By Erickson, reporter for The AG
Her Majesty has submitted a demand to the Great Assembly, Arendelle’s parliament, for an urgent inquiry into possible military assets held by Countess Viola Mundilfari, leader of the Mundilfari clan and owner of the Snow Herald newspaper.
In an interview with The Sunday Guardian, The Arendelle Guardian’s weekend edition, Anna expressed her horror at how a private citizen, no matter their social status or hereditary noble title, possessed enough resources to construct Muspelheim, a highly advanced, modern battleship whose firepower surpassed the entire Arendellian navy’s.
“Why was a terrifying ship of war built without the knowledge of my government or military, with entire regions of land operating as the Countess’s private fiefs separate from my authority? Parliament should demand answers,” Anna told the paper. “How was the countess able to commission Muspelheim with no reports or resistance from our navy? Clearly, her secret assets surpass even my inner court’s greatest fears.”
Anna also expressed her amazement at the ease with which the aristocrat was able to amass what was effectively a private army to match General Mattias’ armed forces at the Battle of the Fjord.
“I know that my forebears bestowed on Vampire Vi’s ancestors the right to form their own knightly order. And it’s also true that the members of the Order of the Rune that we fought on board Muspelheim were older veterans wearing out of date armour. But at this rate, there’s little stopping Vi from reforming the Runic Knights into a truly frightening challenge to the state’s right to self-defence.”
The queen broke her silence several weeks after Viola attempted to force Anna to accept Muspelheim as a tool with which to attack Northuldra and other countries. Anna led a small contingent of soldiers on board the warship to stop Viola, leading to what journalists are calling the Battle of the Fjord, which ended with Elsa’s intervention and the confiscation of Muspelheim.
Despite the countess’s setback, she continues to operate freely and with impunity in Arendellian politics due to deep-rooted, institutional influence. “With all her resources, she effectively owns an extraterritorial domain within my kingdom,” Anna told our paper. “And while we don’t seize the assets of private citizens, serious questions need to be asked about whether some of Vi’s interests run counter to the very functioning of Arendelle as a nation.”
The Snow Herald quickly responded with a barrage of attacks on the palace. It pinned the blame for the armed conflict between Anna and Viola on Arendelle’s parliament for not voting through Viola’s bill, which would have legalised a ground invasion of the enchanted forest: the Mundilfari family’s centuries-old goal.
The Arendelle Guardian 
I applaud this move, we need to know more than what Viola has told us. As they say, there is more than meets the eye. Obviously Viola is hiding things, and for the better, we need to know what.
Alan
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Thanks, Sir Alan. I don’t propose this lightly; Vi can own whatever she wants lawfully. But here’s the thing. A massive iron warship isn’t something anyone beyond our navy has the right to possess, let alone a private army that can run parallel to our armed forces! If Vi has amassed such power up to this point already, what’s she hiding that helped her to do so? Sorry, but I think the Crown has the right to investigate. It’s my responsibility as custodian of my people and the kingdom’s citizens.
Love,
Anna
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You’re damn right. Queen Anna, we do have a right to know and we should know. Viola is definitely hiding things, and we need to know.
Should be interesting.
Alan
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There’s a lot going on here.
There’s the act of treason itself
There is – as the Queen has pointed out – the legality of owning a vessel of such magnitude.
There are questions of income, transparency and taxes (evasion?)
All of that come in addition to the political concerns that the Snow Herald premises as prompting such unprecedented and unjustified aggression.
Even measuring the response against the “provocation”, said response would be entirely disproportionate even IF the goodly Parliamentarians were not suggesting that Anna slaugher her own subjects.
Frankly, if the Snow Herald wishes to position itself as a proper and reasonable voice of opposition, it cannot afford to be so obviously short sighted and biased.
Just an outsider’s opinion.
N.a.A.
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Hello Master Nahir,
I’m in complete agreement. If we had known the extent and reach of Vi’s power, any responsible king or queen would have waged a war against Keep Mundilfari long ago. It’s positively feudal, like a baronial warlord holding a puppet monarch to ransom. I won’t let our Crown be in that position.
It’s all the more frustrating that I’m conflicted about how to deal with Vi personally. She can afford to be so brutally, almost counterproductively honest because she knows her leverage. Anything I can do to counter her must be surgical, careful. It’s almost like she’s taunting me. Grr, she frustrates me so much!
Love,
Anna
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