Chapter 22: Growing Anxieties
Queen Elsa slowly picked at her breakfast as she flipped through the morning edition of the Arendelle Chronicle. Her food had long gone cold by now, but she couldn't bring herself to truly abandon what was left on her plate and begin her day.
Today was not going to be an easy one, and she was dreading the schedule ever since Kai brought it up earlier that week. The Yule Bell and subsequent activities needed to be arranged, and the big day was fast approaching. Kicking off the holiday season for Arendelle was something that Anna always enjoyed putting together. It seemed wrong to have to take over for her sister in her absence. But then, it also seemed wrong to even hold the festivities without her in the first place. The only reason it hadn't been canceled was because Elsa knew deep down that Anna would want the merriment to continue anyway- it was about the people of Arendelle, especially the children. Daily life still had to continue, regardless of if she were home or abroad.
Ever since the reopening of the castle gates, the royal sisters felt it important that the people of Arendelle were kept up-to-speed with what was going on both home and abroad. There were no more secrets being kept away within castle walls. If diplomacy crumbled between Arendelle and another kingdom, it was broadcast in the Chronicle. Elsa felt her people had a right to know why there could potentially be changes in everyday life, be it price differences on imports, or just a lack of product from broken trade.
The situation in Rheland was no different. It took an extra day after the Westergaard men came to see Elsa for the news to break that Princess Anna would not be returning home anytime soon, but the delay was merely a result of Elsa's courtiers being very particular on the official statement's wording. The private talks of security between the two monarchs were kept out of the papers at King Frederick's insistence, but the general broadcast that the princess was unable to leave Rheland due to political invasion was made public.
After one final forced bite of toast, she pushed her plate away and turned to the last page of the newspaper. Usually, the back page was taken up with ads-typically from Mr. Oaken- but today clever slogans to sell new lucky charms or healing balms were replaced with a rather lengthy editorial about the current political atmosphere in the realm, and the rather striking title immediately got her attention. Elsa leaned forward in her seat as she read further down the page. It was not an easy piece to read, and an unsettling feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach about halfway down, when the focus of the piece seemed to shift from Princess Anna's extended absence to Elsa's own role and capabilities as queen.
The rather blunt wording came as quite a shock. Her lips parted, and she became so engrossed in reading and rereading the piece that it didn't even faze her how the temperature in the room began to drop and frost grow on the wooden arms of her chair. It wasn't until a few flurries formed over her head and fluttered down to melt on the page that she snapped out of her trance and dropped the paper down onto the table surface.
The people don't really feel this way… do they? After all of this time, am I truly someone that they still fear? She wondered, then immediately shook her head to push the thought from her mind. Still, she snatched up the paper as she quickly stood and swept out of the dining room towards her study.
"Good morning, Your Majesty," Kai greeted her with a bow and a slight smile as she sat down behind her desk. He had been waiting for her to arrive so they could begin the day's schedule. When he saw her with the post clenched in her fist, he cleared his throat and stood at attention. "Ah. I see you've read the morning news…"
"...Yes." Elsa sighed. "Especially that damning article tucked away behind everything else. I'm sure you've seen it; the one titled 'No Queen or Snow Queen'."
"I have…"
Elsa didn't give him much chance to continue. She yanked the paper open to the correct page and let her eyes quickly scan the article until she found the passage she was looking for, "'...one wonders if the stress and loneliness brought on by Princess Anna's extended absence will bring about the specific nature of the Queen from the days of locked gates and extreme isolation. Who could ever forget the last time our Queen had to perform under extreme duress? One mishap plagued our kingdom for days of potentially endless winter. Arendelle has not been in an aggressive conflict in decades, and it's worrisome how this potential threat will take its toll on our leader and her unstable magic'- I can't believe this, Kai. The Coronation debacle was three years ago! This author makes it seem as if I'm still as unpredictable and insecure about my powers as I was the day the gates reopened!" With a loud sigh, she continued to read further down the page, "'What will become of the kingdom should the princess never return? What will we do if war reaches our fjords? Does our Queen have what it takes to stand up and fight? Or will she make a second flight to the North Mountain and curse the rest of us to suffer like before?'
Kai cleared his throat and adjusted his cravat as Elsa slammed the newspaper down on the desk surface. "Well…" he started, unsure exactly what to say, "that's certainly one take on the current events."
"But… is this really how the people view me?" Elsa asked. She hunched over slightly in her chair and hugged her arms to her chest "I'm not the same woman I was three years ago. Surely, they know that- who wrote this, anyway?" She peered once more at the top of the article. "Anonymous…" she frowned, "I don't suppose there's a way to uncover the true identity of the author?"
