HI Everyone! Again, I apologize for taking so long to update. I've received some tips for my writing and I've been trying to apply them to this chapter. Also, my school workload has gotten out of control and I just found out that I am graduating a semester earlier than I anticipated which may sound exciting (which it is!) but now a lot more thinking-about-the-future-post-college-responsibilities are being thrown onto my plate. Needless to say, I've been really busy. Anyways, as you can guess, the next chapter is up and I hope you all enjoy it! Happy Reading! :)


Previously...

King Richard of the Southern Isles has been shot but he will reportedly survive. However, he requested that all of the Southern Isles' Princes return home to help find the mysterious shooter. Hans' eldest brother and the heir to the Southern Isles throne, Prince Klaus, traveled to Arendelle to escort Hans, and unexpectedly Annaliese, back to the Southern Isles. Elsa and Hans believe that Vortex is behind the failed assassination attempt as a way to separate Hans from his Arendelle family. As Hans and Elsa had an impromptu farewell dance together in the ballroom, Hans tried to bring up the risks of his journey and the possibility that he may not return. However, Elsa refused to listen to him and made Hans promise her that he would not let fear or doubt creep into his mind. Elsa also promised Annaliese that she would watch and care for Henry in exchange for Annaliese watching and taking care of Hans on their journey. As they departed Arendelle, Hans and Annaliese shared a tender moment together which caused Annaliese to question herself and her motives. Meanwhile, night has fallen on Arendelle...

"Are you sure you're going to be okay? I could sleep here tonight if you want-"

"Anna?"

"Yes?"

"I'll be fine. Besides…" Elsa adjusted her sleeping nephew in her arms, "I've got Henry here in case I feel lonely."

"I just don't understand how you can act so calm about all this."

"Worrying is not going to bring them back any sooner." Elsa glanced at the clock, "Speaking of worrying, you told Kristoff that you'd be back at your room by ten and it's already past eleven. You need to go to bed, Anna."

"Ugh. Fine." Anna quickly hugged Elsa goodnight before she headed for the door, "But if you feel any sort of uneasiness throughout the night, you come get me. I don't want you going through this alone."

"I will. I promise." Elsa smiled, "Thanks for being so supportive."

"Well it was either be supportive or complain about something I have no power over so…" Anna shrugged with a laugh, "Goodnight."

Once Anna closed the door, Elsa sat on the bed with Henry cradled in her arms. She leaned back against her pillows and closed her eyes to allow her to think clearly. As she thought about the events of the day, she found it strange that the idea of Annaliese going with Hans actually comforted her. She knew that Annaliese and Hans were close and that she would prove to be a helpful ally in a hostile environment. With the small snoring of Henry in her arms, Elsa began to drift to sleep. But it didn't take long before someone knocked on her door, "Your Majesty? Are you awake?"

Elsa immediately recognized the voice, "Come in, Gerda." As Gerda stepped into the room, Elsa opened her eyes and sat up, "I'm sorry to ask this of you but could you watch Henry for a couple minutes? There's something I need to do."

"Of course." Gerda scooped Henry up into her arms, "Is it anything I can help you with?"

Elsa straightened out her clothes, "Oh no. It's shouldn't take long."

As Elsa headed for the door, Gerda pipped up, "Are you going to meet someone?"

"What?"

"I know it's not my place to say but…" Gerda examined Elsa's clothing, "You haven't changed into your sleepwear. That must mean that you're going to meet someone in a formal setting."

"Yes. You'd be right." Elsa put a tense smile on her face, "A monarch's work is never done." And with that, she left. She briskly walked through the corridors until she reached the front entrance. She cracked the door opened and made sure that no guards were walking by on their route at the moment. Once the coast was clear, she stepped into the courtyard and stayed close to the shadow covered courtyard perimeter as she made her way to the prison. Before she turned the last corner to reach the prison entrance, she knew she had to get the two guards on watch to leave their posts. So with an expert flick of her wrist, she shot a cold wind across the courtyard and managed to knock over some stable equipment. As the guards left their post to check on the commotion, Elsa hurried into the prison. Similar to when she first exited the castle, Elsa waited until there were no guards walking in the direction she needed to go in. Finally, when the moment was right, Elsa snuck further into the prison and hurried down the walkway.

