October, 1849

Linnea Castle,

Arendelle

It was certainly evident, for she was five months into her fourth, and the swell had shown quicker. You simply cannot keep your hands off each other. Four children in five short years, in nearly eight since your marriage. Most couples would slow down or stop having children. You have already secured your throne-

"What are you thinking about?" She turned from her study of her body, to her husband, who had snuck up behind her, sliding his arms around her from behind. His hands rested on her belly, and she sighed, pulling away as the door opened and Marta came in carrying Anja, who reached for his mother. The king had arrived in Arendelle early that morning, just past midnight, and slipped into bed beside his wife; it had been a pleasant surprise for her to wake up to.

Unfortunately, the pair's blissful summer at Halsten had been cut short when Elsa and the children had had to return to Arendelle, but over the course of the summer, they had secretly planned getaway and visits; the most recent at Jannicke in the Arendellian countryside, and it had been there, where the young monarchs could deny their attraction no longer, and given in. Over several hours, they had made love, rediscovering and delighting in their joining. She had exploded around him and he had released within her. At the next examination by the midwife, the older woman had announced to the young queen that she was two months along, had most likely conceived in early June, and would give birth around the second or third week of March the following year.

The young queen accepted the year-old little boy, settling him gently on her hip as she settled on the window seat and untied the front of her robe, exposing her breast to the chill in the air. Hans joined her, watching as their son gently took the bud of his mother's breast into his mouth and began to nurse, cuddling into her side as she brushed her fingers through his hair. Unlike his sister- who's curls had gone from snow-white to fiery red- and brother, who had been born with a head of fiery red curls which were lightening to the same snow-white as his mother's, Anja's thick locks were copper in color, but had started to shift closer to his father's color as he got older. She pressed a soft kiss to his head, reaching down to rest a hand against the underside of her belly.

Eighteen weeks, meaning you only have... twenty-two weeks, roughly. She met her husband's gaze. "Wondering how I got myself into this position." The comment was pointed, and the king had the decency to blush, rubbing the back of his neck. Before he could respond, however, a familiar knock sounded on the door, and once entrance was allowed, Anna slipped into the room. dishevelled. The young monarchs looked up, confused as to her state. "Oh, Annalei, do not tell me you went riding your bicycle through the castle again- what kind of example are you setting for your niece and nephews?"

Anna stared at her sister strangely, before waving it away. "It's not that, Lise..." She swallowed. "Your council-"


The raised voices coming from the throne room brought courtier and servant alike to witness, including the King of the Isles, Princess Anna and the royal children. No one was sure what had started it, but it was clear that the councilmen believed they had backed the young queen into a corner and was forcing her to bend to them. It would be discovered that the council had attempted to go behind the queen's back to place either her sister or her daughter upon the throne, in the hopes that they could find someone they could control easily, and Elsa had been informed of it, thanks to Lord Bismarck.

"Men will never bow before a woman; they are the weaker sex, they always have been and always will be, my lady." Hans, standing not far from Anna in the shadows, stood blocking the children from watching the showdown between their mother and her council, had to physically keep himself from stepping in to defend his wife.

"My lady? We are not 'my lady', Lord Oslo, we are Your Majesty, and you will address me as such, as you have for the last nine years. Do I make myself clear?" Out of the corner of her eye, Elsa could see her family, and after a moment, she lifted her chin, and then a hand. The children watched from the shadows, all three, as their mother faced her council.

"Auntie-" But the Crown Princess was softly shushed.

"I'm sorry, Lord Oslo, but I'm afraid you're wrong, very, very wrong. You fear what you know to be stronger than you, because you cannot conceive the notion that a woman can do a man's job. That a woman can rule. It is from my loins that the next ruler of Arendelle came." She shot out her hand; ice dashed across the floor and up the walls; with a squeeze of her hand, the windows cracked beneath the ice, which pulsed red to match her fury. Milla gasped softly, and Hans pulled his children close as Anna turned to him; all were unable to move, so transfixed were they.

"I bow to no man, you bow to me! The crown of Arendelle rests upon my head, the weight of this kingdom rests upon my shoulders! Long after you are all gone, it will be my descendants that remain! How dare you attempt to take away my crown, my throne and my birth right! I am Iduna Elisabeth Isabella Kathrine II, Ruling Queen of the House of Bekkerdahl of Arendelle, and it is I who sit upon this throne, I who wears this crown, and you will not take it from me! I was anointed by God to sit upon the throne of Arendelle, just as my father before me and his father before him and all the queens and kings who came before them, and I will defend and protect it from any who dares attempt to take it from me- be it foreign or within my own country, and if you dare to try, then I shall make sure you all suffer for your treason against the Crown of Arendelle and the monarch who wears her, and suffer greatly, even if that means I must spill each and every ounce of your blood before my people! Do not test the fury of a woman chosen by God to sit upon Arendelle's throne! Or I swear to you, under God's watch, by the heavens above and earth below, I will freeze each and every treasonous heart which stands before me, for Arendelle does not forgive traitors!"

She glanced at each member of her council, as the frost rushed upon her skin, as the fabric of her gown fell away and she became wrapped in a gown of ice and snow, delicately crafted to resemble the finest of silks and most delicate of laces, as her long, snow white hair tumbled free of the pins that held it up, wild and untameable, until she looked more goddess than human, and after a moment, she picked up the crown that had been somehow removed from the royal vault- possibly to be sold. She glanced at each person, before slowly, she lowered the crown upon her snow-white locks. "I am Iduna Elisabeth II, Queen of the House of Bekkerdahl, Ruling Monarch of Arendelle and I bow to no man, you bow to me."

She glanced at each in turn. "Remember where you all stand! I am fiercer than any storm that rages upon the Southern Seas! I command the seas beyond our shores, I command the rains and the snow, and the ice which is harvested under Arendelle's name! I can destroy as well as create, give life as well as end it, and all of Arendelle bows to me, just as the Southern Seas bend to my command not yours. Do not test my power, and do not tempt my fury, for you will find yourselves within the deadliest of storms."

She turned to make her way towards the dais, before stopping. She rolled her hands, and then, turned back, and after a moment, she brought her open palm to her lips, and with one inhale, blew. The fiercest of storms engulfed the council, and slowly, she gathered her skirts, turning and making her way up the steps of the dais. She turned back upon reaching the throne, reaching out and contracting her fingers, ending the storm she'd thrown her council into. Each man looked dishevelled and ashen. Gathering her skirts, she slowly lowered herself onto her throne, watching each in turn as silence fell within the throne room. "My reign has only just begun. Do I make myself clear, gentlemen?"

Peeking around their father and aunt, the older children watched as every member of their mother's council slowly dropped to a knee, their heads bowed before the Snow Queen of Arendelle in submission.