Elsa managed to command. "Let her go." Then she turned to leave the room.
Erik went to follow her but was briefly stopped by Rebecca. "You're going to be next." She said bitterly. "They will come after her again and you will be the one to pay the price."
Elsa heard what she said before she left the room. What if she was right? Erik was at times literally a human shield for her. What is she was signing his death warrant. What if the decided to come after Anna to get to her? She quickly retreated to find someplace she could be alone. Anna would have none of it though. She followed along.
"Don't listen to her Elsa. She is just upset and angry. This is in no way your fault." She reassured her sister.
"Anna, they targeted them because they were trying to get to me. It is in some way my fault." Elsa said as she sat down.
Anna wasn't buying it. "They went after them because they are cruel and hateful men. All you have done is try to help. These people just want to make sure there pain and misery still exists in the world."
Elsa put her head in her hands. "Anna they are using innocent people to get to me. I am queen. I do have the responsibility from it. I know your trying to help but please I need to be alone for a little while."
Anna sighed and left the room. She whispered in Erik's ear though before she left. "Maybe you can do something."
Erik nodded then knelt in front of Elsa. "Your majesty?"
"Please not now." Elsa said
"Yes, now." Erik said gently. "I'm not about to let you blame yourself for what happened."
"You heard what I told Anna. Because of my position I hold some of the responsibility." Elsa said sadly.
"Yes. But you don't share the blame. You didn't pull the trigger." Erik reasoned.
"But it's because of me they were in the position in the first place." Elsa argued.
"And it's because of your position that you will face challenges like this again." Erik said.
"That's not making me feel any better." Elsa answered bitterly.
"You are a leader. You will have to make decisions that affect people's lives all the time. And if it does make you feel better, I have an idea of what you're going through."
Elsa looked up at him. "What do you mean? How could you?"
"You remember what I was doing before I came into your service?" Erik asked.
Elsa thought for a moment. "I believe you were in the battle against the forming rebellion."
"Yes." Erik said. "I was a new officer in your father's army. I lead over a hundred men into battle that day and not all of them returned home. Including one of my best friends. You know of course what happened after the battle and I came here. While I was recovering in the infirmary though I had lots of time to think about the men I lost and what I might have done differently. It was hard not to blame myself for their deaths. I eventually had to remind myself that it was the enemy who actually killed them. Sometimes even if you do everything right bad things still happen."
Elsa nodded. "I can understand that. I have even ordered our soldiers and sailors out to engage pirates and raiders. But Anders was not a combat soldier. He should have never been placed in that situation. The only reason he was there was because my actions made him a target."
She stood and paced. "Now a part of me is so angry I want to tear the city apart to find those responsible and make them pay. But I can't do that. My position will not allow it. And it just seems like the wrong way to handle it."
Erik stood. "Well you do have soldiers here ready to do it for you."
Elsa sighed. "I can't do that either. Not yet anyways. I want to avoid some sort of war in the streets of Arendelle. Yet this cannot happen again. There has to be a way to protect the innocent. I will not allow them to harm my people anymore. There has to be a way I can do that without me stooping to their level."
As the days passed life returned slowly to normal. Yet the effects from the kidnappings and the resulting deaths still lingered.
Erik spent more time than ever going over reports of possible activity by the group in question. They had not stopped their actions. There had been several gruesome murders of Arendelle citizens that seemed to point back at the group. Erik's guess was that they were either designed to get Elsa's attention, or to create fear among the people so they would belief Elsa couldn't or wouldn't protect them.
As the sun set one night one of the soldiers approached him. "Captain Slovak. Our sources have identified a safe house of some sort. Some of the occupants are believed to have taken part in the kidnapping and ransom."
"Very good. Alert Colonel Davis and the defense minister. I will be getting a team ready." Erik said.
The soldier asked. "Shouldn't you wait for approval?"
"Possibly. But I can't let this opportunity pass us by. They could have vital information. If they do not approve you know where to send a courier to tell me to stop." Erik answered
Erik then hurried and assembled some trusted guards. They quietly left the castle grounds and rode into the city. Once they got close they left the horses and split up and approached the location. When Erik arrived he found two castle agents waiting. They told him how one of their men had managed to infiltrate the organization. He learned of this location and that the men inside had taken part in the scrimmage. Hey then explained what they knew of the layout.
Erik nodded then instructed his strike team. "Alright we will be using crossbows to try to keep things as quiet as possible. Don't use your pistols unless there are no other options. I want them taken alive if possible. However if you have to take someone out then do it."
Erik then went over the attack plan and everyone got in position. He frowned as he got his crossbow ready. He was far more proficient with a pistol. He waited a little longer in case a rider came from the castle to tell him not to proceed. When none came he knew he had the go ahead. He signaled to begin.
There was a lookout outside the house. One of the guards dressed as a drunk and staggered down the street. The lookout paid him little attention. When the guard got close enough he quickly grabbed the lookout and covered his mouth then knocked him over the head to knock him out. Erik and the rest of the men then ran to the hose and formed outside the door. Erik then nodded.