Elsa slowed her steps as she approached Arendelle's only prisoner, "Mister Jagger…" She had to keep her voice down or else a guard would come check on the noise, "Psst…Mister Jagger…" Elsa pursed her lips as he continued sleeping. She glanced around to make sure the coast was still clear before wiggling her fingers as she sent a chilly breeze in his direction, "James…"

"Huh?!" He immediately sat up, "What the-?" He glanced over at Elsa, "Oh. It's you. That explains it." He rubbed his eyes with a yawn, "What can I do for you, Elsa?"

"It's Queen Elsa and I need your help."

He leaned forward with intrigue, "I'm listening…?"


Chapter 7

The stormy winds howled as a cold chill blew through the empty prison halls. A low rumble of thunder could be heard off in the distance as Elsa confidently stood in front of the only occupied cell in the entire prison, "I need you to make something for me."

James curiously cocked his head, "Sure…what do you need?"

"I need you to make me weapons…" She took a step closer and lowered her voice, "Guns to be exact."

"Oh no. This is a joke, right?" He angrily stood up and paced around in his cell, holding the Ice Queen's steely gaze, "You're testing me, aren't you? Seeing if I've changed my ways. Well…" He stopped pacing and stood very close to the cell bars, matching Elsa's stiff stature, "I will not make the weapons. I am done living that life."

"I'm glad to hear that. It makes trusting you that much easier." Elsa smirked at his stunned expression.

"Wait, you're being serious?"

"Discussing weapon manufacturing is not a joking matter, James."

His jaw slightly dropped in surprise, "Oh my-you just said my name. You just called me 'James'."

"Is that not your name?" Elsa shifted her weight to one leg, clearly tired and growing impatient.

"Yeah, but…" He shook his head, "Forget it." He walked back over to the wooden bench in the cell, which also acted as his bed, and sat down, "So…you want to upgrade Arendelle's weapons?"

"Yes. After London, I've realized that Arendelle is severely outgunned. We are still using swords and crossbows while our enemies have been armed with guns and bombs."

"Enemies? I thought Arendelle and Great Britain made an alliance."

"I'm not referring to the Kingdom of Great Britain."

"Oh God, please tell me you aren't still worrying about Vortex?" Elsa remained silent as he analyzed her reaction, "Hold on. What aren't you telling me?"

Elsa pursed her lips in hesitation as she thought about how much she should say, "Someone shot King Richard of the Southern Isles."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Oh wow…is he-"

"He's fine. The gunman missed any vitals. However, the King did send out a request for all his sons to return home in order to help find the culprit."

"And Hans?"

"He left earlier today. His eldest brother came here in order to escort Hans back to the Southern Isles."

James furrowed his brow and nodded his head in understanding, "Okay, I'm following you up to this point. But where does Vortex and you needing weapons come in?"

"Hans and I believe that Vortex is behind the failed assassination attempt as a way to call out Hans and separate him from the rest of us."

"Okay so it sounds like Hans could have used the new weapons but he's already gone so…" James shrugged, "What do you need the weapons for?"

"If this is ploy from Vortex, they'll want to seek revenge on me too."

"Elsa, I'm going to be honest with you. If Vortex is really planning to hurt you, the best way to accomplish that would be for them to kill Hans. They aren't stupid and they know how much he means to you."

"I know. And they also know how much I mean to Hans." Elsa's stare intensified, "We don't know who Vortex will try to seek revenge on, and so until we have more clues, we have to assume that the other is the target. Hans will have the advanced weaponry of the Southern Isles at his fingertips and if they try to kill him, it'll most likely be a small and subtle attack. Not likely to capture a lot of attention. One that Hans could counter easily if he is aware and well-equipped, which he will be. However, if I am the target, they'll have to launch a much larger attack. My military and guards won't let them waltz into the castle and do me any harm. But again we are severely outgunned. That is why I need those weapons. For self-defense."

"Huh…" James methodically rubbed his chin, "So by sending Hans back to the Southern Isles, you're answering their call out with a call out of your own."

