Prompt: Arranged Marriage

Princess Anna felt her palm sting. The slap was apparently hard enough to alert even the servants standing at the other end of the hall. They all looked horrified, scandalous even at the audacity of a foreign princess who dared to raise her hand against the reigning monarch. The monarch who she was supposed to marry in less than an hour.

But she wouldn't be Princess Anna of Dunbroch if she wasn't defiant, be it against a demonic dragon or an evil ruler!

Queen Elsa was frozen, stunned into silence as her cheek burned where her fiancee had struck her. She had simply walked over in hopes of introducing herself before their wedding, and maybe getting a few words in with the beautiful girl she had chosen to be her wife. The portrait Queen Elinor had given her in their last meeting certainly didn't do Anna any justice. Everything from the freckled, sun kissed skin to the enchanting ocean of her eyes was so warm and beautiful and alive, an essence that was unable to be fully captured by the stroke of a brush.

Except... the Princess had been unexpectedly vicious right after Elsa said a simple "hi." As the redhead turned around and registered who it was that greeted her, she raised her hand and dished out a blow so strong that it sent Elsa's head snapping to the side and made her neck ache. Before Elsa could finish her sentence, no less!

"You struck me." It seemed the force of the slap had also smacked Elsa's brain right out of her skull. That would be the only explanation for why she couldn't find anything smart to say other than stating the obvious. Cradling her abused left cheek with a gloved hand, she continued to stare at the fiery Princess in dumb wonder.

"Thank you, I didn't realize that. Did people call you 'Queen Obvious' as well, Your Majesty?"

Elsa blushed at the princess' mocking. Her fiancee, it seemed, was one hell of a feisty woman both physically and verbally.

The Queen couldn't help the faint taste of anger settling upon her tongue. Yes, this was an arranged marriage and she should have expected some form of rebellion one way or another. But still, such a reckless move against a reigning monarch was extraordinarily unexpected.

"It seems we have a few things to discuss." Elsa stated softly. She refused to allow her hurt and anger to take control of her. Instead, she put on a carefully blank mask and resorted to intimidating the younger into submission.

Anna looked so beautiful in the elegant bride's gown with her fiery mane bundled into a complicated bun. However, Elsa felt a spark of irritation as her fiancee huffed and turned her back on the Queen in a wordless display of defiance.

The Queen narrowed her eyes. "Why don't we sit in my office for a bit? We'll have a quick chat before the wedding. I'm sure you have questions." The tone she used suggested that the statement was a thinly veiled order rather than a request.

It was hard enough for Anna to swallow her tears as she cradled a hand to her chest, she definitely didn't need the cold stare of her soon-to-be wife burning into her back too. It had been rash of Anna to lash out like that, but she just couldn't hold in her frustration as soon as she was face to face with the Queen for the first time.

It was the result of having overheard the woman's cursory assessment of her...

"She'll be a good enough ornament to have trouncing around the castle, I suppose; all that really matters is that we can force Dunbroch's hand in the situation with Weselton and the Southern Isles. Her father, the king, has too soft a spot for her, and any indication that her life may be… unpleasant, should he not comply with our plans, will get him on our side quicker than negotiations would."

While the arrangement of their marriage meant Anna couldn't keep herself from being a pawn in Elsa's game, it wouldn't stop her from being a particularly uncooperative one. She stepped back when Elsa moved to touch her, her hands clenching into fists. "Don't worry about me," she hissed, "After the wedding, I'll stay out of your way like the pretty little trinket I am."

"'Pretty?' Narcissistic, aren't we?"

The words flew out of Elsa's mouth before she could stop it. It seemed she's still a bit bitter at being slapped out of nowhere. Strange, because Elsa was usually not one for petty revenges like this, and it's not like she didn't understand why the Princess did that. From Anna's words, Elsa could immediately tell she was no fool and already knew her role in this political marriage.

At the hurtful look on Anna's face, Elsa immediately regretted her little snap.

"Wait, I didn't mea-"

"You've made yourself perfectly clear, Your Majesty. I need to get back to the changing room now. If I'm going to be a pawn, I'm going to be a proud and pretty one deserving the name of Great Dunbroch. I am narcissistic like that."

Anna turned on her heels and walked quickly away from the Queen, who could only stand there and look on with an expressionless face, concealing the growing fascination she was feeling inside.

