Chapter 8: The trial of the Royal Guardsmen
Note: Reviews are welcome.
I fully appreciate the reviews by Loridhhp, but I would like to read from additional people.
The bonding between Elsa and Anna is, for a few chapters, on hold. Now begins the story about how Elsa and Anna, for that matter, interact with other people.
"What?" Anna cries out. "I never..."
Elsa reaches out and grabs her sister's hand. "Shush. Anna. Calm."
Anna cools down and squeezes her sister's hand.
Queen Elsa orders in a cool tone, "An interesting charge, Captain. Please explain."
"These are the guardsmen that followed Hans to your..."
"My Ice Palace." She fills in for him as he hesitates.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Your Ice Palace where Hans attacked and captured you. They threw you in the dungeons. They, also, were with Hans when he visited you...after you escaped."
"I see."
A couple of heartbeats of silence throughout the Great Hall.
Queen Elsa points to one of the guards. "Your name?"
"John Haraldson, Your Majesty." He, awkwardly due to the chains, goes down to one knee as he answers her.
"I remember you. You threw that spear at Marshmallow."
"Marshmallow?" He asks, confused.
"The giant snow man guarding the bridge." Elsa corrects herself.
He nods. He did throw it.
"Explain to me what happened in your own words." The Queen orders.
He looks around, his Captain nods.
He begins speaking in a shaky voice, "Well... When Princess Anna's horse returned, Prince Hans called people together and asked for volunteers to follow him. He was going out to find Princess Anna." He nods to Anna.
She opens her mouth and closes, obviously just now thinking about her horse. "Damn." She whispers to herself.
"Prince Hans, us," A nod to his fellow Guardsmen. "And the Duke of Weasel Town's two thugs, left to go to North Mountain. Everyone could see that something new had appeared on it, so, Prince Hans assumed that it was connected."
"Did Prince Hans Westergaard of the Southern Isles say anything about ME during that trip?" Queen Elsa asks.
He shakes his head. "Just about everything I heard was about rescuing the Princess. He kept saying that he was her engaged to marry her?" He finishes in a questioning tone.
Anna grimaces, but nods, yes.
One of the other chained Guards clears his throat. "Your Majesty?" He asks.
Elsa points to him, "Yes. You have something to add?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." He licks his lips, "I was riding closer to the Duke's thugs and heard Hans tell them, NOT to attack you. He wanted to find out about Princess Anna, first."
"I see." Elsa says slowly, thinking. "Continue, Haraldson."
John looks around, "Well, we saw your Ice Palace and when we got to the bridge... That giant snowman, Marshmallow?"
Anna and Elsa both nod, yes.
"He suddenly appears and starts to attack us. I threw my spear. The thugs fired crossbows. He hit them. Hans drew his sword and attacked him. He sliced the...snowman's leg apart and the snowman fell down the cliff, almost taking Prince Hans with him. I was fast enough that I grabbed his wrist and pulled him up on the bridge."
Queen Elsa slowly asks. "Did he order you to attack me?"
John shakes his head, no. "He yelled...something like, 'no harm is to happen to the Queen.' Something like that."
Queen Elsa nods and remarks. "That fight looked dangerous."
"Yes. Your Majesty, a couple of inches more and he'd have fallen to his death. Hell, a couple of feet more, and the ice bridge would have broken."
"And what happened inside the Palace?" Queen Elsa asks.
"Well... By the time I got up there, you were fighting the two thugs. Hans ran though the door and yelled, 'Queen Elsa! Don't be the monster they fear you are!'"
Queen Elsa bits her lips. Anna squeezes her hand. Ice forms on her throne. She closes her eyes and the ice vanishes.
"Then he attacked the Duke's thug who was about to shot you."
She states, finishing his comment. "That attack deflected the arrow which hit the chandelier and when that fell, it knocked me out." She rubs the back of her head. It still hurts.
John nods. That is what happened.
"What happened after I was unconscious?"
"Umm. We made a travois out of ice to carry you back to Arendelle." His face pales, "Once we put you on it. The...it changed into a beautiful sleigh."
