Disclaimer: all the characters, locations and items in this work are trademarked by Disney, Sega and Ubisoft, unless noted otherwise. All original characters, if not related to existing characters, are owned by the author.
Chapter 6 - (500) Days of Winter, Part 2
Twenty-one months after the shipwreck
Elsa was sure that she would go crazy sooner or later, with the "quality" of some of the counselors she had inherited from her father.
Of course, she knew that dealing with a bunch of pampered nobles was to be expected, especially considering that they had been raised with the best of everything.
However, dealing with Army and Navy leaders was especially challenging.
Ever since the Sons of Mylai had initiated a series of murders of military members that had been involved in the village massacre almost seven years ago, representatives of the Armed Forces on the Royal Council had increased the pressure for the Princess and Lord Regent to take actions against the group.
This included, among others, the imposition of a curfew, the suspension of rights such as the freedom of assembly, association and expression, as well as granting legal immunity for soldiers who were engaged in the hunting of political criminals.
In practice, they wanted the Armed Forces to be above the law, causing both Elsa and Kai to double their workload to ensure that the Council did not support these absurd measures. At the moment, it was working, since only two Counselors had decided to support the military's petitions so far.
An absolute minority, so to speak.
However, every council meeting always had the same litany from the military chiefs, which was a guaranteed headache for the sovereign. "...both Admiral Qüisling and myself are in agreement, Your Highness, that the measures we are presenting are necessary to ensure law and order in Arendelle", explained a man wearing a green coat, decorated with various medals.
"What you are suggesting, General Terboven, and for the millionth time, might I add, is to transform our nation into a military dictatorship!", remarked a counselor, visibly annoyed that this matter had surfaced once again.
"That would be a temporary situation, Glücksburg!", argued another adviser, wearing a white coat, also with several medals affixed to his chest. "Only as long as the Sons of Mylai pose a threat!"
"We have the police for that! They are more than capable of dealing with this, Admiral, and just suggesting that the Army and Navy have police power is an offence to an institution that, for centuries, has helped to ensure the public safety of Arendelle!", replied a middle-aged woman in a red dress with green accents.
Looking disdainfully at Terboven, the female counselor continued her attack. "My father, may the Gods bless his soul, would be ashamed to know that his old college friend ever made a suggestion like that!"
Having met the late Colonel Ingsborg, who had headed the Royal Police, Elsa knew he would indeed have been mortified if he was at the council meeting instead of his daughter Marge.
Turning to the head of the table, where the princess and the Lord Regent stood, the general tried to appeal. "Your Highness, my Lord, this is a matter of national security. I'm sure your father…"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!", Kai shouted, punching the table as a thin layer of snow began to fall in the council room. "General, you and the Admiral have already presented this proposal countless times, and it has been repeatedly rejected! So don't you dare appeal to the memory of King Agdar. That cheap trick is no longer working!"
"I endorse the Lord Regent's words", muttered Elsa, struggling to keep her emotions from taking her. "General, since you and the Admiral have decided that the country should become a Draconian State in the fight against an internal enemy, you have both disrespected this council over and over again. We remained quiet in respect of the institutions you represent, but no more."
"Your Highness, I…" began Admiral Quisling, being cut off by a glare from the princess.
"I suggest a motion of censure against General Josef Terboven and Admiral Vidkun Quisling for acts that speak for themselves."
"I endorse the motion, Your Highness", Kai said solemnly, before turning to the rest of the council. "All who are in favor of the motion, please raise your hands."
With the exception of four people, among them the two military men, all the councilors raised their hands. "So the motion is approved. General, Admiral, this is the first and only warning we will give you: further disrespect towards this council means the suspension of your posts for a period of three months. The penalties will be increased in repeated cases, and may ultimately lead to the cancellation of your mandates. So, I suggest that you think about what you're going to say the next time you decide to speak", Kai said, with a sharp look at Terboven and Quisling.
"Okay, now that this issue is settled, do we have any other issues to discuss?", Elsa questioned, regaining her composure and stopping the snow. Seeing that no one was talking, she spoke again. "I hereby declare this council session closed, and I invite you all to meet again next week at the same time and place. In case of emergencies, everyone already knows the protocol."
