Seducing a Queen
By: Itachi Black
Chapter 2
ELSA Magnus reached her age of twenty-five and she was a successful queen for the past four years. She had no personal issue with her age, but it was not a comfortable age to be because she was not married and never had been. She had been betrothed once upon a time- or, to be more accurate, she had had a secret understanding with a man who would have married her immediately, if she had not taken on a responsibility of holding together her only living family member, her only younger sister, Anna. After their father's and mother's deaths until they were all grown up and could take care of themselves. She also had the additional responsibility to sovereign her kingdom once she had been coronated as Queen Elsa.
Prince Hans Westergard, youngest prince of the Southern Isles- one of Norway's closest neighbour from the South, had set his heart upon purchasing a military commission and taking Elsa with him as his wife to follow the drum. She would not give up her duty, though, and he would not give up his dream, so he had gone off to war without her, promising to return for her when she was free.
She had naively trusted his words as they had been very deeply in love and they had been close childhood friends once upon a time, long ago when her predecessors were alive and well.
Before that time came, though, he had married a Spanish lady while he was bravely fighting in Spain with his regiment in the Peninsular Wars against the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte. Elsa had fought quietly for several years henceforth to put back the pieces of her heart and find some new meaning in life. Her small family was not enough, she had discovered, much as she loved her dearest sister. Besides, her little sister no longer needed her. Anna was now happily married to Kristoff despite of the social controversy as they were blissful love matches. Kristoff, who was now twenty-six years old, had inherited a title as the husband of Princess Anna- Archduke of Arendelle and he had grown humbly into his new role as an aristocrat in possession of several properties and a fairly large fortune. He was handsome and very good-natured which made him favourable to other gentleman and popular with the other ladies. It made not only her proud, but also his beautiful wife.
She continued to love Anna and dote upon her new brother-in-law, but it wouldn't be far too off in the future that they would bear children. It would be a wonderful event as she would have either nephews or nieces. Raising Anna, she loved children very much. However, it did weigh down upon her, she was aging and wasn't betrothed while the Princess of Arendelle was married and most likely going to start a big family of her own. As the Queen, she was expected by the nation to give birth to a future prince or princess of Arendelle who would one day take over her throne. She had the responsibility to do so and she wanted to do it as well.
Elsa had counted her years and knew that she was expected to marry and bear children soon, long before time had escaped her. There was also the fact, that if she didn't get married, her sister- who never once considered ruling a country or learned how to govern one, would be asked to take charge because she was a married woman. Then every responsibility would be drawn to innocent, care-free Anna. It was a prospect that filled her with dread- and it was one of the things that had led her to the decision she had made over the winter.
She was going to marry.
There were other reasons. The arrival of her twenty-fifth birthday had been a dreaded milestone in her life. No one could even pretend now that she was a youthful, naïve lady. No, she passed that age the moment she was made queen and her age was soon closing onto the age, thirty. Her chances of marrying would grow slimmer with every passing year. So would her chances of being a mother.
She wanted to marry. And she definitely wanted to have children. She had always wanted both, but all her youth had been devoted to the upbringing of her sister and learning how to take position as the Head of the Country, and all her youthful ardor had been expended upon Prince Hans. He had been her first, and only, love.
For the sake of fulfilling her hopes of marriage, she had agreed to partake in a ball held in Switzerland where one of their Royal Family had invited a ton of aristocrats and royal members throughout Europe. It would be rude of her to simply reject their kind invitation and in a sense, it was her duty to participate in diplomatic journeys while the Archduke of Arendelle and Princess of Arendelle monitored the country. They would also send reports on the welfare and any changes- which would not be difficult because Switzerland was located directly above of Norway- her homeland.
Unfortunately, it was too late of her to learn that Prince Hans had also accepted the invitation with his parents. He was back in Bern, of all places, as a widower. As she learned that they were currently at Rindhound Park near Alderton, along with Prince Hans' young daughter. And Queen Westergard, who had never known of the secret understanding between Elsa and her youngest son, had written to Elsa with the news, and gone to say that Hans had asked her about her and her marital status. Queen Westergard had reminded Elsa of how exceedingly fond of each other they had been as children. Perhaps, she had suggested in her letter, Elsa would consider coming to stay at Rindhound Park near Alderton for a while. Perhaps the two former childhood friends would discover deeper feelings for each other now that they were both grown up and free of other obligations. Hans, she added, very much hoped Elsa would accept the extended invitation.
