Chapter Thirty Nine

Envoy

ANNA

"If you're from Agrabah, where's your accent?" Anna said, taking great lengths to hide the suspicion from her voice. The special envoy didn't have the eastern accent that marked her as a native. "And forgive me, but you don't look like an Agrabah native either."

"Ah," Talya smiled courteously. "That's because I'm not, Ma'am. I have northern blood. I was born and raised in Quodrun. When my folks died, I moved to a whole different continent to start afresh. That's when I joined the Agrabah International Relations ministry, and slowly climbed the ranks as an ambassador. The government then attached me to the Agrabanian Highlanders as a special envoy for very unique situations like these."

"I see," Anna eyed her. She didn't seem like an assassin. Petite build, friendly disposition. But then again, looks could be deceiving.

The girl hadn't stopped smiling since she'd come in, and she looked a little too excited. She seemed to notice it at the same time Anna did. "I'm sorry, its just that I never thought I'd ever get the chance to meet you."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Meet me?"

"Yeah. There's so many stories. Urban legends." Talya explained, unable to wipe the smile off her face. "We hear them from across the ocean. The great Queen Anna who defended her home from the Empire and led the Coalition across the continent to take the fight straight to Exon. If you don't mind my saying so, you're a freaking legend, Ma'am."

"A freaking legend, huh?" Anna didn't really know how to respond to that. Had she really become famous? It was the last thing she was expecting to hear.

"Absolutely. All your adventures, exploits, I've been following them all." Talya went on in excitement. "It's such an honour to meet you, Ma'am. I never thought I'd get to stand opposite you and ask you about them. What was it like during the Battle of Arendelle when-"

"I'm sorry," Anna cut her off. "You said you're a special envoy? That means you have a message for me?"

"Oh, yes. What am I doing?" Talya chuckled nervously again, trying to compose herself.

Anna gestured for the girl to take a seat, and settled down behind her writing desk. "Drink?" She hesitated. "Are you old enough to drink?"

Talya drew herself up. "Yes, Ma'am. I'm twenty one."

"Great," Anna poured a glass of brandy and handed it to her.

Talya took it gratefully and sipped.

"Now tell me what you're doing here." Anna said, her forearms rested on the desk top.

"Yes, Ma'am." Talya said. "I'm here on direct orders from King Aladdin himself."

"Direct orders?"

"The King has been paying close attention to the war. And frankly, he's worried." Talya explained, the smile slowly vanishing.

"Why?"

"He's afraid that at some point, the Empire won't just stop at consuming your continent. They'll eventually turn to ours." Talya had grown serious. "And though our military is world class, we don't have the manpower or the firepower to stop the Imperial Horde."

Anna grimaced. The envoy was right. The Agrabanian Highlanders were well renowned for their desert warfare tactics and their ability to strike and disappear, but they wouldn't stand a chance against the might of the Imperial Horde, especially not when someone like Kane was leading them.

"And so, King Aladdin decided that we would join the war effort before it was too late. Form alliances and establish good relations."

"Back up. You do notice that we're stuck in a bit of a situation, right?" Anna stared at her. "We just lost the city of Korynes. We were going to quarter there over the winter, but that's no longer an option. Right now, we're stranded out here and there's a field army headed our way, looking to destroy us. I hardly think your people would want to join in right now, not unless you have an entire field army with you."

"No. No, I don't." Talya admitted, but leaned forward in her seat. "But we can offer you a way out."

"A way out?"

"As we speak, one of the Agrabanian Highlanders' naval fleets are en route to this part of the world."

Anna blinked. "What?"

"King Aladdin dispatched them months ago to sail to this part of the world. The ships will aid in evacuating the Coalition from Empire territory. If everything goes well, they'll arriving on schedule at Fort Steinfall in about…roughly nine days' time?" Talya averted her eyes. "For obvious reasons, we couldn't wait for your agreement or approval. Time was of the essence. I was sent here in advance to inform you about the ships so that you could get your people to the fort and be ready for evacuation."