The guard n front kicked the door down and the team burst into the house. One of the men inside reached for a pistol on a table but a crossbow bolt found him before he could get it. The others drew swords or knifes. Erik fired his crossbow and hit one in the leg. He then drew his sword and began to duel with another conspirator. Around him the other guards were forced to put the other occupants down because it seemed they would rather fight then surrender. The man Erik dueled with was skilled but not at Erik's level. After a few moments Erik managed to knock his sword away and then held his blade to the man's necks. The man held his hands up. With that the raid was over.
The guards tied this man up. Erik looked around the room. "Anyone hurt?"
"No sir. No casualties." One of the guards answered.
"Excellent work." Erik said. "Any other survivors?"
"Just the lookout. The rest decided not to give up. Unfortunately our man says he is a new recruit and won't have much information."
"Very well bring him in." Erik ordered as the lookout was tied up next to the other.
Erik then sat down across from the men. "Hello, my name is…"
"I know perfectly well who you are Captain Slovak." The man he dueled with answered coldly. "I saw you during out little fire fight out at the old shipyard. Lucky for you the queen put that wall up. I might have taken you or her down that day otherwise. Congratulations on finding this place. But I'll be honest. You won't find anything else here. The master is careful. No one knows the workings of the operation. That way if someone is captured they can't topple the whole thing."
"Well let's start with that. Who is this master you speak of?" Erik asked.
The man snickered. "I have no idea. Hardly anyone does. We only know that he calls the shots. I have never seen him."
"And I'm just supposed to take your word on that?" Erik stared at him.
"Oh I'm sure you would love to torture the information out of me. But there isn't much to tell. Even if I do tell you what little I know it won't help. Besides poor sweet innocent Elsa will never allow me to be tortured." He mocked.
Erik struck the man across the face. "You will refer to her majesty properly!"
The man grinned. "At least you have some grit. Too bad you're not on the winning side. I know it's a waste of time to recruit you. But one man to another. Get out while you can. The reign of the snow queen will come to an end. Trust me you don't want to be on the wrong side."
Erik sneered at the man. "From the looks of things you're on the wrong side."
The man shrugged. "Granted it's not ideal. But even my capture will serve a purpose."
"Oh and how's that?" Erik sked
The man snickered again. "Because there will be two fates for me. Either the queen spares my life despite what I have done. In which case my people will go around using it to convince the people she is weak and refuses to make the hard call even to protect them. Therefore she will need to be replaced by someone who can protect them. Or she will have me executed. In that case my people will use it to show that she truly is a tyrant who will put down all who oppose her and she needs to be feared and stopped. Either way it will be another step on the way to her downfall."
Erik thought for a moment. This man had a point. If this organization was as well run as they feared they could twist either decision to their advantage.
If it got that far.
Erik thought about his sword. He had used it before in situations like these. He could take care of this man so Elsa would never have to worry about it. However, he hoped that was behind him. He promised himself for Elsa's sake he wouldn't revert to that again. Yet this man was representing a threat to her.
"Sir."
Erik turned to the solder who spoke. "What is it?"
He handed Erik some papers. Erik looked at hem then grabbed the man an reached in his coat and retrieved what looked like a brass button. After examining them for a moment he spoke. "Well it appears you are a sergeant in the Arendelle Army. Sergeant Olsen I presume?"
The man glared then spoke. "Yes. But after I saw what she were fighting for I decided new leadership was needed."
Erik turned to the other captive. "Boy!"
"Yes!" The younger man answered nervously.
"It's your lucky day." He jotted down something on some paper and placed it in an envelope that was laying on the table. "Take this back to your organization. Make sure it somehow ends up in the hands of the master."
The lookout was cut loose and given the letter then bolted out the door. Erik turned his attention back to the captive sergeant. "Looks like you have given me another option."
"What do you mean?"
"The penalty for desertion and treason is death. Since you are a member of the army a ranking officer can pronounce that sentence. Since I am the ranking officer and given the evidence that we have and you have confessed willingly to treason I sentence you to death." Erik said flatly. "Any of you men disagree with the sentence?"
The other soldiers shook their heads.
"Very well." Erik stood up straight. "Sergeant Jean Olson. For desertion of your post. For treason against Arendelle. For high crimes against the crown. For the murders of Corporal Lane Nelson and Anders Figgins. For firing willingly on your fellow soldiers. I sentence you to death. To be carried out immediately."
Erik drew his sword.
"Do you have any final words?"
The next day Elsa was informed that a safe house was raided and some information was recovered from the raid. Erik let someone else inform her of the raid and she was not told of his involvement. She looked over the information acquired and put something together for the council meeting. When the meeting started she stood in front of them and spoke.
