A/N: Here is the next chapter, and it is actually the chapter than inspired me to write the whole story. I hope everyone likes it.
Chapter 6 – So Long, Farewell
The night of the party came, and by the time night had fully descended, a small ensemble played in the gilded ballroom that Anna-Maria had stumbled upon on her first day with the von Trapp family. Now open and brightly-lit, as it was meant to be, the marvelous room welcomed the guests of Captain von Trapp, while on its dance floor, couples twirled elegantly to an instrumental version of "My Favorite Things." The song wouldn't have been Elsa's first choice for a sophisticated ball, but her children had insisted, and the sheet music had been given to the musicians with little fuss. Out in front of the house, a charming collection of old and new vehicles, mostly cars with some horse-drawn carriages mixed in, made their way around the semi-circular driveway and dropped their high-class passengers off at the entryway. From the entryway, guests entered into the foyer, where after descending the stairs, they were formally greeted by the Captain and the Baron. From there, the guests were free to join the other guests already in the ballroom, or they could simply roam about the house and grounds enjoying themselves.
From her place in the foyer, Elsa looked around with sophisticated grace as she charmingly and politely welcomed her guests and introduced them to the equally-charming Baron von Groff. For her next guest, though, mere politeness would not do, so Elsa carefully grasped the edge of her sparkling blue gown and curtseyed deeply. "Your Majesty, you honor my house with your presence," she said, giving her grandmother the respect she deserved as the monarch of Arendelle.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Elsa," the older woman chastised with an affectionate eyeroll. "Please do get up. I told you when I accepted your invitation that I was attending as your grandmother, not as your queen."
"Yes, but I can still give you the respect you deserve," Elsa countered, rising. The older woman held out her arms, and Elsa automatically went into them, giving her grandmother a vigorous hug. "Oh, how I've missed you, Nana," Elsa murmured. "It has been far too long."
"That it has, dear," the Queen agreed. "But I hear you've been rather busy lately, hm?"
Elsa looked at her grandmother with a puzzled expression. "I hesitate to ask, but in what way have I been busy, Nana? And who informed you of my supposed busyness?" she asked with suspicion.
The Queen glanced at the long line. "We will talk later, Elsa," she replied, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Taking her eyes off of Elsa, she fixed the man standing next to her granddaughter with a glare. "I may have relieved my granddaughter of her formal obligations, but I do not remember giving any such dispensation to you," she said tartly, though a wry grin could be seen peeking its way through.
Kristoff coughed. "Of course, your Majesty, please forgive my impudence," he said hastily, bowing as deeply as he could.
"And whom might you be?" the Queen asked pointedly.
"Baron Kristoff von Groff, your Majesty, late of the Southern Isles," he answered with another bow.
"I know of your family, and of your friendship with my granddaughter; you seem forthright, and you come from good, kind people," she said, and Kristoff was relieved that he had seemingly passed inspection. "However," the Queen added in a tone that he had to strain to hear, "if you come between my granddaughter and that delightful governess that I have seen and heard so many good things about, I will personally make sure that you and my dungeons become well-acquainted."
Kristoff blinked and then stared the Queen. Her polite smile remained, but there was a frost in her ice-blue eyes that was deadly. "Never, your Majesty," he said back, quickly and quietly. "In fact, I have spent most of my time here devising ways to bring them together."
The frost melted at that statement. "Well done, young man," the Queen complimented him before moving away towards the ballroom. Kristoff breathed a small sigh of relief that the scrutiny was over, only to suck it back in when he saw the next guest in line. It was the Duke of Weselton, a person that he suspected Elsa only invited because it would have been improper not to.
Elsa smiled politely at the Duke, and her tone was cordial as she welcomed him and introduced him to Kristoff, but inside her deep loathing for the man churned through her body. This was the weasel who wanted to take over Arendelle, to join her beautiful country with his abysmal one, all in the name of security. He was gaining support, too, and Elsa did not want him anywhere near her house or her children, but propriety was propriety, and she had invited him. Thankfully, he quickly kissed her hand genteelly, shook hands with Kristoff and then removed his repugnant self from her presence.
The Duke looked around the house, impressed by the beauty and the obvious show of wealth, but a bit angered by the prominent Arendellian flag displayed in the foyer. He frowned and then made his way into the ballroom, spotting a colleague. "I supposed you noticed the obvious display of the Aredellian flag in the hallway?" he questioned, and his companion grimaced as he shook his head yes.
