Chapter IX: The Council
Anna and Kristoff stood at the grand doors that led into the castle. They put on fake smiles for their guests. They had to at least appear happy though there was nothing happy about their situation. The peace council was only a few minutes away, and Anna and Kristoff knew that it was up to Elsa and Kai to prevent war. They put on smiles on what would be the darkest day of their life. For a peace council, Anna knew that there would be a lot of yelling involved.
Anna and Kristoff greeted the monarchs and representatives as they walked into the council. All of them had anything but a smile on their face. It was obvious that they didn't want to be here as much as Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Kai did. Most of them did not acknowledge Anna and Kristoff's presence as they walked past. It came off as a bit rude to Anna, but who could blame them. Too much was at stake tonight, and everyone had a role to play, both big and small.
Anna hoped that Elsa knew what she was doing. Elsa wasn't necessarily the most social person. Very few times has she had to deal with things like this. Very few times. Anna wished that Elsa would've let her come to the meeting. Anna could have helped Elsa get on the good side of everyone, but, that won't happen now. Anna wanted to support Elsa through this. They've always had each other's back ever since Elsa revealed her powers to everyone, and now, Elsa didn't want Anna's help. That hurt Anna on the inside.
Kristoff was actually glad that he wouldn't be a part of the meeting. He knew almost nothing about politics. An ice miner raised by trolls who's best friends are a reindeer, a snowman, and a guy who can shoot fire out of his hands knows nothing about politics? Ridiculous. Kristoff accompanied Kai to a meeting about Arendelle Castle's security once, and Kristoff fell asleep during it. It was clear that Kristoff wasn't the best person for an important meeting like this.
A large group of men walked through the gates and into the courtyard. They all looked fairly similar, all sharing similar facial features with each other. Their physiques differed. Some were scrawny, some were fat, others were muscular. They all wore the same outfit; elegant white clothes. Anna looked around at the crowd and counted twelve people. She realized that they were the same group of people she saw at Elsa's study earlier. They were the princes of the Southern Isles, and that meant that one of them was trouble.
She looked around to find an old enemy. Then, she saw the familiar side-burned villain that plotted against them years ago; Hans. Anna pointed Kristoff towards Hans, and Kristoff gave an angry expression. He cracked his knuckles and clenched his fists.
"We don't want trouble." Anna told Kristoff.
"We're already in trouble." Kristoff countered.
"Not if Elsa and Kai change that. We don't need to make things worse."
Kristoff took a deep breath and sighed in disappointment. Anna didn't know how bad Kristoff wanted to feed Hans his own underwear. Hans hurt Anna. He had to pay for that. But, Anna was right. Hurting Hans would just put them in more hot water, and Kristoff knew that. He couldn't let his emotions cloud his judgement, so he would refrain from smacking Hans around... for now.
Hans knew that they spotted him, and he looked at their direction. Hans gave a devious smirk at Anna and he winked. Anna gritted her teeth and clench her fists. She wanted to hurt Hans just as badly as Kristoff did, but she knew the consequences. He took a deep breath to calm herself down.
The twelve brothers walked toward the castle door and stopped in front of Anna and Kristoff. Christian was in front of his brothers. In the Westerguard family, the eldest would always act as the leader. Seeing as how Ander was in the Southern Isles, Christian would be the leader. Christian knelt to the ground and bowed. The eleven others followed his example and did the same, even Hans.
"I assume you're Princess Anna." Christian said.
Anna nodded.
Christian looked over at Kristoff. "And you're..." Christian had never heard of Kristoff in his life.
"I'm Arendelle's official ice master and deliverer." Kristoff answered.
"That's not a thing." Christian said.
"He's my husband." Anna said, not wanting to get off topic.
"Splendid." Christian said. "I apologize for the trouble we have caused you. To be honest, we did not agree to this war."
"I don't think you should be the one apologizing." Anna said, looking at Hans.
The brothers all looked at Hans, and that was a signal for Hans to go up to Anna. Hans stood up, wiped the snow off of his knees, and slowly walked to Anna. He was reluctant to go, but he knew no one would get anywhere if he didn't. He couldn't believe he had to be the one to apologize. He felt that everyone should be apologizing to him. His brothers needed to apologize for always looking down on him, and Elsa and Anna needed to apologize for foiling his plans. Although, he couldn't blame Anna and Elsa. He knew what he did was evil, but he didn't care. He knew that he was evil, but he didn't care. Things weren't going Hans' way, but he knew that that would change.
