Chapter XIV: Deadline
When Kai woke up, it was the afternoon. The sun was slowly setting outside. He looked around the room and found that he was still in Elsa's study and he was still on Elsa's couch. He noticed that he wasn't wearing a shirt so he picked up his shirt from the ground and put it on.
He looked over at Elsa's desk to see her with closed eyes, laying her head over her arms. She followed Kai's example and fell asleep while reading. Kai smiled at her. He always found her cute when she was sleeping. She always seemed to have a slight smile on her face and breathed lightly. When she slept, she looked like she had no worries at all.
Kai slowly stood up from the couch and stretched. He twisted his back left and then twisted it right, but he heard a loud cracking noise and his spine was stuck. Ow, Kai thought. Despite being only twenty-three, he felt like he was seventy-three. Kai unfroze his back and continued to stretch. When he cracked his knuckles, they made a very loud cracking noise. Kai was afraid he would wake Elsa, but she only moved her head slightly.
This was Kai's wake up routine. Whenever he woke up during any time of day or night, he would always make quick stretches before doing anything else. His body had to be ready in the case of an attack, which with Kai, attacks happened fairly often.
Kai walked to the balcony and looked out. The snow was falling less intensely as it did earlier that day though the snow was still falling fairly strongly since the sun was not enough to melt anything. The courtyard had only three guards on duty, all three of them leaning on a wall. Usually, the courtyard had way more than three guards, but seeing as how many of them were gone, this was where they were at.
Kai would've yelled at them to get back on duty but then he realized that most of them have not had any sleep for the past day or two. Elsa ordered them all on guard 24/7 in case of another attack. He figured he could give them a little rest.
He looked over at Elsa and she was still soundly asleep on her desk just like Kai left her. He walked over to her desk to see if she could sleep somewhere more comfortable. He stood behind her large chair and out his hands over her shoulders.
Kai slightly shook her shoulders. "Hey." Kai said. He shook some more. "Are you going to wake up." Elsa just moved her shoulders a little bit and was still soundly asleep. "Guess not." Kai answered himself.
He decided he should get her someplace more comfortable. He slowly moved her chair back and though it made a creaking noise, she didn't wake up. Kai picked her up and held her in his arms. His right arm was supporting and holding her back while his left arm was supporting and holding her legs. His shoulder ached but he ignored the pain. He knew she would be furious if he dropped her.
He slowly carried her to the couch he slept on and lay her down on it. Her body noticed the change of position so she put her hands together, lay them next to her head, and put her head over her hands. Kai deduced that she had to be kept warm so he picked up his jacket from the floor and put it over her body. Elsa smiled because of how comfortable she was.
Kai heard marching coming from the outside. He walked to the balcony to see what was up. What he saw was Ander, though Kai didn't know who Ander was, walking next to Hans with many guards surrounding them. Kai realized that they had just arrived to Arendelle, and looked at the docks to confirm it. Sure enough, there was a huge ship docked and Kai noticed that the symbol on the flags belonged to the Southern Isles.
"Uh-oh." Kai said. He noticed that Anna was also looking from the balcony of her room. She looked over at Kai and gave him a worried look from the distance. Kai nodded at her, telling her he was confused as well.
Ander looked up and noticed that Kai was watching. Ander gave him a dirty look to which Kai did not respond to. Ander refocused his attention to the Arendelle guard in front of him.
"What brings you to Arendelle?" asked the guard.
"The King of the Southern Isles, my father, has been assassinated." Ander answered. "I have reason to believe that Arendelle is responsible."
"Sir, I assure you that-"
"I wish to see the Queen immediately." Ander said, interrupting the guard.
The guard closed his eyes and nodded to Ander. "As you wish."
"In private." Ander made more clearly. "Her study would be preferable."
The guard nodded again and turned to another guard. He ordered him to inform Elsa about the surprise meeting. The other guard ran into the castle to do his task. Kai, who overheard their conversation, walked to the couch where Elsa was sleeping. He needed her to be ready for whatever was coming her way. He knelt next to her, put his hand on her cheek, and used his thumb to move some strands of her hair away from her eyes. The warmth of Kai's hand woke her up. She slowly opened her eyes and saw a blurry Kai. Soon, her vision cleared and everything looked normal. Elsa yawned while Kai took his jacket off of her body.
