In The Reign of Queen Anna of Arendelle

Part Three of the "Worthy Queen of Greatness" Trilogy. (Hey, Ma! I wrote a trilogy! Whoddathunkit?)

This story begins the same day "Cry Havoc! And Let Slip the Dogs of War!" ends, approximately April 3, 1841.

In "Worthy Queen of Greatness", the Duke of Weselton sends an invasion force to kidnap Anna and force Elsa into captivity while he loots Arendelle. The Two Terrible Sisters of Arendelle outwit him, save the kingdom and send the invasion force packing. At great cost.

"Cry Havoc! And Let Slip the Dogs of War" follows Elsa and Anna as they prepare to take the Weasel Duke to task for his cowardly attack. A surprise development helps Elsa send the Duke off into exile and re-establish Weselton as a trading partner and ally. After surviving an assassination attempt, she manages to foil a terror plot to depose her and create revolutionary chaos in her kingdom. Again, at great cost.

This story picks up in the aftermath of those events as Anna deals with the burden of being the Queen. As it happens, old enemies aren't yet finished with Arendelle. Or her Queen.

Cover art commissioned by me from the awesome artist comickergirl.

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"It is easy to tell the toiler
How best he can carry his pack
But no one can rate a burden's weight
Until it has been on his back"
― Ella Wheeler Wilcox

"If you have a sister and she dies, do you stop saying you have one? Or are you always a sister, even when the other half of the equation is gone?"
― Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper

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" – the reign of Queen Anna I began with a mystery as her elder sister, Elsa, popularly known as The Snow Queen, disappeared after leaving a Decree of Abdication behind. Evidence led Queen Anna and all her advisers to believe that Queen Elsa was dead."

Froiland, Nils. History of Arendelle, 1800-1899. Arendelle: Royal University Press, 1907.

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If Anna had thought Royal Advisory Council meetings were no fun before, this meeting took her to new heights of screaming frustration.

"Her Majesty is Queen because her sister abdicated!"

"Her Majesty is Queen because her sister is dead!"

"We can't be sure of that – there is no body!"

"Queen Elsa became queen when her parents died; there were no bodies, then, either!"

"Whether Queen Elsa is alive or dead doesn't matter! Either way, Princess Anna is now Queen Anna!"

Queen Anna had finally reached her limit.

"ENOUGH!" She slammed her open palms on the table for emphasis.

The seven members of the Royal Advisory Council fell silent. They had seen Anna in a temper before but since the events of earlier today she had been barely able to contain her vexation. Her sister, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, had gone missing and was presumed dead. But before Elsa had gone away to who knows where she had left behind a Decree of Abdication that left the Crocus Throne of Arendelle to be occupied by her named heir and sister, Princess Anna.

For her part, Anna's emotions were a stew of grief, anger, frustration, uncertainty and insecurity. Grief for her sister's death, if she was in fact dead. Anger at her sister for running away and leaving her with the responsibility for the kingdom, if Elsa were indeed still alive. Frustration and uncertainty because no one knew for sure what had happened to Elsa. And insecurity because although Anna had acted as her sister's Regent in recent months, becoming the Queen was completely different in scope and responsibility.

"Gentlemen," Anna gritted out through clenched teeth, "It is clear that this argument is going nowhere. The one thing we all seem to agree on is that I am now the Queen of Arendelle, am I correct?"

A mumbled "Yes, Your Majesty" came from most of the men at the table.

"Very well. There are legal issues here that need to be resolved, and here's how we are going to resolve them. I will call Chief Justice Kirstensdatter to meet with me here immediately after we adjourn. Admiral Naismith, Bishop Norgaard, if I could prevail upon you to remain until Justice Kirstensdatter arrives? I would like you to witness the opening of Queen Elsa's files that contain her Last Will and Testament and all the other legal papers necessary to legitimize the succession."

The two men nodded. They had served on the council for Elsa and her father before her and could generally be counted on to support the Crown. They could also be counted on to tell the Crown when the head wearing it was in a place where the sun didn't shine. Naismith was High Admiral of the Arendelle armed forces, and thus in overall command of all the uniformed services of the kingdom.

"Then, I thank you all for your diligence and loyalty, and declare this meeting adjourned. You may go."

The other five men rose, bowed to Anna, gathered their papers from the table and left the room. Once the last of them had gone and the door was shut, Anna groaned and put her face down on her crossed arms.

