All of Arendelle rejoiced at the birth of the Queen's child; for the next several weeks, celebrations would be held throughout the country, while the young queen adjusted to new motherhood. Those first days were rough on the young woman, but eventually, she began to figure out the balance she needed to care for her daughter and her country. Though she did not pretend that the feelings of loneliness and detachment didn't creep in, she hid it well; not having Hans by her side only made her feelings of depression more apparent, but she coped, if not for her sake, then for her daughter's.
Mere days into the queen's new motherhood, the click of heels echoed through the halls as Anna dashed through the palace, headed for her sister's chambers. "Elsa! El-sa!" She burst through the doors into the Queen's chambers, stopping in surprise to find her sister still in her nightdress, hair a tangled mess of curls down her back. "Oh, I'm sorry, Lise, I didn't realize you were not dressed for company-"
Elsa turned, looking up as the door clicked shut behind her sister, and it was then that Anna saw realized why her sister was still in her nightdress- despite it being six in the morning. The fact that Anna was even up that early was a surprise in and of itself, but the soft knock upon her door by young Marta, who held a letter from the Isles, had been enough to rouse the princess completely from her slumber. It had become commonplace for letters from the Isles to arrive in the early, early morning hours, as it was the only time when they would not be subjected to inspection by the royal postmaster- the couple had learned that the hard way.
"I have no need for company at the moment," Elsa replied, as Anna came around the bed, and it soon became clear what was going on. Her niece's cries were partially muffled by the fabric of her mother's nightdress, as the babe turned instinctively towards her mother's material-clad breast. "Take her for me, would you?"
"I can take her for you, Mistress." Helena started, but Anna quickly accepted the baby, cradling her carefully, and nodding for Helena to help her sister. Smiling softly at the princess, Helena quickly helped her mistress to shrug out of her nightdress, and then pulled her hair back into a loose plait before stepping back and curtsying. Elsa nodded and whispered her thanks to the girl, bidding her to return to her chambers to sleep once she had taken the babe from Anna and laid her in the mother's arms. Once the girl was gone, Elsa turned her attention to her sister.
"What is it, Annalei?" But the princess didn't hear her; instead, she watched in awe as her older sister, now settled back against the pillows of her bed, gently brushed the sensitive skin of her nipple against the baby's cheek. The young queen had seen fit to refuse the wet-nurse her council had tried to push upon her, and nurse her daughter herself- insisting that her own breasts were full to bursting with milk meant for her child, and that she had born the babe of her womb, and that there was no sense in having her daughter suckle on the teat of a complete stranger when she herself was perfectly capable of providing the same nourishment.
Elsa, belly still round and prominent before her, sat cradling her daughter in her arms; sleeve and bodice of her nightdress pulled down, her left breast fully exposed and nipple erect. Anna watched in amazement as her niece turned instinctively towards the bud of her mother's breast, taking it fully into her mouth and beginning to suckle hungrily. The look that the young queen wore tugged at her sister's heart, and Anna stood for several minutes, simply admiring the beautiful image before her; for to see her sister so happy-
She gasped, remembering the letter Marta had delivered to her a couple hours earlier. Elsa looked up at her with exhausted eyes as she climbed onto the bed across from her, holding the letter out. Elsa, unable to release the baby, nodded for her sister to open it, eyes lighting when she saw the familiar seal. A moment passed, before the princess did as her sister wished, and broke the seal, unfolding the letter. She glanced at her sister, unsure if she should be reading such intimacies, but Elsa nodded. "Go on, Annalei."
Taking a deep breath, and at the queen's urging, she began to read,
21 November, 1844
Eskil Castle,
Southern Isles
My beloved Eliza,
You do not know the joy this news brings me. If only I had been there by your side through it all, giving you my strength, helping you through the pain- how I wish a sea and ancient laws did not separate us or our kingdoms! To read that you had been in such agony for three days while you birthed my child, it set my heart on edge, and I was so relieved to find you had both survived such a trying ordeal. Though I will admit, I was as surprised as you and Anna to learn that our precious daughter weighed nine pounds- it is no wonder you struggled so to birth her. I was so relieved though to discover that you had pulled through, both of you.
And I know that my mother would be honored were she here, to be the namesake of our heir. I know that she will be as strong as her grandmother once was, rest her soul. Know that while there has been no celebration here in the Isles among the people, those within my household and court that are loyal to us have asked to wish you and our daughter well, and send their good cheer and congratulations. She will be as loved among those of my household loyal to us as she is to yours, I am sure, and they eagerly await the day of Camilla's first official visit to the Isles.
