Chapter Seven

Coalition of the North

ANNA

Sitting in the royal Arendellian carriage, Anna fidgeted in her seat, playing with the hem of her black coat with one hand. She twirled her traditional Arendellian green formal dress in the other. Anyone with eyes could tell that the queen was having the jitters. Who could blame her? She was about to attend yet another one of the tiresome Confederation meetings, which had grown increasingly frequent in the past six months.

It had been six months since Anna and Kristoff were officially married, and in that time, they hadn't been able to have their honeymoon yet. Why? Because we're still at war with the Empire. Anna gritted her teeth. It wasn't like they had time for a honeymoon anyway. Sadly.

After their wedding, Kristoff had been plunged into mounds of administrative and logistical work on the side of the Arendellian army. There had been a massive reorganisation after the Battle of Arendelle, and Kristoff had been at the forefront of restructuring the army to full efficiency with the help of Matthias, the new Minister of War, as well as General Frederick Valquerson, the overall commander of the army.

Frederick had been the inspiration, really, being the first commoner in Arendelle to rise to the rank of General. He had been the one to suggest abolishing the old system whereby only nobles could be commissioned officers, instead granting the rank based on merit. This way, it would give both nobles and commoners an equal chance of becoming an officer, and would ensure that there would be far less sloppy, incompetent officers in command. This sounded marvellous to Anna, who felt quite proud that Arendelle was evolving with modern times ahead of the other kingdoms.

On Anna's side, negotiations with the Confederation had skyrocketed, as preparations went underway to unite the armies of the various kingdoms. Not all the kingdoms had been involved though. Out of all of them, only Arendelle, Denmark, Molcorra, Einsfelt, Xerflorn and Vjor had committed their military forces to forming the Coalition of the North to combat the still prevalent threat of the Empire.

The Molcorran divisions, which numbered to forty five thousand, had been generously contributed by King Uxzas. Anna however thought that he was simply flaunting his kingdom's military might and wasn't being very subtle about it.

The rest of the participants were made up of the single Einsfeltai division, two Xerflorian divisions, a single Vjorman division, another single Danish division and two Arendellian divisions. Together, these armies formed what was now called the Coalition of the North, numbering to a total of a hundred and thirty thousand strong, made up of ten divisions.

The Confederation had agreed to make Molcorra's war veteran Field Marshal Gregor Cicero the overall commander of the Coalition, though Anna wasn't entirely in favour. Bias or not, she was quite sure that Arendelle's own General Frederick would have been able to do a better job.

Nonetheless, Anna couldn't dispute the fact that Marshal Cicero was a competent commander whose methods yielded results, if a little merciless and brutal. When the Confederation had officially declared war on the Empire, the Coalition had made pretty good headway in freeing many of the Empire's colonies from occupation.

Now, it'd been roughly three months since the Coalition had first begun its campaign to free the continent of the Empire's tyranny, and they had been moving south. Already they had cleared out Exonian forces from quite a few cities and liberated them. The Imperial Horde, which had been rebuilt by Empress Eleanor and Kane, was formidable as always, but the combined efforts of the Coalition powers were taking a heavy toll on the fearsome Empire's forces.

As far as Anna could tell, the tide of war was turning in their favour for now. Which was why a summit had been called today. It wasn't so much a summit as it was a peace talk. Someone in the Empire, most likely Eleanor, had by now already recognised that things weren't going her way. And if they continued the way they did, the Coalition would end up destroying the Empire completely. Maybe Eleanor is finally starting to see reason.

In any case, Anna fervently hoped that today would mark the end of a war that had consumed a large part of the continent. The Confederation members were going to meet with the Empire's at the neutral, uncolonised city of Juliusson. A hotel had been reserved for this particular occasion, and everyone in the region knew what an important day today was going to be.

The Confederation and the Empire were going to address the possibility of a peace treaty, in a bid to prevent any more bloodshed. That was mainly the reason why Anna was feeling so jittery. She hoped that this would mean no more deaths of soldiers who fought in her name.

"Hey, you alright?"

