Hans had suspected when he'd received the Councilor's invitation to Arendelle to briefly trade his hand in marriage for the crown, that he'd easily win the queen's heart. After all, women typically found him charming, handsome, and after practice with a few Southern Isles girls, he considered himself a bit of a love expert or an expert in gaining a woman's trust, in the least.
Anna and Elsa's show on the veranda during the Coronation Ball, however, had made him suddenly aware that the Queen of Arendelle would not be so easily won. If Councilor Forsik knew of this…
At any rate, he wanted answers.
Councilor Forsik sat at a grand desk before him; gold filigree and precious stones decorated almost every inch of it. The leather-bound books on the shelves, the ornately woven rug beneath them- all of it gave Hans small comfort. He knew, at least, that Forsik's motives were grounded in greed, and that was simple enough.
"What do you mean Her Majesty is having an affair with someone?" Councilor Forsik frowned.
"That redhead that's always with her—that servant girl the queen has named her Second," Hans spat. "I thought we had a deal," he said harshly. "I marry Elsa, you 'remove' her (I don't care how and I don't want to know how) and—"
"Yes," Forsik interrupted, "then we divide Arendelle amongst the kingdoms, the Southern Isles gaining the vast majority of its land and resources."
Hans glowered, lamenting his need for the man. Of course, the plan had been Forsik's all along; the prince only wished he'd have thought of it first. "And let's not forget you end up retiring on a beach instead of an icy fjord, handsomely accommodated, as I recall."
The councilor stood to look out his window at the same fjord. "We do have a deal, Prince Hans. With you as king, we can do all that we've agreed upon, but first," he turned to regard Hans, "you have to marry the queen. I can 'remove' Anna perhaps first, but…" he paused and Hans saw his eyes darting as he calculated. "Now that I reflect on the matter, 'Councilor' Anna and the new queen are scarcely apart. We need Queen Elsa alive and unsuspecting." He smiled, as if a plan was already underway.
Hans made his way to the edge of the desk, bracing himself on it. "So what do we do?" This plan had to work, it just had to. He couldn't go back to the Southern Isles a failure once again. His brothers had made that perfectly clear.
Forsik sighed. "I'd like proof that they are carrying on an affair before I trust that this isn't some sort of trick of yours to out me as a traitor to Her Majesty. You understand, of course."
Scoffing and folding his arms, Hans said "Fine. Just follow them around. They were at each other like their lives depended on it when I saw them at the ball."
*.*.*
"Elsa," Anna moaned between breaths and the queen's lips. "Shouldn't we—"
"Shhh…" Elsa smiled as she wove her hands around Anna's waist as she ghosted a trail to the redhead's back and held her in ways that made Anna want to shatter. "This is all that we should be doing, Anna."
"But—" Anna gasped when she felt ice-cold lips caress her neck. She closed her eyes to better focus, but it only backfired so that all she could focus on was Elsa. She was entirely too good at this.
Anna managed to squeak out, "but the people, Elsa—the C-Commonwealth—"
"They can wait five minutes," Elsa was pleading now, her lips at Anna's collar bone. "Give your queen five minutes. Please."
Anna felt a corner of her lips pull up in amusement. "My queen?" she couldn't help tease. She laughed when Elsa solely nodded in response without parting her deliciously frigid lips from Anna's skin. "Is this another meeting then?"
Elsa laughed too. "Of the utmost importance." She dove for a kiss once more and Anna found herself frozen as she took in everything Elsa poured into it. Love. There was definitely love, but there was something else as well…a want…a need. And Anna fully, wholeheartedly empathized with that need. She let her fingers dig into Elsa's hips to bring her closer, not knowing if she could ever feel close enough to Elsa.
Elsa gave out a blissful laugh. "I think this is my most accomplished meeting since being crowned."
Anna grinned, draping her arms over the queen's shoulder and tip-toeing to kiss her nose. "I couldn't agree more, Your Majesty," she purred softly. She felt Elsa shiver and watched her eyes roll back in pleasure until they shut. Anna felt her stomach tighten at the sight. She bit her lip and let her eyes drink in the beauty before her. Gods, she's so beautiful, she thought. "So beautiful," she repeated aloud.
Elsa raised a brow to match the upward curve of her lips. "Hmm?"
Anna shook her head to clear the fog that was becoming her thoughts. She leaned forward into Elsa, refusing to part from her another inch. So what if she'd said it aloud? She'd say it again, and a million times more, if she could. "You're so unbelievably beautiful, Elsa."
A smile of infinite tenderness replaced Elsa's smirk. As Elsa traced a freckle pattern on her cheek, Anna felt a delightful chill run through her. The smallest hint of pressure at the base of her jaw from Elsa's fingertips brought Anna forward until she felt Elsa's wintry breath caress her lips as if teasing her. Could Elsa do that? She knew her own breath must be on fire and she felt her breathing quicken when Elsa traced her waist upward.
The coming kiss felt inevitable, but inexplicably faraway as well. Anna felt she must be dreaming. As if to prove to herself that this was so much more, Anna crashed her lips into Elsa's. The ever-burning fire inside her began to engulf her when she did. It begged to be released from every inch of her body. She painstakingly removed a hand from Elsa's waist, letting a small flame spend itself from each fingertip as she attempted to tame it.
