Chapter Eight: The Emerald Glory

It was the afternoon, a few hours after the Council meeting and news of the impending war. Elsa was sitting at the table in her room, still dressed in her red ball gown. Anna was fretting about, trying to pick up where they had left off with the dresses earlier that day. Gerda had come up to bring food and change her bandages in the meantime and she'd been glad for it.

"Anna, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

The set of her sister's shoulders didn't relax a bit. "Are you sure you're going to be safe out there? You're the Queen. You shouldn't be outside the castle if a war is brewing."

"Anna, what did I say? I'll be fine. Seth raised the same concerns, I checked the maps over with him myself. Several times. Weselton is closest, so assuming they hear about my departure tomorrow it would take them at least five days to get there if they left right away. I'll only be at sea for three days. Once I arrive in Fredrickstad I'll-" Suddenly Elsa could hold her sister's gaze. "I'll betroth Prince Christian, ensure Fredrickstad's support, and be back here safe."

Anna didn't miss the hesitation. "Are you sure you want to do this? It's just so- ugh, this all just seems so callus. You should never have been put in this situation, Elsa. It's not fair."

"I know," the Queen said. It was without much real remorse, more wistful than anything. There were other paths she could see the course of her life going down. Ragnvaldr came to mind first (she considered later that perhaps this was odd), and the passion they had shared in the warm forge. And then Prince Oakir, who had been so sweet. . . a bit too sweet, but Elsa knew she was growing sweet on him in an entirely different manner. "I'm doing it anyway. I'm going to marry for Arendelle."

It wasn't an answer that sat right with her sister, Elsa could see it. But instead Anna asked, "Couldn't Lord Uther go to negotiate, then? Or I could. You need to be safe."

"No. Anna, a lot of lives are riding on this. If I go myself then it brings a certain formality to it. And, well," she said with a smirk, "I'm going to make it very difficult for him to tell me no." Thinking ahead to her mission and the unasked question of what they would do if she failed, the Queen lost her benevolent tone and continued, "Because I'm going to protect this kingdom no matter what it takes. With ice and blood, I will save it."

"Remember what I told you and everything will be fine. And don't leave your guards, it's more important now than ever that you keep safe."

"Same to you," Anna said. "Arendelle won't burn down while you're gone, I promise," she added with a bit of a smile.

"Good," Elsa said, smiling back. "I think the Captain wants to be off soon, though. I'd better get on board."

With one last hug, Elsa turned and walked up the gangplank and onto the flurry of activity that was the Emerald Glory.

"Captain Zissou. It's a pleasure to meet you, I've heard good things."

"Aye, greetings! Now, I can't say I've ever had a Queen aboard, m'lady," the Captain greeted her. He only gave her a glance while he talked, not letting his attention stray from the rigging and the sailors hanging from it. "The Emerald Glory's the finest frigate ever to sail these seas, but she's not quite as pretty as she once was I'm sorry to say. But she'll have ye' safe where ye' need to go faster'n any other. HOY! Get that sail straight, we've got a tide to catch! I'm sorry, m'lady, but I've-"

He took off down the ship just as thick coil of rope fell from the foremost mast with a threatening slap. The Captain went off like a keg of gunpowder at the man responsible, up dozens of feet above him.

Elsa was flanked by two of her Royal Guard, Gerrik and a man named Fawkes, and behind them was Victoria. A girl not much younger than herself, she was accompanying as a lady-in-waiting at Gerda's insistence. There would have been a much larger entourage if the circumstances were different. As it stood it suited Elsa just fine.

She turned to Gerrik. "I'd like to watch as we cast off. Do either of you know your way around a ship?" The two men both nodded. Of course Kahv would have made sure the guard he appointed would be familiar with a ship. Admittedly, Elsa had asked for Gerrik specifically, but Captain Kahv would have brought it up if he wasn't a good pick for the journey. As she'd said, he was stupid and had his head screwed on wrong, but incompetence was not one of his vices. Elsa asked her guards, "Where would I be staying, most likely?"

They turned to each other, then Fawkes said, "The ship's Quartermaster would know. Should I go ask after him?"

