The sky grew bright pink and purple as the day drew to a close. Granny, exhausted from sitting with Kristoff until he regained consciousness, kept watch toward the North Mountain for any sign of Elsa, James, or Anna. Though she had Kristoff sedated so he wouldn't further injure himself, chasing off to Anna's rescue, she couldn't allow herself to fall asleep, not knowing what was happening to her girls. So she watched and waited and prayed. Exhaustion had almost taken her over when she caught a glimpse of the caravan returning from the mountain.

In front riding Argus was James. She didn't know how or by what means James had made his return from being presumed dead, but he certainly picked the best time to time make his return. Following behind James, on a sled with snow that had to have been provided by Elsa was the Queen herself, cradling what appeared to be a sleeping Aiden in her arms. Leaning on her side was Anna, whose face was all aglow despite the ordeals of the day, holding what appeared to be her own bundle. They were followed by the doctor, midwife, and brave soldiers who had followed Elsa up the mountain on her orders. There was no sign of anyone bound in chains, so she rightly imagined that Hans had met his fate on the mountain.

Granny met them at the castle gates, where James dismounted from Argus and handed his reigns to one of the capable groomsman. He then lifted Elsa, who was still cradling her sleeping son, out of the sled, garnering a look from the queen that conveyed to her all she felt for him just then, making him blush.

Granny made her way to Anna, tears of relief washing down her face. "My dear girls! Oh thank heavens you're safe!"

Anne leaned over to show Granny her precious bundle. "Meet your newest girl, Granny. She decided to make her appearance on the mountain."

Granny peered at the newborn, who looked remarkably like her mother, and smiled. "She is quite wonderful, my dear. You did well!" That was high praise from her grandmother, and the added kiss on her forehead was a welcome surprise.

'How is Kristoff?" Anna asked of her husband.

"He will be fine. He awoke a few hours ago, determined to race up the mountain on that moose of his to save you. I had him sedated to prevent him from further injuring his head. He should wake soon enough to meet his daughter," Granny assured her before taking the sweet bundle from Anna, so James could carry the new mother into the castle.

Kristoff awoke to find that he was now a father. Aiden had been the first human baby he had ever been around from birth, so it was quite a shock to him to find out that there really was such a thing as love at first sight. He held her and realized that in a very short amount of time his entire world had just shifted completely.


As the new family of three snuggled on a sofa in the library late that evening, where the entire family had gathered to catch up on everything and to celebrate, Elsa had to ask, "So what are you going to name her?"

Anna and Kristoff shared a knowing look and laughed. "We know that the family is getting to be filled with Elsas, but neither of us could imagine calling our daughter by anything else. Kristoff's mother's name was Betsy, so we're naming our daughter Elsabet. Elsabet Isobel Bjorgman."

"I think that is a lovely name for a lovely young princess," James proclaimed then raised a glass. "To Princess Elsabet!"

Elsa then spoke up from where she was sitting in the floor with Aiden, "To the timely and wonderful return of James to our family." She gazed up at him, her blue eyes filled with a lifetime's ration of love. "May we never be parted again."

Anna shifted the babe in her arms and asked, "Can you please now fill us in on where you've been for the past year? I mean, I'm very glad to see you, don't get me wrong. I was especially glad to see you in that cave. However, I have watched my sister struggle just to breathe every day without you. I need an explanation."

"I think we all do," a deep voice said from the doorway of the library.

"Uncle!" Elsa jumped to hug and greet what appeared to be their entire Corona family in the doorway. "What are you doing here?"

Rapunzel, holding a sleeping baby girl about the same age as Aiden popped her head in the doorway. "We wanted to surprise you all and be here for when Anna's baby was born!" She looked about the room and laughed. "Apparently our ship docked a little late for the main event. James?" she asked.

"Did someone say that James is here?" Aunt Lillian worked her way into the room and almost dropped Little Elsa when she saw her beloved nephew standing next to Granny. James ran to embrace his aunt and found his uncle and cousin joining in on one of their customary family hugs, almost suffocating him.

When the hug broke up, Aunt Lillian put Little Elsa down in the floor next to Aiden and walked back over to her nephew. She lovingly cupped his face in her shaking hands before hugging him once again. "Oh, my dear, dear boy!"

"Okay, Annie is all changed and clean," Eugene was heard saying as he entered the library with his third daughter only to find his mother-in-law embracing what appeared to be James. "Westbrooke, you're alive?"

"Are there any more appearances to be made tonight, or can we all get everyone up to speed on what has happened with James, Anna, Hans, and everyone else?" Granny asked, allowing her son to kiss her on the cheek.

"Well actually," Rapunzel noted. "Fergus, Mary, the boys, and Merida came with us. They're just waiting in the throne room for permission to stay. I hope you don't mind having a castle-full of family, Elsa?"

Elsa laughed, thinking of how that very castle had been one of isolation was filled to the very spires with her loved ones. "The more the merrier, she laughed." Her cup truly runneth over. "Kai!" she called to the butler standing outside the room, "please bring the Duke and Duchess of Westbrooke and their boys into the library immediately."

"Well, this saves Elsa the postage of having to write letters to all of you announcing Elsabet's birth and James' miraculous return," Anna laughed to Kristoff.

The Duke's family was shown to the crowded library. James stood apart from the rest of the family waiting quietly for his brother to see him. Fergus walked into the room and was frozen stiff upon seeing his younger brother.

"Please tell me I'm not seeing things," he asked.

"I'm home, Fergus," James told him.

