Chapter 2: The Snow Queen
Arendelle
12MAY24 0742 HRS.
3rd POV:
"Anna? Are you awake yet?" the Snow Queen calls to her sister. A muffled reply of "just a minute" whispers through the door. A few seconds later the turn of a door knob alerts the Snow Queen of her sister entering the hall. Anna was dressed as any bridesmaid would be, in a simple white dress that would compliment the bride but not out show her. A friend of the two sisters, Sean "Olaf" Summers, had asked for Anna to be her bridesmaid. She also asked the lovely Snow Queen, Elsa, to provide the sermon for her and her husband. Of course, the sisters happily agreed to wed their best friend and even provided the castle's church as well as all the expenses. As the two sisters walked down the stairs to the main entry to their castle, Elsa took the time to reflect on how old fashioned Arendelle was when it came to architecture. The country itself looked like it belonged in an era just after the Middle Ages. However, while the town looked outdated the renovations on the buildings kept them up to date and looking as new as the day they were built. The country also had a pretty good infrastructure, while they didn't rely on trains, their roads rivaled that of the Autobahn in Germany. The roads themselves were well kept ans fit the traffic needs of the small country. The capital of Arendelle rested on a fjord that sat at the base of a steep mountain range. Most of the population chose to stay in the capital, but as is with any society, there were a few people who chose the nomadic way of life and moved beyond the mountains. Arendelle's military was a force to be reckoned with, for the simple fact that the country was so small and would need good protection if ever invaded. While the Arendellian Army was a notable force the navy was the back bone of the country's homeland security. Their navy rivaled that of many of the world superpowers, and in some cases was even called upon to aid NATO forces in the war on ISIS. Their navy made up for what the air force lacked on, since the county was surrounded by high mountain ranges there was no need for a huge air force. The airfield they had could safely house a small squadron of F-22 Raptors and a handful of F-35 Lightning Strikes. The airfield could only accommodate 1 C-130 for an extended period of time. As Elsa was reflecting on this she was thinking maybe we should expand the airfield to accommodate some more larger aircraft. Elsa was brought out of her musings by Anna when she began questioning her about the recent talks with American diplomats. "Elsa, what's the deal with all these discussions with American diplomats?" asked Anna curiously. Elsa paused then began "Well Anna, there's been whispers of growing ISIS supporters in some of the surrounding countries, and I fear that eventually may spread to here. I'm sure I don't need to remind you of the attack on the castle that could have killed us both." Both sisters paused for a second, getting chills before Anna spoke up again. "Good point, so what are we going to do about it?" Elsa stopped walking and turned to face her sister, "I've asked for NATO forces to keep eyes on their respective nations, and proposed that a NATO force be stationed here for a while to make sure what happened to us a few months ago doesn't happen again." Anna looked at her sister slightly confused, "well did you at least find out whose going to watching our backs?" "Yes, there's not much in their records except for their names, a photo, and a slight background on them. Apparently, they're a small elite SEAL team know for making the impossible...well possible" Elsa stated. Anna looked at her sister in awe, "You mean were getting a SEAL team? Like the guys who took that Osama guy?" Elsa smiled a little at her sisters enthusiasm, "well not that team exactly, this team goes by the name "Night Fury" but other than that I don't know much about them." "Wow so when do we meet them?" Anna asked excitedly. Elsa chuckled "well from what I understand they should be arriving today, but an exact time wasn't given to me." Elsa turned to continue toward the church when Anna stopped her, "Elsa...do you think their hot?" With a sigh and a slight chuckle she turned her head over her shoulder "I don't know Anna, but we'll see." With that the two sisters arrived at the church.
1100 HRS.
Elsa POV:
Standing at the Altar I notice the huge grin that threatens to split the face of Olaf. His optimistic attitude is contagious, and that's probably the reason so many people have gathered here today for him. I remember the first time I had to stand at this altar, but the conditions were very different.
