Chapter Seven
Anna began counting the days from Elsa's departure. It helped her focus on the fact that while each day seemed an eternity, there was a limit to them. Elsa, Kristoff, and Sven would return. They would discuss whatever they had discovered, and tackle the kingdom's issues together. Anna just had to hold things together until then.
A simple task, really. At least, that is what she kept telling herself.
On day three, the Royal Treasurer patiently taught her the different coins of the countries involved in the trade negotiations. He pointed out their different metal contents, names, and values compared to Arendelle's own currency. He explained the dangers of counterfeit currency, as well as the pros and cons of accepting hard currency over trade. Anna couldn't even remember what her breakfast tasted like by the time he was through with her.
Kai then took her in hand, explaining more of the labor structure that supported the castle. He introduced her to the Royal Marshall in charge of the stables. The Marshall was a small, practical man that had little regard for the presence of royalty. He softened only when he saw Anna greet Sitron, the horse that had once belonged to the former-Prince Hans. Sitron still missed his original master, unaware of his human crimes, but had proven very fond of Anna. Leaving with a promise to spend more time with her steed, Anna followed Kai to other areas. He pointed out how stablework affected the castle, especially in terms of supplies and communication. The lecture expanded to include the Royal Gardener who grew carrots and other treats for the horses as well as tending to the kitchen vegetable garden and private flower gardens. He also introduced her to the local Reeve, a stern older man who managed the work schedules of many of the villagers that tended to the castle.
Anna found it a great relief to spend a relatively quiet lunch with Olaf. The amiable snowman managed to wander into the private dining area just as she took a bite of bread and cheese. Meat pastries still tended to turn her stomach, so the Royal Cook was insisting she stick with milder foods. While her stomach was appreciative, her tongue was beginning to stage a rebellion. Olaf provided a welcome distraction from her many complaints, and by the end of the lunch Anna felt ready for the second half of the day.
She was again retrieved by Kai, who led her to the guard house. There she met Sergeant Jostein, the man Captain Beorne had designated in charge of castle security in his absence. The Sergeant was a jovial man, quick with a laugh and a teasing wink. The moment one of the soldiers seemed lax in his duty, however, the Sergeant's attitude swiftly changed. He barked out commands that even made Princess Anna straighten her shoulders and spine in unconscious response. Kai had deliberately timed their visit to coincide with one of their drills, so Anna had ample opportunity to watch the Sergeant's leadership in action. She observed with fascination, seeing how someone with such an easy, cheerful personality could still keep so many others in line.
Dinner involved more political coaching from Kai, although it felt more like a recent history lesson. He explained many recent events of the countries involved, from Spain's recently settled succession war to France's ever-expanding empire. His topics dovetailed neatly with the Royal Treasurer's morning lesson, clarifying how the values of currencies could be affected by a country's status. Anna began to suspect that the two were creating their lesson plans together. She asked Kai as much, but he only gave her a slight smile as answer.
Day four meant another breakfast lesson with the Royal Treasurer. This time he went over Arendelle's material wealth, both in trade and in skills. For a land of mountains, they were able to provide a surprising amount of natural resources. Anna was a little startled to realize just how much Arendelle exported to other countries, yet still retained plenty for its own people. She especially had not known just how many kinds of fish supported the kingdom.
After the first day, however, she wasn't surprised about the goats.
This time it was Gerda's turn to retrieve Anna at the meal's conclusion. To her delight, Anna was taken outside the castle proper and into the surrounding village. Gerda took her to shop after shop, explaining how the castle was supplied with many of its basic needs such as linens and nails. Since Elsa's coronation, Anna had often spent time in the village with Kristoff or roaming by herself. She had gotten to know a few people, but most had stayed back out of respect for their unconventional Princess. Under Gerda's guidance, however, she found herself dealing with the villagers on a more personal level. With a feeling akin to awe, she began to see just how much village and castle relied on each other.
Olaf was not present for lunch, but Anna's mind was full of many things. She could feel ideas beginning to press against her thoughts, but they weren't ready to emerge just yet. Almost the entire lunch period was spent with her chewing slowly as she thoughtfully stared into space.
The afternoon's planned activities were placed on hold with the announcement that a ship was sighted. Princess Anna had just enough time, with a handmaid's assistance, to prepare her appearance for what proved to be the Ireland delegation's arrival. Accompanied by a handful of castle guards and court advisers, she greeted the older dignitary with as much grace as she could muster. He seemed startled by her red hair, his hand going to the graying embers adorning his own head. After some polite conversation, it was revealed that he was expecting Elsa's pale hair. With an embarrassed cough, he admitted he had forgotten that Anna's hair was as fiery red as Elsa's was frosty blonde.
