Chapter Forty One

A Fresh Start

ELSA

Standing up, Elsa smoothened out the creases on her formal lavender dress and adjusted the necklace hanging from her neck. She shifted uncomfortably in her heels and walked towards the red curtains which separated the backstage from the masses gathered outside. Peeking out through the veiled curtains, Elsa saw thousands of people gathered in the large auditorium. As usual, in the front row sat the nobles, aristocrats and senior officers of the army. The second row was filled by other dignitaries and foreign ambassadors who had come from across the sea for this unique occasion. As for the next few rows, these were filled up by the wealthy merchants or estate owners who had forked out exorbitant sums to enjoy a better view of the event that was about to unfold.

The rest of the stadium was jam packed with Arendellians, and quite possibly citizens from the neighbouring cities and villages as well. After all, the news had spread like wildfire after it had been leaked by the traitors within the government, namely Count Griffith, the Minister of Information, as well as Count Jakob. Captain Frederick had led a squad of his soldiers to root out the League spies, which were not limited to just Griffith or Jakob.

In fact, there were quite a number of corrupt people in places of power placed there by the Pilgrim, but by the time they had all been arrested, it was far too late as the damage had already been done. King Agnarr's secret and crime had been leaked to the public, and the pandemonium hadn't relented. That was a day ago, and things hadn't died down since. But honestly, Elsa didn't expect any different. After all, the Archbishop's Death twenty two years ago had been a huge mystery that was common knowledge across the continent, and now that the King's involvement had been exposed, the people were in a state of uproar at the revelation of their ex-monarch's crime.

Elsa felt a shiver run down her spine and she stepped back away from the curtains. She wasn't sure she was ready for this, but she knew it had to be done. The moment they had returned to Arendelle the previous evening, Elsa had immediately tasked her staff with organizing a public address for noon the next day and they had meticulously gotten the word out and worked tirelessly to prepare for the huge event. She herself had stayed up the entire night preparing and writing her speech together with her sister.

It still seemed surreal, being back in Arendelle. There were a few dark moments in Swynvort when Elsa had thought that she would never see her home again, being trapped in the clutches of the Pilgrim. But now that she was back, she had hit the ground running. The corruption within her government had to be dealt with immediately, and that meant that there would be gaps within the infrastructure. Replacements had to be found, among so many other things that she had to deal with simultaneously. There was still much work to be done.

"You okay, Elsa?" Anna asked.

With tired eyes, Elsa turned to look at her sister. "Of course." She straightened up, even though she knew she was unable to hide the dark circles around her eyes. Even her makeup couldn't do much to freshen up her lethargic appearance.

Anna giggled, possibly high on caffeine, and held out a cup of steaming hot coffee for Elsa. "Even after everything, you're still a lousy liar, you know that? Are you sure you're up for this? I could do it, if you want."

Elsa shook her head and accepted the coffee. "No. I have to do this. The public's on the verge of chaos after what the Pilgrim did. I have to get out there and weather the storm." She took a long gulp and relished the feeling of the hot bitter liquid filling her empty stomach. "It's the right thing to do."

"It's not just right. It's brave." Anna slipped her free hand into her sister's. "Don't worry. I'll be right out there with you, remember?"

"Thanks, Anna but…it's not that. I never thought I'd say this, but speaking to the masses? That's the easy part." Elsa said. "The hard part is admitting that the rumours leaked are true. That Father was responsible."

"I know it's not going to be a walk in the park. Or a stroll across the icy summit of the North Mountain, in your case. But it-"

"It's the right thing to do." Elsa nodded and took another long gulp, feeling the lethargy beginning to clear and the jitters settling in instead. "I just…don't know how they're going to respond. Whether what I say makes any difference."

"No one can predict that." Kristoff stepped up to the backstage, joining the two sisters. "But you have to believe that the people will continue to trust you."

"After the referendum, the people of Arendelle chose to keep you in power, even though Tobias tried to pull the strings." Anna reminded her. "Don't forget that. The people rallied behind you."

"I don't know if that'll be true after today." Elsa smiled thinly.

"Chill, Elsa," Kristoff clapped her shoulder, and then seemed to suddenly remember that she was the queen. He withdrew his hand quickly. "You'll be fine. Besides, you have us on your side to fight for you."

"This isn't exactly a battle against a wicked witch or mercenaries," Elsa grinned at him. "But thanks."

