Hi Everyone! I apologize for my long absence but the past couple months have been very hard and stressful on myself and my family. I could give you a list of misfortunes that have plagued my family but I do not wish to make you guys depressed so you will have to take my word for it. On the bright side, I finally finished the next chapter! I would like to take a moment to thank all of you who kept encouraging me throughout my absence and for making me feel like I could keep going with this story. You are all so amazing and without further ado, here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it and, as always, Happy Reading! :)
Previously...
In Corona, Rapunzel experienced a horrific nightmare about Thomas kidnapping her daughter, Evie, and then killing Rapunzel as revenge for when she saved Elsa back in London. Rapunzel told Eugene and they decided that they needed to send a letter of warning to Arendelle and also discuss what happened in London with Rapunzel's father.
In Arendelle, Elsa had written letters to her family in Corona about what has occurred in both Arendelle and the Southern Isles due to a recent nightmare Anna experienced. Also James Jagger's lab has been completed and he was being escorted to his new weapons lab for the first time. Elsa and Captain Stephen also shared an awkward conversation about Anna accidentally catching them in an out-of-context embrace. They ended up talking through the situation and departing on good and more familiar terms as Captain Stephen insisted that Elsa call him Edward and vice versa when in informal environments.
In the Southern Isles, Hans had a good heart-to-heart talk with his second eldest brother Viktor while visiting Klaus in the infirmary. Viktor confessed he had figured out that Hans was lying about his true feelings for Elsa. However, Viktor later revealed to Hans a similar story about when he had deceived their father 14 years ago in order for him to marry his wife who was only a maid servant at an American embassy. Feeling better about trusting Viktor, Hans confessed to him about Elsa's miscarriage and Viktor was able to comfort him by telling Hans about how he and his wife went through several miscarriages during the first few years of their marriage but now they had three healthy children. "Never give up hope, Hans. It may take a while but if you and Elsa want a family, then you fight for it." Afterwards, Hans finally meets with his father to find out that his father wishes to put Hans in command of running the investigation in finding the assassin.
In London, Thomas Sullivan was visited by his usual visitor. However, Thomas was not very happy to see them and angrily argued as to why he was still locked up. The visitor simply told him that his lack of patience and his rage is the reason why he is still in prison. When Thomas began to question their motives, the visitor revealed that they possess telekinetic powers as they threw Sullivan across his cell. "My mind games are what made me powerful." The visitor contorted their hand as magical red vapors danced between their fingers, "But don't worry about those royals, Thomas. I have someone working on the inside. And with the addition of my abilities, they'll end up tearing each other apart. All you have to do is sit back and watch."
Chapter 12
"Who do we have today?" Hans authoritatively dictated to his brother Simon as they strode down the prison walkway towards their next interrogation.
"Suspect number 156, Joseph Howard." Simon read from the file, "Charged with theft 20 years ago-"
"Is that what we are really doing now?" Hans shook his head with an eye roll as they turned a corner, "Interrogating petty thieves from two decades ago?"
Simon shrugged, "We're scraping the bottom of the barrel, Hans."
"And yet…nothing." Hans tiredly sighed as he ran a weary hand through his hair, "We've been interrogating suspects for over a month and every man has had an iron clad alibi. Not to mention they lack the capability of being an assassin." He opened the wooden door and saw an old man with dark glasses and a walking cane chained to a wooden table. Hans shook his head and immediately shut the door before walking away from the room, "He's blind."
"Yeah, so?" Simon hurried after him.
Hans stopped walking and threw his older brother an irritated look, "What makes you think our assassin is a seventy-year-old blind man? How do you expect him to shoot our father when he can't even see?"
Simon chuckled with a smirk, "Well, in my defense, he did miss Father's vitals."
Hans' body froze in stunned silence, "You think this is funny?!"
"Of course not, but Hans…" Simon lowered his voice so none of the guards patrolling the prison could overhear them, "You've been running us ragged and we are exactly where we started. How are you going to report this to father?"
"The same way as I always do…" Hans casually shrugged as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Stretch the truth."
Simon laughed as they made their way out of the prison, "It's a good thing that you're the golden boy. If anyone else lied about their failures to father, he'd have them locked away by nightfall."
"I'm not the golden boy. I'm just his temporary favorite." Hans looked over at his brother and noticed his demeaning expression, "Don't give me that look, you know I'm right."
