Chapter 9
"It's bad enough that I have to take the stupid Prince of stupid whatever stupid place he's from out on a stupid ride," Anna groused as she brushed Sven's coat. "But I have to do it at some god awful stupid hour in the morning?"
The reindeer grunted in sympathy; he too had been blissfully sleeping until Anna had woke him up.
"Well, it wasn't my idea. Blame Queen Bossy Pants. Just because she gets up way to early for civilized people doesn't mean ..."
The head groom trotted out, alerted by one of the stable boys, just in time to hear her and responded, "Your Highness, you could have just sent someone to have us ready the horses. There's no need of you coming yourself."
Sven gave a brisk stomp and a low bleat that might have almost been a growl. The groom backed carefully away from his stable.
"Yeah," Anna smiled at him with embarrassment at the thought of what he had heard, and reached over to the basket of carrots she bad brought with her. It only took one carrot to mollify the reindeer, but he still had an eye riveted on the head groom just in case he tried any tricky stuff. "I thought I'd let the Prince ride my horse, Blackie, and I'll take Sven. He's been mopey since Kristoff has been away, but Sven doesn't like it when strangers you know … do stuff to him."
"Yes, ma'am." The stable boys and grooms all gave Sven a wide berth especially when Kristoff wasn't with them. The reindeer didn't act like any sort of horse they had ever known, and he certainly didn't like to be treated like the other horses. "But we can take care of saddling Blackie and getting him ready to go. Will be it a long ride?"
"I hope not!" Anna snorted, then she corrected herself. "But you know, it will depend on the Prince and what he's interested in. We should be back before lunch though."
Sven snorted in agreement. It would NOT be a long ride if Anna was going with a "stupid" Prince.
"You won't be needing packs, then. We'll get right to it, Your Highness."
Anna continued cooing and commiserating with Sven, brushing him until his coat was shining. Kristoff had only been gone a couple of days, but she knew he wouldn't want to come home to a reindeer that was both mad at him for leaving without him AND had a matted coat. Sven could sometimes hold a grudge, and Kristoff would get mopey if Sven was mopey. The castle really didn't need any more mopey people … or reindeer … in it.
Their bonding was interrupted when Olaf bounced up. "Hi!" he exclaimed and proceeded to give Anna a big hug. "What are you doing?"
Anna dropped the curry comb and moved out of the stall as Sven chomped at Olaf's nose, just barely missing it. "I'm taking the Prince of Loserland on a ride, to keep him out of Elsa's hair this morning."
"Why would a Prince want to be in Elsa's hair?" the snowman asked. "Is he trying to get inside it? Is he braiding it? Is he doing that thing that Fitz does to make her purr?"
"No, Olaf," Anna shook her head, and tried not to laugh. Sven was doing enough of that for both of them. "That's just an expression. I'm taking him out so that Elsa can get some work done this morning and not have to deal with him."
"Why doesn't she just tell him that she's busy," Olaf pouted a little. He often got told she was busy. Why didn't this Prince?
"Yeah, but he came to Arendelle just to see her. He's supposed to ask her to marry him, and so she doesn't just want to …."
Anna got no further than that because Olaf let out a mournful cry of horror. "Noooooo! She can't do that. She can't marry a Prince. She loves Fitz."
Anna nodded, and Sven stomped fiercely in agreement.
Olaf continued on, still upset by this idea. "She loves Fitz, and Fitz loves her. She's sleeping with Fitz because you know … Fitz is different."
Anna was about to re-explain the whole sleeping with Fitz was a private thing, but then she was struck with an idea – a brilliant idea. "Olaf, why don't you come to dinner with us tonight?'
"Why?" Olaf wasn't usually invited to dinner, since he didn't eat, which meant all there was for him to do was talk ... and talk ... and talk.
"I, um, I think the Prince would like to meet you."
"Really?" Olaf puffed up a little at that thought. A Prince wanting to meet him. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all ... but he still couldn't marry Elsa. "Is he a hugger?"
"He might be," Anna said a huge grin breaking out on her face. "I think he might be."
"OK. Great!" Olaf bounced happily at the thought of another hugging partner. "And maybe he'll want to see the 'happy snowman' dance, and we can sit by the fire and be warm, and I can tell him all about heat, and we can play with my head … or you know other things. I can tell him all about my brother, Marshmallow. Do you think he will want to see Marshmallow? I can take him up the mountain to see him, that would keep him out of Elsa's hair too. And Marshmallow doesn't have hair … or a skull …. or bones, just like me. So it wouldn't be a problem. Oh, Anna! This will be so fun!"
