Fall began to rear its head in Arendelle as the citizens began to prepare for the inevitable winter that was approaching. It had been a great summer with Princess Anna's birthday being on the Summer Solstice. It's only been one year since Elsa had taken the throne and while she had trouble in the beginning, Arendelle flourished under her dutiful watch. Even with the loss of a trading partner in the form of Weselton, the beautiful Queen had found trade in other partners.
One such partner was the secluded kingdom of Blackdust, who was primarily a military centered large island. Rumors of them developing new weapons would arise every so often but there was nothing concrete for anyone to act on. Even the King was said to be the strongest of warriors in the kingdom due to the unique class system. If you were proficient in battle then you'd have a high rank in the class system. With the second of the entire kingdom having the ability to even challenge the king for the throne once a year.
This weeded out the weak from the military rule that governed there, the lower class was mostly composed of people who had no business to fighting. They supported their economy with goods such as fishing, woven textiles, farming, and mining materials. There was little information around them due to the fact there weren't many who left the kingdom, even when Arendelle acquired them as a trade partner; the traders themselves were quiet and under guard.
While the late King and Queen had closed off the castle so no one would know of Elsa's abilities. The King of Blackdust had closed his kingdom off completely, as if they too were hiding something. Before their sudden disappearance, the island kingdom had sent men to many corners of the world to serve the highest bidder for anyone who could afford their time. Blackdust's military was small, smaller than even Arendelle, however were elite in comparison to most they came up against. However there were rumors that the kingdom went through a coup that brought all of its soldiers back to stabilize the kingdom. Their disappearance from the world lasted for four years, ending with them writing to Arendelle requesting goods from their neighbor.
This was one of Elsa's first dealings as a queen and she tried to get an idea of what the kingdom was like and who their enemies were before dealing with them. She didn't want to put Arendelle in any danger of angering any surrounding kingdoms but their was little for her to find in regards to their affairs with other kingdoms. So she gambled that she could just trade with them without officially declaring them an ally until she obtained more information. So for the next year, they traded with little more than a few words exchanged between one another…
Until one day the king of Blackdust wrote a letter to the queen herself.
Greetings Queen Elsa of Arendelle,
I, King Alrick of Blackdust, would like to thank you for your allowance of us to trade wears with you and boost our diminishing economy. I would like to ask that we come to your Winter Solstice gathering to formally thank you in person. I myself will not be able to attend of course however my son, Prince Ahimoth, is more than excited to see the jewel that is your kingdom. I do hope we aren't overstepping our bounds in this request, but it would be unsightly of me to not attempt to form familiar ties with a kingdom who has helped us more than one would think. Regardless if you decide to keep our ties neutral at best, we still would simply like to send an envoy to thank you in person.
When Elsa received this, she had asked her council to come together and discuss this to weigh their options. This brought her to where she was now, sitting on her throne with her council members conversing amongst themselves. The six of them had been arguing back and forth for the last ten minutes with Elsa beginning to lose her patience. She had let this play out to get a feel for the room while being able to keep her own opinions to herself until she was ready for them to be known. But when they began to talk in circles her patience began to diminish as she searched for the right words to convey her position as she continued to listen.
"They've been secluded for the last five years save trading with us, with this we have the opportunity to learn more about them and their relations with other kingdoms." An older gentlemen, Earl Alphonse, had the position that they should know all they could about Blackdust to see if it was worth being allied with. It honestly reminded her of the Duke of Weselton as he tried finding out every little secret of they had during her coronation. She knew they were two different people but her opinion of the man had marginally dropped when she noticed the similarities between them.
"We already know that they're basically mercenaries. Willing to work for the highest bidder, they have no loyalty to any one kingdom. If we let them come, the neighboring lands could see this as us becoming their next employer, which could make them think we prepare for war." Marquess Schneizel, an old large man, that was nearing being classified as plump with a bald head; had the position they couldn't trust Blackdust given its history.