The couples continued to dance, and the curious von Trapp children peeked in from the terrace doors. They had never seen this room open and active, and it delighted them all, especially when they saw their great-grandmother come into the room. They wanted to call out to her, but they knew such a thing would be impolite, so they refrained. The Queen quickly noticed them, though, and she weaved her way through the crowd to greet them. "Hello, my darlings!" the Queen exclaimed, embracing them one by one. They hugged her back with vigor. "My, how big you have all gotten!" she said, looking over them with pride. "I wanted to come see you when you were practicing at the palace some weeks ago, but I was detained. I did watch you and your new governess briefly from the window, though. You all seem to like this one," she concluded.
"We do, very much, GeeGee," Liesel confirmed.
"We want Mother to marry her," Marta added with a child's candor.
The other children looked stricken that their hidden wish had been revealed, but the Queen just laughed sweetly. "Don't we all, sweetheart," she agreed. "Don't we all. If this party is any indication, she's been good for your mother."
"Because of Fraulein Anna we sing again, GeeGee!" Gretl told her with excitement.
"And I hope to hear you sing someday soon, my loves," the Queen replied.
"You will tonight, GeeGee," Louisa said. "Fraulein Anna has written a song for us, and we will be performing it later."
"Then I look forward to hearing it," the Queen said sincerely. She looked around and gave them all a kiss on the forehead. "Well, my darlings, I can't be impolite. I must join the party," she said, honestly regretful. "I will see you at your performance." The children echoed her goodbye, and the Queen glided back into the ballroom.
The children continued to look into the ballroom. "The women are so beautiful," Brigitta said.
"I think they look ugly," Kurt disagreed.
"You just say that because you're scared of them," Louisa countered.
"Silly, only grownup men are scared of women," Kurt retorted, and Louisa rolled her eyes.
"I think the men look beautiful!" Gretl piped up.
All of her siblings chuckled indulgently. "How would you know?" Louisa challenged with a smile on her face. Gretl didn't reply, but haughtily returned her gaze to the dancing.
Growing tired of watching the dancing, Liesel wandered away from the doorway and out onto the terrace. She looked surprised when an invisible suitor, who in her mind's eye was Hans, asked her for a dance. After looking around to make sure he was asking her, Liesel said yes to the imaginary Hans and curtseyed before putting her arms on his transparent shoulders. Her antics caught the attention of Brigitta, who wandered over herself when Liesel began dancing to the music. "Liesel? Who are you dancing with?" Brigitta asked, puzzled.
"Nobody," Liesel responded, still dancing.
The talking got Friedrich's attention, so he turned around and noticed his older sister dancing by herself. Overcoming his teenage proclivity to not do anything embarrassing, he decided to be nice and come over so that she would have a partner. "May I have this dance?" he asked with a bow.
"I'd be delighted, young man," Liesel replied with a curtsey and a smile, and the two of them began to dance.
Anna-Maria picked just that moment to emerge from the hedge-lined path that opened up on the other side of the terrace. She watched them for a few moments before a wide smile spread out over her face. "Why didn't you children tell me you could dance?" she demanded good-naturedly.
Liesel chuckled and Kurt stepped up. "We thought you would make us all dance together. The von Trapp family dancers," he said, emphasizing his answer with a twirl. His siblings all laughed at him, but they were distracted by a familiar, yet unfamiliar melody coming from the ballroom. They turned around as one and went back to the terrace doors.
"What's that they're playing?" Gretl asked.
"It's the Laendler," Anna-Maria replied. "It's an Arendellian folk dance."
"It sounds a lot like The Lonely Goatherd," Brgitta pointed out, familiar with the tune after all of their practicing for the puppet show.
"As it should," Anna-Maria agreed. "When a tune becomes popular, people like to add words to it, and that's what happened to create our song. Sometimes doing that can even create a national anthem."
They looked at the couples performing the intricate steps, and suddenly Kurt was struck by an idea. "Show me," he requested. "Show me the steps."
"Oh, Kurt, I haven't danced that since I was a little girl," Anna-Maria demurred.
"Oh, you'll remember. Please?" he asked in a pleading tone, complete with a pout, and Anna-Maria gave in.