Anna glanced at Melody, who was sitting opposite her in the carriage. The girl, as usual, was considerably calm and level headed. She had taken on a rather different look these past few months. Now that she had entangled herself in politics and representing her kingdom, she had started to wear her combat attire and leather less, and replaced them with formal or smart casual dresses for important occasions.

However, Anna could tell that Melody was never quite comfortable wearing those after being out in the field for so long. Still, the girl had done a marvellous job in the past months adapting to her new life and responsibilities. Anna liked to think that she had helped her in the transition, seeing as how the two of them worked together very closely these days.

They had become especially close, both as diplomatic allies as well as friends. To begin with, Anna and Melody had already been friends from their days with the Warriors. Their friendship had only grown since then, and now also due to the fact that there weren't any of the other Warriors left anyway. They had all been exiled, and were still in hiding somewhere, including Anna's own sister. But I can't think about that now.

"Anna? Hello?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Anna finally said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well for starters," Melody glanced at the hem of Anna's dress. "You look like you're about to destroy your own dress before we've even begun the negotiations."

Anna's hands quickly fell away, and she placed them on her lap regally, the way she had been trained to do since she was a child.

"Sorry." She sighed. "It's just that today's such an important day."

Melody nodded. "I know. The outcome of today's peace summit will predict if the Coalition will have to fight at Turnsheim."

"That too." Anna said. The Coalition were camped a day's march away from Turnsheim, while the Confederation members who were all travelling with the Coalition on the campaign were making their way to the nearby town of Juliusson to collectively negotiate peace with Exon. If the talks were successful today, then the Coalition wouldn't need to fight the Imperial Horde at Turnsheim.

"Don't worry." Melody said. "We just have to make sure Eleanor listens to the Confederation's terms."

Anna snorted. "Easier said than done. You know how tedious the Confederation members can make things."

"Then its our duty to un-complicate things. Make sure she sees reason." Melody shrugged. "Out of all the Confederation members, Eleanor knows us best."

"You mean she tried to kill us all."

Melody sighed. "We'll…think of something."

That wasn't very convincing, but Anna suspected that Melody too was a little nervous about the whole thing, even if she didn't admit it. The girl had a knack for putting on a strong front and appearing level headed.

The carriage soon pulled up outside the hotel in central Juliusson, and the two girls disembarked, flanked by soldiers from the Arendellian Queen's Guard.

"Your Majesty. Your Royal Highness." Captain Evans, the commander of the Queen's Guard bowed. "As always, the escorts will have to stick close. This is foreign territory and the Exonians will be here today."

Anna and Melody nodded but exchanged knowing glances. Both of them knew that if Eleanor wanted to, she could take them all out with her demon-granted powers. There would be nothing, no guns or explosives that could stop a maniac like her.

The two girls, flanked by soldiers in smart green uniforms with muskets shouldered, were escorted into the hotel. Inside, they were met by the local hotel staff, who bowed and led the way to the reserved ballroom where the peace summit was going to be held.

The footman waiting outside the ballroom bowed low and opened the doors for the entourage to enter. Once inside, Melody slipped off to find a drink to numb the nerves and Anna waved away her escorts to go get refreshments for themselves.

Glancing around, Anna surveyed the atmosphere. The ballroom was alive and swarming with people. Delegations from the different kingdoms representing their land for the Confederation peace summit, as well as other diplomats and military escorts.

Present already were the four major players. King Uxzas of Molcorra, who was looking as full of himself as always, was chatting with a few other diplomats from his kingdom. Representing Einsfelt was Duke Helmsley of Wellingbrook, looking as stiff and rigid as ever with his combed neck-length white hair matching his greyish skin.

Anna remembered how tiresome it was to deal with Helmsley, who was adamant on sticking with old Confederation regulations which made talking to him a rather frustrating and unfruitful experience. He had been reluctant to lend aid when Anna desperately needed help in defending Arendelle, and now he was part of the war effort? She was still feeling a little sore over that, even though she knew it wasn't entirely his fault.

Also present was the representative of Xerflorn. The arrogant but annoyingly handsome Marquess Norman Horatio, who more often than not made Anna feel quite repulsed. Anna had mostly dealt with his mother, Duchess Victoria, who was known for her haughtiness and pompous disposition. At least Anna knew for sure that this was her son.

