II.
I gasped awake late the next morning, covered from head to toe in sweat. I sat panting in my bed for a couple minutes while I tried to recall the events of last night. I'm married now, to Princess Elsa of Arendelle. And she either likes me, or…
Joakim knocked on the door. Broken from thought, I asked who it was, even though I knew. Apparently he knew that I knew, and before I knew it he was by my bed.
"Hey, c'mon, sleepyhead," He smiled caringly. "You have a wife to treat to breakfast."
My head cleared up and a smile grew on my face to match his. He was right, what did I have to be worried about? I didn't feel sick in my sweat, just a little warm, but nothing a good shower couldn't fix. Besides, a little food was probably all I needed to make what happened last night make more sense.
I took a quick, hot, refreshing shower in the bathhouse and changed into better clothes before heading down to the dining hall for what I felt was going to have to be a lunch, seeing as it was only a quarter to noon. On my way there, I happened to cross the corridor leading to the rooms in which the guests from Arendelle were staying.
"Are you ready yet? Lunch is starting pretty soon!" I heard a voice say. I assumed it was that of Elsa's sister. I looked around the corner to see her in front of a room door.
"I already told you Anna, I'm not coming. I can't, and you know I can't. I could barely make it through the ceremony yesterday."
"But Elsaaaaaa," Anna pleaded, "You need to come out now, it's not just me anymore!"
"Listen Anna, if I can't come out for my own sister, then what makes you think I even want to come out for a complete stranger that I just met yesterday? Tell everyone that I'm not coming."
Frustrated, Anna turned away from the door, inadvertently spotting me in the process. "Prince Erik! Hey, Prince Erik! Over here!"
I wanted to walk on to the dining hall and pretend not to hear her, but it was too late. "Yes?"
"Come here and talk to Elsa, she's really being stubborn this time. Not to say that she's a stubborn person, she's perfect! For you… and…" Anna blushed uncomfortably. "Just get her to come to lunch, okay?" With that, she walked away, leaving me alone with my wife.
"Elsa?" I spoke softly, not wanting to disturb her as much as her sister had.
"Who is it?"
I paused long enough to make my answer sound strange. "Erik. Prince Erik of Fordane. Your husband."
The temperature dropped a bit, and a puff of wind blew out from under the door. "What about it?"
"We should probably go and eat our first meal together. Get to know each other. You know, we might just be spending quite a while with each other. We – I was hoping you would come with me to the dining hall, and we could have something to eat. If you're ready." Proud of my speech, I waited for a reply.
"Well, I'm not ready."
"When will you be ready? All of Fordane is waiting for you." This wasn't going as well as I'd hoped, and I was getting confused.
"Never. I don't expect you to understand, but I have to stay in here, and when we go home to Arendelle, in my room. For your safety, and for the safety of the people of Arendelle and Fordane." She choked a bit on her words at the end.
By now I was terribly baffled, but I didn't want to make her feel any worse than she sounded. "What if I came in? Then you won't have to leave the room. Besides, someone has to bring you food, don't they?"
"My parents will take care-" Elsa froze mid sentence. A tense pause later, she resumed, "of it. They always do. But if you… No, my parents will take care of it."
I still had no idea what Elsa was talking about, and it was beginning to get to me. I could feel my face getting red, my hands starting to sweat, and my feet getting warm. I wanted to tell her to give me a straight answer immediately, but I held myself back. "Well, I'm sure your parents can take care of you just fine. I still want to meet you, though. Just let me know when you're ready."
And with that I left, to have lunch in the same way that I always had, spare a few guests from Arendelle.
