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Liabilities - ON HIATUS

Summary:

It's hard being Anna. A high-spirited princess who prefers the company of women, betrothed to a deeply unpleasant prince, lonely and constrained by duty and the good of her people.

It's hard being Elsa in a world where any kind of magic is ruthlessly hunted and exploited, now a prisoner of Arendelle with an uncertain fate.

The convergence of their paths will change not only their lives and Arendelle forever, but it may be their only hope to survive the challenges ahead.

Notes:

Hi everyone and welcome to my first fanfic!

This was originally going to be a short and fun fic, but being me, I ended up taking it way too seriousy and doing a bunch of social, political and magical worldbuilding and doing a bunch of research on the lives of noble women in the early 1800s (fascinating stuff, by the way) so now it's a whole thing...anyway, if you notice a bit of a tone change in early chapters, that's why!

This story does get quite dark in places but I always use content warnings and I believe I've covered all my difficult topics in a fairly sensitive and balanced way. But please do read with care <3

The ending is planned out and I hope to keep this story a reasonable length, so until we get there, thanks for joining me along the way!

Chapter 1: Clandestine

Chapter Text

Princess Anna pushed the food around her plate, looking up only briefly now and then to pout at her parents. The Queen shot her a sympathetic smile, having been displeased about her own arranged marriage twenty years ago. But royalty is duty, she would say, and duty means doing what is best for the kingdom, and learning to be happy with that.

Her father was less forgiving about her sullen attitude. After all, he'd spoilt his little girl. Given in to her unorthodox whims, refrained from punishing her when she'd torn her dresses climbing trees and clamouring through the forest in search of fairies or dragons, knocking over priceless artifacts in the castle and stealing chocolates from the kitchen. He'd even allowed her to take lessons in swordcraft. But his patience was not infinite. Anna was no longer a child, and no longer would her bombastic and foolish adventures be tolerated.

The king was no longer a young man. Silver lined his once blonde locks and he walked with the lumbering weariness of a man who had seen too many battles, and even more petty disputes among bored nobles. One day, perhaps sooner than anyone might hope, for fate is unpredictable and often cruel, his daughter and only heir would have to shoulder the staggering responsibility of a monarch. Getting married was definitely not the most difficult thing she would face.

'It's not so bad, dear,' Iduna said softly, knowing full well that from the perspective of a spoilt eighteen-year-old girl who had suffered little adversity in her short and privileged life, it was definitely so bad. 'Hans is a lovely young man. I'm sure, once you give him a chance, you'll come to be very fond of each other.'

'I hate him.'

'You barely know him, Anna.'

'I know that he's a man.' Anna wasn't fond of beating around the bush. She may be forced into this but she was absolutely not going to pretend that it might turn out to be a happily ever after.

'You used to dream of marrying a dashing prince, when you were little. Those were always your favourite stories.'

Anna chewed as slowly and grumpily as she could on her roast lamb. How could she explain this to them? Was there any point in trying, again? Aside from the fact that Hans' "dashing" exterior was a ruse he only barely bothered to uphold in order to hide his arrogant callousness, Anna had tasted the real thing, and now she didn't want to give it up. 'Well I'm not a little child anymore! That was before I'd actually met any boys, you know, in real life. Danced with them, smelled them, realised how underwhelming it is when the thrill of being wanted wears off, realised what I really want-'

'Do you realise how lucky you are?' Her father laid down his utensils and spoke with sharp edges, an uncharacteristic hollowness cutting through his voice. 'Do you realise what might have happened to you, to our House, had we not endured the headache of covering up your reckless, perverted escapades?'

Perverted was a little harsh. All she had done was kiss a servant girl. They hadn't even taken their clothes off. Though, Anna had spent many nights in bed, imagining what might have transpired if they hadn't been caught canoodling in the wine cellar. Oh, Astrid. What would become of her? Where was she now? Hopefully safe and well, with a new job that would support her ageing parents through the coming winter. Anna swallowed down the guilty taste.

'As heir to the throne, there will be many things you will want in life, that you cannot have,' her father continued, 'it is the price we all pay. I will hear no more of your sacrilegious desires. You are marrying Prince Hans. That is the end of it.'