"Oh all right, come on over here," Anna-Maria answered, ruffling his hair and leading him to the middle of the terrace. "Now you bow and I curtsey," she began, and mirroring the people in the ballroom, she and Kurt did just that.
"Like this?" Kurt questioned.
"Exactly," Anna-Maria assured him. She took his hand, and they stood side by side. "Now we are going to go for a little walk. This way," she explained, showing him the steps as she counted them out. "One! Two, three. One! Two, three," she counted, taking larger steps on the one and smaller steps on her toes on the two, three.
As they were finishing the step, Kristoff, standing in the doorway of the ballroom, noticed the motion on the terrace. He turned around, watched briefly, and then gestured to Olaf who came over to look. "I'm going to ask the Fraulein to dance," he whispered to the shorter man as they watched. "I need you to get Elsa out here so she can see the two of us dancing."
"For what purpose?" Olaf asked quizzically.
"Jealousy, my good man," Kristoff responded with a smirk. "I wager Elsa will not take kindly to seeing Fraulein Anna in my arms. Maybe it will finally motivate her into doing something."
Olaf smiled. "I like this plan," he stated, before disappearing into the crowd. Kristoff smiled and adjusted his gloves.
Meanwhile, the dance lesson still continued on the terrace. "Now step together," Anna-Maria instructed, turning them so they were facing each other. "Step, hop; step, hop; now turn under," she continued, trying to turn them but Kurt's shorter arms made the motion awkward. They managed to get facing one another again, and the step, hops went well, but the turn under went awry once again. "Kurt, we'll have to practice," Anna-Maria laughed, not knowing that Kristoff had stepped up behind her.
"Do allow me," he requested, and Kurt agreeably got out of the way. Anna-Maria smiled at him as he offered his hand. She genuinely liked the Baron, and she was more than happy to dance with him, even though she wished it was the Captain who had asked her to dance.
Kristoff was a good dancer, Anna-Maria mused. He was smooth with his steps and graceful, and in spite of her protestation to Kurt, Anna-Maria remembered the steps quite well, so she matched him step for step. They made an elegant couple, and most of the children were looking at them in delight. One child was not, though, and that was Brigitta. She liked the Baron more than she thought she would, but she loved Fraulein Anna. Through her careful observations, she could tell Mother was falling in love with Fraulein Anna as Fraulein Anna was falling in love with Mother. The Baron had better not mess that up, or she would rally her siblings and find a way to drive him from the house like one of their old governesses, she thought darkly.
Anna-Maria was thoroughly enjoying herself as they glided around the terrace, but her mind kept coming back to her desire to be dancing in the Captain's arms. If she ignored the broad chest and the bulky arms, she could almost pretend that the tuxedo that the Baron wore wasn't a tuxedo at all, but rather the dress uniform of the Arendellian Navy. The children had proudly shown Anna-Maria a picture of the Captain in her full dress uniform, her medals gleaming off her chest as the perfectly-tailored coat and pants complimented her body flawlessly. Anna-Maria's own body had responded immediately in such a visceral way that it had shocked her, and the image had been burned into her mind. It was this image, and not the true identity of her dance partner, that made the dance very enjoyable for the young governess.
Kristoff danced around her and stood before her with his back to her as the steps of the dance called for. He noticed Olaf and Elsa making their way towards the terrace doors, and he grinned. One of the more intimate parts of the dance was coming up, and if seeing Fraulein Anna and himself that close did not make Elsa jealous, then nothing would. Just about the time he saw Elsa come to a displeased halt in the doorway, he felt a hand on his shoulder, exactly where and when it should be. He led Fraulein Anna to stand before him, and their hands clasped. Lifting their right hands, Kristoff gently twirled Fraulein Anna, and when she stood to face him once more, their right hands went back in the air. Kristoff's left hand went around her waist to draw the governess closer, and Anna-Maria put her unoccupied hand behind her back to clasp his hand. Another series of twirls brought them even closer together, and before Anna-Maria had realized it, their lips were almost touching. Her fantasy evaporated, and she came back to herself in an instant, her mind and body rebelling at having someone not the Captain that improperly close. She dropped her hand and backed away quickly. "I don't remember anymore," she lied breathlessly, her cheeks red.
