I really wanted to get this out sooner, but this quarter has been busy so... priorities. But here it is~
Sympathy for the Desperate
Chapter 2
"Excellent form, Your Highness," the Captain of the Guard complimented as Anna tapped his shoulder.
"You think so?" Anna panted, wiping her face with a damp washcloth. One good thing about the palace—there was always time for practice. And while Kristoff proved a great opponent, he could only defend; the thought of attacking Anna seemed to really make him uncomfortable.
Okay, so she should be preparing for Elsa's return, since their ship had pulled into harbor. But why stress herself out by putting on a fancy dress when her sister knew that in slacks she felt most comfortable? It just seemed so much more reasonable to keep practicing, like she had every day ever since Elsa and Hans sailed to Corona.
Being royalty did entail that Anna must know how to govern the kingdom if Elsa ever left or passed, but Anna had never been one for sitting around signing documents and drafting proposals. No, she'd always been the restless one, running around the palace, fencing with her father, horseback riding in the courtyard. Anna lived for movement, and now she had life flowing through her veins.
After all, the time had come for Anna and Kristoff to trek back up the North Mountain for another half year harvesting ice for Arendelle's warm spring and summer months. She couldn't believe a year had passed—was she really already twenty? Time flew by so quickly…
The Captain realized just how long they'd been at this, and promptly put his foil away. "Yes, well, the King and Queen should arrive at any moment—are you certain you don't want to change?" he asked.
Chuckling, Anna just redid her bun. "No. She's my sister; she knows my extracurriculars," she assured, following him out of the recreational room. He sauntered, and Anna almost had to break into a jog to keep up.
Kristoff and Olaf had already been waiting at the palace gates by the time Anna arrived, just as Elsa and Hans were escorted onto the courtyard. What alarmed Anna from this distance was that she could see the ailment that had passed over her sister, probably from being at sea for so long and not being used to it. She held herself strongly, chin high and defiant, but Anna knew her sister (or at least, felt she did). Something was up, if she had to lean and hold onto her husband like that.
Politely Anna bowed (as she had no skirts) to her sister, discreetly ignoring Hans. "I hope your travels were well," she greeted, though she suspected Elsa was ill.
"Yes…" Her sister sounded aloof, not wholly herself. She took Anna's hands and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Anna, you shouldn't be presenting yourself so casually. Anyone could see you like this," she scolded.
Gaping, Anna couldn't even answer as Elsa brushed by and stepped in the palace, already giving Gerda orders to fix her room up.
But Hans was the one who devotedly stood beside her, led her upstairs. And all Anna could do was stare blankly ahead, wondering when her sister cared so much about appearances when she spent most of her life behind closed doors.
Kristoff placed an assuring hand on her shoulders. "The stress of the trip must be getting to her," he said gently, giving her a hopeful smile.
Sighing, Anna turned on her heel and stormed up to her room. "No, you heard her, Kristoff," she replied bitterly. "Elsa implied that I look like a common slob." Someone not worthy to rule in her sister's absence. Someone too impulsive, not mature enough.
The whispers were quiet, but that didn't stop Anna from hearing that the physician had arrived to check up on Elsa. One of the servants on the Corona trip had said the Queen had fallen ill on the way back to Arendelle... but not in going to the Sun kingdom.
Paling, Anna wished her own maids could tighten her corsets faster; she had to talk to her sister before Hans did.
Luckily, as soon as her hair was pinned back, Gerda knocked on her door.
"Your sister requires your company, Your Highness," she informed, curtseying in Anna's presence.
"Has the physician been here already?" she asked. In her resentment, she'd holed herself in her room for the past few hours, not even talking to Kristoff. It wasn't until dinner neared that she realized she should put on that "appropriate dress."
"Yes, Your Highness," Gerda replied with a nod. "Now she refuses to speak to anyone except you."
Probably for a false apology, Anna thought, dismissing her servants. Gathering her skirts, she hurried past Gerda and sauntered up to the Queen's quarters, surprised to see Hans standing outside the door.
"Were you kicked out?" She couldn't help but smirk.
"You could say that." His face remained stoic, but his stiff posture implied that he wished to bicker with Anna more.
Without another word, Anna pushed by him, glad he could do nothing about it.
Elsa, bedridden, straightened up and slowly stood, trying to keep a graceful posture.
"Is this to your liking, Your Majesty?" Anna couldn't help but be snippy as she gestured to her fresh dress.
"Oh, Anna." Elsa's dreamy face only told Anna that her sister no longer cared about appearances. Of course, that only made Anna much more short.
"Elsa," she murmured through clenched teeth. It'd been a year; she knew how immature it was to still hold a grudge against her sister. But seeing Hans right outside the door, to know that heavy rock still glistened on her finger despite everything he had done.