Elsa finally gathered her thoughts before clearing her throat and cutting off the next argument that Earl Alphonse had on the tip of his tongue. "We've manage to stay in high regard with our neighbors and taken a stance of neutrality when there is conflict, it would be hard pressed to be accused of war preparation. Despite the deeds Blackdust seem to have done in the past, they've been inactive for the last five years. Surely much has change within that time, and King Alrick only wishes to thank us for our allowance of trade. Inviting them to our Winter Solstice gathering gives them the chance to mingle with the other visiting dignitaries. We'll be able to gauge the relations between all the kingdoms and then decide what is best for us."
There came nods of agreement from Alphonse and two slightly younger men next to him, however a man in his mid forties next to Marquess Schneizel slowly stood. "Your Majesty, five years is a flash for kingdom who've fought wars. The forces sent from Blackdust have made a lasting impression on their enemies, from barely recognizable bodies to burnt villages. Even if all these soldiers who committed heinous acts were all dead, those who survived the atrocities won't be likely to forgive after only five years. Bringing them all in one place, could cause tensions to flair until they explode. And should anything happen to any dignitaries, while in our care could be disastrous."
A low chuckle coming from a round man with brown hair sitting next to Alphonse, got the standing advisor's attention. "Duke Eren, with no disrespect, how would you know about these supposed atrocities. As it been stated, there is very little information about Blackdust. Had these acts taken place, there would be more than one kingdom already on its way to declare war on the small kingdom. If this had happen, we'd know about it since we're its closest neighbor besides the Southern Isle. However there hasn't been one report of anyone setting sail for the island so it's safe to assume no wishes to go to war with them. Instead is likely they find them more useful as means to an end, which could also benefit us if her Majesty deems it so. Your worries only extend to the care of our guest which have always been sufficient." Earl Edward explained.
Duke Eren's eye twitched in what seemed to be either irritation or anger, Elsa couldn't tell, at being dismissed so easily. Knowing this was no place to have an outburst the Duke sat back down and crossed his arms in front of his barrel chest. Seeing the opposition against inviting Blackdust weakening the third council member next to Edward decided to voice his opinion. "If things go well, then we could gain more allies through Blackdust, not for military means of course but through trade. Consider it, if they have indeed been sent to the corners of the world, they will have an idea of the other kingdoms and what we could gain from befriending them. We could also have Blackdust vouch for our trade to secure more allies for Arendelle so that we could even more goods. This is an opportunity we cannot afford to throw away carelessly."
Elsa had considered that possibility but she shot it down because she still had no idea about Blackdust's intentions, and one shouldn't make promises they weren't sure about. Half of her council seemed to agree with Earl Theoden while the other two members seemed to abandon their attempts to argue until the last man next to the Marquess spoke.
"And what would happen if all the atrocities did occur? What would we do if this Prince Ahimoth has less than honorable intentions for Arendelle?" That WAS the crux of their current predicament for Blackdust, she needed to know if this kingdom was a danger to Arendelle. Because if it was, then she needed to protect her people. A plan began to form in her head as she looked to Marquess Rudolf.
"Your concerns are well found, which is why I suggest we send for them to visit early to give us time to learn about their intentions. If they are forthcoming enough about their ties to other kingdoms perhaps we will allow them to attend the Winter Solstice gathering. Will that satisfy you gentlemen?" Of course none of them would openly challenge their queen however they saw sense in her proposal. Enough to agree to the idea for the time being.
When she got nods from her councilmen, she stood and overlapped her hands before inclining her head to them, a sign that they were all free to go. When the men all left, Elsa sighed before running a hand through her hair and sagging her shoulders.
"I need some chocolate."
Anna was sitting in the barn watching Kristoff load his new sleigh with more and more supplies for his trip to the North Mountain. During the summer he had been mostly away conducting his ice business all on his lonesome, leaving the princess in the same amount of company. Sure she had Olaf and Elsa to keep her company but Kristoff was special, he was hers. So him being gone for days at a time did dampen her mood from time to time but it would brighten up when he returned with a loving hug she'd always get from him.