To Anna's horror, the marquess was headed straight for her, followed closely by his own military escort who were dressed in their yellow and black uniforms. Marquess Horatio was deliberately dressed in a tight fitting black suit which highlighted his masculine physique. Honestly, Anna thought he looked like one of those old knights from the fairytales, with long blonde hair and brown piercing eyes, a man thirsty for combat and glory and waiting for a damsel in distress to rescue.

"Your Majesty." He bowed. "It's an honour to see you here today."

Anna smiled thinly. "Likewise, my Lord."

"Please," he took her hand before she could recoil, and kissed the back of it. "Call me Norman. Or Horatio, if you like." He had a rather sickly smile on his face as he neglected to let go of her hand.

Maybe he doesn't know that I'm married. Anna kept the forced smile on her face as she firmly withdrew her hand from his grasp, and had to fight back the urge to wipe the back of her hand on her dress.

"It's a pity that we've never really had the chance to get to know each other." He continued, straightening up and puffing out his chest. "So, if I may ask, what do you think?"

"Of what?"

"The war thus far," Horatio said. "The Empire is crumbling, don't you think?"

"Perhaps."

"I'll like to think that our two Xerflorian divisions played a rather significant role. Without them, we would have probably lost at the Battle of the Two Streams. I must say, I'm not a fan of Marshal Cicero's strategies. I literally had to take charge of the situation otherwise my men would have been skewered by the Exonian cavalry."

Horatio may be showing off, Anna mused silently. But at least we both agree that Marshal Cicero isn't the ideal commander of the Coalition.

"You see, I was at the front of my column. I enjoy being close to my men on the battlefield because it makes me feel like I am part of the war." Horatio prattled on. "And then all of a sudden I heard the screams and I turned to see the cavalry descending on the Xerflorians' flank. In the little time I had, I knew I needed to seize command, and I-"

"I think perhaps you're boring the Queen, Horatio." Another man stepped in. "She doesn't appear to be very interested in your great exploits."

And here was the final major cornerstone of the Coalition. Prince August Windsor of Vjor, who also commanded the Vjorman division. Like a proverbial knight in shining armour, he was here to spare Anna the exaggerated stories of Norman Horatio.

Horatio looked disappointed. "What a shame. Please excuse me." He slithered off in search of someone else to brag to, escorted by his men in yellow.

Anna regarded her "saviour" with grateful eyes. The man before her had kind features; deep green eyes with coiffed sandy brown hair and fair skin.

"Prince Windsor. Thank you for that." Anna said, deflating in relief.

"Please, call me August." He bowed. "I must apologise on Horatio's behalf. He can be a real pain to deal with. The worst part is, most of his stories are in fact true."

"Well, I'll hate to hear his stories which are false then." Anna muttered.

August chuckled politely. "Is your husband, the Prince Consort, here as well?"

"Unfortunately, he doesn't usually come to these things. He hates politics." Anna explained. "He's more tied up with handling the military aspect of things together with my army's high command."

"Ah, I see." August nodded. "Well then, I won't bother you any longer." He bowed. "I'll see you during the official peace talk. Please excuse me, Your Majesty."

Anna waved till he disappeared into the crowd. She sighed. Maybe, just maybe, he could become yet another one of her allies. She didn't exactly have very many within the Confederation, and it was only now that they had begun to talk after months of meetings and debates. Anna hoped that he would be an ally she could rely on if things got messy.

She glanced round at the sea of humanity. There were so many different colours which marked out the different military escorts belonging to the various diplomats and Confederation members.

The greens, obviously belonged to Arendelle. The Danish browns weren't here, since Melody had come together with Anna. The Einsfeltai were in light grey, flanking Duke Helmsley, who also sported a monochrome outfit to match his dull disposition.

Then there was the Vjormans who were dressed in white uniforms, and the Xerflorians in yellow and black. Anna thought that the Xerflorian army looked like a swarm of bees from afar, and their uniforms looked as annoying to her as Marquess Horatio was.

Lastly, the biggest players of all, were the Molcorrans, who were in their traditional blue. They usually wore tall shakos, but now that they were indoors, they didn't. They closely surrounded King Uxzas, who also wore a long, flamboyant blue robe that flowed down to his ankles.