Elsa and Kai sat in their seats, watching the counselors rise from their respective seats. The princess kept her regal mask as Terboven and Quisling left, both with annoyed expressions - although, on the inside, she was feeling a great revulsion.
When the princess and himself were alone, Kai let out a heavy sigh and asked. "Permission to speak freely, Elsa?"
"Granted, Kai."
"They're still going to give us a lot of trouble." The blonde knew that her Lord Regent was referring to the two officers. "I wonder where your father's mind was when he picked Terboven and Quisling from the Army and Navy triple lists."
"And to think that it's still two years before their mandates come to an end... how is the High Command's cooptation operation, Kai?"
"Going as planned, Elsa." The princess smiled softly. It was rare to hear Kai and Gerda calling her by her first name. Regardless of how she considered them both as her adoptive parents, especially after the death of Agdar and Idunn. "Currently, five of the nine members are people linked to our current policy, and a sixth is about to retire in five months. As our Constitution allows the Council to name one of the names for the triple list, our spymaster suggested a name."
"And who would he be?"
"She, in this case. The Rear Admiral of the Royal Navy Lanni Strassman."
"She's the former treasure hunter, isn't she?", Elsa asked, raising an eyebrow. "If I'm not mistaken, she has a nickname... Rouge. Am I right, Kai?"
"That's right, Elsa. If I remember correctly, a cadet had told me that she used to come back from her travels with a lot of wounds and dry blood stains on her clothes, which earned her that nickname, since 'rouge', in French, means red."
Elsa nodded. "If she's trustworthy and believes in our current policy, we can consider her for High Command. Maybe we can ask for the Council to nominate her when Quisling leaves office two years from now?", Kai nodded, before rising and bidding farewell to Elsa, leaving the council room.
However, the princess wasn't even alone for two minutes before being interrupted by a series of knocks on the door. "Your Highness?" Gerda called from the other side. "Your teacher has arrived. He's waiting for you for today's lesson."
Elsa smiled. Five years ago, in addition to the traditional lessons for the Crown Princess, her father had decided to hire a fencing and self-defense teacher. At first she hadn't understood the reason, since her powers could take care of any fight.
But Agdar had explained that even if she had absolute control over snow and ice, it was good to have another way of defending herself, since an astute foe could develop techniques to face her without fear of her magic - such as surprise attacks, for example.
"Thank you, Gerda, tell Baptiste that I'm on my way."
Twenty-four months - two years - after the shipwreck
"Bulda, thank you so much for the infusion, Gods know how much I need it", Jason said, putting a tinted bottle of blue liquid in his pocket.
Smiling, the female troll replied. "You're welcome, Jason. Any friend of my adopted son is a family member. And, you saved Jonas when he needed you most, so nothing's fairer than helping you out in times of need."
Jason smiled. When he had saved Kristoff, Sven, and Jonas from the wolves six months ago, he hadn't imagined that within less than two weeks, he would be invited to meet the family of his new friends.
The visit turned out to be a huge surprise, as the hunter discovered that the family that had adopted the Bjorgmans after Jonas' wife and daughters had died were rock trolls! After the shock - which almost made him panic - Jason had grown fond of the trolls, especially Bulda.
She had filled the hole that his mother, trapped somewhere dark in the Southern Isles, could not fill at that moment.
"Until you can go back to your mother, my boy, I will take care of you like only a mother can do", she had said, a few weeks after Jason's first visit to the Valley of Living Rock.
With Bulda acting like a mother, and the other trolls acting like a bunch of mischievous brothers, the hunter would have felt completely at home, were it not for a single detail...
Grand Pabbie.
Since he had come to the Valley for the first time with the Bjorgmans, the interactions with the troll leader had been minimal, with the maximum number of words being exchanged on the first encounter; since then, Jason had a strong feeling that Grand Pabbie was avoiding him out of dislike, something that Bulda, Kristoff and Jonas had been unable to dissuade.
However, while the old troll didn't talk to the blue-haired young man, he was always watching the hunter closely whenever possible, although he always left when he realized that Jason was aware of his presence.