"Ah, Your Majesty? We're still here," said Bishop Norgaard. If the situation weren't so serious he would have been amused at Anna's demeanor, but he realized the strain she was under and actually admired how she had managed to not kill anyone. So far.

"I know, Your Grace. Thank you for your patience. You, too, Admiral." Anna's response was somewhat muffled because of her face-down posture. She sat upright and took a deep breath, let it out slowly and then called out, "Kai? I need to send a messenger to the Judicial Center."

Kai Brevik had served on the castle staff since he had been hired as a footman at the age of 16. He had worked his way up until he became the Head Butler under Elsa's father. He had been listening for Anna to call him in once the Council meeting had adjourned.

"Yes, Your Majesty. To whom is the message to be sent?"

"Please send a message to Chief Justice Kirstensdatter saying that Queen Anna of Arendelle requests and requires her immediate attendance here to review the legal ramifications of the abdications and/or death of Queen Elsa and the succession to the throne. If that doesn't pique her interest I don't know what will." Anna slumped in her chair and crossed her arms. It was hardly an appropriate posture for a Queen, but right at this moment she didn't care.

"Immediately, Your Majesty." Kai bowed himself out to send the message.

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By the time Chief Justice of the Courts Kirstensdatter arrived at the castle, Elsa's files had been moved to the Council room and were arranged in a logical order for the Justice to review.

Signe Kirstensdatter was a compact woman in her early fifties, with steel-gray hair and lively blue eyes that missed nothing. Her judicial duties normally required her to present a stern demeanor, but her face was crinkled with what could only be laugh lines. She was wearing her judicial robes, since Anna's message had made it clear that this was an official visit with critical legal implications for the future of the kingdom.

"Your Majesty," she said to Anna as she bowed.

"Thank you for coming so promptly, Justice Kirstensdatter," Anna greeted her and gestured to a seat where she would have easy access to all the documents.

"How may I serve the Crown of Arendelle today?"

Anna's expression could have curdled fresh milk, "Well, we can start by deciding just exactly who is wearing the Crown of Arendelle today and for all the days after, although it appears that my sister was clever enough to make sure it landed on my head no matter what." Damn you again, stinker.

"Ah, I see. If you would give me a minute or two to review the relevant documents?" Signe asked.

Anna waved her hand to give her permission.

While they all waited, Anna stared at the bookcase which hid the secret passage out of the castle. She wondered if Elsa had used it to sneak out, since no one had seen her leave. She decided it didn't matter, Elsa was gone, and she hated her for leaving, and she thought her heart would break if she never came back, and damn it how could she DO this to her?

"Your Majesty?" Anna was pulled out of her useless brain cudgeling by the Justice's voice.

"Yes?"

"I want to lay this out in as simple a way as possible so there can be no misunderstanding, may I?" Anna nodded and Signe went on, "The earliest relevant document here is a Decree of Succession dated last October and witnessed by Admiral Naismith and Colonel Nordholm. It names you as Queen Elsa's heir and next in line for the throne should some mishap befall her. Is that correct, Admiral?"

Admiral Naismith replied, "That is correct, Madame Justice. The Queen was to go into captivity the next day and wanted to insure that there was absolutely no question that Princess Anna was the heir to the throne."

"Very well. There is a document dated the same day, with the same witnesses, bestowing a peerage on Master Kristoff Bjorgman, making him a Baron. Do any of you know anything about that?"

Naismith again replied, "Yes. Her reasoning was that if she were killed by the Weselton troops, and her sister survived and wished to marry Master Bjorgman, ennobling him would make their union less controversial. If she were still alive, of course, her permission would override anyone's objections, but Her Majesty rarely left anything to chance."

Signe sniffed and said, "Then why did she not make this public?"

"I can speak to that, Madame Justice," Anna interjected. "She had planned to spring it on him … I mean, surprise him with it when she announced our engagement. She knew it made him uncomfortable to think about becoming a noble, so she was content to let it slide."

"I mean no disrespect to your sister, Your Majesty, but in my practice of law I have found that 'surprises' of this magnitude and importance rarely work out well."

There didn't seem to be anything to say in response to that, so Anna, miraculously, said nothing. "My sister was just full of surprises," was a bitter thought she kept to herself.

"Moving along, the next relevant document is this Decree of Abdication, dated yesterday and witnessed by … Kai Brevik and … Gerda Froiland. I must confess that I do not recognize those names. Can you identify them, Your Majesty?"

