Chapter Thirty Seven

The Prince's Decision

VALLOKEN

"Your Royal Highness." The new captain of the Valquerson Rifles barked, saluting crisply as Val walked into the corridor dressed in casual, comfortable clothes.

Waving away the salute, Val couldn't help but let a smile break through his neutral demeanour. It was crazy to think that just like that, everything was back to normal after the past few intense days. Well, mostly everything.

After the climatic battle between Elsa and General Bjorn two days ago, the Southern Isles soldiers had been given no choice but to surrender as Arendelle's allies - Einsfelt and Molcorra - arrived with an impressive show of force and firepower.

Before Aslak and the Northuldra returned to their homes in the forest, the Arendellians and Northuldra had worked together to account for whatever remained of Bjorn's army, holding them in the military base's prison cells. Val had given specific orders for them not to be put in the palace dungeons, for he knew all too well that they weren't as secure as he'd expected. He'd escaped from the dungeons twice, after all. Every bit of fight had gone out of the Southern Isles invaders as they were imprisoned to await the diplomatic negotiations between Arendelle and the Southern Isles to put a definitive end to the conflict. That was a whole new problem for later.

And then there was Bjorn. Frozen solid by Elsa, he was no longer a threat to be reckoned with. The Arendellian Royal Air Force had been mobilised to airlift the frozen general back to the Southern Isles where he would be deposited back home to be dealt with by King Ulrich the Seventh. Talya had insisted that the generous act be extended to the Southern Isles as a way of showing them that the Arendellians were willing to put an end to the war quickly. Val did not envy Bjorn right now, knowing that he would have to face the wrath of his own brother, the king.

Peggy had spend the past two days helping out the army with marshalling the Arendellian citizens back into the kingdom from the western border. For someone who never wanted to get involved, she'd really proven herself to be an invaluable ally. Something told Val that Peggy had really settled into the idea that they were family now, and he wasn't complaining about that at all. After everything they'd been through together, he couldn't imagine a world where Peggy wasn't by their side.

Meanwhile, Talya had immediately jumped right back into her responsibilities as queen. Finding Prime Minister Johan had been the first thing she'd done in an effort to re-establish some semblance of order to the kingdom. She also had to send word to those who'd managed to evacuate to Opalle the night of the invasion that it was safe to return. There were peace negotiations to set up with the Southern Isles, allies to be appreciated formally, and a whole kingdom to get back on track.

Since the climatic showdown on the bridge two days ago, Val hadn't seen his sister as he'd been busy helping the military intelligence sector reset communications and encryptions in their base. The whole system had been fried by the Southern Isles, and it was going to take Val at least a solid week to help reprogram everything for upgraded security.

Elsa, however, was nowhere to be found. She'd disappeared at some point during all the chaos, vanishing without a trace. It sort of made sense, in a strange way. After all, she had mentioned something about fulfilling her last obligation and handing over her mantle of the Snow Queen to Talya. Val couldn't pretend to understand whatever that meant - he still had trouble wrapping his head around the whole sorcery thing.

However, he did know that she expected to finally be freed from the curse of immortality, which meant that she could very well no longer be in existence. He'd wanted to personally find time to thank her again for helping him disarm the bombs yesterday and for keeping him from getting slaughtered, but he suspected that he wasn't going to get the chance, sadly.

"Sir?" The captain said cautiously. "Are you alright?"

"What?" Val blinked and stared at the captain blankly. "Yes, yes. I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"Her Majesty is ready to see you now, Sir." The captain motioned politely at the door.

"Right." This morning, Val had been summoned by his sister to join her for breakfast in the great dining hall. After all that they'd been through, he wasn't surprised to find himself no longer that awkward in her presence. They'd literally been through a damned nightmare together. But still, he couldn't help but wonder where they both stood now in terms of their familial relationship. Before this whole adventure, they had both argued bitterly about Val's new role in the kingdom, and he had no idea how that was going to go down now.

One thing was for certain though. He had made up his mind that he would settle into his royal duties as the Prince of Arendelle. After all, Talya did need him by her side in a time like this. He would just have to put his dream career in military intelligence on hold, at least for the time being. He understood now that being there to help Talya was more important than his own ambitions. Family comes first.

Adjusting his spectacles upright, Val nodded to the captain who then knocked on the door steadily, and opened it for Val.

"His Royal Highness, Your Majesty." The captain announced in a loud, clear voice as Val walked into the large dining room.

