Hey guys, I apologize for the late update. But what with working two out-of-home jobs and getting my computer fixed and taking care of my mom after a procedure she had on Friday, the last weeks have been hectic. I'm sure you know how it is when life gets in the way. But finally, here it is, chapter 2. This one gave me a bit of trouble, but I managed get it out. Thank you for the reviews, faves, and follows so far! They mean a lot! I have nothing else to say except that I hope you enjoy, and keep reviewing!
Chapter 2: Heir to the Throne
It was a bleak, dreary day in Arendelle. Clouds scudded across the gray sky and there was a hint of rain in the air. Those villagers who were brave enough to weather the coming rain were scurrying about the village square, completing various errands and catching up on the latest gossip. The main topic of conversation for the last several months had been the second pregnancy of Queen Elsa. Ever since the official announcement at the end of last summer, everyone had been happily anticipating the royal birth. The queen and her prince consort already had a beautiful daughter, but they were hoping for a boy this time. If it was a boy, then the queen would have an heir to keep the royal bloodline going. If not, they would simply try again. After all, they were quite an affectionate couple.
But whether they were aware of it or not, the royal family heard none of the gossip. They were currently ensconced in the castle, relaxing in various rooms or scurrying about completing different tasks or errands for their matriarchs. Actually, the men were the ones scurrying about on errands. The women, on the other hand, were perfectly content to sit in the royal suite chatting about whatever came to their minds, along with their daughters, Kirsten, who was four, Bella, who was two, and Susanna, who was one. Kirsten and Bella were currently chasing each other around the room, throwing magical snowballs at each other (Bella had inherited Elsa's snow and ice magic), and Susanna was sitting in her mother's lap on the bed. As Elsa was now in her last month of pregnancy, she had to rest often. Luckily for her, Anna and her daughters were quite frequent visitors.
Anna had found a name book in the library and was currently helping Elsa pick out names for the new baby. Normally, it would have been her and Fredrik picking out names, but he hadn't been much help in this matter. The only names he had been coming up with were ones for girls. He kept insisting that the baby was a girl, whereas Elsa kept insisting the baby was a boy. So Elsa had banished him from the room. He and Kristoff were currently off somewhere, doing whatever it is men do when their wives kick them out.
"Here's a nice name," said Anna, pointing to one about halfway down the page. "Aleksander. You could call him Aleks for short."
"I like this one," said Elsa, pointing to another one a little way below the first.
Anna leaned forward to get a better look. "Dominik. That's a nice name, too. You could call him Dom or something." She smiled.
"Must you shorten every name we find?" Elsa asked, but she was smiling, too. "What's the point of giving your child a long name if you're just going to shorten it, anyway?"
"You shortened Bella's name," Anna pointed out. "Besides, a child with a long name wouldn't want to be called his full name all the time. It'd be too much of a mouthful, for anyone."
"You do have a point there," said Elsa thoughtfully. "I suppose we could just use the shortened name among family and close friends."
"There you go!" said Anna triumphantly. "Problem solved! Oh, by the way, what was that one girl's name that you liked for Bella?"
"Elina," Elsa answered.
"Kind of sounds like your name," said Anna.
"Yes, it does, doesn't it?" said Elsa. "I never gave it much thought."
"Well, I'm sure any name you pick out will be nice," said Anna, smiling again.
"Thanks, Anna," said Elsa, smiling back.
"You're welcome," said Anna, and then she suddenly jumped up from the bed. "Oh! I almost forgot! I have something for you! Don't go anywhere!"
"Where am I going to go?" Elsa asked.
That stopped Anna, but only briefly. "Good point," she said. "I'll be right back!" And she rushed out of the room, returning seconds later with a package wrapped in brown paper. "Here." She gave it to Elsa.
"What is it?" Elsa asked, taking the package and looking at her curiously.
"Open it and see," said Anna, grinning.
Elsa carefully unwrapped the package and gasped. Inside was a beautiful baby blanket, hand-knitted with soft yarn in various shades of blue, interspersed with snowflakes of varying sizes and shapes.
