Elsa smiled as she watched Mia skipping down the hallway, happy to see the girl looking excited. Odd had promised her a day out in the forest today, and now that she trusted him more, she was overly excited to go.

"What's this?" A voice - Kristoff's voice - came from inside the dining hall, and Elsa paused, holding Odd's hand to stop him from going in, and whispering for Mia to come back, not wanting to intrude on a personal moment.

There were a few seconds of silence as the Queen began to drag her husband and niece back, her son squirming a little in her arms, when they heard it. "You're pregnant?" A happy laugh followed quickly after.

Elsa's face broke into a massive smile - she'd had her suspicions, but hadn't wanted to ask her to confirm or decline these. Ushering the group back, she grinned knowingly at Odd, whereas Mia was just confused. She didn't quite understand the word 'pregnancy'.

"Come on," Elsa said, under her breath so as not to alert Anna and Kristoff of their presence, "Let's go to the kitchens. I'm sure Chef won't mind if we eat in there."

April 3rd

Anna let out a thrilled cry of excitement as she tore wildly through the forest with her husband. Sven's hooves were beating the ground in a way which made him appear to be flying and he, too, let out an excited bleat as he continued forward with as much speed as he could, and even Kristoff seemed to be enjoying the ride, despite his new fears for his wife's safety.

A few hours passed, Sven obediently galloping onwards over the increasingly frozen ground, not letting his weariness and fatigue show as he continued to speed forward. He was breathing heavily and there was a layer of sweat forming around his shoulders and his neck, and he had to fight the urge to stop - and yet he'd never felt more alive. The opportunity to run as fast as he wanted was exhilarating, and even though he collapsed tiredly when Kristoff unhooked the sled, he couldn't help lolling his tongue out happily and wagging his little tail happily.

Anna giggled slightly at the reindeer's amusing antics as she allowed a fussing Kristoff to help her get down from the sledge. She rolled her eyes as he began to nervously rattle off question after question, clearly not comfortable with her being here now that she was suddenly so much more frail and helpless.

She almost snorted at her own thought. As if.

She permitted him to check that she was still in one piece for a few more seconds, but when he noticed the slight, almost indistinguishable curve of her stomach as he assessed her, he began to panic, stressing that she should probably just go back home incase anything happened; Anna quickly began to get annoyed as she huffed and crossed her arms grumpily. Even Sven snorted in frustration as his friend continued to come up with reason after reason as to why the pregnant princess shouldn't be there, and soon decided that he had to take matters into his own hooves.

Getting up slowly, he trotted over to Kristoff and stood next to him for a few moments, and Anna looked saddened - let down, even - as if she'd been counting on the reindeer to back her up. Sven, however, was not going to let his 'sister-in-law', as he saw her, to remain so down-trod, nor had he ever been planning on doing so. He wagged his tail happily as he grinned in his own special way, looking at Kristoff innocently, and then he winked at Anna cheekily - since when did Sven even learn to wink, she found herself wondering - and then lifted his left rear leg a little. He paused for a second, giving his friend just enough time to open his mouth, then gave him a strong boot to the stomach.

Kristoff grunted and doubled over, and Anna giggled at this, shaking her head at her husband. Petting Sven affectionately, she bent down to offer her husband a hand, helping to pull him up and smiling warmly.

"I think what Sven is trying to say," She began, grinning, "Is shut up."

Kristoff looked annoyed as he stood straighter, wincing slightly, and he sighed. "Fine," He grunted, "But don't go tricking me into doing anything again. You know I'd hate myself if anything happened, especially now." He looked at her pleadingly, in one last attempt to make her feel bad - make her feel guilty, even, and return home. Of course, Anna wasn't one who gave in lightly.

"Are you saying I'm weak?" Anna accused, frowning. "Just because I'm pregnant, does not mean that I'm fragile! If I want to come ice harvesting, then I can come ice harvesting!"

Kristoff looked shocked at his wife's outburst, and held his hands out in a submissive gesture.

"OK, OK." He relented. "All I ask is that can you please try to be careful on the ice? I don't want you to fall - you remember what happened before, I'm sure?" His eyes were slightly sadder than before as he recalled what had happened at Elsa and Odd's after-wedding party, when Anna, a few months pregnant, had been dropped and had miscarried. This seemed to hit the mark, and the Princess nodded more seriously.

"Don't worry, Kris." She assured him, "I managed to survive Elsa's winter, and there wasn't a lack of ice back then. And I've gotten better at ice skating - I think I'll be okay." She was a lot calmer now, her mood having changed rapidly. She smiled reassuringly, and then pulled on a pair of gloves from out of the back of the sled.

She clapped happily. "Come on then!" She called cheerfully. "Hand me a pickaxe - let's get going!"