"Precisely."

James nodded with a smirk on his face, "I don't know if that's foolish or ingenious."

"Perhaps a little bit of both. But more than anything, it is a risk. One that I want to see play out in our favor." Elsa lifted her chin in a challenging manner, "So? Are you going to help?"

"What would I get in return?"

"Self-respect. Plus you'll feel all warm and fuzzy inside for doing the right thing."

James nonchalantly toyed with his hook hand, "I'll need a lab."

"Your old lab is being restored as we speak."

"And materials?"

"I sent out the request this morning. They should arrive in three days' time. Consequently, that is when your lab will be ready."

"And my notebook? I need my old sketches if this is going to work."

"You mean this one?" Elsa pulled out his old notebook that had every weapon sketch he ever created, "I borrowed it from your lab in London. I hope you don't mind."

James chuckled, "My services are yours, my Queen."

"Good. You will stay here until everything is up and ready to go."

As Elsa turned to leave, James quipped, "And I assume that the council has approved of this?"

Elsa's body tensed up at the mention of her council, "They will."


Dawn was breaking as Annaliese opened the door to her suite and peeked out to see if anyone was out on deck. Just as she suspected, no one was out except for one man, Hans. She carefully smoothed out her form fitting light green dress that never failed to make her look alluring and gently brushed her loosely curled hair away from her face. With light steps, she nonchalantly made her way out onto the deck and toward Hans who was casually leaning against the ship's railing with his elbows resting on it while his face looked toward the sun rising on the horizon. "Good morning." Annaliese smiled as she quietly walked up to him.

"Huh?" Hans shook his head as he snapped out of the trance he was in, "Oh, good morning." He warmly smiled as he turned to face her, completely oblivious to her wardrobe, "Did you sleep alright?"

"Yeah, I guess. Given the circumstances." She shrugged as she rested her hip against the ship's railing, "So you're up early."

"Is that a question or a statement?"

Annaliese laughed as she playfully nudged him, "It's a conversation starter." She stopped laughing when she noticed the tired look on his face. She knew he was worried about leaving everyone back in Arendelle and it was pretty plain to see he had spent most of the night thinking about it. Her flirtatious attitude subsided as she rested her elbows on the railing and looked out at the ocean, "Were you thinking about Elsa?"

"Yeah…" Hans gave her a shy lopsided smile before looking out at the water, "You know it's weird. We've been married for over a year and whenever I'm away from her, I can't stop thinking about her. About the next time I'll see her again. I just crave to hear her voice or feel her hand in mine."

Annaliese genuinely smiled, "It's not weird. It just means you're in love." She glanced at Hans' handsome profile, "Trust me, I've been there before."

"Good morning, fellow travelers." Klaus chuckled as he strode up to them with a yawn, "How did we sleep?"

Hans smirked, "Has anyone ever told you that you snore? And I mean snore."

"Knock it off, Hansey. I don't snore." Klaus wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Well, you could have fooled me." Hans chuckled at the annoyed look on his brother's face and he took that as an invitation to continue, "Now I know why Viktor never wanted to share a room with you when we had to pair up because of numerous visitors at the palace."

"I am the oldest and the heir. Therefore I deserve to have my own room-" Klaus suddenly stopped when he realized what Hans was doing and irritably shook his head in order to display his disapproval. He then fixed his attention to his sister-in-law, clearly taken in by her attractive apparel, "You look lovely today, Annaliese. Is that a new dress?"

"No, but I suppose it's new to you." She delicately laughed as she flirtatiously tossed a lock of hair over her shoulder, "You know I just realized that I never asked how things are back in the Southern Isles? Whatever happened to all of your brothers?"

"Ah, you know it's a funny thing you asked…" He placed his hand on the small of her back as he gently led her away from Hans and toward the direction of her suite, still continuing to talk.

Hans chuckled as he leaned back against the ship's railing and watched Annaliese get to work in gathering information from Klaus, "Oh my dear brother, you've always been a sucker for a pretty face."


