Chapter Six

Calm before the Storm

ANNA

1 year and 2 months after the Confederation of the North Summit, 5 months after the events of Frozen 2

Some things never change, Anna mused to herself the words she had spoken before everything had changed. Well, not everything. She still had those who were close to her. Kristoff, Olaf, Sven and even Elsa. That was what mattered, in the end.

There had been a very dark moment five months back when she had thought that she had lost everything and everyone she held dear. That had crushed her and dragged her deep down into depression. That and the added knowledge that she needed to cause Arendelle to be flooded and destroyed.

Surprisingly all that hadn't broken her, and she had found the strength to do the next right thing in the midst of her depression. Thankfully, her actions led to the resurrection of her sister who saved Arendelle from destruction. It was too close a call, but nonetheless everything was fine and dandy once again.

That was five months ago. Five months since Elsa had abdicated the throne and Anna had been crowned the new Queen of Arendelle. Anna still couldn't wrap her head around why Elsa had decided to remain behind in the Enchanted Forest with the Northuldra. Sure, they were a really nice tribe and there was a lot of heritage and culture for them to discover since their mother was Northuldra, but Anna hadn't seen the appeal of uprooting her entire life to live in the forest.

Elsa, however, had made up her mind, and it had not been easy living without her. Anna had been adamant on changing her sister's mind, but Elsa had more of an iron-clad resolve which couldn't be budged. Eventually, Anna had come round to letting her sister be free to live her life away from everything that had been holding her back.

However, Elsa had promised to visit Arendelle to spend time with Anna every two weeks, and she had made good on that promise. Every two weeks, Elsa would show up at the castle for family game night, and together with Kristoff, Olaf and Sven, they would all have a fantastic time together.

But it would all be over way too quickly, and before Anna knew it, Elsa was riding away on her water horse again. Every time she left the castle to return to the Enchanted Forest, Anna felt like a knife had been stabbed through her heart, though she did her best not to complain about it in front of Elsa.

That was one of the major things that had changed. The other was her relationship with Kristoff Bjorgman. After the adventure in the Enchanted Forest was over, he had proposed to her. She hadn't seen it coming, and was elated and of course agreed immediately.

Now that she was engaged to Kristoff, he had been given the title of a Lord, and continued to live in the castle with her. Lord Bjorgman. Anna sniggered. It certainly had a weird ring to it, and she still couldn't get used to hearing Kristoff being called that. And neither could he. Kristoff would shudder and wince whenever someone would call him by his title, and looked incredibly awkward at public appearances.

Come to think of it, so much had changed in her life. Close to two years ago, Anna had discovered that her sister had powers, fundamentally changing everything she had known to be true throughout her entire childhood. Then, Elsa had been recruited to join the Warriors for the very first time. A couple of months later, she joined the Warriors as well and uncovered an entire myth that actually existed. The League of Sorcerers. Some more time passed and she attended the Confederation of the North Summit together with Elsa, where they decided to leave the Warriors and the League to focus on their lives in Arendelle.

That last part had taken place slightly more than a year ago. Anna smiled. She still missed her friends, the Warriors, and wondered how they were doing. Were they still doing their thing together with the League of Sorcerers? It would be interesting to see what they were up to now. She shook her head. Unfortunately, she was far too busy to take the time to travel to Swynvort to see how things were going. She just couldn't afford the time with everything on her schedule. Being the Queen of Arendelle was no easy feat. How did Elsa do it?

"Your Majesty, did you hear me?"

The voice of her assistant jolted Anna out of her introspection.

"Huh?" Anna looked blankly at her assistant. "Sorry Hayley, what did you say?"

"The villagers, Your Majesty." Hayley said patiently, holding a notebook in hand and pushing up her spectacles daintily with the other. The assistant was a prim and proper young woman in her early twenties, a little younger than her own sister. She was mousy and a little stiff at times, Anna felt, but a really good aid and companion.

"Right, right. I knew that." Anna said. She had requested to have an assistant assigned to her, since she knew she couldn't possibly keep track of all the things she had to do. Again, how did Elsa manage it all by herself?

Anna turned her attention back to the villagers before her. She was scheduled to make a visit to see how they were doing, and for them to get to know their new queen better. Usually, these things took place in the castle's audience chamber, but Anna had felt that the best way to connect with the people was to go to where they were instead of having them come to her.

