Hello! I am so awfully sorry about the unusual delay with the chapter. But I have some good news: for the past couple of weeks I've been in Orlando doing a Summer Program with Disney! I'm a Cast Member! I'm just so absurdly happy to be here. So, I've been working and it's been crazy. That's why this update took so long; I was getting my new Disney life sorted out. Anyway, here's the thing. Enjoy!

XOXO

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Chapter Ten

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Next morning, Elsa woke up with the sky. She had a lot to do, and needed to get started as soon as possible. Her first stop was Jørgen's room. She stood outside for five minutes until she gathered enough confidence to knock.

"Come in."

"Good morning, Jørgen, I was wondering if you –oh!"

Elsa had seen blood. Elsa had seen pain. Elsa had looked at death right in the face. But she wasn't prepared for the sight before her. Jørgen was shirtless. As in, no shirt on, at all. His torso was completely bare, though mercifully he already had pants on. The Queen of Arendelle found herself facing a direct view of abs for the first time in her life.

A half-naked man was too much for Elsa to handle. She stammered and reached for the doorknob.

"I-I'm sorry, I did not mean to disturb, I'll b-be back later."

Jørgen laughed. "Elsa, please, you don't have to feel embarrassed. Come on, say what you needed to say."

"No, no, I really should go and-"

"It's okay. It's nothing too improper for you to see. I was just about to shave."

"Don't," she said before she could catch herself.

"Excuse me?"

Elsa was now crimson. "I mean… uh… you look better with your beard… y-you should leave it as it is…"

He laughed again and she covered her face with her hands, mortified.

"If that's how you like me best…" he said.

Elsa shook her head, still hiding her face. She felt Jørgen muss her hair, and then heard him open his closet. Then, Elsa stole a peek through her fingers. Just a little one. It couldn't hurt, could it? She watched as Jørgen looked for a shirt. She knew he was strong, but now that there was no fabric covering him she could finally see his actual muscles. Oh, well… It was difficult to describe exactly what she felt upon observing him; there was a soft tingle down her spine and an absurd sensation of curiosity.

She wondered how it would feel to the touch… He was perfectly defined, but still looked human, earthly. Anna had once told her she was like a sculpture. The redhead had been talking about smoothness and grace, yet to Elsa the comment had been a reference to that side of her that wasn't entirely from this world. But Jørgen was. Elsa remembered the hug from the night before. She felt warmth in her stomach. Oh, by the gods, what was she thinking? How could she actually consider such a thing? Why must she always do everything wrong? She hid her face again.

"Alright, you can look now," Jørgen finally said.

"I'm really sorry," Elsa insisted as she put her hands down.

"Please, you're my wife. If you can't look then who can? Don't worry." He walked to Elsa. "How are you? I mean, after last night…" Then he caught himself and remembered Anna's words. Do not talk to her about it, ever. Well, dammit.

"I'm fine," she said curtly. "I'm completely fine. Anyway, I came here to ask for your help."

"My help? How so?"

"I need your advice. I'm putting together a reform in our education laws, and I want to make sure it's set in such a way they won't be able to turn it down. I really want it to be approved. You have more experience than I do, I mean, you know more about these things, and that's why I wanted to ask if you would like to help me shape this reform. So… what do you say?"

He smiled at her. "Yes, yes, absolutely. Anything you need. We'll talk about it after breakfast. Join me?" He offered his arm.

"Yes."

When they arrived to the dining room Anna was already there, with a cup of coffee in hand. Elsa went to hug her from behind the chair; she put an arm around Anna and kissed the top of her head. Anna made a small noise of happiness and pulled out the chair beside her. When she sat, Elsa grabbed a piece of bread right off Anna's plate.

"Hey, that's mine!" Anna exclaimed as Elsa chewed happily and triumphantly.

Jorgen observed the sisters in their natural habitat. They joked, they chatted, they stole each other's food. The way they looked at each other left no doubt as to the affection between them. If Jørgen wanted something from Elsa, it was for her to look at him the way she looked at Anna.