The letter had upset and wounded Elsa. She was very fond of Queen Westergard, who had been her deceased mother's close friend, and she had nothing against the queen for she was unfailingly good-natured. But the lady did have a tendency to embellish the stories she told.
Had Hans really asked about her? And her marital status?
Had he really expressed a hope that she would come to Rindhound Park?
Did he really expect to rekindle the feelings they had shared in the past?
Because his wife was now dead?
Because he had a daughter to raise and needed a mother for the girl?
Dear God, she hoped the story was embellished. Hans had hurt and disappointed her enough when he had betrayed her and married someone else. She would think even worse of him if she discovered now that he believed he could come back home and crook a finger her way and she would saunter right back into his arms with boundless joy and gratitude.
Elsa poised herself as she reaffirmed her thoughts. She would marry, she decided- but not Prince Hans Westergard, even if he was prepared to court her again. She had her pride. She would show him that she had not been pining for him and waiting around all these years in the hope that he would come back to her.
The very idea!
She knew whom she would marry.
The eldest son of the Denmark's Royal Family, the Crown Prince Christian, who had proposed marriage to her three times over the past five years. She had refused each time, but the connection between them had never been broken, since it was based upon friendship. Elsa liked him and knew that he liked her. They were comfortable together. Neither of them ever had to search for a topic of conversation. Sometimes they could even be silent together without feeling discomfort. His Royal Highness Christian was a noble, distinguished-looking gentleman and was perhaps eight or nine years older than she and had been married before.
Only one thing had held her back from accepting him. She was not in love with him. She had never felt for him the surge of exhilaration and magic she had once felt for Prince Hans and he did not fulfill any of the secret dreams of romance and passion she had clung to over the years. But she was being very foolish, she had decided over the winter. Romantic love had brought her nothing but heartache. It would be far more sensible and less risky to marry a friend.
She had said no each time the Danish prince had asked. However, on the third occasion- at the end of the Season last year- she had hesitated first and he had seen it. He had taken her hand in his, raised it to his soft lips, and told her he would not press the issue this year and cause her any further distress. They would meet again next year, he had promised with a charming smile, and they would still be friends, he hoped.
He had all but promised to ask her again. By her hesitation, she had all but promised to say yes to him next time. And this time, she would say yes.
She was going to marry before she turned twenty-six. She felt comfortable, happy even, with her decision. She no longer loved Hans Westergard and had not for number of years. But being married to Prince Christian would finally close the book on any lingering attachment to that youthful fancy. She was only sorry she had not accepted him before now. But perhaps it was as well she had not. She had needed to feel quite ready, and now she did and that too made her happy. But it made her even more excited knowing that Prince Christian would be at the event too.
Yes, seeing him would be her main reason to attend the ball. So Queen Elsa arrived to Bern, the central stage of Switzerland, at the end of May rather later in the Season which was a rather unusual time to hold a ball. Nevertheless it would unfailingly attract lots of young noble ladies. As for her case, she had to settle the new trading contract with her nation with Greenland which had kept her busy. And she had heard that another royalty, whom her father had known if she remembered correctly, to be in the foreign city.. It was none other thanHowever, the she had personally met King of Weselton, His Royal Majesty Conner, whom she had personally met as he had personally come to her kingdom to sincerely apologize after he had heard what his Duke had done to sabotageruin their peaceful neighbouring relationships. Although she did not like the Duke of Weselton, she found the King of Weselton to be a wise ruler and a very likable and respectable man. Even Anna had taken a liking to the old king as he was much like a father-figure to the both of them.