Hearing a crack from the wall behind her, Anna opened her eyes. Without parting her lips from Elsa's she watched as frost worked its way up toward the ceiling in crystalline patterns and she fell in love with Elsa all the more. Not just beautiful, but magical. Elsa was pure magic. And she was hers. She was her queen, her Elsa. And apparently Elsa was having as much trouble as Anna was in controlling herself.
The realization fueled the fire that burned through Anna all the more and she decided to yield to it, knowing somehow that Elsa wanted it too. She wrapped her arms around Elsa, disallowing her queen escape. Still, Elsa somehow managed to pull away enough to gasp and whisper her name when Anna cupped a perfect breast. Anna nearly fell to the floor, her knees weakening as reality became a daze. Everything Elsa was doing, saying—everything Elsa was made Anna's head spin and her heart thrum harder and faster against her chest. The weight of Elsa's breast in her palm was the only reason she didn't sink to the floor in a puddle. That would have meant letting go and like Elsa, Anna had no intention of ever letting go.
To her surprise, though, Elsa did let go. And rather abruptly. Anna groaned in complaint and refused to open her eyes as she let her head fall back on the wall in frustration. She was about to protest further when she heard Elsa gasp. "Anna!"
Anna looked up to see fear in Elsa's darting eyes. Anna, still dazed, followed the queen's gaze and instantly knew the panic that must be coursing through Elsa. She wasn't sure if she should be flattered Elsa hadn't noticed until now or upset that when Elsa had noticed, and had ended her new favorite pastime between them.
A few meters in every direction, the hall looked as if some sort of battle had taken place. Anna had managed to keep her flames small, but that sacrifice caused the fire to burn hotter. Where the walls weren't singed, they were frozen solid.
Turning her eyes on Elsa, Anna felt more concern for the queen than the castle. "Elsa, it's fine," Anna soothed her. "Look," she said and sent a gentle, controlled wave of heat to the frost still spreading, easily stopping it. She smiled at her handiwork, placing her hands on her hips and giving a nod in satisfaction. She turned to Elsa and frowned at what she saw. The queen was staring angrily at her gloved hands. Anna took hold of them in hers and said, "Elsa, it's been a while since this has happened, but it does happen. We'll tell my parents and it will be taken care of like always. Please don't worry."
"I'm not worried, Anna," Elsa said. She stared with visible chagrin at the damage around them. "I'm frustrated. I should have a better handle on this by now."
Anna smiled softly and sprinkled kisses across Elsa's fingers. "So should I, but what can I say?" she giggled. "I..." she pulled Elsa into her and let her lips trace Elsa's delicate jawline as she continued, "can't seem to control myself around you."
She felt Elsa huff out a chuckle. "Evidently."
Anna pulled away to glare and gape at Elsa. When Elsa merely stuck her tongue out in mischief, she swatted her backside.
"You dare lay a hand on your queen?" Elsa teased, wearing an unforgivable smirk.
"I'll do more than that if you're not careful," Anna raised a brow. "And—mmph!" she was silenced by Elsa's icy lips claiming hers once more.
Elsa rested her forehead on Anna's when she parted them. "I'm sorry. You're right. I shouldn't worry. I'm queen now. I'll just order this cleaned up, and it will be cleaned up."
"Yep," Anna nodded rather smugly. "I'm right."
Elsa playfully rolled her eyes and tugged Anna forward. "I think our five minutes is up."
Anna pouted in response until a gust of frigid air tugged her back into Elsa's arms.
"But you see now one of the reasons I'd like to steal you away after these meetings. We apparently require…" Elsa seemed to muse on her words, "practice," she said at last with mirth in her eyes.
The queen stepped away to brush some of the frost off of her gloves, leaving Anna to blink through the fog of her thoughts once more on what exactly constituted 'practice'. She straightened her dress, following Elsa's cue. "Does this conclude our meeting then, Your Majesty?" she asked. She couldn't help one last tease.
Elsa groaned and visibly struggled to step further away from Anna. "Come. The faster we meet with the leaders of the Commonwealth, the sooner we can leave."
Anna giggled and rushed past Elsa, grasping one of the queen's wrists to drag her to their next meeting.
*.*.*
Hans and Councilor Forsik stared blankly after the two young women as they made their way to Commonwealth meeting. With their mouth's agape, Councilor Forsik and Prince Hans turned toward each other with matching expressions of shock.
"What in the name of the gods," Hans said, running a hand through his hair. One seemed to possess some sort of power over ice, the other fire. He paced the damaged hall, wondering how they would 'remove' two such formidable forces from Arendelle. How was he going to become king now?
"This…" Councilor Forsik began to sneer as he spoke, "is too easy."
Hans frowned, "Easy? They have magic! Both of them! They-they—" he stammered.
Before Hans could protest any further, the Councilor was bounding away, saying "Follow me. I know a little weasel that will make all our problems disappear as soon as he hears about this. Trust me."