I just can't help it. I keep seeing Helsa as Benedick and Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing, and so I decided to write this thing... it's based on the play by Shakespeare, but it's not an AU. Just Elsa and Hans reading together. I hope you'll like it.
Elsa ran her slender fingers over the elegant covers of the books that were at their rightful places in the bookshelves. She loved the library and that sort of catharsis given by the mystical sensation of words filling the air in that same room; everything in there distracted her from her Queenly life full of rushing, and meetings, and annoying conversations that often led to nothing at all.
She had always been the quiet type, the mysterious type, a delicate snowflake that if taken in the wrong way on the palm of the hand, it would've shattered or melted, leaving nothing but disappointment in the eyes of who had been its holder.
And so she enjoyed her loneliness in the most decent way, wasting hours and hours in the library to look for the journey of her life that she would've made without even moving an inch.
That day, she was particularly interested in something entertaining yet deep, more precisely a book she had never opened before and that had awoken her curiosity after having heard Anna talking about it with her. Elsa's little sister had never been a bookworm, but she surely knew her sister better than anyone else.
So there she was, Elsa, the Queen of Arendelle, frenetically searching for the book her sister had suggested her.
"Shakespeare... yes! There it is!" Elsa exclaimed, bending down to look in the right shelf, but her expression changed when she didn't find the right book, "No. Not that one. Tragedy isn't what I'm looking for"
Her fingers wandered, waiting to touch the title on the right cover. When she finally reached it, her eyes widened and a triumphant smile formed on her red lips.
She stood up, brushing the dust off her dress with a hand and holding the book with the other. On the cover there was written in gold letters the intriguing title:
'Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare'
Elsa opened the book, skipping the introduction. She was rather interested in the story, but she couldn't possibly waste time on explainations of the scenes. She quickly turned page after page until she found the list of the people in the play. Such unusual names, such bizarre roles, in the eye of a young Norwegian Queen...
She started reading.
Hours passed, she didn't actually count how many, too lost in the book to even sit down, and a small tear threatened to fall from her eyes when she read of the awful words Count Claudio had said to poor Hero at their wedding. The unlucky maiden had fainted, Elsa could easily imagine what tragic image of sorrow Hero was, in her wonderful white dress with eyes closed and on her face the paleness of death.
Now the only two people left in the scene were the Lady Beatrice and Signor Benedick, undoubtedly the main characters of the play, both tricked by their friends and families into falling in love, the one with the other.
"I do love nothing in the world so well as you!" a voice from behind Elsa exclaimed, making her jump in surprise. She immediately turned, only to find Prince Hans of the Southern Isles standing on the thresold of the library, his hands probably clasped behind his back and his chin up, as always.
"I beg your pardon?" Elsa asked, rather confused.
"Oh, nothing... just, you see... quoting the book you were reading" Hans immediately replied, avoiding to blush in front of the Queen of Arendelle, who actually happened to be very attractive.
Elsa's lips curved into a small smile. "You know Shakespeare's works?"
"I do indeed" Hans dared stepping inside the room, "This play in particular is probably my personal favorite"
Since he didn't seem to be interested in being his usual arrogant self that day, Elsa decided to let herself have company in her most favorite room of the castle. She asked Hans what was his favorite scene, his favorite character, who he disliked the most among the characters, if he had ever seen the play in person. And in the end, Elsa listened to Hans telling her how the story continued and finished instead of reading it herself.
"It's quite laughable how your favorite character is Benedick and mine is Beatrice, don't you agree?" Elsa asked after he stopped telling her the story.
"I wouldn't say laughable, more like a sign" Hans smirked.
"Don't play games with me, Prince Hans, we were having such a pleasant conversation and you actually desire to ruin it?" her eyebrow was raised, annoyance in her voice.
"I am terribly sorry, My Queen" his smirk quickly disappeared.
"You said your favorite scene is the one you actually stopped me from reading when you arrived. Is there any connection between your likings and your actions?"
"I am sorry to disappoint you. Though if you want to continue reading, I can leave you alone"
"On the contrary, Prince Hans. I'd be glad to hear you reading that part for me" Elsa smiled.
"Your Majesty... are you sure?" Hans asked, puzzled, when Elsa handed him the book.
"Call me Elsa" she corrected him, "And yes, I'm sure. It's not like a book has ever done anything bad, right?"
"Books are bad when used to beat someone on the head, in all other situations they're perfectly harmless" he joked, "And you're allowed to call me Hans"
Hans stood up from the armchair he had been sitting on, holding the book in front of him and taking a deep breath before speaking. But he could feel that what he was going to do wasn't completely right. He couldn't act as Benedick without a Beatrice.
"What is it?" Elsa asked, confused.
"I cannot be Benedick and Beatrice at the same time" Hans explained, "You'll be Beatrice"
Elsa froze, her shy self starting to emerge. She made a huge effort not to fill the room with snowflakes when the redheaded Prince went closer to her and held the book in front of her so she could read with him.
"I do love nothing in the world so well as you!" Hans started, glancing at Elsa with the corner of his eye, "Is not that strange?"
Elsa cleared her throat, "As strange as the thing I know not. It were as possible for me to say I loved nothing so well as you!", she felt so weird saying those things to the man who had tried to kill her, "But believe me not, and yet I lie not. I confess nothing, nor I deny nothing; I am sorry for my cousin."
"By my sword, Beatrice, thou lovest me"
"Do not swear by it and eat it"
"I will swear by it that you love me, and I will make him eat it that says I love not you."
"Will you not eat your word?"
"With no sauce that can be devised to it" Hans tried really hard not to chuckle when he said that, "I protest I love thee"
"Why then, God forgive me!"
"What offence, sweet Beatrice?"
"You have stayed me in a happy hour. I was about to protest I loved you"
"And do it with all thy heart!" Hans exclaimed, wishing maybe a little too much that this whole thing wasn't just acting.
"I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest!"
"Come, bid me do anything for thee" Hans smiled at Elsa, waiting for her to read her next line. She actually never did.
"Ki-ss me..?" Elsa asked; she was starting to lose herself into his gorgeous green eyes and she couldn't think clearly anymore. She was starting to see the real Hans, the one she had never really cared about, the one he had been fighting against all his life, the one that had always been hated by everyone in his family. But that was the one she could learn to love.
"T-that isn't what Beatrice is supposed to say..." Hans stammered, her lips quickly getting closer to his own.
"This is very weird for both of us, I think you understood it already... I truly don't know why I'm doing this, but it feels so right and-"
Hans cupped Elsa's face with both his hands, "Peace, I will stop your mouth"
His lips literally glued to hers, making her gasp. She searched with her eyes closed for his tie to hold on to it, and when his mouth started moving on hers, her arms wrapped around his neck. Their kiss remarkably deepened, both moaning in pleasure as they lost themselves into each other, never wanting to let go.
And under Elsa's icy heels, the floor started freezing. Hans was forced to break apart to balance himself on the improvised skating rink, but he fell backwards on the armchair, taking Elsa with him.
And so they found themselves half on the armchair and half on the floor; they started laughing, since there was actually nothing else they could do in that moment. Elsa's head leaned on Hans' warm chest, and when they stopped laughing, they just stayed in that same position only to whisper sweet nonsense to each other.