Jack smiled down at Elsa, who was beaming up at him in return, her eyes sparkling with delight.
They still stood at the altar with their hands clasped together. Slowly, they turned and faced their clapping crowd, still refusing to let go of one of their joined hands.
"May I present, their Majesties, Queen Elsa and her husband, Jack, Prince Consort," said the vicar's calm behind them.
As they had practiced the night before, they stepped off the altar in union, her hand moving to rest gracefully on his raised one as they glided down the center aisle. Both of their faces were fixed with wide grins that seemed to hardly able contain their glee. Paper confetti rained down upon them from the guests as made their way down the aisle.
Behind them, Anna worked quickly to rearrange Elsa's veil and dress train before taking Kristoff's arm and following behind the newlywed couple.
"The receiving room is over here," Elsa muttered, barely moving her lips. Jack nodded slightly, turning them at the end of the aisle to walk towards the smaller antechamber.
Elsa sighed as they walked through the doors, relaxing her rigid back as she did so and turned to face him.
"We're married!" she said, bouncing up and down on her feet. He chuckled, smiling down at her before grabbing her hands and bringing them to his lips to kiss.
"Yes," he replied, mischief twinkling in his eyes. "And as much as I would like to whisk you away, I think we still have some royal duties to attend to, my wife."
She smiled at him, the sapphires in her tiara matched her eyes, as well as her earrings he now noticed.
He raised an eyebrow, continued to look her over as he got a better look at her.
"No flowers?" he asked, wondering where the normally present bridal piece was.
She shook her head.
"They just didn't look right," she said, shrugging a shoulder. "The fresh ones that is. And. And I couldn't make frost ones like you can. I suppose those creations will just stay between the two of us."
He didn't know what to say, he just looked down at her, rubbing his thumbs over her hands he still held and smiling at her. He didn't think he'd ever be able to stop smiling at her, not after this amazingly wonderful day.
"Okay," Anna said, finally bustling into the room. "You guys ready? Time to start greeting everyone. Matias is right behind me with the guest list."
As if on cue, the older and sharply dressed man entered with several pieces of parchment in hand. He stood back towards the corner just inside the door, ready to announce the guests as they entered the room.
Jack and Elsa stepped back, moving towards the two thrones that sat imposingly in the room.
Jack swallowed at the significance those chairs now represented for the both of them, staring at them for only a moment before turning around to help Elsa arrange her full dress, fanning out her skirts and arranging her veil before taking his own place to stand beside her.
He looked around the room, it was nicely decorated as well, matching all of the other décor that was spread around the palace for the happy occasion.
"The room is missing something," he said, tapping the arm of his chair. "It needs something more, something more… us."
He leaned his head down to her and smiling.
She looked puzzled, looking around with a slightly worried look in her face.
"Like what?" she asked. "It looks beautiful to me."
"Like, snow," he said, gesturing to the empty ceiling.
She stared at him, blinked. He sighed, showing his empty hands. "No staff."
Elsa chuckled, flicking her wrist up at the plain ceiling; Tiny, delicate snowflakes began to fall around them, larger ones forming across the ceiling above them and frost patterns swirled around and down the walls in delicate shapes. Jack gently grabbed her hand, sliding his fingers through hers and stood up straighter. Propriety be damned, they could talk all they wanted, let it be known that the monarchs of Arendelle loved each other and weren't afraid to show it.
The process of greeting everyone in attendance took three hours, going in order of highest ranked nobility in attendance to the lowest gathered of peasantry. They had gone through all the various titles of each person as they entered the room, exchanging all of the proper bows and curtsies.
Jack was never so happy to see the local villagers that had come at the very end, they had all dressed in their best clothes and gushed over how beautiful everything looked. They didn't require standing on ceremony for everything, just bustled into the room with wide smiles and wider eyes, arms open to help celebrate with them.
Elsa seemed to be delighted to see them as well, just as tired of standing on ceremony for the nobility as he was.
As the last guest left the room, Elsa turned and picked up her skirts, tromping over to one of the grand throne chairs and flopped back down into it with a loud groan and a drawn out sigh.
"Why did I invite that many people?" she asked, looking at Jack.
He laughing, walking over and sitting down in the chair beside her. His feet were actually tired for once; it was an odd sensation for him. He was getting hungry, and his mouth was very dry after all the talking. He was looking forward to going into the dinner that all of the guests were being seated for at the moment.
Anna and Kristoff had ducked out after an hour of greetings with murmured apologies of needing to go check on their children, leaving Jack and Elsa alone with plenty of tradition and ceremony remaining.