"Oh, Anna," Elsa breathed. "It's beautiful."
"Kristoff and I picked it out," said Anna, sitting back down beside her sister. "Well, actually, I picked it out, but Kristoff escorted me into town. Do you like it?"
"Like it? I love it!" said Elsa, hugging her, which was somewhat difficult due to her large stomach. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," said Anna, breaking apart and smiling at her.
Suddenly, there was a loud smack and Susanna started crying. Anna and Elsa whipped their heads around and saw snow in her hair. It appeared that one of Bella's and Kirsten's snowballs had gone haywire and accidentally hit Susanna in the head. Anna immediately picked her up and started rocking her.
"Kirsten, come here," she said firmly. Kirsten shuffled over, looking close to tears. "Did you throw that snowball?"
"Yes, Mama," said Kirsten. "But it was an accident!"
"I know it was, but you need to be more careful," said Anna. "Starting now, no more snowball fights, magical or otherwise, around Susanna."
"But Mama—" Kirsten protested.
"No buts," Anna interrupted. "Now come apologize to your sister."
Kirsten climbed up onto the bed and gave her sister a hug. "I'm sorry, Su," she said. "I love you." Susanna just babbled.
"Come here, Bella," said Elsa. Anna lifted Bella onto the bed to sit next to her mother. "I know you have fun with your snow, but you need to be careful around other people, especially your little cousin. Okay, snowflake?"
"K," said Bella, and she snuggled up next to her. Elsa wasn't sure if she quite understood what she had said, but she didn't think she would do it again, not in front of Susanna, anyway.
"Auntie Elsa?" said Kirsten, scooting closer to her. "Can I feel the baby?"
"I'm not sure you'll be able to, sweetie," said Elsa, rubbing her belly. "He's been very quiet today."
"Aw," said Kirsten, pouting.
Elsa leaned forward a bit and lowered her voice. "But maybe if he knows you're waiting, he'll kick just for you."
"Really?" said Kirsten, perking up.
"You want to try?" Elsa asked.
"Uh-huh!" said Kirsten, and she scooted even closer and put her hands on her aunt's large belly. "Hi baby boy. I'm your cousin, Kirsten. You have another girl cousin and a big sister. We love you." She was then quiet for a moment. After what felt like forever, she felt something bump against her hand. She gasped excitedly. "He moved, Auntie Elsa! He moved! Just for me!"
"I felt him," said Elsa, smiling.
"Okay, girls, I think it's time we leave Auntie Elsa alone to rest," said Anna, picking up Susanna. "It's almost time for dinner, anyway."
"Okay," said Kirsten, but not before giving Elsa a hug. "I love you, Auntie Elsa."
"I love you, too, sweetie," said Elsa, hugging back.
"Come on, Bella!" said Kirsten. Anna helped Bella off the bed and the four of them headed to the door.
"Should I have Gerda bring up a tray for you?" Anna asked.
"Yes, thank you, Anna," said Elsa, smiling at her.
"Okay, I'll see you later, then," said Anna, smiling back, and then she and the girls disappeared into the hall.
It was sometime after dinner. Elsa was reading a book when she heard footsteps out in the hall and Fredrik came in.
"There's my beautiful wife," he said, smiling as he joined her on the bed.
"Hi," said Elsa, leaning over and kissing him.
"Hi back," he said. "How's our little princess?" He rubbed her belly.
"You mean prince," said Elsa, smiling.
"Oh, so you still think it's a boy, do you?" Fredrik asked teasingly.
"Fredrik, I know it's a boy," said Elsa, rubbing her belly in turn. "I'm a mother; I can sense these things."
"Oh, is that so?" said Fredrik, and he leaned forward again. "Hello, sweetheart," he said to Elsa's bump. "Your mama thinks you're a boy. Isn't that something? But you know what I think? I think you're another beautiful girl. We'll show your mama when you come out, won't we?"
"Fredrik, stop it," Elsa scolded, but she was smiling. "It's a boy, and that's final."
"It's not final until she's born," said Fredrik, smiling back.
