July 24th, 1840
Near the North Mountain, Arendal
Ásta had ridden all night, stopping only to consume a rabbit she had shot before the incident with the trolls. It was certainly odd, as her once intense hunger seemed to be slowing down as time had passed. To be fair she still needed to eat a massive amount, and while a rabbit would more than fill a single person for a day, she knew she would eat more later that day.
As for her lost mask she was not too concerned as she brought a spare just in case like this happened. But she chose against donning it until the morning, deciding that she would do a reassessment of her wounds when there was light to properly see, as her night vision left something to be desired in fine detail. Alas, that time had come.
Finding a nice secluded spot with plenty of the warm morning sunlight, Ásta dismounted from her horse and sat cross legged as she pulled out her mirror. She removed her bandages, wincing as she cursed the fact that the rejuvenation of her flesh meant the return of pain, at least for her outer flesh. It was odd, as all the flesh in her body was just that now: flesh. She knew that dark magic kept her alive, with her bones being hard and thick as steel and her organs just mere flesh.
For now, she was content to ponder on her "recovery" from mummification. As the last bandage was removed, even she was astonished by her healing factor. Any signs of wounds had disappear, with the exception of a nicely healed scar. Not only that, but she now could pass for human, somewhat. The unnatural glow to her eyes and the unnatural presence she emanated would still tip people off, but she now looked like an elderly woman.
As she ran her hands through her light grey hair, a single sliver of hair caught her eye, making her smile. Among all the white and grey there was a single strand of dull color to her hair, the color it had been when she died.
Soon, very soon. I will again look like I did.
…
Dock district, Arendal proper
The docks were much emptier now as they Navy had mostly departed to once again patrol the waters of the Baltic, protecting the shipping of their countrymen from harm. So at these early hours just after the sunrise only two vessels were active, as the fishing fleet had departed before the sun even rose.
The first was the SJCW Świt, the small diplomatic vessel from Corona, being prepared to ferry Princess Rapunzel and her Prince-Escort Eugene back to their home back in Central Europe. As was proper, Anna and earlier Elsa had come to see them off. Elsa would have had stayed longer, but she had other business to attend to at the dock. As such, Anna was disappointed but eager to make the most of it.
"I'm sorry we are so busy with all the mess surrounding the Coronation and this Draugr-thing, I really wished I could have had more time with you and Eugene."
Rapunzel shook her head, before smiling. "Do not worry about it, Anna. I remember how crazy things were when I was found. I am more than confident that you and Elsa will beat this thing."
"I know." Anna stated a matter of factly, while keeping a brave face on. To be honest, she was scared witless at what they were facing. She was lying to herself, and Anna was schooled enough in politics to figure out that Rapunzel was bullshitting her as well. After all, she didn't have to deal with an undead monstrosity.
"Anna, if there is anything we can do to help, let us know."
"Thank you Rapunzel, for everything. Hopefully in a few months you can visit again, when things are less insane."
"I hope so too."
As the two cousins hugged, Queen Elsa was busy dealing with the passenger of the other ship, which was offloading passengers, most of which were military. The most important of which was to meet the Queen.
"Colonel Grimstad, good to finally meet you." Elsa put on a fake smile as the man before her bowed, sure to size up the man she had only heard about up to this point. If it wasn't for the fact that he was the only Colonel coming off the ship, Elsa would have had difficulty spotting him. Grimstad was the head of Arendal's Signal Corps, which also meant the Spy-Master of the country. Grimstad was therefore much more subdued than most officers Elsa had met over the years.
He had short dirty blonde hair that was just long enough to look ungroomed, and a full set of now graying stubble that obscured some scars that might have stood out otherwise. His face was rough from years of riding in all weather, though not so much that it stood out. In fact the only thing that really stood out about the man was his harsh, demanding and inquisitive green eyes that constantly darted about, looking for some possible threat.
Ironic that the man that did everything to blend in as a spy is betrayed by his eyes, and therefore his own mind.
"Your Majesty." The Colonel briskly responded, seemingly in a hurry to get off the dock. "I understand that you have concerns about your security as of late?"
"I do Colonel. The Royal Council wishes to unseat me, and I'm concerned that if it does go against them, one of them may take desperate measures."
"And you don't trust the Royal Guard to do their duty?"
"It's not that I don't trust their loyalty or competence, it's that I feel that they are too dedicated to my safety."