This girl…

It was only after the door to the dressing room was shut that Anna allowed a few stubborn tears to fall. She missed the warmth of her family's castle, filled with life and action compared to this… lifeless slab of stone in the middle of the cold nowhere. She missed her headstrong older sister, who had protested the marriage the second it was brought up, and her mischievous triplet brothers. She missed her mother's gentle smile and her father's overwhelmingly funny, protective presence...

It scared her that she was to be nothing but… a trophy wife, something 'nice' -not pretty, she remembered bitterly- to look at while Elsa forced her family's hand into helping with a war.

A month ago, when her Mother had first informed her that she was to marry the Queen of Arendelle, she had cried for days. She had never met the woman, but the rumors surrounding the ruthless 'Ice Queen' certainly didn't endear herself to the redhead. There was little Dunbroch could do besides submit to Arendelle's demand of an alliance and symbolic marriage, seeing how their economy was too dependent on the icy nation. A refusal might spell starvation to her people.

Merida, her eldest sister, had volunteered to take Anna's place in this arranged marriage. But both of them knew their parents would never agree to such a suggestion, seeing how Merida was the Crown Princess and thus needed to remain in Dunbroch to rule in the future. And even if that was not the case, Anna would never allow her sister to suffer a fate in her stead.

And thus Anna was put on a ship, enduring three weeks journey overseas to reach Arendelle, knowing nothing about her fiancee except for her portrait. She felt like goods, not human.

After sobbing for a while, Anna took a few deep breaths to steady herself, then straightened up and walked towards the basin of water. She needed to freshen up, it was nearly time for the ceremony.

It wouldn't do to get the dress wet... Anna thought as she loosened the confines of her dress and corset, leaving her upper half bare so that she could have the freedom to breathe and not risk damaging the beautiful dress. Taking her hair out of its painfully tight bun, Anna shook it loose and started to brush it, losing herself in the soothing rhythm of her own actions

The portrait of Queen Elsa that her mother gave her depicted a hauntingly beautiful blond woman with icy blue eyes, tall and fair, so dignified in her black and turquoise coronation dress and flowing cape. At least she couldn't complain anything about her fiancee's looks department, Anna absentmindedly recounted. The portrait allowed her to immediately recognize Elsa the moment she turned around at a soft "hi" greeting. The blonde was clad in a formal white dress and purple cape, similar to the design of her coronation outfit. Had Anna not been busy being angry at the Queen, she would have love to admire the dashing figure of the older woman a bit more.

So lost in her own thoughts, Anna never heard the door open behind her, or feel the chill that seemed to permanently follow her visitor as she entered.

Elsa stared at Anna. She hadn't expected to walk in on the girl undressing, it was nearly time for the wedding ceremony after all, but wasn't able to take her eyes off of the hypnotizing view. She just quietly closed the door, watching the half-dressed girl tending to her beautiful strawberry-blond tresses. For a long while, the Queen didn't dare to make a sound.

Eventually...

"You look really beautiful with your hair down."

Startled by the sudden voice, Anna screamed and turned around, crossing her arms to cover her front.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?!" She gave Elsa a death glare. Her cheeks were burning, but she refused to look away.

Elsa shrugged, "I brought you some food. I thought you might be hungry." She held up the tray that contained a bowl of porridge and some chocolate pastries.

"GET OUT!"

"Princess Dunbroch, I… wanted to apologize for my earlier rudeness." Elsa calmly said while setting the food tray down a small table by the window, before looking at Anna's direction again, "That was unbecoming of me as a host and as your future spouse."

"Very moving. Now, out!"

However, Elsa appeared unaffected by Anna's fierceness. "At the same time, I would like to remind you that publicly humiliating me is unacceptable. You shall not raise your hand against the Holy Queen in front of her subjects ever again. It's all in your interest to play along and pretend we have a pleasant marriage."

While speaking, Elsa's eyes didn't miss their chance to caress Anna's exposed smooth skin. The cute freckles lightly sprinkled on it only seemed to make the canvas even more inviting.

Anna, of course, didn't miss the blatant leering. 'Holy Queen' my ass, isn't she just a pervert like a lowly peasant?' But Anna decided to hold her tongue this time. She might have no problem being defiant against an evil ruler, but being half-naked certainly demanded her to be a little bit more thoughtful.

"Eat up," Elsa said after a lengthy pause. Her eyes now had found themselves tracing the delicate swell of the younger girl's breasts where they weren't covered by her crossed arms. "I'll postpone the ceremony by another half an hour. But after that, you'll have to come down and marry me." She watched as Anna shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "I promise I will treat you well and you will want for nothing; you just have to cooperate, smile and pretend to be happy for tonight.