The two were alone in the room now.
"My back hurts," Jack said, a little incredulous.
"My everything hurts," Elsa complained, bending over and moving through mounds of skirts to remove a shoe and massage her foot.
"No, Elsa," he mused, looking at her. "I think the amulet DID turn me human, regardless of what Pabbie said. Maybe he just didn't think it would work this well. I'm hungry too, like actually hungry."
Elsa turned her head towards, smiling. "This being human thing might be a little weird for you, won't it?"
He smiled at her, leaning back in his throne. "Just gives me a legitimate excuse to bother to kitchens for a few days."
She laughed, leaning back herself and slumped down in the chair, uncaring of her perfect posture. She immediately sat up ramrod straight when a knock sounded at the door, looking rather sheepish at her lapse in manners. The door cautiously opened and Matias stepped inside bowing as he cleared the entryway.
"Your Majesties," he said, straightening slowly. "Your guests have been seated for dinner, the Princess and her family has also been seated. We now await your arrival.,"
He bowed again, pulling the door closed behind him.
Elsa sighed, pulling herself up from her throne to stand again.
"Back into the fray then," she said, pulling carefully at the top of her bodice.
She turned to look behind her, reaching a hand out and sending a burst of magic out. Cold air flared out her skirts and train, freshening up the dress to make it look as though she hadn't just rumpled them. She then brought her hands up to straighten her tiara that was perched on her head.
Jack smiled at her, watching as she preened herself and simply straightened his own jacket, holding her arm out for her while he waited. When she was finished, she took it, her hand sliding perfectly into the crook of his arm. They stepped forward together, once again in unison as they moved onto the next part of their ceremony, standing before the closed doors of the banquet hall as the footmen pulled them open from the other side moments later.
"Their majesties, Queen Elsa and her consort, Prince Jack.
The next hours were a blur for Jack, while they ate and conversed with all their guests. He still took every opportunity to clasp or kiss Elsa's hand whenever he could, unable to stop himself from being as close to her as decency allowed in public.
He made mental notes to personally deliver thank you notes to the villagers that started clamoring for the two of them to kiss for luck on more than one occasion.
As the last of the plates for the cake that they had eaten, which he and Elsa had cut together, were cleared away, Jack pushed his chair back and stood. He held his hand down for her to take. She smiled up at him as he swept her up out of her chair, leading their procession of guests back into the large hall where the wedding had been held.
The staff had worked hard while the guests had dined, clearing out all the chairs and various furniture that had been arranged for the ceremony and everything was now set up for dancing and partying, which would last the until the wee hours of the morning for some guests.
Jack, however, had other plans for himself and Elsa, propriety's rules be damned.
He led her straight out to the center of the room, standing there with their hands still clasped together as their guests filled the room in around them. They murmured happily and pointing out the various decorations and discussing the festivities thus far.
The musicians were now situated on the raised dais that Jack and Elsa had been wed on, the altar and all it's decorations gone.
With a nod, they began to play once more. Jack stretched his arm out, bowing while Elsa dipped into an elegant curtsey. He smirked as he heard several younger girls around them sighing as her beautiful skirts of hers flared out, catching again in the candlelight around them.
Jack straightened, pulling her up and into his arms before spinning into the dance steps. She looked up at him in surprise.
"You weren't this good in practice," she whispered, her lips barely moving through her brilliant smile.
"I was faking in practice," he admitted, grinning at her.
"Why?" she asked, her curiosity evident in her tone.
"To surprise you tonight," he said, moving his wrist and turning her to send her spinning out on the dance floor, her sparkling skirts to flared out and caught the candlelight like there were thousands of diamonds embedded in their folds.
Appreciative murmurs and claps went up around the room as she spun back to him and they continued their dance around the room.
"Where did you learn to dance?" she asked, amazed, not trying to hide her lip movements now.
He smiled, kissing her forehead before they split apart as part of the dance.
As they came back together, he replied. "I've had 50 years of watching parties; I learned a thing or two."
"I'd say," she murmured. He laughed and spun her around again.
As the music wound down, he dipped her down on his knee, those skirts flowing against him like water and he kissed her, smiling against the kiss as he heard women sighing around him. He stood up, pulling her up with them and they acknowledged the crowd.
Elsa turned to start the next dance when Jack shook his head and grinned at her, that gleam of mischief back in his eyes.
"No, no more dancing," he said, leaning in close to her.
"What?" she said, her eyes darting around the room.