Oh, you have made me the proudest of fathers to ever walk the earth, Eliza, my love! I know I shall never be able to repay you for the gift you've brought into the world. So for now, accept this short letter, and the sincerity of these words, especially when I say that I shall always be indebted to you for the beauty you have just delivered into our lives. I impatiently await the day when I can finally meet our beautiful Camilla, not as King Johannes of the Southern Isles, but as Hans WestergÄrd, her beloved Papa.
Until that day comes, my beautiful, strong Eliza, kiss our precious Camilla for me, and tell her that each kiss is from her Papa, who rejoiced at the announcement of her birth, and holds her forever in his heart, until the day he can hold both her and her Mama in his arms.
All my everlasting love to both my precious girls.
Your Faithful Husband,
Johannes Christian Andreas WestergÄrd, King of the Southern Isles and Arendelle
Elsa sniffled, turning her gaze to the baby in her arms. Oh, why must her husband have such a way with words? Was it his goal to make her sob, just days after having given birth to her heir? To his heir?
Anna reached over, taking her hand. "I don't understand why you stay separated. It is so much harder on both of you. Why not combine our countries and rule over them together? It would be easier on you both- especially now." She glanced at the baby in her sister's arms. "Do you really want little Camilla to grow up separated from her Papa?"
"Council will never allow our countries to combine, Anna. The law, remember?"
"But-"
"And even if they did, the Isles would never agree; that would be giving up their right as an independent monarchy."
"But they have to know that Hans is-"
"Enough, Anna. Please." The soft pleading in her sister's voice, coupled with the pain in her eyes caused the younger girl pause, and she nodded, squeezing her sister's hand. Before either sister could speak again, a soft knock sounded, startling them both, and the girls shared a glance, expecting Gerda to have arrived with tea. "Come in."
Upon the queen's soft acceptance, the door opened, and the person stepped into the room, shutting the door quietly. Both women were so focused on the baby in Elsa's arms that at first, they didn't notice the silence. It wasn't until Anna turned and let out a soft squeal that Elsa even acknowledged the other person in the room. She slowly tore her gaze from the babe in her arms, to see what had startled her sister; confusion flashed across her face momentarily, before realization slowly dawned, and she gasped softly. "You... you're really here?"
Anna had slipped off the bed and rushed to receive a hug, before quickly stepping back and allowing him move around the bed towards her sister. "I am, Eliza, my love." He replied softly, lips brushing gently against hers in long-awaited soft greeting, but Elsa reached up her free hand and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him back and kissing him again, just as softly as he'd kissed her. By the time she'd allowed him to pull away, tears were coursing freely down her cheeks, and she was openly crying.
"What... how..."
Gently, he rested a finger to her lips. "I could not stay away, not while my wife had just gone through childbirth and my child having just been born. I got in contact with Captain Frej, and explained the situation; asked him to take one of the smaller ships, and for it to be in the cover of darkness, for this was to be a very... secret, special visit. He agreed."
She smiled softly. "Tell Captain Frej that both your wife and daughter thank him for his loyalty- both him and Captain Arne. They have been essential in our lives from the moment of our marriage." Hans nodded; Captain Arne was perhaps Elsa's most trusted naval advisor, and had piloted the Vinterrose on the eve of their wedding. The older gentleman had refused the Admiralship Elsa had offered him a year into her reign, insisting that his love of queen, country and sea need not be proven by a title and high salary; he merely asked to captain the Vinterrose- the grandest and strongest ship within the Royal Navy, for it was that ship he had begun his career on as a mere cabin boy- and Elsa had agreed. It was Captain Arne and the Vinterrose that made the majority of journeys between Arendelle and the Isles when required, and the ship and her captain had the respect of all in the Royal Navy of the Southern Isles- but more for her impressive Naval record than anything else.
Anna sat back against the footboard of the bed as her brother-in-law slowly turned his gaze from his wife to the babe against his wife's breast, a small smile of awe tugging at his lips, "Oh Eliza..."
Having finished nursing, the queen gently shifted the baby, rubbing her back before laying the days-old infant in her husband's arms. It took a moment for Hans to realize what she was doing, and he quickly accepted the infant, the smile growing bigger as the baby was settled into his arms. A look of what could only be called absolute love blossomed across his features as he stared at his new daughter, and he swallowed thickly, slowly tearing his gaze from the baby to meet his wife's. His voice was thick with tears as he spoke. "She's beautiful."
His wife settled back against the pillows, hands resting on her belly as she watched her husband cradle her daughter- his daughter. "She's ours." His green eyes met hers at her soft whisper, and in response, he leaned over and brushed his lips softly to hers once more.
Days later, in the early morning hours while the rest of the country- and castle- slept, in the quiet of the Royal Chapel of Arendelle, witnessed only by those most trusted of their households, Father Henrik baptized the daughter of the King of the Isles and the Queen of Arendelle, as she lay cradled in her mother's arms, while her mother stood protectively in her father's embrace.
