"Then will the Queen be fine?" Rolf asked while following Gudvard, the royal,doctor towards Elsa's bedroom.
"Fine isn't the appropriate word. She had been incredibly lucky. The wound in the abdomen hasn't affected any vital organ. Regarding the one in the neck, the assassin tried to cut her throat from ear to ear, but I suppose that she moved in the last second and the knife missed the carotids by the skin of her teeth. Anyway, she had lost a lot of blood and the wound in the abdomen awfully ached. Please, don't fatigue her too much. She needs all her forces to recover from her wounds, so the less you explain to her the better."
"I agree with you." Kai, Elsa's seneschal who was beside Rolf, said. "I suppose she is very affected and she could break down if we explain to her too much, couldn't she?"
The doctor thought for a moment before replying. "She is as strong-willed as ever. When I entered into the bedroom, Elsa sent Anna to the new harbor. She wasn't pleased, but her elder sister was adamant. I think she wanted Anna away because, when the Princess left the room, the Queen gazed at me and said that she wanted to know the truth about her wounds not beautiful words. She stated that if she had to die, she would have to do a lot of things before."
"Well, we know that Elsa is as stubborn as Anna." Rolf said.
"But I suppose that Elsa was just exaggerating to get the truth from you." Kai added.
Gudvard shook his head. "I helped in her delivery, twenty years ago, I still remember her mother's smile when I gave her the newborn. But this night, the way her eyes fixedly gazed at me made me feel as if I was the newborn. She talked about her death as if it was a pity issue, just a minor trouble to solve before working on more important things."
Kai and Rolf gazed at each other until Kai broke the silence. "What are we going to tell her?"
The commander of the guard scratched his hair. "Well. I suppose that we should tell her only the most critical points."
"Is it really necessary? I mean she had to rest. Do you have any problem that you can't solve on your own?"
"I could handle everything, but what are we going to tell her about Anna?"
Kai shook his head. "Anna's disappearance is a problem. An Arendelle's Princess can't wander alone in a night like this, she should be under the protection of her soldiers. Anna is too used to go on their own as if she wasn't a Princess."
"She isn't alone." Rolf replied.
"She is worse than alone. Captain Symonyi is a foreigner and we can't be sure about his intentions. Do you trust him?"
"Of course not." Rolf replied remembering the first time he had seen Erick at the gates of Arendlle village. After crossing the mountains on his own, he had appeared haggard, ragged and a with gaze in his eyes similar to the one which you could find in the eyes of a wolf. Later, although he had recovered and dressed properly, the gaze in his eyes remained the same.
"Even if he was proper company, riding by night is dangerous. She could fall from the horse." Kai went on.
"Don't worry about that. Anna is an excellent rider."
Kai shook his head. "Sometimes I think it is part of the problem. Did you have to train her so well? If she weren't so good rider, she wouldn't have gone with that crazy hussar."
"Anna would have done what she considered that she had to do. She wouldn't have hesitated due to a little detail as being a good rider. And I did my best training her just like you when teaching her elder sister the secrets of diplomacy."
Kai sighed before replying. "Returning to our previous subject. The less Elsa knows the better. She cares a lot for her sister and, although I taught her diplomacy, she hasn't been trained for situations like this."
"Nobody could be trained for that. When the times comes, you manage to rise to the occasion or you fail."
"Yes! But she is too young. She couldn't handle a situation like this."
"Rolf uncertainly nodded. "You may be right."
They have exchanged the last phrases in front of Elsa's bedroom. The doctor had leaned his back against the door and watched while both men agreed on what they were going to say.
"Ready?" The doctor asked and opened the door when born men nodded.
Elsa was seated in her bed reclined on a pile of pillows. She wore an icy nightgown and no blanket covered her although one was at her foot as if it had been pushed aside. The Queen looked more pale than usual and tired, but her eyes were as keen as ever.
"At last I can talk with you! I wanted to have this meeting while Gudvard was healing me but he insisted to postpone it." Elsa said with a wan smile on her face. Her voice was clear but weak.
"Don't even mention it!" The doctor said while closing the door."And why are you reclined? I told you to lie on the bed covered with the blanket. Who had brought you those pillows?
