Chapter Twelve

Diplomacy

ANNA

The sound of shrieking rose Anna from her deep slumber. The cobwebs clearing almost instantly, she sat up in a hurry and kicked the sheets away as Kristoff too began to stir.

"I've got him," she said as she stood and hurried over to the next room where her son kicked and screamed in his bed.

"Mama!"

"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay!" Anna swept Markus up in her arms and held him tightly. It amazed her how such a small human being could make so much noise. What amazed her more was that she'd been able to wake far quicker to her child's cries than she would've woken to a natural disaster in the past. The mysteries of being a parent, she supposed.

"What's wrong?" Kristoff asked, worry in his voice as he lumbered over. "Is he alright?"

"Why are you crying? Hmmn?" Anna wiped the tears from her child's face. "Tell Mama."

Markus sobbed, staring at her with his big, brown eyes full of terror. "Evil monsters! A bad man laughing! He tried to get me!"

"It's not real, okay?" Anna hugged him, feeling his little hands around the back of her neck. He had a strong grip, just like his father. "Just a bad dream. No one's coming to hurt you. I won't let them."

Kristoff came in close, putting his thick arms around them both. "Mama and Papa will always be here to protect you, Markus. There will be no bad man or monsters. We're all safe here."

Anna stroked Markus' head of strawberry blonde hair. "Go back to sleep alright?"

"But I'm scared." The boy's eyes were compelling, as though begging her to hold him close forever.

"Mama will be right here with you." she smiled. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

Anna and Kristoff waited for the boy slowly drifted off to sleep, then put him gently on his bed again.

Kristoff sighed. "It's about time to get up already anyway."

Turning her head, Anna looked through the large glass-sliding door of the guest villa and saw that he was right. The skyline was beginning to show the first hints of light, heralding the start of a new day. The rest of the Confederation members would be arriving today, based on reports from the Agrabanian Highlanders that Kristoff had acquired a few days before. It was going to be an eventful day, what with all the politics and negotiations to settle, not to mention having to deal with some of the tougher senior members of the council.

Yet, she sometimes found herself more inclined to tackling politics head on than struggling as a parent. Two years in, and she still felt clueless most of the time. And so did Kristoff, apparently. It'd been an absolute miracle that the two of them had survived this far as parents. They both knew nothing about parenting, much less how to raise an heir to the throne. It was Elsa's encouragements that kept her going; convincing her that she was overqualified, having already led the entire Coalition in retreat from the Empire. But Elsa had no clue.

This…Anna looked down at her sleeping boy. This is something else entirely. But she supposed she should be grateful and glad that it'd come to this. She'd gotten incredibly lucky. She now had a family of her own, and given everything they'd faced the past couple of years, it was surreal that this was her reality now.

"No point going back to bed, I suppose," she said in a low voice, getting up. She pushed aside the glass door of Markus' bedroom and stepped out onto the stone balcony overlooking the city.

Two years staying here, but it was still a magnificent sight to behold. The city of Agrabah was beautiful beyond description, with architectural marvels that the engineers and architects on her side of the world couldn't even begin to fathom or conceive. In spite of its more sandy and desert-like appearance, Agrabah was ahead of its time.

Already, she could see the first few civilians leaving their houses and saddle their horses. These were probably the merchants or hawkers rushing to get their wares or food ready in the famous marketplace on the other side of town. Within an hour, the rest of the city's early risers would be up and about to resume their busy lives, blissfully secure that the Agrabanian Highlanders and the Coalition would keep them safe.

If only she could feel the same simple assurances, but the truth was, she couldn't. Not when the Empire could threaten to destroy everything they had at any moment. She'd lived with this cloud of dread hanging over her head for two years now, not knowing when Hans would decide to unleash his cunning fury on this side of the world.

"You alright?" Kristoff joined her on the balcony, wrapping his arms around her.

"Yeah." Anna rested her own head against his shoulder. "No, not really."

"What's wrong?"

"His nightmare," Anna pondered. "Was our reality. I hate lying to him."

"Lying to him?"

"That we would always be able to protect him. From the monsters and…Hans." The mention of the name brought goosebumps to her skin. "I just keep thinking," she looked up at her husband. "Did we do the right thing? Bring a child into this world of uncertainty that we live in? Never knowing when his life will be in danger?" her voice cracked. "Every time I look at him, I can't help but think to myself if we destroyed his future. He may believe us now, but someday, when the Empire does arrive on Agrabah's shores…"

"We don't know that's going to happen."

"You know it will." Anna said tightly. "And on that day, Markus will know we lied to him. We can't keep him safe forever. Damn it, he doesn't deserve to have to live his life in dread."

"You didn't destroy Markus' future by bringing him into this world," Kristoff said quietly. "We didn't. We've seen Talya, haven't we? Isn't that enough proof that he'll live through all of this and one day spawn heirs of his own to continue our family's legacy?"

"I don't know if it really works that way," Anna looked back at her boy sleeping soundly, blissfully ignorant that his nightmare was real. "I just don't know. But I'll do anything and everything in my power to make sure he lives through this."