"Did I miss anything?" Melody joined Anna's side, a glass of champagne in hand.

"Not really." Anna said. "Let's just hope we can get this over and done with quick."

"Hopefully."

That was not to be, however. By the time the meeting had come to order, it had felt like an eternity to Anna. Even then, no representatives from the Empire had shown themselves as of yet. Anna was beginning to wonder if Eleanor was simply playing a sick joke on them by not showing up and wasting everyone's time, and no doubt others were sharing the same sentiment too.

Anna, Melody and the other four Confederation members sat around a circular table at the centre of the ballroom, while the rest of the delegates, diplomats and military escorts were seated in neat rows to witness the peace summit. However, the atmosphere of doubt was beginning to spread.

After a long, awkward silence of waiting at the table, King Uxzas cleared his throat. "Right. While we're waiting for the Exonians to show up, we might as well use this time to address any outstanding issues that haven't been addressed yet."

Anna glanced at Melody, who returned her gaze. They both knew that there was the giant elephant in the room that the two of them had been meaning to bring up.

"Very well," Uxzas said before Anna or Melody could get a word in. "Then I believe we could use this time for a couple of updates. The CAST Force attached to the Coalition has given me reports that I would like to share with you all in general.

"The CAST Force, as you all know, have been diligently rooting out sorcerers wherever the Coalition goes. After every victory over Empire territory, the CAST Force is deployed to sweep the cities and ex-colonies for any hiding sorcerers. They are then caught and sent to nearby prison facilities controlled by the Molcorran Justice Ministry. After which, they are eventually transported to Stormtide Prison to be held for the rest of their days."

Anna's blood boiled in her veins as she listened quietly with the rest of the Confederation members. It still baffled and infuriated her how most were fine with something as extreme and bias as this. Many sorcerers were just like regular humans trying to survive through the war, but instead they were being hunted like animals and tossed into prison without any trial or legitimate reason.

Their only crime? Being different. Unfortunately, Elsa, Tracy, Maui and the rest of Anna and Melody's allies fell into that category. Their current fate, unfortunately, was unknown to Anna.

"Also," Uxzas turned the pages of his stack of reports that had been handed to him by his scribe. "Let it be made known that the League of Sorcerers, headed by your sister-" Here he glanced disapprovingly at Anna, and she could feel the eyes of everyone on her. "-is currently still at large.

"The Pilgrim, also known as Princess Elsa, is currently the Task Force's number one target, closely followed by the rest of her sorcerous allies. They are still evading capture by the Task Force after eight months of the CAST being put into effect. Which is why," Uxzas stared coldly at Anna. "I would like to ask you again. Do you know where your sister and her allies are hiding?"

"With all due respect," Anna kept her voice level, and Melody placed a hand on hers under the table to remind her to exercise restraint. "I've told everyone time and again. I do not, and I repeat, I do not have any idea where Elsa and the League of Sorcerers are hiding. They have not made contact with me since their self imposed exile eight months ago."

"Very well," Uxzas said, though there was still a tone of acidity in his voice. "Though as always, I must remind you. If any of those witches reach out to you, you have a duty to the Confederation and mankind to report them to us. These sorcerers are dangers to humanity, and we must exercise zero tolerance towards them."

"I understand." Anna said, clenching her jaw. Her eyes flicked to Melody by her side, who gave her a little nod.

The two girls both knew that they had no choice but to play along with whatever ridiculous policies and laws the Conderation had put in place. Reason being if they opposed the Confederation now, things would get incredibly messy.

They had both agreed that it was in their kingdoms' best interest to align themselves with the Confederation. After all, they could only beat the Empire once and for all with their help. There was no way the two of them could do that on their own, and so they needed the Coalition to destroy the threat of Exon. For now, Anna knew she had to grin and bear it till they could find a way to bring the sorcerers back to society legally and abolish the CAST.

Just then, the doors of the ballroom swung open and an Exonian forerunner in crimson lifted his voice.

"Presenting the Chancellor of Exon," The Exonian boomed in English. "His Excellency, Hans Westergaard."