"You mean 'he'," Elsa corrected.
"Right," said Fredrik, smiling.
They continued their playful banter for the next couple of hours. The conversation soon turned to names, with Elsa reading out her favorites while Fredrik rubbed her feet. Her reading would occasionally be interrupted by her squeals when Fredrik would "accidentally" tickle her toes. Once, she laughed so hard that the baby kicked.
Eventually, Elsa tired out and fell asleep. She couldn't lie comfortably on her side anymore, so she was forced to lie on her back. Fredrik lay on his side, rubbing her belly and watching her sleep. It wasn't long before he, too, succumbed to sleep.
It felt like he had barely fallen asleep before he felt Elsa shaking him awake. At first, his brain was too foggy from sleep that he didn't quite register what she was saying.
"Fredrik!" she whispered, more urgently this time.
"Whassamatter?" Fredrik mumbled.
"My water broke," Elsa whispered. "I think it's time."
"Time for what?" Fredrik mumbled again.
"The baby, Fredrik!" said Elsa, louder so he could hear her.
Suddenly, Fredrik was wide awake. "The baby!" he said, sitting up and looking at her. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," said Elsa, grimacing when she felt her first pain. "Get Anna."
Fredrik wasted no time in getting up and running out the door and down the hall to Anna and Kristoff's room. As the situation was urgent, he didn't bother knocking. He hurried over to Anna's side of the bed and started shaking her awake.
"Anna," he whispered, shaking her shoulder. Nothing. "Anna!"
Anna mumbled incoherently but still didn't wake up. Fortunately, Kristoff wasn't as heavy a sleeper and had woken up. "Fredrik, what is it?" he asked sleepily.
"Elsa's pains have started," Fredrik answered. "We think it's time."
At those words, Kristoff came wide awake and sat up. "Are you sure?" he asked.
"Positive," said Fredrik. "I wanted to tell Anna first, but I can't get her to wake up."
"Let me try," said Kristoff, and he started shaking her. "Anna. Anna!" he said loudly.
Finally, Anna stirred and woke up. "Kristoff, what is it?" she mumbled.
"Elsa's in labor," Kristoff answered.
Anna rolled over and closed her eyes again. "Elsa's…..in labor." Then suddenly, her eyes snapped open and she sat up, wide awake. "Elsa's in labor! Fredrik, fetch Greta! Kristoff, find Ida and Siri!" While she had been talking, Anna had shot out of bed and put on her dressing gown. "I have to go see Elsa!"
"Hey, hey, Anna, calm down," said Kristoff, getting up and walking over to her. "Slow down and take a breath."
"I can't slow down, Elsa needs me," said Anna, scurrying out of the room. When she reached the royal suite, she saw Elsa sitting up in bed, breathing hard through another contraction. Despite the pain, Elsa smiled in relief when she saw her sister.
"Oh, Anna, I'm so glad you're here," she said, holding out her hand. Anna immediately went over to her and grasped it. "I was beginning to think Fredrik had forgotten about me."
"Don't worry, I've sent him to fetch Greta and I sent Kristoff to fetch Ida and Siri," said Anna. "Besides, Fredrik would never forget about you; he loves you too much." She smiled.
Elsa smiled back, but then it turned into a grimace when she felt another pain. She squeezed Anna's hand tightly while she bore through it.
Soon, they heard hurried footsteps out in the hall and then the door opened to reveal Greta, the midwife, and her two assistants, Ida and Siri. Kristoff and Fredrik were right behind them.
"What took you men so long?" Anna asked.
"Well, Fredrik was panicking, so it took me a minute to calm him down and then we ran into a little distraction before we even got to the stairs," said Kristoff, smiling.
"What kind of distraction?" Anna asked suspiciously, but then her question was answered almost immediately when a little blonde-haired figure stepped out from behind Kristoff.
"Mama?" said Kirsten sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
"Oh, Kirsten, what are you doing up?" Anna asked, hurrying over to her.
"I heard peoples shouting," said Kirsten, yawning.
"Well, I'm sorry we woke you, angel," said Anna.
