Chapter Forty Nine

Out of Options

ANNA

Whoever came up with the idea that there was no place like home knew exactly what he was talking about. From the hills overlooking the castle of Arendelle, Anna surveyed her kingdom in relief, feeling a sense of safety wash over her.

Spring was in full bloom, and the greenery was starting to return after the long, cold winter in luscious, vibrant colours. People were out in the town square, going about their businesses and all.

And then she remembered that the ordeal was far from over, and she snapped out of her trance. Melody, Maui and herself had just arrived back on their home world after spending two days in a strange, dystopian future on another earth very different from theirs.

The former had returned to Denmark to find her sister and the rest of the Warriors to continue combatting the Empire on their home turf. Meanwhile, Anna had a very different task she was hoping to accomplish.

"Maui, we should go." Anna turned to look back at Maui, who was standing in front of a large rock. "Maui?"

"Just a second." He was staring up at a large rock which was etched into the secluded hill they had teleported onto. Then without warning, he drove a massive fist into it, and his hand went through the thing like it was a flimsy piece of paper.

Anna gawked as Maui withdrew his hand from the rock, and lifted the thing above his head effortlessly with both hands.

"Yup. My powers are back. We're on the right earth." Maui grinned and set it down as he would a pebble.

"If you're done showing off, we have stuff we need to do. Come on." Anna motioned for him to follow her down the steep slope of the hill to the bottom where the rear of the castle was facing them.

After walking - or sliding in some instances - down the hill, Anna and Maui raced round to the east wing of the castle, where they were met by soldiers of the Queen's Guard.

Oh, how good it felt to see soldiers in the traditional Arendellian green, and not the threatening muddy red of the Exonians. They drew themselves up and bowed when they saw the queen and her burly bald escort, and let them into the castle.

Anna waved them back to their posts, and hurried into the east wing's corridor. The familiar dark green wool carpet brought a relaxing sensation to her even as she sprinted down the hallway in the most un-regal like manner with Maui falling in step behind her.

"Woahhh." Anna rounded the corner and almost knocked over one of the staff who was carrying a large stack of documents.

"Your Majesty!" The man regained his balance although a few pieces of paper flew off the stack. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see where I was going,"

"It's alright, listen," Anna bent and helped him retrieve the fallen documents. "I need to find Kristoff - Lord Bjorgman. Do you know where he is?"

"Last I heard, he was upstairs in the court giving instructions to your assistant." The man blinked. "Your Majesty, I didn't know you were back already."

"Thanks." Anna blew past him and sprinted up the stairs two at a time, and almost lost her footing on the top step. She needed to see Kristoff. To make sure everything in the kingdom was okay, and nothing had fallen into chaos while she was gone.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Kristoff, to the contrary, in fact. But after her mistake of falling into Eleanor's trap, she felt like she owed it to herself and her kingdom to take an active approach from the onset upon her return. And also to see Kristoff again, of course. His long blonde hair, kind eyes and broad shoulders would be a great comfort to her in a time like this.

Maui said something about meeting her at the court later, but Anna was a little too distracted to notice. Kristoff was on her mind. Anna burst into the court hoping to find Kristoff inside, only to find Hayley, her personal assistant, speaking with a few other sub-clerks and handing out paperwork.

"Your Majesty?" Hayley looked up in astonishment, and Anna could see her expression change to one of relief, probably at the knowledge that the reigning monarch had finally resurfaced after vanishing off the face of the earth…literally. "You're back?"

"Yes, yes. Listen, Hayley. Where's Kristoff?" Anna said hastily as she strode into the court. "I was told he was in here."

"He left about fifteen minutes ago to return to the infantry base." Hayley readjusted her spectacles and blinked. "He's still overseeing drills and training exercises with the senior officers."

Anna sighed a little in exasperation and placed her hands on her hips. What fantastic timing.

"Your Majesty, pardon me for asking." Hayley said in the midst of the rest of the clerks who were glancing over their paperworks, politely pretending not to overhear the conversation. "But how did you get back here so fast? When no one got word after you arrived in Denmark, all of us back here feared the worst. It was like you-"

"Vanished off the face of the earth?" Anna said dryly. "Something like that. Look, I need you to get me a map."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Hayley glanced briefly at one of her sub-clerks, who hurriedly scurried away from the table to find a map. "But if I may be so candid, what do you need the map for? You just got back out of the Empire's territory. I believe you could use some rest."

"No time to rest now. The war's not over yet."

"War?" Hayley's voice betrayed a hint of fear.

"At least we're hoping to avoid that." Anna corrected herself quickly.

Hayley tilted her head slightly and the spectacles on her nose slid down a fraction. "Your Majesty, where are you planning on going? Let me arrange an escort from the Queen's Guard."

"Our neighbour. The kingdom of Einsfelt." Anna waved her hand. "And no need for that escort, I'll manage."

"But Your Majesty-"

"Hayley, I don't have time to explain. Do me a favour. Find Kristoff and tell him I'm alright. I won't be gone long." Anna turned and left the court before Hayley could protest.

Maui was waiting outside the court, still dressed in his casual, futuristic clothing which had attracted a few stares from the palace staff.