Brigitta stepped up, looking at Fraulein Anna critically. "Your face is all red," she said accusingly, not liking the way her governess had seemingly been enjoying her dance with Kristoff.
"Is it?" Anna-Maria asked, her hands coming up self-consciously to her cheeks. She glanced over and saw the Captain looking at her with a cold, dispassionate gaze, and her heart sank. It was obvious that the Captain shared Brigitta's displeasure, and Anna-Maria's heart was breaking. "I don't suppose I'm used to dancing," she mumbled quickly.
"Well, that was beautifully done," Elsa said bitingly, coming up to the couple. Her outward visage was cold and reserved, but inside, Elsa was seething. Jealousy was the main emotion coursing like molten lava through her veins, but anger at Kristoff, heartbreak at Anna-Maria's affection for him, and fear that she was losing Anna-Maria were present as well. "What a lovely couple you'll make," she said with venom before she could stop the remark. Knowing she was close to losing her temper, Elsa took a small breath to calm herself before she continued. "I think it's time the children said goodnight," she told Anna-Maria much more calmly.
Even though her heart was distraught at the Captain's words and actions, Anna-Maria put on a happy face for the sake of the children. "Um, yes, we'll be in the hall in a moment. We have something very special prepared, right?" she asked excitedly, clapping her hands.
"Right!" the children all chorused, and Anna-Maria led them out the rear entrance to the terrace.
Elsa and Kristoff watched them leave, and Kristoff offered Elsa his arm. She refused coldly, and he scratched the side of his head. "It's suddenly chilly out tonight, isn't it?" he asked slyly.
"I don't know; it seemed rather warm to me," Elsa retorted with frost in her voice.
"Before you rip my head off and serve it to the guests at your party, answer me one thing, Elsa," Kristoff said calmly, making Elsa turn sharply to look at him. "All I did was ask a beautiful, unattached woman to dance. Why are you so angry right now?"
"Because I love her," Elsa snapped, her anger and jealousy making her careless with her words. "And you know I love her. You aren't even attracted to women, Kristoff. How in the world could you be so unkind to me?"
Kristoff's smile threatened to split his face in two, and Elsa realized what she had just said. Her hand flew to her mouth in dismay, causing Kristoff to chuckle with delight. "And thus I have ensnared the mighty Captain von Trapp," he said proudly. Elsa glared at him. His smile softened at her look, and he looked at his best friend with unabashed affection. "You are my favorite person in the world, Elsa," he said sincerely. "I could never be unkind to you. I just wanted to show you how much she means to you, and how foolish you are being by not telling her so."
Elsa pondered that, and her face relaxed. "I still dislike you rather intently at the moment," Elsa told Kristoff gruffly, her glare fading.
"No, you don't," Kristoff disagreed with a smile, and Elsa begrudgingly smiled back.
The conversation would have continued, but an announcement from the entryway captured everyone's attention. "Ladies and Gentlemen," Anna-Maria's voice called. "The children of Captain von Trapp wish to say good night to you." The partygoers followed the sound of her voice, and soon the guests were assembled in the hall just below the entryway steps, with Elsa, Kristoff and the Queen in front. The children organized themselves like they had practiced, with Liesel on the top stair, Friedrich and Kurt two steps below her, Louisa one step below them, Brigitta and Marta one step below her, and finally Gretl being on the bottom step. Their music started, and they all clasped their hands behind their back and started to sing.
"There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall, and the bells in the steeple too," they sang. "And up in the nursery an absurd little bird is popping out to say 'cuckoo'." As they sang the word "bird", Louisa stepped in front of Gretl, and the boys stepped in front of Marta and Brigitta. The three younger girls echoed the "cuckoo" by popping their heads out from behind their older siblings, and the crowd, including Elsa, Kristoff and the Queen, were completely charmed, and they all laughed. "Regretfully they tell us, but firmly they compel us, to say goodbye…to…you," the children concluded.
The children came down from the stairs, and after a few choreographed marches, they ended up in a line with Marta on one end and Gretl on the other. They turned to face the crowd, and the song opened up its second movement. "So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodnight," they sang, waving and bowing/curtseying in unison. Marta stepped forward and sang her line. "I hate to go and miss this pretty sight," she concluded, and various motions by her siblings behind her in the line ended with her getting a gentle kick in the seat of her pants.