"Sure, sure." Simon watched as Hans unrolled his sleeves that he normally rolled up to his elbows when he was working during the hot summer day. But every evening he would unroll them and straighten out his clothing as he prepared to speak to their father about the day's events. It bugged Simon to have his youngest brother in charge and to have to obey his orders like he was his servant, "You know, your confidence and authority is really unbecoming." Simon sneered.
Hans scoffed as he finished unrolling his sleeves, "You're just used to seeing me as a broken man."
"Are you this assertive back in Arendelle?"
Hans nonchalantly shrugged as he fixed the collar of his shirt, "Obviously. Probably even more so."
Simon smirked at the thought of the ice queen submitting to his command, "And Elsa's okay with that?"
Hans opened his mouth to reply but he was cut off by Annaliese who was leisurely walking towards them, "Good evening, Hans. Good evening, Simon."
"Queen Annaliese." Simon respectfully bowed before breaking away from the group as he headed into the castle and towards the dining hall for dinner while Hans and Annaliese continued to stand in the courtyard.
Hans waited until the castle doors closed behind Simon before continuing his conversation with his best friend and current informant, "How did you do in town?"
She tiredly shrugged with a brief shake of her head, "Well, I think I've finally earned the citizens trust again. There's not a lot of chatter about what happened with your father's shooter but there is an interesting development brewing."
Hans paused as a pair of guards walked by, waiting until they were out of earshot before addressing Annaliese, "Please elaborate."
Although the coast was clear, Annaliese lowered her voice a bit just in case, "As you have probably already realized, the mid-summer festival is quickly approaching in a few days. However, I've picked up some extra chatter that the Kingdom of Corona's Festival of Lights is being held on the same day."
"That's some coincidence." Hans shook his head in disbelief.
"Even worse…" Annaliese's brows furrowed together in a worried manner, "There are rumors that there may be some explosive elements at these events."
"Could be fireworks. Could be something even worse." Hans' expression hardened at the thought of another Vortex bombing.
"That's what I'm thinking." She nervously nodded.
He gave her a firm nod before taking a large stride towards the castle doors, "We need to warn Corona-"
"Wait Hans!" She tightly grabbed onto his forearm in order to keep him from walking away, "There's something else…" She nervously glanced around the courtyard before lowering her voice again, "These summer festivals also fall on the same day as Arendelle's Great Thaw Celebration."
Hans' eyes widened in realization, "I need to warn Elsa as well." He tore his arm out of her tight grasp and hurried up the stairs that led to the castle doors. He stormed into the castle and hastily headed for his room, and with Annaliese following close behind, he ordered, "I need you to find the men who started these rumors and bring them to the castle for questioning immediately. Understood?"
She contorted her face in confusion and concern, "Sure but, Hans, I think you've been missing something very important about this investigation."
He abruptly stop walking, "What?!"
Annaliese was caught off guard by his sudden halt and nearly bumped into him, but she quickly regained her composure, "You've only been focusing on half of the population." She furrowed her brows in concern but her eyes showed alarm, "Not all bad guys are men."
The moon rose high above the quiet kingdom of Arendelle as Elsa made her final rounds around the castle grounds before getting ready for bed. Since Hans left a little over a month ago, Elsa had started getting into the habit of walking around the castle in order to inconspicuously observe if anything out of the ordinary was occurring. She was currently on her way to her second to last stop which was James Jagger's laboratory in order to see him being escorted from his lab back to his cell in the prison.
She felt kind of bad that the man who was greatly helping her keep Arendelle safe still had to sleep in the wet, drafty prison on a hard wooden bench. But unfortunately, she could not fully trust him to stay in the castle without around-the-clock guard supervision and she did not want to exhaust her royal guard in case she needed them for a more urgent matter.
However, she had asked some servants to try and make Jagger's cell a little more comfortable by adding more padding and blankets to his wooden bench and giving him a couple sets of pajamas to sleep in, along with a more comfortable wardrobe for him to wear during the day. She also asked the kitchen staff to upgrade his meals to be a bit more civilized in order to reduce the ongoing hostility of being a prisoner.
As Elsa turned the final corner that led to Jagger's lab, she could see two guards standing outside the door who immediately stood at attention as soon as she walked up to the door. She nodded her head in acknowledgment before knocking and slowly opening the door, "Mister Jagger? Night has fallen and it is time for you to be escorted back to your cell." She stepped inside to find a couple more guards in the lab along with Doctor Omsorg who had been assisting James since Jagger only had one hand and he needed Doctor Omsorg's steady hands. Elsa smiled at the group while her eyes curiously scanned the candle lit lab, "Good evening, gentlemen. Where is James?"