"...We could… however it could infringe on the good relations we have with our press. They have always had their freedoms for publishing. And this is merely one man's opinion, after all."
"One man's opinion that has now been broadcast all over the city."
Kai took a step forward, "even if it seems rather jaded, his views do have some merit. The current predicament with Princess Anna does raise some questions. War is a precarious business, Your Majesty. We all can hope things will not escalate that far, but we do need to be prepared if and when they do. Not even your father had to deal with any such crisis during his reign. All our people know are times of peace."
"With the exception of the coronation crisis." Elsa groaned and braced her head with her hands. "I don't wish to spend my entire reign with that one shadow being cast behind me."
"And you won't, Ma'am. The people of Arendelle are more prosperous now than they have been in years. They don't doubt your leadership. You can't let one small thing rattle you."
Kai is right… Elsa sighed; one person's opinion shouldn't matter in the long run. I can't let it get to me. I just need to stay focused. Her mouth twisted into a frown as she averted her eyes to the window. This would be so much easier if Anna were here by my side. She always had a way of making me feel better. She always knew just what to say. I miss her strength.
"Perhaps planning the Yule festivities will get my mind off things." Elsa eventually said and lowered her arms back down to rest on the desk surface. "With Anna away and Kristoff and Sven up in the mountains, there's plenty more to do and less people and time to get it done. What's first on our agenda?"
Kai took a seat on the other side of the desk to go over the day's events, and before too long, the pair were out of the castle and crossing the bridge to meet with the appropriate people in town.
Elsa couldn't help but smile at a small group of children playing with Olaf near one of the lamp posts in the village square. At least he was doing his best to keep his spirits high. King Frederick's news of Anna nearly crushed his spirit, but he still found ways to find brighter sides to things- even in circumstances where there didn't seem to be any. She and Olaf spent more time together in the last two weeks than she did in probably the last two months, and when they weren't together, she would often find Olaf spending time laying around Anna's bedroom floor either with a stack of books nearby, or a pad of parchment and a pen.
"I'll make a daily warm hugs log!" he had explained to her one day, "so when Anna reads it, she won't miss out on any bit of fun!"
As Elsa and Kai left the butcher's storefront, they passed by the town bulletin where a group of men had gathered. The largest notice posted was one she was most uncomfortable putting up- a call for volunteers for the kingdom's armed forces. There were far more sign-ups at the initial posting than she expected, which gave her the minimalist of comforts. The last thing she would ever want would be to issue a mandatory draft of eligible men to fight if the time came. It seemed the post still gathered some interest. Hopefully in a pinch, she would have enough able bodies to defend Arendelle.
On their way to the florist, Elsa's mind started to race. Her thoughts went right back to the conversations she had with King Frederick and Prince Astor. She could only assume that in the Southern Isles, there has not been any official word from Rheland, either. It wouldn't surprise her if the Southern Isles were the ones to declare an official confrontation with Viktor Beker first. With how increasingly desperate he was in getting Queen Charlotte returned, Elsa imagined the act would come sooner rather than later. She promised support to her ally when that time came, but there was only so much she could do to prepare ahead of time. But how much could one properly prepare for war?
They passed a larger group of people huddled near each other, all reading the morning edition of the Chronicle. Elsa's heart sank. Kai was right that she shouldn't let it bother her, but she couldn't help but be concerned. What if that one man's opinion was more widespread than she imagined? Just how many people read that editorial and resonated with what was said? More than anything, she wanted to believe this was just going to be an isolated story and nothing else would come of it. But what bothered her most was that this mysterious person seemed to understand her predicament so eerily well. While it was true that she was in a lot more control of her powers compared to what happened three years ago, there were still moments when magic oozed out of her fingertips without warning- usually in moments of pure shock or surprise. But then this morning, she still managed to cause a light flurry in the dining room. The fact that her magic was tied to her emotions never changed, and she still never perfectly mastered a true way to keep everything suppressed until she genuinely wanted to use them.
To make matters worse, the strength of her magic had grown exponentially over the years. Olaf no longer needed a constant flurry over his head to maintain him during the warmer months. That was a major perk on that front, but it also gave her pause. What would happen if she somehow unleashed another snowstorm? How far beyond Arendelle would it extend? Or how cold would the temperatures plummet compared to the previous one? Or worse… how easy would it be to accidentally set one off again? Fear and anxiety over her magic caused the first storm, and she was certainly feeling those emotions in full force lately. Without Anna and her reassurance, without knowledge of what was happening throughout the realm, she worried about her ability to control herself.