Elsa's persistent ogling was taking its toll on Anna. The Princess was quite tempted to knock that smirk off her betrothed, thoughtfulness be damned. Just when she was contemplating how to bring the Queen the most pain, her stomach decided to alert the occupants of the room with a loud growl.

The redhead flushed in embarrassment, 'Dear God, could this get any more humiliating?'

Elsa was trying to be gracious and covered her mouth to prevent any snort from being audible. But the visible shaking of her entire frame couldn't hide the fact that she was having fun at the expense of her poor fiancee.

Said fiancee finally had enough, and started walking until she's just in front of the Queen, fury-lit eyes inches away from Elsa's. Elsa was never one to back down from a challenge, and besides, she quite liked the view. Her persistent small smirk growing bigger, she even made a point to lower her forehead as if speaking to a petulant child. "Yes?" she husked, unable to stop her eyes from drifting down. Hmm. Those freckles really did go everywh-

WHAM

The blonde's head snapped back from the force of the blow. She gaped at Anna in disbelief, her hand coming up to cradle yet another ruddy cheek, and bloody hell did it feel sore.

"What? You never said I couldn't lay a hand on you in private." snarked the redhead, her right hand still balled into a tight fist.

Definitely feisty.

Elsa scowled at the fact that her soon-to-be bride had gotten the jump on her yet again. The humiliation of allowing such a thing to happen twice within the same hour had certainly done a number on her arousal. Already, the lust was ebbing away.

...For now, at least.

"You would do well to avoid pushing your luck," she nearly snarled, allowing her anger to overtake her, "I will allow your transgressions for today, seeing as you have not yet realized the full gravity of your situation, but you would do well to remember that even my generosity has its limits."

"Generosity," Anna repeated, her voice flat with disbelief. She turned her back on her fiancee-turned-captor, tired of being ogled, and retrieved her clothes to cover herself once again. She steadied her trembling hands with a slow inhale, and closed her eyes. "You really believe that, don't you?" she asked with a humorless chuckle. "You think you're being nice."

"It is not my duty to be nice," Elsa stepped forward, her feminine voice rumbling low in her chest. "Just as it is not required of me to ensure your happiness. That, my dear, is a privilege entirely dependent on your ability to obey."

"Obey." Anna echoed, feeling a pang of resentment in her chest. What was her mother thinking, selling her out to a woman who treated her like this. Like some kind of dog! However as much as Anna wanted to lash out and argue more, she knew that it would be wise of her to shut her mouth now that she had had Elsa's temper riled.

Elsa reached out to touch Anna's bare shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Yes. Obey. You can practice that now by smiling a bi-" When Elsa's hand brushed her skin, Anna's rage boiled over and she spun around and clocked Elsa straight in the nose. Elsa fell flat on her back as her broken nose started to bleed all over her formal dress.

"Don't touch me, you monster!" Anna seethed at her. Elsa sat still for a moment to contemplate her next move, then gracefully stood back up with a horrible smile on her face.

"If a monster is what you think of me, then a monster I will be." And with that Elsa strode over to the half-naked princess and swung her on her shoulder.

The already furious Princess was of course not happy about being manhandled in such a way. She flailed wildly in an attempt to escape the blonde's clutches, kicking and beating her fists against Elsa's back. "Unhand me, you barbarian!" she screamed.

Elsa planted a solid smack to the gorgeous butt positioned so close to her head, her smile transforming fluidly into a devilish smirk when Anna released a very loud shriek and stiffened in her arms. She couldn't see her face, but she imagined the princess's face was a brilliant red.

The Queen marched over to the dresser and tossed her fiancee into the chair.

"Look," growled Elsa as she grabbed Anna's chin to face the mirror. The redhead struggled as much as she could, but with an arm firmly wrapped around her sternum and her chin forcefully grasped in an unyielding hand, Anna was forced to reflect on her miserable plight… literally.

"This is where you are now," continued Elsa, her face as devoid as her voice, smooth and cold.

And it was a sad plight indeed. Anna was only half-naked, but it felt as if her entire soul was laid bare before the whims of this monster to whom she was going to be tied to for the rest of her life.

"And I'll reiterate that as many times as necessary to get it through your pretty head," Elsa continued, a biting chill to her words, "I assure you, I'm certainly starting to question this as well, given the trouble you've caused me thus far."

A tear fell, and Elsa could feel its heat through her gloved hand. Her grip on the Princess loosened, and when their eyes met again when Anna turned around, Elsa suddenly felt the air in her lungs taken away.