That was her cue to leave, so she did, and the remaining von Trapp children sang the opening line again. "So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu," they sang. This time Friedrich stepped forward. "Adieu, Adieu, to you and you and you," he sang with an incline of the head on each "you". The motions from the line repeated themselves, and after his kick in the pants, Friedrich exited up the stairs.
"So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen," they sang, drawing out the auf Wiedersehen this time. Liesel stepped forward. "I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne," she sang. "Yes?" she hopefully asked her mother standing in the front.
"No," Elsa replied with a smile and a shake of her head, and the crowd chuckled. Liesel pouted as she was kicked off stage.
"So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye," they sang, and now it was Kurt's turn. "I leave, and heave, a sigh and say goodbye. Goodbye!" he sang, hitting a very high note on the last goodbye with his impressive boy soprano. Elsa looked at him mock-chidingly for his sassiness and then shooed him off to bed to the laughter of her guests.
For the next two children, Brigitta and Louisa, there was no opening chorus, and they went directly into their lines. "I'm glad to go, I cannot tell a lie," Brigitta sang, and from her place at the side of the room, Anna-Maria smiled at her sweet sincerity.
"I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly," Louisa responded, and the girls did a few basic dance steps before exiting up the steps.
Gretl followed them and sat down on the bottom step. "The sun, has gone, to bed and so must I," she sang, laying her head on the step above her. She pretended to go the sleep, eliciting "awws" from the audience. Liesel came down to get her, and the children started singing the last chorus.
"So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye," they sang, as Liesel picked up Gretl and brought her up to the rest of her siblings. "Goodbye," they continued, moving up the stairs and down the upper balcony towards the nursery. "Goodbye," they repeated as they slowly made their way. "Goodbye," they said once more as they disappeared behind the door, and Elsa looked around in amusement when the crowd around her sang back their goodbyes and waved.
"They are extraordinary! What they would do at the festival!" Olaf gushed to whichever party guest was standing closest to him. He spied Anna-Maria accepting some compliments from guests before trying to inconspicuously make her way up to the nursery, so he threaded himself through the crowd and gently clasped her by the arm. "Fraulein Anna!" he said. "I must have a word with you." He guided her over to Elsa over her protests, and he tapped Elsa on the shoulder. Elsa, who was receiving congratulations and compliments from guests, turned to face them both, and Anna blushed, still regretting the dance with the Baron that caused things between her and the Captain to be awkward. "Elsa," Olaf said, breaking into Anna-Maria's thoughts. "You're not going to let this girl get away. She has to join the party!" he insisted.
"No, really, I need to see to the children," Anna-Maria protested, wanting to get away from the Captain and her piercing, almost accusatory look.
"No, you don't," Olaf disagreed. "I insist; you'll be my dinner partner."
Elsa looked at Anna-Maria, her face still unreadable. "You can if you want to, Fraulein," she said evenly, betraying nothing.
Anna-Maria tried one last excuse. "But I'm not suitably dressed," she pointed out.
"Then go change," Elsa replied. "We'll wait for you." She turned back to her guests, and out of excuses, Anna-Maria nodded her agreement and headed up the stairs.
Elsa finished with the people she was talking to, and she smiled as her grandmother stepped up. "You must be very proud, Elsa," she said.
"I am, thank you, Nana," she replied.
The older woman looked at her granddaughter for a few seconds, then looked at the redhead escaping up the stairs. Elsa followed her gaze, and when she spotted Fraulein Anna, she smiled a bit before carefully concealing it again. Her grandmother smirked and spoke her mind, as queens were wont to do. "So what's the issue, dear?" she asked. "Why are you holding back from such a woman?"
Elsa looked at her in mild shock. "I beg your pardon, Nana?" she asked.
"Don't play dumb, Elsa," her grandmother chided. "Why haven't you asked that extraordinary young woman to marry you? Your children want you to, and if the lovestruck gaze you had on your face as you watched her leave is any indication, you want to ask her. Why haven't you?"
"She is my employee, Nana, nothing more," Elsa stated. Her grandmother didn't respond, but fixed her with a skeptical look, and Elsa sighed. "All right, yes, I have managed to perhaps fall in love with her," Elsa admitted reluctantly. "But I do not know what her feelings are."