"Yes." After he left, she asked Gerrik, "Are there any places in particular where I shouldn't go, to stay out of the way of the sailors?" The unsaid question was 'where I won't be killed by a falling rope?'

"Er, no. Not really. But the closer to that railing, the more space they'll have. The problem with that is the closer you are to that railing, the more likely your guards will die of a heart attack, for fear of you going overboard."

"You should have thought of that before you got such a risky job, Gerrik," she said with a smirk as she came up along the railing facing the shore.

"Your Majesty, once we set sail Captain Zissou will see you are situated." It sounded like he was reassuring her. She didn't like it that he picked up how unnerved she was through her smile.

Looking over the wooden bannister Elsa saw Anna and Kristoff were there on the shore. They waved when they noticed her and she waved back. There wasn't any official fanfare because she was trying to be innocuous about this trip, but there were still people accompanying her sister and the Icemaster in seeing her off. A few members of the Council had come, namely High Chancellor Urdea, Bishop John, Lord Uther, and Governor Bisho. Those who were passing by noticed something was up, and many of them stopped upon seeing their Queen.

But the most difficult to see were her suitors. Many of them had come from around Europe, some for her Coronation and some since then as tales of her ice magic spread. There was, what, near sixty total? At least half of them stood on shore. It had taken less than a full day to supply the Emerald Glory and make the arrangements. In that time a fair number of her suitors had heard she was leaving for Fredrickstad. With the 'secret' that Arendelle might soon be at war spreading like wildfire, they'd put together why she was leaving, and what it might mean for their chances with her.

And standing there, surrounded by his brothers and the other men in pursuit of her hand, was Prince Oakir. The rest of the men around him raised a hand or otherwise tried to catch her eye. He just broke into a sad smile before turning and walking away.

That brief look caused a surge of cold air to suddenly shed from the Queen. Seeing Oakir's dark brown eyes, Elsa couldn't ignore what they might have been. He was sweet, and so unsure, and as understanding as a stupid, naive little boy could be. She knew she was abandoning any chance their love had. It twisted her once giddy stomach into knots.

With some intelligible shout the anchor was drawn up and the Emerald Glory cast off.

"Your Majesty?" Gerrik asked. "Are you alright?"

Elsa wasn't alright. Her magic was raging inside her, spurred by the sudden kick of emotion. But she was on the deck of a ship. A ship that she couldn't help but think of as a rather fragile wooden construct that allowed both her and its crew to pass quickly from one place to another. It didn't help that the mission she was embarking on was likely to decide the survival and sovereignty of Arendelle and couldn't afford any complications. Her magic was not a welcome factor here.

Her hands were on the railing. She felt ice beneath her bare fingers, but there was little she could do. The rest of Queen Elsa was focused on keeping a roiling glacier of magic inside herself.

But through all this she managed to say, "No, Gerrik. My magic is. . . unruly right now."

"Remember what I said about fighting? You're not being attacked right now, but the same thing applies. You need to find a way to use your powers. You need a healthy way to react to difficult situations."

"But I can't do anything now! Even if I didn't do something that breaks the ship, with all the sailors I'd be getting in somebody's way. Let alone the superstitions-"

"Ha!" Captain Zissou laughed, appearing with Fawkes and a man she didn't recognize. The sudden noise startled her, but putting her hands together she kept her magic inside. "M'lady, meaning no disrespect, but there's not much you could do to this ship." He rapped his knuckles on the banister. "She's got two feet of American live oak keeping her steady. She really is just about the sturdiest frigate this side of the Atlantic."

"Ah, Captain." The refuge of formality helped her a little. "That's good to hear, but nonetheless I was wondering if I could see my quarters now."

"Certainly." He started walking, then stopped. "But, er, I've been at sea for a month on a security detail to London, then Oslo, then back-"

"I know. The food that was aboard the merchant ships happens to be coming at a particularly opportune time, I assure you."

"Glad to help, M'lady. But I bring it up because only just recently have I heard these stories now about this ice magic. They were all a bit hard to believe. I'm not doubting the Queen, but would it be too much of this humble captain to ask if we could, uh, see the magic, M'lady?"