And as soon as he felt a slight chill at the base of his spine, Jason turned to see that Pabbie was actually a reasonable distance from him and Bulda, watching their interaction with attentive eyes, assuming a thoughtful expression.
However, noticing that the hunter's attention was fixed on him, the troll assumed his rock form and rolled away from Jason's field of vision.
"Jason, my boy... it's not that he doesn't like you, he…", Bulda began hesitantly as she saw Jason's indecipherable expression.
"He what, Bulda?", asked the islander, not taking his eyes off the spot where Pabbie was. "Because, whenever I come, he not only makes a point of avoiding me, but also watches over me, as if I'm going to freak out and attack everyone in the Valley."
"He's like that, cryptic. Really, it's strange that he's not as receptive to you as he was to Kristoff, Jonas, and Sven, but that doesn't mean that he has anything against you…"
"I don't know if I can believe that, Bulda... I want to, but every time he behaves like that, I don't think he can ever open up to me", muttered the hunter, turning his eyes to the female troll. "I thought the looks of contempt of the soldiers in the Doctor's lab were already awful, but at least that was to be expected. The way Pabbie acts however... it hurts more, because it goes against everything I imagined about him."
Sensing Bulda's callused hands holding his left hand, Jason felt a lump in his throat - his mother did exactly the same thing when she felt that her son was going through a difficult time. "I just want him to understand that I'm not an enemy, Bulda. Is that too much to ask?"
Bulda swallowed hard before squeezing the hunter's hand affectionately. She didn't know what had happened to Pabbie for him to act this way about Jason, but the female troll was sure about one thing: she would find out the reason sooner or later.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Valley of the Living Rock, Pabbie was staring out at the stream's water, thinking of the hunter. He knew that Jason was hurt every time the troll leader acted the way he did - he had heard a lot of complaints from Bulda, Cliff, Kristoff, Jonas and several trolls - but he was sure it was best if things would continue like this for now.
"Are you sure of that, Pabbie?", muttered a disembodied voice, although the old troll knew who was speaking. "Because there's a chance that Jason will turn against you when he finds out why."
"Yes, Yen. I made that decision a long time ago, when he first came to me, asking for help to keep the princess's soul from being lost."
"You're aware you're talking about future Jason, not present Jason, aren't you?", the voice questioned doubtfully. "Present Jason still doesn't know the role he will play in the next few years."
"I know that, you don't have to remember me", Pabbie said irritably.
"Maybe I have, Grand Pabbie. You, as a shaman and the elder of the rock trolls, know how to predict the future, even though you have the habit of speaking by charades and parables. And you know how important Jason will be in the lives of thousands of people."
"Yen Sid, I don't talk to him, do you know why? Because I don't want to take the risk of saying something I shouldn't, especially after I witnessed the error that my other self has committed, as well as the consequences of those acts. I don't want to make the same mistakes!"
"Pabbie, if you really think you can avoid one mistake by committing another on, just as bad , then I have to wonder if you really learned from your other self's mistakes. Because that's not what it looks like!"
The old troll took a deep breath, trying to control the myriad of emotions in his mind - it was rare that he would lose control this way, especially if he took into account everything he had ever experienced in his life, and seen in his other lives.
"Yen Sid, I don't know if the consequences of my actions will be as expected, but I still believe that I am acting the right way."
Yen Sid's voice let out a sigh. "That's fine, but if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me."
Pabbie nodded, as he felt Yen Sid close the communication between them. The old troll knew that this stance would bring him many headaches in the future, but he didn't want to risk it. Not after seeing what the other Pabbie had done.
"There is beauty in your magic... but also great danger. You must learn to control it. Fear will be your enemy."
Twenty-seven months after the shipwreck
Aeris was bored.
She had had a full day, taking care of several missions for the Sons of Mylai, and the desire to relax was so great that she had accepted without hesitation the offer of her brothers to go to a tavern in the Royal City's downtown, controlled by the Brotherhood, to drink a few (many) mugs of the best Westphalian beer.
However, after about two hours with beer, snacks, music and much fun, the female assassin was bored.
Her brothers and sisters also wouldn't stop telling raunchy stories to the customers of the tavern, while lively music filled the atmosphere without disturbing the conversation.
