Chapter Thirty-One: Blackmail
It's been a week and everyone quickly became worried about Elsa since the day Mathias left as she became depressed and stayed mostly in her room unless she had to do her duties as queen. The only person who made her smile was her nephew Christian when Anna suggested her to spend some time with him thinking it would be good for her and to her surprise it worked but that was the only time Elsa truly smiled. Jonathan began to notice whenever Mathias was mentioned in a conversation by the guards or the staff, she would reach for the pendant on her neck and hold it for a few moments and the old guard had a reason to believe that she still loved him.
The ball was only a few days away and guests were already arriving by road and sea
were already coming to the their kingdom before the ball even began. Elsa stood on the balcony of her room overlooking the guests as they crowded in the courtyard. To her guests she looked stunning and more elegant for a queen. Her dress was royal blue with her hair up in a neat bun with a stoic look upon her features. She still wore the necklace Mathias gave her during Christmas, it gave her comfort knowing in a way he was with her, reassuring her that everything will be fine. But that wasn't the case, with Mathias gone, the council will again try to get her with one of the royals even Joseph which sent shivers down her spine remembering the things he tried to do to her. The head council gave her his condolences but reassured her that Mathias will come back to her. It did bring her hopes but the odds were stacked against her and right now she was just avoiding the inevitable.
"Maybe i'm truly destined to spend the rest of my life alone." She thought as her grip tightened on the railing. She immediately calmed down when she noticed some frost forming around it, trying hide the fact she was distressed. She waited patiently till Kai announced her and contemplated on whether or not she could follow through with it. She heard her name announced and slowly but surely she stepped out to the applauding crowd and gave them a false smile and waited for them to quiet down.
"Ladies and gentlemen, i thank you all for coming today and i'm sure some of you are aware of why you're here but i hope you enjoy your stay and the party. Thank you." She said dismissing the dignitaries as the filed out of the courtyard. A heavy sigh escaped her as the last person left the area and slowly sat on a nearby bench to calm herself as the nervousness enveloped her as the wind blew past her. One of her hands moved to the pendant on her neck to help calm her and the memories if not much of the times she had spent with Mathias filled her mind like a warm blanket and it soothed her to her core. Oh, how she missed that man with his ways of reassurance and at the same time his sarcastic remarks even though he was cocky about himself at times but she loved that about him, even that little moment with her nephew Christian. There was pride in his eyes and a bit of jealousy in them but it seemed it was in a good way as he held him though he is stubborn and won't admit it plainly to anyone. His warmth compared to her own temperature actually relaxed her and knew she had the same effect on him as well. She missed his touch and the thought made her body ach in longing for such an interaction along those kisses he would leave along her neck and back…. She quickly shook those thoughts away knowing where they were going and with her face flushed, got back up in went back into the castle to finish the preparations.
Joseph was waiting patiently in his room he was staying in at the ship and was grinning madly now he had the chance to get the throne now since Mathias was out of the way. He was pissed somewhat when he found out that Adam killed the wrong person and the plan was ruined somewhat till Mathias killed the girls parents. When he got the message from Hans saying the plan is back in action and he wasted no time and took the first ship to Arendelle. He was eager to make Elsa suffer along with Mathias and would make sure he hears the news he was planning to share with the kingdom and Elsa has to do what he says this time and had the perfect tool to do so. Now all he had to do was wait for the opportunity to come his way. He wondered why Hans wanted the man alive so bad but the look in his eyes actually scared him as they craved for power just like their owner. He was confused that day Hans told him to say those exact things to Mathias If he ever met him and he thought he was crazy till he saw the way the mysterious man reacted and wondered what he truly was and why Hans wanted him so badly and not the queen. Shrugging at the thought he continued to think of the ways to get under the snow queen's skin and chuckle as cruel things came to mind on what he'll do to her once he got the crown. So he waited till the the ball began to make his move.
The day of the ball finally arrived and the guest filed in to get back into the castle for the day's festivities, the only person dreading this was Elsa as she stood in the ballroom watching the ever growing crowd. She had a vile taste in her mouth when she noticed some of the princes looking at her with their hungry eyes and some seemed a bit older than her and the party didn't even start and she was already wanting to leave. Anna stood by her holding her son in her arms as she too looked at the crowds but held a small scowl when she saw some princes looking at her sister.
"Relax Elsa everything will be fine." Anna assured her but saw how wrong she was when Elsa took a shuddering breath close to tears but that stoic facade came back but Anna knew how broken she was and felt sorry for her. Elsa wanted away from everything but knew if she left she would risk getting attention of the suitors and she didn't want that. Frost started to form at her fingertips as she looked for a way out. The music started to play giving her cue to walk casually to the door while trying to make appearances to the dignitaries greeting them as she passed by along the way. Relief flooded her once the door was within reach and quickly made her way to the courtyard. Unknown to her someone was in the opposite end of the hallway watching her with great interest knowing that victory was close now. He stepped out of his hiding place and slowly followed the sounds of heels clicking against the stone floor.