Wartime was something completely unpredictable. There could be peace one day and warships entering her fjords on the next. Everyone would expect her simply to use her magic to defend Arendelle and her allies… but that would come at a cost. Olaf's continuous life force -and her other creations residing on the North Mountain- required little to no energy but fighting in a battle was another matter entirely. Heavy prolonged use would be a strain, and there would be no telling how long she could maintain the magic before her own body weakened. What would happen then? And what could she even do? She swore never to use her powers to attack others. The way she treated Duke Spencer's two henchmen in her ice palace still gave her nightmares. So, if she couldn't, or wouldn't attack another, then what actions could she take to protect her people? Her allies?
There were too many questions and not enough answers.
Princes Viktor and Georg shuffled anxiously at the docks as they awaited their brothers to disembark. Frederick and Astor's ship arrived at port after nearly two weeks at sea. While it was nice not having the eldest brother brooding through the halls all day and night, his absence brought on a wave of disorderly conduct among the younger brothers that was tiresome to deal with after a while.
The twins briefly glanced behind them as the gathered crowds suddenly started to cheer and wave enthusiastically at Frederick's emergence from the ship. The citizens were too far away to see the stressed expression on their king's face or the fact that when he paused mid-descent to briefly wave back that the entire gesture was forced. Viktor couldn't help but sigh. His brother's mood was no real surprise. At least when Astor appeared and made his way down, he was a bit more animated. The crowd seemed pleased. That was enough.
After a quick bow to Frederick as he walked past, all four brothers piled into the waiting carriage to make a swift return to the castle. Everyone was grateful that the ride was short. The tension level in the cabin was stiffening. Viktor and Georg would occasionally exchange glances with Astor and each other, but not with Frederick. The eldest kept his eyes down to his lap throughout the entire ride. He never said a word.
Once the carriage came to a stop, Frederick bolted. The footman barely had time to wrestle the door open and manage a bow before the king jumped out and sped into the castle without looking back.
"Well…" Georg sighed as he stepped down and joined his other two brothers at the stone steps. "I guess we won't be getting anything from Freddy today."
Astor shook his head. "No one will be. He's going to bed."
Viktor blinked and pulled out his pocket-watch to check the time. "It's the middle of the afternoon."
"He's barely slept throughout the entire trip," Astor explained, "he needs the break."
"I doubt he'll get any rest now," Viktor sighed and started up the steps into the castle. "I wish I could say there was a surprise waiting for him in his bedchamber, but that would be setting him up for disappointment. Charlotte's still not home." The brothers slipped into the nearest sitting room and closed the door behind them. Georg was the first to find a comfortable spot on one end of a sofa. Astor claimed one armchair across the way while Viktor preferred to remain standing and propped himself up beside the mantle of the fireplace.
"I figured as much." Astor said sadly, "it would be both too much to ask, and too good to be true if she managed to arrive during our travel." He slumped back in his seat and rubbed his forehead, "I suggested that he sleep in his old bedroom. There would be less reminders of her there, and hopefully get some peace and quiet."
"Do you really think that'll work?" Georg asked.
Astor shrugged his shoulders, "I have no idea, but at this point, I'm desperate for him to try anything. I think we all are at this point."
The twins exchanged glances, "So… how was the trip?" The elder of the two asked, "I mean, besides depressing?"
"Insightful. We went to Arendelle first, to see Queen Elsa. By the time we got there, Princess Anna had only been missing for just over a day or two. The queen and her entourage were only beginning to show signs of concern until we broke the news." Astor shook his head slowly, "I think we left her with more problems than she knew what to do with, but it was necessary. I just hope Queen Elsa can cope with this new stress upon her shoulders."
Georg leaned against the arm of the sofa, "She's got all of that magic, though. Surely it would be the easiest for her to take a confrontation to Beker directly. That's a huge advantage!"
"Except Arendelle hasn't dealt with any major conflict in decades, and certainly not one on a grand scale like this. Her kingdom is smaller, and her militia is practically non-existent. Not even her magic could really make up for all of that."
"But I bet it would help…" Georg replied and stroked his cheek thoughtfully.
"She didn't seem too keen on relying on her powers to solve the problem," Astor replied, "Queen Elsa claimed to be in control of them, but she didn't seem too confident about it. Clearly her outburst during the coronation still haunted her to some degree. And who could blame her? No one likes the idea of conflict with or without magic at their disposal. Engaging in what could easily become war could be quite nerve wracking- especially for someone who has to work hard to keep their emotions in check."
Viktor drummed his fingers along the mantle's edge. "Did she at least seem open to the idea of helping in some way should the need arise?"
