** Present Day - March, 1841 - Eight months after the Coronation of Queen Elsa **
After dinner, the Queen and her sister returned to Elsa's study to continue their discussion. Anna was almost bouncing with her eagerness to hear about Elsa's secret spying on the Royal Council.
"Okay, tell me all about it. When did Papa show you the secret passageways?"
"I was twelve the first time. He didn't have me observe all the meetings, at first he only had me watch if there was something to be discussed that I had studied recently with my tutors. 'Real World' he called it, to contrast with 'Book learning'."
Elsa dropped her voice timbre into a credible imitation of their father. " 'Elsa, books are important, but you need to understand how people act in the real world. The books are sanitized, you never get the whole story, the blood and the mud and the wreckage. And you certainly never get the loser's version of history! History books are written by the winners.' " Anna had to giggle at this impersonation; Elsa smiled back at her.
"By the time I was sixteen, he had me there for every one. I was old enough to pick up more of the subtle nuances of the discussion, and the interplay between the members of the Council." Elsa looked into the distance, remembering. "Sometimes it wasn't too subtle."
** Flashback – August 1835 **
Elsa sat in the secret alcove, listening to the argument going on in the Council Chambers with rapt attention. She couldn't be more focused if her life depended on it, and in a way it did. They were arguing about her and her sister Anna.
"Your Majesty! Shouldn't we be seeking out a good match for both girls? Princess Elsa is sixteen; her sister is thirteen, old enough for courtship and perhaps engagement to a suitable young man of good family." Anders Reinertsen was making his case with enthusiasm.
"No." A simple declarative from the King.
"But Your Majesty! The succession must be secured, for the good of Arendelle!" Reinertsen was not very perceptive when it came to reading the King's body language.
"The succession is secured. I have two daughters. Elsa is Crown Princess. When she ascends the throne after me, hopefully some years from now, her sister will become Crown Princess. Unless Elsa has married and born an heir of her own body by then." The King's voice was stern.
"Yes, an heir of her own body. Should we not be taking steps to insure that happy circumstance comes to pass?" Reinertsen just wasn't getting the unspoken message.
"I am the only arbiter of my daughters' welfare. I intend for them to marry, but I intend for them to marry for love, not the convenience of Arendelle. My wife and I were fortunate that our parents allowed us to fall in love before our marriage, I intend that same fortune for my children." Agdar went on, "When they are a little older, there will be time for them to meet with appropriate candidates for marriage, and make their own choices. Until then, this subject is closed."
"But, Your Majesty..." Reinertsen just couldn't let it go.
"I said, ENOUGH!" and the King stood and slapped the table for emphasis, glaring at Reinertsen. "I think we have covered all of our agenda items for today. This meeting is adjourned. You are dismissed."
The Council took the hint and vacated the meeting room with haste. When the king was sure he was alone, he called out softly, "Elsa?"
"Yes, Papa?" a very timid response came from behind one of the paintings on the wall.
"I'll meet you in your room in a few minutes, okay?" Agdar had not intended this particular topic to come up, and he knew it would upset Elsa. He needed to explain some things to her.
When the king knocked on Elsa's door a few minutes later, he was relieved to hear her say, "Come in." Sometimes, if she was in the grip of some strong emotion she would refuse. He had learned to accept those refusals.
His relief did not last longer than it took him to enter the room. His daughter was sitting on a chair next to her bed, trembling, and the walls were covered in frost. All he wanted to do was take her into his arms and comfort her, but he knew that would only cause her more pain. She hadn't let anyone touch her in years.
"Elsa, honey? It's okay. I know that discussion upset you. I wish you hadn't heard that, but it's probably time for you to start thinking about courtship and marriage." He was trying to soothe her with his voice; he had no other way to do so.
"I know, Papa, I know. But...how can I...when I...?" and she looked at her hands with such forlorn sadness that his heart broke.
"It will happen, honey. It will all work out." He prayed on his immortal soul that he wasn't lying to her. "Elsa?"
"Yes, Papa?"
