Chapter Three
It took several days to organize the expedition. Captain Beorne spent the time selecting soldiers with proficient wood skills and appropriating needed supplies. He conferred frequently with castle staff and with the sisters about particulars. Consulting notes taken from the messenger's account, he pored over maps and plotted routes. When he learned of the sisters' intention to include Kristoff, he wasted no time in accosting the Royal Ice Deliverer at his work and appointing him head scout.
Queen Elsa spent her time attending to minor matters of court and coaching her sister on the finer points of political trade. She was especially careful to point out the members of the court that seemed unusually apathetic or enthusiastic about the temporary change of royal hierarchy. Princess Ana, for her part, spent her time being coached and trying to steal precious moments with Kristoff. Although she fully understood the severity that led to all the activity, she couldn't help the restlessness caused by her own anxiousness.
"It's like I can't trust anything anyone says," she ranted to Kristoff near the close of the second day. "No matter how nice they are! In fact, it's like the nicer they are, the more suspicious I have to be!"
Kristoff eyed her in sympathy. "That's why I don't like court life at all. Are… are you sure you don't want me to stay? Y'know, with you here? I only just got back, after all..."
"Oh, I'm sure, more than anything! Well not more than anything. I mean, I really really want to you stay," Anna blurted, laying a hand on the mountaineer's arm. "I've missed you, and you would be so nice to have around. You'd probably be the only sane point in the place..."
"But…?" he interrupted her, smiling.
Anna took a deep breath, looking away from him. "But… it would mean a lot to me if you went with Elsa… she needs to have someone near her she can trust to not be… you know… her powers and all..."
He laid his hand over hers. "Not be scared of her?" he guessed.
Anna nodded miserably. Kristoff wrapped an about her shoulders, pulling her close. "Hey, I know what it's like to worry about family," he murmured.
"Really?" Anna quipped in a brave attempt at sass. "Is there really that much to worry about with rock trolls?"
"You have no idea," chuckled Kristoff. "And I know how much Elsa means to you. Of course I'll go." He grinned and gave her a little shake, making her look up at him. "Just don't go getting engaged while I'm gone!"
"Hey!" she protested, breaking loose of his embrace so she could smack his arm.
"Ow!" Kristoff yelped. Laughing and rubbing his arm, he added with a shameless grin, "Hey yourself! You're the one that got engaged in one day! We'll be gone two weeks! That's a lot of possible engagements!"
Anna's inarticulate reply was nearly drowned by the percussion of Kristoff's hasty retreat. Laughter led their shadows along hallways until glimpsed staff reminded them that more reserved behavior was expected within stone walls. For the rest of the evening, however, they traded snarky glances and glancing play-punches. The fiesty teasing did not not ease until Elsa was forced to demurely clear her throat at dinner. Even then, the sisters traded quick, happy grins while Kristoff blinked sheepishly.
It was an unfortunate coincidence that on the third morning of preparations, the first two delegations to arrive belonged to Weselton and the Southern Isles. The dignitaries leading their respective groups eyed each other in a curious mix of respect and dislike. The two men were a study in contrasts. Where the previous dignitary of Weselton had been a diminutive man of elderly bearing, the current one was a carefully poised and handsome young fellow. Similarly the previous dignitary of the Southern Isles had been the handsome Prince Hans, but this time they had sent an older man, bespectacled and aiding his step with an ornately carved cane.
Upon seeing them, Elsa could not help but wonder if the two countries were aware they had essentially swapped dignitaries. She whispered her ponderings to Anna, then grinned when her sister giggled at the observation. They quickly regained their composure, however, when it came time to greet the two men. Four individuals with three countries' worth of unpleasantness between them made pleasant noises even as they warily watched each other.
The dignitary for Spain arrived late that afternoon. While they were still expecting representatives from Ireland, France, and Germany, even Anna had to admit that delaying the expedition seemed unwise. Kai had confided that people in the city were noticing an increasing lack of inland trade goods. They were beginning to ask castle staff on their rounds if they had heard of any trouble. Increasingly fantastic stories were being whispered in doorways. The castle had to be seen as taking action.
That evening, Queen Elsa and Princess Anna held audience in the throne room. Castle staff provided chairs for the assorted court and dignitaries, then retreated to a discreet distance. Kai assumed his position behind and to the right of his Queen. As soon as the sisters made their announcement of the impending shift in command, the room burst into furious protest.
Princess Anna's eyes widened. She had expected some protest, but not this sudden yelling match. She turned a beleaguered gaze to her sister. Elsa could only give a tiny shake of her head in response. At that moment the dignitary for the Weselton stepped away from his chair. He shook a fist in the air, capturing the sisters' attention.
