15 December 1840 North Atlantic Ocean
Aboard a 200 foot sail ship heading northwards from the western coast of the Iberian Peninsula, Queen Elsa of Arendelle was exhausted, frustrated, and had an agonizing migraine.
Several days of non-stop negotiations to free up trade relations with Portugal had completely broken down, and the worst part of it all is that Elsa couldn't really blame them.
The fact of the matter is that as a small island kingdom barely the size of Luxembourg, Arendelle simply didn't have a lot to offer its neighbors and partners.
It had no valuable natural mineral deposits that anyone would've wanted; held no strategic importance geographically because it's ports froze every winter, and is geographically so far out from any of the major shipping lanes that most merchants just skip Arendelle all together in favor of Norway; and imports, and what little exports to and from Arendelle would be eye-gougingly expensive due to the high shipping costs.
Elsa had always thought of her kingdom's isolation as a double edged sword, on one hand, it's strategic and economic insignificance meant that most major imperial powers won't even bother to give Arendelle an acknowledgement before moving on to bigger neighboring threats like Sweden, Norway, and Denmark; indeed, Arendelle hasn't fought a single war against another nation since the 17th century, and it's people have enjoyed over 200 years of relative peace. On the other hand, her kingdom's isolation also meant that it will never be a competitive power in the region, and that her people might never become as prosperous as say...the Prussians, or the British.
Deciding that moping wasn't going to do her headache any good, Elsa decided to leave her quarters and to go up to the poop deck in order to pass some time and clear her head.
Seeing their monarch climbing up the stairs that led to the poop deck/ bridge , the crew quickly stood at attention, bowing their heads before uttering a respectful "Your Majesty" when she reached the top.
Elsa frowned at the crew's gesture before walking towards the rear end of the poop deck to gaze off into the sunset, one hand on the railing. Although she admired and appreciated the great respect her crew had towards her, Elsa couldn't help but be saddened at the great social barrier that separated her from literally everyone else, to them, she was Her Majesty, Queen Elsa of the Kingdom of Arendelle, Sovereign of her realm, protector of the faith. Every aspect of her life revolved around her title and role, and every interaction dictated by procedure and protocol. She could never be just "Elsa", the 22 year old woman who likes ice skating, making snowmen, and eating unhealthy amounts of chocolate. No, she had a kingdom of over two-hundred thousand subjects to lead and defend.
Elsa understood her duty, and always tried her best to execute it; however, Elsa can't help but wonder sometimes at what her life would be like if she had just been another citizen, no pressure of having an entire kingdom to lead, no burden of having to live by a strict code of conduct, and having the freedom to make her own life decisions.
The irony is not lost on Elsa, she's the most powerful person in her Kingdom, with no power over her own life. She has two hundred thousand people at her whim, yet dares to argue that she's the loneliest person in Arendelle.
"Lonely" Elsa thought. If there was one word that could describe her time as queen, it was definitely lonely. Elsa continued to stare off into the horizon deep in thought. She knew that as the sovereign, she would be expected to bear an heir to the throne very soon. Elsa cringed and shuddered at the thought, bearing an heir would mean finding a husband, and as the monarch, she would be expected to marry some king or prince that she barely knows, from whichever country Arendelle would benefit the most being united with.
"The council probably already has a whole list of people in mind" Elsa bitterly thought.
Although she understood that it was her duty as Sovereign, Elsa was absolutely repulsed at the idea of a loveless marriage, she remembered attending countless royal weddings back when she was still a little princess, and whenever she looked at the publicly smiling faces of the newly betrothed, she always see sadness and defeated looks in their eyes, well... save for the one or two that genuinely fell in love with whom they were arranged to wed.
Another reason for her reluctance to take on a husband was a more personal matter, it was something that only Elsa is aware of, no one, not even her parents before they died were aware of her deep dark secret. Elsa, the queen of Arendelle, was queer.