"Why was you shouting, Mama?" Kirsten asked.
"We were just excited," Anna answered. "Auntie Elsa's about to have the new baby."
"Really?" said Kirsten, perking up. "Is that why Papa and Uncle Fwedwik got these other peoples?"
"Yes, because Auntie Elsa needs help having the baby," Anna answered. "Though Papa should have put you back to bed before fetching them." She glared at Kristoff.
"Sorry," said Kristoff sheepishly. "We went as fast as we could, despite the distraction." He smiled again.
"Well, never mind that now," said Anna impatiently. "Greta, can you please check on Elsa?"
"Certainly, Your Highness, but I will need the men and the little princess out before I can do so," Greta answered.
"You heard her, Fredrik," said Kristoff, smiling and clapping a hand on his brother-in-law's shoulder. "Come along, Kirsten. Back to bed." He held out his hand.
"But I wanna stay with Auntie Elsa," said Kirsten, pouting.
"I'm sorry, but Auntie Elsa needs to concentrate on having the baby," said Kristoff. "Besides, a growing girl like you needs sleep. Come on. You can see your new baby cousin in the morning."
"Okay," said Kirsten, taking her father's hand, and the three of them left the room, closing the door behind them.
Greta then shuffled over to the bedside. "Good evening, Your Majesty," she said, bobbing a quick curtsy. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay," said Elsa, breathing hard as another pain came.
"How far apart are your pains?" Greta asked.
"Less than ten minutes," Elsa replied breathlessly.
"Good," said Greta, smiling approvingly. "This will make it another easy birth."
The next few minutes were spent making the necessary preparations for the arrival of the new royal baby. Ida and Siri laid out fresh towels and blankets and started heating water while Greta checked Elsa's progress. Other than fluffing her sister's pillows and making sure she was comfortable, there wasn't much for Anna to do. But Elsa was perfectly content with her sitting by her side and holding her hand.
"Hmm," said Greta thoughtfully, straightening from where she had been checking Elsa from the other end of the bed. "It looks like you're almost halfway there. It shouldn't be but another couple of hours before we welcome your new family member." She smiled.
"That soon?" Elsa asked, tensing as another contraction tore through her body.
"Well, it is different for every woman," said Greta. "But in my experience, the second child onward usually arrives quicker than the first."
"Ha! Told you!" said Anna, smiling at Elsa, who returned it weakly.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to fetch a few more things," said Greta. "Just make sure she's comfortable, calm, and relaxed. Ida and Siri will be here, and you can send one of them for me if anything changes."
"Thank you, Greta," said Anna, smiling at her.
"You're welcome, Your Highness," said Greta, and she left.
"So, how are you feeling?" Anna asked.
"Okay," Elsa answered, tensing again at the next pain. When it was over, she lay back against the pillows, breathing heavily. "Thank you for being here again. I'm so lucky to have a sister like you."
"You don't know how happy I am to hear you say that," said Anna, smiling.
A couple hours later...
Fredrik was sleeping; or at least trying to. He kept tossing and turning, worrying about Elsa. After Kristoff had put Kirsten back to bed, they had gone to the sitting room to wait. Fredrik had immediately started pacing, repeating what he had done two years ago while waiting for Bella to be born. More to keep himself from going crazy than anything else (even though it was nothing compared to how Fredrik must be feeling), Kristoff had pushed him down onto the sofa, holding him there until he had calmed down. Being a big, burly mountain man, it had been easy to get Fredrik to submit. He himself had then collapsed into an armchair and promptly fallen asleep. He had been snoring for the last hour, at least.
Fredrik hoped everything was all right. They hadn't heard anything since they had come in here about two hours ago. It was just like two years ago. It was so quiet, he was afraid that something was wrong. But nothing could be wrong, could it? They would have come and told him, wouldn't they?