"I'm over here, Your Majesty!" James ran towards her with a look of excitement on his face, "Queen Elsa, I've managed to not only reconstruct my weapon designs, but I've managed to enhance the weapons as well. Look here…" He pulled back a lever of some sort that resulted in a barrel shaped item with several large holes to be exposed, "This is the first multi-shot revolving firearm of our time!"
Elsa cautiously observed the complicated and dangerous looking device, "How big of an advantage does that give us over other designs?" She still avoided using the term 'Vortex' around her staff in order to avoid the spread of rumors.
However, James understood who she was referring to and acknowledged her with a confident head nod, "Well considering my previous gun designs only consisted of a single shot, this weapon can easily outshoot those other designs. For every one shot they fire, this baby can fire off about five shots."
A small feeling of relief washed over her, "That is great news…" She glanced back down at the weapon before looking back up at Jagger, "But does it work?"
"I was thinking about testing it when you walked in." He embarrassedly rubbed the back of his neck, "But I assume that it is too late to fire off a weapon of great magnitude and lack of stability?"
A small smirk played across her lips, "Yes, I would not like to frighten my entire staff and family at such a late hour, so this will have to wait until tomorrow. I would also like to be present when you test out this weapon."
"Yes, Your Majesty, of course." He graciously bowed his head as he slid the barrel shaped item back into the weapon and closed it up before gently laying it back down on the counter.
Elsa smiled at everyone in the lab, "Thank you for your hard work, gentlemen. Let us all get some well-deserved rest." As everyone shuffled out of the lab, Elsa locked the door behind them and gave the door handle a firm shake to make sure it was securely locked. Doctor Omsorg said his goodnights before heading towards his room while Elsa walked side-by-side with James as she escorted him back to his cell with two guards trailing behind them, "I asked the kitchen staff to better your meals as a way to show my appreciation for what you are doing."
James let out a soft chuckle, "Queen Elsa, that is most gracious but knowing that I'm helping protect the kingdom I love and the people that Agdar adored so much is enough of a reason. However, I will not decline your offer because I could really use some more nutritious meals."
She cocked a curious eyebrow at him, "The kingdom you love? What happened to wanting to destroy Arendelle?"
"Perspective, Your Majesty." He looked around the hallway and observed the many familiar paintings he grew up with during the years of friendship he shared with Agdar and the time spent working as King Agdar's advisor. He let out a heavy sigh in response to the heavy weight of guilt that was weighing down on him, "I was so angry at your father for 'betraying' me that I wanted to see everything he loved be destroyed. But upon my return to Arendelle, by your grace, I realized how much this kingdom means to me. I've been away for so long that I forgot how beautiful the scenery was, both in the landscape and in the people. I've grown up here and some of my fondest memories took place here, most of which took place within these walls."
As they exited the castle and made their way across the courtyard toward the prison, he looked directly at Elsa with remorse, "I regret not being able to reconcile with your father. I was angry and swarming with hatred that I never realized how much I missed my best friend until I saw you in London. And after everything that I did to you and your family, you still decided to bring me back here. You may not have realized how much that meant to me, to be brought back to my homeland. I've wasted many nights fantasizing about returning to the kingdom I love. And now I get to use my abilities to not only protect Arendelle but to also protect those who inhabit it, including my best friend's daughters."
Elsa sincerely smiled at him, "Well, that is nice to hear." Her smile faltered as she felt her stoic façade begin to fade and she immediately tried to recover by addressing James formally, "Thank you for your help, Mister Jagger. I will see you in the morning for the first trial run. Goodnight." She did not give him time to respond as she nodded her head to the guards to take him down to his cell. As she crossed the courtyard to head back to the castle, she could not help but replay James' words in her head. If he had truly meant what he had said, then she believed that he could be trusted, at least enough to stay in the castle. But then again, with so much at stake with Vortex and so much uncertainty in knowing who to believe, trust was in short supply during this time.
Her head began to hurt as the stress of the Vortex situation was draining her both physically and mentally. She wished Hans was here to help her figure all this out. She knew that she could trust his judgment of people, he had the valuable ability to read people well enough to know if they could be trusted or not. Unfortunately for Elsa, being locked away and hidden from the world for so long crippled her ability to read and trust people. Even Anna and Kristoff could not help since Anna was shut out from the world for many years just like Elsa and Kristoff lived most of his life isolated from people due to his job and family.