"This is an insult," he flared, "We did not travel here to treat with a… a… substitute!"
The sharp smell of winter chased away the dusty, earthy scent of castle stone. Some of the court flinched and looked to the Queen. For her part, Queen Elsa remained seated on her throne. Her chin lifted and her blue eyes narrowed. "Princess Anna is hardly a substitute," she stated in a tightly controlled tone. "You mis-speak yourself, sir."
"Do I?" he dared, apparently heedless of the sudden chill in the air. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, you are the one that declared the trade embargo upon us. It is you that we came to entreat to lift your restrictions."
"I assure you, my sister is fully capable of managing your concerns," Queen Elsa declared. "We have discussed the embargo in detail and are in accord as to our intentions." Princess Anna gave her own decisive nod to punctuate her sister's words. None noticed the hard swallow that followed her nod.
"But…," the Weselton dignitary tried to protest. He was interrupted as another member of their delegation hastily tugged on his sleeve. For the first time he seemed to notice the chill in the air. His shoulders hunched as he took a half step backward.
The Southern Isles dignitary took advantage of the hesitation to step forward. He swept a bow low and graceful enough to be the envy of several servants. "We mean no disrespect to the Princess, of course," he spoke in a low, mellow voice, "It is just that we were expecting to treat with the Queen, since the conditions of trade were originally created by Your Majesty and you would be more intimately familiar with them."
Princess Anna started to nod, taken in by the man's grandfatherly bearing, but a glance at her sister made her hold still.
"You mean every disrespect," Queen Elsa announced, glaring at the older man. "You imply that Princess Anna is unskilled in trade. I'll have you know, she is every bit as knowledgeable as I about trade conditions."
"I am?" Princess Anna muttered almost noiselessly. In the next moment, she had to suppress a yelp as an icy blast smacked her between her shoulder blades. Several sets of eyes turned to her. "I am!" she stated more firmly, straightening her spine as she sat in her throne. From the corner of her eye she glimpsed her sister's lips twitch.
"Need I remind both of you that your countries each sent men of ill intent to our kingdom on my coronation day?" Queen Elsa said, giving no other sign of her mischief to the delegates gathered. "One who sent hired thugs after me, and one who attempted to personally assassinate both my sister and myself?"
"And we have stressed time and time again that the former Duke acted without our knowledge and most certainly not our consent!" protested the young man from Weselton. "How long will you punish an entire country for the actions of one man?"
"Likewise with our former Prince," the Southern Isles dignitary interjected.
"Men sent to represent their countries!" Princess Anna replied hotly. Her sudden outburst caused many heads to swivel in her direction. Queen Elsa merely tilted her head towards her sister, but it was enough to remind Princess Anna to take a deep breath. Her next words were calmer. "This applies to both Weselton and the Southern Isles. We'll renegotiate the trade embargoes of course, but on terms of good faith… of which there is currently very little." She made herself lean back, lacing fingers into a fist on her lap. "After all, I'm sure both of your countries would act similarly, were our positions somehow reversed."
The young man bristled, but the elder dignitary merely stroked his mustache. In a calm voice, he said, "One would almost think you were offering a return in equal… hostile… action, Princess, rather than leniency in trade."
This time it was the Queen who leaned forward. It was difficult to say if the glitter in her hair was snow or simply light reflected from her crown. "Arendelle is a peaceful country," she said in a voice as chill as the ice she commanded, "and I would remind you Princess Anna is the one that uncovered Prince Hans's plot to kill us both."
"Yah, by falling in love with him," someone in the Weselton party muttered. The comment was immediately followed by a sneeze as the temperature dropped a few degrees.
Princess Anna winced from the truth of the accusation, but Queen Elsa straightened her seat and tackled the comment directly. "Yes, she did – by his deliberate manipulations, I might add." Returning her attention to the Southern Isles dignitary, she continued, "Still, she recognized her error and risked her life to correct it." She paused to look about the room. "Are any of you gentlemen able to say the same of any mistakes you've made? And do not deign to tell me you have not made mistakes – we are all human here."
Both the addressed dignitaries glanced aside. The elderly man from Southern Isles coughed and stroked his mustache as he studied the floor. The younger man of Weseltron frowned fiercely before giving a curt nod to Queen and Princess. Throughout all of this the Spanish dignitary had merely sat and smiled smugly. Now he stood, bowing deeply to both sisters.
"We of Spain think you are taking the most appropriate actions, then and now," he practically purred, light gleaming off his oiled hair. "Whether Princess or Queen, it is an honor to treat with the Royal sisters of Arendelle."