Then there was Princess of Weselton, Crown Princess Rachel, who became a good friend of Anna's and much like her sister, she was very talkative and excitable. In a way, Elsa also considered the princess to be like a younger sister as she saw the princess's father to be like their father. She was well informed that Princess Rachel had arrived with her father, her husband Archduke Simon, and their two little children. And Crown Princess Rachel's younger sister, Princess Vanessa and her husband, Duke Edmond had come too. Just the thought of meeting them and their little ones buoyed her spirits. But beneath it all, she felt a glow of happy anticipation in knowing that at last she would begin her own independent life by marring and starting a family.
She could scarcely wait to see the Prince of Denmark, Christian.
She spent the first few days after her arrival visiting the Royal Family of Weselton and going shopping and walking with her friends. The first entertainment they would attend together would be the ball held by Duchess Tindall, one of the Royal Family of Switzerland, and it was already rumoured that it would be a well-attended ball. The thought of it all made her feel like a girl anticipating her first ball. Every hour she changed her mind about what she would wear and how she would have her maid dress her hair.
She wanted to look her very best.
The day before the ball she went walking in Spinner Park with her friends once again. It was the fashionable hour of the afternoon and it was a fine day after three days of almost steady drizzle. The carriage paths were packed almost axle to axle with fashionable carriages of various descriptions. Riders on horseback wove their way among them whenever they could find passage. Pedestrians ambled in a dense, slow-moving crowd along the footpaths. No one was is in a particular hurry. This was not the route one would take if one wished to get anywhere fast. One came into the park during the afternoon in order to observe the beau monde and exchange greetings and gossip with friends and acquaintances. One came to see and be seen.
"After all," Vanessa said gaily as they strolled among the throng- with their guards quietly walking in the background, steadily observing, "I did not spend half of Edmond's fortune on this bonnet in order to hurry along a deserted back street."
"And very fetching it is too," Rachel said. "Elsa and I must be content to bask in your reflected glory, Nessie."
They all laughed.
And then Elsa felt her own smile drain away, and with it half the blood in her head. One horseman, a man looking a lot like a military officer was riding with a group of other men, all looking dashing in their scarlet uniforms, had stopped a few yards ahead of them and was looking intently at them, first in astonishment and then in open delight. A gleeful smile lit his face as he swept off his shako and made them a polite bow as a gentleman.
Prince Hans Westergard!
"Elsa!" he exclaimed. "And my fair Princesses of Denmark are here as well! Is it possible?"
Elsa curled her gloved fingers very tightly into her palms at her sides and concentrated hard upon not fainting, while the other ladies exclaimed at the sight of him. He swung down from the saddle and came striding toward them, parting the crowd immediately, one of his rough hands holding the bridle of his brown horse.
Oh, why had she not been warned of this? Why had no one told her?
"Oh my! Prince Hans!" Vanessa cried, and she stepped forward to hug him with all familiarity. She had once been married to Hedley Westergard, one of his older brothers, until that prince had died of consumption.
Princess Rachel inclined her head and curtsied as a polite lady should. "Prince Hans," she said, her voice cool and polite.
His eyes came to rest again on Elsa and he held out both hands for hers. "Elsa," he said, his smile softening. "Oh Elsa, how have you contrived to grow even more beautiful over ththe years? How many years has it been anyway?"
She kept her hands at her sides.
"Nine years," she stoically said, and then wished she had not shown such an exact awareness of how long it had been since that afternoon when they had said good-bye. When she had promised to wait and he had promised to come back. When the very air had throbbed with their passion and grief. When she had thought her heart would surely break.
He was even more handsome now. His reddish hair had darkened considerably by a shade or two and his fair complexion had weathered. He looked broader and more rugged. There was a faint scar just above his right eyebrow that slanted across his forehead to disappear into his hairline. It made him look curiously more attractive.
"Can it possibly be that long?" he asked, returning his arms to his sides. He quickly looked back at his fellow men, who had also stopped though they were being jostled by the ongoing crowds.
"These three lovely ladies were my dear friends from my boyhood," Hans called to them. "I will walk with them for a while if they will permit it."
These three lovely ladies. What foolishly flattering words.
They were given no choice since the prince did not actually ask their permission. Vanessa looked slightly uncomfortable now and Rachel looked almost morose. They knew, of course, about the secret betrothal and Han's cruel betrayal of it, though Elsa had never specifically talked of it.