Sitting back in her chair, Anna stared at Talya. This wasn't what she'd expected at all. "Forgive me, but how do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't." Talya looked straight at her, with genuine concern written on her face. "But I have this." She removed an envelope from her coat pocket, and handed it to Anna.

Opening it, Anna drew out a letter, and her eyes went to the bottom of it. The official seal of King Aladdin was stamped there, bearing the insignia of the royal palace of Agrabah. Silently, she pocketed the letter and took a few more long moments to study the girl. This was way too strange. This girl appearing literally out of nowhere and telling her that Agrabah was extending them goodwill and offering them a way out? A little too good to be true.

"Look, I can tell you don't really trust me, and I guess I can't blame you." Talya said quietly. "You've seen enough horrors during war to know that not everyone can be trusted. I get it. But unless you have another way out, then trusting me is your only option." She hesitated. "You don't have another way out, do you?"

"No." Anna said brusquely.

"Then it seems like you're just going to have to trust me." Talya rose from her seat. "You're running out of time, Ma'am."

Anna relented and got to her feet. "Fine."

"Really? Awesome!" Talya almost jumped for joy, though she quickly restrained herself. "That's…that's great! I knew you'd come round!"

"Calm down, calm down." Anna winced. Somehow, this girl reminded her of her younger self when the gates of Arendelle first opened. It was rather strange and disorienting, if she was being honest. "So I'm guessing you know the way to Fort Steinfall."

"Yeah." Talya said excitedly. "Do you have a map?"

Anna cast about for a scaled map in her trunk and found one, unrolling it on her desk. Putting her hands on the map, she bent over it and squinted her eyes to read the torturously small print.

"Here," Talya pointed at a spot right beside the sea. "That's where we need to go."

"Alright." Anna rolled up the map and rounded the table. "Thank you. Now stay here, I need to find the Field Marshal and tell him about this."

"I'll come with you."

"No. Stay here. I'll get my staff to bring you some food." Anna took the map and stuffed it under her arm, briskly walking towards the entrance. "I'll be back soon."

"Queen Anna?" Talya called out.

Anna turned, one hand already pushing aside the tent flap. "Yeah?"

"It's really good to see you in person." Talya grinned. "The stories weren't lying when they said you were cool."

"Right…" Anna dragged out the word, not knowing how to react. Before the bubbly girl could speak again, she ducked out of her own tent. Pulling her coat on tighter, she was met by the major and the escorts outside.

"Your Majesty," The major looked puzzled. "What-"

"Do you know where the royal staff have their tents pitched?" Anna cut him off.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Find them and tell them to bring my guest some food and drink. I'll be back shortly, but till then, have her watched. Make sure she doesn't leave the tent under any circumstances."

"Yes, Your Majesty," He saluted, as did the rest of the soldiers.

"Thank you," With that, Anna turned and went off in search of Frederick and Kristoff. She needed a second - hell, even a third - opinion.

This was all too strange. This Talya showing up on behalf of Agrabah whom Arendelle did not have any bilateral ties with, and offering them a way out? It really felt a little too good to be true. And then there was the whole matter of how excited and lively Talya was. Anna had never met an ambassador, governor or special envoy quite like Talya, and that made her feel rather baffled and unsettled about it all. Does Agrabah really hire their envoys like these?

###

"I have to admit, it's quite an intriguing story." Frederick said, his tone betraying no hint of surprise or shock, and his face was a blank mask as usual. "And suspiciously convenient too."

"Right?" Anna exclaimed a little too loudly and pursed her lips. One could never be completely certain how secure the command tent was. After all, she and Frederick had been on the receiving end of an assassination attempt before.

"Sorry, back up. I'm confused," Kristoff frowned. "So this Talya person shows up at our camp borders from out of nowhere?"

"She didn't exactly elaborate much about it. Just that she was sent by King Aladdin straight from Agrabah in advance, and that the rest of the ships are going to be here in nine days' time."