Her assistant and the Council had discouraged her from doing so, but she waved away their concerns and fears anyway. After all, this was her chance to reach out to her own people and show them first hand that she was not a haughty queen, high and mighty with no regard for their struggles. She had been doing this over the past two months, making scheduled appearances to meet and talk with the various communities within Arendelle. It had been extremely exhausting, but Anna felt like she was really doing her best to make a difference in the lives of her people.

"Your Majesty."

"Yes, yes, the villagers." Anna snapped herself back to reality again.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Hayley asked anxiously. "I mean, we can always reschedule."

"What? No, no. I'm fine. I'm just spacing out. Got a lot on my mind, you know."

"I can tell, Your Majesty." Hayley said, looking sympathetic. "It's been a long day for you."

"A long month. Or maybe even five." Anna sighed.

"I have some sandwiches with me if you want some refreshments." Hayley began to reach into her handbag.

"It's alright." Anna waved away her assistant's offer. Normally, she wouldn't turn away a good sandwich, but she wasn't hungry. She just wanted to get things done and return to the castle for game night. It was the second Friday of the month, after all, which meant that Elsa was coming to visit. That was the goal. To finish everything on her schedule for the day and wash up in time for game night.

Anna put on a warm smile and walked towards the village with Hayley by her side. The villagers were at the outskirts of Arendelle building something together most likely for one of their own neighbours. Materials were piled up at one side, with tools laid out on a wooden table nearby. A couple of the stronger villagers were dressed in light fabrics, carrying long wooden planks. Many of the women were still in their winter jackets - for winter had just ended and spring had begun - watching the men work. Some carried cups of hot coffee for the labourers, while others prepared a spread for their community.

When the villagers noticed their queen approaching them, they began to stop what they were doing and checked themselves to make sure they looked presentable.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty." One of the villagers said politely.

"Welcome to our village." Another added.

"Hi everyone," Anna beamed warmly at her people, doing her best to mask her tiredness. "Don't let me stop you from carrying on your work."

"We're building a new farmhouse, Your Majesty." A villager said.

"Cool! I mean, that's nice." Anna looked at the foundations of the farmhouse which had already been laid. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Oh, no, Your Majesty." Another man looked appalled. "We can't possibly trouble you to get your hands dirty and do the work of a labourer."

"It's alright, I'm not fussy about getting sweaty." Anna said reassuringly. "What can I do?"

There was an awkward silence. No one wanted to tell their queen what to do.

"Well," The first man broke the silence cautiously. "We could use some help with the wooden planks. All of them need to be shifted here." He pointed at a pile of wood a short distance away.

"Alright." Anna removed her beige coat and handed it to Hayley.

The villagers watched uncomfortably and gratefully at the same time as their queen stooped down to perform the menial task together with them. "Your Majesty, it's completely fine if you don't-"

"Nonsense," Anna smiled and picked up two wooden planks, one under each arm. "I'm here to help."

As the queen of Arendelle worked to move the materials nearer to the foundations, she was joined by the rest of the men, and soon followed by the able bodied women and children. After all, if their monarch was willing to do it, then what excuse did any of the rest have? After helping to move all the wood successfully, Anna dusted off the wood fragments on her hands, and cleaned off the grime with some water provided by Hayley. Her light coloured dress was stained with grime and dirt too.

Her hair slightly damp and messy from the perspiration, Anna slicked it back and waved at the villagers who were cheering for her. She accepted a cup of hot cocoa from one of the women, and gulped it down gratefully.

"Thank you." She passed the empty cup back to the villager.

"No, thank you, Your Majesty." The woman said, and was followed by nods of agreement from the others. "We are grateful for your help."

"Anytime." Anna beamed and waved before turning to leave with Hayley.

When they were both out of earshot of the villagers, Anna turned to her assistant. "What's next on the schedule after this? Tell me that's all for today."

"Unfortunately no. There's still the visit to the army barracks of the First Brigade."

Anna gave a little groan, hopefully not loud enough for the villagers to hear and realise that their queen was tired.

"It's important that the troops get affirmation from their monarch. It boosts their morale and improves their discipline and performance in drills." Hayley explained.

"I know, I know." Anna drew herself up. "All for the greater good. I'm all for that. I'm just…tired."

"I can imagine, Your Majesty." Hayley said, trying her best to remain polite while speaking the truth.