As she was deep in thought, Elsa found herself at Anna and Kristoff's bedroom door. She contemplated on whether or not she should knock because even though Anna constantly reminded her that she was always available for talking or companionship, she was also married which meant that Anna now shared a room with Kristoff and Elsa would feel guilty if she were to interrupt something. A sad smile tugged at Elsa's lips as she turned and walked away from her sister's bedroom, thinking about when Anna had accidentally interrupted something between Elsa and Hans on the morning of Hans' departure. Since Hans left, Elsa had tried to not think about him too much because she knew that it would only mess with her emotions and make her miss him even more. However, since her mind was already thinking about Hans, she let her thoughts wander further down that road, specifically the final hours leading up to his departure:
"Promise me you will never let fear or doubt creep into your mind."
"I promise." He gently kissed her again, this time lingering longer than intended.
Elsa looked up at him, a little out of breath from the kiss, "I think we should back to our room. You know, so you could finish packing."
Hans smiled at her insinuation, "Right. Packing."
They held a leisurely brisk pace as they walked back to their bedroom but as soon as they entered the room and locked the door behind them, they could no longer keep their hands off each other. They did not know who made the first move but all they knew was that they were hungrily kissing the other as if they would never see each other again. As the kiss deepened, Elsa threw her arms around Hans' neck and he fell back onto the bed, one hand firmly pressed against her back and the other hand at the nape of her neck. His fingers found her dress buttons and he skillfully began unbuttoning her dress while his other hand unclipped her bun and let her long silvery locks fall over her shoulders.
Elsa used one of her hands to untuck Hans' shirt and unbutton his shirt as her other hand playfully ran her fingers through the thick red hair on his head. As soon as Elsa finished unbuttoning his shirt, Hans suddenly broke off the kiss and firmly grasped her wrist that was resting on his bare chest, "Elsa, wait, what are we doing?"
She looked down at him with a small smirk on her lips, "I think we both know what we're doing."
He chuckled, "Yes, but, I mean…" He glanced down at her stomach before meeting her gaze, "Should we be doing this?"
Elsa lifted herself off of Hans and sat back on her heels, feeling a small wave of confliction wash over her, "Is it too soon?"
He propped himself up on his elbows and curiously cocked his head, "I don't know…what did Doctor Omsorg say?"
Elsa sighed as she ran her hands through her long locks, "He said that, physically, I am okay for us to start trying again, but it just depends if I am emotionally ready."
"And are you?" He tilted his head to the other side, his eyes intense like a puppy waiting for their owner to give them a command.
"I don't know…" She lowered her head and curiously looked up at him through her thick eyelashes, "Are you?"
A small sad smile played across his lips, "If you're not sure then I think that answers your question."
"But you're leaving in a couple hours for who knows how long." She shifted her body so that she could bring her knees up to her chest, a familiar position for her when she felt uncomfortable, "Isn't this what you want?"
Hans recognized her uncomfortable body language and his heart immediately ached for her, "I want you to be happy, Elsa. I never want you to feel like you have to go out of your way to 'please' me in this way. When you're happy, then I am happy." He slowly reached forward and gently cupped her cheek with his hand, "And when you're ready to start trying again, then so will I. And not a moment sooner."
Her heart swelled with love as a single tear rolled down her cheek, "I'm going to miss you." As he wiped away her tear with his thumb, she reached up and took his hand in hers, letting their fingers intertwine, "I'm going to miss this."
Hans sadly smiled as she laid down beside him and snuggled her body close to his. He instinctively wrapped his arm around her in a warm hug, "Me too." He let out a wistful sigh as he felt her head rest on his still-bare chest while gently grazing his abdominal scars from Sperca with her fingertips. He gently stroked her hair with his hand and he could feel her body relax against his which brought a small smile to his lips. For the next few minutes, they closed their eyes and remained in that warm embrace, trying to relish every sensation of love and contentment they shared in this moment before they were to be separated for who knows how long.
Unfortunately, the moment of silent bliss ended when a firm knock sounded on their door, "Elsa? It's Anna. We need to talk."
Elsa reluctantly opened her eyes as reality rushed back, "Hold on. Just give us a moment."
Elsa firmly shook her head as she pushed aside her daydream and realized that she had wandered back to her room with a reminiscent smile on her face. In an attempt to wipe off the wistful lovesick look from her face, she took in a deep cleansing breath before entering her room. As she entered her bedroom, she found Gerda sitting in the rocking chair with Henry sleeping in her arms. Elsa could not help but smile at her nephew's peaceful face as Gerda stood up to acknowledge the queen's arrival, "Good evening, Your Majesty. I finally managed to get him to fall asleep. He clearly missed having your lullaby tonight."