"So what are your plans for today?" the Princess asked her sister.

"I'm preparing something really special."

"Really? What is it?"

"You'll find out soon enough, because you're going to help me. We've already talked about it."

Anna thought for a while and then her face lit up. "Wait, is it… Are you finally replacing that awful statue in the garden?"

"Um, no. That's a gift from Andalasia. Big trading partners and distant family, remember?"

Anna made a face and continued thinking. "Oh, I know! You managed to find those books we wanted from Agrabah!"

"Well, I did, but that's not what I'm talking about right now."

The Princess was growing impatient. "Oh, tell me, Elsa! Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

Finally, Elsa leaned forward and whispered something in Anna's ear. If the redhead's face had already been bright with excitement, now it became the sun.

"Oh gods!" She put her arms around Elsa and hugged her tight, tight, tight. "Thank you so much! Thank you, thank you."

It didn't seem as if Anna would let her sister go any time soon. Elsa patted her head as she returned the hug. "We promised, little duck. Will you help me out?"

For all answer, Anna hugged her even tighter.

"I love you."

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It took them two weeks to fully develop the ideas Elsa had in mind. The project became a pillar of teamwork, with Elsa leading and Anna and Jørgen giving every advice and idea they could think of. They worked together for hours on end, trying to find all the weak spots her Council could point out to cancel her proposal.

"So what exactly is it that you have in mind?" Jørgen asked Elsa the first morning they worked, while Anna slept in after being kept awake by the Queen all night.

Elsa began to explain. "Well, our education is still very limited, and too divided by gender. Most men cannot become schoolteachers, and most women do not have the facilities to learn to create businesses of their own. They can't join the army, either. My plan is to offer a broader education for boys and girls, so that I can get as many as possible to attend school until the end and to help them pursue any professional path they wish. But for that I need to essentially rewrite the Code of Education, and maybe a couple of laws from the Constitution itself. Many people won't allow it. I need your help to think of all the arguments that can be held against my case, and to phrase everything I will say with just the right words."

They talked more in those two weeks than they had in their first two months of marriage. The long sessions of work often made them sit on the floor of Elsa's office, creating a fort with the soft rug and all the cushions they could find, surrounded by paperwork and refreshments. The conversation eventually drifted to more personal matters, and that's how Elsa learnt that Jørgen had started riding at age three, that he preferred red wine to white, and that he liked to study science and numbers for fun.

"Oh, so you understand geometry?" asked Elsa, astonished.

"Um, yes. It's quite simple, and very fascinating."

Elsa smiled wistfully. "I never could get it. My tutors would try, but it just never worked. I couldn't find anyone who would explain it in easier words."

"I could help you, if you're still interested."

"Really?"

"Yes. We can work on it and you'll see how easy it really is."

Jørgen discovered Elsa's soft spot for berries, and that she'd always wanted a pet, but had been too afraid of getting one because of her powers. Now she was considering the idea again. He also learned that she didn't like white chocolate, but would cross oceans for apple tart, and that her favourite colour was actually green, like the fields of Arendelle during the summer.

And they worked, they worked overwhelmingly hard. They refined Elsa's project to perfection, until there was no argument that could be held to destroy her plans. Jørgen listened as his wife went on and on about what she wanted to do, the schools she would open, all the new stuff that she would bring to Arendelle. Her eyes gleamed with excitement, and he couldn't help but share it.

"This is a beautiful idea, Elsa. You're going to help so many children with this."

Elsa smiled. "It was all thanks to Anna. When she was younger, six, seven, I don't know, she wanted to be a sailor. She would run all over the castle, commanding her big ship. Until one of the governesses told her she would never be a sailor because 'it is not for girls to do that'." Elsa made quotation marks in the air. "So she never got to be a sailor. But I heard her, and I promised her that I would find a way so no girl would be told such a thing again. And finally we're here."

