At a relatively quiet part of the Royal yacht's main deck, Elsa looked out towards the side as crew members around her moved back and forth to their battle stations in anticipation of the inevitable final battle. She rested her hands on an undamaged railing and stared out into the horizon, their possible but not guaranteed savior a small speck in the distance. Through the faint noise and hustle on deck, the young queen closed her eyes and started zoning out, reflecting on her life, family, achievements, regrets, and what could've been. Rummaging through her memories; an anguished face with a set turquoise eyes and strawberry blonde hair overwhelmed all her senses and she found herself in a pitch black room with two arguing feminine voices.
"Can we please forget I ever said anything Elsa?" said a pleading voice.
"I'm Sorry, but I think it's for the best that we keep our distance from one another"
"Look...Elsa"
"IT'S YOUR MAJESTY"
"GASP!" Elsa broke off from her trance with a loud gasp, tears running down her face. She turned her neck and looked at her encroaching killers before covering her face with her hands and sobbing freely.
"I'm sorry...sniff...I'm sorry...I Love you too" she said out loud.
She still couldn't believe how one person managed to see through her queenly facade so easily and affect her in such a significant way.
"Oh Anna, If only I could see you again" she said out loud.
All of a sudden, Elsa heard a terrifying noise getting louder and louder. It was a noise she had never heard before and it sounded like a banshee was headed straight towards them.
Without any warning, huge explosions unlike any other she had ever heard before sounded
BOOOOOOM
BOOOOOOM
BOOOOOOM
BOOOOOOM
BOOOOOOM
One of the explosions' shockwaves blew her off her feet and into a wall behind her. As she stood back up, Elsa felt a small ache in her left shoulder probably from hitting the wall so hard she thought. She looked towards the horizon in horror as she realized that the explosions did not come from the 4 sailing ships, but from the vessel that they were counting on saving them. She felt all blood drain from her face, they were now trapped.
Captain Oaken, who had also been knocked off his feet by the nearby explosion, had one of his arms injured and was sprinting towards Elsa. "Your majesty"
"We have to get you inside NOW" he screamed with urgency.
As he got to her side, about to drag her back into her armoured cabin, Elsa suddenly ripped her hand out of the captain's and stared at him with a look that could kill.
"Captain...NO, I'm done running." Elsa started with a cold determination.
"Captain Oaken... I absolutely refuse to let anyone else die in futility, you and I both agree that no matter what happens, no matter how hard we fight, victory is impossible."
Captain Oaken looked at the monarch in shock.
"But your majesty-"
"Captain, answer me this: that large silver ship, are they of the Southern Isles? Are they in league with the 4 other ships that have chased us since we departed Portugal"?
"We Don't know Your Majesty, all we know is that the 4 clippers chasing us were registered in the Southern Isles and that they are most like mercenaries contracted by the government of the Southern Isles to assassinate you." The captain continued his explanation with a slight wince from the pain in his arm. "We can't confirm anything your majesty, but that seems to be the most plausible explanation, pirates wouldn't dare attack a royal vessel, and the Southern Isles is the only nation who we now have a motive to kill you"
"You didn't answer my question captain, I already knew that" Elsa responded clinically. " Is that silver ship in league with them"
"We don't know for sure your majesty but what we do know is that that ship looks way too large and expensive for any mercenary, it's the largest vessel I've ever seen, and judging by whatever they just attacked us with, the most powerful I've ever seen, the odds of it being mercenaries are small, in fact, I dare say only a large European empire like Russia, Britain or France could field such a ship, all of which Arendelle has good relations with.
Oaken looked at Elsa worriedly.
"Your Majesty, where are you going with this?"
Elsa started to pace in front of Oaken
" Ok, so we know that our pursuers are mercenaries, and that the odds of that silver ship being a mercenary are next to none, and that it must be owned by the navy of a large country, all of which we have no dispute with.
Elsa took a deep breath before saying her next words
"Captain Oaken, as queen, I order you to surrender to the silver ship"
Captain Oaken gasped in shock
"But Your Majesty-"
"You said that the silver ship is unlikely to be a mercenary and be of a national navy yes?"
"Yes Your Majesty, but they did just attack us so-"
Elsa cut him off again.
"Captain. If we do nothing and fight to the death, we will ALL CERTAINLY die needlessly which I WILL NOT STAND FOR, If we surrender to the 4 mercenary ships, we will also all most likely die. But if we surrender to whoever owns the silver ship-
"Then we have a chance"
"Exactly captain, right now, that silver vessel is our best chance of making out of this alive."
Just as they finished their conversation, a yell from the bird's nest could be heard
"VESSEL APPROACHING PORT SIDE AT HIGH SPEED"
Elsa and Oaken turned towards the port side, oaken pulled out his portable telescope and peeked through at the approaching silver ship
"God Almighty"
As Oaken looked through the telescope, he saw something that made his blood run cold. A giant metal ship, something he thought would only be able to lumber along at best due to its sheer size, approaching them at speeds not even the fastest steam locomotive or thoroughbred horse could achieve.
Elsa grabbed another telescope that was lying on a nearby crate and saw the same thing, a similar reaction coursing through her body.
As they watched the silver vessel approach, another yell could be heard from the crow's nest.
"CAPTAIN! THE 4 PURSUING CLIPPERS HAVE RAISED MASTS"
Upon hearing that, both Captain Oaken and Elsa quickly turned their binoculars from the fast approaching silver vessel to their assassins, and sure enough the 4 vessels that were about to pounce on them were now slowly adding more and more distance between them and the royal yacht until they were but a spec in the horizon.
They're probably assessing us, trying to get the royal yacht and silver ship in close proximity, kill two birds with one stone, Oaken thought. Despite this, he realized that he had no choice but to let the silver vessel approach them, it was the only way to ensure Her Majesty's survival.
By this point, the 4 pursuing clippers were well out of firing range and could barely be seen by the crow's nest. So if they choose to attack again, they'd have at least 40 minutes to prepare. But now they've got bigger problems: that large, powerful, mysterious, silver vessel has arrived.