A/N: It took me a while, ran into some writer's block, but I finally finished this chapter. Let me know what you think. As always I do not own FROZEN or it's characters, they are property of Disney Animation.
Chapter 7: Judgement
" I implore that you do not do this." Her Aunt beseeched as Elsa came to the entrance to the dungeon. It had been two weeks since Elsa had been shot and 11 days since she gave birth to her silent daughter. Her physical strength just barely recovered but was fortified enough for the journey to the deepest depths of the castle.
"I understand you're concern, Aunt, but I must do this." Elsa nodded at one of her guards who had been assigned to stand watch with the Coronian's guards. He opened the larger oak door and Elsa passed through her aunt on her heels. The rest of the family was preparing for the assassin's trial later that afternoon or taking a nap before it. Elsa could not nap and as the victim, no survivor, she was not permitted to be part of the preparations. Aunt Arianna had just happened to open the door to the kitchen when Elsa passed by.
"Nothing good can come of this, of putting yourself through this strain, " the Queen of Corona took Elsa by the arm, Elsa flinched at the touch, she'd been doing that a lot lately, at least this time there wasn't a burst of flurries that accompanied it. Elsa eternally sighed, it was like she'd regressed four and half years in not only her control of her powers but her tolerance for physical touch. She gently pulled from her Aunt, there was hurt there, Elsa could see it, but she didn't have the emotional capacity at the moment to dwell on it. "Please, Elsa, you've only just recovered enough to be out of bed for a whole day. We can't…." her Aunt blinked away a tear, "If you were hurt again or your health regressed, we'd be devastated."
Elsa closed her eyes, she could feel her powers swirling beneath her skin, she tried to center herself, find her magic's heart, and settle it, but it was too hard, her feelings and her magic were a torrent that she could not keep a firm grip on. She understood her family's worries; it's why she'd tried to come here alone, they'd never understand why she needed to do this.
"Aunt, please, I, I have to do this, or I won't ever be able to completely heal. You are welcome to accompany me, but if you can't support me, please go." Elsa knew full well, even though she was family, that she was a guest in Corona and her Aunt was fully within her rights to forbid Elsa from entering the dungeon any further, Elsa just hoped she wouldn't.
There was a pregnant pause and finally, her Aunt nodded, "Five minutes." Elsa smiled her thanks and continued on her way.
Elsa was surprised, though she probably shouldn't have been, to find her would-be assassin still within the oubliette. A piece, a minuscule part, felt for the man, to reside in an oubliette for so long was likely to be pure hell.
"Bring him up." She ordered the second pair of Arendellian and Coronian guards. The Coronian guard looked at his queen, Arianna nodded.
Five minutes later the assassin was pulled from his narrow prison, his legs gave in and he crumbled like a lame homeless man before Elsa. He was weak from two weeks of containment; as he looked up at her, Elsa could see his mind was strong and his convictions intact.
"So you live, Winter Sorceress." He spat the name at her with unadulterated hate.
Elsa didn't flinch, her well-practiced frosty indifferent mask firmly in place. "Very." Elsa made a swiping and swirling gesture with her good left hand, her right was still in a sling, keeping her collar bone stable. An ice chair appeared underneath the man lifting him, then ice chains and cuffs attached to his ankles securing him in place. It was as the ice touched his rough raw skin that his professional facade broke for an instant and Elsa saw fear consume him.
"You fear me; but I know not why, I have never harmed you or your kin, nor any person on purpose. I have displayed no malintent to a single human. Yet you, a professional who's spent his life killing for money, destroying lives, leaving widows and orphans in your wake, crumble at the mere presence of my powers." Elsa stepped forward, another swiping gesture, and his arms were chained to his sides; she reached down her left index finger going beneath his chin and forcing his head up so his eyes would meet hers. They were black and emotionless. "Was it your misguided fear alone that led you to try and kill me or did someone see what I see in you, the desire to do away with what you don't know and won't try to comprehend, and used you as their weapon?"
Elsa intentionally dropped the temperature in the room; all those in the dungeon's breath became visible save hers. "Did you do this alone or are there others?"
He held her gaze and then Elsa saw it the instant he tried, the spit he aimed for her face fell instantaneously in small beads of ice at her feet, "Many; you and your progeny will fall and the peoples of Scandinavia will be free of your black shadow."
Elsa did not respond to his vitriol at first, she simply withdrew her hand and rose back to full stature. Her heart pounded at his words but she did not let her mask crack. She simply nodded, and turned to the guards, "Place him in a cell up here, this man's fearfulness is restricting enough, let him feel space about him to move, for his mind is shackled and he is incapable of unencumbered thoughts. When his day has come the chains of his terror and intolerance will drag him into the Seventh Level of Hell for all eternity." With that, she turned her hand raising quickly and the ice chair and chains disappeared, the assassin crumbling back to the ground.