After that, the only trouble Princess Anna had was pulling herself away from the elderly gentleman's fascinating stories. Normally reserved, the Irish dignitary tended to shed inhibitions like an unwanted pair of shoes when it came to storytelling. He would tell personal tales and cultural myths with equal enthusiasm. His voice would become deeper and more resonant, while his normally still hands would begin to gesticulate expressively.
Princess Anna wasn't given long to enjoy the more reserved dignitary's presence, however. His arrival stirred the other delegations into sudden activity. The representatives of Spain and the Southern Isles proved especially persistent, each striving to catch the Princess alone for deceptively friendly chatter. The dignitary from the Weselton kept his distance after a fashion. He seemed to realize he had pushed his luck in recent conversations, so contented himself to remaining conveniently near whenever another dignitary approached Princess Anna.
It did not fail that at some point, conversations would tilt towards trade terms. At least she was getting better at steering the topic away with the firm reminder that formal negotiations would not start until all expected country delegations were present.
Dinner with Kai was a particularly exasperating affair this time. His topic of choice this time was methods of handling an official meeting. Where Elsa had mainly pointed out suspicious behavior, Kai pointed out advantages and disadvantages to acting on such observations. He was patient yet frustratingly thorough. One solution was not enough; he had to point out multiple possible actions as well as potential consequences for those actions. Expounding on the knowledge of each country's recent history, he described the ways that knowledge could be put to use. Princess Anna began to see how they had already done the same to her by frequently mentioning Arendelle's own shaky succession, beginning with her parents deaths' and currently with Elsa's powers and lack of heirs.
Dimly she remembered Elsa saying that any children she bore would already have a decided fate.
The memory troubled Anna deeply, but she didn't yet understand why.
All in all, Anna went to bed that night with a head spinning with half-formed ideas and a heavily condensed learning plan. Her dreams were troubled, chaotic and disjointed.
She was awoken early on day five with the announcement of a sighted ship. Princess Anna had just enough time to dress, again with a handmaiden's assistance, and to gulp down a hurried breakfast of porridge. Once again she found herself awaiting a delegation in the company of guards and advisers. Germany's dignitary proved to be a hefty man, so broad in his torso that he at first appeared as portly as the dignitary from Spain. His handshake grip proved to be almost uncomfortably strong, however, and Anna strongly suspected that anyone that tried to pat the man's shoulders would likely hurt their own hand.
He peered down at her through his gleaming monocle. In a thickly accented voice he inquired about the Queen. Princess Anna explained about the supply emergency with the outlying villages, and the Queen's decision to attend to those concerns personally. He grunted, then bowed deeply to her.
"It is good to trade with a country that cares so for its people," he said in a deep, gruff voice.
Princess Anna blinked a few times before Kai's and the Royal Treasurer's lessons clicked. Germany had only recently become a country in its own right, claiming land for its own people rather than existing as several smaller kingdoms in flux as larger and more distant countries fought for dominance. No wonder the dignitary was impressed by Queen Elsa's personal attendance to her people.
Princess Anna returned his bow with equal depth. "It's an honor to trade with a country of people strong enough to stand for themselves," she said, and was rewarded with a small yet sincere smile from the older man.
No sooner had she turned the Germany delegation over to the castle staff, however, than the hail went out that yet another ship was sighted. Within short order she found herself greeting the French delegation. Their dignitary was a slender man who appeared every bit as delicate as the Germany dignitary seemed stolid. The Frenchman was given to dramatic flourish, his normally impeccable speech slurring with an accent whenever he seemed particularly emphatic. His stage presence was such that when he took Princess Anna's hand to kiss it, it was all she could do to keep herself from snatching her hand away with a guilty giggle.
The amusement was quickly crushed by the memory of Kristoff. He'd taken her hand to kiss before, with a delightful mix of silliness and sincerity. She missed the mountaineer's practicality that always grounded her, as well as his laughter that always lifted her. The contrast of those memories with the reality of those she currently dealt with left her feeling somewhat nauseous.
To avoid a repeat of the meat pastry incident, she hastily handed the French delegation to castle staff. She then retreated to the private dining area so she could wolf down a late, hurried lunch. The cook took one look at her face and wordlessly sent a glass of water with mint leaves. Anna was deeply grateful for the stomach-settling drink. She made a point to stop and thank the cook before Kai found her and whisked her away for the rest of the day's schedule.
It proved to be a hectic afternoon. They had to juggle quite a bit due to the arrival of two delegations in a single day. Princess Anna felt as though she was jogging from meeting to meeting, although Kai never seemed to move beyond a brisk walk. They met again with the local Reeve to address questions he had in regards to staffing care for the recently arrived delegations. Gerda found them and brought to their attention some issues with the household staff, especially in regards to the delegations. A local dispute between shop owners that had been scheduled for the morning had been rescheduled to mid-afternoon. She didn't realize it, but by the end of the day she was actually the one stepping forward to speak with staff rather than looking to Kai for guidance.