Eventually, Fredrik gave up trying to sleep. He rolled off the couch with a sigh and went over to the window, sitting down on the cushioned bench beneath and resting his head against the cool glass. It was still dark out, but he could see the faintest tint of pink on the horizon, which meant dawn was approaching. He smiled. Dawn had always been Elsa's favorite time of day. Whether it was because it was so quiet at that time of day (what with there being very few servants about and the rest of the family still sleeping) that it gave her time to think, or if it was simply because she enjoyed watching the sun rise. He didn't know. He had never thought to ask her.
He then thought back to when they had first been married. He still considered himself to be the luckiest man on earth. How had he, a prince of the dreaded Southern Isles, managed to win the heart of the beautiful, yet ever-elusive Snow Queen?
Of course, he knew right from the start that it wouldn't be easy to gain her trust, especially judging from their first meeting. He had never told her, but he had noticed all the ice spreading around her in her anger. He had then tried to keep his distance, still staying close to her, but not so close that she would feel smothered. He didn't want to be the cause of another one of her icy outbursts.
Surprisingly, though, it hadn't taken nearly as long as he originally thought. It was only after another week or so that Elsa had begun to feel more comfortable around him. He figured Anna must have said something to her at some point in time. If that was the case, he now felt immensely grateful to his sister-in-law.
He smiled at their first moments together. Sure, she had been hesitant and tentative at first, but then, so had he. He was her first love, and she was his. And again, he didn't want to push her if she wasn't ready yet. As he told her on the trip to rescue Kirsten from his wicked younger brother, Hans, he was a very patient man. Except in this case.
He looked at the clock on the mantle piece and saw that it was just after four. He glanced back at Kristoff, who was still sleeping in the same armchair across the room. He turned back to the window and sighed in frustration. How much longer would he have to wait? But his mind was too tired to think anymore, and he drifted away again.
He hadn't realized he had fallen back asleep until he felt someone shaking him awake.
"Fredrik." He heard Kristoff's voice as though from far away. "Fredrik!" He pulled himself out of the haze of sleep enough to open his eyes. Kristoff's face slowly swam into focus.
"Kristoff?" he said, sitting up from where he had apparently been slouched against the window.
"I just received word from Greta about Elsa," Kristoff said.
Fredrik suddenly felt wide awake. "How is she? Is she okay? What about the baby?"
"Whoa, slow down!" said Kristoff, moving to sit next to him and place a calming hand on his shoulder. "She's just fine. No baby yet, but she's very close. Greta thinks it will be sometime within the next half hour or so. We can wait right outside the door if you want to be closer."
"I would, thank you, Kristoff," said Fredrik, standing up and stretching. "Will you wait with me again?"
"It would be my pleasure," said Kristoff, and they set off.
When they arrived in front of the doors to the royal suite, they couldn't hear any noise, but two chairs had been placed, one one either side of the doors. Fredrik sat down on one and Kristoff took the other. He noticed that Fredrik had immediately started jiggling his leg in anxiousness.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked.
"Fine," said Fredrik, not looking at him.
"So, do you think it's going to be a boy this time, or another girl?" Kristoff asked, slightly changing the subject.
"Another girl," Fredrik answered without hesitation.
"You're sure?" Kristoff asked.
"Positive," said Fredrik. "But Elsa's not convinced. She keeps insisting the baby is a boy."
"Well, I guess only time will tell," said Kristoff, smiling at him.
"I suppose you're right," said Fredrik, and they sat in companionable silence for the next half hour.
Back in the royal suite, there was a flurry of activity. Greta and both her assistants, Ida and Siri, were bustling about, laying out more fresh towels and blankets and heating more water.
Elsa's pains were less than a minute apart, so she was very close to delivering. Anna was still sitting next to the bed, murmuring words of encouragement. Since Elsa had gone into labor a few hours ago, she hadn't left her side once.
"Just breathe, Elsa, you're doing fine. You're almost there," she said, gently brushing her sister's bangs off her sweaty forehead.
"I hope so. I'm so ready for this baby," Elsa moaned, then grimaced as another contraction came.
"Well, you are more patient than I am," said Anna, smiling.
"Well, I'd had thirteen years alone to practice," said Elsa.