So, when she stood up and announced that she was leaving, and deposited a few gold coins on the table to pay her share of the bill, a murmur of surprise spread among the Sons of Mylai.
"But Aeris, the night is still just beginning!" Complained a male assassin, visibly intoxicated. "We haven't even taken our part of the wine cellar!"
"Thanks, but I want to go to the hideout to get some sleep."
"Are you sure? I heard the bartender kept some special chocolates for later…", muttered a girl in a rather conspiratorial voice before giggling.
Aeris felt saliva flood her mouth at the words - she knew it was a low blow to use chocolate to try to persuade her to stay, since it was her favorite "food". Everyone in the Brotherhood knew what she was capable of for a chocolate bar.
However, boredom spoke louder this time. "No", she replied, tearing a collective gasp of surprise. "Thank you for the offer, but I really want to sleep. Only the gods know what I went through today", explained the assassin as she moved her chair away from her brothers.
However, as she opened the tavern door and felt the rush of Arendelle's frosty winter wind, Aeris regretted that she hadn't brought a thicker coat - as the invitation to drink had been made at the last minute, she had only brought the same clothes she'd worn during the day when it was warmer.
However, since returning to the tavern and becoming the target of her brothers' jibes was out of the question, Aeris decided to return as quickly as possible to the hideout and slip under the covers.
Quickly, she climbed the tavern wall until she reached the roof, where she began to run as she felt the snowflakes crashing into her face. At least, this is natural snow, not the artificial one caused by... by... by that witch, Aeris thought bitterly, as she always felt whenever the princess' name entered her mind.
Which was funny, thought the assassin, because if I stop to think about it, I have no idea what she's like, I've never even seen her face.
In fact, considering that so few people had seen the heiress of the Crocus throne - for some reason, she likes to keep an aura of mystery, she thought - it was difficult to think of the face of the person she hated most, since she didn't know who she really was.
Maybe I should get in touch with Baptiste, since he gives fencing lessons to her... Idiot, idiot, idiot, why have you never thought of that before? She thought as she assumed a grumpy expression - not only because of that, but also because the icy wind had reached the part of her face unprotected by the hood.
A cry in the distance, however, made her immediately forget what she was thinking about.
Quickly halting to change her course, the girl bolted in another direction, away from the hideout, but toward the place where the scream had come from.
Two minutes later, jumping from roof to roof, Aeris reached the exact spot, seeing something that left her stomach wrapped in rage: a hooded figure, seemingly female, leaning against the wall of an already closed shop, being surrounded by four thieves - recognized immediately as members of La Volpe's Thieves' Guild - with several flowers trampled and scattered on the floor.
Glancing quickly at her right wrist, she smiled to see that her Mentor's gift was there, ready to be used - and that would be very helpful, since she only had her channeled cinquedea attached to her waist.
Quickly, she looked at the group before taking a deep breath, running up the roof and jumping...
...to fall with the hidden blade stuck in the chest of one of the thieves, who fell with the shock at the same time as thread of blood began to spread through his chest.
"What the fuck…" began one of the thieves, confused; seeing the teal eyes under the hood, he exclaimed, frightened. "Damn it, it's Aeris!"
"You seem like bullies, you know?", snarled the female assassin, pulling out the channeled cinquedea with her left hand as she kept her right hand held out, the hidden blade ready to be used. "Trying to attack a poor flower girl?"
"We only wanted her money!", exclaimed another thief, who seemed to be about to pee his pants.
"Liars!", exploded Aeris, even more furious. "Do you think I'm blind? That I didn't see you advancing on her with the expressions of hungry wolves?"
"Ah, damn it!", the third thief screamed, pulling out a dagger with a rather dirty blade before advancing to the girl... only to be cut down almost immediately by the cinquedea. After wiping the blood on the weapon onto the corpse's clothes, Aeris stared at the two surviving thieves with a ferocious expression. "Who's next?"
They didn't answer; instead, they turned and ran, screaming, while Aeris shouted "La Volpe will know what happened, you can wait!" It was only when the screams could no longer be heard that the strawberry-blonde-haired assassin turned to the flower girl, who was sitting on the floor, against the wall, breathing rapidly with her hand over her heart, still shaking after what had happened.