Hans stood in front of Anna and Kristoff who both stood cross-armed. They were patiently waiting for his apology, though no forgiveness would be given. What Hans had done could not be forgiven. That was fine for everyone. Hans didn't need or want forgiveness, and Anna and Kristoff didn't want to give it.
Hans put his right hand over his chest and bowed. Anna and Kristoff were not amused with Hans' "gentlemanly" behavior. Hans hated being forced to keep the act up.
"I, Hans Westerguard of the Southern Isles, formally apologize for the sins I have committed against Arendelle." Hans said.
Anna and Kristoff did not respond to his apology, and Hans was not surprised. The eleven other princes stood up, wiped the snow off of their legs, and walked into the castle. Hans just stood still as his brothers walked past him, forcing him behind the others. When Hans stood behind all of his brothers, he followed them into the castle. Anna and Kristoff just stood at their spots, studying Hans. They were wondering what his next move was. They knew he was plotting something, and they wouldn't be surprised if something bad happened.
Hans looked over his shoulder at Anna and Kristoff as he walked to the meeting. He gave them a smirk and looked back ahead. His presence was bad new, but there was nothing Anna, Kristoff, or even Elsa could do about it. If it were up to them, Hans wouldn't even be allowed into the castle, but since Hans was the main person behind this war, he had to be at the meeting.
Anna and Kristoff were glad that trouble hasn't been started before the meeting. They didn't want to create drama or make the representatives mad at them. They put Sven and Olaf in the stables to make sure that doesn't happen. They didn't want those two bothering any of the guests since they knew what trouble would happen if they greeted the guests.
Things couldn't go wrong during this meeting. If the slightest mistake was made, Arendelle was toast. When a peace council is held, and if any harm were to find its way to the monarchs and representatives, the hosting country would be committing treason against all other kingdoms, and that was something they didn't want happening. Arendelle will be in deep trouble, and there would be nothing anyone can do about it. Elsa and Kai had to talk intelligently and the guards had to be ready if something bad were to happen.
Anna and Kristoff closed the doors when the last person got into the castle. The guards showed the monarchs and representatives the way to the meeting room. Guards led them to the second floor and down a long corridor. The guards showed the room where the meeting would be taking place. It was a large room with a balcony on the outside. To the balcony's right and left were surfaces that acted like roofs, flat enough to walk on. A huge table lay in the center of the room. It was ten times longer in width. A chandelier hung above the table, a fire was burning in the fireplace, and bookshelves lined the walls.
Kai and Elsa sat on one end of the table, the closest end to the door. Elsa wore her small crown tonight. She usually never wore it, but she had to look like a monarch in front of the others. The council people took their seats as the rest of them walked in. Christian, Hans, and their brothers were the last to walk in. Christian and Hans sat at the opposite end of the table to Kai and Elsa. The brothers sat to their side. Hans gave a smirk to Elsa who looked away. Kai noticed Hans was looking at her.
"Who's that?" Kai asked Elsa.
"That," Elsa said, "would be Hans."
"Our opponent?" Kai asked.
Elsa nodded. "He's bad news."
"I've heard." Kai said. "Is this the guy who tried to kill you and Anna and take the throne of Arendelle for himself?"
"That's the guy." Elsa answered.
Elsa looked over at the door and found Anna peeking her head out. Anna motioned Elsa to walk over to her.
"Excuse me for a minute." Elsa told Kai.
Elsa pushed back her chair and stood up. She walked towards Anna and they walked out of the room.
"Are you ready, Elsa?" Anna asked.
"No." Elsa said truthfully. "I know what to say, but what if I mess up. What if I can't stop this war?"
"You'll do fine." Anna assured. "You have Kai in there to back you up."
Elsa took a deep breath. She hoped in her head that she'll succeed. She couldn't fail Arendelle or her sister. The following minutes will decide the fate of Arendelle, and Elsa couldn't let that pressure get to her. She had to stay calm and not lose her head. She had to be as cool as ice. Anna offered her sister a hug and Elsa took it. She needed that right now. She couldn't show affection in front of the people in there since it would not be professional.
"Hans is bad news." Anna said.
"Tell me something I don't know." Elsa said.
"I borrowed your toothbrush when I tried to brush Sven's teeth." Anna said.
"What?! Eww!"
"Well, you told me to tell you something new."
"That was a rhetorical statement! You're not suppose to take it literally!"
"Oops."