"Elsa, I am done standing on ceremony for tonight," he said frankly, bending slightly to sweep her up into his arms. He grinned at the gasps and laughter in the crowd. "So, I believe we shall make our exit," he whispered to her.
He could tell she was trying hard not to blush, but the color seeped high into her cheeks and up onto her brow. He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her temple.
"For heaven's sake, Jack, don't drop me," she said, turning her face into his neck.
"Oh," he said, chuckled as he kissed her forehead. "I'll never drop you, Elsa. Never."
He carried her from the room, with her dress and veil trailing along behind them, an icy snake that betrayed their destination up to their bedchamber, and the wicked things that were to keep them waking up at intervals all evening.
None of their wedding guests when the newlywed Queen and her Prince made excuses that they could not join their guests the next day, nor was Anna surprised at the note she received the next day begging her to play hostess whilst they tended to a certain newlywed illness.
Jamie chuckled and Jack looked over to see his teenage friend smirking.
"Were the two of you "ill,"" he made the last word in finger quotes. "For the whole time you were gifted with the amulet?"
Jack smiled. "No, just the one day. Though, I certainly made a case for more than that," he said. "And you aren't getting any more details than that, so don't even ask."
"So what did they all do, the guests? Did they just show up for the wedding and then leave?"
Jack shook his head. "No, something like that where they would have to travel for such a long time and long distances, they would stay for a couple days, or a week, at least. Some did leave right after the wedding was over, some the next day; it depended on how near or far they lived, how quickly they had to get back. That sort of thing."
"It was a slow trickle that they left the palace. The last guests left a few days after the wedding. So, Elsa and I had about a day and a half together before the amulet's magic ran out."
"Did you try to see if you still had your magic at all?" Jamie asked, leaning forward, twirling his pencil around his fingers.
"Tried it after the guests left actually," Jack admitted.
"And?"
Jack shrugged. "Nothing. It made sense though, if the Moon's power had been disrupted and my power was from the Moon," Jack made a level-measuring motion with his hands. "Luckily I didn't really need my powers for anything those few days."
"So what did you guys do for those couple days?"
Jack stared at Jamie, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Jamie…"
Jamie laughed, holding up his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay, I can draw my own conclusions."
Jack awoke on the morning of the last day that the amulet would work. Dawn was just starting to break through the dark night sky as he looked out the opened window. He had always loved watching as the sun slowly spilled up every morning, the yellow rays gradually filling the midnight sky to usher in a fresh new day.
He fingered the carved rune that still hung around his bare chest; he could feel the power was almost gone from the trinket. It had been an amazing, and certainly interesting experience this week. People, guests and palace staff alike, all being able to see him, greeting him cheerfully on a daily, hourly basis. He was even greeted by some as royalty, which he supposed he was now.
He felt true hunger, true weariness in the last few days, it was something that it wouldn't soon be able to forget. Even harder to forget would be the feeling of Elsa; how she felt under his hands as they danced together, as he held her in his arms in an embrace, and certainly in more private settings.
He had no idea what would happen when everything returned to their normal states, but he would savour the moments that he had left, and the memories that those moments created, as long as he could.
He smiled, looking over at her sleeping form. The amulet was the only thing he wore, other than his wedding band at the moment. Elsa was dressed accordingly, her blonde hair a mess of tangles as she lay beside him.
He stretched out his arms above his head, wincing as he heard the muscles and joints popping; There were a few things he wouldn't miss about being human.
Being able to curl his warm body up against and into his wife's, however. He smiled at the thought, turning to nip at her shoulder, running a hand over her bare back.
It wasn't TOO early he supposed.
He felt Elsa wrap her arms around his waist that evening as he removed the braided cord from his neck, sighing as he looked at the carved rune. He wished it could have been longer, even just with Elsa.
"All good things must come to an end," she told him, rubbing his back. "It was fun while it lasted."
He turned slightly, tossing the necklace back to land on her dressing table before wrapping her up in his arms, shivering as he felt his old familiar powers returning to him.
"So what next?" Elsa said, turning her face up to his and kissing his chest.
"Well," he said, drawing the word out. "We still have our honeymoon."
He ran a hand over her messy hair, trying to smooth it out before kissing the top of her head.
"Honeymoon?" she asked. "We're leaving?"
"What, you thought that you didn't get one?"
She smiled. "I don't know, I wasn't quite sure."
He chuckled. "Pack a bag, and we can get going. Now that I can fly you away."