"Then ask her, you silly child," the Queen admonished. "From what I have heard from the children, you will not be disappointed. Stop being a coward, and be the brave person you have shown yourself to be." Elsa hesitated, the past and Fraulein Anna's recent dance with Kristoff causing anxiety. "Do not make me order you, Captain," her grandmother warned with a smile, causing Elsa to realize her somewhat foolish behavior.
"You are right, as usual, Nana," Elsa said. Glancing up to the doorway where Fraulein Anna had disappeared to, Elsa smiled. "Please excuse me; I will return shortly," she said politely, as she turned to leave.
Watching her go, the Queen smiled, but it turned into a frown as she saw the Duke of Weselton approach her. "You must be very proud, Your Majesty; your great-grandchildren were remarkable," he said, oozing smarmy politeness.
"I am very proud, Weasel-ton," she said, purposely mispronouncing his name. "Is there a more beautiful expression of what is good in this country of mine than the innocent voices of its children?"
"Weselton," the Duke corrected through gritted teeth. "And come now, Your Majesty, would you have us believe that Arendelle alone holds the monopoly on virtue?"
"When in comparison to Weasel-town, it indisputably does," the Queen replied with a steely tone.
"The ostrich buries his head in the sand, and sometimes, in the flag," the Duke replied. "Perhaps when you are told that the Annexation is complete, and it is coming, Your Majesty, we will get further with you and your people by setting your surrender concession to music?" he asked mockingly.
"If the Weasels try to take over Arendelle, Weasel-ton, the only music you will hear will be that of your own funeral dirge," the Queen replied, her tone friendly in spite of her dark words. She lifted her hand, and one of her guards came over immediately. "Get this weasel out of my presence and out of this house," she ordered. "It is far too happy of a gathering to have the likes of him here." The guard saluted, and the Duke was ushered out the door with the Queen looking thoughtfully after him.
AAAAAAAAAAA
Anna-Maria clutched her dress to her chest, feeling very exposed. Only a few moments before, the Captain had knocked on her door offering her assistance, and in the hopes of repairing whatever had been damaged by the dance, Anna-Maria had let her in willingly. Now that they were alone together, with her dress unbuttoned and the Captain looking directly at her, Anna-Maria felt more vulnerable than she had ever felt before. "It's very kind of you to offer to help me, Captain," she stuttered out, lowering her eyes.
"I'm delighted to help you, Fraulein," Elsa replied, wanting to say more but failing. She hadn't considered the fact that Fraulein Anna would be changing when she arrived, and now the sight of her governess in her slip and petticoat was distracting Elsa from what she really wanted to say.
Lost in her own embarrassment, Anna didn't notice the Captain's ogling; instead she kept her eyes glued downward as she took off her dress and shook it out. "I really don't think I have anything that would be appropriate," Anna-Maria said embarrassedly, putting her other dress on the hanger and buttoning it up.
Elsa went over to Fraulein Anna's wardrobe and began flipping through the dresses. "We'll find something," Elsa said reassuringly. "Now where is that lovely ice-blue dress you were wearing the other evening?" she mused. "I…um, the Baron, could barely keep his eyes off you." Elsa cursed herself internally before looking over to Fraulein Anna to see if her slip had been heard.
Anna-Maria had heard the barely-spoken "I", and her heart skipped a beat in its excitement, but deciding to be cautious, Anna-Maria pretended that she hadn't heard the pronoun. "Couldn't keep his eyes off me?" she echoed, making sure to use the proper gendered pronoun.
Elsa heard the emphasis on the pronoun, and she knew that Fraulein Anna had heard. Deciding it was now or never, Elsa took a breath and brought the ice-blue dress out to give herself a few seconds before she spoke. "Come my dear, we are women," she said at last, placing the dress on the bed. "Let's not pretend we don't know when someone notices us."
Anna-Maria looked at the Captain, and it was clear to Anna-Maria that they were no longer talking about the Baron being the one that had noticed her. Even still, she did not want to misread or mess up the situation, so she decided to make sure. "Well, if he did notice me, I was not aware," she said carefully, before deciding to take the risk her heart was pleading for her to take. "There is only one person whose notice and regard I want, and it isn't him."
Elsa took in a sharp breath at hearing that, and she started moving towards Fraulein Anna without even consciously thinking about it. Just before she reached out for Anna-Maria though, her mind recalled the dance with Kristoff, and her jealousy reared its head. "Are you sure?" Elsa challenged softly. "You blushed in his arms as you were dancing just now."