But she remembered the ailment, and sighed, moving closer to stand by Elsa. "What did the physician say?" she asked cautiously, hoping it was nothing serious. The aloof look on Elsa's face suggested that, anyway.
Elsa took Anna's hand, squeezing it gently. "You have to be the first to know the wonderful news," she murmured, and Anna paled.
"Know what?" But she knew the answer. She only tortured herself by having Elsa play it aloud.
"I'm with child," Elsa all but tried to exclaim, holding onto Anna's hand tighter, like she knew that Anna would try to pull away at the news announcement.
Remain calm. But Anna wanted to scream and cry out, because her infertility was the one thing Elsa had over her husband, and by the look on her sister's face, this had not occurred out of wedlock.
Anna would have been grateful for that—sickening as the thought was.
"I know how you feel about Hans, but Anna, don't you see? This could make it all better," Elsa tried to assure, but the silence probably told her that no matter what, Anna wasn't getting over this anytime soon. "I wanted you to be the first to know."
Like things could somehow be patched together neatly by a crying, screaming baby that carried his characteristics. What was Elsa thinking? If anything, their problems shouldn't carry over into a child.
"Congratulations," Anna deadpanned, curtseying to her sister so she could be dismissed. She would be the one getting sick from just hearing the news. Hopefully Kristoff would understand, or at least provide her with more comfort than her sister.
"You'll stay, won't you?" Elsa asked, referring to Anna leaving for the summer.
Damn it, she really wanted to leave. But to go when her sister in this condition, to be so cruel… She couldn't do it. Anna had to take the high road.
"I will," she promised, slowly leaving the room. She wanted to cry, but she remembered Hans on the other side of the door. She couldn't give him the satisfaction as she closed the door to see him standing there anxiously, the Captain of the Guard keeping a watchful eye on him.
"I hope you're happy," Anna sneered, before scurrying back down the hall, getting out of the palace.
"But if Elsa is having a child, why isn't it here yet?" Olaf asked, dancing absentmindedly in the courtyard.
Anna sighed, sitting on the edge of the fountain. She decided that telling Olaf, with all his childlike innocence, would calm her down. So far, it hadn't worked too well.
"Well… she's not making this child with her powers," Anna tried to explain. She wouldn't say the word "love"—she refused to. And to explain sex to a snowman would prove far too awkward. "Hans helped."
"Oh." Olaf made his way up to Anna, eyes wide with curiosity. "Is that why it's going to take a while?"
"Sure." Anna smiled; she couldn't help it with the little guy.
Speaking of smiles, there was Kristoff and Sven, coming up to meet her and Olaf. Kristoff took a seat beside Anna, and she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Is it true?" he asked, and Anna assumed he'd heard the rumors. "Elsa's pregnant?"
"Unfortunately." Closing her eyes, Anna wanted to just wake up from this nightmare that was her life. Part of her actually wished she had frozen, if it meant she didn't have to hurt this much. Then again, it wouldn't be fair to Elsa, who needed her now more than ever.
Then again, all Elsa seemed focused on was mending her damn marriage to Hans.
"We're staying." Kristoff stated it, didn't ask. He knew the answer.
"Unfortunately," Anna repeated lowly so Olaf—who grinned at the idea of staying for the summer—wouldn't hear.
"Don't shut me out," Kristoff warned, taking her hand in his. "Don't turn into your sister."
Well, that was hitting quite below the belt. Anna frowned, but Kristoff had a point. She tried so hard not to let Elsa get to her, and now she was the one shutting everyone out. Damn it, why did he have to be right all the time?
When Olaf wandered off with Sven, Anna finally had a chance to really speak her mind. "I don't want to hate my unborn niece or nephew, but I do, because it's his," she confessed. "I feared this would happen when we returned, before… Well, before that confrontation. And now it has, and Elsa thinks this is going to miraculously make everything better. What a childish notion, don't you think?"
"Of course, but she's not entirely wrong." Kristoff shrugged. "I don't think you've noticed how desperate she is for your approval, Anna—she wants to help change Hans for the better and mend your relationship with her. I don't know about you, but I've seen how happy people—even trolls—get when there's someone new introduced to the family. I don't blame her for thinking this is going to help rather than hurt, even if it is a bit naïve. But she's going to need our support. So you just have to try, give them a chance."
Clenching her jaw, Anna nudged Kristoff lightly. "I hate it when you're right," she admitted. Could she actually try and do this, sickening as the notion was? Could she really find it in her heart to one day forgive Hans and love this unborn child?
For Kristoff and Elsa, she had no choice but to try. She didn't want to become the recluse, the shut in her sister once was.
Anna sighed, then regarded Kristoff again, smiling softly. "Do you like this dress?" she asked.
So the thing happened. And now the plot is set in motion?
Next Chapter:Elsa tells Hans the news. Awkward family dinner ensues afterward.
Till then,
Eliza