"Please, Auntie Elsa!" Mia pleaded, her large blue eyes shining with hope. For some reason, the child was extra trusting today - perhaps it was because her aunt had already fed her a large handful of Turkish Delights. The sweet treats seemed to work magic on the youngest Arendelle Princess; they were the key to gaining her trust, at least in the short term. Elsa knew she'd have to recommend it to her sister - maybe she'd have to give up her stash of Turkish Delights for a while so that Mia would have to go to her own mother for her sugar fix.

Looking into the little girls eyes, she sighed, knowing that there was no way she could deny her niece when she was giving her the 'puppy-dog eyes'. Elsa sighed, smiling.

"Okay, okay." She said, bending down and picking Mia up, who laughed in her arms and was completely at ease. Like her mother, sugar clearly solved many of her problems. "I'll come, but I can only stay out for a few hours - otherwise Freddie will get hungry." She turned to Odd, who was grinning triumphantly at her. She couldn't help but suspect that he may have had something to do with it, and she narrowed her eyes at him for a second, and then smiled. She couldn't keep the mask of frustration up. "I guess I'll leave Freddie with your Mother." She commented, "No doubt she'll enjoy spending the time with her Grandson."

Odd chuckled. "True," He added, "She'd be putty in your hands if you offered to give her Freddie for the afternoon."

Mia giggled happily. "Yay!" She cried, and then rushed outside, jumping up and down enthusiastically. "Thank you, Auntie Elsa!" She bounced around uncharacteristically - must have been a sugar rush - and then she rushed off through the corridors, hurrying down the stairs (or rather, stumbling down the last few) and then scampered off to the stables.

Elsa shook her head in amusement, and sat down on the bed. Freddie, who was laying to her side, rolled over to reach his mother, and nearly fell off in the process; after rescuing him from dropping, she pulled the baby onto her lap and dragged a blanket over her breasts so that she could feed him, without embarrassing her husband. Odd wouldn't have actually cared, but it was still expected of her anyway, and she had to follow protocol.

A few seconds passed in awkward silence, and then Elsa grinned at her husband sheepishly. "You don't have to stay here, you know." She teased, as she stroked her son's head under the blanket, the soft brown hair tangling slightly in her fingers. "You should go and get Brandy ready, and help Mia with Lysse - I can come down to the stables in a few minutes to get my boy."

Odd folded his arms stubbornly, refusing to leave, as he scooted closer to his wife and pulled the blanket down, so that he could see his son and wife. Elsa blushed, and looked away modestly - even though she knew he'd seen much more than he'd just revealed beforehand anyway - and she instinctively pulled her arms a little closer to her breasts to hide them.

Odd laughed, as he placed his hand on his wife's shoulder. "Hey, hey. Don't worry, Elsa - I'm not going to judge you."

She blushed a little more and looked away as a strange wave of shyness overcame her, and she giggled nervously. Freddie batted his little arms around as he continued to nurse, quite contented.

"Aww, come on!" He teased, reaching over to her chin and tilting her head towards him, and he leaned in to kiss her, placing gentle pecks on her cheek, her lips, at the nape of her neck and on her forehead. She moved to brush her fingertips over his, and he smiled when he drew back. "There we go - much better." He grinned at her triumphantly, "Just remember, you don't have to adhere to all of their rules. You're your own person, and this little guy," He ruffled Freddie's hair affectionately, "Is our son. He's not their son, so why should they decide how you raise him? Hmm?"

Elsa smiled at her husband and nodded, feeling reassured. "Okay," She whispered, and then she felt Freddie unlatch from her breast; sitting him up, she patted his back gently a few times, and then pulled the top of her dress back over her bare shoulder.

Standing up, she smoothed down her skirt, and then smiled at her husband who followed suit. "Come on, then. You'd better go and get the horses - I'll be down in a second. I'll just find your Mother, and then I'll meet you down there, hmm?"

Odd reluctantly agreed to go, and Elsa smiled as she watched him departing - how had she been so lucky to find him? Of course, she knew the answer, crazy as it was; who would have guessed that Anna's matchmaking would have actually resulted in them getting married, having a child, even! Granted, it wasn't all easy, especially with the whole matter of Bjørn and the marriage, but in the end, it had worked out.

It was ironic, she found, that she felt herself lucky to be with him, for he, no doubt, also felt the same way; both Kristoff and Odd had, presumably, felt like the luckiest men alive to not only be marrying the one they loved, but also a Princess and Queen respectively - as Elsa scanned her knowledge of history, she struggled to find any other examples of a royal marrying a commoner aside from Henry VIII. It was scandalous, to be sure, but then again, so were Elsa's ice powers. Over time, she'd learnt to just ignore people who looked down at her; they were just good for nothing, so why should she bother with them?