"The Warriors-" Kristoff rolled his eyes as he said the name. "-are here too. They're all in the crowd somewhere rooting for you, so don't worry. We have your back."

"We believe in you, Elsa." Anna said. "You're going to nail this."

Elsa set down her cup of coffee and blew out a long breath. She patted her pocket for the tenth time that morning to make sure the speech she had written was still there.

"If it helps, I have my men positioned at the bottom of the stage and in various vantage points around the multi-storey auditorium." Captain Frederick joined them, smartly dressed in a white ceremonial uniform, unlike the usual military shade of sage green. Gleaming medals decorated his front and sleeves, and he wore a sleek red beret to top it off. And as usual, his boots shone till Elsa could see her own reflection in them. "You'll be safe, Your Majesty."

"Thanks, Frederick. Every little bit helps." Elsa smiled warmly. "It's so good to see you again."

"Likewise, Your Majesty." Frederick bowed. "I'll be close by, if you need me."

"You ready?" Anna asked, hand on the red curtains.

Elsa sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Okay." She stepped out from behind the curtains with Anna by her side.

Immediately, the murmuring of the crowd died down quickly when they noticed that the Royal Sisters had arrived on stage, and the auditorium fell into complete silence before long. Elsa could hear her own heeled shoes clicking away against the wooden panelled stage as she walked toward the rostrum. It made her feel better knowing that Anna was by her side in case she botched her speech somehow so her sister could save her. As if Anna hadn't done enough already.

She stood behind the rostrum and removed the piece of paper in her pocket. Unfolding it, she placed it on the rostrum and checked one last time for good measure. Maybe she was just being paranoid, but what if the paper she had carried was a tax levy document all along? Thankfully - and obviously - it was the speech she had written. Elsa looked out into the sea of people before her. The multi-storey auditorium was packed from ceiling to floor, and it was incredibly stuffy. She began to sweat a little, both from the warm atmosphere as well as the nervousness. No point putting it off any longer. Clearing her throat, she began.

"Good morning everyone." Her voice rang loud and clear throughout the room, working hard to conceal her fear. "I'm sure all of you have heard the rumours by now, and are all desperate for the truth about the Archbishop's death twenty two years ago. I'm here today to talk to you about King Agnarr, my father," Elsa held Anna's hand. "Our father."

She took a moment to look at her notes which were redundant at this point, since she basically knew what she needed to say even if she was afraid to say it. Then, Elsa drew herself up and took a deep breath.

"After further investigation and a detailed study of our father's journal, I can now state definitively that the allegations made against my father, the former King of Arendelle…are true."

She paused and murmurs began to arise from the crowd. Before they could grow any louder, she continued and the voices died down again. "My father, like myself, had supernatural abilities, and chose to hide them from the world. In a moment of weakness and fear of being exposed, King Agnarr lashed out at the Archbishop and committed involuntary manslaughter. He was then blackmailed by a sinister organization into silence."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Anna whispered quietly under her breath, loud enough only for Elsa to hear. "There's no turning back after this."

Elsa nodded. "They deserve to know." She looked ahead at the crowd and breathed in deeply. "You all know the story of the mythical League of Sorcerers to be nothing more than a child's tale. However-" Here she stopped again for a brief moment, that spanned into a thousand. Anna's right. There is no turning back from this.

"I have seen them with my own eyes, and can personally confirm their existence and my late father's coerced involvement with them. And so can my sister."

The murmurs grew louder, and people began to talk among themselves in a state of confusion, indignation or scorn, or a mix of all three.

"Everyone, please. Let my sister explain." Anna said loudly, and the room began to quieten down again.

"Thank you," Elsa said calmly. "Many of you know of the raiding incident that took place at the outskirts of our kingdom. I personally investigated and pressed into the case, and found myself entangled with the figurehead known as the Pilgrim. Yes, she is real, and so is the League of Sorcerers. They are known as a shadowy group that destroys and burns down civilizations, but I have seen for myself that the League is made up of brainwashed young people who have supernatural abilities. The real culprit of the League's vengeance and killings is the Pilgrim, who is now safely in custody. I myself oversaw the transfer of the Pilgrim to a secure facility where she will never endanger another young sorcerer's life ever again."

Elsa took a deep breath, before continuing. "I know this is hard for all of you to believe, but it is all true. In time, you will see for yourself the young sorcerers I have spoken of. They are now temporarily being housed in the castle under the care of my staff until we can come to a more permanent arrangement."