With winter approaching he'd would take a break from work and spend most of his time in Arendelle so she was excited for that. He had just two more months of work and then he was all hers for half a year, the thought made her squeal on the inside. Once in a while, she'd actually join him on his trips to "help" which mostly consisted of her spending an entire day working on getting one block of ice with no help. It was a spectacle to be sure, Kristoff would offer to help her after every block he loaded but she was adamant in getting her own ice. As time went by she began getting faster at retrieving ice, she could get three in one day. This may not be much compared to Kristoff's twenty-two, but he would always offer encouragement and praise saying "This is the best ice i've ever seen, that includes your sister's ice palace."
Anna loved that about Kristoff, he was always supportive with her in everything she did. He'd go ridiculous lengths to get her to smile, he once made her an ice sculpture, it was an abomination but she could read out etched on it that it had her and his initials on it in a heart. They always had a good time whenever they were around each other, but recently those times began to lessen.
She watched with a frown as he grabbed a rifle and pouch of bullets then put them in the passenger seat of the sleigh before beginning to tie everything down. Recently there have been reports of bandit activity along the mountain trail, Elsa had ordered her guards to patrol trail to mediate this but so far there were no reports of their camp found. Kristoff instantly put a stop to Anna coming along with him, much to Elsa's relief. It had taken both him and her sister to convince her to stay in Arendelle, at least until they dealt with the threat.
When Anna confessed her concern for Kristoff, the mountain man replied that the path he took had guards patrolling it and he had a rifle with him just in case. This did nothing to placate her so he promised her that he'd only do half a day's work and be home that night until winter hit. That seemed to convince the princess to reluctantly let him go but she'd always come down from the castle to see him off.
"Alright all done, how's that feel Sven?" The reindeer made a satisfied groan before the mountain man turned toward Anna who was sitting on a bench with a frown still on her face. Kristoff sighed as he walked up to her and kneeled so they were eye level. "You know I'm gonna be fine right?"
The redhead fixed him with a glare that screamed "You don't know that so stop saying that I should know." Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck before taking her hands in his and looking her in the eye. Her eyes softened but a frown was still present on her beautiful face.
"Yeah I know, if I were you I'd be doing the same thing. I'll be careful, don't need your feisty-pants marching up the mountain and hitting all those bandits with my guitar, I still can't get that string to tighten after you used it on that wolf." Anna chuckled at his joke before squeezing his hands a little tighter.
"Its true love." The mountain man nodded with a smile before giving her a chaste kiss on her lips. He then put her hands to his chest toward his heart. "I know, which is why I keep coming back." Anna finally smiled as she then heard the town bell ring that signaled the day had started. The mountain man gave one last smile as he let go of her hands and mounted the sleigh.
Pulling up toward the entrance of the barn, he gave her one last wink before saying. "Save me some chocolate when I get back this time." He then spurred Sven on and the two were off, leaving Anna waving in the stable.
"Not a chance."
The sun finally began to show itself, however to him it might as well be hidden. His eyes were heavy with exhaustion, walking all day and night was not easy on an empty stomach. His mind was broken so long ago that the only reason he drove forward was because his body was on autopilot. It moved on its own accord regardless of the diminishing brain activity that should be controlling it.
He had one objective at the start of his trek; escape. He succeeded however, he needed to get far away so they couldn't find him. He arrived on top of a mountain far away from where he started but he still wanted to go further. Unfortunately, his body decided to give out and the last thing his mind could barely register was the image of what seemed to be a palace made of ice. Such things would be considered impossible, but with what he's seen and been through in his life; a palace made of ice wasn't that mind boggling.
Hey what's up guys hope you like my prologue of my newest fic Hidden in Black Ice please stay tuned and hopefully I can drop another chapter soon. Please drop a fav and review and i'll catch y'all later.