Anna's smile didn't dim even when the grooms brought out her horse all saddled for the Prince to ride.
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Reinhardt's valet, Deiter, was concerned. The Prince had gone out early in the morning for a short ride with Princess Anna, as it seemed the Queen did not ride. How one could be a member of the nobility, a Queen no less, and not ride was beyond his understanding, but apparently there were a lot of things about Queen Elsa that were unusual, starting with the fact that she had frozen her entire Kingdom almost beyond recovery at her Coronation. This fact didn't predispose Deiter to the young Queen, but as his lord was not in the habit of asking him for marriage advice, he kept it to himself. They, Princess Anna and Prince Reinhardt, were only supposed to tour a part of Arendelle, the city and the immediate surrounding area. Deiter had expected him home several hours ago. Indeed Reinhardt had said he expected to be back by lunch, but lunch had been at noon and it was now almost two o'clock.
Deiter was about to go find Kai. The portly butler seemed a decent sort, at least he had a good German name. When the door from the hall to the sitting room of the suite burst open and in tromped the Prince, soaking wet and shivering, a wet mat of green slime embedded in his hair.
"Your Highness, what happened?"
"Princess Anna of Arendelle happened!" Reinhardt growled. "Get me some dry clothes, and send for someone to draw a hot bath. That damn fjord is freezing this time of year."
"Of course Your Highness. Immediately." Deiter dashed out to find a maid and then returned moments later. He found the Prince sitting on the floor struggling to get his sodden boots off. "Here let me help you with that. I think we should take off …." They both fell over backwards in different directions as he pulled off the Prince's boot. As it came off it flooded the floor, getting Deiter almost as wet as Reinhardt. He was going to have to send the rugs out to be dried and find replacements before nightfall. It got very cold in the castle at night, and the rugs were essential to keeping the room warm.
The Prince tried to stand, slid on the slick floor that bordered the room, and ended up on his back. "Oh! Damn that woman!" he exclaimed staring up at the cheerfully decorated ceiling that filled his view from down there. "Damn this entire dreadful day!"
"If you don't mind me asking, milord, how did you end up in the fjord?" The valet helped Reinhardt back up to a sitting position and then to his feet.
Reinhardt was more than happy to tell him the entire story as he began to strip off the rest of his wet clothing. Deiter ran to fetch a dressing gown and held it patiently for him as he listened. "Well first, she put me on this wretched excuse for a horse. Who calls their white horse 'Blackie'? Princess Anna that's who. And believe me the horse resents it. Foul tempered thing, almost threw me off twice. And she was riding astride … astride in a dress, mind you, no sense of propriety … and on this … this reindeer."
"A reindeer, milord? Surely you were mistaken."
"I was not mistaken!" Reinhardt sputtered at the irregularity of it all. "It's her plebeian fiance's ice harvesting reindeer, Sven. And apparently this reindeer doesn't realize it's a beast … and she TALKS to it, for god's sake. I think she's the crazy one, Deiter. I really think she is." The Prince allowed his man to drape the robe over his shoulders, and then he turned back to continue his story. "They …. Anna and Sven the reindeer … decided that we would ride around the outside of the wall and then come back on that causeway after we visited the docks. Do you think the bath is ready?"
"I am sure it will be shortly, milord."
Deiter dutifully followed the Prince into his bedroom and began laying the necessities for his bath, as Reinhardt was still ranting about his ride with Anna. "And the whole time we are riding she is going on and on and on about this Prince from the Southern Isles … Ham? Hal? Ha … something. You know there are thirteen of those boys running about. Something in the water, or a decided lack of education about procreation amongst the Southern Isles' royalty. Anyhow there we were ..."
Reinhardt thought back, unable to erase the image of Princess Anna prattling on about nothing while riding a reindeer.
-{twilight zone flashback noise in}-
"So he's all like, I love you. I've been looking for my place. I love sandwiches. And I believed him." Anna screwed up her face and made a long raspberry sound. Reinhardt wondered if it was too late to look as if he didn't know her.