Anna's jaw dropped open as she heard the two names. When the Admiral had announced that Elsa had left a Decree of Abdication, Anna hadn't bothered reading it, running off to the North Mountain instead to check for confirmation of Elsa's death.

"KAI!" Anna jumped up and ran to the door, yanking it open and almost running into her butler.

"Your Majesty?"

"YOU KNEW! You KNEW she was going to do this! How could you not warn me?!" She screamed at him, furious at what she considered a betrayal.

She stood glaring at him, her fists clenched and her breath coming in heaving gasps as she dared him to explain himself.

"She swore us to secrecy before she told us what she was going to do, Your Majesty. She did not tell us what she had planned. And it was only a few hours before she left, so … " Gerda was standing in the hall with Kai. They had known that as soon as the documents were reviewed, Anna would come looking for them.

Anna could only stare at them, two people who had been like foster parents to her in her loneliness. First Elsa, now Kai and Gerda betraying her?

There was a gentle touch on her shoulder; it was Justice Kirstensdatter, who had come to stand next to Anna, and she said, "Your Majesty, please, come sit down and let us hear what they have to say. This is probably the most important document we have now, and it is utterly critical that we have the most complete information about its provenance as possible."

Still shaking with rage, Anna let herself be coaxed back to the table. Kai and Gerda came into the room and stood facing the Chief Justice from across the table.

Once seated, Signe addressed Kai and Gerda. "Could you please tell us exactly what happened last night?"

Gerda cleared her throat and began, "It was about three in the morning. The guard on duty on the residence floor sent for me, saying that the Queen requested that I attend her in her room. She would not call for me very often, but it was not all that unusual. I had been her personal servant since she was a young child, and I was the only maidservant who knew of her powers before her Coronation event."

Anna grimaced at that. She and Elsa had discussed the fact that Kai, Gerda, and the Admiral had been entrusted with her secret by their father. It still chafed that they had not trusted her, but that dead horse had been buried months ago.

Continuing, Gerda said, "I was surprised to see that Kai was also at her door. He said he had been summoned as well. That WAS unusual, so it was with no small trepidation we knocked and were given permission to enter."

Picking up the story, Kai said, "Her Majesty was already dressed as she normally would be for a work day, even though it was early. She asked us to swear an oath to her that we would not reveal what we were about to do until the following morning. We both gave her our oath and she showed us the Decree and asked us to witness it."

"Kai and I both were shocked, as you can imagine, but she would not explain herself to us. She simply told us that it was part of a plan, and that it would become clear later in the day," Gerda finished.

Kirstensdatter thought for a moment, then asked, "And what was her demeanor, her state of mind? Did she seem rational?"

Kai answered that. "She was calm, serious, her usual business-like self. Of course, she had many years of practice in presenting such a stoic exterior no matter what she was feeling inside."

"She only showed the tiniest bit of emotion when she dismissed us. She instructed Kai to wake her at seven, her usual time. Then she looked at us and said, 'Thank you both for all the kindness you have done for me. My life would have been poorer without that kindness.' Her voice had the barest quaver; only someone like us, who knew her so well, would have noticed," Gerda sighed.

"Then what?"

"We left. Kai went to wake her at seven, and when she didn't answer his knock, he went in and found the documents and her crown on the bed." She added, "The bed had not been slept in."

The silence in the room dragged on for a moment, then Signe said, "Thank you both. You may return to your duties."

Kai and Gerda nodded, bowed to Anna, whose face was a mask of sullen anger, and then they left.

"Well, Madame Justice, is there anything else we need to review?" Anna's voice was tense, she was still angry.

"Yes, Your Majesty. It is my understanding that there is one further document that may shed light on the situation, but I don't see it here."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Did Queen Elsa not leave a message addressed to you?"

Anna stiffened, then turned her head away. "It is personal. I choose not to share it."

"Forgive me, but it may be important for us to understand her state of mind. I do not require that you allow us to read it, but can you give testimony to it's content, in particular whether there is evidence in the letter that Her Majesty intended to … do harm to herself?" Signe's voice was gentle; she was aware how much pain this must be causing Anna.

Settling into a pose of stubborn determination, Anna crossed her arms, slumped down into her chair again and said, "I said, I choose not to share it."

"Your Majesty, I cannot compel you to share this with us. But consider; whether your sister is alive or de … not, it does not affect your status. You are the Queen. However, her status does control other legalities. She has a Last Will and Testament, and other documents here that do not go into effect until her passing. If she just … disappears, our laws would not declare her dead until ten years have passed. It leaves things in an uncertain state."

