Anna roused herself with a big grin on her face. As she stepped outside the tent, she was amazed to find how beautiful the forest looked in the morning. Not surprisingly, she found her sister outside, taking a morning walk. "You're up early", Elsa acknowledged. Anna nodded.
"Since becoming queen, I've had to adjust my sleeping habits. Getting up early was one of them, `` she said. Elsa chuckled. As the sisters walked together, Anna told Elsa about Kristoff's fears of being excluded and if it would really come down to it, Anna would choose her sister over him. This puzzled Elsa.
"What do you mean if it would really come down to it?"
"I hate to dig up old dirt, but remember when Hans was about to slash you with your sword? I had a choice, I could save my own life, but would have cost you your own and Hans would have gone unexposed, because if you really think about it, some of his accusations against you were perfectly valid in everyone else's view, using a series of not quite lies to get them on his side because, when you ran off, the throne DID go to me and when you inflicted the Frozen Heart curse on me, that constituted 'harming the reigning ruler', which IS considered treasonous and in terms of our relationship, that would have proven I didn't forgive you and I wouldn't have transformed into the Tie. Or I could offer myself to Hans and save you, with the added bonus of exposing him and proving I did forgive you, thereby earning my designation", Anna explained. Elsa felt her eyes well up at her explanation. She'd hate to admit it, but sometimes her mind wondered: What if? What if Anna did get a kiss from Kristoff and that saved her? Would she still saved her? Or would she left her to Hans and called it a day? She shuddered at the implication.
"Anna, I'm not going to force you to choose between Kristoff or myself if it comes down to it,'' Elsa said. Anna gulped.
"But, you moved back into the palace though. That's like intruding on our marriage," she said. Elsa's mouth dropped.
"So, basically, you're saying I'm not allowed to stay in the home I grew up in and ruled from for three years? Who are you and what happened to the Anna I knew?" she asked, tears forming.
"Nothing, she just grew up!" Both gasped at what Anna just said. Elsa backed away and Anna, immediately realizing she said the wrong thing, tried to approach her. "Elsa, wait. I'm", Anna started to say.
"No, Anna. save it!" Elsa turned and walked away, leaving Anna with her lip quivering and tears forming.
"What have I done?" While it was true their journey with the spirits opened Anna's eyes to the fact she was still trying to cling onto Elsa and that she ultimately needed to let her go, Elsa's return did lead to a mountain of revelations about again, their destinies were intertwined, but even then, how many married couples had their own unmarried siblings living with them? Did their grandfather have his unmarried brother living with him when he succeeded his father? No. Did their father have any unmarried siblings living with him? No, he was an only child. Anna could have been cruel and just hired her as additional work, treating her like one of her grunts and banishing her to the servant quarters at the end of the day, emotionally distancing herself from her, but no, she let her move back to the palace, no strings attached. That's why she always kept Elsa's room maintained, in case she ever decided to return. Was Anna grateful Elsa made the decision to return? Yes, but the question was now: Where did that leave her relationship with Kristoff? Where did he fit into all this? The answer? Nowhere. Even though they were living in the woods with the Northrulda, Anna still had to host court and committee meetings, which often ended with flared tempers. Every question was the same. How long they were to stay in the woods? When will the rebuilding of the kingdom commence? Anna's answers were the same: I don't know, The crew want to wait until the hard seasons past. No progress yet. She didn't want to contend with a revolt, but the ability to be a good and competent queen, or any royal status for that matter, was also contingent on your ability to be a good peacemaker. Eventually, the cabins meant to house the citizens were finished and the citizens could move in, which was a good thing because it eventually began to rain, which meant another couple days imprisoned and sealed within. No one could go outside lest they get drenched. It rained for 4 days straight and as a result, Anna and Kristoff were allowed to room with the council members in their tent, which resembled more of a tent cabin and was more homey as a result. "How often does it rain here?" Anna inquired. One of the council members shrugged.
"Depends. One year before we were sealed off, it rained for 6 days straight, `` he said. Anna grimaced.
"Ouch", she groaned. Finally, she spotted a familiar mop of blonde hair on one of the cots and tentatively approached her. "Hey," she said. Elsa remained curled into herself. Anna figured this was where she disappeared to after their spat. "Can I sit?" she asked. No response, so Anna took the initiative and sat down on the cot. Elsa didn't say anything. She didn't even look at her. "Elsa, look, I didn't mean what I said back there. I was just confused over everything that happened lately, `` she said. Elsa looked up, revealing her red eyes. Anna's heart broke. "I'm sorry for what I said. You were never intruding on us," she said.
"I'm sorry too," Elsa admitted. Anna was surprised.
"For what?"