All the other guards nod. That was uncanny.
'Even unconscious my powers work. I wonder what will happen at night when I dream?' Elsa shivers at that thought. 'Things like that happened a few times when I was younger, then the Bishop gave Father some church meditation manuals. That helped. I probably need to find them and reread them, tonight.'
"Continue." Queen Elsa orders.
"When we got home, Prince Hans asked Kai about where the strongest cell was. Kai pointed out the cell and gave Hans the key to the chains."
Kai's neck turns bright red. He dares not turn around.
Ice begins to form. Anna hisses, "Elsa."
She takes a breath and the ice vanishes.
"That's about it, Your Majesty." John finishes, gulping. The look in Queen Elsa's eyes...
Elsa holds up a finger, "I was unconscious, a perfect opportunity to hurt or kill me. Why was I left unharmed?" She asks in a suspicious tone.
"Prince Hans orders. He even had us tie up the Duke's thugs to make sure that nothing would happen to you."
Queen Elsa nods as she thinks.
"What about the dungeon?" She asks.
John gulps, "Prince Hans... just ordered us to follow him and protect him from you. He wasn't real specific, you know. Just protect him. There really wasn't time for more detailed orders." He says quickly.
"When he pulled out his sword... We were surprised that he could hide it under his clothes. And... We sent," he points with his manacled hands to one of the other manacled guards, "him to the Captain so he could get there quickly."
He finishes with an awkward shrug, saying, "You were gone, before we could do anything else."
Queen Elsa slowly purses her lips... A minute passes as she considers.
"Captain Erikson, do have anything to say, before I ask a few questions?"
"No. Your Majesty. His testimony is true." He states, confidently.
Queen Elsa looks at him, thinking, 'What is he doing? This is wrong. Why?'
Their eyes meet. Something passes between them.
'A test.' She thinks, 'He is testing me. Will I act as a frightened woman? A frightening sorceress? Or as a fair Queen.'
She twists her braid, as she thinks and considers the evidence.
"Just to be clear, Captain Erikson." She begins to speak, "When Princess Anna left Arendelle, she ordered Prince Hans Westergaard of the Southern Isles to take charge of Arendelle. This is correct?"
Captain Erikson nods. "I wasn't there, but everyone agreed that is what happened."
Anna says, "That's what I did, Elsa." A blink. "Queen Elsa." She adds as she remembers court etiquette.
Elsa gives her sister a quick encouraging smile.
"So, when Prince Hans left to quote rescue unquote Anna," Queen Elsa nods to the chained Guards, "These men followed him and obeyed his orders."
The Captain nods.
"His lawful orders?"
Captain Erikson, grimaces, but nods, yes.
Queen Elsa smiles, "You could have argued a point there, Captain. Since Prince Hans is not a citizen of Arendelle, the legality of Anna's order is debatable."
Anna turns and looks at Elsa, "Huh? Oh! Only a citizen... Forgot about that." She sheepishly grins.
'I needed to make him a citizen, first, then I could appoint him in charge.' She thinks in disgust, 'Damn legalize. Surely, I will not have to deal with stuff like that. That's Elsa's job.'
Captain Erikson nods. "I did not argue the point with Prince Hans. He was leading the people in a crisis and having two competing captains in such a time is dangerous."
Queen Elsa nods, accepting that explanation. 'And what he did not say, is that the Council should have taken charge, not Prince Hans or the Captain of the Royal Guards.' A flick of her eyes to the only Council member present, the head of the fishing guild. 'He should have taken charge. Although, his health is fading, so maybe not.'
"Everyone agrees that at no time did Prince Hans, publicly, order an attack on myself or Princess Anna?" She asks in general.
All the guards nod, yes.
"Attacking a monster." A hiss from Anna. "No. Marshmallow was a brave act. I was there, watching, and," She nods to the Guards, "Everyone attacked him quickly and bravely."
The chained Guards start to grin, things are looking up.