After a few minutes, she managed to find Ida sitting in the servants' quarters, sipping some tea, and she smiled when the woman looked over. Elsa laughed when she saw her mother-in-law's face break into a wide grin, and she rushed over quickly to see her grandson. Freddie watched her coming with large eyes, and then gurgled happily.

"Hi, Ida." Elsa greeted, and she laughed quietly as she handed her son over to the woman, who instantly began fussing over him. "Any chance you could look after little man today? Mia's badgering me to go out to the forest today with her and Odd."

Ida looked like Christmas had come early, and she grinned happily as she nodded, but then her expression fell, and she looked down.

"I wish I could, your Majesty," She began, and Elsa coughed slightly. She didn't like to be named so formally when it came to family - even if Ida was in her employment too. "Sorry, I mean Elsa. Either way, I've got a lot of chores at the moment... I don't know if I can watch him at the same time..."

Elsa thought for a moment, then smiled. "Don't worry about your chores. Someone else can do them, I'm sure, and it's only for an hour or so. Besides, I need Freddie taken care of much more than I need the window sills dusted."

Ida looked absolutely ecstatic, and she took her grandson happily. "Oh, okay then." She gave in, and cuddled the baby to her. "Thanks, Elsa."

Anna laughed happily as she skated across the ice, doing an arabesque as she sped up. She twirled around, waving at Kristoff who was watching nervously from a distance, and then she faced forwards again, angling her body so that she slid in a curve around the edge of the frozen lake. Her expression fell, however, when she tried to slow down; gasping, she zoomed towards the edge of the ice, and landed with an audible thud when she fell in a pile of snow. Spluttering, she sat up and brushed herself off, a little sore but generally happy as she giggled.

It was nice to get out again.

Rapunzel grinned as she saw land coming into view in the distance, and she jumped up and down as she laid her hand upon her now-obvious stomach, her long blonde hair, which had been pulled up into a plait, swinging around her. She spun around excitedly when Eugene entered the room, and ran over to him happily, leaping into his arms like a hyper-active child.

"We're nearly there!" She cried happily, her eyes sparkling with glee. Eugene chuckled at his crazy wife.

"We are, aren't we?" He grinned, before he kissed her and placed her on the sofa. Kissing her again, he began to trail little pecks down her neck, until the Princess' breath caught in her throat - and then he tickled her under her chin, and at her sides. Rapunzel squirmed, and rolled off the seat, crawling through her husband's legs to escape.

"Oh no you don't, Ryder!" She cried, scowling at him in a light-hearted way. "Don't even think about it!"

Elsa grinned as she raced back to the castle with her husband and niece, the latter of whom was surprisingly good at riding for a two and a half year old. She laughed as Odd let go of his stallion's reins and galloped along with his arms raised high in the air, using his legs to remain seated in the saddle, and Mia tried to copy him, too - thankfully, she could only manage to raise one hand in the air, the other remaining with the reins safely.

It had been an exhilarating ride, and now Elsa was feeling completely at ease. She had been stressed before the trip out, although she hadn't actually realised it at the time, both from a lack of sleep and all the work she had to do, and having a chance to just let go had helped her immensely. She'd definitely have to do this again, and it seemed to have done wonders for Mia, too; the child seemed completely at ease with her companions after the exhilarating race. Maybe she should invite Anna and Kristoff out with them too one day - it hurt her to know that Mia could trust her aunt, but didn't have it in her to trust her own mother and father.

As they slowed their horses - and reindeer, in the younger child's case - down to a trot when they reached the edge of the forest, and Elsa frowned slightly as she saw a crowd gathering by the docks. Even more surprising was the large ship which was very nearly here, and she recognised the flag of Corona instantly. Grinning, she gestured to Odd and her niece to follow her lead and to head to the port, which the other two did happily.

It was only a few minutes until Rapunzel's ship reached the kingdom, and Elsa felt a little bad that Anna was missing out on greeting her cousin, but she probably wouldn't be back from ice-harvesting until at least the late afternoon, so there wasn't much she could do.

Mia waited a little nervously for the people to come off of the ship - anyone she hadn't seen before, or anyone she hadn't seen since the events in the Southern Isles, did not have her trust, and though she wasn't quite as nervous as she had been when she'd returned home, she was still paranoid. Some things can never be gotten over, after all.

When the blonde princess appeared on the ship, everyone cheered happily, but Mia only whimpered, and backed Lysse up so that she was hidden behind her Aunt's horse. Rapunzel waved happily as she ran down the ramp, excited to see her cousins again, and Eugene followed after, also eager to meet up with Odd and Kristoff again, whom he enjoyed spending time with. Both were outcasts from society in a crazily high position, and it was nice to have someone else to relate to sometimes.

"Elsa!" Rapunzel greeted happily, and she rushed over quickly and wrapped her cousin in a massive hug. "Elsa, how are you! It's been so long since I've seen you! And little Fredrik, too! How's he?"