Princess Anna straightened her shoulders and smiled, but Queen Elsa's response was coolly neutral. "And we are honored to host you here, good Sir. Now, gentlemen, tonight's meeting was merely a courtesy to advise you of events here in Arendelle. The hour is growing late, and I will have to take my leave in the morning to tend to our outer villages. Have any of you any… reasonable… concerns that need to be addressed immediately?"
Rounds of head shakes answered her.
Queen Elsa stood from her throne. Princess Anna hastily followed her even as many chairs scraped against stone floor. The Queen addressed those gathered, saying, "Then I bid all of you a good night, gentleman, and I will leave you in the very capable hands of my sister, Princess Anna, upon the morrow."
The two sisters walked through the cautious silence, exiting the throne room with stately poise. No sooner had they moved out of sight, however, than conversation erupted in the throne room. Queen and Princess paused, listening to the uproar. After a few moments to reassure themselves that the Royal Guards' presence was enough to keep things at least remotely civil, they continued along the long hallways that lead to the Royal chambers.
Anna broke the silence first. "Wow."
Elsa exhaled a noisy breath she hadn't even been aware of holding. "Wow is right." She rubbed a hand across her eyes. "I came so close to freezing the lot of them… especially that one that made that comment…!"
"Hah, which comment?" Anna half-laughed, then shook her head. "No, no, I mean wow on how you handled them! I wanted to punch them in the face so many times!"
"Welcome to diplomacy," droned Elsa, then laughed at herself. "Not that I was very diplomatic. They just made me so angry!" She rubbed her temple, giving Anna a worried glance. "I really hope I didn't just make things more difficult for you..."
"Oh, pfft, I'll be able to handle it. Maybe. Definitely. Definitely maybe! Well, I've got to learn to do it sometime, right?" She shrugged and held her hands palms-up. "Besides, which of us is really getting the worse end of the deal…? You know the stories from the villages are getting worse! I'm really worried about you, Elsa..."
"All the more reason to go, Anna. Trade negotiations can be stalled for months, if need be… but I feel like what's happening in those mountains won't wait that long."
"Me too," Anna agreed unhappily. Silence held between them until they reached Anna's door. Without a word each sister reached for the other's hand. For a long moment they just stood there, not quite looking at each other yet connected by entwined fingers. Finally Anna sighed, "Well, guess I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well, ok?"
"You too," Elsa said. They squeezed each other's hands, then slowly let go of each other.
First one set of bedchamber doors shut, then after a few long moments, a second set closed. Gradually silence settled over the castle, disturbed only by the booted step of Royal Guards on night duty. It proved to be a calm, if not particularly restful, night.
Morning saw the courtyard filled with furious activity even before the sun dared to breach its sleepy light over the mountains. The castle Marshall oversaw the stable-hands as they readied horses. Servants bustled to and fro, moving gathered supplies to where soldiers could do their final sorts and checks. Captain Beorne oversaw the frenetic activity, nodding to himself as he saw his initial preparations come together. He was not entirely surprised when the Spanish dignitary sidled close. Dignitaries proved to be an inquisitive lot, he had learned. Today was no exception.
"A fine day," crooned the man, looking over the courtyard. His sudden frown was a little too theatrical to be sincere. "But so few soldiers? I would think it would be safer for the Queen to have a larger retinue travel with her…?"
"We are going to be traveling along mountainous territory," Captain Beorne answered with stiff politeness. "Fifteen men will travel... and fight, if need be... more easily along those trails than a full company."
"Do you anticipate much trouble, then?" inquired the dignitary. Again, the offhand tone was just a little too polite to be truthful.
"Storms. Wolves. Bears." The Captain's tone grew more abrupt. "Much the same danger as any wilderness trek."
"Must be a dire need, indeed, to require your Queen's attention," the well-oiled man purred.
At this, Captain Beorne turned his full gaze upon the man. The dignitary was experienced enough not to flinch, but he was a little too quick in turning his gaze back to the courtyard. "The villages," Captain Beorne coolly stated, "are in dire need of supplies. The normal trade passages have been blocked off by unseasonable storms. I do believe my Queen and Princess advised you of this last night?"
"Yes, but that does not explain the lack of a supply train, if it is sustenance that is troubling your people. I see enough to feed your men, but no more."
Dark brown eyes narrowed. "It is as I say. Know you I report directly to my Queen. I am sure she will be interested in your inquisitiveness."
The Spanish dignitary spread his hands to either side with an amiable smile. "I merely sought to make conversation. And to express concern for the Queen's welfare. I thought perhaps that others of the court, or perhaps even some of the delegations, should accompany her?"
"The Queen and Princess were raised among these mountains," the Captain responded in a kind of fierce neutrality. "They are used to the hardships one may encounter there even in receptive weather. I have not seen the same among others of the court life." He cast a pointed glance at the dignitary's protruding stomach.
