Chapter 2: Inheritance
Anna opened her eyes and focused on the blurry shade of blue before her. After blinking several times, deep blue eyes gazed into hers.
"Hi," greeted her beloved wife.
"Hi," replied Anna softly.
"How are you feeling?"
Anna shifted on the bed and felt her limbs. Having given birth the day before, her entire body complained. "A little sore... especially down there."
Elsa sat up and pulled a cart to the bed. "The doctor prescribed a tonic that may help. But first, you have to eat."
Her wife piled pillows against the headboard and helped her lean against it. Anna winced as her sore flesh reacted to each movement. A cool hand caressed her cheek.
"Are you all right?" Deep blue eyes watched her with concern.
She put her hand on top of Elsa's to reassure her. "I can deal with it. So... what do we have to eat?"
Silver covers were lifted and Anna pointed to the entrees that she wanted. Elsa slid the tray across the bed and placed a plate with her selections in front of her.
Anna piled food on a piece of bread and was about to lift it when her wife gently stopped her hands. She understood and let Elsa feed her. For the rest of her meal she enjoyed the attentive service from her beloved.
"Apple?" Elsa offered a slice.
The slice slipped into Anna's mouth. It was a bit sour, but she felt an unusual sensation on her tongue.
"Where did you get this?"
"The royal apple tree."
She gasped. "The one from Queen Snowhite?"
Elsa nodded. "Yes." She bit into a slice. "I hope it's not too sour. Mr. Oswold told me to let it ripen a bit more, but I wanted us to try it today."
"Just a little." Then she paused in thought. "Let me have another."
Her wife fed her a slice and she chewed it slowly. "I guess the rumor may be true."
"What rumor?"
"That the apples from Queen Snowhite's trees can help your skin stay young. I sense a small bit of magic."
Pale eyebrows rose. "Are you sure?"
Anna nodded. "I feel a slight tingle on my tongue when I eat it. It's very weak, but it's there."
Elsa ate another slice. A thoughtful expression formed on her face. "I don't feel anything."
"It's there. Trust me."
"I do. Here, have another." Elsa offered another slice.
Anna leaned forward and engulfed the piece of fruit along with her fingertips. As she sucked on those fingertips, her beloved's cheeks slowly turned pink.
Elsa gently pulled her hand away and cleared her throat. With a teasing note in her voice, she chided, "Stop playing with your food!"
She leered at her and slowly ran her hand down from her wife's cheek to her abdomen. "I'd rather play with you."
"Didn't you say that you're sore?"
"Yeah, but I can still do things in bed." She winked at her.
Elsa laughed and fed her another slice. After the apple slices were devoured and several fingers sucked and licked, Elsa picked up a bottle and uncorked it. While she was dispensing the prescribed tonic, they heard a whimper from the crib.
Anna took the spoon and bottle. "I can do this. Go check on the twins."
Her Queen smiled and turned to the crib near their bed. As soon as she hovered over their daughters, the room filled with their crying. Her wife picked up one of their daughters.
"Do you think she's hungry?" asked Elsa with worry on her face.
"Maybe. Let's find out." Anna unbuttoned her nightgown and accepted the baby from Elsa. She brought the baby to her chest. After some awkward attempts to get the right position, the baby began to suckle.
"That's it... drink as much as you want, Elaine," crooned Anna.
"How do you know that's Elaine?"
"Hmmm... I just do... she feels like Elaine." Her mind went back to yesterday when she first touched her second daughter. She seemed cool, like Elsa, but not as cold. Lana also felt a little cool, but it was a bit more difficult to sense, as if the coolness was constantly moving.
Her wife stood by the crib with their first born. Lana was crying louder than before and her mother tried to console her by rocking. "Shhh... it'll be your turn soon."
Anna patted the bed. "Just sit over here. I think they just want to be near each other."
Elsa sat down and shifted on the bed until both girls were next to each other. Anna watched as Lana's hand groped about and finally landed on Elaine's arm. Her daughter began to quiet down. Lana opened her eyes. Then Elaine opened hers.
"Aww... she has your eyes..."
"Aww... she has Poppa's eyes..." Anna stared at Elsa. "Wait, what?"
"Their eyes are baby blue, just like yours," said Elsa.
Anna looked at her daughters. "Their eyes look sort of greenish."
Elsa's squinted and she bent down to look more closely. "It's hard to tell with the curtain blocking the light."
"Let's check after they finish feeding."
When Elaine was done, Anna switched with Elsa. While she fed Lana, Elsa tried to burp Elaine. A few minutes later, her efforts were rewarded by a small burp.
Elsa adjusted her hold so that her left hand was free. She tugged on the bed curtains and tucked them away. The light from the window shone on Lana. She sat down on the bed and moved Elaine next to Lana.
Anna stared at their daughters. "Elsa... their eyes... Tell me if I'm seeing things. One is blue and the other is green."
Her wife swallowed visibly. "I see it too, Anna. Let me get the doctor." Elsa gently put Elaine down next to her.