Just then, Greta came over to check Elsa's progress. "Looks like we're ready," she said. She grabbed a stool to sit on and a fresh towel to clean the baby. "Now, on this next pain, Your Majesty, I need you to push, okay?"
"Okay," said Elsa. Anna helped her sit up a little more comfortably, fluffing the pillows some.
On the very next contraction, Elsa squeezed her eyes shut and bore down hard, pushing with every ounce of strength she had, while Greta called encouragement from the other end.
"That's it! Good girl! Good girl! I see the head! The head is out! Now, just one more big push and this baby will be here!"
Elsa squeezed Anna's hand in a death grip and pushed with her last ounce of strength. After a few seconds, she felt a release, the pain stopped, and there was silence. Silence that lasted a little too long.
"He's not breathing! Get him to the table!" came Gerda's frantic voice.
Elsa's eyes flew open and she looked wildly around at Anna. "Anna, what is it? What's wrong?" she asked urgently.
"I don't know," said Anna, her voice shaking.
But they barely had time to worry when they heard a smack and then a beautiful cry. A normal, healthy cry. Greta cleaned the baby and wrapped him in a fuzzy blanket. She carried him over to the bed.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty," she said, smiling and placing the baby in Elsa's arms. "You have a beautiful baby boy."
"Is he okay?" Elsa asked, looking down at her newborn son.
"He's just fine," Greta answered. "There was some fluid inside his esophagus, but one good smack dislodged it."
"Thank you, Greta," said Elsa, smiling up at the older woman.
"My pleasure, Your Majesty," said Greta, smiling back. She and her two assistants cleaned everything up and gathered their things before they left the two sisters alone.
"Well, wouldn't you know it?" said Anna softly, gently stroking her nephew's cheek with her finger. "We have a little prince."
"I knew it was going to be a boy," said Elsa, smiling down at him. He looked like his father, with the same bright green eyes and straight nose, but with a shock of light blonde hair like his mother's.
"Shall I inform the men?" Anna asked.
"Of course," said Elsa, smiling mischievously. "I have to show Fredrik that he was wrong about the baby's gender."
"Okay, be right back," said Anna, practically bouncing out the door. She stopped when she saw Kristoff and Fredrik sitting right outside. When he heard the door open, Fredrik jumped up as though his chair had just been electrified. Kristoff stood up more slowly.
"How is she?" Fredrik asked. "Is she okay?"
"She's fine," Anna answered. "They're both just fine."
Fredrik hesitated before asking his next question. "Boy or girl?" he asked quietly.
"See for yourself," said Anna, stepping aside to let him re-enter the bedroom.
Fredrik entered the bedroom slowly and cautiously, not sure what he was about to see. Did he have another daughter, like he wanted, or did he have a son like Elsa wanted?
He stopped when he saw Elsa, sitting up in the bed, propped up against several snowy white pillows and singing softly to the small bundle of blankets in her arms. He took a step forward, causing the floorboards to creak and making Elsa look up. She smiled when she saw him.
"Fredrik, come meet your son," she said softly.
Fredrik stood stock-still, completely dumbfounded. "Our...son?" he finally managed to say.
"I told you it was going to be a boy, didn't I?" said Elsa, smiling wider, her blue eyes sparkling.
"Well, it looks like you have proved me wrong, love," said Fredrik, coming over to the bed. He sat down next to her and peeked at his newborn son, who was now asleep. The blankets almost covered his face.
"I think he looks like you this time," said Elsa.
"Sure you can handle two handsome males in your family?" Fredrik teased.
"Actually, I think I consider myself lucky," said Elsa, teasing back.
"Darn right," said Fredrik, and he kissed her.
"Want to hold him?" Elsa asked once they had broken apart.
"All right," said Fredrik, and Elsa gently placed their son in his arms. He stirred slightly, but didn't wake up.
"We still have to name him," Elsa said.
"What were you thinking?" Fredrik asked, still looking at their son. "You know me; I was only thinking of girl names."
"I was thinking Dominik," said Elsa.
"Dominik," Fredrik repeated softly. "You know, I think that was the name we liked for Bella if she had been a boy."