King Aladdin stood up. "Welcome to Agrabah."

Anna too stood, with great ease. It helped that she no longer had a protruding belly with extra weight to carry. Beside her, Horatio and August rose from their seats at the table as well. She'd spent the first few months here since their arrival in Agrabah, participating in negotiations and conferences with the Agrabanian king to sort out the finer details of their alliance.

It was a relief that they were no longer doing this on their own, for the rest of the Confederation who'd initially sat out of the Winter Campaign had finally arrived after two years - after many tedious back-and-forth letters trying to persuade the other members to join the war. As the new nobles arrived in the audience chamber, Anna studied them to refresh her memory on who was who. It's been a while.

"Thank you, Sultan." The King of Rafranta shook his counterpart's hand. "King Prostenos Otto of Rafranta." He was a man in his sixth decade, judging by the wrinkles and the lines of age on his face. He had hard eyes that spoke of years of suspicion and mistrust, a prominent nose that could probably sniff out anyone's bullshit, and thin, pale lips. His neatly combed white hair joined with a thin beard and moustache, outlining most of his face.

"Your Majesty. Morgen Norgaard, Grand Duke of Archdan." the grand duke swept a low bow - as low as his beer belly would allow. The man, dressed in the dark colours of the black and gold Archdan flag, had been the highest ranking officer of the Archdanian army in the past, which explained the cropped hair and the rest of his military bearings. His narrow, perceptive eyes no doubt had seen years of experience in war and politics, which could either prove to be a help or hindrance - Anna hoped it was the former, unlike the last time she'd had dealings with him.

"Matrosis the Second, King of Eliqnoir." The man was young, compared to King Prostenos. Probably in his early thirties, at most, with prominent Eliqnese features - jet black hair, dashing blue eyes and an angular jaw. "But please, call me Thesseus."

Now that Anna remembered, Thesseus used to be a prince back before the start of the Winter Campaign. Something terrible must have happened to his father - Matrosis the First - since the Coalition had left to fight the Empire. As he smiled politely, Anna could see a heavy burden concealed behind the guise of control and dignity, which was something she herself had done far too often. Anna made a mental note to offer her condolences later.

From the peripheral of her vision, she noticed Horatio visibly stiffening. His eyes were narrowed and his hands were tensed. Why? The sight puzzled her, but not for long.

"Duchess Ester Horatio of Xerflorn, Sultan," a stick-thin, tall woman curtseyed.

Anna sized the woman up. She had long brown hair and crows' feet at the corners of her eyes which she tried to hide with heavy blue eyeliner and a great deal of makeup. But all the effort to hide her age came with little success. It was clear that she was someone's mother. Horatio's, specifically, given their similar features.

"A pleasure." King Aladdin nodded. "Thank you all for finally agreeing to come. Please, have a seat and make yourselves comfortable."

Anna took her seat beside Horatio, August and the rest of the Confederation. It was strange seeing the remaining seats at the table being populated for the first time. For the past two years, it'd just been her, Horatio and August in negotiations with King Aladdin. But now with the arrival of four more members of the Confederation, it felt like they could really get started.

King Prostenos was the first to start things off. "Now we have heard and read the letters you sent, detailing what happened to King Uxzas and Duke Helmsley," he said, looking at Anna, Horatio and August. "But we would like to hear in person exactly what happened to them."

"And if I may," Grand Duke Morgen added with a condescending drawl. "There used to be a Princess of Denmark on this council, was there not?"

"Yes." Anna met their gaze head on with steely resolve. No longer was she constantly tired, exhausted, and just wanting the long meetings to end so she could return to her room to sleep. She once again had the energy to keep up with these pompous old nobles, just like she used to before the whole Winter Campaign. "Princess Melody had to step back from her duties due to personal health challenges."

"Very unfortunate," Prince August added. "She will not be able to be with us for the foreseeable future, but we are confident that she will be healthy enough to join us again in time."

Anna caught his gaze and gave him a tiny nod. It helped to have someone else on this council who knew about Melody's true struggles and her subsequent return to the ocean. But it'd been two years since Melody had dived back into the waters to find peace with herself, and yet there'd been no news from her since. Her absence was worrying, if Anna was being honest. The Danish Princess had promised that she would return when the Warriors needed her, but would she really come back?

"Ah," Duchess Ester affected a disappointed voice. "And what of King Uxzas and Duke Helmsley?"

"King Uxzas disappeared without a trace after our victory at the river bank opposite the city of Korynes," Anna said. "We have no idea what happened or why he vanished." That was a lie. She knew exactly why. The Warriors had uncovered the conspiracy of the Crimson Order, that'd been operating and manipulating the events of the war from the shadows. They'd been controlling Uxzas and forcing him to implement the CAST to get rid of all sorcerers, but when he'd failed, the powers that be had decided to get rid of him. It was the only logical explanation.

Grand Duke Morgen frowned in disbelief. "So you lost him? What about Duke Helmsley?"