She stepped away, smiling and yelped as he lunged after her to kiss her thoroughly. He nuzzled her neck as she sighed, running a hand over his cheek.
"I'm perfectly fine staying here, you know."
"Really? I thought you always wanted to see Venice?"
"Venice? Really?" she ask excitedly, turning to face him.
When he nodded, she jumped up and down excitedly, clapping her hands together happily before stepping over to pull the bell pull. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Can I have my clothes back now, oh mighty spell seamstress?" he asked. "Since I've gone along with wearing whatever you've wanted me to wear for the last week. It was rather difficult, I'll have you know. Wearing shoes."
She laughed and waved her hand at him, his simple clothes returning to his frame before she donned a simple dress of her own.
"Oh, how long will we be gone?" she asked, turning to him with her arms overflowing with clothes and books.
He shrugged. "As long as you want."
She beamed, seeming to grow even more excited before she paused, biting her lip, as if she had just remembered that she was a Queen, the ruler of a country.
"I'm sure that they can give you a nice allowance for our honeymoon, Elsa. It's not like you are getting more than one," he said softly, reading her thoughts.
She nodded at him, giving him a weaker smile.
"A week," she said. "A week will be good. We can always go back if I want to."
He smiled and nodded, leaning against the doorframe and watched her and several maids carefully pack her things into a bag while ever-faithful Matias stood nearby, taking notes as she dictated them. He dutifully held out a hand to take the packed back from one of the maids as it was finished, slinging it across his body and stepping back to continue to patiently wait.
When Elsa had finished her instructions, she turned to him and smiled.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Almost," she replied. "I just need to tell-"
There was a crashing sound in the hallway.
"Anna," Elsa and Jack said at the same time.
"Oh good, you're still alive. I was wondering if Jack was ever going to let you out of here," said Anna, coming into the room.
Elsa smiled at her, biting her lip sheepishly. "We were actually just getting ready to leave," she said. "We're going to Venice for a week."
Anna's face lit up. "Oh, you two always get to go so many neat places together," she said, coming forward to hug her sister. "Have fun, I'll hold down the fort while you're gone."
"Thanks Anna," Elsa replied, "I'm sure you will."
She stepped back, turning to face Jack who swept her up into his arms, a wide grin on his face.
"Now, are you ready?" he asked.
She nodded, laughing, as he scooped up his staff. She waved as they flew backwards through the room, exiting out onto the balcony and into the open air before ascending up into the dark sky and headed south for their destination.
After a few minutes, where she moved and nuzzled closer to him, she gasped a little. He looked down at her with a quizzical look on his face.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" he asked.
"Where are we going to stay? We aren't just going to jaunt back to the castle like we did before."
"I have a reservation already made."
She leaned back a little, looking up at him with amazement. "You do?"
He smiled and looked down at her.
"Well, when you had me playing messenger boy for all those requests and invites, I stopped by with a written request of my own for their finest suite. It's a place right on the Grand Canal," he said, grinning at her. "You're going to love it."
She gaped at him for a moment before relaxing. "Jack, how did I get so lucky to have you in my life?"
He smiled back. "I've been asking myself the same question."
Their week in Venice passed in a week of decadent bliss. The only marr on the vacation being that Elsa was forced to fashion herself a very rich northern noble who was travelling on a holiday alone, rather than a married Queen travelling with her Winter spirit for a husband.
And the icy demeanor that she wore in public dissuaded any potentially amorous Italians from approaching her; the icy shocks that invisible Jack gave them helped as well.
This time, instead of trying to carry all of her purchases back to Arendelle, Elsa arranged for a courier service to have everything shipped. They were more than happy to charge her pricey fees for packing, shipping and handling for the impressively crafted glass pieces that she had picked out. Jack had scowled at that.
"We could have carried them," he said one night, running a hand lazily down her back.
"For all that time, flying over France and the Alps? Do you remember our time in Florence?," she said, looking up at him.
He paused at that, smirking down at her. "I had tried to forget."
She chuckled. "I'd rather spend the money to make them take it to me and then spend the time close to you, rather than trying to balance all the things that I buy here," she replied, kissing his nose.
At the end of their long week, after seeing everything that could be seen in the floating city, she stood at the foot of the lavish bed with her items spread out on the coverlet as she repacked everything, humming one of Jack's favorite songs and swaying her hips as she did so. Jack to chuckled at her, leaned up against a wall to watch her. She looked at him over her shoulder, smiling.
"Got a problem with something?"
He grinned, shaking his head. "No, but we're going to be late back to Arendelle if you don't hurry up."