"I got them myself and don't need the blanket."
When Elsa said that, much to Rolf's relief, a mischievous smile briefly bright up Elsa's face. But in that moment he noticed a long scar running from a point in her neck, just under her chin, until behind her right ear. "Elsa, your face!" Rolf exclaimed staring at Elsa's face. The wound had been sutured by Gudvard skillfully and part of it was under the jaw-line but the rest near the ear was clearly visible.
"And I also have a bandage all around me." The Queen replied bravely as she signaled his abdomen. Gudvard has been really busy.
"And you aren't still affected by the laudanum?" Rolf asked in surprise, opium tincture was the usual anesthetic for the people who could afford it, but it produced confusion and drowsiness and it doesn't fit with Elsa's watchful eyes.
"I haven't taken anything. I would have been dazed and I need a clear head." Elsa replied. "Rolf. What's the situation in the new harbor?" The Queen quickly asked changing the subject of the conversation.
Rolf shivered at the mere idea of suturing that wound in a conscious person. After the battles, all the surgical operations were performed on drunk patients, since laudanum was scarce. "Corrado returned to the harbor few minutes after the bells chimed in the castle. I think never a lame person had run so quick. The unloading of the freighters has been stopped and everything hidden." He finally replied.
Elsa nodded before going on."Gudvard has told me the problem with my ice. My wounds make..." Elsa hesitated. "difficult to use my powers but I could try to melt the block."
The doctor was going to talk but Rolf interrupted him. "That's unnecessary Antanas, Prince Vladimiras' nephew, had a bright idea to solve that. I expect that a party will start to chase the accomplice of the assassin in fifteen minutes."
Elsa nodded hearing Rolf's words and turned towards her seneschal. "Kai. Tell me what have been the reactions of the delegates. "
"They are officially astonished and indignant. All of them await news about your condition to react. I suppose that they are too surprised and don't know what to do."
"Hasn't Lord Halkett made any official communicate." Elsa asked in surprise.
"No my Queen. He just wished for your fast recover."
"He hasn't said anything about the signature of the treaty. It is planned for tomorrow. Well, today is more correct."
"He hasn't said anything. If you just entitled me to act it in your behalf I could sign it. It's just a formal ceremony."
"And Mullon?" Elsa asked while she fixedly gazed at her seneschal.
"Both delegates, the English and the French, came together to talk with me and Mullon seconded Lord Halkett's wishes about your recover."
"Rolf, Kai!" Elsa suddenly exclaimed straining her weakened voice. "I have been wounded in the abdomen and the neck not in the head! Do you think I am going to believe that! England's main reason to hold this stupid conference could die and nobody make any movement! Nobody has told anything! I don't buy it! Kai I want the real reactions of the delegates. I'm supposed to stay in bed, but if you didn't inform me, I would go to talk with them."
"This is out of the question!" Gudvard interrupted.
"Gudvard! If you interrupt me again, I will call the guards to throw you out and the veterinarian from the stables would take care of me." Elsa exclaimed not even looking at the doctor and keeping her eyes on Kai. She started to raise from the bed, although she couldn't help giving a grimace of pain and, putting the hand over her right side, she leaned back again on the pillows.
Kai gulped under Elsa's stark gaze, but remained firm. "Elsa, he is right! You must rest. Don't worry about the delegates. I will handle them and Rolf will control the issue of the assassin. You must remain in your room and rest. If needed I will place guards on your door to ensure that." She said thinking in Gerda to watch the young Queen.
But Elsa took Kai's words in a wrong sense. She was hardly able to think straight. Due to the weakness caused by the lost of blood and the continuous dull pain she was on the verge of fainting. Their overprotection had made her feel confined and she had remembered when she had been chained in one of her own dungeons with guards at the doors and, in both occasions, Anna wasn't in the castle."And are you going to use shackles to contain me again?" She finally blown up.
Kai turned pale and stared speechless at Elsa.
"Elsa, it was Hans' idea and your own sister had put him in charge of Arendelle!" Rolf exclaimed interposing himself between Elsa and Kai.
