CHAPTER 13
Princess Anna stood on one of the docks on the harbor. Prince Mattias stood to her right, and directly in front of them was King Aleksander, discussing travel plans with the captain of his ship. The sun was shining high in the sky over Arendelle and the air was unseasonably warm. Anna closed her eyes to bask in the warmth that the sun's light provided. She opened her eyes as the cool breeze blowing in from the fjord reminded her that it was still winter. She caught the tail end of the conversation going on in front of her as she focused back on the task at hand.
"-favorable headwinds, and the surf is calm. We should be able to make it back to Ørnhavn in four days' time." the captain said. Aleksander nodded approvingly.
"Excellent news, Captain." the King said. "Ready your men. We should shove off as soon as possible."
"Yes, Your Majesty." the captain responded. The man bowed to Aleksander before heading back up the gangplank. With the captain's departure, the King turned towards the Prince and Princess.
"This is where we say goodbye, I'm afraid." He sighed before stepping forward to embrace his younger brother.
"Stay safe, Mattias." he said. "I will see you in a few months. And make sure you treat Anna well. Remember, a happy wife is a happy life!"
Mattias rolled his eyes as the King laughed at his own joke.
"I will do my best, Aleks." he said. "Have a safe voyage home, brother."
The King released his brother and turned towards Anna, taking the Princess into his arms as well.
"Take care, old friend. It was wonderful to see you and your sister again."
Anna smiled. "Likewise, Aleksander, and Elsa sends her apologies for not being able to see you off in person."
"Nonsense." he replied. "I am a ruler, too; I understand that work often comes first."
They continued embracing each other for another silent moment before separating. Aleksander turned to walk up the gangplank. As he reached the top, the ship began to drift away from the dock. The King turned to wave at his brother and the Princess.
"Go easy on my brother, Anna!" the King shouted back at them. "He may be a soldier, but he's still a fragile thing!"
"No promises!" Anna shouted back as she and the Prince waved their farewells. They stayed on the dock for several more minutes, watching the large frigate disappear into the distance.
Anna heard a sigh from the man at her side and turned towards him. His hands were clasped together behind his back and worry marred his features.
"Is something the matter?" she asked.
"I worry about my brother." Mattias answered, eyes still fixed on the horizon. "He thinks he's losing his grip on the throne."
"What do you mean?" Anna asked him.
Mattias turned towards her finally and gestured towards the castle. The two began walking back as the Prince began to explain.
"The political climate of this world is changing, and no nation is immune. You would never be able to tell from the outside, but there are talks of revolution amongst our people." he said. "They are starting to believe that there is no place for an absolute monarchy in our modern times, and they've been inspired by the recent rise of democracy. It started with the English Colonists, and then the French."
"I believe the colonists like to be called 'Americans' now." Anna corrected.
"Of course. My apologies." Mattias replied. "Since that mess with Emperor Napoleon, France is ruled by a constitutional monarchy. The king has no real power anymore, though I doubt it will last, considering France's history. The United States are becoming a strong nation, and their leaders are elected by the people."
"I know that it's been decades since the American revolution and our people have not taken any action against the crown," the Prince continued. "but the threat still looms. My brother and I need to be able to face that threat if it should arise. I don't know if our people would be better off with a democracy, but if I were to be honest, I do sometimes think it is the better option."
Anna stopped walking, a shocked look on her face.
"Mattias, the king is your brother. What you speak of is treason!" she exclaimed.
Mattias raised his hands defensively before responding. "Anna, I would never wish any harm to my brother or my kingdom. But perhaps one man shouldn't always have absolute power over many. It is said that absolute power corrupts absolutely. I know my brother would never abuse his power, but how can the citizens know that for sure?"
"I suppose they can't." Anna replied with a frown. He had a good point. "But they should trust their ruler to do what's best for them."
"This is true." Mattias answered. "People should trust their monarch, but the opposite is true as well. A king needs to trust that his people know what is best for them."
The pair fell silent as they made their way through the market district of the city. The busy merchants and shoppers payed them no mind, save for the occasional bow or utterance of "Your Highnesses".
Anna thought about what Mattias said as they walked. She wondered what her people thought of Elsa's reign. Were they happy? Would they say anything if they weren't? As far as Anna knew, her people loved Elsa and were fiercely loyal to her; but was that loyalty born of respect, or of fear?
The Princess turned back toward her companion to continue their conversation.
"What does your brother plan to do?" she asked. "What happens if your people want change?"
Mattias closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
"My brother and I have decided that we will step down as rulers of Ørnhavn if that is what the people want."
Anna was surprised by the answer.
"I'm shocked, Mattias." she said. "Would you and your brother really be alright with giving up the crown just like that?"
"Of course not," the man responded. "but what we want doesn't matter. We're rulers, and as such, we have a duty to our people to keep them happy and safe. If they no longer want us in power, then that is what shall happen."
"Would it really be that easy?" asked Anna.
Mattias sighed. "I hope so. Revolutions become bloody more often than not. It happened to both the Americans and the French. We don't want Ørnhavn to be torn apart by war. If it comes down to it, my brother and I will do whatever we can to avoid an armed revolt. The citizens don't deserve to suffer the atrocities of war just because they want change."