"Oh yes." Astor nodded, "After all, her sister shares the same predicament as Charlotte and Hans. She would just prefer there to be as little confrontation and loss as possible. I can understand her reasons- she comes from a rather peaceful background."
"What about King Argus?" Viktor asked.
Georg snorted, "He's probably signing a declaration of war right now."
Astor frowned and scratched his cheek, "he...well… he took the news about just as well as Frederick did."
"Yikes…" The twins mumbled in unison.
"Charlotte is his only daughter, and apparently the favorite of his children. Frederick at least had the benefit of not being the direct recipient of the king's rage, unlike what happened here with the sea captain. But despite the man's temper, I think he made some decent company for Frederick. They spent quite a deal of time going over their options."
"What would those be?"
"Hey, I'm not privy to everything…" Astor sighed, "And I'm sure there are things that Frederick wants to keep tight-lipped right now. The point of the visit was to share information, not rush into anything drastic… as much as Frederick may want to. It's a delicate situation. All I know for certain is that I'll be busy in the coming days trying to reorganize our trade routes to avoid the southern region while the threat continues." He shook his head and glanced between both brothers. "What about here? Has there been any word from Rheland… or anywhere else on the continent about the crisis?"
"Unfortunately, no." Viktor replied, "Nothing direct from Beker or from any other kingdom south of us. Everything has been eerily quiet."
Astor tilted his head to one side, "Strange. I would have pegged someone to break silence by now. Are you telling me that the entire time we were gone, there wasn't a single thing that's happened?"
Georg shook his head, I wouldn't say that… just nothing abroad."
Viktor cleared his throat, "A few guardsman positions were filled, and Georg and I were doing our best to keep up appearances in the city."
"There was a children's performance at Asper Hall," Georg butted in, "it was a nice break from stress, but Charlotte's absence didn't go unnoticed there. It's been over a month since she left. People were really starting to ask questions."
Astor immediately straightened up in his seat. "I hope you didn't say anything."
Georg shook his head, "Well, no, but there were some that caught sight of her ship when it came back in pieces. There's only so much that Vik' and I can tell them without blatantly lying. We placated them and their curiosities for now, but eventually the people will have to learn the truth, whether we tell them, or they find out from the newspapers."
"That would have to be Frederick's call to make," Astor said, "it would be a lot easier to make a statement if we had more to tell them. Sooner rather than later would be ideal so the citizens don't really think we've been withholding too much. It's a very—"
Suddenly the doors to the sitting room burst open and a footman stood in the entranceway. He was clearly out of breath as he leaned onto one of the doors. Viktor pushed off of the wall to see where the disturbance came from.
"Uh… are you alright?" Georg asked.
"Your Highnesses…" the man straightened himself up and readjusted his uniform the best he could. "The King demands your presence in his study-"
"His study?" Viktor turned to stare at Astor, "You said he was going to bed!"
Astor held up his hands defensively, "That's what I told him to do!"
"Since when has Freddy been known to listen to you?" Viktor shot back.
Georg stood up and gave his waistcoat a light tug. "Since when does Freddy listen to anyone?"
"Touché."
"Your Highnesses, please…" the footman said, "His Majesty was rather insistent."
"Yeah, with him, everything is urgent." Georg sighed. One by one, the princes filed out of the sitting room. They walked at a brisk pace, but not to the level of mad urgency that the footman probably would have wanted. Luckily for the three of them, the servant didn't lead them along. Instead, he ducked down to the servant's halls at the first opportunity. The twins exchanged glances at the sight of the young man breaking off from them. Whatever Frederick had to say, the servant didn't want to be there to witness it. He was probably traumatized by the king once today.
When the men walked into Frederick's study, they found him standing behind his desk engaged in what appeared to be a scrutinizing inspection of the contents in his desk drawers. The men stood a few feet away from the desk watching and waiting for their elder brother to address them. Georg didn't even hide the sigh that escaped his lips. For being so urgently summoned, Frederick seemed to be taking his time in greeting them.
"...you rang?" Viktor finally broke the silence and crossed his arms over his chest.
Frederick spared a split-second glance-up at his brothers before slamming the bottom drawer closed. "It's about time—"
"Fred…" Astor sighed with clear disappointment in his voice, "you were supposed to go get some sleep. Why are you in here?"
"Spare me the lecture. I only stopped in here to jot down some thoughts before going upstairs— and thank God I did. Look around!" His arm splayed out and gestured about the room." We have a serious problem."
Astor frowned and glanced about the room to humor his brother. "...what exactly am I looking for?"
Frederick braced his arms down on the desk and glared at his siblings. "Someone has been through this room. Things seem out of place."