"Ah, they likely wanted to have half the council shot on the spot, and you were looking for a more tempered reaction." He shifted, running possible scenarios and plans through his head for a moment. "Well, it'll take time to get a good network in place here. Once established, we'll have a much better understanding of the situation. Anything else?"
"Yes, there is. I presume you received the message regarding the Draugr?"
"Yes, your majesty. I can't help you there, but I know some folks who can."
"Good, I need that crisis dealt with immediately. I have already heard of rumors of uprising, and if we don't act quickly, I do feel things may spiral out of control."
"Of course your Majesty."
"Carry on, Colonel."
Grimstad bowed quickly, before setting off with a purpose to begin his work. Elsa only stopped to look but for a second, before putting a diplomatic smile on her face and turning to give her farewell to her cousin. It would be a long day.
…
The Royal Palace, Arendal Proper
Elsa sat down, prompting the Royal Council Members to do the same, officially beginning the meeting. The memories of the last meeting must have been fresh in their minds, as all the members of the Opposition seemed timid, with the exception of the always stoic Jamesen and confrontational Lundgren. All had put on a show, with both sides wearing Arendal green and their service medals. Anna was there too, though for her effort she had a much more diplomatic expression today than last time.
Kai, being the steward, brought up the first and only issue that had been brought up for the meeting, as much as the words angered him. "And now to deal with today's first order of business, the… proceedings against Queen Elsa of Arendal."
Jamesen rose, firmly shouldering the burden of being the leader of the legal overthrow of the Monarch. "I formally challenge the legal rule of Queen Elsa of Arendal on counts of desertion, attempted murder, assault and battery, destruction of both government and public property, negligence, and incompetence. As these all occurred in the first three days of her rule, my fellow Ministers and I declare her majesty to be unfit to rule using the Jarl's Revolt as a precedent. I put the motion to a vote, with a majority vote beginning impeachment procedures."
Elsa was taken aback by the sheer number of charges, but she knew better than to go into this blind. "By Arendal law I am entitled to know the nature of each and every charge against me, Minister. Please explain."
"Very well. By abandoning you subjects in time of crisis we accuse you of deserting your duties as Queen of the land. In addition, both the overall unnatural winter as well as the actions of the Snow Golem at the North Mountain warrants the charges of the attempted murder as well as assault and battery upon the citizens of Arendal. The damage inflicted on both government and private property merits the destruction charges, as does the whole crisis warrant both charges of negligence and incompetence."
"Very well, carry on Minister." Now I know what I'm fighting against.
"As such, I put the vote into motion for the challenging of the rule of Queen Elsa. All those in favor of the proceedings, raise your hand and say aye."
Elsa's heart sunk when well over half, if not two thirds raised their hands and voted against her. Still, she fought bitterly to keep her composure.
"All against?"
A scattered few rose their hands, firmly sealing in her heart the desperation of her position. Kai once again had to be the neutral bearer of bad news.
"Very well, the motion passes, and with it, concludes our meeting for the day. All rise!"
Elsa and Anna both rose and walked out defeated, with Anna waiting until they left the room before exploding in a rage.
"What the hell was that? That's it, it's over!?"
"No, I am given a full day to plan my defense. As such we will reconvene tomorrow, and the real trial will begin."
"And how does it all work?"
"Well, each charge against me is examined, with both sides making cases for their side. Once every issue has been examined, the council votes on my overall right to rule."
"Overall right?"
"Yes, it isn't a legal trial in that they don't have to prove I did or didn't do anything. In the end, if two-thirds find me unfit to rule, by all means I am no-longer the constitutional Monarch."
"Then what?"
"Well, then I either step down or count on the army to have my back."
Anna smiled, before playfully pushing Elsa. "And you made this seem like a big deal!"
"What?"
"You made it seem like if you lost this trial you'd be arrested or overthrown! We know the Army has our back, so there's no threat to your rule!"
"Anna that is not a road I will go down. If the people find I ignored the constitution, they will revolt. And that means the Army will put it down, with rifle and bayonet. I will not be that ruler. Ever." Elsa sighed, before turning to Anna with e desperate, anxious look on her face. "Anna, I… I don't think I can win this one. Please, I need you to be ready, when the time comes."