"But he accepted the idea without hesitation and you want to make the same again!" Elsa exclaimed in rage and frustration, her hands clenched. Suddenly, She felt a sudden surge of power. An acute pain ran through her abdomen, but she wasn't able to control it.
The temperature in the room suddenly dropped and an ominous cracking was clearly heard. A sharp snowflake formed in the floor around the Queen's bed. Rolf, surprised by the sound and believing that somebody was attacking them, instinctively put the right hand on the hilt of his sword.
"No!" Kai shouted fearing that Rolf was so frightened that was going to attack Elsa. He jumped on him and grabbed the Commander's right hand with his hands, but he moved so quick that he stumbled and fell on his knees. The seneschal's left hand missed the hilt and grasped the blade of the sword, which Rolf had drawn a few inches, his blood dripped over the floor.
The vision of both men struggling for the sword and the blood on the floor snapped out Elsa of her fury. He looked to the three men, overwhelmed, frightened for a few seconds before collapsing on the pillows, sweating and panting, exhausted due to the effort and the pain caused by using her magic.
"Excuse me." Rolf exclaimed letting go of his sword. "I believed somebody was attacking us." He concluded helping Kai to raise to his feet.
"Are you all right?" Kai asked looking a Elsa while Gudvard started to bandage her left hand.
The Queen of Arendelle remained in silence for a long while, recovering from the pain and the exhaustion. Te men around her waited in silence. Elsa raised her eyes and looked at the faces around her. They looked concerned about her, but also frightened. She thought that they were loyal men and didn't deserve that. Truth to be told they had good reasons to be afraid, but a little voice inside her whispered that no matter how hard she try, a slip and she would be a monster again.
"Maybe they are right. I'm weak, tired and I can't think straight." Elsa inwardly said, but then she remembered Anna and knew that she wouldn't give in, it was too important."
"I'm sorry you don't deserve that, but it was out of my control. " Elsa finally said in a soft voice. "Please help me. The negotiations are in a critical point and I'm necessary."
"I could handle the treaties". Kai replied.
"It is very important that they can't found any crack in the treaty once it is signed."
"Yes. But I could do that, although, as you already know, I dislike those treaties."
"We will get just one opportunity and there's too much at stack to take any risk. And being the Queen of Arendelle, my signature is far more strong than yours."
"But Elsa, your injuries are serious. You could harm your self or even die, if you didn't take care of yourself." Rolf interrupted.
"And you dare to say that! You fought in several pitched battles at my father's side because he decided that the best for Arendelle was to send a group of soldiers to fight into the Sweden army during the war against France. Didn't you risk your life?"
Rolf looked confused
"I know I'm taking a risk, but It's the best for Arendelle and I will do it even if I have to do it without you." Elsa gazed at the three men around her bed. "Please. Don't force me to do that and stay at my side as you stayed at my parent's side. I need you."
Rolf looked at Kai and cleared his throat. The seneschal sighed and started to talk. "Lord Howard Halkett asked for your state, but immediately he put forward that he expected, in fact he said England expected, that somebody would be entitled to sign the commercial treaty today, if you weren't able to do it. According his own words, he wanted to save you the fatigue of a formal ceremony."
"Tell him that I will sign personally the treaty today." Elsa calmly replied empathizing the last word as she brushed a lock of hair off her forehead.
"Please, don't go to that ceremony!" Gudvard exclaimed. "If you leave your bed, your health could break down."
"I'm sorry Gudvard, but I'm going to do worse things than that." Elsa said smiling at the upset doctor
"It could be seen as a symbol of weakness." Kai said. "You would look desperate to sign the treaty."
"Or as a symbol of force. We would state that we won't yield to any thread. Please Kai, use your ability to transmit that sensation to the delegates."
"As you order my Queen." The seneschal replied.
"What have been Mullon's reaction?" She went on.
"He is also worried about what would happen to the treaty if you died. He has proposed that you could sign two copies of the treaty. So if you died before he receive Paris' approval, he could sign both copies and the treaty would be established in a posthumous way." Kai hesitated. "I'm sorry but he had used that word."
"But haven't they mercy?" Rolf exclaimed.
"We are talking about diplomacy Rolf. There's no mercy in it." Kai replied.