"He tried to betray us by staging a coup," Horatio said with surprisingly restraint. "He wanted to overthrow Queen Anna and the field marshal so that he could assume command of the Coalition and send us all to our deaths, and he tried to frame me for it."

Anna could hear him breathing hard, a testament to his anger at what the Einsfeltai duke had done. It'd angered them all, knowing that Helmsley had come so close to succeeding. The worst part was, it'd cast some doubt in all of their minds. If one as rigid and by-the-book as Helmsley could turn on them like that, what was to stop any of the others from doing the same? But somehow, the remaining members of the Confederation had rallied behind Anna and she'd managed to lead them to safety. And now they were here, where power and absolute control was no longer hers. Thankfully.

King Prostenos raised an eyebrow in feigned disbelief. "Appalling. And where is the duke now?"

"We couldn't have him escorted back to Einsfelt, especially not with the Empire rampaging across the continent," Prince August answered. "By now, we assume that Einsfelt has fallen to the Empire."

"Yes," the Rafrantan King's eyes were hooded. "Along with Molcorra, Vjor, Eliqnoir, Archdan, Denmark and Arendelle."

Arendelle's fallen too. Anna felt the weight on her shoulders grow heavier. She had never been fully certain that her kingdom had fallen, but now she knew for sure. All her friends back home, her people, her home…The thought of Imperial Horde soldiers destroying the battalions left behind to defend the kingdom and oppressing Arendellians made the Coalition's decisive defeat in the Winter Campaign all the more crushing.

"So you're holding the duke prisoner here in Agrabah?" Duchess Ester asked.

"I made arrangements with the others to keep him under house arrest in one of the guest rooms in the palace," King Aladdin said. "Even after what His Grace has done, your fellow Confederation members were compassionate enough to grant him the dignity befitting a man of his status."

"We will deal with his treachery in due time." Duchess Ester waved a dismissive hand bejewelled with shiny rings and bracelets. "I believe we have other more pressing matters to discuss."

"Of course." King Prostenos turned to Aladdin. "We have heard your proposal from the ambassadors you sent to accompany us on our journey to Agrabah. We have had sufficient time to discuss among ourselves and we have come to a decision."

"We have agreed to commit our armies to the Coalition," King Thesseus said. "With the Empire sweeping across the continent and having already conquered most of our homes, we have no choice but to stand together if we desire to push back and reclaim our rightful lands."

Anna suppressed the smile that threatened to tug at the corners of her lips. It was a relief, to say the least. For far too long, they'd been fighting with one hand tied behind their backs. Not every member of the Confederation had agreed to join the winter campaign when the Empire had been recognised as a continent-wide threat to stability and peace.

But now, the rest had relented, knowing that there was no other way. At this point, there was no way individual armies could stand against the might of the Imperial Horde, not to mention the emperor's Soulless. The only option was to consolidate their power somewhere the Empire had not touched yet so that they could stand an actual chance of fighting back and eventually taking back their kingdoms.

"Thank you," Anna said. "We are grateful that you've decided to stand with us. Agrabah will also be joining the war effort, which brings our forces to rival even the Empire's numbers."

"That is of course, assuming that your last estimates are accurate and relevant at this point in time," The Grand Duke drawled as his forehead creased. "I have no doubt the Last Emperor would've conscripted more Imperials for the sole purpose of colonising the rest of the continent."

"Regardless, we must work with what we have," August said. "We cannot change the fact that our resources and manpower may be limited and that we may be at a disadvantage."

"Not tactically," The Agrabanian ruler interjected. "As much as I detest that my kingdom will be used as Ground Zero for the war, I must humbly admit that we hold the best defensive position here on this side of the world. If the Empire tries to invade" – he clenched a fist – "We will bleed them dry as the sand."

"As for the matter of command," Anna added. "Field Marshal Frederick Valquerson has been leading the Coalition ever since Field Marshal Cicero passed away during the Battle of Turnsheim."

"General Bakshan and I have agreed to place the Agrabanian Highlanders under the command of the field marshal," Aladdin regarded the other Confederation members that'd just joined the negotiations today. "I trust that his tactical experience against the Empire will prove valuable."

Anna watched the new arrivals closely for their reaction. King Thesseus had a neutral look on his face as he nodded. He'd mostly been quiet since he'd come in with the rest, and still hid melancholy behind his dashing Eliqnese blue eyes. Similarly, King Prostenos seemed to be surprisingly agreeable. The Rafrantan military never exactly had particularly strong leadership, even if its Commander-in-Chief was the king's own third son.

On the other hand, Grand Duke Morgen and Duchess Ester looked displeased. The former probably because he used to be a general himself, and couldn't see past his own pride that experience trumped status. The grand duke was one of those elitists who still believed that commoners ought not to have commissions in the military and that only the noble-born had the right to be officers. The Duchess of Xerflorn likely felt the same way, judging by the haughty and pouty look on her heavily powdered face. But they both kept their thoughts to themselves as they nodded grudgingly.

"Excellent," Anna said before anyone else could raise any objections. "If there is nothing else-"

"Actually there is," King Prostenos cut her off. "I wish to speak about the League of Sorcerers."