Jørgen stroked her cheek. "You're truly doing wonderful things, Elsa. With this you are proving that not only you're a good Queen, but you are also a good person. That is the most important quality a monarch must have."

Elsa smiled, feeling a faint blush on her cheeks. "Thank you. Anyway, here the Constitution says in the seventy-eight article…"

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"Do you have children?" she suddenly asked one morning, as they once again sat on the rug surrounded by their mess. Papers were scattered all around them and plates of fruit and sweets lay within reach. They had taken a few minutes to rest and eat, when Elsa posed the question.

Jørgen looked up. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, do you have any children?"

"No, I don't." After a pause he added, "Why do you ask?"

Elsa shrugged. "Just because. I thought you would. I thought maybe one of the women you've been with…"

"No, it never happened. We always took precautions." After a pause he added, "You don't have children, do you?"

Elsa laughed. "No, of course not. I never even talked to anyone, let alone… So no, no children for me."

"But do you want them?"

Elsa hesitated for a while, not because she was unsure of the answer, but because she didn't know if she was ready to share it, especially considering the current status of their relationship. Finally, however, she decided to tell him the truth.

"Yes. I do want them. I've always wanted them."

Their eyes met, and then she looked down. Jørgen carefully moved a little closer to her. Elsa bit her lip, her gaze still fixed on her lap. Did she know how she looked when doing that? The need to take Elsa in his arms and just kiss the hell out of her was overpowering. But he didn't want to hurt her. Instead, he settled with kissing her cheek, and then her hand.

"When we have children," he told her, "they'll be the most beautiful kids in the entire world."

"They will," she agreed.

"They'll have a part of you, which means they'll have your gorgeous face."

Elsa looked down yet again. "You're very handsome, too," she said as she toyed with her necklace.

Jørgen laughed. "Well, thanks for that. I really, really like you, Elsa."

Her answer was barely more than a whisper.

"I like you, too."

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Later that day, when the sky had gone to sleep, Jørgen realized he hadn't seen Elsa go to her chambers. It was well past midnight, could she still be working? He went downstairs, to her office. Indeed, the light was on. He knocked.

"Elsa? Are you there?"

There was no answer. He knocked again, but still all he got was silence.

He pushed the door open and found Elsa sitting at her desk, surrounded by tons of papers and books. She was sound asleep, head nested in the crook of one arm, the quill still in her hand. Stray locks of hair covered part of her face. He rolled his eyes. This was so Elsa. She overworks herself. I'll have to convince her of taking a break. He approached her and touched her shoulder ever so softly, but she was too lost in her exhaustion to notice him.

Jørgen lifted Elsa in his arms. She murmured something, but quickly fell asleep again. He took her to her bedchamber, the place he'd only set foot in once before. He placed her carefully on the bed and removed her shoes. He considered loosening her corset, but decided against it; instead he simply arranged the pillows underneath her head and pulled the covers over her body. Then, he leaned forward and kissed her briefly on the lips.

"What are you doing here?" a voice demanded sharply.

Anna stood by the door, looking at him with her usual mistrusting eyes.

He rolled his eyes. "Anna, I wasn't going to do anything to her. I found her asleep in her office and brought her here, that's all."

At the mention of that, Anna forgot her momentary displeasure. "Asleep? In her office? Again? Oh, gods. I guess you did well in bringing her. She does this all the time, stays up working until she's too exhausted and falls asleep. You and I have to make sure she doesn't work herself to death. Anyway, I'll take it from here, Jorgen, thank you."

There wasn't much Jørgen could say. The Princess was small in size, but her presence sure was as powerful as her sister's. With a bow, he left.

Anna sighed. It worried her that Elsa's obsession with work and duty would damage her health. They would have to talk about it in the morning, no matter how much Elsa protested. But for the moment, Anna would let her rest. She unlaced Elsa's corset and undid her braid. Then she removed her own robe and got in the bed with her. She hugged Elsa from behind, her arm safely around Elsa's waist. She cuddled closer to her sister and then felt Elsa's hand coming to rest on hers. She was still asleep, but even then she had acknowledged Anna's presence. Anna smiled. Elsa was hers.