For a moment Elsa didn't respond. He wanted to see her magic? He didn't even seem incredulous, but rather he came off as genuinely curious. An answer was expected of her, so she had to hurry with a response. "This. . . is taking me a bit off guard, Captain. No one's actually asked to see my magic since . ." She almost said, "since Oakir". Had Oakir ever even asked about her magic? Elsa couldn't remember. "-since Anna."

The pressure that had been building behind her cerulean eyes was getting ever more difficult to restrain, so Elsa closed her eyes and wondered what she could do with it.

Like when she had made her second ice dress with Anna, everything just sort of came together at once. It could be called 'inspiration'. She raised her left palm, released magic onto it from her right hand with a flourish, and there in her hand was a little ice Emerald Glory floating on a turbulent sea of white snow.

With the release of her magic, Elsa felt the buildup melt away.

This was her magic. She could control it. She couldn't keep it contained and bottled up forever, but she shouldn't need to either. From the look on the Captain's face, as well as Gerrik's and Fawkes's and Victoria's and the sailors stopped their work at the sight of the spectacle, it hit her that her magic was a source of awe more than fear. With careful use so that she didn't appear to threaten or endanger anyone she should never feel the need to suppress her magic.

That realization, the tacit acceptance of her power by those around her, made the Queen smile.

The Captain's words came back to her, but they were echoed by a young girl's. A restless young girl with scruffy red hair and a tendency to wake up her older sister at ungodly hours of the morning. "Do the magic, do the magic!"

As the feeling overwhelmed her, Elsa looked down at the intricate ship she had created with nothing but a thought and a few motions of her hands. In a instant her vision went blurry from tears and the sharp features of the model Emerald Glory lost their form as well. It melted away out of her control as Elsa lost herself in her own sea of warmth.

"Wha', where'd it go?" the Captain said, looking back up at her face like she'd just taken away his actual ship.

Elsa blinked her vision clear and smiled some more and lied, "I'm sorry, Captain. I can only keep it for so long. I'm afraid the rumors of my power might be a bit inflated." To offer some explanation as well as to find a place to shed her tears of joy without looking like an idiot, she put a hand to her stomach and continued, "Also, the sea isn't my ally, I'd like to see my quarters please."

"Of course! Me' apologies, where are me' manners, asking of a Queen. But, wow," he ran a hand through his hair and his eyes went wide. "You'll have to show me that again. That was amazing. I ain't never. . "

The Captain continued rambling as he led the Queen's entourage below decks, mentioning everything from how accurate her ice ship had been to the actual Emerald Glory to all the places he had been in his life, and how he'd never seen such a sight.

"Here we are. Me' own quarters, M'lady. Finest on the ship. I insist. I had Quartermaster Mord arrange it for you. Now, I should really be makin' sure me' crew doesn't run us aground, but would ye' allow me the pleasure of sharing a dinner tonight?"

"Of course, Captain," Elsa said with another smile.

With a bow, he departed.

Looking around, Elsa saw that Victoria was already starting her own preparations of the room, and Gerrik and Fawkes weren't idle either. But whatever it was could wait. "Leave me, please. I'd like to be alone for a moment."

They all left, not before a salute from the guards and a curtsy from her lady-in-waiting. And as soon as they were gone Elsa sat down on the bed and hugged herself and cried.

So quiet it was barely real, she whispered, "They don't fear me."

For dinner that night, Elsa decided to wear the new ice dress she'd designed with Anna. Had it only been the day before that she and her sister had ransacked her wardrobe, laughing and carefree? The news of almost certain imminent war with Weselton and The Southern Isles made such bright things seem so long ago.

The dress was an icy blue, same as her first. And it was similarly daring in its cut. She kept the slit up to mid thigh, that was definitely staying. But in the style of the red ball gown she had worn the day before, she'd created it without sleeves. Elsa pulled the garment over her head and found that two wide strips of her ice fabric held the dress on her shoulders. This traded some of the exposed skin above her bosom for the freedom of her arms. But the change in how if fell also allowed for other alterations. The neckline had been low and shallow, almost a straight line across her chest from arm to arm. Now the dress fell steeply from her shoulders before coming to a sharp 'V' just above where her breasts met. Down her back plunged an even deeper line that almost reached the small of her back.

