It took longer than I hoped to get around to publishing the next chapter, but here we are. I'm still going to push forward.
The day of Anna's wedding had arrived. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hide her growing bump, but Elsa refused to announce anything until after the wedding. Anna insisted it was okay, but she didn't give in. "No, Anna. It's your day. I'm not taking away from that."
She had to get creative with her Maid of Honor dress and prayed that everyone was so focused on Anna they wouldn't notice her.
Naturally, Anna asked her to walk her down the aisle and had asked Kya and Rapunzel to be her bridesmaids. Sven was officially Kristoff's Best Man, but since he wasn't allowed inside the church, Bumi took on the role, even though he was a groomsman. Olaf took on the role of ring bearer, like he had for Elsa's wedding.
Anna's wedding wasn't quite as big as Elsa's since she wasn't the reigning monarch, but she was still really nervous. Elsa was forced to stay with her the whole time to keep her calm (not that she was complaining). She tried to keep her still while her hair was done. "Anna, please. Try to calm down. Everything will be fine."
"But what if it's not?! What if something goes wrong? What if-" Elsa put her hand over her mouth.
"Leave the worrying to me. Believe me, I've done enough for both of us. Everything will be fine."
Anna ducked her head, biting her lip. "Elsa?"
"Yes?"
"What if...what if he doesn't really love me? What if he's like Hans?"
Elsa frowned and moved around in front of her and placed her hands on her shoulders. "Honey, you know that's not true. Kristoff's a good man. I wouldn't have let you marry him if I thought otherwise."
"What if he tries to take me away from you?!"
Elsa wiped a tear that ran down her cheek. "I think our men know better than to try and separate us."
Anna looked at her pleadingly. "Promise you won't leave?"
"Never. Never again. Now listen to me. We're a family. You, me, Kristoff, Bumi, and Olaf and Sven-"
"And your baby."
A small smile. "Yes. And the baby. We're all in this together. And we all want the same thing for you: for you to be happy. Does this make you happy?"
Anna nodded. "Yeah."
"Then we'll all support you." She started when she felt a kick. She took Anna's hand and guided it to her stomach. "And I believe your niece or nephew agrees with me."
Anna giggled tearfully as she felt the soft nudge. "I'm being silly, aren't I?"
Elsa shook her head and wiped the remaining tears away. "No. You're taking a big step. But I'll be here every step of the way."
Anna fell into her embrace, finally feeling at peace. Nervous, of course, but at peace. The sisters were pulled out of their moment when Gerda poked her head in. "Are you girls ready?"
At her sister's smile, Anna nodded. "Yeah. We're coming."
After checking her dress and hair one more time (and Elsa adding extra bits at Anna's request), they headed towards the door. But before they went out, Anna gripped her arm. "Elsa?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you. For everything." At the sight of her sister's tears, she felt her own tears well up in her eyes. She turned and faced Anna, stroked her cheeked and pressed a lingering kiss on her forehead before taking her into her embrace.
"I am so proud of you."
And for Anna, for one moment, it felt like it was her Mama holding her again. She didn't know if it was because Elsa was going to become a mother herself, or if it was because she had somewhat played the role today and already resembled her immensely. Whatever the reason, it put a smile on her face. After a moment, Elsa pushed her back and held her by her shoulders.
"Now, let's go get you to the alter, hmm?"
Any worries she had of being noticed disappeared as she walked her beloved sister down the aisle. All she could focus on was Anna, and how she glowed. When she took her bouquet and stood behind her, she caught a glimpse of Bumi, who she thought looked pretty handsome himself. He winked at her, to which she smiled back.
After Anna and Kristoff kissed, Elsa was the first person she turned to. They were both a sobbing wreck as Elsa kissed her cheek and held her close. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you, too," Anna responded, before she was pulled away by others. Bumi moved to her side and offered his arm. He gave her a warm smile as she took it before they followed the bride and groom out.
During the reception, Elsa was content to watch. That, and she was beginning to tire out. So while she nibbled on some food, she watched her sister dance with Kristoff, then Bumi, and so forth. Thankfully, Kristoff new better than to ask her to dance. Bumi managed to get one out of her.
She was about asleep by the time it ended. After saying goodbyes to their guests, her and Bumi stayed to talk to Anna and Kristoff.
"You guys are leaving tomorrow, right?" Bumi asked.
"Yeah." Kristoff nodded. "We're going to visit my family, then...well, I've got a cabin up there."
"I'm sure we can entertain ourselves just fine," Anna said casually, obviously not noticing the double meaning. Kristoff's face turned red while Bumi snorted and tried to cover his laugh with a cough. Elsa elbowed his ribs, though she was blushing as well. Then Anna caught the meaning. She covered her mouth with wide eyes. "Oh! I didn't mean...well, I guess I did, but-"
Elsa cut her off by pulling into a hug. "Please, Anna. I'd rather not have to think about my baby sister engaging in such...activities. Goodnight."