"It's normal that they worry about the treaty. It will ensure the control of their countries over a good deal of Arendelle's timber." Elsa said in an indifferent tone of voice.
"They will get rich with the treaties, that's their main reason." Kai replied
"Kai,You and my father taught me the art of diplomacy. Do you think I'm so naive to don't see that? They have their reasons to desire that treaty and I have mine." Elsa concealed her euphoria by the delegates reaction. It seemed they were eagerly entering into the trap which she had carefully planned.
"Tell Mullon that the treaty will be signed when we receive his country's approval not before. I'm sorry, but he must wait. Have you anything else to tell me?"
"Well, it seems relations among different factions in the imperial delegation are strained due to the attack against you."
"Why?"
"It is rumored that during a meeting, held this very night by the Empire main representatives, Duke Adrian publicly stated that if you died then his claim to your hand would be automatically transferred to your sister Anna. He based it on the fact that he claimed the Queen's had and Anna would be the Queen of Arendelle in that case. But Duke Berganza, who was also present, didn't agree and said that the initial claims should be maintained."
"Keeping my sister away of that man is reason enough to stay alive." Elsa grimly said.
"We are talking about the Empire. It is so huge and powerful that in whatever issue you deal with it you will find a faction supporting an option and, at least, another faction supporting the opposite, intrigue is a second nature to them." Kai added.
"You talk about rumors. Has the Empire made any official communication?"
"I talked with Ladislas, the Imperial delegate, and he told me that they won't made any official movement until they were sure about your definitive state. I think he is praying for your survival, since he would have a clash among both Dukes otherwise"
"I will do my best not to dash his hopes." Elsa humorlessly replied. "Tell me about the other delegations."
"The other delegations have been less active and just wait for news. "
"Thank you Kai. " Elsa said before turning her attention to the Commander of the Guard. "Rolf, is everything really fine in the new harbor?"
"Yes my Queen."
"And regarding that block of ice, are my powers needed to melt it?"
"As I told you Antanas, Prince Vladimiras' nephew, had a clever idea to solve that. In fact the Lithuanian have been quite cooperative. Prince Vladimiras had even volunteered to join the party which will chase the accomplice."
Elsa raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really?" She asked.
"He felt obliged to act in that way since you would be his wife, if his claim to your hand prospered." Rolf went on. "I have declined his offer since this an Arendelle's internal issue although I have thanked him."
"It's a pity that not everybody has been kind enough to ask permission before meddling in Arendelle's issues." Kai stated.
"Somebody else has volunteered to chase the other assassin?" Elsa asked smiling. "I'm flattered."
"Captain Symonyi is chasing the accomplice on his own. He had his own horse in Corrado's house and didn't even asked permission. I think that Prince Vladimiras tipped him off about our lack of horses." Rolf sighed before going on. "According to the Prince, he will scout for us. " Rolf said with upset voice. "But I don't trust him and, truth to be told, I'm would prefer not to get any scout than an unreliable one."
Elsa looked at Rolf and Kai hesitating about what to say. It was obvious that both men disliked Erick's intervention and they looked at each other as if they wanted to add something. Elsa asked inwardly what could have done the impulsive hussar to upset both men so much."I think that you can trust him. He don't seem to be a puppet of Duke Adrian quite the contrary." She finally said.
Rolf and Kai gazed in astonishment the young Queen of Arendelle. "We have to tell you something more." Kai replied.
"What have Erick... I mean Captain Symonyi done?" Elsa replied trying not to smile.
"Princess Anna is with him."
Elsa took a deep breath. "But I supposed that Anna was helping Corrado in the new harbor. Isn't she? "
"In fact she never reached the harbor." Rolf replied.
"What do you mean?" Elsa said frowning and her voice trembling.
Kai felt again a sudden drop in the temperature of the room and slightly shivered while replying. "My niece gone with her and returned alone. She says they met with Captain Symonyi. It seems that the hussar convinced Anna to go with him to catch the accomplice."
Rolf cleared his throat. "I have talked with your niece and she says Anna forced the hussar to accept her."
"My niece is eight years old and she might be confused! A Princess of Arendelle joining with a foreigner to chase an assassin! Do you really believe that this is possible? "
"We are talking about Anna who, a year ago, was brave enough to left the castle on her own and locate our Queen." Rolf replied.
