Author's Note: This chapter will be the first time I'll try to change POV mid-chapter. It will be marked with a ~`~ ~'~ symbol. Enjoy!
Chapter Six - Secrets in the Night
Elsa could only stare at the two people in the room with her. "Domestic intelligence service?" she asked incredulously. "You want me to ask you to spy on my own people?" The temperature dropped, and icicles started to form on the ceiling.
"Our thoughts were more along the lines of removing leaders of potential uprisings and intercepting assassins before they can reach the royal quarters, Your Majesty." Serena said.
"No! I will not be a tyrant! I'm not going to rule my people by force!"
"Elsa, think about this." Hjadvaar interjected. "We don't want to go about reading your people's mail or listening to every whispered conversation. All we want is to have a few people in some of the less reputable alehouses in town, and a few people in the palace to keep an eye out for shady looking people creeping about the halls."
"No! There will be no secret police of any sort!" Before anyone could try to change her mind again, she turned and hurried out of the room, followed by a trail of glistening frost. Hjadvaar swore under his breath
"I'd better go after her before she gets in trouble with someone what wants her dead." he told Serana as a means of saying goodbye, then jogged out to try to catch up with the Queen, leaving Serena to try to figure out how to thaw the ceiling by herself.
Elsa had managed to get halfway to the palace before Hjadvaar caught up with her, and hastened her steps when she noticed him approaching.
"Look, you win." he said after his longer strides finally allowed him to close the distance between them. "We won't form a domestic intelligence service if it would honestly upset you that much. However, I will say now that I believe that leaving us blind this way is nothing less than foolish."
"Just drop it, Hjadvaar." she replied, hugging herself.
"As you wish, Your Majesty." he said, taking his usual position a short distance behind her left shoulder.
~`~ ~'~
Unbeknownst to anyone but themselves, a small group of men sat around a table in a dimly lit room in a seedy looking alehouse on the outskirts of town.
"I call this meeting to order." one of them said, standing up from his chair at one end of the table. Any conversation between the others present was instantly silenced.
"We are meeting here tonight," the man continued "to plan how best to rid ourselves of that witch who calls herself the Snow Queen of Arendelle. Fredrik has been asking the people's opinions of her, and has assembled a brief report." The first man sat down as the one called Fredrik rose.
"Thank you, Bjarne." Fredrik said. "Now, for the last week, I have mingled with the people of Arendelle, and have found that if the correct rumors were encouraged, a rebellion could be started. Some small-scale experimentation on my part has led me to conclude that the most effective ones would likely be rumors about the Queen misusing her powers, sleeping around, and mismanaging the kingdom's affairs." Fredrik sat down, and Bjarne stood again.
"Thank you, Fredrik. Now, what I suggest we do is follow up on this information by finding charismatic leaders to spread lies about the witch, then, after the people are properly incensed, we begin trickling weapons into the city and have those leaders encourage an open revolt. Are there any major objections to this plan?" There were none. "I then hereby declare this meeting closed."