"Hey." Kai said.
"Hey." Elsa responded.
"You're going to have company." Kai told her.
Elsa sat up from the couch and moved her feet so they touched the floor. "What kind of company?" Elsa asked.
Kai shrugged. "All I know is that someone wants to see you."
Before Elsa could say something, they heard a knock on the door. Kai got up to open it, but Elsa grabbed his hand before he took a step. He looked down at her and she gave him a gesture that told him that she should be the one to do it. Kai nodded in agreement. It would be strange for the Captain of the Guard to answer something meant for the Queen. Kai sat down on the couch as Elsa stood up. She quickly unwrinkled her dress and made a straight face. She made her way to the door and opened it and found a guard standing in front of her.
The guard put his hand over his chest and bowed his head. "Queen Elsa." The guard said. Elsa nodded her head in acknowledgement. When the guard stood straight again, he noticed Kai over Elsa's shoulder. "Hello Captain." The guard said, confused. He wondered why Kai was in Elsa's office, then he realized he shouldn't be surprised since the two were a couple. Kai saluted the guard with two fingers.
"What is required of me?" Elsa asked. That was just a nice way of saying "What do you want?". As Queen, Elsa had to speak with a nice and sophisticated manner. She could only be casual among her friends and family.
"Someone would like to speak with you in your study." The guard answered.
"Whom?" Elsa asked.
"King Ander of the Southern Isles." The guard answered.
That greatly confused Elsa. She couldn't recall the name of the King of the Southern Isles being Ander. Something strange was happening. She, at least, was able to remember the name Ander be of great significance, and she realized that Ander was head of the Southern Isles' military which was arguably the strongest military in the known world.
She had to know what was up. "Bring him in now." Elsa said. The guard nodded and started to walk off through the long, empty corridor. Then, about halfway across, he turned back to Elsa.
"The King asked for a private conversation." The guard said, then he continued to walk off to tell Ander.
Elsa turned back to look at Kai who had just made himself comfortable to make sure he heard the guard to which he did. Kai stood up in the couch and stood closely in front of Elsa. He put his arms around her back and kissed her forehead.
"What're you going to do without me?" Kai asked, jokingly.
"Oh, please." Elsa said. "You were only going to hold me back. I was doing fine when you were gone."
"I was told you cried like a baby during my funeral." Kai pointed out.
"It was raining." Elsa lied.
"You started to drink."
"That wine was going to expire." Elsa lied once again.
"You isolated yourself once again."
"I was reading a book." Elsa lied.
"For three months?!"
"It was a long book."
"Oh yeah? Which book?"
That was it. She panicked and was about to say the dictionary but refrained from it. Elsa was out of excuses. Well, to her, it was fun while it lasted. Kai knew that she was just messing with him for all of the answers, and that actually made him feel better about her. She had a sense of humor now. Kai knew she got it from him.
The couple heard footsteps coming from the outside of Elsa's door. Ander, Hans, and one of Arendelle's guards were walking down the corridor. Kai knew it was his time to leave. He walked to the door and opened it. Ander and Hans gave Kai a dirty look, but they didn't say anything. Hans' tailcoat covered his shoulder wound so Kai couldn't tell Hans was hurt. Kai walked out of the room, through the corridor, and past the three men. He was confused as to what Hans was doing here. He had a bad feeling about Kai passed the men, they payed no more attention to him.
Hans turned his head toward Ander. "She's dangerous." Hans whispered. "Are you sure you want to talk to her alone."
Ander nodded. "She would be stupid to do anything to me while we're in there." Ander assured. "It's best you leave now."
"But-"
Ander glared at his brother. He meant business. He couldn't let Hans interfere with the conversation, knowing that Hans would do anything in his power to take charge of it. Hans went silent after Ander gave him the dirty look.