"Anna cannot be so irresponsible. He is a stranger! We can't be sure about his intentions!" Kai pointed.
"Kristoff was also a stranger before he helped Anna." Rolf replied, justifying Anna although he had to defend Erick.
"Prince Hans was also a friendly stranger and he tried to kill Queen Elsa and Princess Anna."
But Elsa didn't heard both man talking. Her head buzzed with he news she had received. Erick had been friendly, truth to be told his help had been invaluable, and the fact that it could harm the Empire's options in the conference didn't apparently bothered him. But she remembered Kai's words about the different factions in the Empire and the skillful use of intrigue of its diplomats. Maybe Erick had been feigning to be a friend in order to gain her and Anna's confidence. Would he been working in behalf of an Empire's faction opposed to his own stepbrother? She couldn't believe it, but somebody had tried to kill her and she couldn't take the slightest risk regarding Anna.
"Rolf." Elsa finally said. "He is a representative of another country. Treat him with the due respect, but the safety of my sister is our main priority, chasing the accomplice is a secondary point. Do whatever necessary and don't worry by any diplomatic incident with the Empire which arise. Kai and I would handle it." Elsa felt that she was being unfair with Erick, but she didn't dare to do otherwise. Rolf needed flexibility to protect Anna.
In that very moment a guard knocked at the door and informed that the patrol was ready to depart. Rolf immediately left the room accompanied by Gudvard leaving Elsa and Kai alone.
"Elsa, I'm sorry about what happened. " Kai said visibly embarrassed.
"As I told you before, it was my fault."
"I'm talking about what happened a year before. I failed you allowing Prince Hans to take over Arendelle and kept you prisoner in a dungeon of your own castle. In fact I'm still surprised because you didn't dismissed me after the coronation."
"I considered to do that."
"And why didn't you dismiss me?"
Because you loyally served my parent for long years, you taught me diplomacy, etiquette and other things after my parent's death and you guided the country in my minority when the Barons tried to strip the crown of its powers and stood by my side even in the most bitter times. Anna and I decided that it was unfair to ruin it for a decision which you took in an exceptional situation and, according to my personal opinion not shared by Anna, it might be the correct one. You had to protect Arendelle and I was a danger. You took the sensible decision."
"I didn't raise to the occasion." Kai replied realizing as he talked that he was using Rolf's words and feeling ashamed about what they had been talking before entering in Elsa's room. For a moment he understood Gudvard's words about feeling like a child. "I'm sure that, sensible or not, Rolf wouldn't have obeyed Hans against you." He finally said unwilling to accept Elsa's words.
"You can't never be sure of things like that. He hasn't family, so he wouldn't have seen her sons and grandsons about to freeze in front of him. Anyway he was out of Arendelle checking the southern border. Now, please prepare everything needed to sign the treaty with Lord Halkett."
"Are you sure that you want to sign those damned treaties?" Kai asked .
"My dear Kai. There's no way back. Please, stop trying to block them. You have to understand that they are necessary."
"Maybe I could understand them, if you explained to me what is your objective. They seem just a stupid way to disorganize Arendelle's timber commerce which is the base of our prosperity and it is difficult to do my best under such circumstances."
Elsa hesitated although she had to recognize that it was unfair to ask Kai to work so hard for a thing that he didn't understand and, truth to be told, she needed to share her burden with somebody. Finally, seeing Kai's bandaged hand decided her. She explained her schema to Kai. It took a long time and the sun entered in the room through the great paneled windows when she finished her explanation.
Elsa used the old law summary, which Anna had been reading, to expose the last details of her plan. When she finished, the young Queen raised her eyes from the book and looked expectant at her seneschal. "What do you think Kai? Could it work? "
Kai thought for a long while before replying. "It's too risky and everything depends on your judgment of the English and French delegates' personality."
Elsa nodded. "You are right, but there's no choice. We have to take the risk. When we have both treaties signed, we will discover whether it works. Today Lord Halkett will sign the treaty and, hopefully, Mullon will sign soon because If he didn't sign before the conference reach a final agreement, the treaties would be useless. "
Kai shook his head."There are too many things to take into account and the cost is too high and I'm not talking about the price of the timber."