The man huffed, sucked in his gut a little, and stalked away.
Captain Beorne breathed a sigh of relief. A moment later he saw the sisters emerge. A stable-hand darted nearby, intent on getting the Queen's horse to the foot of the castle steps. The Captain reached out, catching one narrow shoulder. "Hold, son," he called. The boy turned to look at him, about to voice a loud protest. His jaw clamped shut, however, as he recognized the Captain of the Royal Guard. Beorne chuckled. "I'll take her horse to her, never you mind. If you could, please keep assisting my men?"
The boy nodded mutely, then added "Ah, yessir!" as an afterthought. He bolted to the courtyard, essentially disappearing in the controlled chaos.
On the castle steps, Anna's fingers caught on Elsa's sleeve. While the Princess was dressed in an appropriate woolen gown, the Queen was garbed in a slightly more ornate version of Kristoff's mountaineer garb. Elsa paused, tilting her head at her sister.
In a voice that was barely audible, Anna whispered, "Come back."
Elsa frowned, thinking that her sister meant to take back the agreed arrangement. Understanding came, however, as she studied Anna's face. "You'll do fine," she assured her sister. A bitter taste flooded her mouth as she uttered those words. It took a moment to understand why: those were the last words her father had spoken to her before that fateful sea voyage. Swallowing the taste, she added, "It's only two weeks."
Anna shook her head. Her voice cracked as she said, "It was only two weeks for Mother and Father, too." Giving up on royal decorum, she flung her arms around her sister. Voice muffled by Elsa's traveling leathers, she whimpered, "I don't want to stand at another grave."
Elsa closed her eyes and wrapped her arms tightly about Anna. "You won't. I won't let that happen," she promised, even knowing the actual and possible dangers the expedition faced. After a few long moments, she pulled back enough to ask, "Are you sure you don't want Kristoff to stay? That way… if something happens… just in case…."
Anna brushed her sleeve across her nose in an unprincessly sniff. "I want the two people I care most about in the world to come back to me. Safe, sound, and as wonderfully irritating as ever."
"Oh, I'm irritating, am I?" Elsa teased, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yes. Incredibly so. Especially when you get all stuffy." Anna sniffed once more. "Which is often. So don't you go getting into trouble, and making me come save you. Again!" she declared, shaking a finger at her sister's face in a deliberate attempt for levity.
Elsa made a show of rolling her eyes for Anna's benefit. She chuckled and grasped Anna's hands before sketching a half-bow. "Yes, Your Majesty," she mocked playfully.
"Oh, hush you!" Anna gave a wavering laugh. "I'm probably going to get sick of that phrase before you get back! C'mon, let's head on down."
Arm-in-arm the sisters reached the foot of the stairs, where Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf awaited them along with Captain Beorne at the head of Elsa's horse. Olaf tumbled from his perch atop Sven's back and frolicked to Anna's side.
"Oh, isn't this exciting?" the snowman exclaimed. "It's like we're on the verge of a grand adventure!"
Kristoff dead-panned, "If you say so. Me, I say adventure is what happens to other people far, far away. Isn't that right, Sven?" He turned to the reindeer and added in his "Sven" voice, "That's right!" For his part, Sven snorted happily and pranced in place.
Olaf waved his twig arms. "So what happens Anna and me will be an adventure to you, and what happens to you and Elsa and Sven and Beorne will be an adventure to us!"
Kristoff theatrically groaned and rested his head on Sven's shaggy neck.
Anna chuckled and rested her hand on Olaf's head. "I'm not so sure trade negotiations will seem like an adventure to anyone anywhere."
Elsa smiled as well. "Nor, I think, will talking to frightened villagers… not to mention the storms and…," she hesitated, glancing about, "well, all the trouble they're having."
The sisters nodded at each other. They hugged one more time before Elsa moved to her horse. Taking the reins from Captain Beorne with a quiet thanks, she nimbly mounted the flighty steed. At her motion, all fifteen soldiers immediately proceeded to mount up. The Captain retreated to get his own horse, then moved between the castle gate and the company. Kristoff and Sven glided to the rear of the formation.
From atop her restless horse, Elsa gazed down at Anna. A sly smile twitched her lips. "No engagements while we're gone," she cautioned.
Anna smiled, nodded, then jerked her head back. "Wait, what… Hey! Not you too!"
Laughing, the Queen reined her horse about. Without looking back, she trotted to take her place at the head of the expedition alongside Captain Beorne.
"Head out!" called out the Captain. The noisy clatter of hooves on stone drowned out any possible shouts from the gathered people. With no more fanfare than that, the expedition set out while Princess Anna and Olaf looked on.