Frozen Creed: Requiem
Chapter 10
Revelation
September 10
1773
Today was the day. Today Anna would meet the woman who had stolen her sisters heart. As she stood next to her sisters throne, she tried to keep from fidgeting, dressed as she was in her long sleeved low cut gown. Elsa had been surprised at the long sleeves but hadn't said anything for which Anna was grateful. She had decided to wear long sleeves so she could wear her hidden blades, as well as having a bundle of throwing knives strapped to her thigh on each leg. The welcoming of Elizabeth had turned into a celebration as word had spread around court that Elsa was welcoming a dear friend of the crown and while Anna still loved a good party as much as the next person, but she was practical enough to be prepared.
"Nervous?" Anna asked.
"I'm not" Elsa said stepping on a piece of ice at her feet as the doors opened.
"Queen Elsa, Elizabeth Windsor, the duchess of Notinghamshire" Kai announced as a tall, pale, beautiful woman cloaked in forest green glided into the ball room like a floating leaf. She had emerald green eyes, rosy red lips, and a full figure that curved in all the right places and was thin in all the right ones too. As Elsa stood to greet her Anna had to fight down the surge of inadequacy, her old friend.
"Duchess Elizabeth" Elsa said smiling widely.
"Queen Elsa" Elizabeth responded curtsying as Elizabeth moved aside.
"Ambassador John Adams and Benjamin Franklin from the United States" Kai announced and the two men walked in. Anna met eyes with Benjamin Franklin who had grown slightly fatter and a little greyer than she remembered and the mans eyes widened before giving her a secretive smile. Right behind them in a well fitted suit walked Conner who nodded at her.
"PrinceCaspian De La Angelos" Kai said and Anna felt her blood run cold as the blonde haired mand walked into the room to the admiration of the crowed. Anna had almost chocked when she had seen his name on the guest list, but knew that he was a powerful enough prince that he could attach himself to any party he wished. As soon as she had seen his name along with Franklins and Adams she knew that one way or another her secret would be revealed tonight. She had struggled with telling Elsa beforehand, but didn't want to ruin her exactment over Elziabeth. Now looking down at the man she steeled herself for whatever might come this night.
"Elsa the Snow Queen, it is an honor to meet you face to face at long last. I must admit your beauty surpasses the stories I have heard of it" The man said kneeling low.
"It is an honor to host you Prince Caspian" Elsa said and the man chuckled.
"Please. I am but the ner'do well fifth son of the Spanish king living idly off my wealth. I should be thanking you for hosting me" Caspian responded and Elsa smiled as Caspian looked at Anna smiling, but his eyes glittering.
"Let the party begin" Elsa announced and people immediately began to dance, and Caspian made a b-line for Elsa as Anna stepped into his path and she stared into his eyes as he stared back in a silent battle of wills.
"Anna, what are you doing?" Elsa whispered from behind her as Anna readied herself to spring into action.
"Really your highness, is this really the place?" Caspian asked in Arabic.
"Why are you here?" Anna responded in kind.
"Curiosity and unfinished business" Caspian responded as Elsa listened dumbfounded. Elsa spoke French, German, Latin, Russian and was conversant in a dozen other languages, but she had never learned Arabic, or rather had learned rudimentary Arabic when she learned Anna had tried to learn it and wanted to do anything that her sister was doing, but had never been able to master it, something that had frustrated her. Now hearing Anna conversing in the language with Prince Caspian who was famous among royal circles for his beauty, bravery and eccentricities as if she knew him, and fluently in a forgein language had Elsa dumbfounded.
"Now here, here, no need to pick up old grudges" Benjamin Franklin said walking up.
"Quit right Mr. Franklin, the past is in the past after all" Caspian said.
"Your highness, would you like to dance?" He asked smiling.
"I would love too" Anna said smiling back so coldly that those who saw it shivered slightly. Anna took the mans hand and led him onto the dance floor as Connor walked up to Franklin.
"Oh my, for a second there I thought she would pick up where you two left off" Franklin said nervously wiping his sweating brow.
"Having him here is not what I expected" Connor agreed.
"Pardon me?" Elsa said a chill entering into the air.
