Cloaked by the darkness of night
Led by the whimsical orb of light
Silent as it approaches on billowing sails
Death comes in the form of tendrils of ice
"Land ahoy!" Olaf called out from his perch in the crow's nest on the top of the main mast.
The moon had reached the peaked of its climb a little more than two hours ago. The bright orb was full, glowing an ethereal pale white in the dark cloudless sky. A strong breeze propelled the ship forwards, filling the sails and causing the thick, black material to billow like puffy pillows.
Everything from the choice of colours for the sails had been thoughtfully chosen. The success of the operation was highly reliant on stealth and Elsa had gone to great lengths of meticulously pick out ideal colour schemes to blend into the night.
The boy hoisted himself onto the edge of the wooden platform, grabbing a rope and shimmying down its length. With skills that an acrobat would be envious of, he leapt fearlessly into the air, reaching out to snag a loose rope that brought him to land on the platform leading to the quarterdeck.
"Any enemy ships?" Elsa asked tersely when the boy entered the quarterdeck, her attention focused on the map that she had bought up from the navigation room.
The boy raised a brass spyglass, squinting into the lens through one eye. Panning slowly across the waters, it was almost a minute before he spoke again.
"No. Waters look clear. Not much activity on land either. It all looks rather suspicious if you ask me." Olaf prattled on, studiously observing through the lens.
There was no way the Duke of Weaselton for all of his cunning did not see them coming.
"Thank you, Olaf. Could you get Kristoff and Anna on the deck please?" The boy nodded, scurrying from the room.
Elsa turned to Oaken who had been standing quietly at the wheel. "Captain, if you would, please drop anchor." The large man barked out an order to a waiting soldier and a loud splash broke the stillness of the water minutes later as the heavy iron wrought anchor was lowered.
Elsa waited, drumming the fingers of one hand against the polish wood of the narrow console, while the other held up the spyglass that Olaf had left behind. Even from several miles away from shore, she could spot the faint flickering of candlelight through a window of a room in the topmost level of the Keep, most probably belonging to the Duke.
Elsa herself had never bothered much with meeting the dignitaries; it helped to not know potential enemies personally so she would not feel the need to be lenient when the situation calls for it. Besides, her military strategies had always focused on psychological warfare.
The reinforced door to the quarterdeck opened and closed quietly as Olaf returned with Anna and Kristoff following closely. Elsa nodded with approval as she noted that all three of them spotted chainmail over thick tunics and had woollen gloves tucked beneath their arms. The quarterdeck may be enclosed and heavily reinforced with iron strips beneath the wood but the room was not privy to drastic changes in temperature.
Anna was rubbing at her eyes blearily, half awake at the ungodly hour and Elsa marvelled at the redhead's ability to find sleep when they were sailing into battle. In stark contrast, Kristoff was shifting his weight from foot to foot impatiently or perhaps it was from the nerves.
Laying a gentle hand on the muscular blond's arm, Elsa led him a little ways away from the small group crammed in the room. "Her safety's our utmost priority." Elsa inclined her head in the redhead's direction and Kristoff followed her line of sight. "I'll leave the Princess in your capable hands. Keep her safe."
Kristoff nodded curtly in understanding. Satisfied by his response, Elsa returned to the redhead's side. She quickly unbuttoned her jacket, relishing the sudden mobility of her limbs she shrugged out of the confining clothing and was left in a buttoned white shirt that did not restrict her movements. Elsa draped her discarded jacket over Anna's shoulders, surprising the redhead whose lips began parting in protest.
"Hang on to it for me."
"Won't you get cold?"
"No. The cold never bothered me." With a parting smile, Elsa slipped out of the room.
xxx
"I did not sign up for this!" The Duke of Weaselton, a sprightly, little man with a receding hairline and whatever left of his greying hair slicked back paced the length of his office.
Puffing out his chest indignantly, he pointed an accusatory white gloved finger at a black cloaked figure lounging casually in a cushy armchair. "You, you coerced me into committing treason!"
"If my memory serves me right, you didn't seem to need much convincing at all." The stranger sneered, the deep tone of his voice giving away his gender; his features otherwise hidden by the hood pulled low over his head.
The Duke fumed, trembling from head to toe in rage. "The Grand Marshal of Arendelle is floating offshore. Death herself has come to wrap us in her icy tendrils and it's your fault!"
"Relax. If you value your life, just do as I say. Have I ever given you cause to doubt me?" The mysterious man drawled as he rose to his feet and towered over the small frame of the Duke. "Surrender without conditions, send Arendelle several shiploads of supplies at no costs. Your generosity will please the King and you might just get to remain as Duke of Weasel town."