Very likely the realization was averted due to the constant distraction of the dignitaries. The Southern Isles and France both dogged her steps with overly polite phrasing and questions that seemed to hit her sideways. Spain and Ireland seemed quite happy to encourage rambling conversation, attending eagerly if she dared to relay a single tale then responding with two of their own. Again the dignitary from Weselton appeared content to shadow her rather than speak with her directly, although he wasn't above a barbed comment or three seemingly shot at random to the other dignitaries.
By the time dinner time arrived, Princess Anna was exhausted. Kai took one look at her and excused her from the evening's lesson. Gerda appeared and all but led Anna to her bedroom. It took a bit of firm talking to convince the Royal Housekeeper that a handmaiden wasn't needed to ready her for bed. Shooing the fussy woman out of her room, Anna shut the door. Shedding her clothes on the ground, Anna then collapsed in her bed. Sleep that night hit hard and fast.
Day six since Elsa's departure dawned viciously clear. Princess Anna dragged herself out of bed, shuffled around the discarded clothes from yesterday, and dressed herself. She paused at her bedroom door, eyed the clothes on the floor, and sighed. Only after she had picked up the clothes and laid them out neatly for the laundry maid did she allow herself to head for the dining room.
Breakfast with the Royal Treasurer proved especially frustrating. He had worked up some possible trade offers with respect to what Arendelle had to offer and what Arendelle needed. Ever patient, he walked Anna through each offer and pointed out the advantages and disadvantages of each offer. Logically, Anna knew there was no single answer for the questions trade brought up. It didn't keep her from wanting to scream for lack of such an answer.
That morning she took a circuitous route through the castle hallways in hopes of avoiding the dignitaries. Her heart sank when she saw the Weselton dignitary perched on a low stone wall that separated an outer walkway from the public courtyard. One of the Arendelle guards stood nearby, almost shoulder-to-shoulder with a man that might have been a guard from the Weselton delegation.
Princess Anna slowed to a stop, Kai little more than a green-coated shadow just behind her.
The young man turned his head to peer at Princess Anna, dipped his head with a mocking smile, then looked back over the courtyard.
His off-hand manner made Princess Anna's spine stiffen. "What are you doing here?" she demanded without thinking.
He cut his eyes sideways and smirked. "Being a guest of this castle?" he quipped.
"Well, yes, of course, but," Anna stammered, then glared at him. "Most of the delegations are keeping themselves to the guest quarters."
"Are we to keep ourselves to our rooms, then, like naughty children?" he responded, sliding off the wall to stand. His chin lifted defiantly.
"No, of course not! You're guests of the castle!" Even as she said it, Princess Anna realized the contradiction. She sighed heavily. "I mean, you're guests, you're free to roam and be comfortable… within reason."
"Within reason," he echoed with a wry grin.
"Oh, you know what I mean! No raiding the larder on your own, no wandering the Royal wing… basically being mannerly guests!"
He spread his hands apart, palms up. "In that, I have been a perfect guest," he countered blithely. "Nor was I trying to ambush you, since that seems to be what you and your guard were thinking." One of his hands folded so he could jerk a thumb over his shoulder at the Arendelle soldier.
Forgetting her poise in her puzzlement, Anna rested her hands on her hips and tilted her head. "Okay, so what are you doing?" she asked, jerking her head at the stone wall.
"You really wanna know?" he inquired with a wry grin.
"Yes. Yes I do."
"Just trying to get some fresh air, Princess," he explained.
"Really." Princess Anna couldn't quite keep the doubt from her voice.
Luckily it seemed to not bother the young dignitary at all. "Yes, really." It was his turn to nod with his head, although it was directed to the guest quarters. "Entirely too stuffy and stuck up in there, and no peace from the other dignitaries. You aren't the only one being stalked, Princess."
Somehow, the way he was saying her title was more mocking than respectful. Princess Anna lifted her hands from her hips so she could cross her arms. "Oh is that so?" she said. "And why are they interested so much in you?"
He shrugged and grinned. "A country formally disgraced by the mighty Arendelle makes for a nice, neat target, Your Majesty. Surely such a victim would appreciate a stronger, more understanding country to do the majority of its trade with…?"
"I didn't… we don't… How did you...""
"Ah, Princess, that's what I like about you. You're as straightforward as I am!"
At this point, all Anna could do was stair and tilt her head.
"Look," the Weselton man began, leaning against a stone column. "I'll level with you, Princess. I wasn't chosen for my charm."