"Are you all right?" murmured Aeris, approaching carefully so as to not scare the girl. Seeing the assassin approaching, she shrank, making Aeris feel a pang of sadness in her heart. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you, the men who wanted to hurt you all died or ran away. My name is…"
"Aeris", the girl murmured, in a melodious voice from her hooded face. "I already... I already heard your name. You're a Daughter of Mylai, aren't you?", asked the flower girl, slightly frightened.
"It seems to me that my fame precedes me", Aeris replied lightly, reaching out to help the young woman to rise from the soft snow. "Don't worry, I won't do you any harm. These monsters, however, had what they deserved", she added, looking at the corpses of thieves.
"Thank you", the girl murmured, rising and wiping away the snow that had stuck to her dress. Lifting her face slightly, she asked. "Aeris... that isn't your real name, is it?"
"No", confirmed the female assassin, looking into the flower girl's blue eyes - and feeling something inexplicable, but very good, running through her body. "We only use our baptismal names within the Brotherhood, outside of it we use codenames. I chose the name of Aeris when I entered, at the age of eight, after being rescued from Mylai", she explained.
"I see…", replied the flower girl, a little more calmly. "Can I... can I use a code name too?"
Aeris chuckled. "Interested in joining the Brotherhood?"
The saleswoman smiled, embarrassed. "Gods forbid, I don't know if I would have the stomach to do it", she said, pointing her eyes at the corpses.
"Okay, I know my profession is not for anyone. And yes, you can introduce yourself with a codename... any ideas in mind? "
The woman put her hand to her chin, thoughtfully, before answering. "Shelby".
"Nice to meet you, Shelby," said the young assassin, patting the flower girl's shoulder. "I imagine this is be the beginning of a beautiful friendship…"
"Who knows?", Shelby asked. "Are you hungry? I could pay you a cookie, but I lost my money during the attack…"
"Don't worry, I'll pay for it, and you'll make up for it on the next date."
"And will we have a next date, by any chance, Aeris?" Shelby asked, raising an eyebrow beneath the hood in amusement, which elicited a laugh from the assassin. "I may end up not liking this one, and not wanting to go on the second date."
"Rule # 1 of the first date: If you're invited to a date, you can't dislike the first date so you can have a second date and like it too."
The two girls burst out laughing at Aeris's joke. Apparently that really was the beginning of a beautiful friendship…
Thirty months after the shipwreck; Two months before the coronation
April 9th - at least, this was the date that marked the calendar sheet on the desk of the personal office of the Princess of Arendelle.
However, Elsa's mind was focused on June 21.
On the 20th of the previous month, the young woman had reached the age of 21 - which, according to Arendelle's Constitution, allowed her to finally assume the Crocus Throne. Following the tradition established by her predecessors, the coronation ceremony had been scheduled for the nearest solstice, in which case, the date set was the summer solstice.
A slightly sad smile struck Elsa's face - she had no doubt that Anna, if she were alive, would be making a lot of puns with the fact that her older sister, the Snow Queen, would be crowned in the summer, making her laugh non-stop.
At least, the heiress thought, now I can think of my little sister without losing control of my emotions. But... it took sixteen years to get to that point, she concluded, bittersweet.
Perhaps because of the fact that, three months earlier, she had met a new person in her life.
She had heard a lot from Kai and Gerda after coming back that night - not so much from the idea of walking the streets in disguise to see how their subjects lived from day-to-day, but by the fright she had had in being attacked by the four thieves before being rescued by a knight in shining armor.
Or, in this case, a Daughter of Mylai in robes.
Elsa was no fool, contrary to what many thought - she also knew the fame of Aeris, who had proven that night to be one of the most ruthless killers of the Brotherhood known as the Sons of Mylai.
For a second, she feared that the assassin would kill her, but she had been surprised by the girl - she could be fierce and even cruel, as far as they were concerned about her, but Elsa had discovered that this applied only to working moments.
Outside of it, Aeris was a sweet, adorable, and extremely clumsy young woman - the tumbles she had suffered during their stroll through the Royal City after tripping on her own legs were living proof of this. And, using the fake name that had come to mind, thanks to a book she had found in the library years earlier, Elsa had had a good time during the night and early morning.