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The day of the audience drew closer and closer, and with it Elsa's nervousness. Despite her sister's and husband's reassurances, Elsa could not be soothed. This was the first time in her reign that she had to face such a big moment, and it was really getting to her. A couple of days before the big moment, Anna had to calm down one of her crises.

Elsa found even more reasons of distress when she decided to go to Jørgen's room and found him surrounded by suitcases and clothes.

"What's all this?" she asked. Is he leaving me? Don't look scared, don't look concerned. Don't feel.

"Preparations for my trip."

"Trip?"

"Remember we agreed before we married that I would get two weeks every three months to visit my kingdom?"

Elsa caught herself just before sighing in relief. "Oh. Yes, of course, I'd forgotten. When are you leaving?"

"The day after your audience."

"That's good. Say hello to your father and brother for me."

"Of course. They'll be delighted to hear from you." Jørgen took a step towards her. "Will you miss me?"

His voice had changed slightly, Elsa noticed. She pursed her lips and answered with a little smile.

"Maybe. Be very careful out there."

"Don't worry, I think the Mørke Sea is peaceful."

Elsa looked up sharply, now fully alert. "The Mørke? You plan on going through the Mørke?"

"Yeah. It's the fastest route."

"Don't. Jørgen, promise me you won't go through the Mørke Sea." She grabbed the collar of his shirt. "Promise me."

"Why?"

"Just promise me. Follow the coast."

"But that will take at least two days more!"

"Please! Please."

There was evident fear in Elsa's eyes. She had begun to tremble. Jørgen remembered that terrible night, with the nightmare and the crisis, and decided not to put her under more stress. He put his arms around her and stroked her head.

"Alright, alright. I'll see what I can do. Hush now, hush, my darling, it's okay."

Later that day, he went out to the fjord, looking for the Captain of his ship. The man had apparently been looking for him as well, for the moment he saw Jørgen approaching the port he hurried to his side.

"Sir? I need to talk to you about your upcoming trip."

"What is it?"

"Well, hm, you see, the Queen has expressed some concerns about the travel route."

Jorgen smiled. "Ah, yes, she has told me about it as well."

"Well, sir, then I am sure you understand if we follow her recommendations."

"Actually I don't. The Queen only said she doesn't want us to go through the Mørke Sea, but she wouldn't specify the reason. Why is she so opposed to the plan?"

The captain's face had turned serious. "Well, you see… It is the same route the Queen's late parents were following when we lost them. I can only suppose the Queen is afraid of losing more loved ones to the Mørke Sea."

So that's why. She fears the sea that took her parents. "Is it really that dangerous?"

"Not exactly. It was that terrible storm what caused the death of the King and Queen. But Queen Elsa, and the Princess, are still very sensitive about that subject. I beg you to be understanding and listen to her. She's only concerned about you."

Elsa didn't know just how worried she'd been until she was notified of the change in Jørgen's travel route. Why she felt like a huge weight had just been lifted off her, she had no idea. But it was terrifying.

The next morning she woke up ready to face the Council. The actual audience she would have to endure alone; since Jorgen was not king in Arendelle he could not attend official affairs. Not even Anna was allowed inside the court room; only the rightful ruler of Arendelle could go in.

That didn't mean, of course, that they wouldn't be with her until the last second. Before leaving their rooms as Queen and Princess of Arendelle, Anna held Elsa in her arms and gave her a gentle kiss on the mouth.

"Go freeze 'em, Els."

Elsa nuzzled into the hug and stayed with Anna until Jørgen came to escort her to the audience hall.

"Good luck. You'll be great."

She looked at both of them, Anna and Jørgen, as they nodded in encouragement. Then she walked into the hall.