"Oh your highness, My apologies" Franklin said bowing.
"Mr. Franklin what do you mean about my sister picking up where she left off?" Elsa asked softly.
"Oh dear" Franklin said.
"Are you here for Elsa?" Anna demanded as she and Caspian glided over the dance floor.
"Might I say you dance wonderfully your highness" Caspian said without a hint of mockery.
" and to answer your question of course I am. I have always had in interest in your sister, but you dismantling my organization here caused me to re-evaluate things" Caspian said as they turned.
"Like giving up?" Anna asked.
"Hardly. I find that it would be better if a took a more…diplomatic approach" He said.
"Now that you are restored to your right mind and your sister is in control of her powers, I think perhaps we can work out a deal" Caspian said.
"Are you still trying to destroy her powers?" Anna asked.
"heavens no. It was never my intention to eliminate your sisters powers, that was your fathers desire. Yes there is a way to remove your sisters powers, but that was always her choice, and perhaps she is in a better place to make an informed choice now?" Caspian said as the song ended and they separated.
"YOU'RE lying!" Elsa shouted as frost covered her thrown and the dais driving Connor and Franklin back.
"Oh dear" Caspian said as Anna raced back to the throne.
"Elsa are you alright?" Anna asked.
"Is it true?" Elsa demanded tears in the corners of her eyes
"Is what true?" Anna asked as the frost spread.
"That you left the castle for more than a year?" Elsa demanded. Anna turned and glared at both Franklin and Connor. Her brother Assassin just shrugged while Franklin wiped his forehead. Anna stepped up close to Elsa and leaned into her ear.
"We will talk about this later. Right now you have guests to attend to. Take a deep breath, calm down, and be the Queen." Anna whispered.
"you two shoo" Anna said literally shooing them off the dais.
"For the rest of the night you two will tell my sister nothing about our past together, now go mingle" Anna said quietly to both of them and turning saw Elsa talking with Elisabeth, the ice having disappeared.
"Anna what happened?" Kristoff asked appearing at her elbow.
"You're late" Anna said.
"It took longer getting ready than I thought" He said.
"So this young man is your lover?" Caspian said appearing at her other elbow.
"Kristoff this is Caspian, an old acquaintance" Anna said glaring at him.
"Nice to meet you" Kristoff said offering his hand.
"Likewise" Caspian said shaking the mans hand.
"I see you managed to get your sister under control" Caspian said.
"Watch it" Anna hissed.
"You don't agree that you have a strong influence over your sister and her abilities?" Caspian asked.
"What do you want?" Anna asked as Kai walked up.
"Excuse me your highness but the queen would like to meet with you and prince Caspian" Kai said.
"Excellent" Caspian said.
"Kristoff, you come too" Anna said taking the mans hand, drawing comfort from him as she knew what was coming as they walked to the dais and followed Elsa and Elizabeth out of the ballroom and into her study followed by Benjamin Franklin and Connor.
"Anna please close the door" Elsa said as they filed in. Anna did as her sister asked as she walked behind her desk, every inch a queen.
"I want to know what's going on, all of it" Elsa said looking at the room as the temperature dropped.
"That is quit a long story your highness with some rather dark turns, regrettable decisions and unfortunate consequences" Caspian said with the tone of a man gearing up to recite a tale.
"Tell me your highness, how much do you know of the Assassin's and the Templars?" Caspian asked.
"only what I've read" Elsa said confused.
"And what have you read, that is important?" Caspian asked.
"That the Assassin's were an order of Muslim radicals who were eventually destroyed by the Mongols and that the Templars were an order of Knights who were dissolved and destroyed by the Pope and King Phillip the fair of France" Elsa said like a student reciting notes to her instructor.
"That is what history says but history is wrong, isn't it your highness?" Caspian asked Anna who only glared back at him.
"Anna?" Elsa asked.
"Your highness, please lift your sleeve?" Caspian asked her with mock politeness.
"Why should she?" Kristoff asked.
"It's alright" Anna said realizing that she had no choice, that she was in a corner she couldn't get out of and this was what things had come too.