Arianna said nothing on the walk back to Elsa's room, for that Elsa was grateful, her mind whirled with what she had seen and been told. The dread of the unknown began to grip her soul. If the prisoner was telling the truth, then this ordeal was hardly over. The gentle hand of her Aunt caused Elsa to jump, this time there was no stopping the small gush of ice and snow that shot from her hands, she backed away from her aunt quickly, "Elsa," Arianna called out reaching for her again; Elsa shook her head and wrapped her arms around her stomach. Arianna paused, the concern pulling at her face caused Elsa to look away. "He was trying to scare you."
"We don't know that." Elsa replied, "We can't know that; he won't speak, he will likely die before telling us anything."
"Your Uncle won't allow that," Arianna stated simply, though her words held much weight.
Elsa shook her head, "I won't allow him to break his own laws on my account. We must not lose who we are or dismiss our morals because of what he has done and who may or may not have hired him." Elsa leaned against the wall behind her, her head and heart warring with one another. "Your right, Aunt, he was trying to scare me, whether his words are true or not, I, I pity him and all like him who fear me not because of what I have done, but because they do not understand me or my powers. There will always be people out there who think I am an abomination, a monster, a demon sent from Satan himself."
Elsa leaned her head back pausing in thought, examining internally all she was and who she wanted to be. She was a queen by birth, orphan by tragedy, a wife due to circumstance and duty, and bereft mother due to terrorism; none were by her own true choice. Though Elsa enjoyed Pieter's company, thanked the Lord every day he'd come as a suitor, she would likely not have found him nor married him if it weren't for the political climate she found herself in. The titles Elsa chose for herself were very few, good sister, skilled equestrian, loyal friend, dedicated ruler, these were the things Elsa chose to be. She felt as if this was a crossing point for her, a junction in her life where she could take one of two paths. She could take the assassin's word to heart; return home and shut the world out of her heart and kingdom again; bending to fear and uncertainty, or she could head his words as a warning a wake-up call that she must be vigilant at all times; but not concede to the fear and instead use it to strengthen her and make her a more capable ruler. The world would analyze her actions and decisions from this near-death experience; they would look for weakness to exploit or signs that she would take vengeance. It was crucial she act swiftly yet proportionate with the crime.
Elsa looked back down at her aunt who had waited patiently for Elsa to gather her thoughts, " I can not let fear be my enemy again. We will discover the truth behind this assassination attempt, we will bring those responsible to justice, but it needs to be the law, Corona's, Arendelle's, even international law if it comes to it."
Arianna nodded her understanding, if Elsa had been paying more intention to her Aunt she would have seen pride emanate from the older woman's eyes. "What will you do next?"
Elsa pushed herself back up from the wall and moved towards her door again, "Nap, I am tired, then I will attend the trial, and if Uncle asks me what I believe the punishment should be, provided the prisoner is found guilty, then I will do my best to give an honest and justice recommendation." With that Elsa waved goodbye and slipped back into her room; she was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
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Elsa sat beside Anna in the courtroom staring at her would-be assassin. The trial had been short; two days in total. Frederic petitioned the courts to grant a Crown's Trial, a seldom-used right of the sovereign, which consisted of an expedited trial process and included a jury consisting of the sovereign, two members of the peerage, two members of the gentry, and two members of the peasantry. A verdict of guilt is passed with a 5 to 7 vote rather than an unanimous verdict required in traditional cases with a jury of 12 peers. The Crown's Trial could only be invoked in capital cases against the Crown, such as espionage, murder, and treason.
Frederic stoically stood before the court; his eyes glaring at the man who'd tried to kill his niece. " Charles Bissett;" a name was all that the assassin's court-appointed lawyer could get out of the man, "you've been charged with unlawful use of a deadly weapon, attempted murder, attempted regicide, and treason. Today on this date of the twenty-second of April 1844 this court hereby finds you guilty of all charges." There were no cheers within the courtroom.
"As sovereign monarch of Corona and due to the severity of your crimes it is within my rights to sentence you to death; however," Frederic looked up at Elsa, she nodded her head slightly, "I have been advised that the most merciful yet just punishment is not death; therefore Charles Bissett you are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment; a term of. You shall not be eligible for parole, nor a commitment of your sentence." Frederic indicated to the guards who took Charles quickly and lead him out of the courtroom, he was head to the Flussgefängnis, the new Coronian prison on an island in the middle of the river.
"Wait what? Life in prison." Anna yelled from next to Elsa, Anna turned staring at Elsa with indignation on her face. "Why are you not upset about this, our Uncle just sent your assassin to life in prison instead of executing him."