Anna-Maria, now just a few inches away from the Captain, blushed again. "I wasn't thinking about him," she answered honestly. "The children, um, they had shown me a photograph of a stunning naval officer in her dress uniform. I wanted it so much to be her that I was pretending that my dance partner was her."
The bright red tint to her cheeks and the unmistakable love shining from her eyes told Elsa that Anna-Maria was telling the truth. She took a willing Anna-Maria into her arms, and she brought their faces so close together that their lips were almost touching. "And who would this imaginary dance partner be?" she whispered, needing to hear Anna-Maria say it.
Anna-Maria brought her hand up to her Captain's cheek, reveling in the sensation of having her this close. She smirked playfully. "Come my dear, we are women. Let's not pretend we don't know when someone notices us," she recited, her smirk becoming a smile when Elsa laughed.
"Cheeky as always," she muttered affectionately before closing the small distance between them and kissing Anna-Maria on the lips.
The kiss was soft and sweet; Elsa was mindful of Anna-Maria's likely inexperience, and Anna-Maria was still a little too overwhelmed and shy to be the aggressor. It only lasted for a few seconds, and then Elsa drew away, fearful of scaring Anna-Maria by going too fast. Anna-Maria opened her eyes and smiled, and when she saw no regret but only love on Elsa's features, her natural courage took over. "I wasn't finished yet," she declared, moving her hand from Elsa's cheek to her the back of her neck and gently bringing them back together.
This kiss lasted longer, long enough that both women could feel the tug of desire through the sweetness of love's kiss. At about the same time, they both realized that they were alone in Anna-Maria's bedroom, and that Anna-Maria was wearing little else but a slip. Elsa broke away with an embarrassed gasp. "I'm sorry, Fraulein," she said, dropping her gaze, only to blush deeper when her eyes fell on Anna-Maria's barely-covered breasts. Her eyes dropped to the floor. "I should have waited to come talk to you about…everything. I'll see myself out," she mumbled, dropping her arms and turning.
Anna-Maria used her arms to keep Elsa where she was, and she put her hand back on Elsa's cheek, causing the embarrassed Captain to look up. "Don't you dare apologize," Anna-Maria demanded, kissing the cheek her hand rested on. "This has been the happiest night of my life." Elsa smiled at that, and Anna smiled back. "But, yes, you probably should go," Anna-Maria said regretfully. "Your dinner guests are waiting for you. And, please tell Olaf that I thank him for his invitation, but I don't think I want to join you. I'm tired, I'd be completely distracted by the gorgeous hostess and would probably make a huge fool of myself, and honestly, right now, I just want to be alone to think about how unbelievably happy I am."
Elsa nodded, agreeing with and understanding Anna-Maria's thoughts. "You are right," she said. "I should get back to my guests, and I respect your decision not to come back down. But," she paused, kissing Anna-Maria once more, "I am completely envious."
"Well, with as happy as I am, I probably won't sleep much tonight," Anna confessed. "You are welcome to come back up to talk when your party is over."
Elsa's face lit up at the suggestion. "I would like that," she said happily. She kissed Anna-Maria once more, meaning it as a quick goodbye, but the quick kiss lingered. Finally, they broke apart, and Elsa went to the door. "Goodnight, Anna," she said, purposely calling her love by her common, not formal name.
"Goodnight, Captain," Anna-Maria responded happily, unsure if she could call the Captain by her given name, even with everything that had happened.
"Elsa," Elsa corrected with a quick smile before she disappeared out the door.
"Elsa," Anna-Maria echoed, staring at the door that Elsa had closed behind her. In a happy daze, she moved the two dresses off her bed and collapsed on it, smiling up at the ceiling in happy wonder.
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Elsa pranced into the ballroom looking for Olaf. When she spotted him, she walked over to him, grabbing two glasses of champagne from a wandering server when she did so. "Champagne, Olaf?" she offered with a smile. "I feel like celebrating." Olaf looked at her quizzically, but he took it, clinking his glass with hers. "Cheers," Elsa said, still smiling.
"Where is Fraulein Anna?" he asked, intrigued at Elsa's behavior.