"I should have asked if I was allowed to stay at the palace. I just got so caught up in the thrill of the fact I could have stayed in Arendelle all this time I didn't consider how it would make you feel as a wife and mostly importantly, queen. It was", Elsa started to explain but Anna held her hand up.
"You are always welcome at the palace, you don't need any consent to stay there. Besides," she leaned in and whispered into Elsa's ear. "I want my baby to know their aunt,'' she said. Elsa froze in shock.
"Anna? Are you serious?" she asked. Anna vigorously nodded.
"Kristoff caught the stork!" she smiled.
"You have to tell him!" Elsa said. Anna nodded again. She dispatched a tribe council member to find Kristoff and bring him to the council tent immediately. His wife had something important and urgent to tell him.
"A stork? What do you mean a stork?" Kristoff had stated, oblivious to the real meaning of the term. The councilman had found him and Ryder tending to the reindeer and delivered Anna's message. Nonetheless, he was directed to the councilman's tent, where Anna was waiting for him. He entered. "All right! Who was it that said I caught a stork?! Anyone?" His eyes scanned the room, until they fell on Anna, sporting the biggest grin on her face. "You?" he asked. Anna's eyes welled up with tears as she nodded.
"A stork is a euphemism a woman uses to tell her husband she's pregnant," she softly explained. Kristoff put a hand to his heart, remembering all those times he had told Anna she would be an excellent mom if they had a kid of their own. It was obvious that Anna loved spending time with the kids and the kids all liked her in turn. Elsa approached the happy couple.
"You will be an excellent mother, Anna. When we opened the gates again after you helped me gain control of my powers, it always touched me how you interacted with and adored the kids of the town. I always told you so. I know both of you will be good parents, `` she said. Kristoff then had another question.
"How long?" Anna blushed.
"It had been after we had our magical evening the day I transformed. A few days after that, I started waking up with my back aching. At first, I thought it was a side-effect of just going to bed after burning the midnight oil, but then, I started getting sick and needing the privvy more frequently. I just didn't consider the possibility because of everything else that had been occurring," she explained. The family shared a hug, Anna and Elsa's quarrel forgotten. Eventually, the rain subsided enough to where the rebuilding could commence and Anna was leading the charge whenever she could, unless of course Elsa and Kristoff were insisting Anna save her energy and even when she conceded to their demands, Anna was also insisting that as queen of Arendelle, her presence was needed to ensure everyone had hope. 5 days and passed and Anna started to feel kicks in her stomach. She also started eating more frequently, which was no surprise there considering she had a bottomless pit of a stomach. A few more days passed and we now find Anna in the throes of childbirth, breathing heavily.
"Oh, god! It hurts!" she sobbed.
"I know it does, Anna but just remember to breathe," Elsa coached. Anna did exactly that, she breathed and pushed some more
"Something's coming! Push, Anna! It's almost here!" Kristoff said. Anna pushed through her tears and pain. Finally, she screamed, being joined by the scream of life. Anna collapsed onto the pillows, exhausted. Kristoff handed the wiggling infant to Anna, whose eyes lit up at the sight of her daughter.
"Lucy," Anna said. "Her name is Lucy, Princess of Arendelle."
AN: To the guest reviewer who all but accused me of setting up an Elsanna with this story, that's not what I'm actually doing. What I was talking about was in the "Blood vs Water" sense: He's feeling that even though he got together with Anna, he still feels 'excluded', because the adventures he's accompanied them on were ultimately tied back to Anna, Elsa and their heritage and he's beginning to think that if it really boils down to it, Anna would choose 'blood' over him (and in a way, in the first movie, she did, but the way the writers treated it was more 'Did you forgive Elsa for slighting you?' Not saving Elsa would prove Anna never did forgive her sister for how she treated her, while saving her would prove she did), even though Anna told him outright that wasn't the case and she equally loves both Elsa and Kristoff. She said so herself before she transformed. I always treated the franchise as being more about the sisters' bond than anything else. You probably missed that chapter. Also, In regards to the pregnancy, I had been debating over whether or not to have an "Anna's pregnant" storyline implemented, because I was aware that it would clash with the prior chapters and require a LOT of Broad Strokes to the chapters after 13 for it to fully make sense, which explains the lack of build-up to the reveal because when I first conceived the fic, I had only planned up to the reveal of the Northrulda residing in Arendelle, Arendelle being destroyed, the migration into the Enchanted Forest and Arendelle's rebuilding. Nowhere in my mental bible had Anna being pregnant during any of those moments, but I wasn't against the idea either if it furthered the story. Also, after this chapter drops, this story will be going on a hiatus because I'm conceiving another fic that I hope to get started on soon. R&R!