Anna's eyes were red, and tears streamed down her warm cheeks. Why did her father agree to this, this, this… cold-hearted Queen?

"Of the five of us, you chose me when nobody asked you to," she whispered. The broken, small voice did its job as Elsa began to feel her anger lessen, giving space to what might have been a slight sense of guilt. But before it could materialize into anything concrete, Elsa felt herself being shoved away and watched the Princess run toward the door.

"I hate you!"

Elsa let out a sigh and covered her face with one hand, feeling the drying blood against the lower half of her face. She iced the bruising area and looked up at herself in the mirror like she had forced Anna to. She certainly… looked like a monster. Face and top bloodied, glacier blue eyes wild, dress and cape wrinkled and askew across her body.

She just wanted Anna to understand that this wasn't a game. It wasn't supposed to be fun nor was she allowed to just get away with her violent actions; justified though they were. Elsa needed the redhead's father's support in this war. And if she had to play a little dirty to force his hand, she would, for the sake of her people.

Even if it meant tying this innocent girl to her for the rest of their lives.

Anna ran wildly through the castle, just trying to get away. As she ran by a drapery, she ripped it off the wall and draped it over her shoulders to cover her immodest state of dress. Because she was still crying, she didn't see the hulking man before she ran right into him. Before she could even apologize, the man had roughly twisted her around, grabbed her in a tight hold, and covered her mouth.

"Ah, now lookie what we have here, a little lost Princess! Prince Hans would be pleased to know that we captured such an important bargaining piece so early in our invasion! Someone priceless to Dunbroch and that Ice Bitch. Now, come quietly or else I will be forced to do something I'll enjoy entirely too much."

Despite the warning she was given, Anna struggled hard, trying desperately to escape the brute's clutches. Her wriggling only prompted the man to crush her more tightly to himself and he locked his arm against her neck in a strong chokehold.

Sensing she wouldn't be able to free herself by force, Anna thought quickly and slipped her eyes closed, making her body go limp in the man's arms to fool him into thinking she had lost consciousness.

"Heh, that was easier than I thought!" Anna heard the man say, "Now...where's the rope…? Wouldn't want her to break free when she wakes u-"

"I believe you have something that belongs to me."

She nearly jolted at the sound of that frosty voice, but managed to keep herself limp to keep up her unconscious facade. Her anger boiled up again at the blonde referring to her as a mere object, but then-

"Or rather...someone."

Huh?

"Are you aware that you are in possession of Princess Anna of Dunbroch?" she heard Elsa continue, voice taking on a loftier tint, "Kidnapping of royalty is punishable by death. So tell me, sir…"

The arms around Anna suddenly jerked at the same time a tinkling sound reached her ears, and something warm splattered onto the fabric of her makeshift robe.

"...are you ready to face Death himself?"

There was no reply.

When Anna blinked her eyes open, she found herself already on the ground. The man she struggled against had collapsed beside her. She looked to the mess she sat beside and her vision cleared immediately and everything just froze.

It was like time stopped, but the blood, it just.. it just kept flowing. A pool of red spread underneath the man, and almost touched her shoes. Anna could only find it in herself to inch back. She could feel her entire body trembling at the sight. The man just laid there on the ground. He just laid there.

Not a word was said, not a groan was made, just.. nothing.

Nothing but the multiple thin sharp piece of ice shards that in a matter of seconds disappeared into - again, nothing.

She turned her head and looked at Elsa, who had a hand reaching out to her. Elsa's face remained calm and collect as she asked, "Are you alright, Anna?"

Anna took her hand shakily, her own arm trembling as if deciding whether or not to pull away from this woman who had just killed a man as easily as Anna discarded a pair of worn riding gloves. Quickly, thoughtlessly, with no remorse because that's just what happens. Except Elsa didn't just throw away some tattered leather, she had ruthlessly snuffed out a man's life without a moment's hesitation, and for what? For her?

Once she was sure that Anna had regained some bearing, Elsa quickly let go. She was too familiar with that look of shocked horror, though she couldn't tell why her fiancee wearing that expression makes her feel displeased.

"Do you think so lowly of human life? Do people mean anything to you at all?!"

The Queen blinked. "Ah. So that's what you were so concerned about?"

In hindsight, that was perhaps not the wisest thing to say, especially when one's fiancee is standing right next to a pool of blood.