Elsa quietly laughed as she scooped Henry out of Gerda's arms and rested her nephew against her chest, his small head gently nestled into her neck, "Thank you so much for taking care of Henry for me, Gerda. I can't believe that I thought I could run a kingdom and take care of an infant without imposing on anyone."
Gerda firmly shook her head, "It is no burden, Queen Elsa. You are not imposing on anyone. I take pleasure in knowing that I can assist you." As Elsa continued to gently sway and rock Henry in her arms, Gerda began to turn down Elsa's bed, "If I may ask, Your Majesty, have you heard any news from Prince Hans?"
"No, nothing yet."
"Does that worry you?" Gerda casually glanced at Elsa in order to get a read on her reaction.
Elsa slowly shrugged nonchalantly, careful not to wake up Henry, "Hans and I figured that communications between us would be difficult due to his meddling brothers. I think I would be more surprised to hear from him rather than not hearing from him."
Gerda stopped what she was doing and looked at Elsa in surprise, "That is an interesting way of looking at it. Nevertheless, it must be hard not knowing about Prince Hans' progress." When she noticed the slight falter in Elsa's calm façade, Gerda made sure to give her queen an encouraging smile, "However, you are a very strong young woman, Queen Elsa. I am proud to call you My Queen."
Gerda's compliment brought a genuine smile to Elsa's face, "And I am proud to call you my friend."
It was about a quarter past nine in the evening as Hans purposefully strode through the Southern Isles' castle corridors, making a direct path to his father's private parlor. Although he usually met with King Richard in the parlor at exactly nine, Hans sort of lost track of time as he furiously wrote letters to both his family in Corona and Arendelle. All he needed was his father's authorization to send the letters right away so that the letters could be sent out by tonight, which would ensure that both letters would reach their destinations before the festivals. Hans was sure his father would agree to this since both Corona and Arendelle are fierce allies with the Southern Isles.
Hans huffed as he caught sight of a clock in one of the hallways that read 9:17. He knew that every minute he was late would be used against him and he could not afford his father's disapproval. Not when so much was at stake. Upon finally reaching the King's parlor doors, Hans took a few seconds to regain his composure and fix his appearance. Realizing that every little thing had to go his way during this meeting, he took a long deep breath and said a silent pray as he let his knuckles firmly knock on the door.
After a brief time, the doors clicked open and a familiar face popped out, "Good evening, Your Highness."
Hans instinctively cocked his head in surprise, "Leila. I was not expecting anyone to be joining us tonight."
"I was just leaving. Excuse me…" As she slid past him in the doorway, their bodies accidentally brushed against each other in an intimate way, making Leila slightly blush and shyly smile, "Um, your father was complaining about some discomfort in his shoulder so Doctor Var sent me to give him a small pain reliever to subdue any soreness." She bashfully tucked a loose black strand of hair behind her ear as her bold blue eyes temporarily locked with his bright green ones before properly bowing, "Have a good night."
Hans curiously watched her hurry down the hall and turn the corner before he stepped inside the parlor. He could see his father sitting in his favorite chair, staring out through the large ornate windows that over looked the ocean. The candle light in the parlor casted a shadow over King Richard's face, hiding his expression from Hans.
"Good evening, Father." Hans spoke confidently with a proper a bow that could be seen in the window's reflection, "I apologize for my tardiness."
Despite Hans' attempt at properly apologizing, his father did not move from his turned away seat, "Your delay is an unusual change from our standard punctual routine." As his father continued to speak in a low disapproving grumble, Hans noticed a glass filled with wine that was placed by Hans' usual seat. "This would suggest one of two things: you are either losing focus on the tasks that I have given to you or you have a development."
Hans continued to suspiciously eye the glass of wine by his seat, "Father, I promised you that I would find the man who tried to kill you and I intend on keeping my promise." He gradually shifted his eyes toward the back of his father's seat, "That being said, there has been a development."
"How significant?" Richard scoffed, no doubt remembering Hans' last development which was nothing more than a false lead that he made up in order to temporarily please his father's patience.
However, this time Hans was telling the truth and his smug smile revealed his confidence, "Revelational."