"You're right," said Elsa thoughtfully. "I guess I forgot."
"Do we still like it?" Fredrik asked, smiling at her.
"Absolutely," said Elsa, smiling back.
"Then Dominik it is," he said, and he kissed her again.
Someone cleared their throat and they broke apart to see Anna and Kristoff standing in the doorway. Anna was smiling and Kristoff was looking uncomfortable. Apparently, he had been the one to clear his throat.
"So," he said, in an attempt to break the slightly awkward silence. "I hear we have a little prince."
"Yes, Prince Dominik," Elsa answered.
"Good, strong name," said Kristoff. "Almost sounds like Fredrik's name." He smirked.
"Hey! I assure you that I had almost no part in naming him," said Fredrik light-heartedly.
"Hey Elsa, Kirsten woke up again and is asking to see the new baby," said Anna. "Is it all right if I bring her in?"
"Of course," said Elsa, smiling. "You know how excited she is about her new cousin."
"Okay, I'll go get her," said Anna, and she left the room.
Kristoff stood awkwardly in the doorway. "So," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, a nervous habit of his. "Looks like you now have an heir. Are you happy?"
"Actually, Kristoff, it doesn't matter to me that I have an heir," said Elsa. Fredrik started to say something, but she silenced him with an icy look. "All that matters is that I'm able to have moments like these. I wouldn't love him any less than if he had been another girl."
Just then, they heard a pattering of feet out in the hall before Kirsten came running in.
"Auntie Elsa!" she said in an excited voice. "Mama says the new baby is here! Can I see him?"
"Of course you can, sweetie," said Elsa, smiling.
Anna helped Kirsten climb up onto the bed so she could get a better look at her new cousin. "What's his name?" she asked.
"Dominik," Elsa answered.
"Hi Dominik," said Kirsten, leaning closer to him. "I'm your cousin, Kirsten. When you're bigger, we're gonna be bestest friends, like me and Bella and Susanna." She then looked up at Elsa. "Auntie Elsa, can Bella and Susanna meet him, too?"
"I'm sorry, sunshine, but it's still really early and they're too little to be up yet," Elsa answered.
"But I'm up," Kirsten pointed out.
"Well, we made an exception for you," said Anna. "Auntie Elsa is right; it's too early for your sister and cousin to be up yet. There will be plenty of time later for them to meet Dominik."
"Aw, okay," said Kirsten, pouting. She slid off the bed and ran over to her father, who picked her up and held her in his strong arms. Anna frowned and narrowed her eyes. She didn't like Kristoff picking up their older daughter, thinking she was too big now to be held. She opened her mouth to say something, but Elsa caught her eye and gave her a very queenly glare, and she closed it again.
"So Fredrik," said Kristoff, trying to gloss over the awkward moment. "How does it feel to be proven wrong?" He smirked at him.
"Well," said Fredrik, gently setting baby Dominik back in his mother's arms. "I thought I would be upset, but now that I've had a chance to hold him, I realize that it's no longer important."
"What isn't?" Elsa asked.
Fredrik smiled at her. "Winning," he said.
"Well, I for one am happy that we finally have a little boy in the family," said Anna, also smiling.
"Mama, can I have a baby brother?" Kirsten asked suddenly. Everyone looked at her.
"Where on earth did that come from?" Anna asked, genuinely shocked.
"'Cause Bella has a baby brother and I just has a sister," said Kirsten.
"I thought you loved your sister," said Anna.
"Yeah, but baby brothers are fun, too," said Kirsten.
"Well, we'll see what we can do, angel," said Anna, and she smirked up at Kristoff.
The family huddled together around the bed, each taking turns holding the new prince. Elsa couldn't believe that she now had two beautiful children, and her heart overflowed with love for them. She knew that nothing would harm them because of that love. It turned out to be one of the best days of her life. She loved her family and she would never let go of them as long as she lived.
Whew, that was a long one! I hope the ending doesn't sound rushed. I wanted to get this up before I have to leave for work. Again.
Thanks for reading! Last chapter coming soon! :)