"Treason." Queen Elsa begins to say in a commanding voice, "Is a specific term. It implies that you are a citizen of Arendelle, that your actions are against my laws, orders, or instructions, and that you did whatever your actions were in an attempt to aid a foreign power."
A pause. "In the letter to Prince Hans' Father, I did not charge him with Treason. He is not a citizen of Arendelle. His actions, in his attempt to kill myself and Princess Anna, were an act of war, but not treason. His father might and should consider his actions treasonous to him, of course, and should punish his son for that. His actions, will tell us, if there will be war or not."
"I do not see that happening here." She points to the chained Guards. "I see loyal Guardsmen that in a crisis helped to solve it. They did so to the best of their ability and with bravery." Queen Elsa commands, "Remove the chains. Now."
Other Guardsmen gather around the chained ones and free them. All of them are grinning and smiling, whispering small jokes and comments.
Whispered comments sweep the Great Hall. Queen Elsa is not taking vengeance, many people are surprised, most are relieved. The rumors that the Duke started to spread about her being a mad and vicious sorceress...will have trouble growing against these whispers.
She looks at their captain.
"Captain Erikson, do you have anything to say?"
He falls to one knee. "I made a mistake, Your Majesty." He says, as he stares at the floor.
She states. "Yes. I agree. Do you have a punishment that you would recommend?"
He opens his mouth and closes it. "Punishment?" He clears his throat, "I throw myself on your mercy, Your Majesty."
Queen Elsa nods, accepting his actions. Her eyes flick to the Guardsmen. "Your actions embarrassed these brave men. I must praise them for their bravery, not sit in judgment on them. So... You will give them, each, a week's pay, out of your own pay. You and I will get together on Monday to determine the exact details."
"I thank Your Majesty for your mercy." Their captain says with his head still bowed.
"I also think that I need brave men to guard myself and Princess Anna. Please rethink your schedules." Elsa says, gently.
A glance at the guardsmen. A nod. "Of course, Your Majesty."
She sees Kristoff slip into the Great Room. She can hear a hitch in Anna's voice, so she's seen him as well.
Queen Elsa orders, "In addition, Captain Erikson, there will be a meeting of the Council this afternoon. You will attend and you will have a revised budget. Due to the events of the last week, I feel that my budget priorities must change."
Elsa thinks, sadly, 'Father, after the Napoleonic wars, reduced Arendelle's armed forces. He depended upon the military treaty with Oslo. After his death, I convinced the Bishop, who was my regnant and in charge of Arendelle before last week, that we needed a modern iron works and a modern shipyard more than we needed to maintain our armed forces that were already little more than a police force. Those decisions are now are going to cause problems.'
She sighs, heavily, "I will view your requests for more funds... in a more favorable light."
The Captain of the Arendelle Royal Guard stands and asks, "That includes funds for more gun powder for the muskets? So, I can, finally, give everyone full training in their use?"
He thinks, 'Prince Hans did not take any firearms, once he remarked how easy someone might make a mistake with a gun. He made that remark, just after he saw how awkward a couple of my men were at handling the muskets.'
Queen Elsa nods, yes, slowly.
"I can, finally, recruit new men to bring my manpower up to the authorized limits?"
A deep breath and another slow nod. "I will want to see specifics, Captain Erikson."
He nods, briskly. "Of course, My Queen."
"Is there anything else, before I dismiss you?"
He looks around at the full of people. Many people fill the Great Hall, now. Whispered and not-so whispered comments about Queen Elsa's decision is spreading rapidly. Within a half an hour it will be spreading throughout the city. The comments are positive, and keep growing more positive, as word of Elsa's quick judgment on Captain Marcus spreads.
Even the old man who is a Council member and head of the fishing guild softens his expression for a second, before he remembers that Queen Elsa is still a too new on the throne to be trusted. His expression hardens again.
A couple of Ice Harvesters slip into the Great Hall as Captain Marcus looks around. "A moment in private, Your Majesty?"
end chap 8
A different look at the Royal Guards. Hopefully different enough to generate some comments...
Thank you for reading
jeff