"Turns out he lied. I mean it's apparently what Princes do, they lie to try to take over your Kingdom. He was going to kill Elsa! And then you know he tried to kill me first … and … well, I just wouldn't trust a Prince anymore, not that I have to. Kristoff's sweet and great and gorgeous – really, really, really gorgeous, and you never hear about ice-harvesters killing people for their Kingdoms, do you?"
"Um, I have not as of yet, Your Highness. But not all Princes …."
"Oh look," Anna pointed at the docks. "That's where I met that lying snake Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, or POS as I like to call him now. Right on that dock." She nudged Sven who started down the short stairs, Blackie following right behind. "I was walking here and he was …. well …." Anna went to dismount to show the Prince the place where the ill fated meeting occurred, but with her being astride in a rather voluminous skirt, Sven's antlers made it difficult.
"Please, allow me to assist you, Your Highness," Reinhardt hopped down from his horse and went to stand beside the Princess. "I think if we disentangle your skirts …" He reached over and tried to lift Anna's garments free of the antlers without exposing anything indecent, but that proved more difficult than he had imagined. The fact that Anna was trying to do it too didn't help any.
"Hey, hey, hey! Watch it …watch it! Oooooooh!"
There was a splash and then, after a moment, sputtering as the Prince's head broke the surface.
"Sorry," Anna said with an apologetic wave to Reinhardt1.
-{twilight zone flashback noise out}-
Reinhardt shivered as the memory faded. Deiter, fearing he was chilled, offered him more towels he had warmed by the fire.
"I stepped on a piece of seaweed, damn stuff is as slippery as the Queen's ice, I swear, and I fell backwards tumbling off the pier. Right where apparently the Princess had fallen once before into a boat."
"Well that was lucky, milord."
"This time there was no boat!"
"Ah, unfortunate thing that, milord."
"If I didn't know better I would say she was trying to kill me. As it was I had to swim until I found a ladder to climb up on, and by the time I found that damn horse, and remounted, and found Princess Anna, I'd missed lunch. I'm starving, by the way, do you think you could get something from the kitchens. Just to hold me until tea which is in … damn!" Reinhardt realized he had just an hour to bathe and change.
"Of course, milord."
"I must say," Reinhardt opened the door to the bath. The servant had been quick. The tub was full, and it was quite warm. He continued talking to Deiter as he got into the tub, little groans interrupting his complaints. "And I'm more than a little peeved, that no one told me that it was quite this dangerous here. Last night I almost broke my neck on some ice. The rumors about the Snow Queen are quite true. Now today, I almost drown. I am a pretty resilient man. However, there is only so much even I can take. I know Sandvik said I was the only hope here … but you know even as attractive as she is, I can't give Arendelle an heir, hell I can't even enjoy her if I'm dead, or lame from a broken back or skull or worse."
"Indeed milord, indeed."
"God … at least dinner shouldn't be dangerous. And it's a larger affair tonight, so even the conversation should be improved. I will wear my black uniform for tea, but lay out my red dress uniform for dinner that one always raises my spirits. With any luck I shall be able to finalize my position and get on with this. Yes, tonight should be a great improvement."
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"Your Majesty," Kai was moving as fast as he ever did trying to catch up with Elsa. He finally had to raise his voice. "Your Majesty!"
She stopped and turned, hands up and still backing away. "I can't Kai. I am supposed to have tea with Prince Reinhardt, and that was at three, it's past that now, and I can't keep him waiting any longer. Anna was supposed to be entertaining him, but I don't think he's in the mood for a lot more Anna right now."
"Your Majesty, this is urgent."
"I can't imagine how someone could actually fall into the fjord, it's not like it's small and difficult to see. But Anna was there, and she's done it more than a few …"
"Your Majesty, I just received word. There is a large warship from Avalon approaching quickly."
"What?" Elsa's hand flew up to her throat, and she felt a tingling wave of anxiety flow up her spine leaving her breathless as she recalled last time a large warship from Avalon visited, and the havoc that had caused. Then her mind snapped back to the present, and she began to consider the present situation. "What ship? Where are they? Do we know their intentions."
"The Winchester, ma'am. It seems it is one of King William's personal fleet. It is large and quite well armed. They are currently about a mile from the fjord. We can't tell their intentions, but the message did say they hadn't fired. The Agdar, the Resolution, and the Faithful Hand are all moving to intercept her."