Of course, Aeris didn't talk about her life in the Brotherhood - not that the princess was expecting it - or about the Mylai massacre - Elsa swore she would still have Terboven and Quisling's heads on a tray as she remembered this - but, she had opened herself enough to tell some stories about her life before the tragedy. Elsa had learned that she would be sixteen years old in a few months' time and was the daughter of an ice harvester and an artisan, and that she had an older brother and a younger sister, as well as being crazy about chocolate (a taste shared by the future monarch, by the way).
However, Aeris had divulged some information (apparently irrelevant) during the conversation that almost made Elsa choke on the pepperkaker the assassin had bought for her: the teenager was born on September 21.
Aeris had been born exactly the same day Anna had died.
Not only that, but she also had the same teal eyes as her sister.
Elsa had imagined for a second whether Aeris would have the same reddish-blond hair as Anna, and wondered to ask her to lower her hood, but decided at the last minute not to do so.
Because she was sure it was just a coincidence.
The next morning, Elsa had asked the director of the Royal Guard to arrange the files for Aeris, and she was answered almost immediately.
The princess had been frightened at reading her new friend's record: she was accused of joining an illegal organization, homicide, assault, threat, extortion, arms smuggling, fencing, mortgaging, among other crimes, as well as being a major suspect in the wave of murders of former and current military involved in the Mylai massacre.
However, her empathy with Aeris, as well as the lack of contact with people who were not the counselors or the staff of the castle, made Elsa decide to try her luck the following week, putting on the clothes of Shelby, the flower girl, and leaving to "sell flowers" in the Royal City.
Since Aeris was out of sight that night, the heiress decided to continue the search for the next two weeks - and was lucky on the final day. After explaining that she wasn't always in the Royal City, Aeris had suggested that they write each other, not only to schedule a meeting, but also to get to know each other.
Thinking quickly, Elsa had given her new friend the address of a mailbox, which had surprised Aeris - she had not imagined that a flower girl had so much money to buy such an item, since the mailboxes were extremely valuable. The princess, however, had explained that this was a family inheritance, which had been passed down through generations, until it reached her.
Not a lie, Elsa thought, as she turned her attention to the pile of letters at the corner of the table with the letter from Aeris at the top, I was only a little vague so that she wouldn't find out who I am.
In fact, the mailbox was a property of the crown, although few people knew that. Usually, it was used by ambassadors, military leaders and provincial governors, and only in cases of urgency.
However, ever since Elsa had given the address of the mailbox to the female assassin, she received at least one letter a week from her friend, telling her about her life (at least that which didn't contain sensitive information about the Brotherhood), jokes, horror tales, advice, and even recipes involving chocolate!
On the other hand, the letters that the princess wrote were delivered to a tavern belonging to the Sons of Mylai, who passed the missives to the farm where the Brotherhood's headquarters were situated (although Elsa didn't know this).
No, I can't do that now, Elsa thought, looking away from the letters and returning to the plans Kai had sent with the details of the coronation ceremony and the ball that would be held shortly thereafter.
The difference was that Elsa had decided to give a special touch to the party... and it also made reference to her fame for being a shy person; not that she was shy - she was only discreet, and between one adjective and another there was a great difference.
Too bad I can't invite Aeris, I would love to keep a waltz to dance with her in my arms... What the hell?, Elsa shook her head violently, dismissing this unexpected idea as she blushed intensely. Where did this come from, my gods?
The answer was less than a meter away - in her heart, to be exact.
Author's note: Wow! Right? There will be one more chapter in this prologue before the main story begins. All the information from the first seven chapters are essential to understanding what happens in the subsequent chapters - and believe me, every word counts!
So... next chapter, we will have the final set of events before the coronation... And I hope to leave your minds full of doubt, especially considering who will appear in the next chapter. Believe me, you're going to have a BIG surprise.
Thanks to all the readers who left reviews for Chapter 5, your words are the fuel that keeps me writing - every word, be it praise, criticism or a suggestion, is more than welcome. Thanks to walard and Striga for their good work - I'd say that part of this fic is theirs. And thanks to my brothers AceVermin143 and SeniorCrescent for supporting me.
See you next chapter!