His sister was seated at the corner of the table's long edge, the surface of marble reflecting light from the chandeliers above. The room was well lit, the curtains drawn open and allowing the morning sunlight to stream in through the gigantic window panels beside the table. Talya was dressed in a simple blouse and hoodie, looking as though she'd just awoken a few minutes ago. She looked up at Val's arrival, gesturing politely for the palace staff to give her some privacy.

"Val," she said, wearing a warm but tired smile. "Thanks for joining me."

He sat down in the chair opposite her before she could offer him a seat. "I do need to eat breakfast after all."

Talya chuckled, taking a sip from her glass of iced coffee. "Glad that you haven't lost your sense of humour after the shitshow we've been through."

"You on the other hand, have looked better." Val noted aloud. It was true. His sister's hair was messy and tangled, and there were dark circles around her eyes. "Didn't you sleep at all last night?"

"Barely." Talya tapped her fork on the table. "I was up till six, I think. Discussing a treaty for peace negotiations isn't easy."

"I can only imagine." Val studied his sister's face. So far no mention of his role in the kingdom.

Talya gestured at the spread of food laid out on the table. "Don't let it get cold."

Helping himself to a loaf of freshly toasted bread, Val buttered it up richly and bit into it, relishing the crispy and salty sensation. He hadn't eaten anything this good since that night the Southern Isles had attacked. It was a welcome change, to say the least.

"Val," Talya started.

Here it comes. Swallowing, Val forced himself to look at his sister, unable to stop himself from fiddling with his spectacles. "What is it?"

"I…I know that before all of this, we didn't really start things off on the right foot." Talya said slowly. "And that, that was my fault. I shouldn't have pushed you away after our mother died. If only I hadn't," her voice went tight and she blinked away a tear. "Maybe everything would've been different."

"We can't change any of that now." Val told her. "I wouldn't normally peg myself as an optimist, but if anything, these past few days did give us something."

"And what's that?"

"Time to get to really know each other." Val flashed her a grin.

Talya chuckled lightly, and wiped her eyes. "I guess they did, didn't they?" She sighed and folded her hands in her lap. "And yes, I suppose I could've handled your homecoming dinner better too. I didn't exactly give you a great impression by ordering you to fulfil your role as the Prince. That was…just wrong."

Val shook his head. He had never been one for sorting out his feelings like this and reconciling. But he supposed that this relationship was worth it. "I was an ass when I returned home. I did it out of spite, you know." He said apologetically, averting his eyes and furiously cleaning his spectacles with the hem of his shirt. "I really did want to start my own career path in the intelligence sector, but I also wanted to make things difficult for you, and I'm…I'm sorry for that."

Talya was unable to contain a smile. "Apology accepted. And it's funny you should bring that up."

"Bring what up?"

"Your career." Talya grinned. "I do have a small surprise for you."

"What?"

Talya pulled an envelope out from under the table and placed it on the table, sliding it over to Val. "Open it."

Confused, Val slid open the envelope and took out the letter. It was made of expensive, crisp paper that gave off the feeling that it was incredibly formal. He studied the contents of the letter, his eyes widening as he read. Putting the letter down, he stared at Talya. "You got me an opening in the Military Intelligence sector?"

"I made a few calls," Talya shrugged. "They can't exactly turn down the queen, you know."

As if to confirm what he'd just read, Val scanned the letter again. There was no mistaking it. "General Oddvar is offering me the rank of Major?"

"He said he could use a man of your talents to improve the intelligence protocol and infrastructure. Something about our defence systems in desperate need of an upgrade."

"Thank you." In gratitude, Val put a hand on Talya's. "I…I really appreciate this. But…I'm going to have to turn the offer down."

Talya looked taken aback, sitting up in her seat. "What do you mean? Isn't this what you always wanted?"

"It was." Val agreed. "But I've been doing a lot of thinking. Maybe it was the past few days that got to me. Or maybe it's something else. Either way, I've already made up my mind that I would take on my responsibilities and royal duties as the Prince of Arendelle now that I'm here to stay."

"But why the sudden change of heart?"

"Because you're going to need my help in the days ahead. Be it shouldering some of the burden or attending to diplomatic arrangements…" he rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to like it, but I figured this is where I'm needed right now."

"But your dream."

"It can wait." Val said firmly, giving her a reassuring smile. "The intelligence sector isn't going anywhere. Besides, I'm sure I can find some spare time in between royal duties to slip down to the base to help General Oddvar with the defence systems."

Slowly, Talya returned the smile. "Thank you, Val."

"Anytime." Val felt the need to change the subject, unable to bear this whole sentimental conversation. "Anyway, I'm not sure if you've heard, but our Air Force delivered the package and returned safely. I'm surprised the Southern Isles didn't put up more of a fight, seeing as how we literally airlifted the king's frozen brother back to their kingdom and dropped him on their pier."