The guard escorting them held his arm out towards Elsa's open door, and Ander walked to it. Hans stayed immobile while watching his brother enter Elsa's study. Only when Ander closed the door behind him did Hans and the guard leave. The guard opened the door out of the empty corridor for Hans to which Hans exited, followed by the guard. They entered another corridor which was perpendicular to the corridor they was just in. This corridor had less windows but more doors, paintings, and knights in armor. The two took a right turn and headed away.
From the left side of the corridor and from an open door to a room, Anna poked her head out. When Hans and the guard were out of sight, she tip toed to the door that led to the corridor that led to Elsa's study. She slowly opened it up and tip toed to Elsa's study door. She put her ear against the door, cautiously trying not to make a sound.
When Anna heard that Ander requested a small, private council with Elsa, she knew something dubious was happening. She couldn't resist hearing what was happening. Knowing Elsa would not allow her to get involved, she had to find out her own way.
From the inside, Anna could hear Elsa's voice.
"I presume you are King Ander." Elsa said.
Ander nodded. "Well, my official, formal title is Crowned Prince of the Southern Isles."
"That means you have not have your coronation." Elsa said. Being the Queen, Elsa knew how power was passed down, and when a monarch's title does not have the word King or Queen in it, a coronation was not yet given. Either that means that the monarch is too young for the coronation, or power was passed through will.
"What happened to your father?" Elsa asked.
"That's what I'm hear about." Ander said. He out his hands behind his back and walked to Elsa's balcony. She stayed in her position, standing next to her desk. Ander looked out at the balcony. "My father was assassinated just this morning." Ander answered.
Elsa's eyes widened. It was not uncommon for a monarch to have a target on his or her's head, but why Ander was here telling Elsa confused her.
"Did you come here just to tell me that?" Elsa asked.
Ander turned back towards Elsa. "I have reason to believe that Arendelle is responsible for the murder."
From outside of the room, Anna quietly gasped. She and Elsa both knew that Arendelle would never associate itself with such dark business.
"That's a wild accusation, Ander." Elsa said. "I assure you that Arendelle has nothing to do with the assassination nor will Arendelle dare harm your country."
Ander didn't trust Elsa. In times like these, trust was hard to come by, especially from a monarch. One thing Ander learned about ruling is that other rulers always want more power. He viewed them all the same; as power hungry sociopaths. He viewed Elsa like Elsa viewed Hans. Elsa was not like the rest. She didn't want more than what she had, because she knew that if she went on a crusade for more power, it would bite back at her.
"Liar!" Ander said angrily. Elsa took a step back away from Ander. Ander calmed himself down and remembered to keep a calm mind. "As I said, I have reason to believe so." Ander continued.
"What reason is this?" Elsa asked.
"My father was not the only one in the room when he was killed. Hans was there as well, and he was witness to the entire thing. Hans said that your very own Captain of the Guard, Kai murdered my father, and he almost killed Hans too." Ander answered.
"That's impossible!" Elsa said. "Kai was here the entire time!"
"Is that another lie, Queen?" Ander asked, disbelievingly.
"No!" Elsa said. "Kai has not stepped foot in your country ever."
"Hans was attacked by Kai, and I'm sure. Kai scarred my father's face with his fire and fled." Ander continued.
"Are you seriously believing Hans?" Elsa asked. Elsa realized that Hans must've been manipulating his older brother. "Hans has done so much wrong and you're taking his word over mine?!"
"He is my kin! Yes, I have resented him in the past, but now he's all that I've got and I cherish it." Ander said. "We have given him a second chance and I don't think he would give that up."
Even though Ander was the one who was mostly against Hans, he seemed to be Hans' greatest ally right now. Hans was all Ander had left, and he would not lose him. He refused to lose any more family, no matter what they had done. Lost and anger has blinded Ander from seeing a bigger, more dubious plan coming together. Hans expected Ander to be more skeptical about the whole situation, but that wasn't the case.
"Kai was here all day." Elsa said. "You must believe me."
"I can't, I'm afraid. My father is dead and all fingers point to Arendelle. Perhaps Hans was right about." Ander said.
"Right about what?" Elsa asked.
"He was right about you being responsible for the entire thing. He believed that you kidnapped all of those people to ensure war would not come to your country. Then, you got rid of those who had the power to declare war and was not already in your captivity." Ander elaborated.