It was almost eight in the morning as Elsa was anxiously fixing her appearance in the mirror before meeting with her council. She had just finished slipping on her navy blue dress when she sighed at her reflection, "Gerda? Can I ask you a question?"

Her trusted friend and lady-in-waiting was helping fasten the buttons on the back of her dress, "Of course I'll watch Henry for you."

"Thanks but that wasn't my question." A small smiled formed on Elsa's face as she handed her embarrassed friend her corset.

"Oh! I'm sorry. Please continue."

"Do you remember what you told me about forming my own council?"

"Yes." Gerda started tightening Elsa's corset.

"When do you think would be the best time to do that?"

Gerda stopped what she was doing and looked at Elsa through the mirror, "Whenever you think you are ready. Are you thinking about doing it soon?"

"Perhaps sooner than later." They quieted down when there was a knock at the door. Elsa smiled at the familiar sounding knock, "Come in, Anna."

The door opened a crack before Anna popped her head in, "I am still impressed that you can recognize my knock. I even tried to change the pattern this time."

Elsa laughed as she waved her in, "What can I do for you?"

Anna stepped further into the room and slowly closed the door behind her. She carried a confused look about her as she turned toward her sister and thoughtfully asked, "You can tell me what's going on. You didn't show up to breakfast."

"I had William bring my breakfast to my room." Elsa nonchalantly shrugged as she walked over to her vanity.

As Elsa walked away, Anna noticed the tray of empty dishes sitting on her bed, "Yeah I can see that. But my question is, why?"

"I have an early meeting with the council and I was running short on time." Elsa sat at her vanity and started brushing out her hair, "I ate while I got ready."

"Is that all?" Anna squinted her eyes at her sister's back.

"Yes. You can escort me to the meeting if you don't trust me."

"Nah, I trust you." Anna continued to wander around the room, "Where's Henry?"

"William is feeding him as we speak." Elsa placed her brush down and started twisting her hair into her signature bun.

"You know…" Anna sat on the bed so Elsa could see her in the mirror's reflection, "When you told Annaliese that you'd watch Henry, I'm pretty sure she thought that you would be the one watching him."

"Annaliese is very aware that I am busy running a kingdom which means that I cannot simply drop everything and solely attend to her child." Elsa promptly placed her crown on her head and stared at Anna through the mirror, "Is there anything else you would like to question me on?"

Anna leaned back on her hands and tilted her head, "What's the meeting about?"

"Security."

"Are you finally going to tell them about what happened in London?"

"Maybe." Elsa stood with a sense of authority, "If the occasion calls for it."

Anna excitedly stood, "Do you need me to be there? I can help support your story-"

"That won't be necessary Anna." Elsa smiled at her eager sister as she headed for the door, "But thanks for the help."

"Help?" Anna followed as Elsa left the room, "What did I do?"

"You questioning me is a nice warm up for what the council will certainly do to me." Elsa absentmindedly rung her hands together in a nervous like manner as she took long strides down the hall. She knew what needed to get done and she was fully prepared to do whatever it takes to get her agenda done. She and Hans had a plan. And that plan required new weapons. Elsa slowed her steps as she approached the door that led to the assembly room. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that hearing Anna's voice startled her, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Anna casually leaned against the door, "I said if Hans was here, would he have joined you in your meeting?"

Elsa slightly hesitated, "I-I suppose so." When she saw Anna dejectedly lower her eyes, Elsa hastily added, "I mean, it would make sense to have the man in charge of the Arendelle military to be present at a meeting about Arendelle's security."

"Yeah, I guess so." Anna pushed herself off the door and crossed arms as she now defiantly stood in front of the door, promptly blocking her sister's way, "Elsa, when are you gonna start letting me help you with your duties? I mean, if something should happen to you, I have no knowledge on running this kingdom."

"Anna…" Elsa gently placed her hands on Anna's shoulders, "You make a valid point and you should start sitting in on these meetings-"

"Great!" Anna tried to turn and grab the door handle, but Elsa tightened her grip on her shoulders.