"Good idea."
A few minutes later, her wife returned with Dr. Macstuvinns. The doctor examined Elaine first and then Lana when she had finished feeding.
"Your Majesties, I don't notice anything wrong with them physically," said Dr. Macstuvinns. "I'll have to check the family records to see if there's a history of this particular condition."
"Please do so," said Elsa.
The doctor nodded. "Then I shall take my leave. I'll let you know if I find anything."
After the doctor left, Anna asked, "Don't you have court?"
"I cancelled court for a week. I want to be here for you and our children."
A grateful smile graced her face and she kissed her tenderly. "Thank you. Having you here means a lot to me."
Elsa returned her kisses. "If I had it my way, I'd cancel court for a year."
Anna exclaimed with mock seriousness. "Arendelle without a Queen to look after it? The kingdom is doomed!"
Her Queen laughed and kissed her some more before moving the sleeping babies to the crib. Then her wife gave her a sponge bath. The warm cloth felt nice on her aching spots. After the sponge bath was done, they just spent the rest of the morning cuddling in bed and talking.
Sometime after lunch, Dr. Macstuvinns visited them. "Is it a good time to talk to you about what I found?"
Elsa stood aside to let her in. "It is."
The doctor had several old scrolls with her. She unrolled a scroll on the bed. "This is the record of the first and second generations of the Arendelle line." She pointed to Emla. "Note the color of her eyes."
Anna's eyes widened. "One blue and one green."
The doctor nodded. "Her eye colors are mentioned in several poems and songs, as well as the color of her hair, which is described as almost as pale as snow. Let's assume that it is so." She pointed to the descendants. "Notice the eye colors of their children and grandchildren. All have green and strawberry blonde hair, just like King Aaren's."
She unrolled the scrolls for the third and fourth generations. "Most of their descendants have green eyes and strawberry blonde hair. Sometimes blue appears, but not as often. I've looked through many generations after this. Pale blonde hair is also rare."
Another scroll was presented. "This one is about 200 years ago. King Hadar married Baroness Erin, his niece." She pointed to a daughter. "Their daughter, Alma, had one blue and one green eye."
"Were there any more children born that way?" asked Anna.
"None after Alma. There were cousins who got married and some children had pale blonde hair, but none were born with different colored eyes. There were no unusual matches like King Hadar and Baroness Erin." She turned to Elsa. "For your generation, King Adgar and Queen Idunn were cousins, but their fathers were twins, so that could explain why Your Majesty was born with pale blonde hair. Aaren's bloodline proves strong, so Queen Anna has strawberry blonde hair instead of brown, which is prevalent in Corona's bloodline. Both of you inherited Queen Idunn's eye color." She began rolling the scrolls up. "As far as I can tell, the princesses' eyes are physically fine. Still..." Her mouth was partially open as if she was reluctant to say something. "Still, I think that both the princesses' parents should be recorded."
Anna noticed her choice of words. The doctor didn't say 'father'. Her hands gripped the bed sheet nervously. "Now is not the time. I'll wait until they are older to update the records."
The doctor straightened up stiffly. "As you wish. Is there anything else that you require?"
"No. Thanks for letting us know."
After the doctor left, Anna turned to her wife and held her hands. "I think she knows."
Her worry was mirrored on Elsa's face. "I think so too."
"What will we do, Elsa?"
Her wife squeezed her hands reassuringly. "Nothing. I trust her. I don't think she'll tell anyone about her opinions." She paused for a moment, her face thoughtful. "However, she has done the Royal Family good service over the years. Perhaps, a raise is in order to ensure her continued good work."
Anna's face brightened up. "That's a great idea!"
It took about a week before she was able to walk around. Staying in bed with Elsa was nice, but after the third day, her eyes wandered to the window. Carefully, she walked toward it and looked outside. The trees in the garden had mostly shed their colorful leaves, and many bushes looked like a clump of twigs. Soon, it would be December and the city would prepare for the holiday season. She walked over to the calendar pinned to the wall. After reaching for a pot of red ink and a quill, she drew a heart around the 27th day. It was a day that she would never forget. It was the day when her twins arrived into the world.
Whenever the twins were asleep, she asked the nurse to watch over them and went out to take a walk. It felt refreshing to breathe the crisp air and talk to the palace staff and guards along the way. She was taking such a walk when she crossed paths with the archpriest.
"Good afternoon, Your Majesty. How are you?"
"I'm just taking a walk. And you?"
"I had just finished blessing a new house in the city and was on my way back to my office."
Anna didn't like the archpriest too much. Over the years, he kept pressuring both of them to marry, often dropping names of various princes and other nobility. "Well, I won't delay you then." She turned to change from her original intended direction. She wanted to put as much distance as possible between her and the archpriest.
"There is no need to worry about that. In fact, I had been hoping to speak to you, Your Majesty."
She suppressed a grimace. Another lecture was probably in the works. "About what?"
He cleared his throat. "Your Majesty has devoted yourself to your sister. Such devotion is to be commended, especially towards her Majesty's special needs."