A childlike part of her wanted to scream fine! Or whatever! Or even, I hate you! But it was true, Anna was no longer a child, and there was no point putting up a fight. She pushed her plate, still mostly full, away from her and stomped out the door, down to her bedchamber, to dream of Astrid the servant girl with her dewy skin and long, fluttering eyelashes. Dreams that were invaded by images of the leering grin and insufferable sideburns of that cursed prince who would soon be invading her life and her bed as well.

II

The sound of shouting was muffled through the thick, polished wooden door. Her parents, General Hardier, and a couple of advisers. Her mother's words were indecipherable but the sympathetic tone, pleading for kindness and understanding was unmistakable. Anna could only make out a few words and phrases. Something about a weapon. Unimaginable. Eternal Winter. Vanquish. Political implications. Liabilities. The curiosity burned within her, insatiable, frustrating, needing to know more. But the voices were rapidly hushing. Listening. They were listening to her mother. Anna turned her head and tried the other ear against the door, hoping to catch hold of what it is her mother was saying that had silenced the men for a good few minutes. She pushed her eye against the keyhole, hoping to piece together something from the facial expressions of the council meeting, but all she could see was a sliver of a bookshelf.

Chairs scraped against the ground. Feet stomped and shuffled. The meeting was over. Anna sprinted down the waxed wooden floor and slipped into the first door she came to, finding herself in one of her old tutoring rooms. How many hours had she spent in here, zoning out while the Mistress had droned on about legal precedent and intercultural disputes within the greater Arendelle regions. She had most often slumped against her desk, gazing out this same window and the golden tinged forest below, wishing to be out there in the sunshine, running wild amongst the trees and creeks and toadstools. Perhaps if she'd paid more attention, she might have a single clue what on earth the council had been arguing about, that was so top secret that not even she, heir in training, was privy to hear about it. Whatever it was, it sounded rather exciting.

III

The wine was bitter on Anna's tongue, but she swallowed it down and gave her shoulders a little shake to ward off the nerves. She was ready for this. She was born ready! She had learnt this move from Astrid, years ago, but never had to use it herself before. Bluffing was simple enough, in theory. Guards, apparently, did it all the time during interrogations. Pretend you already know about the crime, and the assailant will confess everything, hoping that their honesty would grant them a lesser punishment. The only problem was, she was not a guard, and had no power to punish her parents. The only leverage she had was her big blabbermouth. That had been toned down in recent years, but it must still have been considered a threat if they'd kept this secret from her, given she was almost always included, even if only shadowing, in council meetings and affairs management in recent years.

There was a marked pause after she knocked on the door to her father's study, but soon she was invited in to the sight of her parents, tense shoulders and hard, serious faces, sitting together by the heavy hardwood desk.

'What is it?' her father asked.

Anna pretended not to notice the irritation in his voice, keeping an air of artificial cheer, and asked, 'Well, what's the plan?'

Her mother cocked her head, not speaking yet. Her father rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and asked, more irritated, 'What are you talking about, Anna? We have pressing matters to deal with at the moment.'

'I know.' Anna's legs began to weaken a little. Astrid had made this look so easy. 'That's why I'm asking what the plan is…Eternal winter? Political implications?'

Her father's back straightened immediately and his eyes locked straight onto hers, 'How much did you hear?'

Anna paused a moment. This was a critical decision. To lie and risk getting caught? Or to be truthful, and risk getting shut out? Lie. Definitely lie. 'Pretty much all of it.'

Wait, no. If she'd heard all of it, she'd know what the plan was. She promptly corrected herself, 'Except the quiet part at the end. It left me quite concerned, Daddy.'

She hadn't played the 'daddy' card in years. Was she really doing this? Was it really working? The silence hung heavy in the room. Her parents shared a glance, then looked back to their quite concerned, and only slightly tipsy daughter.

Agnarr sighed, placed his quill down on the desk and spoke slowly, 'The creature is disarmed for the time being, though magical containment devices are…not known for their consistency.'

