Chapter Nineteen: Insurrection

Arendelle

April 30, 1813

General Destin Mattias was a soldier past his prime. He had served three monarchs from the time he entered the military. He had proven himself a brave fighter in his youth under the rule of King Runeard. He was an impressive tactician under King Agdar, and he was Queen Elsa's foremost military adviser when she took the crown. He had been to countless battles before, had gained an impressive number of medals of loyalty and bravery, and earned the right to a comfortable retirement upon reaching the age of sixty-five. It was precisely that retirement that had prevented him from being part of the Arendellian force that joined the Continental Army that invaded Russia. In his place, he had three sons that volunteered to join the ranks. In the course of just a few months, Mattias lost all three.

His youngest died of dysentery in the camp in Warsaw. When Mattias heard the news, he grieved but understood that such was the fate of soldiers. He accepted the condolence from the French war office even as he seethed in silence at the terrible state of hygiene his son must have endured having met such a death in the camp.

His second son died of starvation in Moscow. Mattias threw a fit in private, cursing the Emperor for his stubbornness to push forward in a stupid war. In public, he maintained a gentlemanly stance and said nothing out of diplomacy.

His eldest son was killed in action fighting Cossacks while attempting to come home. The French sent him a medal and nothing else, not even a word of condolence. By then, there was just too many dead. He concluded that even the French War Office just couldn't be bothered to write.

He had but one child left. His daughter Mathilde possessed the same mischievous expression as her mother Halima, and his fierce battle instincts. Mattias considered her his one last pride and joy and he was looking forward to seeing her married this fall to a worthy young man. Captain Otto Ingrebretsen, her childhood sweetheart, came home alive in December from Moscow and sought his permission to marry his daughter. He happily agreed and was eager for them to be settled and possibly provide him, grandchildren, soon.

Now both of them were gone, captured by pirates with Queen Elsa from the French ship that was supposed to protect them. The French response to his latest loss was just as insensitive to his previous losses: There was nothing they could do.

There never was anything they would do, Mattias told himself. Not for soldiers, they were forced to fight for them. Not for the lady that they promised to protect. Not even for the Queen they had an alliance with. They will take our lives, take our freedom but leave us to die when it suited them. I'm not letting them do that anymore.

After three monarchs, Mattias didn't think he would live to serve a fourth, but apparently, his fate was different. He stood at attention on the road as he waited for the approaching hoofbeats. When she appeared with her escorts, he went down on one knee in front of her in a gallant bow.

"Queen Anna, it is my honor to serve you."

The young woman before him stopped, got off her horse, and came before her. "General, I appreciate the sentiment but my sister is still alive. She is still Queen of Arendelle, not me."

Mattias looked up and saw Olaf walking beside her. He understood what Princess Anna meant and he couldn't help but feel an ounce of hope that Mathilde could also be alive.

"We'll find a way to get my sister back," Princess Anna said with determination in her eyes. "And Mathilde and Otto and the rest."

"That we will," Mattias agreed. "But first we need to take care of things in Arendelle."

"I am on my way there now," Anna replied. "I heard Marshall Baujeu just declared me queen without even considering my sister's condition. I aim to correct him and urge him to retrieve Elsa."

"Anna," Mattias said softly in the tone he used to when she was still a child. "I don't think that is the wisest action for now. There is something we must discuss first. If you please?" He gestured that they step away from her escorts to the side.

Anna nodded and followed him a little distance where they can speak in private.

"I understand you are worried about your sister, I am worried for my Mathilde too, but there's something else that must be done immediately."

"What do you mean?" Anna asked apprehensively.

"I'm sure it's no surprise to you that Marshall Baujeu aims to marry you. Queen Elsa's kidnapping only served to ease the way for him, which is why he was so eager to declare you Queen. No amount of your pleading will make him take any action to rescue your sister. At most he will just make excuses and use Elsa's potential rescue as a bargaining chip for your hand. If you refuse him, he will force you in other ways through your people."

"I'm well aware of that," Anna said derisively as her face hardened into determination. "He can try, but I won't let him. Even if I have to fight to get rid of him in Arendelle."

Mattias couldn't help but smile inwardly. He knew Anna would be so much easier to convince. He had been pleading with Elsa to take his plan to action before but the older queen had chosen to proceed with diplomacy, even at great risk to her. He had quietly conceded then that she was right. Then was not yet the time to act. Now it was time and he was fortunate that Anna now held the crown.

"So when do we start an insurrection General?" Anna asked bluntly.

Mattias let his smile show. "Well… we sort of already did."

Arendelle Castle

May 3, 1813

"More wine, Marshall?"