Viktor took a careful look at the desk. Stacks of parchment that were on one side for the longest time were still there. The other half looked relatively empty and tidy except for inkwell, pen set, and empty decanter. A scan of the rest of the study didn't seem like anything was truly out of its proper place. "Are you sure?" He asked, "everything looks the same to me. Actually, it looks better. With the way you were leaving everything in such a mess, you're probably getting mad at the maids for coming in and cleaning. Heaven forbid a book shifted a few inches to the side. C'mon! Stop whining and go to bed. At this rate, you're probably so sleep deprived that you're seeing things that aren't there!"
Frederick narrowed his eyes, "I am not delusional. This is my study. I know how this place looked when I left. I'm telling you, even the items in my desk were moved."
Georg leaned in to whisper to Viktor, "with him slamming the drawers, it'd be a miracle if anything was where it belonged…." Viktor subtly nodded in agreement.
"Fred… you've been gone almost two weeks," Astor sighed, "Are you certain?"
"Yes, I'm sure!" He turned to Viktor and Georg. "Who had access to this room while I was away?"
Georg shrugged, "I don't know? Footmen? Maids? Whomever would normally have a reason to come in here while you were out? We didn't exactly think to police your door all day and night—"
"— well, that's what's going to happen from here on out," Frederick snapped back. "We're amidst a dangerous situation and what goes on in this chamber is need-to-know. I won't have confidential information leaking out for anyone who happens to be walking by or dilly-dallying to overhear. We all know how bad gossip spreads through this place even in the best of times." He stepped out from around the desk to a long rope cord hanging on the wall near the fireplace and gave it a swift tug.
"C'mon, Freddy," Georg offered, "Do you really think someone was actually snooping through your desk? I bet stuff just got jostled while the servants were performing their duties. Everyone here has been in the family service for years. No one would dream of sticking their nose where it didn't belong. I mean, c'mon… they're probably all afraid of you and your temper. That alone is enough reason to—"
There was a rapid knock at the open-door frame and Josiah, Frederick's valet, stood at attention. "You rang for me, Your Majesty?"
Frederick straightened up and crossed his arms over his chest. "Inform the guards that I want a man posted outside this chamber at all times. No exceptions."
Josiah's eyes widened as he nodded fervently. "Y-yes, Your Majesty."
"No one is to be in here without my permission. If the maids want to clean, either I or another member of the family has to be present."
"But Sir—" Josiah cleared his throat, "wouldn't that be too much of a distraction? Or even an inconvenience on you and the princes?"
"Until this conflict is over, and the Queen safely returned to us, sacrifices and inconveniences will have to be made. And if anyone is caught in here without permission, the punishment will be severe. Is that understood?"
The man nodded, "V-very well, Your Majesty." He quickly bowed and left the room.
"Freddy…" Georg sighed, "Is that really necessary? I think you're overreacting."
Frederick leveled each of his siblings a harsh gaze. "I'm not taking any chances! Not with Charlotte's life on the line. If something foul really is going on around here, I want it stopped right here, right now." Without another word, Frederick stormed out of the study.
Viktor raised his brows and glanced to his brothers. "Well then…."
Georg crossed his arms over his chest, "that went as well as expected." He turned to Astor. "Do you think he's crazy too?"
Astor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know. Since Charlotte left, Frederick has essentially been living out of this chamber. He would know best if things truly were shifted about, and not just from a maid's duster or polishing cloth." His eyes rescanned the room and landed on the desk. He moved towards it and stood right behind the chair and looked around from that perspective. "If someone was in here for an ulterior purpose… they must have been looking for something."
"…like what?"
"I'm not sure." Astor sighed and glanced at the parchment stack, "Notes perhaps? Unfinished letters? Domestic affairs…"
"What good would they do to the servants? They can get all that information just by moving throughout the castle." Georg asked.
"Unless…" Viktor grimaced at the idea that suddenly came to mind, "…it wasn't a servant."
Georg's eyes went wide as he stared at his brothers. "You mean… a spy?"
Astor nodded slowly and thoughtfully. "Perhaps." He leaned onto the back of Frederick's ornate chair and narrowed his eyes. "Until we can prove that Frederick is just paranoid, we have to consider that possibility. Keep your eyes open everywhere for anything suspicious. But keep this between us for now. Our younger brothers can't all be trusted with secrets, and if there really is something foul going on, we need to force it out in the open, not tip them off."
"If there really is a… a spy…" Georg had trouble spitting it out. It was a prospect that he didn't wish to think about, "it could be anyone."
"Then we'll have to be extra careful. Once Frederick is rested, we'll formulate an official statement about Charlotte and Hans. In the meantime, consider the castle on a lockdown until everything becomes clearer."