"At least I'll be seeing Mattias and Frederick." Anna tried her best to look on the bright side. "I'm glad I don't have to deal with the ex-Commanding Officer and Minister of Defence, Count Jakob. That man would have been horrible to talk to."

"Who?"

"Never mind." Anna realised she was rambling. "Let's go see the troops."

###

The First Arendellian Brigade had made their camp at the other end of Arendelle and by the time Anna and Hayley had reached the site, the sun was just beginning to set and the skyline settling into an array of beautiful, soft colours. The base was well guarded by a constant rotation of fresh security troopers armed with muskets. Two vantage points stood near the entrance of the barracks, with a sharpshooter nested in each, watching the entrance like hawks.

The sentries drew themselves up when they saw their monarch approaching on her horse, and muttered in low voices to pass the message on to those who hadn't noticed. Soon, the entire force present at the entrance were aware of the queen's presence and fell silent. They bowed deeply when Anna approached the entrance of the barracks.

"Welcome, Your Majesty." One of them stepped forward.

"Hello." Anna said. "What's your name?"

"Sergeant Gordon, Your Majesty."

"Gordon, where can I find Fred-I mean your commanding officer?"

"Colonel Frederick is on his way here now, Your Majesty." Gordon said. "He's expecting you, and asked to be notified when you were arriving."

Anna suppressed a snort. Even Frederick knew her schedule even better than she did. Maybe she really was that dependent on Hayley, or it could be because Frederick was always forward thinking and well prepared for everything. She would've liked to think it was the latter.

"Would you like to wait inside?" Gordon asked politely.

Anna nodded and walked into the camp. Behind her, Hayley followed at a distance, but was stopped by a security trooper.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but she'll have to wait outside." Gordon said.

"Hayley's alright. She's my assistant." Anna explained.

Gordon shook his head apologetically. "I'm sorry. This camp is what we call a Red Zone, meaning no civilian is allowed to enter the camp without the proper clearance. General Mattias' orders. It's just too great a security risk, Your Majesty."

"I understand," Anna turned to Hayley. "It's alright. You can call it a day and go home to your family."

"Are you sure, Your Majesty?" Hayley glanced nervously at the armed soldiers.

"I'll be fine, Hayley. Go home. I'll see you tomorrow at the castle." Anna waved goodbye to Hayley as she followed Sergeant Gordon into the camp.

Just as she entered the camp, the soldiers in the vicinity bowed and she waved them back to whatever they were doing. Then, they halted and straightened up again. One by one, they all began to salute as a man dressed in a crisp green uniform with a silver eagle on each of his epaulettes walked past them towards Anna and Gordon.

"Sir!" Gordon barked, his entire body stiffening as he saluted.

"Thank you Sergeant, that'll be all." Frederick nodded and waited for Gordon to excuse himself. He then turned to Anna and bowed deeply.

"Welcome, Your Majesty."

"Hey, Fred." Anna grinned and playfully punched him on the arm. "It's been a long time."

"Indeed." Frederick said as he invited her to walk with him. "Ever since you sent me back to command the infantry, we've barely seen each other."

"Aww, are you sentimental? You know you'll always be my guy, right?" Anna chuckled. "I'll always see you as the Captain of the Queen's Guard."

"Colonel now," Frederick tapped the silver eagle on his left shoulder placidly. "Thanks to you and Her Highness. It's been more than a year, you know."

"Right, right." Anna said, scratching her nose. "I've always had difficulty differentiating military rank."

"It's alright, Your Majesty." Frederick smiled. "I must admit, I prefer being among the troops. We've worked hard to restructure after the mess Count Jakob left behind. Our troops are much better organised now, and the army has grown in numbers too. We now have two infantry Brigades instead of one. I command the First, and the Second is being commanded by another Colonel named Foley. We both answer to General Mattias, who oversees everything."

"Ah, how is Mattias?" Anna asked. The former lieutenant had been her father's official guard before he had been trapped in the Enchanted Forest for thirty four years. After all the man had been through, Anna had only seen it fit that he be promoted. One might have argued that the promotion from lieutenant to general was extravagant and unheard of, but Anna felt that she owed Mattias that much after all that he had endured for Arendelle's sake in the past three decades.

"The General is a most intelligent officer. He knows exactly what he's doing, and I'm glad that he's in charge of things." Frederick answered in an almost textbook fashion. "Leaves me with far less decision making to do, which is a relief."

Anna chuckled. Frederick certainly had a way with humour.