"And you can start once this situation has been settled." Elsa slowly moved Anna out of her way as she continued to talk in a calm voice, "I'm afraid that there are some details that you are not aware of and may not even like or agree with and I need the council to completely trust me." She smiled once Anna seemed to start giving in, "I promise that if all goes well with the meeting, I will tell you and Kristoff everything that is going on." Elsa's eyes flashed around the empty hallway with concern, "Speaking of your husband, where is he? You two are usually inseparable."

Anna rolled her eyes and blew some hair out of her eyes, "We're married. Not joined at the hip."

Elsa laughed as she gently nudged her sister down the hallway, "Go have some fun, Anna. Things may be taking a turn for the serious soon."

That comment seemed strange to Anna and as she opened her mouth to reply she heard the firm click of the door. When she spun around, she found that she was standing alone in the middle of the hall, scratching her head, "What?"


The assembly room instantly quieted as soon as Elsa stepped foot into the room and the strong click of the door sounded. All eyes were on her as she regally strode over to her seat at the head of the long table, keeping her chin up and her eyes fixated on nothing in particular. Everyone respectfully stood as they waited for the Queen of Arendelle to take her seat, the air thick with intrigue as the men all wondered why they had been called in for an impromptu meeting. Normally, the council was responsible for scheduling meetings with the royal family, unless there was an emergency that needed to be addressed immediately.

As Elsa took her rightful place at the table, she took an internal deep breath to calm the nerves before speaking in a clear voice, "Gentlemen, thank you for coming on such short notice. Please take your seats." As they sat down and anxiously fidgeted in their seats, Elsa clasped her hands together and placed them on table as a sign of control of both the meeting and her powers, "I'm sure you have all heard about Prince Hans returning to Southern Isles. Though, the reason behind his trip remained under wraps…until now." She coolly eyed the men seated at the table before continuing, "King Richard of Southern Isles has been shot by an unknown assailant-"

She was interrupted by the councilmen's concerned murmuring, but she wasn't about to let them change the pace of the meeting, "However…" Her confidently raised voice immediately settled down the apprehension in the room, much to her surprise. "I have received news that the assailant missed any vitals and King Richard is making a speedy recovery as we speak. Which brings up the reason for this impromptu meeting…security. Specifically, Arendelle's security."

Elsa took a quick pause to test the waters and see if the council had any immediate objections. But again, to her surprise, the men silently waited for the queen to continue, "About ten months ago, Prince Hans and I travelled to London where we signed an alliance with the Kingdom of Great Britain. Upon making that alliance, we witnessed the power and skill of the men who guard and protect their kingdom. Even more important, we realized how much our men lacked in both respects, power and skill. Since then, I placed Prince Hans, who was a former Admiral in the Southern Isles military, in charge of every aspect of the Arendelle military and we have seen extraordinary improvement in skill. However, it wasn't until this recent incident in the Southern Isles that made me realize that although our men have the skill, they still lack the power. And by power, I mean weapons. And by weapons, I mean guns."

With raised eyebrows, she paused as a sign to let them express their thoughts and concerns. Her palms briefly started to feel icy as the deafening silence in the room stretch for a few seconds, until one of the older councilmen let out a relieved sigh, "Your Majesty, we could not agree more."

It took every muscle in Elsa's tense body to keep her from showing her surprise, so the best she could do was put on a conservative smile, "That is good to hear. But I must inquire for more information about this agreement."

"Queen Elsa…" The older man looked around the table as if to seek affirmation from his colleagues, "We have been discussing the advancement of Arendelle's weapons long before you were born." A kind elderly smile spread across his face, "Your father, may he rest in peace, was very much against the idea of guns and since his reign consisted of no violent acts against Arendelle, we never pressed the issue." He methodically took off his glasses and began speaking in a more careful tone, "However, once you took the throne and news spread of your-um, abilities…let's just say we've been expecting some challengers to rise up and take their shot at Arendelle."

Elsa furrowed her brow in confusion, "I understand what you're saying, but I never said that Arendelle was under attack." Although she knew what was really brewing beneath the surface, she had made sure that she didn't mention anything about Vortex or any threats against Arendelle.