Elsa laughed at the young woman's excitability. "Come on, you. Let's get you into the castle - I wasn't expecting you quite so soon though!"

"The wind was in our favour," Eugene chipped in, "Got here four or five days ahead of schedule."

Elsa smiled, and then she noticed her cousin's prominent bump which she'd failed to notice when the said woman had almost bowled her over. She raised her eyebrows and grinned, and Rapunzel blushed deep crimson.

"I see you two have been having some good times recently?" She hinted, and Rapunzel's face coloured even more, making her look like a beetroot's identical twin. "Haha, I'm kidding. It's nice to see things finally worked out."

Eugene chuckled at his wife's embarrassment, and then he whistled for Max to give them a ride to the castle. While he waited for the stallion to dismount, he grinned at his cousin-in-law. "Yep." He confirmed, affirming the obvious, while Rapunzel giggled.

"Three months to go," She said with a quiet, but clearly enthusiastic voice, "Then we'll have our own little rascal." She beamed at Eugene, who put on his best 'Oh-my-gosh' face.

"Oh, joy." He said sarcastically, although those close to him knew he was excited too. As Max trotted up next to him, he snorted at the man's comment and then pushed his way over to Rapunzel, who climbed onto his back gladly. Grumpily permitting Eugene to get on him too, he followed the other animals back to the castle.

Anna grinned as she ran across the ice on Sven's back. She was a bad influence on the reindeer and she knew it - normally he'd be working hard, but today, he was simply having fun.

Sven let out a loud bleat as he skidded across the ice and then leaped through the air just for fun - the second he landed, however, both he and Anna knew they were in a spot of trouble. The ice was thinner here and couldn't support their combined weight, and soon both were falling.

Sven got out of the water easily enough, his thick fur making him more buoyant, but Anna had more difficulty, and her panicked cries weren't loud enough. Every time Sven crept closer to try to reach her, the ice simply cracked more and more under his feet, and he soon realised he couldn't reach her. Bleating loudly to get Kristoff's attention, he began to panic and dance on the spot, looking terrified.

Anna began to thrash around more and more as she panicked, and she kicked wildly to get out of the freezing water. Kristoff came running up to her soon after, skidding across the ice and diving into the increasingly large hole to help her.

The icy cold water burned his skin and made his eyes water, and he was instantly reminded of the day Mia had gone missing before, when everyone had fallen into the sea; no doubt by Anna's faraway look, she was recalling that moment too. Her own kicking slowed down as Kristoff began to fight against gravity more, trying to push his way through the water with his wife, who seemed to be going into a panic - perhaps from the memories, or as a result of the cold water - and eventually, he managed to pull her out. She was shaking, convulsing even, and she was beginning to murmur over and over again the same two words: "Mia, no, Mia, no, no, no, no, Mia..."

"Come on, Bud," Kristoff called to his companion as he already began to sprint back across the ice, knowing that only that area was too thin to hold his weight. He was shivering by now and the wet clothes plastered to his body didn't help, but he only had one goal; as he climbed up into the sledge, he quickly draped his dry jacket over his wife's body, and pulled out the blanket for the picnic that was going to be their lunch, covering Anna with that too. Quickly attaching Sven to the sled, he urged him forward.

Cuddling Anna closer to him, hoping to share any warmth he had left with her, he joined in with her chants, although with his own, more conscious and intelligent variation, managing to make out more than her two words. "Come on, Anna... Anna, shush... Shush, Anna, it's okay... Calm down, Anna... Come on..."

Sven galloped fast down the hill, the sled crashing behind him dangerously fast, but neither he nor Kristoff noticed - both just wanted to get home.

Okay, so this is part two of chapter three. I'm sorry it took a long time for me to update again, although I only got a few reviews this chapter, so I have an excuse. It seems that no one really wants to comment on my work unless I do a challenge, and honestly, I'm a little annoyed tonight about that. I don't want you guys to need bribery to leave me a comment, so I'm going to try out something new.

There won't be any more challenges for a while, but I'm hoping that you'll still be able to find it in your hearts to leave a review. I'm not saying you have to review every single chapter, but I give up my time to write this story for you and all I ask is that you give up less than a minute of your time to leave a comment. I don't get any money to do this, and though I do enjoy writing it, I'm busy too with GCSEs and mock exams coming up, and I could be spending my time differently.

Just a sentence or two makes my day. It's not so hard - please, half a minute of your time once a week. That's less time than it takes to get a bowl of cereal!

I want to see how this goes. If I do get a fair number of 'non-artificial' reviews from you guys, as I'm calling them, then I'll be more inspired, too. If you genuinely like this story, then review and get updates quicker.

I do love you guys, but sometimes love is harsh.

- SG