Elsa sighed, she was not surprised by Anna's reaction, her sister was the best of the two of them, caring, kind, compassionate, forgiving, yet when it came to someone hurting Elsa, all of those qualities went by the wayside, Anna only thought of avenging or protection Elsa.
"I'm not surprised because I told him to pass down that sentence."
"What!" Anna yelled even louder, it was a good thing that everyone but the royal family had left the courtroom. Pieter came up by Elsa's side at the same time as Rapunzel and Eugene. "What's all the commotion about?" Eugene asked simultaneously with Pieter's "Oh so you told her."
"You knew?" Anna said accusingly at Pieter.
"Knew what?" Rapunzel asked as she tried to get between Elsa and Anna. Elsa reached out and touched Anna's arm gently.
"Yes, Pieter knew that I requested Charles be sentenced to life in prison." Elsa leaned slightly into her husband, the first contact she'd initiated with him in days; Anna looked so upset and Elsa wasn't sure she could deal with a stubborn angry Anna at the moment.
"Why? Elsa, he tried to kill you, you lost the baby." Anna stopped speaking as the last word fell from her lips. Elsa flinched, she felt as if she'd been punched. "Elsa I…" Anna began to apologize, but Elsa held up a hand silencing her sister.
"I'm well aware of his crimes; it, however, doesn't change the fact that I don't believe in capital punishment in any circumstances, it is God alone who decides one's fate. I didn't execute Hans and I will not approve of Charles' either." Elsa was shaking now and small flurries appeared around her hands. "Furthermore, we still do not know if he acted alone or as part of a larger conspiracy, there may come a time when he is ready to talk to us, or a time when we will need the information he has. Years, maybe even months, of solitary confinement may loosen his tongue."
"Solitary confinement?" Rapunzel asked from beside Anna, who hadn't made a peep since mentioning Astrid.
Elsa nodded, "Uncle and I agreed, that it is too risky to place Charles in with the general population at the prison; more likely that he could escape with help from other prisoners. He will spend every Monday thru Saturday in a cell alone, only coming out for two hours to do hard labor alone. On Sundays, he will attend an hour of church and an hour in the exercise yard alone. The remaining twenty-two hours a day he will be confined to a small cell with only a small barred window in the door. He'll never see natural light, the only way he will know the passage of time is by the delivery of his meals and his two hours out of the cell. I believe that monotonous solitary life will be punishment enough." Elsa saw Anna nod her head along with Rapunzel.
" I believe it is time for me to retire," Elsa stated and left without another word or look at her sister. Sometimes Anna could let her mouth rule and it often led to disastrous consequences, this time it left Elsa feeling empty once again. Her bed called to her and she answered it happily.
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Pieter stood on the deck of the Aurora; the coastline of Arendell stretching before him for as long as the eye could see. The entrance to Arenfjord grows more visible with every passing minute. They were two weeks passed due; Elsa's injuries and labor as well as the trial for the assassin putting their timeline back, Pieter was sure Kristoff was pulling his hair out by this point, having to meet with the Privy Council of State multiple times to relay the events that occurred in Corona.
Pieter knew the Privy Council would want to meet with Elsa as soon as they docked in Arendelle; however that would not be happening, Anna had concurred with him that Elsa needed at least a week at home before she resumed her royal duties. They would meet with the council together, Pieter handling questions concerning the Queen and her health, and Anna as heir presumptive would handle matters of state. They would both then brief Elsa on any matters that they deemed demanded her attention. He and Anna, of course, had not read Elsa into their plan yet, normally he would be concerned that his stubborn and duty-bound wife would fight them tooth and nail but he was nearly 100% sure they would not get any resistance. Upon boarding the Aurora Elsa had not set one foot out of their stateroom let alone a toe out of their bed. She slept most of the day only waking when Pieter brought her her meals or when Anna came in to read her a book in the afternoon.
Her despondency was concerning to all who knew her; however, none could blame her for her behavior. None of them knew what it was like to have an assassination attempt made on your life, to be severely wounded, to have a child die within you, and then give birth to that silent child. It was inconceivably soul-crushing.
The sound of boots signaled the arrival of another and Pieter turned to see it was the Captain. "Captain?"
Captain Nielsengave a bow to Pieter before speaking, "We should be docking in Arendelle within the hour, I thought you may want to inform her Majesty." It had not gone unnoticed by the crew of the Aurora that their Queen was not herself. They of course had been informed of the assassination attempt but the Queen's condition nor the stillbirth of the Princess had been released. The castle would release a statement to the country once they had returned home and the Privy Council briefed on all the details. The crew was rather astute and the fact that the Elsa, who on all other previous voyages had been a constant presence on the decks had fueled rumors that the Queen's condition was serious.
"Thank you, Captain, I will. We would also appreciate it if you would order your crew that they are not to speak about the events in Corona or the Queen's condition. The royal family will be issuing a statement in due time."