"Concerned?!" That, to Anna, was probably the biggest understatement of the year. "I'm freaking the hell out! You just killed somebody, Elsa! Do you not have a heart? Or is it frozen by your powers?"

Elsa turned around and walked. But when she realized Anna just stood there, lost and confused, she stopped.

"Well? Are you going to answer me?!"

"Do you value your life at all?" Came the soft voice.

"Huh?" Anna could feel her anger seeping away, only to be replaced by more confusion.

"I said, do you value your own life, Anna. This is not a game. We're about to go to war, do you understand me? They were about to kidnap you. Do you know what they could've done to you? They could've beaten you, sold you, tortured you… done- done dirty things to you." Elsa turned around, and the look in her eyes shook Anna to her very core. She felt she almost couldn't move or say a word at all. Elsa clenched her gloved fists and looked at the pitiful body below. "This… this isn't a game, Anna. People are going to get hurt, they're going to die. And I'm not about to let you become one of them. I promised your father I would protect you, and even though we aren't married yet, I swear to the heavens, with everything that I have, I will."

It stunned Anna when she saw them. The tiniest glint of tears in her fiancee's eyes as she turned to glare at the redhead. "You think me cruel, Anna, for forcing this onto you but I am just... trying to protect my people. Your kingdom is known for having some of the strongest warriors on your side of the country and I need that to keep Arendelle safe from our enemies. My ice, powerful as it is... it's unpredictable. I have just as much a chance of damaging my own fleets and soldiers as I do of damaging theirs and I can't afford to let that happen."

"Marrying you gives my people a slew of powerful allies that could help me defeat them with as little risk as possible. Please try to understand where I am coming from Anna. The Southern Isles and Weselton have been relentless and I can't afford to prolong this war anymore. Like it or not, my enemies are now your enemies. I promise to do everything in my power to keep you safe, I promise to...to at least try to be the kind of wife that you deserve but you have to at least cooperate with me! You have to play the role I ask you to play with little fuss, you can't argue with me, and you certainly can't go about slapping me anymore!"

SLAP!

Elsa's head jerked to the side after her face was abused for the umpteenth time that day.

"Y-You struck me, right after I asked you not to?!"

"That was for not explaining a damn word to me this whole time!"

Elsa stuttered for a bit, clearly speechless at the girl's words.

"You slapped me when I was greeting you earlier!" Disbelief written all over her face, Elsa cradled her left cheek and took a few steps backwards, ensuring a safe distance from the ferocious girl. What girl? That's a lion!

"That's how Dunbroch women keep their spouse in line," the Princess said triumphantly. "This is the fate you've chosen. You've only got yourself to blame."

It seemed Elsa's sincere confession earlier had done its job, as all traces of distress vanished from Anna's eyes and were replaced with a glimpse of understanding. An impish smirk started to grace the redhead's pretty pink lips. Maybe she wasn't marrying a monster after all. Cold and exact, yes, but not cruel for selfish reasons.

Watching the Queen rubbing her cheek and looking scared and at a loss of what to do, Anna couldn't help but bite her lower lip to hold back a snicker. She doesn't look like a lost puppy at all, nope, especially not after she just killed someone without batting an eye.

Elsa wasn't exactly sure how or why, but despite her anger, she felt helplessly turned on by Anna's confident smirk. And that lip biting… Oh Skadi!

Anna gave Elsa's attire a brief once over with her eyes. The white dress was as dashing as ever, but the top was slightly ruined by the small blood stain from the blonde's earlier injured nose. Anna felt a stab of guilt and winced at the sight of it, knowing she was the one who caused it. She turned around on her heels, the drapery that were used to cover her upper body flared around magnificently with her movement. "Don't we have a wedding to attend? Get yourself ready. I don't want to marry someone in a bloody dress," She said before walking back to the changing room in now-confident strides.

The Holy Queen stared at her fiancee's dignified retreat, bewildered by the abrupt change of general attitude towards her and began to seriously wonder what exactly she had gotten herself into.

A/N:

A word on the title: The Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway (the country which Arendelle was based on) of 1814 states in article 5 that the monarch's person is holy and that they may not be blamed or accused. Hence Elsa is considered a Holy Queen in the legal code even if she didn't have her god-like power. Although her behavior around Anna was anything but holy, and Anna according didn't treat her like one ;)

Participants in this chapter were Liamgrbd, WolfyPuppy7, Nojamhere, the-wandering-quill, Mad-Frozen, Nopantsparade, Squaresrcool, Elsanna-has-ruined-me, CanITellUSmThin. Thank you everyone.