The King's booming laughter sounded in the parlor as he stood up and turned to his youngest son in excitement, "Hans, my boy, I knew you wouldn't let me down! Come, have a seat, relax!" Richard pulled his chair around so that he and Hans could face each other to further discuss Hans' news. As they sat he noticed Hans slowly reaching for the glass of wine that had been place by his son's seat, "You don't want this, it's been sitting out. I'll have the servants bring you a fresh glass." Richard swiftly took the glass out of Hans' grasp and motioned for a servant to pour Hans a fresh glass of wine in a clean goblet, "Tell me what has conspired, my son. Do you have the man in custody?"
Hans took a hard look into his fresh glass of wine and swirled it around a bit as he responded, "Not quite. But we are bringing in some conspirators as we speak."
"Conspirators about my shooting, I assume?"
"Actually, it's about something ever bigger than you or this kingdom." Hans took a long sip of his wine in order to build the suspense, "It has been rumored that there will be simultaneous attacks on the Southern Isles mid-summer festival, Corona's festival of lights, and Arendelle's Great Thaw festival. All of which will take place on the same day."
Richard furrowed his brows in deep concern, "That's some coincidence."
"Yes, however, I do not believe in coincidences." Hans placed his glass onto the table beside his seat and gave his father a serious look, "Therefore, I suggest that I write letters of warning to Corona and Arendelle and I ask for your permission to send them out by tonight with great urgency."
King Richard leaned back in his seat and thoughtfully rubbed his beard with a slight nod of the head, letting the information process in his mind. Finally, he firmly responded, "…No."
"No?!" An immediate wave of panic and horror washed over Hans at this unexpected response. He felt his body grow hot as anger began to bubble in his chest and his head whirled as several thoughts raced through his mind, "But Father, they need to be warned-!"
"Hans, stop arguing and think about what you are saying." Despite Richard's harsh words, his demeanor was quite calm and that startled Hans.
"Okay." Hans took a deep breath and decided to play along with whatever madness his father was wading in. With a renewed sense of control, and the tiniest bit of undetectable sarcasm, Hans answered his father, "There are numerous terrorist threats being directed toward the Southern Isles, Corona, and Arendelle. People are going to get hurt, perhaps even killed, unless the kingdoms are warned and prepared for these attacks."
A pleased smile stretched across Richard's face while an unfamiliar sinister look sparkled in his eyes, "Exactly. Think of the benefits."
Hans desperately fought the urge to angrily yell but he continued to speak in a respectfully controlled tone, "I'm sorry, Father, but I am having a hard time seeing how this could benefit us."
"Hans, at the moment, Queen Elsa is solely ruling Arendelle. If disaster should occur under her lone watch, then the people of Arendelle will be praying for your return in hopes of you bringing them peace and safety. This will cause them to lose faith in Elsa and put more of their trust in you." He proudly chuckled at his twisted thoughts, "And if Elsa should get hurt and die because of the attack-"
"Then I will have the throne of Arendelle to myself." Hans numbly responded as he could see the pieces fall into place. His mind started reeling again. Had all this been just a set up to get Hans away from Arendelle so when this planned attack occurred he would not get blamed for it? Did his own father plan this attack in order to get Hans sole rule of Arendelle? Was his father's failed assassination just a ploy? Was Thomas Sullivan even involved in this madness or was the only mad man involved sitting across from Hans at this exact moment? No, this still had to be Vortex's doing because Corona, along with the Southern Isles, was also being targeted. "But what Corona? Why not warn them? We have nothing to gain from their attack."
The sinister look in Richard's eyes subsided as a genuine look of remorse appeared as he sighed with a shrug, "True, I have no conflict with Corona. However, it would look bad on our part if word got around that we warned Corona about the attack but not Arendelle. Corona's attack will be collateral damage but these things happen."
Hans scoffed, "By that logic I assume that we will not warn our own people then? It would look bad if we were prepared but did not warn the others-"
"No." Richard suddenly snapped in a stern tone, "I will not risk my reputation amongst my people. We will send letters of warning to Corona and Arendelle, but they may be a day or two late. That is how we will keep face with our allies."
"Very well. As you wish." Hans kept his voice controlled and tight as he stood up, "I will let you know when we have the conspirators in custody." He bowed before striding towards the door and letting it close behind him with a firm click. He did not break his stoic façade until after he entered his room and locked his bedroom door. He let his emotions overpower him as exhaustion and rage pulsed through his veins. His chest felt heavy and every muscle in his body ached as if the world's weight was bearing down on his shoulders. He grabbed one of the many pillows on his bed and threw it across the room, letting out a loud frustrated shout while doing so. He heaved deep breaths as he collapsed onto the edge of his bed and tiredly rubbed his face, letting the heated anger subside so he could clearly think.