Anna looked at the direction her sister went more concerned about her than anything as her son moved a bit trying to snuggle closer into her chest.
"I'm just worried about your Aunt Elsa." She told him but knew he wouldn't understand her for a while as she gently patted his back trying to get him to sleep. Kristoff walked over after having a brief conversation with a few dignitaries and frowned at Anna's expression along the fact Elsa was missing.
"Where did she go?" He asked referring to Elsa. Anna sighed a bit then looked at him with a sad smile.
"She still upset that Mathias left and still needs some time alone." She answered him as she bounced the baby in her arms. Kristoff understood what she meant and knew how much Elsa loved the man and already regretted saying those things about him to her that day.
Elsa stood between the two flowing fountains in her courtyard listening to the sounds of the water flowing from the two eased her mind as she let out a breath she'd been holding for those few moments getting to her destination. She looked up at the now night sky as tears began to form in her eyes as all the emotions she held at bay came crashing down on her. Sobs escaped her as she collapsed to the ground letting the tears fall freely her entire being shaking out of control. She had this inexpressible feeling in the depth of her heart as she her thoughts raced about her loss. She finally realized how important Mathias was in her life and wished she could've done more to convince him to stay but she knew how stubborn he could be at times when he makes up his mind. She remembered that night before Alice's funeral, the way he caressed her, exploring her but at the same time he was so…. hesitant with some of his actions. It would've been a boundless bliss but mathias seemed modest about her well-being and kept things at a minimum, though his heartfelt actions toward her were more than enough at the time but it left her craving for more since then though she wouldn't admit it openly to others about her personal life. Such thoughts made her heart flutter in anticipation but her mind went blank when she heard the slightest sounds of clapping and jerked her head up.
"Oh, this is too good to be true. The powerful snow queen has fallen to her knees in sorrow." She heard and every fiber of her being froze in fear when she saw Joseph walking towards her slightly clapping his hands. The memories of what he tried to do to her flooded her mind as he stopped in front of her. He had that smug look on his face as he looked down at her knowing full well she was startled by his sudden appearance.
"What are you doing here?" She demanded as anger slowly fuled her giving her the energy to stand up and look this man in the eyes. Joseph just stood there his expression not changing in the slightest and it nerved her.
"Now is that any way to treat your guests? I was merely invited to this ball. It's a damn shame that Mathias won't be joining us tonight." He said with a chuckle and Elsa glared at him when she realized what he meant.
"Y-You bastard! You waited till Mathias left didn't you?!" She hissed through gritted teeth as ice began to form on the floor, the fountains already frozen into jagged spikes as the area got colder. The prince smirked answering her suspicions but the prince knew what she had planned and decided to break her.
"I wouldn't try anything if i were you. I know you don't want anything bad to happen to Mathias do you?" He asked slyly and this surprised Elsa as she looked at him blankly.
"What did you do to him?" She asked though she was inwardly worried that something has happened to him. Joseph laughed off her question as she looked at him confused till she felt a sharp pain erupted from her left cheek knocking her to the ground and glared up defiantly at the offending hand that belonged to joseph. He smirked knowing he finally got her quiet and knelt down infront of her.
"He's fine but if you keep this up i know you won't be for long." He threatened her and the queen visibly tensed up as she looked at him, her eyes shining with anger.
"Now nothing bad will happen to him if you agree marry me and once i become king i'll let him go if you are well behaved till then. But if you don't then i'll tell my men to kill him deal?" He finished and Elsa was terrified, not just for herself but for Mathias as well.
"H-How did they manage to catch him?" She thought as joseph looked at her expectantly awaiting her answer. Slowly she stood up with the prince in tow as they stared at each other in silence while Elsa though of alternatives but could think of any. She knew there was no other way around this as she saw Joseph's grin widening.
"I-I'm sorry Mathias." She thought as she fought back the tears forming once again but she would cry not in front of this man she would never give the bastard the satisfaction of it. She clenched her fists tightly as she glared at the man before her, one of the reasons for her suffering but she knew she'd had lost.
"I'll do it but only if you keep your word that no harm will come to Mathias." She said as she felt her heart shatter to pieces but kept a stoic posture. The man nodded his head in agreement knowing the deal has been made. Elsa felt like she was dying on the inside as she watched the man smirk in triumph as he lead them back to the ballroom. She knew she had to announce their engagement tomorrow to her loyal subjects but wished it was Mathias instead of this sickening excuse of a man. She suppressed a growl down her throat and quickly realized how much Mathias actually rubbed off on her with his primeval side and smiled bitterly to herself knowing how cruel life was to her and that she'll give Joseph a hard time for as long as she lives.