The girl was rather plain and the well-covered dresses these Arendellian women liked to wear were certainly not making her figure any more flattering. However, he did have all the time in the world to discover if she had something more to offer than what he could immediately see. She was young and innocent. She could be a potential distraction once he was tired of his wife.

His wife. He had already begun calling her that even though they were yet to be married. They were to wed tomorrow at noon. He supposed Princess—now Queen Anna was pretty enough to satisfy him and submissive enough that he could have a little fun. He expected to fight and threaten her to marry him. His earlier proposal showed the girl to have a stubborn streak and perhaps a little rebellious attitude. However, it seems all that changed after news of her sister's abduction by pirates became known. After initially running away from her castle when he told her Queen Elsa was kidnapped, she came back by nightfall cowed and desperate for his help. She said she didn't know what to do. She was now alone and could not possibly rule Arendelle on her own. She couldn't afford to pay her sister's ransom and relied on France for help. If he would do her the honor to be her husband, she would be most grateful for his protection and service.

No wonder Jorgenbjorgen had her engaged to him in a day. Princess Anna was a simpleton that only needed a little cajoling or a little frightening to say yes. The girl couldn't even manage a proper negotiation for her sister's recovery before giving herself up.

Baujeu was pleased that things were doing so well. Emperor Bonaparte would certainly commend him for accomplishing his goal in Arendelle and soon he would be a king of his own country. Of course, he wouldn't stop there. There was Weselton, Skagen, and the Northern Isles. He could unite this region and become the regent of the Scandinavian sector of the French Empire. He could very well be a modern-day Ptolemy, a general that would create his dynasty that could last for centuries.

He accepted the offer of wine from the servant girl then clinked the glass to get the attention of his men.

"To the French Empire!" he toasted.

"To the French Empire!" his officers echoed before drinking their wine goblets. He noticed the Arendellian servants were quite efficient in filling their cups. There was also plenty of food around in the entire hall while musicians kept on playing lively tunes.

Well, Princess Anna is useful in one aspect. The girl knows how to throw a party.

It seemed to be the only thing she had been preoccupied with over the last few days since she proposed marriage to him. Every time he asked for her, she was either busy with the modiste getting a fitting or with the florist to talk about decorations or in the kitchens deciding on the menu for their wedding breakfast. Suppliers from all over Arendelle seemed to have popped all over the castle carrying baskets and caskets of flowers, foodstuffs, and fabrics.

Tonight, she prepared a special celebration for him and his officers in the main hall. All of his other soldiers were also invited to join in the celebrations outside the castle. She declared all the local pubs open for them at all hours so anyone who was off duty can be served as much food and wine to their liking. She said it was a way to welcome the French that they were now one with them. She had musicians play French songs both inside and outside the castle. She had even distributed gifts for all his soldiers earlier this morning (flasks of brandy decorated in red, white, and blue ribbons symbolizing the French flag) and there were gaming tables set up in the square where the soldiers were encouraged to join in and gamble with cards and dice.

She may be a spendthrift, Baujeu figured. I will have to keep her expenditures at a minimum once we are married. However, for one night, it wouldn't hurt.

He had lost track of how many times his cup had been filled and what time it was. He could feel the buzz of the alcohol hit his system and knew it was late and should retire. He was getting married tomorrow.

He stood up, intent on heading to bed, but Queen Anna suddenly appeared at the door of the hall, dressed in a gown of red that somehow matched the fiery color of her hair. It was done in a half updo, with her hair falling loose around her shoulders.

"Good evening Marshall," she greeted him.

"My Queen," he acknowledged with a slight bow, though he felt a bit wobbly at the moment. He really should get to bed.

"Retiring soon?" she asked.

"I must, I need to look my best tomorrow for our wedding."

"Of course, but may I ask for a moment of your time in private? I have yet to give you my gift."

"Your gift?" he asked curiously.

"Why yes, my gift," Anna said with an innocent bite of her lower lip. "I have given your men tokens of Arendelle, but I have reserved the best for you."

"For me?" his curiosity was now piqued. "What is it?"

She leaned over close to him and whispered in his ear. "Not here. It requires some… privacy to appreciate."

She leaned back but he caught the scent of alcohol on her collar and the little smile on her lips.

She appears to have indulged herself and perhaps she's loosened enough she's willing to have a little enjoyment tonight.

He readily followed her out the hall. She led him through the corridors of the palace and to a lower-level floor.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

She gave a soft little laugh as she picked up a lighted lamp from a nearby table. "Shhh… I don't want anyone else to see us. You wouldn't want to start a scandal the night before our wedding, do you?"