As a coy smile graced her reflection's face, for the first time in a long time Queen Elsa felt like a Queen. Victoria had been fretting over her for twenty minutes, but she stopped then.

Ready, Elsa stepped out. Victoria followed in a demure gown of Arendelle green and purple. Gerrik was standing to the left of her door. Fawkes was slouched on a barrel that called the passageway home, his back up against the wall and his arms crossed. But he jumped to attention immediately, and she spared only a raised eyebrow before they set off.

Elsa had found that the structure of the Emerald Glory wasn't particularly complicated, at least as far as she was concerned just finding her way around. She was staying on the spar deck, which was the highest level of the ship that still had something to protect from the elements. This was called the spar deck. The captain's quarters were back at the stern of the spar deck, with a door halfway between the sides. Through the door and following the centerline ran a passage with doors and rooms on either side. But it wasn't a clear shot, interrupted as it was by masts and various methods of moving up to the outside and down to the gun deck, berth deck, and orlop deck, respectively. This nonlinear construction down the length of the spar deck led to odd spaces that could be used for storage, and so crates and barrels made the hallway feel a tad smaller than was comfortable.

Fawkes took point as they made their way down this passage, with Victoria and then Elsa in the middle and Gerrik behind. They made their way aft.

At the bow of the ship was another room. Elsa had been told by a messenger that's where Captain Zissou would be hosting her. Fawkes and Victoria stepped aside to let her knock and she heard movement from within.

The door opened. The Captain was on the other side, but behind him were at least three other men.

"Ah, M'lady. Ye' look dashing." He made a bow, then noticed the others with her. "Er, you brought your friend?"

"Indeed, Captain," Elsa replied with a smile. She noticed the singular and got that he was referring to Victoria, and only Victoria. She didn't bother to correct his assumption, instead finishing with, "I thought company would be enjoyable."

The Captain held the door wide to let her in, then turned to the others in the room and said, "Alright, Ser Roff, you're staying. Off with the rest of ye', unless yer bringing the food."

It didn't slip by the Queen's notice that the Captain was trying to even up the number of men and women. But in doing so, he tipped his hand. She'd already thought of this, with Fawkes and Gerrik there was no possibility of a romantic atmosphere. With a look back and a begging finger she bid them to follow her in as well.

She noticed that there were five sailors total in the officers quarters. All but two, the Captain and a ginger man who must be Ser Roff, filed out of the room with the prerequisite bows and otherwise a motley mix of reactions to the Queen. Some were stiff and formal to the point of being cold, others greeted her as warmly and casually as did their Captain.

Zissou clearly expected Gerrik and Fawkes to follow suit, because when they didn't he said, "Alright, men, ye' too."

"No." The Captain looked to her in surprise. Elsa held a calculated silence, her eyes piercing into his. It was just long enough that he started to fidget, but not long enough that he might actually come up with some reply. Then she let her features soften. "Meaning no offense, Captain, it's just that I've had a bit of a fear of sailing up until now. The sea hasn't treated my family well. Irrational as it is, well. . . I've been protected by the Royal Guard for most of my life now. I'd rather not lose that familiarity aboard a ship out at sea."

"I- Yes, of course. If it please M'lady-"

"Your Majesty," Fawkes corrected. She briefly wondered how much the Captain's infomality must have irked him.

"A-ghem," Elsa coughed, with the exact same tone he'd just used with the Captain. She turned back to Zissou, "And please, call me Elsa. You have no idea how rare a pleasure it is to get away from the trappings of Court for once. It's always titles, titles. Shall we sit?"

With a bit of caution, having just been jumped on twice for saying the wrong thing, the Captain said, "Yes, let's." He turned to the table. "Er, I don't know how we'll do that, though. I didn't prepare a table for even four, let alone six."

Elsa put her hand out in front of her, palm up, then raised it sharply. The small square table that had been in the middle of the room suddenly had an icy covering, with two of the sides extending significantly and sprouting a leg on each new corner for good measure.