Feeling a renewed sense of calm, he laid down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling above, letting his thoughts drift to Elsa. He wished she were here with him. He wished he could hear her angelic voice and feel her calming touch. He wished she could sit beside him, take his hand into hers and tell him that everything will turn out fine. He wished that none of this ever happened. But it was happening and he knew he what he had to do. He just needed to figure out how. As sleep persuasively washed over him, he hoped that Elsa was doing well with her side of the plan.
"Alright, Mister Jagger. How is this going to work?" Elsa curiously watched as several guards brought numerous hay bales into James' weapon lab. The guards, one-by-one, stacked and built up a wall of hay against the brick wall on the far side of the lab.
"Well, your guards are setting up a safe environment so the bullets won't hurt anyone." James spoke with a matter-of-fact tone as he fidgeted with the gun in his hand, "The hay bales should prevent any bullets from ricocheting."
"Should?" Elsa cautiously looked up at the Captain of the Royal Guard who was standing beside her with an equally perplexed look on his face.
"Well, I've never had any trouble with this method before. Besides, you have Captain Stephen by your side in case something should happen." He chuckled in amusement as he watched the guards finish putting up the hay bales with the targets in front of them, "Now, there is always a possibility that these prototypes may self-combust upon pulling the trigger. I'm fairly certain that it won't happen, but just in case, you might want to be standing away from me…" He nodded his head further behind him, "Like over there."
Elsa obediently followed James' suggestion as she tool several steps back along with Captain Stephen. As James loaded the weapon, Captain Stephen leaned down and quietly whispered in Elsa's ear, "Are you still sure about this, Your Majesty? I mean, these weapons do not seem to be safe for anyone on either side of the barrel."
"Give it a chance, Captain." Elsa calmly responded despite the small bubble of anxiety that was expanding in her stomach.
"Oh and you might want to cover your ears." James knowingly chuckled as he lifted his good arm towards the target, "These things can seem loud to those who aren't used to it."
Elsa, Captain Stephen and everyone in the room, besides James, covered their ears. Elsa could feel her heart beating rapidly and she could hear her anxious breathes rhythmically synchronize with her pulse. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as James' finger tightened around the trigger followed by the sudden loud crack that rang throughout the room. Every muscle in Elsa's body tightened at that familiar noise and she could have sworn that she felt a small hint of pain stab her injured shoulder. But as soon as she spotted the bullet hole in the target, she knew that it was just her mind playing tricks on her.
"WOW! This baby sure has a kick to it! Let's check the result!" James excitedly placed the gun on the counter and hurried over to the target.
Elsa followed close behind him and upon examining the slit at the edge of the inner most circle on the target, she smiled with relief, "That wasn't so bad. Nearly a perfect shot. Nice job, James."
"Don't thank me yet, Your Majesty." James chuckled as he stepped away from the target and headed back to the counter where the gun was left on, "That was the easy part."
"The easy part?" Elsa furrowed her brow in confusion as she followed James through the lab.
"Yes." James took a deep breath as he grabbed five bullets from one of the lab tables, "Now it's time to test the multi-shot aspect of the gun."
Unlike the first test, James loaded all five bullets into the revolver and snapped the cylinder back into place. While doing so, Elsa and Captain Stephen nervously took a couple more cautionary steps back and plugged their ears as they anticipated the gun's startling crack. Once again, James raised his good arm and expertly aimed at the new target. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, James pulled the trigger not once, but five times in a rapidly swift movement.
Similar to his first shot, the bullet tore through the edge of the inner most circle on the target but the following shots moved further away from the bullseye at unsettling increments as the gun's recoil seemed to get more violent after each shot. By the time James pulled the trigger for the fifth time, the recoil was so intense that his normally steady arm as thrown back as the final bullet shot out from the barrel. However, the gun's aim was so far off that it missed the target and the hay bales completely as the bullet ricocheted off the stone wall adjacent to it. Before anyone could properly react, the bullet ricocheted off another stone wall before course correcting towards Elsa and Captain Stephen.
Captain Stephen instinctively darted in front of Elsa in order to take the bullet for her but in the blink of an eye there was a white flash and the bullet swerved out of harm's way and heavily dropped to the floor in a chilling ear piercing glass-like shatter. Everyone froze in alarmed shock as they stared at the icy remains of the bullet on the ground. However, Captain Stephen broke the silence as he hurried towards his Queen who was on the floor in utter surprise, "Queen Elsa?! Are you alright?!"