She laughed and turning to finished packing before holding it out for him to take. He did so, slinging it over his shoulders again.
She sighed, walking over to the window overlooking the wide Grand Canal of Venice, crossing her arms.
"Isn't this just lovely?" she asked, watching the people and gondolas bustle by below in the dim streetlight.
"Stunning," Jack replied, looking at Elsa.
She turned, blushing slightly as he looked at her. A slow smile spread over his face as he continued to look at her.
"Ready to go back to our normal life?" he asked quietly.
She sighed and nodded. "Yes, it is time to do so," she said, coming to stand beside him.
He nodded, wrapping her up in his arms and turning to leave. They were off, slowly heading back to their reality.
The next weeks went by quietly, falling back into the regular routine they were both used to from the past years. Jack darted out early in the mornings to frost fields as winter came into full season, starting up snow in weather patterns before dashing back to be with Elsa as long as he could, taking care to spend the nights with her wrapped up in his arms.
They were both happy, both so in love that neither thought anything could ever change that, that anything would ever change in their happy little life.
One bright morning, several weeks after the rambunctious New Year celebrations had passed, Jack decided to stay in and forgo putting out the frost; one warmer morning wouldn't hurt anyone he had reasoned.
He held Elsa close, stroking her arms with the backs of his fingers when she suddenly shoved back from him, lurched out of bed in frantic movements. She stumbling over her feet and nightgown to get to the garderobe she had in her room, flinging open the door open and vomiting loudly.
Jack froze.
Was she sick? Had someone tracked something in from one of the trade ships? Had she eaten something that was bad and it wasn't sitting well with her?
He kicked the bedclothes and hurried over to her, he brow creased with worry and his stomach heavy with dread.
"Elsa, are you okay?"
She turned to him, and his stomach dropped even more. Her face was pale; she looked like she felt terrible. His heart clenched, he turned and walked over to the wash basin, wetting a cloth for her and returning, carefully padding the damp cloth across her face.
"Jack, I-," her face turned a slight shade of green and she turned a vomited again. His heart clenched again, he bent and rubbed her back, continuing to pad the wet cloth gently across her face.
"Get Anna," she gasped out.
"Anna? Shouldn't I get you a doctor?" he asked, puzzled.
She shook her head, groaning. "Not yet, just, get Anna. Please Jack."
He nodded, standing and hurried out of the room to get his sister-in-law, worry etched on his face; he couldn't lose her so soon after he had just gotten her in his life. He wouldn't.
He pounded on the door to Anna and Kristoff's room, smiling tightly at Rolf's small form when he opened the door to the huge apartment of room's the family shared.
"Anna?" he called, looking around for the red-headed woman. "Anna? Elsa, she-she's asking for you, she's sick. Very sick."
Anna bustled into the room, the buttons on her dress only half done up and her long red hair still running loose down her back. She looked at Jack, seeing his panicked look and paled.
"Kristoff, I'll be back," she called behind her, following Jack back down the hall at a quick walk.
"What happened?" she asked as fell into a half run.
"She woke up and just started vomiting," he explained, trying desperately not to panic.
"Ah," Anna said, visibly relaxing. "Okay."
Jack scowled at her, unsure of what she meant by that and annoyed further by her reaction.
They both hurried back into the room, where they found Elsa still hunched over the garderobe. They helped her back into bed, Jack watching nervously while Anna moved a small table holding a wash basin next to the bed.
He looked down at Elsa, murmuring to her as he tucked the covers around her, made uneasy by her pale complexion and greenish tints around her face. He felt so bad for her. He glanced up at Anna as she stilled beside him, hands on her hips; she was smirking down at Elsa.
"Well, what's wrong with her? Is she okay?" he demanded, still not liking Anna's demeanor.
Anna bit her lip, looking like she was struggling not to laugh and glanced up at him with a raised eyebrow before looking back down at her sister.
"Jack," Elsa chuckled. "I'm fine."
He gave her an incredulous look. "Obviously not."
Anna looked back at him, smiling. "No, really she is," she said. "Well, she will be."
Jack looked confused now, looking between the sisters. He held up his hands, silently requesting some sort of clarification on the matter as worry and anxiety still raged inside him.
Elsa smiled at him. "Jack," she said. "It's called "morning sickness", and, unfortunately for me, it's going to be happening a lot."
He stilled, staring at her with wide eyes as the words slowly processed.
"That-that," he began, stammering out nonsensical words. "You-we-morn-"
She nodded, still smiling at him. "I'm pregnant."