"That is a crazy thought." Elsa said. "Harm will never reach anyone because of us."
"No harm will come, eh?" Ander asked. "If I recall, you almost killed your sister as a child. You set both Arendelle and Teranhall in eternal winter. That all sounds harmful to me."
Anna wanted to open the door and speak out for Elsa, but she didn't know the consequence she would receive from her sister. All she could do was keep on listening.
"Arendelle is innocent." Elsa said. "Kai is innocent."
"Yet, you have no evidence to support that except for your claims." Ander rebutted.
"Ask everyone in the castle. They'll tell you what Kai's whereabouts were." Elsa said.
"How do I know you didn't tell them to lie prior?" Ander asked.
Elsa was getting more fruited and frustrated with this conversation. She knew who the true enemies were; Cade and Lilith. She didn't know if Hans was involved or not, but right now, she didn't care. All she cared about was keeping Arendelle and her friends and family safe. Now, Ander was threatening that safety. She didn't want him to become her enemy, but to him, that was already too late.
"Don't be so paranoid." Elsa said. "Believe me when I plead Kai is innocent."
"Why do you defend him?" Ander asked.
"He has done no wrong!" Elsa answered.
"Is that correct? If I recall, the infamous Captain Kai used to be part of the Bandit Organization, now disbanded. Has he done no wrong then?" Ander continued.
Elsa looked down at her feet. She tried to ignore the fact that Kai used to be a thug before the two met and she always shrugged it off. She kept telling herself that he was different now. Kai also kept telling himself that. But, neither of them could deny the fact that he indeed did bad things.
"I bet he's hurt many. Yet, you still protect him." Ander continued.
"He's my Captain of the Guard. I protect him so he can protect others." Elsa said.
"Listen, Queen, I know about your little romance with this man." Ander said. "Is that the reason you defend this murderer?"
"He's not a murderer!" Elsa yelled. The room suddenly got colder and dimmer. Elsa's emotions were taking the best of her again. She took a deep breath and tried to regain a calm mind.
"Believe me, Elsa, I know how far one would go to defend someone they love." Ander said.
"It's not just that, Ander." Elsa said. "Yes, I love him. Yes, he has done wrong in the past, But I beg you believe me when I say he has not killed your father. Arendelle is in no way involved in anything diabolical."
Elsa heard a loud ringing coming from the outside. It was the sound of bells. Whenever a new ship entered Arendelle's docks, the ringing would be made. But, strangely, the ringing did not stop. It kept on going and going. Either someone wasn't doing their job right or a lot of ships were coming their way.
Ander walked to the balcony and turned to see. Elsa walked up next to him to see what the commotion was about. Many military ships were filling up Arendelle's docks and many others were just floating in the port's waters. Some were strategically lined up so that they made a wall of ships blocking the docks from the rest of the ocean.
Men from the docked ships walked off onto the docks with their weapons and they lined up around the docks. They meant to prevent anyone from accessing a ship.
Arendelle was being blockaded. All of the ships had the Southern Isles flag.
"What is the meaning of this?" Elsa asked.
From the outside, Anna didn't know what exactly was going on.
"That's my navy." Ander answered. "They were ordered to attack when I gave the go, but seeing as how you plead for your innocence, I'm going to refrain from that."
"Refrain doesn't sound too good to me." Elsa said.
"I will give you time to prove your innocence. You have three days, starting today to prove to me Arendelle is innocent on both charges." Ander said.
"Both charges?"
"People are blaming you for the assassination of my father and the kidnapping of those other monarchs. I'm sure both are connected."
"This morning, I have already sent some of my best guards to search for the kidnapped though they have yet to return."
"If you rescue the kidnapped before the third day, I will assume Arendelle is uninvolved will both of these despicable actions and I will call off the navy. But, know this."
Ander leaned his head closer to Elsa's.
"Today is counts as the first day. Tomorrow is day two. The day after is day three. If you don't have your proof before the sun sets on the third day, I will open fire. Do you understand me?" Ander said.
Elsa nodded and watched Ander as he walked to the door. Anna could hear footsteps coming closer to the door, and she sprinted off down the corridor. When Ander opened the door out of Elsa's study, Anna already was clear of the corridor.