"It's Weaselton!" The Duke snapped, nothing annoyed him more than having his territory mocked for its name. "Did you just suggest sending Arendelle goods for free? I am a businessman! How is that beneficial for me?!"
"How about you get to keep your pathetic miserable life to swindle the ruling kingdom of these parts another day?" The stranger wrapped his riding cloak tighter around his body as he turned towards the door. "Everyone has a part to play. Play yours right and you will reap the benefits." With that, he slipped out of the office, leaving the Duke to slump in defeat against his desk.
Wallowing in self-pity at how he ended up in such a mess, the Duke pulled his glasses off to polish the lens with a white handkerchief tucked in his pocket. He had only intended to boost trades with Arendelle for the sake of improving the lives of Weaselton's citizens, not treason against the throne. Although he may have an insatiable greed, he was contented with his position as Duke and protector of Weaselton, a title conferred to him by none other than the very King he was rising against.
The Duke glanced down at his chest, his jacket adorned with the badges and medals that he had painstakingly collected over his years of service to Arendelle, some of which had even called for risking his life to protect the crown. Yet here he was, a coward in his own office with imminent doom floating a few miles away and approaching fast.
An object whizzed through the opened window, carried upon a stiff, chilly wind that caused the lone candle flame illuminating the room to flicker and almost die out. The Duke shrieked in alarm as the object slammed into the door on the other side of the room with a force that left it partially embedded into the wood. Apprehensively approaching the elongated object, he managed to make out the shape of an arrow with the weak lighting. Upon closer inspection, his eyes widened in horror as he realised the arrow was composed entirely of wetly glistening ice.
He reached out a hand tentatively, only to gasp and jump back in shock when the arrow burst into a million shards of clear crystals. Landing painfully on his bottom, he almost missed a rolled up parchment previously encased within the arrow shaft dropping to the floor. With shaking fingers, he flattened out the scroll, his eyes skimming across the words as a chill ran along his spine.
You have one hour to surrender. Have your forces lay down their arms and their lives as well as the lives of the citizens will not be harmed.
There will be no negotiation and you will agree to our conditions.
One hour.
Grand Marshal of Arendelle Army
Elsa Frost
The signature at the end was hardly necessary, deliberately included to strike fear into the recipient as a reminder of exactly who determined their fate. Sighing in defeat, the Duke called out to his guards. Two tall men dressed in red uniforms, clinched around the waist with thick black belts entered silently; one much larger than the other and sprouting an impressive moustache. Their eyes immediately noted how their pompous superior was as pale as sheet and distinctively lacked his usual snide self, and decidedly kept their observations to themselves. The Duke had always been a coward, that much was apparent.
"Raise the white flag and Arendelle's banners. We are surrendering."
The guards glanced at each other, subtly rolling their eyes. It was about time the incompetent Duke realised that his actions were nothing short of foolish.
xxx
"What's happening? Why isn't Elsa moving?" Anna whispered; her voice so soft that it was barely audible in the silence that swatted the quarterdeck.
Anna had long given up on standing around and instead perched herself against the narrow ledge that ran along the walls of the room, her back wedged into a corner and her feet swinging freely. Her male companions had taken to silence, even Olaf had ceased his babble minutes ago and was now mimicking her posture on the other side of the room with Kristoff leaning against the wall by the door, an unreadable expression on his face. And in the centre of it all, Oaken stood like a statue, his large hands gripping the spokes of the ship's wheel.
Four pairs of eyes gazed out of the glass window, fixated on the immobile form of Elsa at the ship's bow with her hands resting lightly against the bulwark. The blonde had barely moved an inch during the past hour, her gaze focused on the battlements of the Weaselton Keep in the distance. Even the air was still, no indication of the strong breeze that they had sailed here upon.
"She's waiting." Olaf whispered back hoarsely as he raised his spyglass again. "There! I see it!" He exclaimed, startling everyone with his sudden outburst. Ignoring the questioning look on Anna's face, the boy rapped against the glass, gesturing a thumbs up sign when Elsa turned at the noise. A small smile graced her features and she strode briskly back to the quarterdeck.
"Uh, what just happened?" Anna glanced around the room, searching each face for an answer and receiving only relief smiles in return.
Elsa entered then, moving swiftly to take the spyglass from Olaf's hands and peering quickly into it. A satisfied smirk crossed her face as she saw the rectangle of white cloth hanging limply from the mast atop Weaselton's Keep. As she watched, men on the battlements were replacing the Weaselton's banner, of a single weasel no less, with the familiar Arendelle crocus.
"About damn time." Elsa muttered under her breath before turning to face Kristoff. "Standby for deployment."