This time another councilman, a slightly younger one at that, cleared his throat and meticulously propped his elbows onto the table, "Your Majesty, when an ally of ours has been attacked, it is safe to say that we will soon be called into action, either in defending our ally or perhaps even defending our own kingdom. With that being said, we believe your proposition of advancing Arendelle's weapons could not have come at a better time."

Elsa let a more genuine smile show as she felt good about the council's approval, "Well, I am glad that we have come to a relatively easy agreement." She felt a wave of relief wash over her when she stood as a sign that the meeting was coming to a close. She wanted it to get through this without having to mention anything about Vortex or Thomas Sullivan or James Jagger.

Just as she opened her mouth to conclude the meeting, another councilman hastily interrupted, "My apologies, Queen Elsa, but it seems that we have a plan without a plan of action. How do you suggest we make this advancement?"

Feeling somewhat defeated, Elsa rested her hands on the table without sitting back down as a way to make herself look bigger and more authoritative, "I have already sent out the request for materials yesterday and the building of a weapons lab is under construction as we speak."

The man understandingly nodded, "That is wonderful but who will we appoint to lead this operation? It is a big undertaking and we want to make sure we have the right man in charge-"

"I have already spoken with a man who agreed to work with us and I assure you, he is the best in the business." Elsa desperately hoped that her stern tone would diffuse any more questions, but unfortunately, it seemed to raise more interest.

"Who is it?" Another councilman questioned as the rest of the council leaned forward in their seats with intrigue.

Elsa's mind raced as she hastily weighed the pros and cons of telling them the truth, but when it came down to it, it was better to tell the unpopular truth than get caught in an ugly lie. Not to mention her unusually long hesitant pause already made her look a little suspicious. "James Jagger…I have recruited Mister Jagger to lead this operation." She desperately fought the urge to show any sort of apprehension by the council's stunned silence. Instead, she slightly raised her chin in a challenging manner and waited for the storm of questions that were sure to come, "Well?"

"Your Majesty…" Another councilman cautiously spoke as he readjusted his posture, "I do not understand why we cannot enlist someone from the Southern Isles? They are a close ally of ours and they have highly advanced weaponry. And ultimately, we can trust them."

Elsa internally cringed at the thought of entrusting Arendelle's military future in the hands of the Southern Isles. But despite her growing uneasiness, she had to convince the council that James was the right choice, "Gentlemen, I understand that the Southern Isles would be the ideal choice. But given the stress the royal family is under and King Richard's request to keep all of his sons near him, we cannot wait and depend on them when we are on a critical timeline."

A couple more seconds of silence passed, until one brave man quietly pipped up, "Queen Elsa? Do you trust Mister Jagger?"

Without any hesitation, Elsa confidently answered, "I trust his work. I experienced it firsthand in London." She coolly eyed every man at the table, "He is the most suitable man for the job, believe me." When she noticed the councilmen questionably eyeing each other, she realized that they were really questioning if they trusted her. "You need to trust me."

The youngest member of the council, who was still 30 years older than Elsa, cleared his throat and slowly stood up from his chair as he locked eyes with the queen, "You came to the decision of advancing Arendelle's weapons without any of our influence. You came up with a plan of action without any of our help. Since the Great Thaw, you have always put the good of Arendelle first above all else." A small smile spread across his bearded face, "I think it's safe to say you have earned our trust and I for one would be interested in seeing your plan be put into action."

"Thank you." Elsa thankfully gave him a single nod before addressing the rest of the group, "Gentlemen? Are we in agreement?" Elsa held her breath as one by one, each councilman stood up and acknowledged their agreement for Elsa's plan. By the time the final acknowledgment was given, Elsa could feel a huge weight being lifted off her shoulders. "Well…" She gave them a small but genuine smile, "It seems that we have come to a unanimous decision. Meeting adjourned." The councilmen bowed as Elsa elegantly strode over to the door and exited the room. It wasn't until she firmly shut the door behind herself, that Elsa realized how much she had been holding her breath. The meeting had gone miraculously smooth and this wasn't even her best case scenario. She let out a well-deserved sigh of relief as a new worry surfaced, "I need to tell Anna."


Thank you for reading and being super patient with me! Please review and I will try to update in a couple weeks! Have a good weekend/week! :)