Chapter two- The deal
Gerda placed the last pin in Elsa's hair, securing her bun right into place. After stepping back to assess her work, she placed her hands over her mouth to catch her breath. "Oh, Your Majesty…" she whispered."You look so beautiful."
She was right… Elsa circled once, taking note of the embroidery Gerda had sewn into the cape, corset, and skirt, and it was absolutely breathtaking. "Oh, Gerda…" She couldn't believe how Gerda could have made this dress in such a short amount of time. "That's mostly because of this gorgeous dress…Thank you so much."
"His highness will be swept off his feet." Gerda said with a smirk, "He will not be able to take his eyes off you tonight."
Elsa sighed. She did not know if she could sweep her husband off his feet by her looks tonight, but all she knew that she had to stop her power from being unleashed if she wanted to keep her husband away from being frozen on their wedding night. Stepping off the pedestal, Elsa took the set of paste colored gloves to match the dress, and made her way towards the door.
There was a knock on the door. "Are you ready, Elsa?"
It was Anna. She had been bouncing with joy since the date of the wedding was fixed. She herself took care of each and every details of the wedding ceremony- from the foods to the decorations. Possibly the excess of chocolate fondue in the menu was her idea. Elsa wished she could return the same amount of happiness that Anna wanted to give to her, or at least say a simple thank you, but unfortunately she could not. There was an icy wall, a literal one was standing between them that could not be melt.
Elsa opened the door, shocked to see Anna look especially beautiful in her green off-shoulder evening ball gown, with matching embroideries like her wedding dress. It was Gerda's plan. She always tried to match the sister's outfits, but Elsa knew nothing could overcome the difference that was created between them over years.
"Oh…" One hand clutched tightly at the skirt of her dress, she said, "I didn't know that you are waiting for me Anna…" After the years of shutting her sister out, she was sure Anna had no reason to wait for her anymore.
"Oh, Elsa. I am your maid of honor. I must take care of you tonight." Anna flashed Elsa a grin, hooking her arm around hers. A part of Elsa's mind that was still working told her to break the contact immediately, the magic was still stirring beneath the surface. Anna could get hurt.
"Are you kidding me?" she hissed. "Go away. I can take of myself."
Elsa's angry voice frightened Anna. She immediately loosened her grip around her sister's arm, and walked away. Elsa could see her shoulders shaking as she ran. She hurt her! God she hurt her again, in a more cruel way she did in their childhood.
But she had no other way. If she wanted to keep her sister safe, she had to stay away from her.
Unconsciously her gaze fell to her gloved hands, how normal they looked behind them. But it was only her, who could feel the frost gathering beneath them.
The queen peeped through the door of the adjoining ballroom, and found all the eager faces waiting for her. Soon she would be asked to join her husband in their first dance. Tomorrow she would take her responsibility as their queen. There was no way to hide behind those closed doors anymore.
God knew how long she could hide her curse from them.
"If you're really going to dance with me, my queen," Elsa was startled with a deep baritone beside her ear. She whirled around to find her husband standing behind her. She had no idea when he sneaked up behind her to join her at the door of the ballroom. He was as silent as a kitten. She tilted her head to her side to take a clear look of his face. When her blue eyes met his sparkling green ones, she began to realize that her husband was really a handsome man. With such charming smile, dark red hair, and nicely trimmed sideburns, he could easily steal any woman's heart. His green eyes were sparkling with a hint of mischief.
"I suggest you have something to drink first." He stopped at a banquet table with an untouched place setting, lifted a bottle of champagne from the center of the table, and poured some champagne into an unused glass. "Alcohol acts as an anesthetic," he told Elsa with a grin as he handed her the glass, "And dancing with me could be a painful and dangerous experience."
The orchestra was playing a popular slow song as they neared the dance floor, but when Elsa started to put the glass of champagne down on a table, he shook his head. "Finish it."
"Are you really that worried about stepping on my feet?" She asked, her smile filled with a mixture of sarcasm, relief, and laughter. Dancing with this man wouldn't be a bad experience.
"Certainly not," Hans teased, taking her hand in one, placing another one on his shoulder and leading her into a waltz. "I'm worried that you'll be so tense and stiff that you'll step on my feet. I guess you are not the dancing type."
How did he know? she wondered. She tiled her head to side to meet his gaze to assess how much he knew about her but he turned away his head immediately. Gazing at the ballroom, he smiled, "But I am afraid you must fulfill the public demand tonight."
