"Christian Johannes, for his Papa."
Once the realization struck the household that the Queen had been in labor the majority of the late night and early morning, and no one minus the princess had heard or noticed, everything seemed to kick into high gear. The midwife was called, the situation explained, and the the older woman sent to check on both mother and child. The council was alerted to the early morning birth, and soon the news spread all through Arendelle that their queen had birthed a healthy baby boy just a couple hours earlier, with Princess Anna's help. Anna made sure to send word immediately to the Isles; the notice of which would be awaiting the King when he awoke.
"Annes." Elsa whispered, as Anna cocked her head. "HAh-nes." She clarified, catching her sister's confused gaze. The princess nodded, leaning over to see the baby cradled in her sister's arms.
"He's certainly beautiful." Elsa nodded. "You are, aren't you, Annes? Yes, you're a big boy, aren't you?" She stopped at her sister's glare. "What? Oh come on, Lise, you cannot sit there and tell me that birthing this little prince was easy. I was here, remember? I helped." Her sister was wise enough in the ways of womanhood to know which battles to pick, and so rightly kept her mouth shut, turning her attention back to her son, shifting out of the bodice of her nightdress.
Silence settled between the siblings before the queen spoke again, as the baby instinctively turned towards the sensitive bud of his mother's breast and latched on, beginning to nurse. "You got word-"
"The letter will be waiting on Hans' desk for him to read in the morning, Lise." She replied, and the queen nodded, watching as her son nursed. A soft knock sounded, followed by Helena's voice, and after a moment, the queen bid her entrance. The young handmaid cradled the year-old princess in her arms, making her way to the bed.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but Her Highness was awoken by the commotion and wished to see you." Elsa looked up at her, smiling softly at the sight of her daughter.
"It's perfectly all right, Helena." She turned her gaze back to her son briefly. "Come meet your baby brother, Milla." Once the toddler was on the bed, she crawled towards her mother, and Elsa gently bid the young handmaid goodnight. Once the girl was gone, Elsa turned back to her oldest child. "This is Annes, Milla. He's your baby brother, which means you're a big sister now."
The girl sat by her mother's side, blue eyes lighting on the baby at her mother's breast. Elsa glanced at her daughter, smiling softly at her oldest before turning back to her newborn son as he finished nursing. "I cannot wait for the moment Papa meets you, my beautiful baby boy. He will be filled to bursting with love. I just know he will."
Anna had taken Milla and returned her to her bed in the nursery not long after she'd come to see the baby, before returning to her sister's side. Around eight-thirty, Helena had returned with the young princess, who had awoken, and wanted her mother, who had fallen into a light sleep thanks to the long-forgotten pain left behind after childbirth. Anna had taken the child and the two women had bid the girl return to bed to get some sleep, for the household would start late, due to the shock they had received that morning. Once returned to the queen's bed, Milla had crawled out of her aunt's lap towards her mother and Elsa had shifted, this time shrugging fully out of the top of her nightdress, exposing both breasts. She hissed softly as the chill in the air hardened her nipples, and smiled at her sister as Anna brought the baby back to her for another feeding.
Carefully settling back against the pillows, she held her arm out to her oldest; the girl had turned a year the previous November, and Elsa had yet to wean her daughter from her breast. It was common practice in Arendelle for mothers to nurse their children until the age of two; a mother's breastmilk was seen as having added benefits for the child in its most formative years, and two years of age was the appropriate time for a child to wean from the breast, for they would no longer need it, by Arendelle standards.
When Elsa had first explained it to her husband, Hans had merely shaken his head, muttering something about, 'women wean the child two months before the first birthday in the Isles'- and gotten a stern look from his wife, who had retorted that, 'be that as it may, I do not rule the Isles; I rule Arendelle, and therefore, I follow my country's customs in regards to how I nurse my child. When it comes to rearing her, we will discuss that when she's older, but until she reaches her second birthday, I will continue to nurse her, regardless of her father's opinion of it.' There had been no more discussion of the subject, and Hans had left his wife to her customs, wisely keeping his mouth shut.
"Come here, my darling." The girl scooted closer, until she was tucked against her mother's side. Gently, she took the bud of her mother's other breast into her mouth and began to nurse, blue eyes watching her newly-born brother as she did so. Resting her hand against her daughter's head, the young queen released a soft breath, laying her head against the pillows. Anna sat at the foot of the bed, watching her sister in this quiet moment of motherhood, feeling a tug at her heart. She wished she would one day be as lucky as Elsa to become a mother- and to find a man as wonderful as Hans, who loved her as the king loved her sister and their children. "That's my good girl." After a moment, Elsa brushed a kiss to Milla's head, before turning and doing the same to her son, before falling silent again, allowing her gaze to wander over her son. "How did I end up blessed to be the mother to two of the most beautiful children in all of Arendelle?"
Anna kept quiet, curling up at the foot of the bed with a soft, sad smile. Just as the princess was about to doze off, a soft knock was heard, and Elsa automatically bid whomever on the other side entrance, never removing her gaze from her children. "Just place the tea on the table, Gerda, thank you. Once done, go back to bed."
"Unfortunately, I come bearing nothing but empty hands," Anna turned sleepy eyes in the direction of the voice, and gasped, covering her mouth with her hands to muffle the sound. A moment passed, before Elsa looked up, tearing her gaze from the baby at her breast, and her eyes widened in surprise. "and a heart," They made their way towards the bed, stopping not far from the queen, drinking in the sight of her cradling their newborn son in one arm and their daughter in the other, both nursing at her breasts, and tears began to prick behind his eyes. "f... filled to bursting with love for what you've endured in the last few hours, Eliza love."
It took a few moments, but finally, she breathed, "H... Hans? I... its it really you?"
He nodded, not trusting his voice. Swallowing thickly, he finally spoke. "I... I was awoken by a messenger. He handed me a letter, stating that my wife had... just gone through several hours of hard, difficult labor and childbirth to bring our baby into the world. Our son." He slowly licked his lips, thinking. "Eliza, love, can... can you forgive the father of your children for not being by your side for a second time?"
She smiled at him, tears misting her own eyes. "Oh, Johannes, it's not your fault." She turned her gaze back to the baby. "Our little princeling did not exactly give me time to alert anyone else to his arrival. Except for Anna, but her room is directly across the hall, so of course she was able to hear." Gently, she reached up, stroking the baby's cheek; the infant turned his head in the direction of his mother's touch, his unfocused blue eyes making her heart skip a beat. "Isn't that right, my little Annes?"
Hans furrowed a brow. "A... Annes?" His wife looked up at him.
"Yes. HAh-nes. Christian Johannes, for his wonderful Papa, ruling the Isles across the Southern Sea while I rule Arendelle." She didn't notice the tears in her husband's gaze, or as they slid down his cheeks. "And even though he cannot always be with us, we are still a family, not matter how silent we must keep our secret." When she looked up next, it was to her husband caressing her cheek, a smile of absolute love on his face.
"I love you." She mouthed it back to him, before he lean0ed own and captured her mouth with his in a deep that conveyed so much more than words ever could. When finally, they broke the kiss, he pressed one to her forehead, before turning his gaze to the boy in his wife's arms. "He's so beautiful, my wife. As beautiful as our darling Milla was when she was born." His glanced at her, tears in his eyes. "Thank you for bringing him into the world, my love." Her response was only for him, and he returned it with another kiss.