"Gerda was right. I should have told Elsa sooner" Anna thought as she rolled up her sleeve and fast as a snake had her blade speeding toward the mans throat, only to stop an inch from the mans neck as he had caught her wrist in his grip.
"An admiral effort your highness" Caspian said as she pressed her to one knee with inhuman strength.
"I wouldn't move if I were you Connor. If you do I will tear her arm off" Caspian said squeezing harder.
"Release her!" Elsa demanded as ice crept of the wall.
"Remarkable" Franklin gasped as Caspian let Anna go ripping her gauntlet off in the process.
"A remarkable device" Caspian said holding the gauntlet as Anna got up and rubbed her arm Kristoff at her side. She watched as Caspian handed Elsa the gauntlet who took it almost reverently.
"So simple, but with this a single individual can change the fate of a nation." Caspian said.
"The assassin's and templars still exist. They still fight each other, shaping the fate of the world in their own image. Freedom V.S. Control. The Assassin's believe in free will, of living as one chooses. The templars believe in control, of being the firm hand that guides the world." Caspian said as Elsa turned the gauntlet around in her hands.
"I however am part of a third group, the Orecalcus" He said.
"We are a group who believe in the power of the precursors" Caspian said.
"Precursors?" Elsa asked.
"Your highness, would you like to explain?" Caspian asked. Anna walked up to Elsa's desk and held out her hand for the bracer, and her sister silently handed it to her confusion in her eyes.
"The precursors are humanities creators, an ancient race who were so powerful that humans believed them to be gods" Anna said as she slipped the gauntlet back onto her arm and flipped the blade to make sure it wasn't damaged making Elsa gasp.
"They were greater and more intelligent than we can ever hope to understand, creating items of immense power" Caspian explained.
"Magic items?" Kristoff interjected.
"No, or at least not what you would consider magic" Caspian said.
"And how would you know what is magic and what is not?" Connor asked.
"Normally at this point I would interject and state that there is no such thing as magic, but after seeing the queens rather extraordinary abilities" Benjamin said.
"But what does that have to do with the princess?" Elizabeth asked giving Anna a strange look.
"Ah yes. Well the princess spent her childhood tearing down what I had built in this land" Caspian said offhandedly.
"As you all must have figured out, her highness is a member of the brotherhood, a rather impressive one at that. She single handedly eliminated the infrastructure I built in Arendelle to further my goals" He explained.
"Wait, if you are an assassin then what happened at the coronation?" Elsa asked her eyes showing a strange admiration that turned Anna's stomach.
"I have also wondered about that?" Caspian added.
"Someone as competent as you would not make the blunders you did, especially courting and marrying a man in one night" Caspian said and Anna blushed.
"Does the whole damn world know about that?" She shot out angrily surprising Elsa who felt like she was seeing her sister for the first time. As she looked at her now she saw the way Anna carried herself, saw the strength and certainty, the confidence that Elsa hadn't noticed before. She knew she should feel aghast at the revelation that Anna was an Assassin but the belief that Anna was the assassin that saved her along with the admiration, pushed to the back of her mind for years came rushing back.
"I wasn't in my right mind, literally. As soon as I returned from the new world my parents drugged me and had my mind altered and my memories erased" Anna explained unwilling to meet her sisters eyes.
"And that explains it. As much of a pain in the backside as you were for me, I had come to respect and admire your abilities. Ironically because you severed my ties to this land I was never made aware of this." He said almost to himself.
"And I take it an apple of Eden was used to set you right?" Caspian asked.
"Do you know everything?" Anna demanded.
"no, but a fair bit" He said without missing a beat.
"And that my friends is an example of the power of a piece of Eden, that it can return that which was removed and erased even by "magic"" He said.
"So, why are you here? Is it for revenge on my sister?" Elsa asked.
"Heavens know. Now that she is back in her right mind she is far to valuable to kill" Caspian said.
"What do you mean valuable?" Connor demanded.
"Besides her obvious skill? Because of you your Majesty" Caspian said to Elsa.
"Anna is the one person who can help keep your powers under control, the one who you trust over all others, your right hand as it were" Caspian said.
"So I would like to offer you both a deal" The man said.