Elsa managed to hold in a barf. "It would have been better if you didn't tell me that..." Elsa put on a straight face after looking disgusted. She turned to go back into the room.
"Elsa?" Anna said.
Elsa turned around to face her sister.
"Good luck." Anna said.
Elsa smiled. "Thank you." she said. "Oh, and please throw my toothbrush away please."
Anna laughed and walked away. Elsa walked back into the room and took her seat. She tried to look as respectable as she could, and she put her hands on her lap. Kai put his hand over hers and rubbed it. He assured her that everything was going to be alright. Elsa wished he was right. Too much was at stake.
Elsa looked around at the crowd and they got silent. She put her hands on the table, intent on making people realize that her gloves are on and that they are in no danger from her. Elsa cleared her throat and prepared to speak.
"Thank you all for coming to this peace council I am hosting." Elsa said.
"We did not have a choice Queen Elsa." said one of the guests.
"That may be true," Elsa said, "but I would still like to acknowledge the fact that you have all spared your time here with me."
Elsa took a deep breath. She practiced hard before the meeting. She knew everything she had to say by heart. The words kept replaying in her mind. She was prepared, unlike Kai. Kai reckoned that he would improvise the entire thing and support Elsa when she needed it.
"Who's the man next to you?" asked Christian.
Elsa looked down at Kai, motioning him to introduce himself. Kai stood up and looked around.
"I am Queen Elsa's Captain of the Guard." Kai answered.
"People say that you're suppose to be dead." said one of the representatives.
"I'm hard to kill..." Kai said.
"Word around also says you're very similar to the Queen." said another representative.
Whispers broke out among the guests. Some were confused and others were shocked. Kai looked down at Elsa who had pursed lips. Elsa nodded at Kai, telling him to reveal his secret. Was that the smartest idea? Some of them were afraid of Elsa. Did they really need someone else to worry about? But, as it seems, some already knew. Kai had to show them.
Kai held out his hands in front of him and create a small fireball in it. People gasped and some moved away from Kai. Hans stared intently at the flame. Another powered individual would only complicate things for him, but he could use it against them. Kai extinguished the flames and looked around. No one said a word. Kai crossed his arms and sat back down.
"Ta-da..." Kai said.
There was a short silence among everyone. No one knew what to say or what to do.
"Don't worry." Kai said. "I'm not a danger to anyone here."
"How can we be sure?" Hans asked.
"You have my word."
"These days, that's not enough."
"What do you want me to do, Hans?"
"I don't want you to do anything. I just don't trust you about this, Captain Kai."
"What's not to trust?"
"You're working with our enemy!" Hans pointed to Elsa.
"She's you're enemy! No one here wanted this war except for you!"
"Then why did they agree to it?"
"Why don't you ask them?!"
Kai was losing his patience with Hans. He could see why so many people hated him. Kai wanted to just run up to him and rip off his side burns. Elsa stood up and was ready to take charge of the conversation. She was having enough of this bickering.
"Kai has a point." Elsa said. "Why did you all decide to declare war? Arendelle has not been a threat and will never be a threat."
Christian stood up. "The kingdoms fear for their safety. Two eternal winters have been created, and they don't want one in their own kingdom."
The King of Corona stood up. "I'm sure both winters were unintentional."
Elsa nodded. "I did not mean to cause harm to anyone."
"Oh yeah?" Hans asked. "Explain Teranhall. Was that an accident too? What business does Arendelle have to Teranhall?"
Elsa opened her mouth, but hesitated. If she told the truth about Teranhall, then King Lyre would be ruined. She looked around to see if he was in the meeting, and she found him staring at her at his seat. Lyre closed his eyes and stood up. The others who were standing sat down.
"That was my fault." Lyre said.
The guests gasped and whispered among each other.
Lyre continued to speak. "I... I was a different man, then. A bad man. I made mistakes that I wish I hadn't made. I lured Elsa to Teranhall and extracted her powers. I used them to create the winter."
Elsa and Kai couldn't believe Lyre stood up for them like that. They both understood that Lyre was now a ruined man, and Lyre knew what he was walking into. Even knowing this, Lyre still stood up for them. Though they had forgiven him, he still felt that he owed them something. Lyre sat back in his seat, looking down on the table. Lyre knew that everyone was looking at him, but he paid no attention.
One of the monarchs cleared his throat. "King Lyre, that means your rule will have to be abolished in Teranhall."
Lyre nodded, understanding it. "Let's just continue with the meeting..." Lyre said. "Queen Elsa is not a threat, and I shall vouch for her."