This time it was Anna on the back foot, trying to wrap her head around the concept that she could be Queen very shortly, something she honestly never wanted. After all, there was another reason why she was so eager to transfer responsibility to Hans when Elsa disappeared. As Elsa excused herself and moved off to her room alone, Anna was left feeling very alone and afraid. It was all she could to whisper a simple plead to herself.
"Please Elsa, don't do this to me…"
…
Valley of the Living Rock, Arendal
Kristoff wearily opened his eyes to the sensation of movement, dazed and confused. Last thing he remembered was fighting the Draugr, losing half his hand and then blacking out. His whole body pulsed and vibrated with something, and things seemed brighter for some reason. He felt justified to question all of this.
Is this all real? Am I…
He couldn't bear to finish that thought. It couldn't be that he… died, could it? After all, he only lost a few fingers, how could something that trivial kill him?
Blurry movement revealed a figure, one so familiar, to the Sami. As it closed in to check him, the figure focused in to reveal someone that Kristoff thought dead.
Bulda leaned in, smiling to see her adopted son recovering from the devastating blow that he received fighting that… thing. After the corpse had left the scene, she and the other trolls that survived returned to recover what they could and help those who had run afoul of the monster.
At first she was relieved to see Kristoff to be relatively unharmed, but when he wouldn't wake panic set in. It was then that Grandpabbie joined them with the last surviving Human soldier, and Grandpabbie's suspicions were quickly confirmed. It had turned out that the sword used by the Draugr was "blessed" with magic to sap strength and stamina from its victims. Her father seemed unusually worried about that revelation, even after he declared that Kristoff was certainly going to live. He knew something, but it was not the time for that now. Now she had to attend to her boy. She has used her own healing powers to help his recovery, but she knew that maternal care had a magic all of its own.
"Kristoff, can you hear me?" The troll whispered to her son, breath abated.
"Bulda… but you died… am I dead?"
"No… you'll be okay."
Still exhausted and his exhausted mind happy to accept the voice of his mother as truth, Kristoff lapsed back into the deep sleep of recovery. Bulda was happy to let her son sleep, for she had plenty of her own work to deal with. Sven had done a good job pulling the sled that housed wounded trolls and Kristoff, but that was just one part of their problems. With their whole village in flames, the trolls had no choice but to leave their ancestral homeland and travel north, a dangerous journey for such a large group of people.
It also didn't help that her father spent more and more time dealing with "spiritual matters" than dealing with the practical issues at hand, something that honestly infuriated Bulda. After all, they had all lost someone when the Draugr came. For herself it was Cliff, her husband. By all accounts she should have been grieving, but there was simply no time for that now.
Don't worry Cliff, I'll keep him safe. Even if it means joining up with you sooner than I would have liked.
"Ma'am?" It was Nilo, the young human soldier left to guard Grandpabbie when the others went to confront the Draugr. By sheer luck, he had survived the battle that killed all of his fellows. Lost and seeking direction, he was more than happy to act as the lead element for the troll convoy as they moved onward.
"What is it?"
"There's a lone rider, blocking our path. She's female, I think."
Bulda's blood froze, as she realized that Nilo had not seen the Draugr, and would not recognize her if he saw her. She moved as fast as her troll body allowed her, making the small turn round the rock face that hid the troll refugee column. She was so relieved then when she saw that instead of the hooded terror that took so many mere hours before, there sat a rather butch looking woman, wearing men's outdoors clothes and a broad rimmed slouch hat. Pulling her kerchief down, the stranger tilted her head and began to speak.
"Ah, the trolls. I figured you'd evacuate. But you seem to be going the wrong way."
Bulda placed her hands on her hips, a little cross that a stranger was backseat driving. "I assure you, we know where we are going."
The rider shrugged. "Doubt it. Up there is the North, and in case you haven't heard, well, there's a bit of a crisis going on up there."
"What type of crisis?"
With a look and voice that dripped with foreboding dread, she spoke a single word that encapsulated all the terrible things she had witnessed the last few days. "Revolution."
…
Bit of Notes:
As some of you know I am stationed at Fort Hood, and regarding recent events, yes I am fine. Nobody I know was involved in the helicopter crash, so that's that.
Glad I managed to get this out before Thanksgiving, so here's a bit of a treat for you all. Hopefully my current pace of writing continues till the completion of the story. Other than that, that's all folks.
-Dragunov