Elsa walked to her desk and slunk down into her chair. Elsa couldn't believe she was being threatened. She had been given a deadline which just made things more difficult for everyone. She hoped that the guards would save them in time. She couldn't spare any more men than she already had. The castle and city needed protection, and their strengths were already greatly lowered.
All she could do was wait and hope for the guards she sent to return with good news. Arendelle depended on it. Now, she had to call a servant to inform everyone of the bad news.
Anna lay on her bed, pretending to read a book while Kristoff was on the other side of the room on a table, eating... whatever that was. It was night time, and many people were heading to sleep.
Anna couldn't stop thinking about the danger they were in. If they didn't find the monarchs quickly, they couldn't prove anything to Ander. Once again, she wanted to help so badly. She didn't care what Elsa would say, she was going to help no matter what.
Anna put her book down. "Kristoff." Anna said. Her husband stopped eating and paid attention to his wife. "Do you know where the coordinates lead?" Anna asked.
Kristoff nodded. "It's suppose to be a plain area, like a small flatland. Why?"
"Kristoff... I "overheard" a conversation with Elsa and King Ander of the Southern Isles."
"They blockaded the port, right?" Kristoff asked.
Anna nodded. "He's giving us three days to prove our innocence on two matters or else Arendelle is doomed."
"I didn't hear about that part." Kristoff said.
Anna realized that Elsa told the servant specific words to say so that people wouldn't get worried.
"The only way to prove our innocence is to bring back those taken." Anna said.
"The guards will take care of it. Don't worry." Kristoff assured.
"Are you sure about that?" Anna asked. "Have you forgotten the fact that the given coordinates may be fake? Have you forgotten the fact that Cade might be there, and by the way he was described, he's too much for these guards."
"Think positive, Anna."
"We are on the edge of death, and you're asking me to think positive?!"
Anna hated raising her voice on Kristoff. He was always so kind to her, and right now she wasn't being very kind to him.
"Where are you going with this, Anna?" Kristoff asked.
Anna took a deep breath, and breathed it out. "We need to go out and help those guards. They'll need it."
"They don't need it, Anna. I have faith in these men."
"Trust me, they won't be enough."
"They are enough. They'll get the job done."
"What if they don't? Do you have any idea what will happen to Arendelle?"
"Anna, I'm not going to let you run out there and throw your life away!" Kristoff yelled.
Like Elsa, Kristoff always sheltered Anna. He would do whatever he could to keep her safe and shield her from the dangers of the world.
Anna looked down at her legs and shed a small tear. She wanted so badly to help and be useful, but yet again, people weren't letting her do that. Anna stood up and walked to her husband. She sat on his lap and kissed his cheek.
"You're right..." Anna said.
"I'm sorry, Anna." Kristoff said. "I didn't mean to-"
"That's alright. I rest my case." Anna stood up and walked back to her bed. She got into bed, put her head on her pillow, and pulled her blanket over her body. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.
Anna didn't care what anyone said, she was going to go out there and help save the monarchs. She didn't know how, but she was going to find them. She was leaving that night and she wasn't going to let anyone stop her.
Kristoff got in bed next to Anna.
"Good night." He said. Anna didn't respond so he assumed she already fell asleep. But, little did he know that she was just waiting for the right time to get up and go out.
That night...
Rapunzel looked to the side of the bed to find Eugene sleeping deeply. She slowly got out of bed, and tip-toed across the floor to their dresser. From one drawer, she pulled put a pair of shoes. Usually, Rapunzel was barefoot, but seeing as how the snow outside would give her feet a frostbite, she needed some footwear.
She looked at the bottom drawer and remembered what was in there. Eugene always brought it with him wherever he went. She reckoned she needed it too. Rapunzel slowly opened the bottom drawer and took out a frying pan.
Author's Note: The adventure finally begins! The exposition chapters are done and now people are getting their hands dirty. Reviews for the previous chapter have been light but who cares? One question for you guys.
1. Who do you think will be a part of the adventure, or in other words, who do you think will go on a quest?
Ciao.