"Elsa won't do anything to harm you kingdoms." Kai said.
"She's not the only problem anymore." Hans said. "The way I see it, you're just as much of a threat. Hans stood up and looked around at the guests. They all focused their attention on him. "What's to stop Captain Kai from going to you're kingdoms and burning them down?"
"I would never do that!" Kai said. "I swear on my life, I'd never harm innocent people."
"What do you with those who aren't innocent?" asked one of Hans' brothers.
Kai stared at Hans when he said "I make sure they get what they deserve."
"You kill?" asked a guest.
"No." Kai answered. "But I'll make them wish they were."
Elsa knew Kai was getting a bit intimidating. She didn't want him to look like a menace in front of these people. She grabbed Kai's arm and gently tugged it down, signaling him to sit down and shut up.
Elsa took a deep breath. "Your kingdoms are safe and there's no need to start a war over something as stupid as fear."
"What's the assurance on that?" asked a representatives.
"What can we give besides our word?" Elsa asked. "If you're after our goods and money, that just means you're bullying us with the threat of war. I will not bribe any of you to prevent this war since I should not have to." Elsa feared this would happen. She feared corrupt men would try to bring her down, and she let these people into her castle.
The King of Corona spoke up. "She's right. Arendelle should not lose anything. Only thugs bully to take."
Elsa smiled and nodded at the King. At least someone was on her side.
"We won't bully Arendelle." Christian said.
"Thank you." Elsa said.
One representative spoke up. "There are still those who don't believe you'll keep your promise."
"I'm not a wicked witch." Elsa said. "I know right from wrong. I know the promises I should keep."
"Do you deny the fact that one day you may go rogue and cause chaos for other kingdoms?"
"I deny it!" Elsa said. "I would never go rogue and hurt innocents on purpose."
"How do we know you won't?"
"That's where you must have faith." Elsa said.
That was a huge problem among many. They didn't trust each other. That's how this war was started. People don't trust Elsa, so they had to make sure Elsa would not be a threat. It became clearer to Elsa now. They didn't have faith in her ability to control herself. So, they would need to control her.
"I won't be a threat. Once again, you have my word on that." Elsa said. "Have faith in me. Have faith that I won't use my powers to harm your kingdoms. I have faith that you will make the right decision."
"A war would be unnecessary." Kai said. "You're scared of Elsa, not Arendelle."
"Yes," Hans said, "but, we can't just ask for the head of a monarch. The rules between kingdoms say that in order to get to her, we have to get through Arendelle."
"Who made this rule?" Kai asked.
"Our ancestors." Hans answered.
"Let's not get off topic." Elsa said. "I called this peace council because I want to save my country. I want to avoid war, and right now, I don't know where we're at on that."
"We all want to avoid war, but our fear is taking the better of us." said a monarch "None of us want to wake up in the middle of an eternal winter."
"You won't have to." Elsa said. "You'll never have to. I once again assure you're safe."
"What good is your word?" Hans asked.
Kai stood up. "Don't you see?" Kai said. "Hans plotted this against us! All he wants is revenge, and if war is started, then he'll have his revenge."
Everyone looked over at Hans who gave an angered face, proving Kai's statement correct. Christian was disappointed in his brother, and stood up.
"The Southern Isles will not go to war with Arendelle." Christian said. "I cannot speak for the other countries."
Elsa smiled at Christian. She was glad that he was able to see what was happening, and to help stop the war. One by one, the people stood up each saying that they will not go to war. Soon, only Hans was sitting down, arms crossed.
"What are the terms?" Elsa asked.
"No terms." said Christian. "Arendelle has endured much already. We'll just pretend this entire incident didn't happen." Christian looked down at Hans. "Someone is going to be in big trouble."
"You got that right." said a voice coming from the balcony outside. Everyone turned to see who's voice it was. On the balcony stood a young man in about his late twenties or early thirties. The man had light brown hair and black eyes. He stood tall, about Kai's height. The man had a sword in his hand, and two pistols strapped to his waist. A small bag hung on his back.
"Sorry to interrupt." The man said, smirking.
They all knew one thing; he wasn't here to talk about peace.
Author's Note: I just want to let you guys get a sense of how often I post chapters. I really don't have a schedule when I write chapters, so I just write them any time. I try to do them as often as I can, but that doesn't mean I'll post daily. Expect a lot of chapters when I'm on summer break since I have all of that free time in my hands. Ciao.