For a moment, Naismith thought that Anna would remain obstinate about the issue, but she suddenly deflated and her face fell into an expression of grief. She began to speak, her voice dull and lifeless.

"The letter talked about how much it broke her heart to leave me. It scared me, because the way she was phrasing things made it seem like she was going to … to … end it all. I didn't want to believe it, so that's why I ran off to the North Mountain to see the Ice Palace. I couldn't find Olaf anywhere, so that's all I could think of. And then when we got up there, it was g … gone." Her voice finally broke on the last word and a single tears rolled down her cheek.

The Admiral stepped in to explain what Anna meant; he could see she was too grief-stricken at her admission Elsa might be dead to continue with a clarification.

"Before Queen Elsa allowed herself to be taken into captivity during the Weselton attack, we were discussing the tactical realities of how we would know if the Weselton forces had broken their oath and killed her. She explained that if she died, anything she had created with her magic would pass away, so she had left Olaf to stay with me. As long as he was 'alive', we knew that she was, too."

"So you are interpreting the destruction of the Ice Palace as evidence that Queen Elsa is indeed dead?" Kirstensdatter asked.

"Yes. It fits everything we know about her magic as she explained it to us."

"Very well," Signe stated, then got an abstracted, thoughtful look on her face.

For a few moments, the only sound in the room was an occasional sniffle as Anna fought back her tears. Finally, Kirstensdatter sat straighter in her chair and said, "I am ready to give you all my opinion on the legal status of these matters."

She placed her hands on the table and looked at each person sitting there. "The Decree of Abdication signed by Queen Elsa is valid and passed the Crown of Arendelle to the heir named in the Decree of Succession, Princess Anna. Therefore, in the matter of the legal succession, whether Queen Elsa is alive or dead does not enter into this decision."

"Next, I believe from the testimony that has been presented here today we can declare that Queen Elsa is indeed deceased, and therefore her Last Will and Testament and other documents that were to take force upon her passing shall be executed."

Anna choked back a sob; hearing those words crushed her heart, but they were the truth.

"Finally, the patent of nobility granting a peerage to Kristoff Bjorgman is also properly witnessed and valid, and should be so proclaimed."

Signe saw that Anna had herself under control for the moment and her heart went out to the young woman. Anna was older than when her sister had taken the Crown, but not by much. "Your Majesty, may I extend to you my most sincere condolences on the loss of your sister. She will be missed by all of Arendelle."

Anna took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she answered. "Thank you, Justice Kirstensdatter. Is there anything else we need to do now? I … I think I must ask you all for indulgence in allowing me to take my leave, to say that I am overwhelmed by this is … inadequate."

Signe hesitated for a moment then said, "My one suggestion is that you hold an assembly to proclaim all of this to the people. There are rumors swirling and great uncertainty right now. You and your sister are most beloved by all of Arendelle, and it would be fitting for you to stand before them and explain exactly what has transpired. If you wish, I will present the legalities."

"Yes, yes, I agree. Tomorrow … no, I won't be ready. The day after tomorrow, noon, in the courtyard. I'll have it posted and published in the newspaper. Now, if you'll excuse me … "

Anna pushed her chair back hard enough to almost knock it over and ran from the room.

The three people left looked at each other, weighed down by the solemnity of what they had just witnessed. Bishop Norgaard was the first to speak.

"I can only hope that our young Queen can cope with all of this."

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'The young Queen' went out to the stable to find Kristoff. He needed to understand all the implications of her change in status, even if she hadn't come to grips with them yet. There was one thing she knew for sure, though, and that was that the kingdom needed an heir, because right now there wasn't one if something were to happen to her. Kristoff needed to understand what that meant.

" – so you're not of age yet, so the Council gets to weigh in on ruling the kingdom?"

"Yeah. Unless … " She hesitated.

"Unless what?"

"Unless I'm married." She watched for his reaction. "For some reason, the laws of Arendelle are perfectly okay with me being Queen Regnant, even if I'm not 21, as long as I have a Prince Consort."

Kristoff mulled that over. "But will the Council let you marry a commoner? Elsa's not around to tell them to go jump in the fjord anymore." He knew he was making a huge assumption that she would still want to marry him. He wouldn't blame her if she would push him away and never speak to him again. This was a perfect excuse to dump him – she could have changed her mind from the plans they had made last night.