Whoa, he was going too fast. Anna had not expected this to work so well. Her stomach dropped at the mention of "the creature", and she was trying to imagine what kind of creature had come across their paths, and how, and why, and he was already talking about the consistency of "magical containment devices". All the questions she wanted to ask would reveal her bluff. Questions like, what is the creature? Where is the creature now? And what kind of magic?

She decided on a non-revealing, 'Right. So…'

'As I suppose you heard, General Hardier is not alone in suggesting we utilise the creature. As a weapon, so to speak.'

A pained look crossed Iduna's face. She had never been fond of war, and Anna was inclined to share her sentiment. 'But father…the regions are at peace. Arendelle isn't under any threat.'

'Yes, Anna, but these men are trained to see potential conflicts behind every tree and under every rock. Peace is ideal, but precarious at the best of times.'

'Are you…are you suggesting…' She had no idea what he was potentially suggesting. Scraps and clues. If she could keep pretending, the pieces would come together.

'Well, I made my position clear.'

'Oh, Agnarr, you can't!' Idunna finally spoke up.

'My dear, you have a kind heart, and that's why I love you-'

'And that's why I cannot stand by and allow such cruelty.'

'It wouldn't be cruelty. It would be quick. Painless. Before word gets out. Before she runs away and gets captured again by far more power-hungry rulers. Death is its own kind of kindness, for those who do not belong, who will never find a place in this world.'

Oh, so the creature was a "she"? How could they tell? And why didn't she belong in this world? Surely any creature born into this world belonged in this world belonged in this world…unless she came from another world. Perhaps it was some sort of shadow creature. Or half-wolf, half-bird hybrid. That actually sounded cute. Maybe the creature was fluffy. Maybe Anna could ride it. She'd always wanted a pet griffin.

'Murder is never a kindness, Agnarr,' Idunna continued, 'She's innocent. She wants to live. Couldn't we just…release her somewhere, into the wild.'

'You have far too much faith in the kindness of kings. The rumours have spread all across Europe. Make no mistake. She will be found, and she will be exploited. And then you will see how precarious peace can be.'

'And when they come for us, she will remember out kindness and spare us.'

'Perhaps.'

Agnarr stared off into space, evidently more conflicted about this creature than his words indicated. Anna stood, no longer expectant or excited, but now genuinely concerned. Her first question was no longer a ruse. What was the plan?

'What do you think, Anna?' Her mother's soft words took a moment to reach Anna, her head still swirling with images of this hybrid shadow creature, begging for her life, running wild in the forest, or mounted through battlegrounds by bloodthirsty kings keen to conquer and expand.

'I…' What did she think? Nothing in her tutoring had prepared her for this kind of dilemma. Magical creatures were so rare, often killed for their parts and sold on the black market as soon as they were captured. 'May I see…the creature.'

'Don't you think that might cloud your objectivity?' Agnarr asked.

Aha. So it was cute and fluffy. That's why he was trying to hide it from her.

'No,' Anna said, 'How can I make an objective assessment if I haven't seen the evidence for myself?'

Agnarr sighed, 'Anna, darling, you don't need to worry yourself about this.' He clearly didn't want her to see the creature. But why? That just made her want to see it – her – all the more.

'But I am worried about it now,' perhaps the frightened child avenue would work, 'what if…what if it comes to get me in the night?'

Her parents both let out a little chuckle at that, looking at each other like she'd just said something stupid and adorable. Cute and fluffy. No doubt.

'She won't,' Iduna insisted.

'How do you know? Please, can't I see her?'

Iduna was saying something to her husband with her eyes, something Anna couldn't decipher. Judging by the perplexed look he shot back, neither could he. She tried again with the beckoning eyes, whispering something inaudible apart from the last few words, 'to speak.'

Agnarr looked at Anna, then back to his wife. She knew that look. He was about to break. About to give in and give her what she wanted. Just another little, 'Please?'

'You take her,' he said. 'I think it's about time I gave my attention to other matters.'

It worked. It really worked. Anna silently thanked Astrid for the bluff technique and tried to look duly concerned, rather than childishly excited, as she exited the study with her mother.