"Kristoff is down at the base." Anna met him outside. "But we've got no time to find him now, we'll just have to go on ahead."

"Where?"

"Einsfelt." Anna said. "It's the kingdom nearest to Arendelle, a little further up north. If they do conquer us, the Empire will move up north and get to them eventually."

"So you're hoping they'll come to our aid?"

"Two armies are better than one, last I checked."

Maui scratched his bald head. "That's a good idea, but why didn't we consider turning to them sooner?"

"It's the Confederation of the North." Anna rolled her eyes. "It's the policy all representatives had to agree on. We aren't allowed to engage in negotiations, trade agreements or anything of the sort outside of Confederation jurisdiction or knowledge. Meaning to say, we can't just go up to one of the other kingdoms from the Confederation and ask for their help informally without going through a vote from all the representatives."

The initial purpose of establishing the Confederation of the North decades ago was supposed to unite the cities and kingdoms to enforce bilateral relations. However, under the most senior representative and the current head of the Confederation, King Uxzas of Molcorra, things had become more difficult and politics had become so much more sticky and dreadful.

Anna couldn't help but wonder if it would be better if the whole idea of there even being a united Confederation just cease to exist. Maybe things would be a lot less…dreadful.

"So what you're saying is," Maui concluded. "We're about to illegally ask for help."

"We're out of options. Here's hoping the Duke of Einsfelt sees enough sense to break protocol for once. He's one of those by-the-book types." Anna made a face and looked down at Maui's hand. "I see you went and got your fish hook back."

"Ah, yes." Maui brandished his fish hook, slapping the hefty weapon against his palm. "Found it back in the guest room where I left it. Man, I enjoyed being a human while it lasted, but it's nice to be a demigod again." In a brilliant flash of white light, the massive form of the man shape-shifted into that of a huge lion with a majestic mane, and then to that of a bull, and then an eagle, and finally back into his default form of a man.

Maui grinned and thumped the head of the weapon against the ground. "I've missed this."

"Well you better, coz it's going to come in useful for us." Anna said. "How long is it going to take to fly us to Einsfelt?"

###

She found the answer to her question soon enough. The moment they were out of sight and at an open window of the castle, Maui had shape-shifted into a massive, fearsome looking falcon, and Anna had mounted him without a second thought.

There was no time for hesitation in a moment of crisis like the one they were in. Anna knew that the idea of flying to Einsfelt on the back of a shape-shifting demigod was absurd and insane, but she had accepted that this was the world she lived in now, and it didn't really do much to faze her anymore. It was funny to think that it all started with her learning that her sister had powers, and it had somehow all escalated into what she was in the middle of today.

They soared high over Arendelle to avoid being spotted by the citizens who would no doubt be baffled by the sight of their queen riding high in the air on an enormous falcon, and breezed past the forest in between Arendelle and Einsfelt. The forest was the same one that the Imperial Horde was by now marching through, and would soon arrive at Arendelle's borders. It was only a matter of time now.

Less than an hour, Anna marvelled as Maui gave a squawk of notice and began to descend. Way better than she could have hoped for or estimated.

Then all of a sudden, Maui began to dive bomb towards the gates of Einsfelt. Her teeth rattled in her head and her hair flew wild as the falcon plunged at breakneck speed, almost at a vertical angle.

"Slow down!" she screeched as she felt the air leave her lungs.

A few seconds before they hit the ground, Maui pulled up and they soared past the gates and into the city.

Anna sucked in a deep breath and exhaled sharply. She glanced down at the aerial view of the city of Einsfelt. It was a grand, bustling place which was more or less prosperous, but it soon wouldn't be if Eleanor had her way.

"Here." Maui said as he angled towards one of the buildings which was more well painted and maintained, standing out from most of the other buildings in the city. It had big, beautiful glass doors and a huge sign above it which read "Einsfelt Council Square".

"What was that back there?" Anna dismounted queasily once Maui had landed on the roof. "You had a death wish or something?"

"What is it with you guys and my flying?" Maui shape-shifted back into his default form. "I don't get what's wrong."

Anna shook her head and walked towards a door leading to a staircase. "Never mind. We need to find Duke Helmsley."

"Why the Duke though?" Maui fell in behind her. "Why not the King or the Queen?"

"From what I know, the royals here leave most of the running of the kingdom to Duke Helmsley and the cabinet of ministers. They just enjoy their luxury in their castle somewhere else farther away from the city and let the aristocrats take care of everything."

"They sound lazy." Maui frowned. "Imagine what would happen to Arendelle if you were like them."

"Very subtle, but thanks for the compliment anyway."

After climbing down a few flights of stairs, the duo found themselves at the council's office landing. The place was grand, with a nice long carpet which spanned the entire corridor, rooms for various aristocrats and administrative staff lining both sides, and there was even a receptionist sitting at a table at the start of the long stretch.

I could really look into adopting this concept for Arendelle's staff when this is all over, Anna made a mental note.

"Hi," she said, placing both hands on the table and startling the receptionist who was nodding off. "I'm looking for Duke Helmsley?"

"Do you have an appointment?" the receptionist looked annoyed at being disturbed from his nap.