"The bulk of our well armed ships."
Kai didn't have to answer that statement. "Admiral Naismith has set up a relay to bring messages so that you may stay informed. He assures me you will be kept up to date with everything he knows."
Elsa took a deep breath, "Do they need me? I can stop that ship. Kai, I'll freeze it and everyone on it before it enters the harbor if Naismith needs me to."
"He has not requested your help as of yet, Your Majesty, but I will make sure he is aware that it is available."
Elsa ran her hand across her tightly coiffed hair and absently nodded at Kai. "I don't think I'm feeling much like tea at the moment," she said at last.
"I can understand that, ma'am, but there is nothing you can do now. It would be prudent to wait until you have more information from Admiral Naismith before you make any decisions. You could, of course, summon your council."
"Oh god, no," Elsa said without thinking, and then she blushed. She was supposed to be a progressive ruler. "I am sure in the future that would be a good plan. But this is not the time to bring a group of people into the discussion. And with any luck by the time they would be able to get here the crisis will be well over."
"As you wish ma'am." Kai indicated the way to the parlor where tea was being served. "If it eases your mind, Your Majesty, Prince Reinhardt has not been waiting long. I believe it took him some time to recover from his ride. And Princess Anna has been spiritedly entertaining the chocolate torte."
Elsa gave him a hesitant smile. She appreciated his attempt to lighten her mood. "Very well, Kai, but please the moment you hear anything ... anything ... you are to come to me."
"Of course, Your Majesty." The butler waited to follow her, but Elsa turned back suddenly.
"Kai, you don't think that Carolina...?"
"Your Majesty?"
"That she's injured … or … anything." Elsa would not say it. She still believed that Carolina would not betray her, but she did not necessarily trust this brother of hers.
"We can only hope not, Your Majesty." Kai folded his hands, but continued to meet her gaze. "I promise that I will bring you any news, any word about this situation immediately."
Elsa nodded her thanks, and then turned to make her way to the parlor.
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"Are you sure they know we're not a threat?" Kristoff shoved his hands nervously into his pockets and resumed pacing on the main deck.
Fitz nodded reassuringly. "That's why we have all hands on the yardarms." She pointed up to where the crew was standing in the rigging. "They will know there is no one manning our cannon."
"Stand down! And prepare to be boarded!" The frigate Agdar flying the colors of Arendelle was close enough now that they could hear the order being shouted at them, even over the beat of the drum sounding general quarters on the other ship.
"Yeah, but they don't sound all that friendly." Kristoff leaned over the side rail and peered at the frigate, willing them to see his friendly Arendelle born and bred face, a face that was engaged to their Princess even if they didn't know that yet.
"There is a risk." Fitz shrugged. "But a small one really. They only have what?" She looked over at the deck. "Twenty four guns if she's standard. Only a couple of shots would even hit us at this range."
"Isn't one enough?"
"Only if you're unlucky." She turned when she heard the sharp snaps of the Marines coming to attention. "And look here is our Master of Ceremonies, now."
Edmund crossed to them in five long strides and then bounced on his toes in excitement. "Sorry I'm late, Mil. I had to console Captain Hitchcock. That was quite a drubbing you gave us last night. I think he fears he will retire a pauper."
"You should cover his losses," Fitz said seriously. "You are the one who suggested Whist. I don't think it's his game."
"I suppose that is the gentlemanly thing to do."
"T'is, so I know you'll do it." Fitz concurred, giving Edmund a fraternal smack on the shoulder.
Kristoff couldn't believe they were talking about a card game at a time like this. Sure it had been fun, and with his share of the winnings he and Fitz took off her brother and the Captain, he was sure he could actually buy that engagement ring for Anna. But they were on an enemy boat, well enemy as far as Arendelle knew, and it looked like the entire Navy had been dispatched to stop them before they could enter the fjord. Kristoff didn't know enough about boats to understand what was happening, but Fitz had already nodded in approval when the Agdar 'ran its guns out,' which really didn't sound like a good thing to him.
"Avalonian ship. Stand down and prepare to be boarded," the Bo'sun called again from the Agdar.
"Oh stuff and nonsense," Edmund muttered. "Can't the bloody fools see we're already standing down?"
"I did warn you there might be a certain lack of trust after the last incident Avalon perpetrated on Arendelle," Fitz said.