She paused as she sensed the air of confusion and uncertainty. "However, everything that I have just revealed to you is not an excuse for my father's actions. There is no justifying what he did. It was a terrible act, though an accident, and as his daughters, we are both shocked, horrified and crushed to learn about our father's crime which he had kept from us all these years. King Agnarr is no longer here to defend himself, and I too cannot find the words to defend his actions, because there are none."

"But what I can tell you," Anna took over suddenly, catching Elsa by surprise. This wasn't part of the plan. "Is that three years ago, out of nothing but pure love and immense courage, our father sailed across the sea together with our mother in an attempt to protect us from the Pilgrim. Though the attempt was unsuccessful and our parents drowned that day, this proves one thing. That not everything is black and white.

"People make mistakes, even royals like us. But people change too. I'm not asking you to overlook the actions of King Agnarr, but I implore you all, take a moment to see that without his act of selfless love, my sister and I wouldn't be standing here safely today to address all of you. It was once said that a child needs to believe that his father is a hero before he can become one himself. And I believe with all my heart that that was what our father had in mind."

"I cannot pretend to hope," Elsa picked up again loudly, continuing where Anna had left off. "That we will retain the support and trust of everyone in this room, local citizens and international allies alike. I'm sure many of you are wondering what other secrets we might be hiding. But this one thing I can promise: we will strive to eradicate all secrets and remain transparent with the great people of our land. We promise-" She paused. "-that we will not let our father's sacrifice for us go to waste. With every moment we have left, we will build upon his legacy, flawed as it may be, to attempt to usher the kingdom of Arendelle into a fresh start, and a better legacy. Thank you."

Elsa and Anna stepped away from the rostrum, and the room fell into complete silence. Then, three people in the middle of the hall stood up and began to clap loudly. Elsa squinted and saw that lo and behold, they were the Warriors! They were joined by more people, and more, and soon, the entire auditorium was filled with the thunderous applause of Arendellians and foreigners alike.

"I think it's unanimous then." Anna looked at Elsa. "We haven't been forced to abdicate."

Elsa hugged Anna in relief, and the applause grew even louder. The two sisters waved to the masses, and retreated backstage where they were met by Kristoff and Frederick.

"You guys did it!" Kristoff hugged both sisters tightly, this time throwing all royal etiquette out the window.

"I don't believe it. It's-it's some kind of miracle." Elsa gasped for breath.

Kristoff released his hold on them. "No, it's not. Because they believe in you, Elsa."

Anna smiled. "He's right. Father and Mother would've been proud. The people believe in you."

"They believe in us." Elsa squeezed her sister's hand. "We did this together."

"And we will continue to do this together." Anna returned the squeeze.

"Together."

"And Elsa?"

"Yes?"

"What you said in your speech about no more secrets," Anna said. "Does that apply to us too?"

"Of course." Elsa hugged her sister tight and shut her eyes. "Before all this, a part of me always felt the need to protect you. But you've proven me wrong and even earned your own place with the Warriors. You're strong, Anna. Stronger than me. I underestimated you, and I'm sorry."

"Woah, that was a lot heavier than I was expecting."

"Point is," Elsa continued. "From now on, we protect each other. And that means no more secrets. I promise."

"Apologies for the intrusion," Frederick said apologetically. "Firstly, congratulations are in order."

Pulling away from Anna, Elsa chuckled and glanced at him. The Captain was always so prim and proper.

"Secondly, I think you would be pleased to know that we've flushed out all the League spies like Tobias and rounded them up. They're now warming cells in the local penitentiary, awaiting trial for their treason."

"Thanks Frederick." Elsa smiled.

"That is good news." Anna agreed. "Always had a weird feeling like someone was watching us." She shuddered. "Now I can finally eat cheesecake in the middle of the night in peace without worrying someone is watching."

Elsa laughed heartily and turned to Frederick. "I think it's time."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I'll meet you out front." Frederick bowed and strode away quickly.

"Time?" Anna arched her eyebrows. "Time for what?"

"Before we meet our friends back at the castle, there's one more stop we need to make." Elsa said. "Stillcreek."

"Ah," Kristoff raised an eyebrow. "That place."

"Kristoff, go find Olaf and Sven and tell them that we're alright. Then meet the rest back at the castle. We'll join you in a bit," Elsa turned to her sister. "We're going to pay the Pilgrim a visit. Together."

"Of course." Anna grinned. "Wouldn't have it any other way."