"Uhh, nope. You see, we're here for some urgent matters. We would really appreciate it if you would take us to Duke Helmsley."

"I'm sorry, His Grace is a very busy man. He wouldn't take visitors without a prior appointment." The receptionist said unbudgingly. "But if you would like to make an appointment, I'll need your name."

A tiny smile crept onto Anna's face. "Queen Anna of Arendelle."

###

"Your Majesty," Duke Helmsley stood up slowly from his worn out chair as Anna and Maui were hastily shown into his office. The room was small, but cozy. "Forgive me if I neglect to bow, for if I do, I'm not sure I'll be able to stand up straight again."

"It's fine, Your Grace." Anna said. "Listen, I have a proposal."

"I must say, this is highly irregular." Helmsley frowned. "Not that I won't acknowledge your presence, but usually an official summit or meeting would have been arranged prior to a meeting like this."

"I know, I'm sorry that I didn't have time to inform you beforehand but I really do have an urgent matter I would like to discuss."

The duke tilted his head curiously and motioned for Anna to sit. Maui was standing outside the room, once again assuming the role of her royal bodyguard.

"Tell me," the duke poured himself a cup of tea and offered one to Anna who declined. "What is this pressing issue that warrants a surprise visit?"

"I'm sure you know of the Empire of Exon."

"Ah, yes. Our former constituent of the Confederation who withdrew and established her own Empire." The duke said. "I must say, Queen Tal Yin is making extreme inroads across the continent."

"Empress Tal Yin now," Anna corrected him. "And she's headed up north as we speak."

"I beg your pardon?"

"She's coming, and she's bringing her army with her. The Imperial Horde has moved out from Denmark and is about to attack Arendelle any time now."

"I don't presume to tell you how to run your kingdom, Your Majesty." Helmsley frowned. 'But shouldn't you be back in your kingdom preparing for the impending war then?"

"At this point, you know why I'm here and not back in Arendelle, don't you?"

"Ahh," the duke stiffened. "Yes, I suppose I do."

"As an ally and a fellow constituent of the Confederation of the North, I'm urging you to call upon your people to take up arms to join Arendelle to repel the Empire's threat." Anna said, when she was sure he was deliberately being quiet.

Helmsley looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty."

"Your Grace," Anna said slightly impatiently. "I'm not sure you fully understand the threat."

"How so?"

"You are aware that if Exon conquers Arendelle, Einsfelt is next on the list, right? You have to know that the Empire is going to come for you and there's no negotiating with them to leave you alone."

"I am aware, and I'm sorry, it doesn't change anything."

"Look, we stand a better chance against the Empire if we work together." Anna placed her hands on the duke's desk in exasperation. "Alone, we're not going to make it."

"Your Majesty, you know that's against the rules for Confederation constituents to engage in any external negotiations or bilateral relations without the approving vote of all representatives."

"How can you be so obtuse?" Anna raised her voice slightly in desperation. "The rules weren't made by someone whose kingdom is facing annihilation! Sometimes we have to look past the rules for the sake of our people's survival. And that time is now, Your Grace."

"I'm very sorry, Your Majesty. Believe me, I wish I could help," Helmsley showed her both his hands. "But my hands are tied."

"And it's no wonder that we have to rely on magic to help us." Anna muttered, half to herself.

"Please, I urge you not to do anything rash." Helmsley had heard her apparently. "You are aware that the Confederation has a rather negative opinion of your sister's involvement with the League of Sorcerers and magic in general. Please, don't make things any worse."

"How could I make things any worse?" Anna tried to control her anger. "I'm trying to save my people, whatever it takes. And if my allies won't come to my aid because of some absurd rules, then isn't it logical that I have to turn to other options?"

"Tread carefully, Your Majesty." Helmsley sounded genuinely concerned for her. "You don't want to strain your relationship with the Confederation."

"Of course not."

"Good luck, Your Majesty. I wish you all the best."

"And you too, Your Grace." Anna got up and walked towards the door, aware that arguing with the stubborn duke was a lost cause. "Thank you for your time, though you wasted it entirely." The last part was muttered very quietly under her breath of course. She didn't need any more enemies than she already had. To hell with politics.

"What did he say?" Maui asked when they were safely out of earshot of the staff of Einsfelt and back on the rooftop of the building.

Anna shook her head, looking very cross. "This was a waste of time. I should have known."

"Still," Maui crouched, fish hook in hand, and shape shifted into a brown falcon again. "At least you tried, for the sake of your own people."

"Better than nothing, I guess." Anna mounted him uneasily. "Go easy on the landings this time, will you?"

"Always." Maui lifted off into the air, flapping his wings and gliding back in the direction of Arendelle. "So what are we going to do? The Imperial Horde will be here any moment now. And don't forget the Southern Isles."

Anna massaged her temples. "We're going to make a stop at the infantry base. It's time to meet with Kristoff, Yelena and the soldiers. If the rest of the Confederation constituents are willing to stand by stupidly and wait for the Empire to devour them one by one, then someone has to do something about this."

And that someone, Anna decided with a dreadful grimace, would have no choice but to be me.