"We have talked about that and I won't change my mind."
Elsa and her seneschal looked at each other with sadness in their eyes.
"If it worked, it would be great! The pupil will surpass the teacher." Kai eventually said breaking the silence and, although his face was grave, a hint of pride was clearly perceptible in his voice.
Elsa mirthlessly smiled."Thank you, but it has to work first." Elsa leaned her head on the pillows and closed her eyes. The meeting had depleted her scarce energies. "I will have to raise to the occasion." She muttered before going on. "A last point, ensure that Anna doesn't discover anything. She doesn't realize it, but she has the answer in front of her. Luckily, she is looking in the opposite direction."
Kay nodded."You are right. If Anna discovered that, she would fight against it with all her might. Don't worry. I'm going to put under lock and key the..." In that moment, he realized that Elsa had felt asleep. Maybe because she was so tired or because she felt relieved after sharing the heavy burden of her plan, she was sleeping like a baby.
He slowly and noiselessly walked to the door and left the Queen alone. The signature was planned in three hours and he had to make a lot of work before returning and wake Elsa. Three hours of sleep would be invaluable for the Queen before signing the treaty.
While he was going towards his office he walk past a picture of Elsa's parents. He looked at the deceased Kings of Arendelle. "I don't know if she will triumph or she will fail." He said as if the images in the picture could hear him. " But I'm sure that she will raise to the occasion."
"What are you doing? Why do you talk alone" A voice said from behind.
Kai turned to find Gerda. "I suppose I'm getting older." He replied with a faint smile on his face.
Gerda looked at him in surprise. After a week being in bad mood, Arendelle's seneschal looked oddly calm. "What had happened to your hand?" She asked noticing the bandage.
"It has been a long night and it will be a harder day." Kai calmly replied.
When Rolf went out through the gate of the keep, fifteen dragoons were already mounted on their horses. Rolf proudly looked at his men clad in their green jackets with the front part in red and the Arendelle's crocus embroidered also in red in the sleeves. They were the elite of Arendelle's army, they have the responsibility to protect the Queen when she was out of the castle, and Rolf had spent a lot of time and effort to train them.
The commander looked at the sun raising over the mountains. "We are awfully late." He thought while a sudden gust of wind, which was stronger than few minutes before, raised the tail of his jacket. "This damned wind wasn't so cold before the meeting with Elsa." He said inwardly, but he hadn't time to think about it because Antanas approached him.
"I will come with you." The young Lithuanian told Rolf.
"We don't need your help. Thank you." Rolf politely replied.
"You don't understand me. I don't want to come with you to make you a favor. I want to catch that assassin."
Rolf looked with sympathy at Antanas. "As I told your uncle before, this is an Arendelle's internal affair."
"Who got the horses which you and your men mount? "
Rolf sighed. "I suppose you have earned a horse. You can come with us." He concluded nodding.
"And my uncle and Steponas?"
"They haven't got any horse, but you can give yours to them if you don't mind staying in the castle." Rolf replied as he turned and get closer to his ..mount.
Once mounted he approached to the lieutenant who commanded the dragoons and speak to him in Norwegian. "Harald, we have to catch the accomplice, but our main priority is Princess Anna's safety." Rolf hesitated before going on. " Captain Erick Symonyi, an Imperial hussar who is clad in black and wore a silver death head on his shako, is with the Princess. He is supposed to scout for us, but his real intentions are not clear and his safety isn't a priority. Have I made it clear?"
"Yes sir." The lieutenant replied. "Is he the one who crossed our pickets during the bear hunt?"
"Yes." Rolf knew that Arendelle's dragoons didn't feel too much affection for Captain Symony. He had hurt the soldiers' pride and Rolf, as commander of Arendelle's army, had sternly reprimanded the dragoons who the hussar had evaded that day.
"He won't be so lucky today!" The dragoon exclaimed with fierce eyes.
"We are supposed not to hurt him unless it is necessary to protect Princess Anna."
The lieutenant nodded and his lips curved into a knowing smile. "Of course sir. "