"Yes, Your Highness. I will speak with them all before they disembark."
"Thank you, your loyal service is appreciated by the family greatly." Pieter then left the deck and moved to the staterooms. She stopped by Anna's room first and informed her of their pending arrival. His sister-in-law and nodded and began getting herself ready. She was anxious to be in Kristoff's arms again.
Pieter entered his and Elsa's room quietly, the widow curtains were drawn closed as was common during this trip, he moved to them and gently opened them a little allowing a stream of sunbeams to illuminate the king bed in the room. The lump in the bed groaned and rolled away. As an early riser in Arendelle, Elsa liked to sleep-in while on vacation.
Pieter moved to the bed and sat on the edge, his hand pulling down the covers to reveal the beautiful woman underneath. Her beauty still took his breath away on a daily basis, though it was her heart that caused him to fall in love with her a little deeper each day. It pained him to see her in such a state; she was barely a reflection of the woman he had married a year ago.
He lovingly pushed her golden bangs from her face, she stirred, "Elsa, love, it is time to awake."
She scrunched her nose at his voice, he caressed her cheek with his thumb. "Elsa we are nearly home."
Her eyelids blinked open and closed a few times before an arctic blue eye looked at him, it took a moment for it to focus, then she turned to look at him with both eyes. "Arendelle?"
"Yes, we should be docked within the hour."
She nodded and shimmied herself up into a sitting position with just one arm, her right collar bone immobilized against her chest. She looked around the room, "Can you get my ladies maids, I need to prepare to meet the Privy Council; they will undoubtedly be waiting for me on the dock"
Pieter shook his head and placed his hand on her good one, "You are going straight to bed and we'll let Dr. Olsen tell us when you are ready to resume duties." Pieter would be speaking to the old doctor about his desire for his wife to receive a week off.
Elsa sighed and fell back, "Pieter I can't. We have already been away much longer than anticipated."
"I am confident Kristoff has had control of everything, and when we return home Anna and I will tag-team your duties. Elsa, you hardly have the energy to be awake for more than a few hours at a time. You need to rest."
"I've rested for two weeks."
"You need more, please;" he implored, "you've been through so much stress physically and mentally, let yourself heal."
She looked away, her eyes finding the window; "We will see what Dr. Olsen has to say."
"Deal. I will fetch your Ladies; you still need to get dressed even if it is only to get to the castle and go to bed again." She relented and laid back down as Pieter got up to go, he laid a kiss on her temple and he was sure that she was asleep again before he left the room.
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Elsa winced as Dr. Olsen probed her right shoulder. His face was tight with concentration, eyes squinted, lips in a straight line.
"The Coronian Royal Physician did a good job closing these rooms, a little irritation around the suture area but a good job. I will remove the stitches now if that is alright with Your Majesty." Elsa just nodded. Once that was done he continued his examination of her abdomen and private. Once he finished he moved back to her side.
"Your Majesty is very lucky, your injuries could have been much worse."
Elsa rolled her eyes; "I am well aware, John." Elsa rarely used the physician's first name, but she was annoyed and tired. "May I return to work?"
Dr. Olsen shook his head, "First, tell me how are you really feeling, and know that I know when you are lying. I have treated you since you were a baby and brought you into this world."
Elsa felt even more irritated; his words were too true for her liking. There was no other, besides maybe Gerda and Kia, who knew Elsa better than Dr. Olsen. He knew her secret from the moment she was born and had been loyal in keeping silent through everything that had happened. He had never treated her as an oddity as many other men of science and medicine may have. She finally looked into his aging grey-blue eyes and saw true concern for her.
"Tired, I am exhausted all the time."
He nodded and took her hands in his; "You've been through much Your Majesty, and it will likely be the physical wounds that heal first. You need to give yourself time. The fatigue is normal, both after birth and after such physical trauma. I am recommended a further week of complete rest. Your collarbone will need an additional two to four weeks to fully heal. In a week's time, you can resume your duties for a half-day at most for an additional week, and then we will reassess to see if you are ready for the physical and mental demands of your duties."
Elsa went to argue but was stopped when he raised his hand; "There are few people who can give a monarch an order, I am one of those few, when I deem you will do more harm than good by disregarding my advice, I am within my right to insist. Do not make me insist, Your Majesty."
Elsa crossed her good arm over her bad one and uncharacteristically pouted, "Fine." She knew he was right; knew that her husband and sister would be overjoyed at the physician's advice; however, Elsa could not sit idle another day. She slept so that she could escape the pain of being awake and alive without her daughter, so she could avoid the question invading her conscience about who had ordered her killed, to pretend that she was not fundamentally broken inside. She needed to work to stay sane, and no one understood that. When Dr. Olsen shut the door, she rolled over and closed her eyes, welcoming the obliviousness of slumber.