"Fraulein Anna will not be joining us," Elsa answered. "She is, um, tired."
"And you are lying," Olaf said succinctly. "What happened up there?" he asked. Elsa didn't answer, but her grin grew wider. With that smile, Olaf finally figured it out. "You told her about your feelings!" he guessed, and Elsa nodded happily. "Did you propose?" was his follow up question, and Elsa frowned.
"Be reasonable, Olaf," Elsa chastised. "I have to court her first." Olaf looked skeptical at that statement, but he remained silent. "None of your silent sass," she warned him. "Anyway, where is Kristoff? I need to tell your non-subtle partner-in-crime that your scheming paid off."
"He's right over there," Olaf pointed out. Elsa smiled, handed him her glass of champagne and went to go talk to him. Olaf shrugged and downed both glasses.
"Please tell me that your obvious happiness means you've told her, and she loves you in return?" Kristoff begged when Elsa came up to his side.
"Yes, I've told her, and yes, she feels the same way," Elsa confirmed, her eyes and smile brimming with happiness.
"Then you have to tell me everything," he insisted, leading her out to the dance floor where they could waltz and have privacy in a room full of people.
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Anna-Maria looked at her ceiling in happiness, losing all track of time and completely not caring. Finally, she started to come out of her happy daze, and she rose from the bed to take off her slip and put her night clothes on. After she had finished, she got out her rosary like she always did, but before she knelt to begin her evening prayers, she stared at the beads. At the sight of them, thoughts of her life at the abbey came rushing back, and she realized, with considerable guilt, that she had not considered her vows to the Maker even once since Elsa had come to her room. She had been so happy at the prospect of being loved by Elsa that she had completely forgotten what she had promised herself and the Maker. Troubled, Anna-Maria kept staring at the beads, and as she stared, the feelings of guilt only got worse. It felt like she had betrayed the abbey, the Reverend Mother and the Maker by loving Elsa, but her heart refused to budge. She did love the Captain, and all of the guilt she had did nothing to stop that.
Thinking some more, Anna-Maria realized she had to make a choice. If she stayed here, with Elsa so near, there would be no way for her to resist. Her life as a servant of the Maker would be over, for Anna-Maria knew she would willingly break every vow she had made to be Elsa's wife and lover, to be a mother to the children. If she left, there was still a chance that her heart would forget, that she could forget Elsa and reconcile with the Maker, and that she could live the life she had thought she had always wanted. Anna-Maria sank to the ground in despair, not knowing what to choose, and tears came to her eyes at the thought of leaving either Elsa or the Church.
Finally, it was her vows that compelled Anna-Maria to rise from the floor to grab her satchel and begin packing. She had promised herself to the Maker, and as much as much as it pained her, Anna-Maria knew she had to keep her promises. She packed quickly and then sat at her desk to write the Captain a note. She placed the note in the middle of her bed, and with a last regretful look, she left the beautiful bedroom.
Anna-Maria hurried down the hall of the nursery with her bag and her guitar, glancing unhappily at the children's rooms. She wanted to say goodbye, but she knew that seeing the children again would make her stay. She peeked over the balcony railing into the entryway, but it was empty, so she hurried down the stairs to the front door. Setting her guitar down for a moment, Anna-Maria took one last sorrowful look before she picked up her guitar and left.
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Elsa bid her last guests goodnight, waving politely as they got into their carriage. Once they were seated and the coachman had started the horses, Elsa went back inside and closed the door. A smile came over her face, and she practically sprinted up the stairs, eager to get out of her finery and eager to spend time with Anna. She went to her room first and undressed, slipping on some comfortable pajamas and a robe after everything had been put away. She crept down the hallway of the nursery, mindful not to wake the children. Elsa knocked at the door and waited, but there was no response.
Unwillingly to knock again for fear of disturbing the children, Elsa quietly opened the door and looked in to see if Anna had perhaps fallen asleep. It didn't appear that she had, however, for the lights were on in the room, and the bed had not been slept in. Confused, Elsa entered the room completely, and that was when she saw the note on the pillows. She knew instantly that the note was most likely bad news, but she opened it and read it anyway. Pain ripped through her chest as she read Anna's words, and after she had finished, Elsa could do little but collapse on the bed. She hugged the note to her chest, and for the first time since Georg had died, Elsa wept.
INTERMISSION