Without further preamble, she sat at the head of the table, conjuring four ice chairs in a similar manner. Remembering the incident with her arm Elsa took a deep breath. All the sharp edges melted slightly to form rippling and uneven corners. They were rounded and blunted so she was willing to call it a success. It was the best she could do without putting more concentration into it than she was willing.

Opening her eyes again, she turned slightly and said, "Victoria, why don't you sit here?" Elsa indicated the chair to her left with a hand gesture that was both lazy and regal. In fact, the two are practically synonymous. This was to distract anyone who might be watching her eyes. She caught Fawkes in her gaze. Still admonished from speaking out of turn, she made it clear with a nod and a glance that he was sitting on her right. Gerrik, at least, she put a little faith in being able to handle himself with some grace.

As she'd predicted, Zissou made to sit at the head of the table across from her. Gerrik sat next to Fawkes, then Ser Roff sat in the last seat between Victoria and his Captain.

"I must say," Zissou said, "Yer magic is spectacular. It's a good thing I was wearing warm pants though. But still, I've never seen anything half as amazing."

"Or as useful," she added with a smile at him. "Thank you for taking an interest in it, that truly means a lot to me, Captain."

He bent down to look at the ice table, noticing the wavering pattern the melting had given it. "What's this here?"

Elsa raised her bandaged arm in explanation. Thankfully wasn't red for the first time in two days. "I thought, practical men that you are, that safety would be valued over beauty. Wouldn't want to sit in a chair that cuts you to pieces." She turned to Ser Roff and asked, "So, Roff- Er, it is Roff, right?"

"Roff is my last name, Your Majesty. You can call me Al."

"Al. How is life aboard the Emerald Glory, Al?"

"Well, the first week is always the best. After that anything not kept salted goes bad. Believe it or not, you can get sick of salt pork, salt beef, salt vegetables and fish. And frankly I'd expect this voyage is going to be even better on account of dinning with a Queen. I'd raise a glass to you for it, but. . ."

Realizing what was missing, Captain Zissou said, "Shit, Sharp's not here with the food yet." Just as a quickly he looked to Elsa, guilt on his face.

Before he could start she said, "I don't give a fuck if you swear. To be honest, I was wondering where that mouth was that General Seth was telling me about."

The Captain laughed nervously at that. She caught Gerrik smirking. Elsa couldn't help but respond in kind.

"You are full of surprises, Elsa," Zissou said carefully. "Anyway, I told Sharp to have dinner brought up here. It shouldn't be too long. In the meantime, it's not often I break bread with a Queen so I brought out the good stuff." he reached behind him and almost slipped out of his ice chair, but came back with a bottle. He popped the cork and set the bottle on the ice table to let it breath. "Château, 1794."

"Château?" Elsa said, eyes widening. With a laugh she asked, "How much are we paying you, that you can afford Château? I can't even afford Château."

"Oh, it was a gift I assure you. It's the same year the Emerald Glory was commissioned. She wasn't mine then, hell she wasn't even built until the turn of the century and it's not a great year. But it's the sentiment that counts. I've got a merchant friend who lives in Paris. A few years ago while I escorted two ships of hers a rouge attacked us. Middle of the Baltic, no help for miles, I managed to stay between the Merryweathers and that shit-stained excuse for a ship. After two passes she realized she wasn't going to get near the merchants and her guns were barely ticklin' the Emerald so sure as hell wasn't going to beat me. We made it to St. Petersburg just fine. When I got back to Antwerp and my friend's crews told her what had happened she gave me this," he hefted the bottle.

Elsa laughed a bit. "A heroic rescue, a wealthy French merchant, expensive wine. . . sounds like quite a memorable thanks. Al, have you heard him tell this story before?"

"I was there, in fact."

"But isn't the Captain leaving some parts out of his usual retelling?" she said knowingly, her eyes finding their way back to the Captain. If Elsa was right on her perceptions of him, a man like Zissou would find great pleasure in telling of his carnal triumphs with his men, whether real or imaginary.