The muscular blond nodded curtly, snapping into a brief salute before turning on his heel and leaving the room.
Still in her corner, Anna watched with confusion; at a complete lost as to what had occurred and it did not help at all that no one, not even Olaf bothered to fill her in. She was beginning to feel like a piece of impractical furniture; her presence tolerated but otherwise ignored.
Sensing the redhead's dejection, Elsa turned to address her, holding out the spyglass to the princess. "Weaselton has surrendered."
"What? That's it? The battle's over?" Anna took the proffered object, raising it to peer in the direction of the shore. "But we just got here! I thought there'd be more, you know, fighting?"
Elsa smiled wryly. "Most people would be relieved that there would be no fighting, what with our innate sense of life preservation. Weaselton may have surrendered, but that does not mean we should relax."
"Oh. So what happens now?"
"The fleet will be on standby while I head to shore. You, however will be staying put in here."
"More waiting?" Anna sighed with exasperation. "Can't I come with you?" She implored.
"No. Not this time. Besides, the fleet needs an acting commander while I'm on shore. I'll be leaving our forces in your care, Anna. Have the Wandering Oaken fall back and set sail for home." Elsa distractedly smoothened out the creases on her jacket draped over the redhead's shoulders.
"What about you? Shouldn't we wait for your return?" Anna queried, worried eyes scanning the blonde's composed features.
"You sure ask a lot of questions, don't you?" Try as she might, Elsa could not keep the smile from her face. "I'll be back before you know it."
With a gentle smile, Elsa left the quarterdeck for the second time that night, leaving a befuddled Anna in her wake once more. The redhead could not help but wonder if she would ever get used to the blonde walking away from her.
Leaning against the glass partition, Anna clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her startled gasp as Elsa effortlessly vaulted over the bulwark. She had hopped to her feet, ready to dash out and jump into the waters herself when a head of blonde hair peeked from the side of the ship.
Anna watched in astonishment as the blonde rose above the water level, sitting astride the back of an ice creature with a torso of an eagle and the rear of a lion. A Griffin as Anna recalled from her brief lessons in mythology.
The creature spread its wings, releasing an ear-piercing shriek that made everyone in the quarterdeck winced. Its deadly talons gleamed menacingly as the rest of its body sparkled beneath the moonlight, giving off a magical vibe. With another screech, the creature and its rider sped towards shore.
Anna could definitely appreciate the importance of psychological warfare now. Just seeing the majestic creature made her question the extent of the blonde's abilities.
xxx
Elsa hopped off the creature's back, landing lightly on the pier before patting the beast in gratitude on its thick neck. With another pat, the beast faded away into ice fractals that immediately split themselves to form two oversized orbs. Within seconds, the blocks of ice had taken on the forms of a pair of hulking snow golems easily three times the size of an average man.
Flanked by her guards, the blonde marched with purposeful strides towards the visibly cowering man dwarfed by his bodyguards waiting by the harbour. Even without any armour and with only a long sword hanging from its scabbard by her left hip, Elsa managed to ooze a confidence despite appearing barely armed. If anything, her blatant disregard for what any normal person would deem appropriate battle gear in the form of chainmail and plate armour, only made her appeared immortal and deadlier.
As she approached, the Duke fell to his knees, glaring at his men to follow suit with a sidelong glance. As soon as the disgruntled guards had dropped to one knee with their heads bowed, the Duke spoke.
"Please, spare us, Grand Marshal. We know now that our actions were foolish but if I may be so bold, we were blackmailed into it. I am a victim here!"
Elsa quirked an eyebrow at the man before her, thoroughly unsurprised by the diminutive man's words. Anyone would say anything in desperation when they face death. But there might be some truth to the Duke's words. From what Elsa could gather, Weaselton would not benefit much from a coup against the throne; in fact, the resources needed to raise an army would render the duchy in debt and knowing the greedy Duke, such an outcome would not even be considered. There was definitely more at play than the obvious here and Elsa will get to the bottom of it.
"His Royal Majesty has decided to show leniency in this matter. Your title will not be taken from you, but bear in mind that any and all action you take in the governance of Weaselton must be reported to Arendelle. If there are any discrepancies, you will certainly be seeing me again and this time, there will be no fair warning. Weaselton thrives on trade, it would be devastating if it loses its ships and its sources." At her threat, the Duke shuddered.
"All hail the King! On behalf of Weaselton, we'd like to show our deepest remorse and regrets at our actions by gifting Arendelle six cargo ships worth of supplies for their efforts in amassing a battalion to put us back in our place." The Duke kept his head bowed as he spoke, his voice ringing with genuine sincerity even as his clenched fists on his knees betrayed his true emotions.