"Brother!" Fergus cried out, trying to hold back the tears in his eyes. James walked to his brother, and the two men embraced joyfully. Mary and the boys soon entered, and once all of the greetings and congratulations were made, James finally filled everyone in on the tale of his missing year. Then Anna and Elsa explained everything that had happened with Hans. When everyone was finished, the adults just sat silently, contemplating all that had happened in such a short amount of time until James added, "Elsa, Uncle, while we're together we should seriously start planning how to deal with what appears to be a more aggressive Wesleton."

Elsa nodded, yawned, and picked up a very sleepy Aiden and proclaimed, "Goodness we have a great deal to celebrate and be thankful for and to also strategize for, but it's very late, and we all have a lot of reason to be very tired. Let us retire for the evening. I'm sure the new mother and the young ones especially need their rest. I know this young man does."

Everyone made their way to either their chambers or those provided for them, and Elsa began her nightly routine of putting Aiden to bed. James followed as she slowly walked into Aiden's nursery, which had been put back together by Gerda's housekeeping staff. She hesitated in the doorway and James wrapped his arms around her waist.

"The last time I put him to bed in here, he was stolen from me," she whispered.

He tightened his grip around her and quietly said into her ear, "It won't happen again. The threat has been eliminated. We will be right here."

Elsa sighed. She knew what James said was right, but her heart told her otherwise. "I know, but I think I just want to hold him until he falls asleep. As long as he's in my arms, I know that he is safe."

James looked around the nursery, and upon seeing a sofa, kissed her cheek, "I have an idea for tonight."

Once Elsa changed Aiden into clean nightclothes, James pulled the both of them onto the sofa with him. He held Elsa as Elsa held Aiden, and he began to read to the both of them from that copy of Persuasion Elsa had carried with her to the causeway the night he returned. Before he finished the first chapter, he looked down to find mother and son contentedly asleep in his arms. He let the book fall to the floor and covered them all with a blanket before settling down and falling asleep with his own little family in his arms. It didn't come to be the way he imagined it would, but he was quickly coming to the realization he wouldn't want it any other way. It was time to make it official once and for all.


The next day was one of mixed emotions. The family continued to celebrate Elsabet's birth and James' return, but other things had to be done as well. Elsa, James, and King Alfonse spent several hours cloistered inside Elsa's study, discussing Wesleton's growing aggression, making decisions to quietly begin building up their own armies and navies in preparedness. When they were finished with that, James and Fergus went alone to visit Elinor's grave and pay their respects. Elsa and Mary together, with Rapunzel Aunt Lillian, and Granny kept an eye on the brothers from a distance while playing with Aiden, young Merida, Little Elsa, Lily, and Annie. Anna and Kristoff were spending some time getting to know their daughter alone.

"It truly is a miracle that James is alive," Mary told Elsa as she watched Aiden attempt to toddle over to where Little Elsa was playing with dolls by holding on to others' legs. "It's a miracle and a blessing. Fergus just hadn't been the same since word came of James' supposed death. He loved Elinor, but James and he share a special bond. I haven't seen anything like it really, until I met you and Anna. Not all siblings love each other so fiercely."

"What I want to know, Elsa," Rapunzel said while saddling up to her, "is when James is going to make an honest woman out of you?"

Elsa turned to find her cousin trying very hard to keep a straight face. "I am an honest woman, Rapunzel!"

"You have a son," Rapunzel nodded to Aiden.

"Adopted! You know that! I'm as honest as the newly fallen snow, for heaven's sake!" Elsa defended herself.

Rapunzel had to hold her sides, she was laughing so hard. "Oh, Elsa we all know. It's just a little too easy and fun to ruffle your feathers. Really though, should we be hearing wedding bells soon? Haven't the two of you waited long enough? You do wear his ring, after all."

Elsa stared off to where James was with his brother and silently wondered herself. So much had happened in the past year and a half that it wasn't quite as simple as it once would have been.

That evening, once everyone had retired for the night, Elsa journeyed into Aiden's room to check on him one last time. She stood over his crib, just watching him sleep. She marveled at the sweet, serenity of his face as he gently breathed in and out. She adored how his lashes brushed against his cheek. She had never known a love like that before. It was wholly different from what she felt for Anna or James or anyone else. Aiden was God's gift to her when she needed him most. He was her blessing.

She felt familiar arms wrap around her and leaned into James' chest. "He is amazing," James whispered.

"I know. He's perfect," Elsa agreed.

"You are amazing, Elsa. You were amazing before I left, but seeing you with Aiden has only increased my estimation of you," he tried to keep his voice down so as not to wake Aiden, but it was difficult when so many feelings were coming to the surface. He pulled her away from the nursery and led her into her study, closing the door behind him.

"Alone at last!," he smiled, showing her his dimple he knew she loved and started toward her.

"At last," she smiled, nerves suddenly fluttering about her. She thought that he was about to kiss her, but instead he dropped to one knee. Suddenly she felt like the room was spinning around her.

"Elsa, from our first dance I have loved you. I have loved your eyes, and the way they sparkle when you're happy. I have loved your smile, especially that one you save just for me. I love your wit, your charm, your sense of humor. I love your bravery and your strength. You have endured more than any person should, yet you have met each challenge with dignity and grace. There aren't words to adequately express how I love you, quite honestly. You already wear my ring. Will you now please do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

He looked up at her with such hopeful, expectant eyes, and it killed a part of her to have to tell him, "I can't."


So, how long should I make you wait until the next chapter?