Anna snorted in spite of herself.
The young man grinned. "Exactly. In fact, my Lord Duke, the one that replaced the former Duke, came to me and said, 'Lad, you are the most bare-boned, harsh-tongued, hostile-tempered person I've ever had the displeasure of knowing. But,' he added," said the dignitary, holding up a single finger, "'you're also the most honest and determined I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. You're going to Arendelle.'"
Princess Anna shook her head, not quite following. She began to wonder if this was how others felt when they were speaking with her.
"Put more simply, Princess… I was chosen because I was everything the former Duke was not. Old as the hills with a silver tongue, he was, so they picked someone young and tactless."
"Why are you telling me all this?"
"Because I also didn't want you thinking I was courting you like that idiot Prince did. I've got a wife at home that I'm anxious to back to."
"You're married?"
He snorted. "Is that such a shock? Really, it's more of a shock that you and the Queen aren't married yet. Heirless Queen, and a Princess that's courting a man people can't decide whether to describe as some mountain ruffian or as The Reindeer King." He shook his head. "Your kingdom's got issues, Princess. And not a one of'em's my concern, except reestablishing trade with Weselton."
Princess Anna stiffened at the sneering tone regarding both of her loved ones. Any retort she was about to speak, however, got drowned out by his next comment.
"You may hate Weselton because of the former Duke, but I love my country. I'll fight to protect it, Princess, by any means necessary."
The Arendelle guard placed a hand on his sword hilt even as Princess Anna asked, "Is that a threat?"
"Not a physical one," he said easily enough, although the guard watching him did not relax. "Just saying that if we can't get what we need from Arendelle, we'll go to someone else. Probably France. You know, someone big and mighty."
Princess Anna caught her fingers curling into a fist and forced them straight again. "The Queen and I have some concessions planned, but I'll say no more until the official meetings begin."
"Fair enough, princess. Now, are you continuing on your walk, or do I have to find some other quiet space to retreat to?"
"No! No," Princess Anna yelped. Composing herself, she stated more calmly, "Feel free to roam as you have been. We'll speak more once the meetings have commenced." She bowed stiffly, then walked away without looking back at the young dignitary. Kai remained behind her, a shadow dressed in green livery.
The rest of the day went relatively smoothly. Most of what she did simply required a Royal stamp of approval, as more intimately involved staff had already prepared most of the information for her. She simply looked it over, asked a few questions, and gave a more dignified version of a thumbs-up. At one point Kai even excused himself so he could tend some other minor matters. Princess Anna noted his absence, yet didn't feel too nervous about it.
He returned in time for dinner, although again he opted to remain quiet rather than plague her with lectures. This time, however, Princess Anna reached out to him with her own question.
"Kai, this morning with the Weselton dignitary… what do you think of it?"
"How you handled it, or what he said?" clarified the Royal steward.
"Both. Either. No, both," Anna stated.
Kai sighed, poking at his food. "I think you did well enough. More brash than I would have recommended, but then you were dealing with a very brash man. To be sure, I've never cared for Weasletown," he admitted, glancing at her to see if she noticed the pronunciation. Princess Anna's tiny grin was answered by his own, but then his face fell into a thoughtful frown. "Their caste system troubles me greatly, Your Highness, but they are a necessary evil when it comes to certain goods. I feel they're always to be watched closely. Yet as loathe as I am to say it, I feel the young man spoke honestly and truly."
"Huh, me too. What do you think he meant by going to France, though?"
Heaving a heavier sigh, Kai pushed his plate away. "The trade embargo, as delightful as it was to employ it, may end up hurting us as much as it does them. They need many of our goods, but we only require a few of theirs. We can get by a time without those goods, but… in time… it could cause a lot of trouble if it stays in place too long."
Princess Anna nodded. "That much I kinda know. Elsa and I talked a lot about the embargoes. We decided to lift them, but keep some restrictions in place. Well, Elsa decided… but what she said made sense, so I agreed."
"Ah, good then. I wasn't sure just how much the two of you had discussed."
"Quite a bit. If you'd like, we can go over it…?"
Kai started to agree, then hesitated. "Not tonight, Your Highness," he said. "I know the full delegations' meeting is tomorrow, but I suspect not much will be said of trade itself. Merely general conditions. We can go over what is said tomorrow."
"Very well. Oh, and Kai?"
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"Thank you. For… well, for everything you've done over the years, and for all that you're doing now."
"It is my honor," he said, bowing his head low to Princess Anna.
Later that night, Anna sat a while in Elsa's room. She hoped to gain some strength and confidence from her sister's presence for the upcoming meeting, but Elsa seemed far away that night. Finally Anna dragged herself to bed for an uneasy night's sleep.