Her hands gripped her skirt when his voice emphasized the words 'special needs'.
"However, Your Majesty now has children. It is only proper that the children be raised in a normal and loving family environment. They will look to their mother and father as role models in society."
This time, he emphasized the word 'father'. She didn't like where this was going.
"If I may be so bold to say, Your Majesty has been quite spirited in the past in terms of your lovers. Please consider your children. It is not too late to marry the father of your children. There is no harm in swallowing one's pride in letting the kingdom know who he is."
Her hands shook. She couldn't stand anymore of this. The urge to punch him was strong. "Thank you for your suggestion. I'll think about it. Good day." She hurried away.
As she walked back to the Queens' bedchamber, she met Elsa at the top of the stairs.
"I'm done with court," declared Elsa cheerfully. Then her smile melted to concern. "Anna, what's wrong?"
She grabbed her wife's hand. "I'll tell you in our room."
They walked back together. The nurse by the crib stood up and curtsied on their entrance.
"Thank you for watching them. You may go," said Anna.
The nurse curtsied once more and then left the room. Anna locked the door and held her wife's hands. "That archpriest made me angry, so promise me that you won't freeze him or anything."
Her Queen caressed her cheek reassuringly. "Anna, you know me better than that. At most, he and I will probably end up having a shouting match."
She drew a deep breath. "Ok... He said that our girls should be raised in a normal family. He wants me to marry a man to bring them up properly."
Elsa blinked several times and scowled slightly. "I've met some of our citizens who have unusual families like Oaken's. He ought to know about them. They're not exactly hiding it. In fact, isn't Oaken's son in his first year at the Naval Academy?"
"Yes, he is. He's grown up to be such a promising lad. It's proof that his two fathers raised him well. Anyway, I wanted to warn you. He'll probably corner you and try to convince you to bless my marriage to some guy."
"Thanks for warning me." Her eyes softened. "And thank you for making so many sacrifices."
Over the years, she had entertained nobility who wished to court her. After discussing the scheme with Elsa and Alis, she allowed visits of many nobles and princes to give others the impression that she had lovers. She had kept it very proper and platonic with each suitor. "Oh... about that... he said something about devoting myself to your 'special needs'. I guess he sort of suspects us."
Elsa's eyes narrowed. "I had the Investigation service watch him, so I doubt he saw us himself. That man has managed to send spies. We'll have to be more discreet." She squeezed her hands and worry filled that pale face as she looked towards the crib. "Maybe, it's not such a bad idea to have someone pose as their father, just to fool them. I can pretend to be their aunt."
"No!" protested Anna with much more force than she intended. "I vowed that I would live my own story and I want to do it with you." She caressed her cheek. "We're their mothers. We should raise them and give them our love. I don't want anyone else to do it."
Deep blue eyes blinked back tears and her wife pulled her into a hug. She felt a slight pressure against her shoulder and she realized that her Queen was trying to hide her tears, so she just tried to calm her by stroking her back gently.
"I want to raise them with you too," said Elsa in a voice choked with emotion.
Anna felt the urge to kiss her, but she stopped herself and held her quietly until her wife drew away.
Elsa cleared her throat. "I'll have the Investigation service look for his spies. In the meantime, we'll have to limit our affections in public. Did he say anything else?"
She shook her head. "No, that's it."
Her wife kissed her gently. "I love you, Anna."
She returned her kiss. "I love you, Elsa." She led her Queen to their bed. "Now, tell me about your day."
A shy smile bloomed on that pale face. Over time, Anna found out that it helped relieve Elsa's stress when she was able to talk about her frustrations in court.
They spent the rest of the day talking and cuddling in bed. From time to time, the twins woke up and she had to feed them. After dinner, she fed them again with Elsa assisting her when her arms grew tired. Around 9 o'clock, she tried to get to them to sleep. Elsa cradled Lana while she held Elaine. To her surprise, Elsa began to croon softly.
"Go to sleep, go to sleep...
Don't stay awake anymore.
Go to sleep, go to sleep...
Snuggle close, as you did before.
We'll rest now. You did so much today.
Let yourself go and yawn.
Close your eyes and dream the night away."
Lana gave a big yawn and her hand clutched Elsa's braid. Her multi-colored eyes stared at her mother and she smiled.
"Where did you learn that?" whispered Anna.
Elsa shrugged. "I just made it up."
They continued to rock their daughters until both were fast asleep. After her wife had placed both of them in their crib, she threw herself into her arms and smiled at her winsomely.
"My turn."
Her Queen laughed and kissed her forehead. "You can't be a baby. You're their mother!"
"In that case, I command you to sing me a lullaby!"
"As my Queen commands..." Elsa planted a quick kiss and began to sing softly.
She closed her eyes and snuggled close to her slim form. Her body relaxed in the warmth of her embrace and a sense of peace entered her heart. The image of her wife and daughters stayed with her as she drifted off to sleep.
To be continued in Chapter 3: Milk does Elsa Good