"What are you smirking about?" The prince asked annoyed by the way she's already acting. Elsa huffed and looked away from further infuriating him.
"It's none of your concern Joseph since you're practically doing the same thing." She snapped at him not making eye contact causing the man to falter slightly but he regained his composure and continued walking not pressing any further in the matter much to Elsa's relief.
"What an imbecile." She muttered under her breath as she continued to follow him through the halls. Once they reached the ballroom Joseph leaned closer to her ear with a small smirk on his lips.
"You will not tell anyone of the deal we made understand?" He asked and she silently nodded her head as he lead her through the crowd with her clung to his arm. He furrowed his brows in frustration when he noticed Elsa's face was expressionless.
"Try to pretend to be happy." He hissed and she gave him a bitter cold smile as she let frost spread lightly on the prince's arm and smirked in satisfaction as he pulled away from her to warm up his right arm.
"We might be engaged but that won't stop me from fighting you, I'll keep doing it till the very end." She said only loud enough for him to hear and he smirked at her declaration but couldn't stop the shivers that went up his spine from her cold tone. But he knew she'll do as he said as long as she believed Mathias's life was on the line but he didn't know how long that would last and hoped this played through. His eyes widened when he realized that Elsa disappeared and cursed under his breath as he approached one of the servants.
Elsa shut her bedroom door and sighed in relief as she slid down to the floor and leaned against it for support. She groaned in frustration as she banged the back of her head slightly against the door a few times. She was ashamed….ashamed of herself for being so vulnerable to agree to do such a thing and she hated it as much as she hated Joseph. With a scream she froze almost everything in the room and made sure that the door wouldn't budge before thawing out the bed and collapsing into into it seeking its comfort. She quickly felt something metallic pressing against her chest and sat up and looked down seeing the necklace Mathias had given her during Christmas. Gently she wrapped her right hand around it and brought it up to her lips kissing the pendant knowing that this would be the only comfort besides her sister she'll ever get. Her eyes stung from her tears as she silently cried herself to sleep undisturbed and away from the reality for one night just like before except she slept alone without the warmth of her beloved.
The morning sun shined through the window curtains much to Elsa's annoyance as she stirred awake to face the day. The vague memories of last night's events plagued her and she suddenly felt like she was about to vomit for agreeing to to it but then remembered that he has Mathias as leverage against her and she couldn't do anything about it. A loud bang at her door startled her a bit and wondered who it was till she heard the voice of the man she so despised the most with the exception of Hans. She fought back the urge to yell at him to leave her alone but she had to be apart of the announcement of this surade of an engagement. Grudgingly she got out of bed incoherently mumbling to herself and went to her closet to pick out a dress for the day. She picked out the black dress and went to her changing room as Joseph continued to bang on the door demanding her to open it. His pestering wasn't helping her mood as more ice began to coat the door to the point she couldn't hear the banging anymore. She sighed when everything went quiet again but knew she couldn't stay in here forever and thawed out the door opening it to reveal Joseph glaring daggers at her and she just simply smiled acting like she did nothing wrong.
"You're driving my patience Queen Elsa, do you really want Mathias to die so badly." He sneered and her smile quickly dissipated into a look of horror. The prince laughed at her expression before walking away from her leaving her to suffer in her own misery as her freedom was slowly ripped away from her. But she wasn't done there was one thing Joseph didn't know about her and that was the fact that her subject knew her quite well especially when she always wore either blue or the occasional purple dresses and she hopped a few of them would figure it out. She stayed away from Anna and Kristoff hopping that they wouldn't try to pry the information out of her but that would ruin her plan. Surprisingly both Kristoff and Kai understood when they caught a glimpse of the dress she was wearing as both she and joseph stepped closer to the balcony overseeing the courtyard as her people slowly entered it, eager to hear some news.
"I'll do the talking." Joseph said confidently as he stepped closer to the railings and Elsa just stood back and silently watched as her life slowly crumbled around her.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you all for coming here today for an important announcement and since Queen Elsa is to excited to speak i'll be giving the knews. Last night i proposed to your queen and was more than eager to accept it. We will be married in a month from now and Arendelle will officially have it's king." He announced and the audience was silent as a few men looked in Elsa's direction and saw her wearing her black dress and frowned at the prince. Elsa smiled to herself when she saw some of the men looking up at Joseph in anger and already knew her plan was working. Without another word he dismissed them and a few of the villagers grouped together whispering to one another as they glanced back up at Elsa and she knew for certain they were planning a protest.
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