Elsa, ever astute, picked up on the man's body language and filed it away in consideration. For the avaricious Duke to offer recompense of his own accord? If Elsa had doubts before, they were gone now. There was someone else the Duke feared, someone that he feared more than Elsa herself. And that was a worrying thought indeed. If that was really the case, she would gain more insight by letting things play out without her interference.
"Very well. For your sake, I hope never to have cause to be in Weaselton again." Without waiting for a response, Elsa summoned another griffin and took off into the night, leaving behind her golems until she had put a safe distance between herself and the harbour. With a grim smile, she willed her golems to implode into sizeable icicles that stabbed into the wooden harbour, deliberately forming a circle around the still kneeling Duke and his guards. She imagined the look of horror and absolute fear on their faces and her smile broadened.
Sometimes she wondered if she was really a monster for taking pleasure in terrifying others; but only those who opposed the throne, she mentally corrected herself. That's acceptable, right?
xxx
Anna scanned the skies again with the spyglass pressed to her eye, hopefully searching for signs of Elsa's return. As per the blonde's instructions, Oaken had turned the Wandering Oaken around, signalling to the rest of the fleet to follow suit as he did so. So much for leaving Anna in charge; the only authority she had was over herself and even she was closely watched over by a lurking Kristoff. Speaking of the blond man, he seemed contented to leave her to her own devices up on the bow while he lingered in the enclosed quarterdeck.
Anna sighed as she perched atop a barrel, leaning against the bulwark on her side. The skies were pitch black, even the moon had retreated behind passing clouds. It was approaching two in the morning, an ungodly hour in Anna's book, but the lull of sleep had long passed, leaving the redhead restless. The main deck was oddly silent, devoid of its usual bustle of sailors adjusting sails or guards on patrol. Anna guessed everyone was below deck, either in preparation for an unlikely ambush or passed out in their bunk. Anna voted for the former; nevertheless, she was grateful that she was left in relative silence to her own thoughts.
This entire operation was a waste of time, in Anna's opinion. She was glad that Weaselton surrendered and no innocent lives were lost, but something just did not seem right. Weaselton had resisted any efforts at negotiations over the past months and had outright declared war against Arendelle; independence from the ruling kingdom, they had stated as their intent. For a duchy reliant on trades between Arendelle and itself for its growth, that had seemed like a very stupid move even from Anna's perspective and she knew next to nothing about businesses.
"Maybe it's a trap." Anna mused aloud.
"What's a trap?" The redhead jumped, nearly toppling off the barrel at the sound of Elsa's voice from behind her. She had been so focused on her thoughts that she had not notice the blonde boarding the ship, hair windswept from her mystical flight.
"Elsa! You're back! How did it go?" Anna tensed her limbs, physically preventing herself from cross the deck to embrace the blonde. Elsa was like a skittish deer that needed ample interaction before she could be approached, and even so, one had to take caution for she might still bolt at the slightest of abrupt movements.
The blonde shrugged. "As well as I could expect from shady businessmen. So what's a trap?" Elsa tilted her head, casting the redhead a curious stare.
"Oh, you know. Just this whole trip. Maybe I'm just being paranoid but doesn't something seem fishy? And I don't mean the sea since we are on a ship but fishy-fishy?" Anna gushed, arms gesturing wildly as she spoke.
Elsa snorted uncharacteristically, quickly covering her mouth with a hand in embarrassment; her actions eliciting an amused chuckle from Anna. "Sorry." A beat as the blonde mulled over the redhead's words. "Yes. I do agree. That's very perceptive of you, Anna." Leaning in closer to whisper into the redhead's ear, Elsa continued. "Keep those thoughts to yourself for the time being, Anna. There are other forces at play here and it'd be wise to go along with them for now, at least until we've a firmer grasp of the situation." Stepping back, Elsa smiled broadly at the redhead. "Well, let's celebrate! It still counts as a victory, no?"
Anna nodded mutely as she trailed behind the blonde and through the hatch. Although Elsa's words registered in her mind, all Anna could remember was how the blonde's breath had tickled her neck, the feathery light sensations overpowering everything else and leaving her in a slight daze. She was completely and utterly enraptured by the blonde; so much so that the ten years she had spent with vague memories only served to deepen her longing for Elsa's presence. How did she not realise this before? How did she not realised that she was infatuated with the idea of Elsa and those feelings had been brought over and amplified when she regained her memories?
Childhood friends generally do not develop romantic feelings for each other, right?
A/N:
Sorry for not being consistent with updating... But you can definitely count on at least 1 update a week that's for certain.
P.S.: In case you haven't figured it out yet, I can be guilt tripped into updating early.