"I won't be marrying a commoner. I'll be marrying a baron." She glanced away from him as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

No, he was going to lose her after all? His biggest fear was coming true.

"Oh."

"That's all you have to say, 'Oh'?" Anna slapped his arm and glared at him.

"I … I … what else can I say? Anna, I love you, and I screwed this up so badly. But, you have to do what's necessary for the kingdom. All I can do is wish you all the happiness in the world. You and Baron … ?"

She dragged out the silence, then said, "Lord Kristoff Bjorgman, Baron of Living Rock."

It didn't penetrate the haze of his grief for a moment, then he looked at her wide-eyed and squeaked, "Me?"

Her expression changed to one of anguish, "Unless you won't have me? I can be a pain, and the job description really sucks, you know."

Wouldn't have her? He'd crawl from the North Mountain to Arendelle on broken glass if she'd take him back! "I don't care about the job description, Feisty Pants. I let that screw my head up once and it almost cost me the best thing that ever happened to me. If you'll have me, I'll never let you down again."

"Well, then, Your Grace, the Queen of Arendelle asks for your hand in marriage." She smiled at him shyly.

"Your Majesty, I am humbled to accept your proposal." He looked thoughtful. "Is that really a thing?"

She giggled. "Yes, and you should start getting used to people calling you 'Lord of the Living Rock'."

Kristoff grimaced. "That sounds like a title more suited to GrandPabbie. How about 'Lord Kristoff'? Can we make that work?"

"I'm the Queen. They'll call you what I call you!" She stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "Besides, you'll be 'Prince Kristoff' soon enough."

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The courtyard was packed. Anna doubted they could have fit another person in, and the crowd spilled out over the causeway and into the town square. Even if those people couldn't hear what was going on they wanted to be present.

Anna, the Royal Council, and Justice Kirstensdatter were sitting behind a long table on the castle portico. True to her word, Signe had explained all of the legal documents and precedents in clear, unambiguous language. They had started with the easiest item to explain: Kristoff's ennoblement.

He was well known and well thought of, so this announcement was greeted with cheers. He had waved to the crowd, then stepped down and went to fade into the background. Baron or not, he wanted no part of the rest of the proceedings of the day – even though he had wanted to be there for Anna, his place was not at her side during this Court. Not yet, anyway. They would announce the engagement later, after the memorial service for Elsa.

As Justice Kirstensdatter explained everything that had happened and the documents Elsa had left behind, the crowd grew quieter. By the time Signe got to the most important announcement, it was dead silent in the courtyard. The crowd was tense, their foreboding that they knew what they were about to hear making them shiver.

Kirstensdatter stood for the final statement. In her clear, penetrating soprano she exclaimed, "To our great sorrow, based on the documents and testimony available to us, it is our sad duty to declare that Queen Elsa is dead. All Rise!" Anna remained seated. She knew what came next and she wished this was just a bad dream she could wake up from. But Elsa wasn't there to comfort her from this nightmare; Elsa was never going to be there for her again.

There was a beat, then Justice Kirstensdatter proclaimed, "Queen Elsa is Dead! Long live Queen Anna of Arendelle!"

The entire crowd replied, "Queen Elsa is Dead! Long live Queen Anna of Arendelle!" and bowed deeply to the new Queen. There were a few sobs to be heard as the grief started to show for their Snow Queen. Elsa had been loved by her people. They had gladly forgiven her for the Great Winter, and her willingness to put her own body between them and the attackers from Weselton had cemented her place in their pantheon of heroes.

Anna somehow managed to overcome her impulse to bury her face in her hands and weep but she couldn't tamp down the anger that roiled inside her. "Damn you, Elsa, how could you do this to me?" If her sister WASN'T dead, Anna would cheerfully strangle her for this.

She stood and waited for the crowd to quiet. "In memory of my sister, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, I decree a mourning period of thirty days. We will immediately begin planning a memorial service so that the kingdom can pay homage to her passing. Thank you all. This court is now adjourned."

She spun on her heel and stalked into the castle. The slam of the castle door rang through the packed courtyard and shook dust down from the portico rafters onto the Royal Council.

Kristoff looked on from the fringes of the crowd where he had taken himself.

"She's mightily pissed, Sven. Mad, and hurting, and grieving, and other feelings I doubt she could identify. I better get in there and see if I can calm her down."

"Yeah, buddy. Anna in a mood is one thing; QUEEN Anna in a mood is a whole 'nother bucket of lutefisk."

Sven was pretty smart, for a reindeer.