"Ah, here we are, Your Majesty." Frederick stopped in front of a parade square, where the four infantry battalions that made up the First Brigade were rushing to form up in adjacent square formations.

"What's this?" Anna was puzzled.

"The soldiers are practicing drills," Frederick explained. "I tasked the battalions to practice manoeuvring from column to square, as enemy cavalry will often attack infantry when they're in column. It's easier for the troops to advance in column as it's neater than advancing in line, but this leaves them at the mercy of enemy cavalry who will try their hardest to enfilade them. The only successful way to counter this is by forming battalion squares with muskets facing outwards and bayonets attached. That way, they can fend off the cavalry on all four sides and avoid getting trampled. The only problem is, with the troops formed in squares, they will make better targets for enemy artillery to bombard them as they are in such a tight formation."

"I see…" Anna frowned and tried to look thoughtful, but in truth all of that had flown over her head. She had never really been good with anything military related, let alone military tactics. Her sister had always been more well versed in such things. She would leave that in the hands of her soldiers.

"Allow me to demonstrate." Frederick said.

Apparently he could tell that Anna had difficulty understanding what he had just said. Was it really that obvious?

Frederick beckoned at the captain of the third battalion, who hurried over. Usually a battalion was commanded by a lieutenant-colonel, but due to the lack of commEvans, it was the norm to have a captain in charge of a battalion.

"Captain, let's show Her Majesty a demonstration. Deploy from column to square."

"Yes Sir." The Captain saluted smartly and bowed to Anna before walking back to his command team to relay the message to the lieutenants. A lieutenant barked an order, and the men of the Third Battalion straightened up and hastened back into column formation, at the ready.

At the sound of a drum, the men skilfully manoeuvred into a square without much jostling or sluggishness, to Anna's amazement. They formed four ranks deep, packed tightly together, with thirty men in the front ranks on each side of the square. In the centre of the hollow square, the lieutenants stationed themselves to oversee all four sides. The first two ranks crouched, with their fixed bayonets pointed outwards to create a hedge of steel around the square. The third and fourth ranks remained standing with their muskets.

"Third and fourth rank load!" A lieutenant shouted.

The soldiers then began the cumbersome process of pretending to load their muskets. They bit down on imaginary paper cartridges and tore them open with their teeth, exposing the imaginary gunpowder. After ensuring their weapons were half-cocked, they went through the motions of pouring a small, pre-measured amount of the powder down the barrel, wrapping a lead ball in cloth, ramming it down the barrel, opening the frizzen and filling the flintlock pan with a small amount of primer, snapping the frizzen back in place and finally fully cocking the weapon.

Watching the men work, Anna was glad she wasn't a soldier. The entire process looked extremely complicated and arduous. She wasn't even sure she could hold a musket up steadily.

"Third rank level!"

The men in the third rank raised their muskets, the butt of their weapon pressed firmly against their shoulders and trained steadily in front of them at imaginary enemy cavalry.

"Fire!"

Simultaneously, as if all having a singular mind, the soldiers in the third rank pulled their triggers to simulate firing at their enemy, the weapons clicking emptily, and they crouched quickly once they were done.

"Third rank load, fourth rank level!"

The soldiers in the third rank began the process of loading their muskets again while the fourth levelled their weapons and waited for the command to fire.

"And so on and so forth." Frederick said, watching his troops with a hint of pride. "This, in theory, works perfectly to repel enemy cavalry."

"Wow," Anna was genuinely impressed. "Are all your troops this disciplined and professional?"

Frederick chuckled humourlessly. "I only wish that were true, Your Majesty. In truth, the Third Battalion of the First Brigade is our best. The rest could use a lot more practice and regimentation, I suppose."

"I guess we have the time, right?" Anna said.

"Ah." Frederick looked a little uncomfortable. "I was hoping we could talk about that, Your Majesty."

"Talk about what?"

"Do you have time to spare?"

"Of course," Anna cocked her head. "I'm confused. What is it you're trying to tell me?"

"Not here, Your Majesty." Frederick said cryptically. "Follow me, please."

Author's Commentary:

I took the inspiration for the structuring of this early part of the story from the movie Skyfall, which also features a train fight sequence. The story picks up 1 year and 2 months after the Confederation events, and 5 months after Frozen 2. By this time, Hans has already been offered a deal by Eleanor. This gives Anna and Elsa more than enough time to have settled into their new lives post-Frozen 2, just as a new evil is rising.