So the little tramp is tempting me. Well, she will not be disappointed.

The passageways here were now narrower and he figured she was leading him to a cellar. There was lesser light now for although there were a few candles lit on the walls, they were becoming spaced farther in between. Soon the lamp she carried was the only thing that illuminated their path. It was now colder here as well that he shivered.

"Someone told me you like games, Marshall. Is it true?" she asked.

"It depends on the game, what do you have in mind?" he teased.

"How about finding me in the dark?" she asked with a sudden gleam in her eye.

"How do you play—?"

He never got to finish the sentence, for she suddenly blew out the lamp and he was plunged into black. Before he could even move, he felt strong arms pinning him roughly. He was pushed forward and thrown down the hard stone floor before he heard the slam of a door.

Light from what appeared to be a single flame illuminated his world. It was not bright enough to see clearly, but he could tell he was in a bare stone cell. The light was coming from the little window of the heavy iron door that kept him prisoner. He could see Queen Anna's face beyond the iron grills.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

"Taking back my kingdom, Marshall," she said in the same defiant tone she used when she first rejected him before she disappeared and plunged him back into darkness.

Arendelle Castle

May 4, 1813

"Almost all the French soldiers have been secured and accounted for," General Mattias informed Anna as she looked up from bandaging a wounded young man who was currently laid out on one of the tables in the main ballroom. "We're just missing about eight men, including Captain Foix-Lescun. No one seems to know where he is. He wasn't seen anywhere during the festivities last night."

"I didn't expect him to be there last night," Anna remarked. "I saw the way Baujeu humiliated him after he came home without Elsa. I supposed he could be hiding somewhere in the village out of sight from most of the French officers."

"We'll keep looking until we find him," the elderly General assured her before putting a gentle arm on her shoulder. "Queen Anna, you need to get some rest. You can leave someone else to tend to the wounded. You haven't slept all night."

"None of us have General," Anna said. "And I'm staying here. After this night, I don't think I'm even going to get any sleep."

"As you wish, your Majesty," General Mattias replied with a bow before he left her.

It was only when General Mattias had turned his back on her that Anna allowed herself to yawn. The truth was she was exhausted. Hosting the French with a party that made them loosen the guard was tiring work. However, it paid off for they were able to subdue most of the higher ranking French officers within the castle walls easily during the wee hours of the morning. It was quite a brilliant plan that Anna was quite proud to pull off. After plying the French officers with wine and entertainment for hours, one by one, they were subdued by stealth. The easiest were the ones who were intoxicated heavily for they offered little resistance (if they were aware at all) when they were escorted to waiting cells in the castle basement.

However, there were French soldiers outside of the castle who was on duty that night and did not participate in their faux festival. They were the ones that put up a fight when they realized what was happening. Even with the element of surprise on their side, the Arendellians still ended up with at least two dozen injured men when fighting broke out between the French guards and the Arendellian rebels led by General Mattias on the outskirts of the village. At least three men—two Arendellians and one French soldier, lost their lives during the final gun skirmish the French engaged them before finally surrendering.

General Mattias called the minimum casualties on both sides a victory, though Anna felt little cause to celebrate. Three deaths were still a heavy price to pay. And she realized that even with all the preparation on their side, the French could still have won this day as they were better trained and had more experience than their small band of fighters.

When she planned this insurrection with General Mattias a few days ago, she imagined being able to rule Arendelle in peace after she had captured the French. She thought after she subdued Marshall Baujeu she can immediately make plans to find Elsa wherever she may be. However, the last few hours had shown her that she was naïve to imagine that it would be that easy. Now that she did capture Baujeu, what was she to do with him and his men? Are they to be kept prisoners forever? She couldn't very well let them go. However, the more pressing problem was their continued security. With so few men who have returned from the war, there were very few Arendellians who were trained in combat. Anna wondered how she could hold out keeping their freedom in Arendelle for long if Emperor Bonaparte found out what they have done and sent in reinforcements to subdue them again. By capturing Baujeu and his men, Anna realized she had just declared war on France.

I have to find allies, Anna told herself. Elsa said before she left that the Sixth Coalition was planning on sending me a contact. She suspected it was Hans they were sending. I do wish it were him. He can help me secure Arendelle. Oh, I wish I knew a way of contacting him.

An alarming call from outside the castle startled her. She couldn't make out the words but she could tell it was something important.

"Take care of him," Anna hurriedly told one of the maids to help her patient. She rushed out into the castle square where a crowd of servants surrounded a young man who seemed to have run in from the docks.