"As upsetting as that was, it's important for you to understand that those men aren't the only ones who want to influence your marriage. Yours, and Anna's. It's just part of the political maneuverings that we are born to deal with. It's one topic you have to be very careful with. You'll always have to be wary of hidden agendas." He knew that there were always wolves circling young, vulnerable Princesses, looking to marry their way onto a throne. He needed to teach his daughters to see past the sheep's clothing.
"I'll always protect you, but you have to learn to protect yourself. And Anna."
Elsa simply looked up at her father and nodded. "I will, Papa. I'll always protect Anna."
It wasn't until later that he realized Elsa had said nothing about protecting herself.
** Present Day – March 1841 **
Anna just looked at her sister. "Oh, Elsa. So that's why you were so quick to tell me I couldn't marry Hans."
"Yes, Anna, it wasn't just because it was inappropriate; I had a sixth sense about him. He was handsome, charming, attentive, the perfect Prince for any Princess. Too perfect." Elsa remembered another session with her father after another council meeting. "Papa taught me that if something was too good to be true, it probably wasn't."
** Flashback – July 1837 **
Elsa was with her father after another contentious Council meeting. She had just celebrated her eighteenth birthday and was now legally an adult. He was proud of how she easily cut to the heart of every discussion, picking out the important points that could sometimes get buried in the trivial details.
"Elsa, I'd like to talk about the council members today. I've been impressed with your grasp of the issues we discuss, but the people are more important."
"Yes, Papa." Elsa had very little face to face contact with people, but she had developed a finely honed skill in reading body language and voice inflections. When you were afraid of everyone, exquisitely sensitive to their impressions of you, you learned to read behind the words and facial expressions very quickly.
"Who do you think is the most loyal on the Council?"
Elsa thought this over carefully. She never made snap judgments; she was methodical and precise. "The Admiral and Bishop Norgaard."
Her father gave no indication whether he agreed or disagreed with her. "Why?"
"They argue with you." Elsa said.
"That's ... intriguing. Why do you think that means they are loyal?" Agdar still maintained a neutral expression.
"Because if they were disloyal, they would be afraid to disagree with you. They wouldn't want to make you suspicious of them."
"And the others?"
Elsa thought for a minute. "I don't trust Anders Reinertsen. Or Bjorn Thorstad."
"Explain, please." prompted her father.
"Reinertsen never disagrees with you. He always seems to be trying to flatter you. He's subtle about it, but it's there. He even tries to mirror your body language. If you lean forward, he leans forward. If you cross your arms, so does he."
"And what about Thorstad?" The king could hardly control his pride in his daughter.
"I think he's more dangerous. He smiles, but it never reaches his eyes. He's more patient than Reinertsen, more subtle in the way he tries to ingratiate himself with you. Reinertsen occasionally slips and lets his temper show, Thorstad never does."
"Brava, my Princess! Brava!" Agdar applauded her. "That was brilliant! I am so proud of you, Elsa."
"Really?" She blushed at the praise. She loved both of her parents dearly, and his approval was a balm on her troubled soul.
"Really. You'll be a good Queen when it's your time." Agdar stood up. "We'll talk again tomorrow."
Two months later Elsa was the Queen.
** Present Day – March 1841 **
"So that's when you kicked Anders Reinertsen off the Council." Anna commented. "Wait, Bjorn Thorstad is still on the Council. I thought you didn't trust him?"
"Anders Reinertsen got kicked off the Council because he tried to line his own pockets in a trade deal with Weselton. That gave me a good reason to dismiss him from the Council. Bjorn Thorstad isn't so stupidly greedy. I feel uneasy about him, but it's only a feeling. On the surface, he is competent and diligent. He has done nothing that could be interpreted as an act of disloyalty. And he is politically well connected with the rest of the nobility. Papa didn't feel comfortable removing him, and his authority was respected and unquestioned." 'And mine wasn't.' went unspoken. Elsa's expression was grim again. "I'm still not sure enough about my judgment of him to do what Papa didn't."
** Flashback - July, 1838 - Kingdom of Arendelle, Royal Council Chamber **
Elsa had been Queen for 10 months. She had managed to attend 10 Council meetings without exposing her magic, although it had been a close-run thing on several occasions. This meeting was going to be another such trial.