"Gentlemen. Last night our intelligence located a safe house of the criminal conspiracy. It was raided by our forces. Unfortunately I am told there were no survivors as all the occupants choose rather to fight and die then surrender. However they were not able to destroy documents they were keeping. We have several names along with locations of possible activity. We are going to use this information. We will bring those listed in for questioning and inspect the sites."
One of the members spoke. "Your majesty. Should we not just arrest those on the list and seize the properties in question?"
Elsa shook her head. "We will not violate these people's rights. Having your name on a list is not a crime. They could be listed for any number of reasons. They may even be in danger themselves. As far as the properties we don't know what they are used for as yet. I assure you we will use all resources at our disposal to get answers. If we find those who are responsible for this then I promise you justice will be done."
Late that night Erik was returning to his room when he was stopped by Major Weatherford. "Captain if you will come with me please. I have a few forms that need to be signed."
Erik sighed. It was late. Might as well get this done with though. He followed the major down the hallways. As they walked Erik noticed they were not going towards the offices the guards kept. He was about to ask where they were going when Weatherford knocked on a door and ushered him inside.
When Erik stepped inside he saw Colonel Davis. The defense minister. The military and intelligence advisors. Several high ranking military officers. And a few council members including Magistrate Purkim. He quickly realized he was the lowest ranking member in the room. He snapped a salute.
"At ease captain." Defense Minister Challah said. "Now that we are here we can begin." He looked around the room. "I have assembled us here because Arendelle is facing a crisis. A well organized and funded conspiracy is threatening our queen and our nation. Just recently they killed two castle staff and have been linked to several murders of Arendelle citizens. I say it needs to stop."
He continued on. "I have carefully selected all of you because of your abilities and your loyalty to the queen. Make no mistake. Queen Elsa is under direct attack and we are going to protect her from it. No offense captain, your dong a fine job but even you can't take on this organization alone."
"No offense taken sir." Erik answered.
Challah continued. "For all of Queen Elsa's strengths the enemy is going after her weakness. Her compassion and caring for others. This is not a bad thing for her to have. It makes her sensitive to the people's needs and concerns. Her enemies are exploiting it though. Targeting her people and those she cares about in an effort to break her. I can see the conflict she is having as I have been meeting with her. She is trying to protect her people while still staying the kind soul she is. Unfortunately those two things don't often get along. That is where we come in. I am forming this group to deal with this problem directly. That way she does not have to fight herself with it and we can protect her from some of what is happening."
Purkim spoke up. "This is a dangerous thing you are suggesting. Won't our actions reflect on the queen.
"There is a risk of course." Challah said. "However Queen Elsa will not know about his organization. We will swear our actions are our own. We will only act for the good of the kingdom. I'm not going to lie it will be dangerous. We will make ourselves targets for the enemy. If any members of the council find out and disapprove they could try to charge us with crimes against the crown, including treason, for acting without royal authority. The Queen herself would probably disapprove of many of our actions. But they need to be done. We are about to enter an underground war. Our enemy has shown they are willing to do anything to overthrow the crown. We need to fight back. They have targeted and killed out people and citizens. This will not stand."
The leader carried in his hand an envelope addressed to the master. He slowly knocked on the door to where the master was currently staying. "Come in." Came the voice on the other side.
He walked in and found the master sitting and waiting for him. He got right to the point. "One of our safe houses was discovered and raided. All but one was killed. He was sent back to us with a message." He handed the master the envelope.
The master took it and read. Then folded it up and sighed. "It appears they are threatening to kill one of ours for every one of theirs we kill."
"Do you think it's a response from the queen?" The leader asked.
"No. Not a threat the queen would make. Sounds like someone is taking matters into their own hands."
"What do you want to do?" He asked
The master thought for a moment. "They are threatening to exchange pawns. The problem for us is they have more pawns then we do. I believe it's time to remove a major piece."
End Chapter 35
Well there is chapter 35 for you. You know how I said I was pumped about the next 4 chapters. Well make that 5 cause this one had to be slit again so now its 4. In fact only 4 chapters left in this phase of the story. 4 very exciting chapters. Still excited about the chapter titles alone. (had to come up with something for this one) Oh and there will be a quote in one of them.
Now I have gotten some reviews and PMs over the course of the story saying that my version of Elsa is weak. I would like to address this. No I am not portraying her as weak. In the film I saw her besides as a frightened girl as a very compassionate girl. This is a very admirable trait to have. The problem is it can conflict with some of the hard choices she has to make as queen. So part of the story is how she responds to and handles these situations. She is not perfect. She will make mistakes. The question is will she be able to be the queen she needs to be while still staying the sweet kindhearted girl she wants to be. At this part of the story she is under attack and it is starting to affect people around her and she is not sure how to respond. The choices will be difficult. If anything I am portraying her as growing and developing as a person and a leader.
Secondly. Don't be to hard on Rebecca. Many of us lash out at the most convenient persona available when we have to one else to blame.
In case I don't have the next chapter out my then. Happy New Year!
Leave those reviews.