"Three ships have been sighted in the fjord! They're flying French flags!" the man called out urgently.

Anna felt her heart drop at those words.

No! It can't be! They came too soon. It's been less than a day and French reinforcements are here? Did I just manage to free my country only for a few hours before the French can overtake us again!

She saw from her peripheral vision that Kai hobbled his way on his still injured leg until he stood next to her. "Your majesty, we need to get everyone to safety. Those ships can fire on the village when they are close enough in range. If we do that, there will be larger casualties."

"We evacuate the village into the castle," Anna nodded. "And then what?"

"We can use the Baujeu's ships still in the port but they can only stall and buy us time. I was hoping we had time to train on how to use them but right now we don't have enough men with experience to engage them in water. If those ships fight us, we have little chance with our men so unprepared," Kai said glumly. "It's either we surrender—"

"We can't surrender," Anna protested. "After all we've done, I'm not giving up!"

"Or we hold out," Kai finished. "Until we find allies to help us."

"How do we do that?" Anna said. In the last few days when General Mattias had shown her their stockpile of weapons, she knew exactly what the Arendellian defenses were capable of. They could subdue a regiment on land, but canons from three well-armed ships were beyond their defenses. She had anticipated retaliation from the French, but she had expected to have enough time to contact the Sixth Coalition and ask for aid. She never thought the French would show up on their fjord just hours after they had subdued the French regiment in Arendelle.

Kai gave her a look that told her what he will say next was something she would hate, but she knew if there was a way to save her people, she would take it. She nodded at him to continue.

"We send a note to the ships, threatening to kill Baujeu and his men one by one if they open fire or approach Arendelle."

Anna was horrified. "You… you want us to use the French regiment as hostages and human shields?"

Kai looked regretfully at her. "It's either them or our people will die. You need to make a choice now your majesty. They will be in range in just a few hours."

Anna felt like throwing up at the prospect of threatening murder, but she knew what she had to do. "Draft the letter now Kai."

Her adviser bowed out to obey.

"Ring the bells!" Anna shouted. "Warn everyone and get as many people into the castle! Obtain as many provisions in and get ready with medical supplies for possible casualties!"

For the next several minutes, as the sound of bells rent the air Anna lost herself in giving orders and moving things around in preparation for the attack. She had the castle doors opened fully to let as many people in as quickly as possible. As soon as people started trickling in, Anna kicked into high energy in directing things.

"Everyone! Inside the castle quickly!" she shouted just as the bells faded. But there was no silence as terrified and confused villagers shouted the situation to each other.

Amidst the shouts and the confusion, she caught a male voice call out to her.

"Anna?"

She felt the hairs of her neck tingle for she knew that voice. It had haunted her since that moment she realized the error she had done to him that put his life in danger. She turned around and thought she was staring at an apparition. How could he be here?

"Hans?" she called out, certain that he would fade from her sight in a moment.

He didn't. Instead, he stared at her with those green eyes so full of regret. "I'm sorry…" he said in almost a whisper that it was a wonder she could hear him clearly amidst all the noise.

She ran to him just as his legs seemed to give way that they both fell on the ground in a kneeling position. She didn't care for the moment she hugged him a fresh flood of tears came down her cheeks.

"You let him go and you tried to tell me but I didn't listen!" She told him. "I'm sorry. I put you in danger after all you did for Kristoff!"

"No, I'm the one who's sorry for not telling you the truth," he replied through choked gasps of breath. "If I had only told you sooner. Will you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive Hans. I'm the wrong one." She pulled away from his embrace to look at him. "But you're here now! Oh, you don't know how much I need you now!"

"I'm here for you Anna," he replied. "I came with your sister."

"Elsa!" she gasped. "You… came with Elsa?"

"I rescued her and brought her home."

Anna quickly got up and looked around. Just behind her, sliding down an ice-slide from the eastern wall of the castle was Elsa, whole and unharmed.

And at that moment, Anna knew she was truly saved.

She had her sister back and that was all that mattered.

A/N: I decided to put Lt. General Mattias in this story but with an alternative background. Since Mattias was never trapped in Northuldra, he maintained a steady military career for decades until he became general. He also married Halima and had four children with her. I thought it would be nice to shine a bit of light on him and would explain who could have aided Anna in her rebellion.

However, even with General Mattias on her side, I do realize that Arendelle still wouldn't be at par with the forces of France in a war. I pictured Arendelle as a very small country that doesn't have much military strength to offer apart from Elsa's powers. They have always relied on diplomacy and with Elsa and Anna so sheltered, they wouldn't have gained enough experience to prioritize military training of their people.