"I'm not too worried about having to deal with Ulrich the Seventh." Talya admitted. "After having to deal with a Blood Mage, I feel like I can manage almost anything else." She paused, stiffening, as though she just remembered something.

He raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"Have you seen this?" Talya picked up the television remote and turned on the television in the corner of the dining room. The flat screen lit up, showcasing a local news anchor from the Fjord Times.

"Multiple witnesses from the Arendellian Field Army claimed to have seen Her Majesty engaging the enemy general in combat on the bridge and using what appeared to be sorcery." The news anchor reported.

"It's ridiculous." Talya said in disgust, muting the television. "I didn't beat Bjorn in combat. It was Elsa, but there's no mention of her at all. It's as if no one's acknowledging that she exists! She was the one who fought Bjorn and beat him!"

Val remained silent as Talya drew in a breath before continuing.

"Everyone present at the bridge saw! But there's no recorded footage of the fight. No evidence. Everyone's saying that it was me who saved Arendelle." Talya sounded angry and upset. "But that's not true at all! It was Elsa, but no one's admitting it. Here." She took out her phone and scrolled to an online news article just published by the Free Arendellian Press, shoving it in Val's face.

Val stared at the byline. Her Majesty, secretly a powerful sorceress, hailed by citizens as the new Warrior Queen of Arendelle.

"They're officially bestowing upon me the mantle of the Warrior Queen later this evening. The mantle of Queen Anna." Talya went on indignantly. "It's…it's not right. It was Elsa who stopped Bjorn after all. It should be her that's recognised."

Val inhaled deeply. "I think I might have something to do with that."

"What?" Talya rounded on him. "What are you saying?"

"I worked all day for the past two days with General Oddvar and the military intelligence sector to keep the news from leaking out." Val said cautiously. "They made sure no one in our army would divulge any knowledge about Elsa's presence on that bridge."

"Why?" Talya's eyes widened at the realisation and her face reddened. She gripped her fork tightly, but no ice formed on the utensil. "Why would you do such a thing?"

"Can you imagine how the world would react if they knew that the legend of the mythical Snow Queen was true?" Val pointed at the window, where the rest of the kingdom lay beyond the gates. "Can you imagine the fallout and complications that would have on the world?"

Talya was still fuming, but she was silent, so Val went on.

"No," he shook his head. "The world isn't ready. Maybe it used to be back in Queen Anna's era. But not anymore. If I had trouble believing that all this really happened, so would the rest of the world. This had to be contained.

Apologetically, Val touched his sister's hand. "I don't expect you to understand what I've done. And I'm sorry if it means Elsa doesn't get the appreciation and recognition she deserves from the rest of the world. But our army knows it, and so do we. Isn't that enough?"

"And what about the fact that I'm a sorceress?" Talya finally said quietly.

He shook his head again. "There was no containing that. Everyone's seen what Bjorn and his sorcerers can do, not to mention he's literally frozen in a block of ice now. People already know that sorcery still exists in our generation." He exhaled. "It's going to be a hell of a change to everything we know."

"It is," The door shut quietly at the end of the room and Peggy walked towards them. "With the news of sorcery existing going public, ERI8 is going to have their hands full. We might even end up having to go public too." She sat down in the seat beside Val. "Sorry I'm late. I had to endure an online dressing down from my superior back at ERI8 for stealing a government jet and crashing it twice."

Talya sighed, looking at Val. "I suppose you're right. If they know about Elsa, it's going to change everything the world knows about history. About the Empire. The League of Sorcerers. Everything."

"I'm sorry." Val apologised a second time. "But it was for the best."

"It just feels unfair." Talya bit her lip, loosening her grip on the fork. "Unfair that I'm hailed as the new Warrior Queen and no one even knows that Elsa was ever here. After all the work we did to find her, she deserved better."

"We know she was here," Peggy said. "And that's all that matters. Something tells me she wouldn't be too happy about going public."

"Speaking of which, what happened to Elsa?" Val finally asked. "We never did see her after she defeated Bjorn on the bridge."

"Is she gone?" Peggy added anxiously. "I did want to thank her for saving us."

Val nodded. "So did I."

"She's back on Ahtohallan." Talya disclosed, glancing at the walls to make sure no one else was around. "She told me before she left. She didn't want to stick around any longer than she needed to." She lowered her voice. "Elsa also said something about sensing that the end was near for her."

Val's heart sank. So it was true. Elsa's immortality was about to come to an end and she would no longer exist. But there was one last thing they could do. He cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. "Then…then I think we should go see her one last time."