As he kneeled down in front of her, she broke out of her trance and gave him an embarrassed smile, "Yes, I am quite fine. How about you?" She gratefully took his outstretched hand as he helped her off the floor.
"I am indebted to you, my Queen. You saved my life." His breathing was fast and uneven due to all of the adrenaline pulsing through his veins, "How did you do that?"
"I'm not sure…" Elsa, too, was speaking at an out-of-breath pace, "It all happened so fast. All I can clearly recall was the bullet ricocheting off the walls and you running ahead of me. The rest was just protective instinct, I guess." She shrugged as her hands began to anxiously fidget and intertwine with each other behind her back.
Doctor Omsorg rubbed his face as the shock began to wear off, "It was quite incredible actually." He noticed that everyone was looking at him with intense curiosity so he figured that he should elaborate, "I saw the whole thing. Queen Elsa shot a powerful and precise ice blast at the oncoming bullet that, upon impact, caused it to swerve. The sheer weight of the ice-encased bullet caused it to exponentially drop to the floor and shatter upon impact. She dove nearly six feet to the right in order to avoid hitting Captain Stephen with her ice and because of the trajectory of the oncoming ice blast, it caused the bullet to swerve left and miss him."
"But where's the bullet?" A guard contemplated as he searched the shards.
As Elsa stepped forward to investigate the shattered ice, she felt her foot kick something hard and heavy. She glanced down at the item and her eyes widened in realization, "I believe I found it…" She bent down and picked up the pointed tip of the bullet, "Or at least part of it."
"You broke the bullet?" Captain Stephen wondered out loud as he stepped up behind Elsa.
"She must have frozen the high speed bullet so intensely that not only did the ice shatter on impact, but so did the bullet itself." Doctor Omsorg gave his signature fatherly smile as he proudly remarked, "I am impressed, Your Majesty."
Elsa did not make any comment as she turned from the scene and hurried over to where James was sitting on the ground across the lab with his face hidden in his palm. "Mister Jagger?" She cautiously stepped closer to him, "Are you alright?"
"I almost did it again…" His voice was quiet and nervous sounding, like an ashamed little boy waiting for his mother to yell at him for his mistakes.
"Almost did what?" When he would not answer, she leaned down next to him and spoke with a kind but firm voice as she continued to press him for more information, "James?"
"I almost killed you again." His voice slightly quivered as he spoke the last word. "I knew I should not have started making weapons again. They only destroy things. I only destroy things."
"Don't be so hard on yourself, James. It was just a mistake." She lighted rested a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Trust me, I know how you feel. To truly fear that everything you create will end in nothing but disaster." She cocked her head lower so that their eyes could meet, "But I need you to also trust me when I tell you that you cannot live your life fearing the thing that makes you who you are. For me it was my powers and for you it is making these inventions that will protect us. The kingdom you love and the people you love. That's what you said last night, correct?"
He lifted his head in surprise as he continued to hold her soft gaze, "You remembered?"
"Yes. Why is that so surprising?"
"Well, I'm a prisoner here. I figured that my words carry little to no meaning."
"Mister Jagger, I do not let just anyone build weapons for my kingdom." She stood up and dusted herself off before offering him her hand.
He gratefully took her hand without hesitation as she helped him get to his feet, "So I'm not a prisoner?"
"No, you are. But you are not just a prisoner." She let a small smile crack her aloof expression before addressing the others in the lab, "Gentlemen, I believe we should leave Mister Jagger to his work." Without waiting for a response, she turned and left the lab.
Phew! That was quite a bit of story! I was super happy that I was able to finally write some Helsa fluff (as been requested)! Plus a little bit of mystery as to what was going on with King Richard during his meeting with Hans (the wine glass)? Also, I wanted to dive into more of Elsa discovering just how powerful her magic can be (freezing the bullet). I also enjoyed developing James' character a little more as we start to see a strange connection between him and Elsa. I know that some chapters may seem like they are just full of exposition and fluff but trust me, if you reread several of the past chapters, I have left numerous breadcrumbs that elude to what is coming up. Next, the suspense builds as the three summer festivals approach and we get to see how each kingdom will responds to this upcoming disaster.
Thanks again to all of my readers who have stuck by me and my story! Please review and leave your feedback so I know how I can improve or if I should just keep doing what I am doing. Thank you and have a great week! :)