The pair had made it back to the castle and paused just before the bridge leading to the gates.
"We love our kingdom, even if our kingdom decides that they don't love us back." he continued. "Even if we can't rule the people, we will do our best to protect them."
"I see." Anna responded. "I certainly hope it doesn't come to that."
They continued across the bridge, nodding to the guards that stood just outside the gates before crossing the threshold to the courtyard.
"I hope our people are happy with Elsa." said the Princess. "I suppose I'll never know."
Anna continued walking towards the castle, not realizing that Mattias had stopped until she reached the door. She turned to see the Prince standing a few meters back. His brow was raised curiously and he eyed her mischievously.
"Is something the matter?" she asked him. He smiled and walked towards her.
"Would you like to find out what the citizens think of you and Elsa?" he asked.
"Of course I would," Anna replied. "but how am I going to do that? I can't ask them; no one would answer honestly."
"That's true," Mattias said. "they won't tell you the truth; but I know a way to find out how they really feel."
Anna eyed the man with cautious optimism. She was excited by the prospect of learning how her subjects felt about her, but wary of however Mattias planned to do it.
"Tell me, Anna." the Prince asked. "What are you willing to do to find out?"
Anna pondered the question nervously; the implications of the query made her mind race. What was she willing to do? Knowing how people felt about her and her sister would ease a great burden on her mind and Elsa's mind as well. If she knew that people were unhappy, she would be able to make the necessary changes to placate them. And if they wanted revolution, she could protect Elsa; and she would do anything to keep Elsa safe.
"What did you have in mind?" she asked Mattias. He leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"Meet me here tonight, an hour after sunset." he said, before retreating from her ear and walking towards the guard barracks. He looked back at her over his shoulder as he neared the building.
"And wear something you can move in! Riding breeches would be best!"
"Wait, what? Riding breeches? Why? What are we doing?" Anna shouted back, but the Prince simply smiled and turned towards the barracks.
Several hours later, after the sisters had eaten dinner together, Anna changed into her breeches and made her way towards the library. She knew Elsa would be there; the room had been her go-to space whenever she had any free time. The Queen spent every moment she could scouring legal texts and historical archives, hoping to find a way to stop the marriage.
Anna opened the large wooden door and stepped in. There was no doubt that the creaking of the door had alerted Elsa to her presence, but the Queen showed no sign of interest towards the noise. Her nose was buried in another book, looking over the same pages she had read a dozen times before, hoping that something would magically appear to solve her problems.
Anna approached Elsa's desk and cleared her throat in an attempt to get her sister's attention.
"Hello, Anna." the Queen responded without looking up. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Um, no." said Anna as she rocked back and forth on her heels. She only came to see her sister in order to tease her. Elsa had once told her that she was rather fond of the way that she looked in her breeches, and Anna loved how flustered the Queen became when she was wearing them.
"I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to the city with Mattias for a few hours." Anna said. The statement garnered the reaction she was looking for. Elsa's head looked up from the text.
"The city? It's dark out, and the guards will- oh." Elsa cut herself off and her face flushed as she focused on the woman standing before her. "Um, are you... is there... why are you dressed like... like that?"
'Gotcha.' Anna thought, and a coy expression took over her face. The Queen was clearly taken aback. Anna pretended not to notice in order to string Elsa further along.
"Mattias told me to wear something..." Anna stretched her hands far over her head, causing the fabric of her shirt to rise and expose a tantalizingly small amount of pale skin. She lowered her arms and finished her thought. "...flexible." Anna swore she heard her sister gulp at the statement. "I'm not sure why though."
"I... I see." said the Queen, a sheen of sweat beginning to appear on her forehead. "Well, whatever the reason, be careful and stay safe." Elsa stood up and walked to her sister before planting a lustful kiss on the younger woman's lips. 'Two can play at this game.' she thought.
She pulled away from the now-reddening Princess. "Hurry back, my love." she added with a seductive smile before returning to her book.
Anna blushed at the poorly-concealed lust in the Queen's voice. She would absolutely return as fast as possible. With a smile, she turned and left the library.
Captain Torvald Stenson of the Arendelle Royal Guard stood in a small boathouse just outside of the castle. With him were the four other men that made up his squad. They were the best soldiers that Arendelle had to offer, and as such, they served as the ruling monarch's personal bodyguards. Their duty was to protect Queen Elsa at any cost, just as they had protected the late King Agdar.
The five men were battle-hardened and time-tested, each having seen their share of war. After his promotion to the post, Captain Stenson had personally selected each man. They would obey his orders without question and fight any enemy to the bitter end.
Captain Stenson was lucky that his men were so loyal, as he would soon undertake a mission to protect the kingdom that would not be possible without them. If it were any other men, the mission would fail, and Captain Stenson did not fail.
At least not after the last time.
The Captain laughed bitterly as he recalled the memory. He had grown fond of King Agdar and trusted the man's judgment. So when the king insisted that a bodyguard was not necessary on that particular goodwill voyage, he simply agreed. King Agdar saved his life that day, for had he not told him to stay behind, the sea would have claimed his life as well.