"I want you to remember that was your ship."
"No, that was YOUR Duke … or at least the Crown's Duke. I had no part in it, well not the incident part anyway."
"Well enough." Edmund turned to the Captain who had moved up behind them. "Can't we run up a white flag or something?"
Captain Hitchcock looked apoplectic at the thought. His eyes bugged out and all the color drained from his face. This was one of the finest ships in His Majesty's fleet; they did not simply surrender to a frigate. Fitz whispered something in her brother's ear.
"Oh, I guess not," Edmund concluded. "So have your man respond," He called back at the Captain. "I don't think it will go well for you if I have my legs shot out from under me."
Now Kristoff's complexion matched the Captain's. He didn't want his legs shot out from under him either. Scrubbing the back of his neck with his hand, he thought, why did he agree to this idiotic plan?
The Winchester's bo'sun had been summoned and now he yelled back through a speaking tube. "We are not prepared to attack. Our guns are in."
"Tell them I'm here … on … on a diplomatic mission." Edmund waved his hand in the air dismissively.
"We are carrying Prince Edmund of the royal house of Avalon on a diplomatic mission to Arendelle," echoed above them.
The Agdar continued closing, and its guns were still aimed at them, but still they didn't fire. There was a bit of a scramble on her deck. Kristoff could almost make out faces now, and he made sure that he was someplace where he could be easily seen.
"And Mil," Edmund tugged on Fitzwilliam's sleeve. "Something occurred to me when I was shaving this morning."
"Yes?" she responded, her eyes fixed on the ship approaching them. There were two more hanging just a little bit back. She wondered if Elsa was on a parapet somewhere preparing a storm.
"I can't just waltz you in to dinner like that."
"What?" Fitz pulled her eyes from the view before her and glanced back at her brother. "What do you mean."
"I mean, you can't be the center of attention, which you usually are, I mean because you're you. I need you to … blend in a bit more."
"Blend in?" Her brow furrowed; what possibly could Edmund mean?
"Yes, I'll explain it to you in more detail later. But I wanted you to set yourself mentally to ..."
Fitz never heard what she was setting herself mentally to do because the ships were now close enough that they could easily see the crew members of the Agdar, and more importantly the crew members of the Agdar could see onto the deck of the Winchester.
"Master Kristoff!" a voice shouted. "Are you harmed, Master Kristoff?"
Fitz felt a shiver of alarm run through her. If they thought he was a hostage things might get even more tense, and that was the sort of situation that could easily go awry. She waved at Kristoff encouraging him to answer.
"Uh no?" Kristoff said.
"Are you being held captive, Master Kristoff?"
"Uh …. no," he answered again slightly more surely. "These are my … my friends. We're coming to … to see Elsa?" OK, he could have been more steady there, but it seemed to work.
There was a great hubbub on the frigate. Finally the orders came, "Master Kristoff, we will take you and your party back with us. But that ship has to stay at least two miles outside the mouth of the fjord."
"Tell him, yes, yes, yes ... it's all fine." Edmund waved his hand again, clearly in a hurry to get all this underway.
A short time later Master Kristoff and his party had been transferred to the Agdar. There were a few tense moments. Apparently several of the officers and crew recognized Fitz and were not happy when they saw her disembarking from an Avalonian ship. But eventually the Captain came down from the quarter deck and everything was sorted out. He didn't look too pleased either when he saw Fitz, but he seemed impressed when Edmund stepped forward wearing his best dress uniform, hat at a jaunty angle, cape snapping in the wind. Edmund decided under the circumstances it would be best for him to introduce himself.
"I am His Royal Highness Edmund Geoffry Henry William of Avalon, fourth in line to the throne of Avalon, Duke of Westerly, Earl of Gare, Count Balih, Baron Killyleagh, Knight Companion of the Order of the Gules Rose, Knight Companion of the Order of the Mailed Fist, Knight Companion of the Order of the Periwinkle, aide-de-camp to His Majesty William V of Avalon, and I have come to court your Queen!"
Suddenly the only sound was the call of the gulls over the fjord and the slapping of waves against the hull. Kristoff took in the faces of the Arendelle officers, the stony expression on Fitz's face, and the expansive grin on Edmund's. Yes, this day was certainly going to be … interesting … for all concerned. He wondered if it was too late to swim back to Anna.