Her interactions with Anders Reinertsen grew more acrimonious as time went by. The man was so in love with the sound of his own voice, so certain that his worldliness made him the perfect adviser for an inexperienced, naive Queen who was clearly in over her head, that he simply ignored Elsa on more than one occasion. He was skating close to a line that shouldn't be crossed and everyone knew it except him.
"Your Majesty, I must protest! This agreement with Weselton is of great advantage to Arendelle and if you were more experienced you would clearly see that!" Reinertsen was trying to keep alive an issue that Elsa had just vetoed. Again.
"What I clearly see, Mr. Reinertsen, is that this agreement would be of great advantage to Weselton, and CERTAIN interests here in Arendelle. It would most certainly NOT benefit the entire kingdom, but only certain pockets that would be lined with Weselton gold." Elsa was seething inside, her gloved hands clenched tightly in her lap where they couldn't be seen. "Conceal it, Elsa. This man is your enemy, and he is trying to goad you into a mistake."
There was no trace of this turmoil on her face, of course. They never saw her cry; that was something that only happened behind the closed and locked door of her room.
"Are you accusing me of trying to cheat Arendelle? I must protest! That is unconscionable!" It seemed like she had managed to goad him instead, however unwittingly she had done it. His face was so red and the veins stood out so starkly that she feared he would have a stroke right there in the Council room.
"I make no accusation, sir. I made an observation about this proposal. Are you admitting that it will be YOUR pockets being lined by Weselton?" Elsa's voice remained calm, but she realized he had let his ego lead him into a trap.
Naismith drawled, clearly amused at Reinertsen's apoplexy, "Yes, Anders. Her Majesty was speaking in generalities, and you seem to take it personally. Why, exactly would that be?"
Reinertsen turned to him in fury. "I resent that implication! That is a slur on my honor!"
Naismith purred, "It wasn't, but if you should feel the need to defend your honor, I would, of course, oblige."
Reinertsen's face went as pasty white as it had been bright red. He couldn't match Naismith in a duel; it would be a nightmare and could only result in his humiliation, if not death. He managed to gasp out a very shaky, "No, no I didn't mean for it to be taken that way."
Naismith looked at Reinertsen as though he was a wriggling creature he had found in his soup. "Oh good then, I am pleased your honor remains intact." He turned back to the head of the table. "Your Majesty?"
Elsa had been watching this byplay carefully, and realized she could exploit the advantage Reinertsen had given her to remove the troublesome meddler from the Council. "Thank heavens for the huge egos of small men," crossed her mind.
"Anders Reinertsen, in light of your ... unwillingness to put Arendelle's benefit ahead of your own avarice, I no longer require your services on this Council. Please leave. Now." Elsa could have been asking for a second cup of tea after dinner for all the emotion in her voice.
Shaking and speechless with rage Reinertsen stamped out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The other members of the Council, except for Naismith, seemed to find the ceiling tiles compellingly fascinating. The Admiral simply smiled at Elsa. She nodded her thanks.
"Gentlemen, I think our business here is finished for the day. I will entertain suggestions at our next meeting for candidates to fill the vacancy just created. Please circulate the curriculum vitae of anyone you think would be suitable to all of us at least one week prior to the meeting. Now, if you will excuse me, I find myself ... fatigued." Elsa just wanted this day to end.
She managed to get all the way back to her room without running this time. She dropped her gloves on the bed, picked up the vase on her bedside table and threw it with all her strength to shatter against the wall. When she looked around she found the walls covered with icy spikes. "Well, that's something new." she thought. "That must be what anger looks like."
** Present Day – March 1841 **
"I never heard why Anders Reinertsen was kicked off the council. I thought it was just because you got tired of him, not that he was double-dealing for Weselton." Anna was impressed with her sister's account.
"It's not something you would want as common knowledge. We had no proof, after all. The damn fool condemned himself. Fortunately, their discretion held. No one wanted to gossip about it." Elsa's face was stone, but her hands were trembling at the memory of her rage that day.
"That had to be the worst day of your life!"
Elsa looked at her sister and smiled wanly. "No, honey, even then it was only third worst. Now? Not even in the top five." She went on, "I find myself in need of chocolate or something. Join me?" Elsa held out a hand to Anna. "I could use the company."
Anna just nodded. They left the study in search of snacks. First snacks, then bed. It had been a long day.