The crowd cheered as the couple stepped into the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife. Elsa's head felt very light as Hans twirled her swiftly. Within a moment Elsa understood that her husband was a very good dancer, who could make even an ungraceful dancer like her twirling, and sweeping across the floor with the music. Anna was dancing with some foreign delicate at a distance. Elsa could not but note the surprised look in her eyes, for she knew that she always disliked dancing. Elsa herself was surprised too. Probably, alcohol was really muddling her brain. Besides it made her to feel strangely euphoric, which was not bad at all. Probably she would try something stronger next time.
When she finished fifth glass of her wine, he slid his arm around her on the dance floor, Elsa gazed up at him, her features soft and warm for the first time since the wedding. "Prince Hans?"
He returned her smile, but the green eyes that regarded her from beneath half-lowered lids seemed preoccupied, thoughtful. "Hmmm?"
"Has anyone ever told you that you are very handsome and gallant?" Elsa could not believe those words coming from her mouth. Alcohol had messed her up really very badly.
"Too many." he laughed. "As an admiral I've traveled many lands, and met many princesses. Some of them really found me very handsome indeed."
He laughed at the memory. He grasped her wrists, and twirled her again. "What about you, your majesty? Have anyone told you that you are beautiful?"
"No. I've never courted any man before you." She kept her answers short. If he sensed her annoyance at his presence it only worked to spur him on because he was smiling.
"What a pity!"
To her dismay, she let him place his gloved hands on hers. His warmth penetrated her gloves, seeping through her frosted fingers, melting them inside her gloves. There was a latent sexuality about him, but now in the glowing candlelight it became an aura of cool sophistication and inevitable attraction. All eyes were on the new handsome Prince consort as they danced, and Elsa was relived to notice that no one was giving the queen any special attention.
"Then you must be in love with one or two of them." Alcohol had probably muddled her brain too much, and she was surprised to hear her own giggle.
In the answer she saw his jaw tighten, but he maintained his posture anyway, "No. I've slept with a few of them, but love…well it is very unlikely for a prince who is thirteenth in the line to the throne."
Elsa's reply was an irrepressible giggle. "Liar."
He looked stung. "Now, that is one thing I am not."
There was certain sadness in his tone that made the queen to look into his forest green eyes. It might be really awful being growing up in the shadow of twelve older brothers, and being considered inferior to their greater opportunity to have the throne quicker than him. She thought of how Anna had angrily stalked off after their few minutes of laughter. For a second it had been like it always had before it all went wrong.
Hans probably understood her thoughts and twirled her gently. With her heart filled with confusion and her head swimming from all the wine and champagne she'd drunk to reinforce her courage, "Then why did you agree to marry me?"
Instead of answering, he gazed at her in speculative silence for a so long, that Elsa began to feel very uncomfortable. "What about you, your majesty?"
"To keep my parent's promise to your father and to beget an heir, of course." Annoyed by the hint of mischief in his eyes, Elsa decided to tease him back. "What about you, my prince? You don't seem to marry me very willingly."
"To try my luck of course." His eyes never left hers, and they glinted with mischief as he spoke, "To prove myself worthy to my brothers."
"You are an awful gambler, my prince." she teased back.
"I am afraid, that term goes to you too." He gazed deep into her icy blue eyes, and Elsa shivered at the thought that he was actually seeing through her facade.
"But I can take a chance, your majesty." He smiled.
"You are talking like a business proposition." Elsa said firmly, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach.
"A business proposition it is, your highness." He grinned mischievously, and Elsa wondered if he had something else in his mind, "Since none of us entered into this marriage willingly, we will remain married for one year. By this time, I'll give you an heir, and you will help me to make myself worthy to my brothers. But if any of us fall in love with another during this time, then he or she will lose. And the winner will have complete right to make the looser to surrender to his or her will."
Elsa searched his shadowy face for some indication that he was joking, but his expression was completely serious. "Am I honestly supposed to take you—I mean, this proposal—seriously?"
"I assure you, I'm completely serious." Elsa looked into his eyes trying to understand his intention, but he seemed very much determined in his proposition, "Do you agree with me, Your Majesty?"
It did not sound very bad. Since she would not be able to live a normal life for long, then it would be a better way to end this marriage peacefully.
The queen held out her arms in a gesture of complete cooperation. "Of course, Prince Hans. But the chance of your winning is very slim."
"I will try my best." She felt his lips touching her ears, and his breath brushing her skin.
The dance ended with him dipping her low, and kissing her lips chastely. Her brain was so much overloaded with alcohol that she did not stop him.
And the deal was sealed.
A.N.- Next chapter will be their wedding night. So brace yourself for it. I am trying to stay true to "An Unknown Foreign Beauty's story, So some parts may look similar to her story, but they are used with her complete permission.
What do you think about Hans here? Do you like him?
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