The poor sailor couldn't hold a straight face. Next to the Captain, Gerrik was trying unsuccessfully to look like he was just resting his chin on his fist, when in reality he was almost biting his curled index finger in an attempt not to laugh. Victoria looked only a bit scandalized.

Al Roff might have said something eventually, but after a few seconds the Captain said, "Would ye' like me to tell that part of the story, my Queen?" His tone was a mix of intrigue and daring.

Queen Elsa held his eye for a moment, her coy look daring him right back. It was as clear a signal as she could give in showing him she was onto his game. But she said, "My apologies, Captain. I'll stop poking fun." She conjured a glass of ice like she had the night she and Anna had entertained Kristoff and Ragnvaldr and held it out. "Shall we pour the wine?"

That first evening on the ship went better than Elsa could have hoped. With all the careful social maneuvering, she'd put herself in the best position she could. All that was left to do was let things play out as they would. Captain Zissou and Al were free radicals, wild cards inhibited only by whatever propriety they felt like having at any given time. It was disconcerting, but also more than a little exciting. The fact that she saw the Captain's intentions a mile away and was able to navigate around them was fulfilling. It was something of a game, to glide into this social dance only to find she could spin circles around him. And what little morsels she learned of the life of a sailor were intriguing as well, on top of it all.

Dinner was brought up by a portly man whom Zissou called "Sharp". He and another sailor hefted two plates each, piled with food. It was amazing how simultaneously gruff and awkwardly polite a person can be. Qhen Elsa asked what they were having he just grunted at her, but when he set one of the wide dishes in front of her he did so as delicate as a painter would place a single-hair brush on a canvas.

"Ah," the Queen responded. "Well, that sounds delicious, I don't think I've had it before."

That coaxed a snicker from Al and Gerrik, and Sharp earned himself a glare from the Captain. Taking the hint, the cook smoothed it over by saying something, "I didn' know 'ow many there'd be 'ere. I'll go bring up two more plates."

Looking down, it turned out the dinner was mutton and ham with boiled potatoes, a small cup of light brown sauce, and a biscuit. It wasn't her usual fare, but then again Elsa hadn't been having her usual fare since the castle larder had started being distributed out to the citizens.

Victoria caught her eye, and she noticed the other woman was looking at the food with a look that was less than pleased. Not wanting to offend, Elsa took a fork and knife and sawed off a bit of the mutton. It wasn't half bad.

Gerrik and Fawkes were digging in, Captain Zissou was trying to have table manners and failing, and Al looked like he was going to work sculpting the contents of his plate. First Al took his fork and mashed the soft potatoes, then he shredded the ham and mutton into strips and crumbled the biscuit before mixing his entire plate together and pouring the sauce over it. When he finally brought a fork to his mouth it had at least a little bit of everything.

Deciding it was interesting, Elsa did the same with her plate. It earned her a questioning look from Victoria that she ignored. Taking a bite of the concoction, she found it to be both savory and delicious. The odd mix of textures reminded her of a multi-layer apple pie she'd had at the ball after her coronation. It was good, particularly when she washed it down with Château.

Looking around the ice table at her guards and her lady-in-waiting and the Captain and sailor and the meal that they were all sharing, she remembered the thought she'd had earlier that day.

They don't fear me.

Elsa smiled.

AN: Three thoughts:

Someone mentioned the character in a review so I wanted to give some info, general Seth of Ra is a reference to Sethra Lavode. Also known as the Enchantress of Dzur Mountain, she's a sorceress, vampire, man-eater, the wielder of the Great Weapon Iceflame, captain of The Lavodes, a masterful military strategist. . . yeah, she's a hoot. Read the Vlad Taltos novels by Steven Brust. They're really good. The best series I've ever read, in fact. I will never stop endorsing them.

Also, I'm taking some creative license with the Emerald Glory. I believe Zissou mentions she is made of American live oak. She was called President, then HMS President. She was actually broken up is 1818, but fuck that. I reject your reality and substitute my own. You can look her up, though, if you want.

Lastly as far as references go, made two to Game of Thrones this chapter. One to Daenerys Targaryen and another to the Iron Throne.