"Nine days is a long time." Her husband grimaced. "Don't forget that the Imperial Horde is still on our ass."

"I know. But she did offer us a way out." Anna said. "As I just told you. Here." She jabbed her finger on the spot freshly marked with a circle by pencil.

"Fort Steinfall." Frederick said, staring hard at the map.

Kristoff looked skeptical. "How do we verify what she told us is true?"

"She had the official seal of King Aladdin." Anna drew out the letter from her coat pocket and showed it to Kristoff.

The frown still etched on his face, he examined it. "Honestly, I can't tell if it's real or a fake." He looked up at Anna. "Is it real?"

She nodded. "It is."

"Then I suppose that's enough cause to trust her."

Anna folded her arms. "I'm not so certain."

"Why?"

"Because the last time I took a stranger for his word, my sister and I almost ended up dead." Anna's face hardened. "You remember, don't you?"

"Of course I do. But this is different. Not everyone is like Hans."

"And how do we know which of them is like Hans and which are not?"

"I won't admit to being the best judge of character, but it sounds like we can trust her for now."

"If I may?" Frederick said. He had been mostly quiet up till now. "It seems as though what this envoy is offering us is our only option. At least, from a tactical standpoint. Here," he pointed at the map again, prompting both Anna and Kristoff to crowd round the table. "We can backtrack through the forest up till this point," his finger traced the path they had taken on the way here. "And then here, we change our route." His finger traced a new path towards the west, leading all the way to a coast road, then carried on parallel to the route they'd travelled over the past few days. "With any luck, we can arrive in Steinfall in three or four days, provided the weather doesn't pose any challenges and if we cut down on rest."

"But will we have enough time? Or will the Exonians catch up to us when we're backtracking?" Anna asked.

Kristoff pored pensively at the map. "It's a risky play, but feasible if we time it right." He finally spoke after a long pause. "If we move out in a couple of hours and start backtracking through the forest, we can make it. Either way, based on what you told us," he glanced at Anna. "The enemy is still about three days or more behind us. If we move quickly and shorten our rests, we can widen that gap."

"It's going to be hell for our people." Anna sucked in a deep breath. "And it's risky."

"I think it really is our only option." Kristoff squared his shoulders. "If there were any other way, we would be taking it instead of this."

Frederick looked at her supportively. "It's your decision, Ma'am."

Exhaling slowly, Anna looked at the map again. The plan was feasible, though risky. But it wasn't just that. She still couldn't find it within her to trust this Agrabanian envoy who'd basically handed them an escape plan on a silver platter. But then again, something inside her told her that this stranger genuinely cared about the lives of the Coalition. So do I trust my intuition? Or my suspicions?

"Alright." Anna straightened up, setting her jaw. "Send your orders to the general staff. We'll break camp in a couple of hours. I'll leave the finer details to you."

"Very well, Your Majesty." Frederick saluted.

Anna nodded, then felt fatigue wash over her. Staggering a step back, she steadied herself on Frederick's desk. Her husband rushed forward to hold her up, and stared at her with worry in his eyes.

"This isn't the first time something like this is happening," Anxiously, he placed an anxious hand against her forehead.

"I'm…I'm fine." She clutched his arm, finding her feet beneath her. Taking another deep breath, she steadied herself, the fatigue fading slightly, but still leaving her feeling extremely worn out. "I'm just really really tired."

"Please catch some sleep, Ma'am," Frederick himself looked uncharacteristically worried. "Pardon me for saying so, but you look like you really need it."

Kristoff gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I'll get back to the tent as soon as we have all these things here sorted out."

Nodding, she let go of her husband and slowly walked towards the tent flaps. "I'll still have to deal with the envoy first."

"Your Majesty?"

Anna turned. "What is it?"

"Just be careful," Frederick cautioned. "We don't know enough about her yet. For all we know, she could be a double agent planted in our midst. Please be on your guard."

"Will do. And don't worry about me, I'll manage." She gave him a grateful smile. "I've dealt with stranger things before."