Elsa's mind was in turmoil as Hans turned to walk and make polite conversation with them. He had heard of Nessie's second marriage, of course, and told her he was delighted by it. She had been a wonderful and a faithful wife to Prince Hedley and deserved to be happy again, he said. His mother had told him about Rachel's marriage to Archduke Simon. He was delighted by that too and hoped to meet the gentleman soon.
But it was impossible to walk for long in a large group of four. Soon the two sisters, Rachel and Vanessa, were detained by another mutual acquaintance, and Elsa found herself walking alone at his side.
She was finding it difficult to breathe- and she was alarmed and greatly annoyed by her own discomposure. This was Hans Westergard, who had married a Spanish lady and fathered a young daughter after promising to return to her.
Hans, whom she had loved with her whole heart- and trusted with her love and her future.
"Well, Elsa," he said, his eyes warm with admiration, "you are greatly to be commended. You remained faithful to your promise to your parents. You stayed with your sister, Anna, until she grew up into a fine, married woman and did a very good job raising her by yourself. But you never did marry, did you?"
As if marriage were no longer possible for her.
She did not answer him. Instead she pretended to be distracted by the swelling crowd.
"I am glad you did not marry," he said, lowering his voice. "Why would you not come to Rindhouse Park when I joined my voice to Mama's to invite you there?"
Ah. So he had known that Queen Westergard had written to her. He had endorsed it. She thought the less of him- if there were less to think.
"I had other commitments," she curtly replied.
"And they were too important," he remarked, "to postpone in order to visit an old friend who longed to see you again? But no matter. I have come to town and have met you here instead. I expect to be here for a month or two. I will give you my company whenever I have the time while I am here, Elsa. It will be a pleasure. You are still amazingly lovely."
Would it not be a pleasure if her looks had faded?
I will give you my company whenever I had the time…. What did he mean by that? He was not asking for her company. He was not even offering her his. No, he was granting it to her as if it were some precious gift. As if she might be all alone and lonely without it. As if she were past the age when she might expect any but family members or an old friend to take any notice of her. As if she ought to be grateful that he would find time for her in his busy life.
…whenever I have the time. As if he were prepared to fit her in whenever he had nothing better to do.
She was suddenly angry. Oh, how she hated him with an incredible passion. All the pent-up fury of years pulsed through her.
You are still amazingly lovely.
How… oh, how condescending! Arrogant! Pompous!
"That is remarkably kind of you, Hans," she said, trying to keep the sharpened edge out of her voice, "but it will be quite unnecessary."
"Oh, it will be no trouble," he assured her. "I would never have it said that I would not show all the gallantry that is in my power to a lady who was once such a dear friend of mine. And still is, I hope. And always will be?"
… a dear friend…
He looked down at her, his eyebrows raised in inquiry. She was unaccustomed to feeling raw fury. She had no idea how to deal with it, how to remain prudent until she could bring it under control. So she spoke very unwisely.
"You misunderstand, Prince Hans," she said. "It is quite unnecessary to extend a hand of charity my way. My fiancé might not like it."
She heard the words come from her mouth as if someone else was speaking them. And suddenly she wished that someone else was. Whatever had she been goaded into saying so prematurely?
"Your fiancé?" he slowly asked her, all astonishment. "You are betrothed, Elsa?"
"Yes," she said with fierce satisfaction from his expression, "though no announcement has yet been made."
"But who is the fortunate gentleman?" he asked her. "Would he be someone I know?"
"Almost certainly not," she said, evading his first question.
He had steadily stopped walking. "When will I meet him?" he asked her.
"I do not know," she said coolly.
"At Duchess Tindell's ball tonight?" he asked.
"Perhaps," she said, feeling horribly trapped.
"I was not at all sure I would attend that particular ball," he said. "But now nothing could stop me. I shall come and meet this man, Elsa, and see if he is worthy of you. If he is not, I shall challenge him to a swordfight at dawn and then throw you across my saddle bow and ride off into the sunset with you- or perhaps into the darkness of midnight."
His grinned his crooked smile at her and she was smitten by a sense of familiarity. It was the sort of thing he would have said to her when they were very young- and she would have responded in kind until they were both helpless with unending laughter.