'Or,' the captain thought. 'I could have saved him.'
Captain Stenson sighed. The irony of the king saving his bodyguard was not lost on him.
He learned from his mistakes though, and vowed to never fail his duty ever again. Trust was the reason that King Agdar was lost, so Captain Stenson stopped trusting anyone's judgment but his own. He trusted his men, of course, but only that they would obey their orders no matter what. Above all though, there was one person he trusted the least:
Queen Elsa.
His mistrust was born during the incident at her coronation. The Queen cast her evil over Arendelle and abandoned her people to freeze to death. He had wanted to act then, to go after her, but he couldn't. The Princess had left Prince Hans in charge when she went after Elsa, and it was his duty to protect the sovereign, which happened to be Prince Hans at the time. So he stayed behind.
Then the Queen illegally voided Arendelle's trade contracts with Weselton and plunged the nation into an economic panic. She had cursed Arendelle over and over again in the span of a few short days.
Yes, she came back and thawed the winter, and yes, she proved that her powers were under her control with the ice show in the courtyard, but that didn't change any facts of the matter.
Queen Elsa was a demon.
She was a witch and a sorceress. She had cursed the kingdom after being Queen for only a few hours. Who was to say that it wouldn't happen again?
Arendelle was a proud and dignified nation. It's people didn't deserve to have to live in constant fear of their monarch.
Despite his thoughts, however, the Captain refused to act. He was a soldier above all else, and duty came first. Reluctantly, he served the Queen just as he was trained to.
Duty could stop him from taking action, but it could not stop the thoughts from festering in his mind. He found the need to remove the Queen growing every day. He would wake up in a cold sweat, dagger inexplicably in hand after dreaming about murdering the queen. His subconscious would scream at him as he stood at her side and he would find his hands on the hilt of his sword as his eyes burned holes into the back of her head. The thoughts plagued him until finally culminating when he found out about Princess Anna's betrothal.
Queen Elsa tried to keep it a secret, but he was her bodyguard. He saw and heard things that most others didn't. It didn't take long for him to figure out, especially after the Queen's outburst in her study. He broke in to the room after the sisters had left and found the betrothal contract.
The betrothal offered Captain Stenson the perfect opportunity. The contract meant that Prince Mattias was now in line for the throne. If he could kill Elsa and Anna, the Prince would become King of Arendelle, and the kingdom would be safe from the ice witch's wrath.
The urge to act was impossibly strong upon the arrival of the Prince, and Captain Stenson had to will himself several times to not strike Queen Elsa down at random. He knew that wouldn't work; her powers were too dangerous. Her magic was reflexive and if he didn't plan the assassination properly, his blade would never reach her flesh and he would be dead before he hit the floor.
Over time, he had convinced his men that the Queen was a danger to them all, so getting them involved wouldn't be a problem. Now he had a plan, which is why the five men found themselves in a small boathouse, crouching around a crudely-drawn layout of the castle.
"Her powers are much more dangerous than any weapon we have, so we need to strike quickly and carefully." the Captain explained. "We need to surround her and give her no means of escape."
"So what's your plan, Captain?" one of the men asked.
"We attack the way wolves hunt." he began. "Wolves are small, but in packs, they can take down prey much larger than them. They surround their target and overwhelm it with brute strength and greater numbers."
"The people need to see it happen so they know they are safe from the demon queen." he continued. "So we will strike during the Queen and Princess's next official trip into the city."
"We will escort them, as usual. I will be directly in front of the Queen, two men will be directly in front of me, and two men will be directly behind them. When we reach here-" he pointed to the bridge that connected the castle to the city. "-we attack. When the two rear guards step onto the bridge, the gates will close. They will be surrounded with no way out."
The men all nodded in agreement.
"I will cast the first blow." Captain Stenson continued. "I may not reach my target before she strikes me down with her evil ice, but I will at least distract her from the rest of you, giving you ample time to finish her and her sister off. Are we clear?"
"Yes, sir." the men answered in unison.
"Good." the Captain said. "Arendelle will soon be safe again, all thanks to us."
A/N
THE PLOT THICKENS! DASTARDLY GOINGS-ON IN THE KINGDOM OF ARENDELLE!
Hey folks. Sorry for the delay. I started writing this chapter and eventually it hit 5000 words and I thought that was too long so I decided to split it up into 2 different ones (13 &14) and then I didn't like the way 13 came out so I pretty much rewrote it from the ground up and I wasn't sure about using real places so I asked reddit and they said go for it so i pretty much rewrote it again and fuck.
I sure hope you like this one. As you can probably tell, it gave me a lot of problems. Chapter 14 should be out by the end of the week, but my life got very hectic very suddenly; a member of my family was diagnosed with cancer and I've been traveling back and forth pretty often. Combine that with work and it's just been a shitstorm.
But, in the immortal words of Jeff Goldblum, "Life, uh, finds a way." I suppose that applies to fanfics, too.
Feel free to review and stuff.
Hugs and kisses,
-Cosmic