Anna giggled and hugged her back. "I'm sorry. Goodnight."
As the couples parted, Bumi couldn't seem to help himself. He turned back and said, "Take it easy tonight. You'll need your strength tomorrow."
Elsa gasped and hit his shoulder. "That's enough out of you. Now, it's been a long day and I'm tired, so let's go to bed."
xxx
The next morning, they saw the two off. Elsa had tried to ignore their rather...ruffled appearance at breakfast and instead quizzed them on their plans.
"Two weeks isn't too long, right? I don't want you to have the baby without me."
Elsa rolled her eyes. "You'll be fine, I have a few months left. Obviously you got no-never mind. Be safe, dress warmly. Kristoff, if anything happens to her, you answer to me. Got it? Yes? Okay." She kissed her forehead. "I love you. Be careful."
"I will, I promise." Then to her surprise, Anna knelt down and touched her stomach. "You take care of your Mama while I'm gone, alright? If she gets to working too hard, just, uh, kick her 'till she stops." She stood and kissed Elsa's cheek. "I love you."
After Anna hugged Bumi and Olaf goodbye and she hugged Kristoff, the two left. Elsa watched them leave with a nervous expression and bit her lip. Her hand rested on her stomach, where Anna had placed her hand. Bumi put his arm around her.
"They'll be okay." She nodded and turned to go back inside. He followed behind her. "Are you alright?"
She forced a smile and nodded. "Yes. Just a bit tired still, I suppose."
"Then you go rest. I'll go work on stuff." At the sign of her protest, he rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, I won't touch any of the important stuff." He kissed her cheek. "I'll see you at lunch."
While Olaf went to go find the goslings (he'd promised Anna he'd watch them), Elsa decided to go to the library to read, but any focus she had went out the window when she felt that familiar flutter. She put the book down and rested her hands on her stomach. She bit her lip and looked around to make sure no one was around. She cleared her throat and began to whisper softly. "Did you hear your Aunt Anna? She's really special and she already loves you a lot. So does your Papa." Her throat suddenly tightened, but she swallowed through it. "And I...I do, too. I'm sorry it took me so long to come around. It's just so strange. I never thought this would happen. I also thought I'd never get married, but I definitely never thought this would happen. I'm scared, I am. It's not your fault, I just...don't want to hurt you. And I don't want you to suffer like I did." It was oddly relieving, getting all of that off her chest. Even if the baby didn't respond. Except for another nudge. But to Elsa, it made it feel special. She stroked her thumb. "I can't promise I'll be perfect and good from here on out. But I'll try...I'll try."
She suddenly found herself exhausted and fell asleep with her arm protectively covering her bump. For the first time in a while, perhaps since she first realized she was pregnant, she didn't feel as guilty or worried. She felt more at peace. It was a welcome change.
Bumi found her like that a few hours later. He couldn't wipe the grin off his face at the sight. Even though she had never fully told him how she felt, he knew she was struggling. It had seemed like things had changed after the baby started to move, but now...she looked completely at peace, and he didn't not notice how her arm was positioned.
As if she could sense him there, she began to stir. He kneeled beside her and brushed her bangs back. She blinked at him drowsily. "Hey."
"Hey yourself," he said and stroked her cheek. "Did you have a good nap?"
She stretched and hummed. "How long was I out?"
"A few hours. Are you hungry? They should have lunch ready."
"Yes, I suppose." She moved to stand, but he pushed her back.
"No, I'll have Gerda bring it here. There's something I want to talk to you about."
She looked confused, but nodded. "Alright."
When he returned, he sat beside her. "So, you seem like you're feeling better. About the baby."
"What?"
"I know you've been struggling with this. It's okay," he cut in when he saw her about to apologize. "I know you wanted to keep it to yourself. But you seem a bit more at ease."
They paused when Gerda walked in. Elsa leaned into him and nibbled on a roll until Gerda left. "I am," she said after she was gone. "Feeling the baby move...I don't know, it made it feel more real, I guess. Wait, that doesn't make sense."
He grinned. "No, I get it." He cleared his throat. "Have you, uh, thought of any names?"
She shrugged. "Not really. Anna's come up with some, but I haven't put much thought into it. Why, have you?"
"Maybe a little. I'm not completely knowledgeable about Arendelle names, and since this kid's going to be the heir, I assumed you would want a family name or something."
That thought kind of made her head spin; she knew but hadn't completely processed the fact that this child would take her place someday. "Probably. That doesn't mean I'm counting out Water Tribe names or anything like that. If you want to, we can..."
He shook his head. "No, it's alright. We'll think of something."
"Okay. I guess if you want to start thinking of some, Anna will want to be involved when she gets back, so if you don't mind..."
"Not at all. I'm kind of surprised she hasn't produced a full list already."
Elsa rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't put it past her."
She got a laugh in response.