She bit her lip.
If the Crown Prince of Denmark was at the ball tonight- and she had fully counted upon his being there- would Prince Hans demand an introduction and say something about their engagement?
She would positively die of pure embarrassment.
She did not know for certain, of course, that Prince Christian would in fact be at the ball. Indeed, she was not even quite certain he was in town, though he would surely would be since he took seriously his role as a member of the Royal Family of Denmark and it would be soon in the future for him to take position as the King. He was taking his responsibility seriously and preparing for his own coronation. Perhaps she should stay away from the evening's affair herself. But she had been so looking forward to going and seeing the Crown Prince again.
Besides, she reasoned, why should she stay at home and postpone seeing him just because Hans was going to be there- and because her flaring temper had goaded her into telling a lie, or a very premature truth, anyway?
"You must say nothing about my betrothal, Hans," she said. "I ought not to have mentioned it. Even my sister nor the nations fail to know of it as of yet."
"Then I am privileged indeed." He firmly took her right hand in his and turned it in order to set his lips briefly against the pulse of her wrist. "My lips are sealed. Ah, Elsa, it is so very good to see you again. It has been far too long. And I have come too late as well, alas."
"Nine years too late," she said and swallowed awkwardly. She could feel the imprint of his lips like a brand across her wrist.
It was too late. Far too late. She could feel only a pained hostility toward him. Surely he could have shown some embarrassment, some shame, some remorse, some sign that he remembered how dishonourably he had treated her. He had not even written to her. Actually, she had found out about his marriage quite by chance.
Vanessa and Rachel had finished their long conversation at last and caught up with them at last. Vanessa kindly asked Hans about his little girl, who was still living at Rindhouse Park with her loving grandparents.
"They are coming to the city," he said, "Since I cot do without my little Maria for too long. They should be here any day."
Rachel gently took Elsa's arm and squeezed it in silent sympathy.
Elsa smiled at her.
Her head was throbbing. If she had known that he was coming to Bern, she would have stayed indoors at the medium-sized estate with her maid, footman, and butler. For goodness sake, she would not even have hesitated. It was too late now, though.
Would the eldest Prince of Denmark propose to her tonight, when it would be her first meeting since last year in Arendelle- if he attended the ball, that was? It seemed highly unlikely that he would declare himself so soon. Surely he would wait until their third or fourth reunion and even then he might be cautious since she had already refused him three times.
She sighed. Oh, everything felt ruined. She would feel somehow manipulative if she encouraged his suit- although she had intended to do so even before this afternoon. She would feel as if she were trying to force him to propose marriage to her simply so that she would not lose face with a former faithless lover.
It was not that way at all!
What did she care for Hans Westergard? She cared for the kindly, courtly man she had decided to marry.
"Oh, my dear Elsa," Rachel said. "How very distressing this must be for you. I wish we had known he was in this park- no, the city- so that we could at least have warned you."
"I am not distressed at all," declared Queen Elsa. "I have been walking quietly at your side because I am having an inner debate with myself about which gown I will wear tonight for my first ball since last year. It is a very serious decision, you must understand. I wish to cut the very best possible dash. The gold, do you think?"
A small played on Crown Princess Rachel's rouge lips before she sighed theatrically.
"Nessie's new bonnet this afternoon and your gold gown tonight," she said. "I shall be quite overshadowed by the splendor of my younger sister and my dear friend."
The ladies looked at each other and laughed once more.
Princess Rachel was the loveliest of them all with her tall, slender figure and golden brown hair. If she wore a sack to the ball tonight, she would turn more than her fair share of appreciative heads, without a shred of doubt.
Hans was now turning to take his leave of them.
Elsa smiled and nodded to him politely and felt a queasiness in her stomach again.
He was going to be at the ball tonight- with the expressed purpose of meeting her betrothed.
Lies were never worth telling, were they? And that was a massive understatement.
Thank you very much for the first batch of reviews, follows, and favourites! It's great to see familiar names everywhere as it makes me very happy and proud. I hope you enjoyed the second chapter and I can't wait to see your valuable feedbacks. :) Cheers and thanks for reading!