Elsa closed her eyes with that thought. She knew something wasn't right when she always found herself staring inappropriately at visiting princesses and a few of her female staff, at first, she dismissed it merely as curiosity, but as time went on, Elsa found herself lusting more and more for the fairer sex with no interest at all for men.
Elsa finally came to the realization of her "unconventional" gender orientation when she was 16 and found herself getting warm "down there" when she found herself in her daily night time hobby of staring at people changing in the female castle staff bedrooms with a telescope her father had bought her.
Elsa's headache intensified as she recalled those days.
"UUGH, STOP IT ELSA YOU ARE A QUEEN FOR GOD'S SAKE" a voice in her head scolded.
"A queen who also happens to be a queer pervert and a peeping tom" another voice sounded
Elsa was so enamoured in her own thoughts her she didn't notice another person approaching her
"Your Majesty" said the voice
you're alright Ya? You seem a bit off this fine evening."
Elsa turned around to face the owner of the voice, who happens to be the most decorated captain of the Arendellian fleet, Captain Oaken.
" Thank You for your concern captain, but I'm...fine" replied Elsa with an uncertain register in her voice.
"Very well you're Majesty, anyways, I wish this was a social call, but I'm afraid I have some concerns that I think you should be aware of Ya?
By This point, Elsa was completely snapped out of her trance and back into full "Sovereign of the Kingdom" mode
"I understand captain, thank you for your diligence. Now, the bad news? "
"Yes, uuh… there are two actually, the first problem being an approaching storm that the ship is due to encounter tonight"
"Storm?!" said Elsa an octave higher than normal. Her parent's death at sea by the hands of a storm understandably made her very nervous.
"No, No, No, Your Majesty, We have nothing to fear from the storm, it's a bit strong, but nothing this mighty vessel hasn't gone through before, It will be a rough ride and cause a slight delay in our arrival back in Arendelle, but it is really more of an annoyance than a threat" the expert seaman said in a reassuring voice.
"Okay… what's the other problem?" asked the monarch.
Captain Oaken gave Elsa a portable telescope and pointed at a direction behind the ship.
Elsa placed the telescope on her right eye and aimed it in the direction and saw 4 small black specs in the distance.
"Those ships have been following us for days, ever since we left Portugal" explained Oaken with a worried voice.
At first, we thought nothing of them but as merchant ships, travelling in the same general direction as us, but when I ordered the crew to steer the Royal Yacht off the shipping lanes as a precaution, but those ships continued to follow us, albeit at a farther distance as to not give themselves away
It has now become obvious Your Majesty, those four ships are on a pursuit course, and we're the target"
Elsa was now in full leader mode, she looked at the captain with a determined but stoic face.
"Understood captain, what do we know about them so far?"
The captain's response was not comforting at all to the queen
"We could not identify the national markings of any of the ships while we observed them, but they do appear to be clipper ships your Majesty. Clippers are fast and maneuverable you see, often able to regularly sail at up to 16 knots if the winds permit. It would be a miracle on the other hand, if the royal yacht could even hit 12 knots."
"The Royal Yacht is armed, is that correct?" Asked Elsa.
"Yes Your Majesty" replied the captain. "And my crew are the best that Arendelle's fleet could offer" Oaken said in a reassuring voice. "But you should know, your majesty. The odds of us defeating one of those ships one on one is almost certain, but four at once…" said the captain with a trailing tone of worry and uncertainty in his voice.
Elsa looked into the telescope once again, her face filled with worry
"So we can't run, have nowhere to hide, we're also out-numbered, and out-gunned" Elsa thought.
"We will protect you with our lives your Majesty" Oaken said with conviction. I'll rouse the crew and make preparations. Your Majesty, for the time being, you should stay in your room and lock the doors, it's the safest part of the ship "
Knowing that she was way out of her depth at this point, Elsa conceded to the burly captain, and after a few words of encouragement and well-wishes, she retreated to her quarters and activated the multiple locks on the reinforced door. Praying that everything will be alright.