Flashback:
My hands are still shaking, and my knees feel so weak. I feel I might pass out on the spot, but that would look bad in front of all my people. My people, that term still hasn't quite settled with me yet. I mean, it feels like only yesterday I was wishing my parents a fun and safe voyage. Yet, here I stand less than 2 weeks from the accident that robbed me and my sister of our parents. I'm about to be put in charge of an entire country and at the age of 18 no less. I've never been so scared in my entire life. What if I mess up? What if I can't do this? Almost as if sensing my panic, the Arc Bishop Kai smiles at me with a soft smile. Whiles it's not enough to clear my fears, it does help me prepare myself for the rest of the coronation.
Present:
I shake myself from my thoughts, and scan throughout the church at the crowd. About half way through the crowd I noticed five people I've never seen before. Almost immediately I realized they were not Arendelleians and that thought scared me to the core. Were these the men that tried to kill me and my sister? I was broken from my thoughts by the tune of the piano that would announce Olfa's wife. I decided to proceed with the ceremony, but I'm going to be keeping my eyes on them for the time being.
Anna POV:
I noticed my sisters gaze fall upon 5 men in the back of the church. These men were well blended into the crowd, but the sheer size and build of the suggested they didn't come from here. Are they the guard detail my sister mentioned, or are they here for something more sinister? I'll have to keep my eyes on them till then end of the ceremony. I began to carefully study them, right off the bat I could tell that they weren't Arendellian, The beards that 3 of them had were a dead give away, because Arendellian men don't grow facial hair. I could also tell by the look of them that they all had seen some things in their lives, but what I couldn't tell. The blonde haired man is quite the looker I wonder...no Anna focus, they could be bad guys for all I know. Sitting to the left of the blonde was a dark blonde haired man roughly about the same size. I wonder if those two are brothers. To his left was a dark haired man but the light in the church made it hard to tell whether or not it was dark brown or light. I'm not quite sure what to think about him, but he would definitely pose a problem to our guard force if that arrived. To his left was another man, but even with the light in the church you could tell that his hair was as black as the night sky itself. This man was also sporting a scar across his face from just above the left eye to the right side of his mouth. That man seems extremely dangerous, maybe even on par with the man next to him. The last person in their little group was a slightly smaller man but the posture in which he held himself screamed that he was someone important. Why does it look like he's having an internal conversation with himself, is he even mentally stable? I caught my sister glance at me from the corner of my eye and I could instantly tell we had the same thought process. Before I could get another look though, the ceremony came to a close. When I glanced back from the couples kiss I noticed one of them had excused themselves. He disappeared without a trace, almost as if he was never there to begin with. I knew I had to talk to my sister immediately.
Elsa POV:
At the very end of the ceremony I caught my sister's glace and knew exactly what she was trying to tell me. After the couple's kiss I announced that there would be a ball at the palace that would begin at 5 pm. With that I dismissed the crowd of people and made my way over to my sister. As if she knew what I wanted to speak about. We waited till the crowed all filed out, said our goodbye's to Kai, and proceeded to head to the other side of the castle to prepare for the ball. Anna instantly shot off with a question, "who were those guys?" I thought back to their appearances, " I don't know Anna, but there presence her wasn't unnoticed." Anna paused for a second as if she was thinking about something, "what about the one who just disappeared?" I did notice him slip himself out right before the last part of the ceremony, "I have taken care of it, I had Captain Stilles dispatch a man to follow him." As if on cue, a man came running up me and my sister. I waited patiently for him to catch his breath and once he did, "what can I do for you Sargent Renolds?" He quickly popped to attention, "my Queen, I followed the man who left earlier. It seems he has a room at the inn by the airfield, but that's not even the best part. My Queen, he wanted me to tell you that he will see you at the ball, and will discuss things then." I was baffled, and slightly pissed, the audacity of this man. "Thank you, Sargent. You're dismissed." With a quick salute he said, "thank you my Queen." I watched him leave, and turned to my sister. She looked at me and said, "well I don't think they're here to do us any harm." What?! "What gives you that idea?" I asked her quizzically. With a slight smile, "Cause most people won't address themselves to the targets military or even make their presence know for that matter." I though about it for a second, and agreed with her, "well then it looks like we have some guests attending the ball, I guess we best go get ready. We have a ball to attend."
A/N: Next chapter the ball, and two different walks of life finally meet. The third chapter will be longer, and is currently being worked on. I will try to post a chapter a week depending on my schedule.