Late July, 1852
The Queen's Chambers at Linnea Castle
Arendelle
The king had been unable to get away upon receiving the letter from his sister-in-law. He had tried hard not to appear distracted during the meetings with the Swedes, and was never so happy to have an issue resolved. Two days the Swedish Ambassador had left to return with a revised copy of the trade agreement, Han left the Isles under cover of darkness, arriving in Arendelle in the early hours of the next day on his fastest ship.
Anna met him at the side entrance to the inlet of the fjord in the midnight hours of the twenty-first, as was custom now, and as they rushed down the halls towards the queen's chambers, she quickly filled him in on what had transpired. "When was the babe born, Annalei?" He asked, removing his coat as they walked. She gathered her skirts, hurrying to match her brother-in-law's long stride.
"I told you in my letter; her labor two days after she was due to birth, on the sixteenth. Turns out her fore waters had burst, but her back waters hadn't, which was part of the reason it was so long and difficult- add in the size of the babe and that made it worse." She had to stop herself from nearly colliding with her brother-in-law as he turned, removing his gloves and stuffing them into the pocket of his coat.
"How much did the babe weigh?" Anna bit her lip, debating telling him, but his stern look told her she had no choice. "Annalei."
"T... ten and a half pounds, ten ounces." Her brother-in-law paled before he turned and continued down the hall; she rushed to keep up. "Hans-"
"No wonder it was difficult for her... how did it not kill her? To birth a babe that size-"
"Because she's strong, Hans." Anna cut him off, and he turned to her. "She's a lot stronger than people give her credit for, even me. She has to be, to face what she has." He nodded, moving to open the door when her voice stopped him again. "Milla and the boys... they snuck into the chamber and hid in the clothespress during the birth. They saw something they should never have seen, and Milla seems determined that she will never have children."
"They... witnessed... they are too young to-"
"I know! But no one realized they where there until the temperature dropped rapidly and Milla and the boys came out of the clothespress, begging Lise to raise the temperature. It was so cold their lips were blue; if it hadn't been for them," She swallowed thickly, shivering at the memory. "if it hadn't been for them, the midwife determined that the babe would have frozen to death once it left Lise's womb." He stopped, digesting her words. "Don't be angry with them, Hans. They saved all of us that day, including their baby sister."
"Sister?" His green eyes met hers, and she saw the tears gathering on his lashes.
She nodded, moving closer to him with a chuckle. "Yes. You have another daughter. I swear, you seem to fit to give my sister only girls when you release inside her."
The king blushed, before taking the princess's shoulders and kissing her forehead. "Thank you, Annalei." She nodded, as he pulled away and slipped into the room, shutting the door softly behind him. Taking a deep breath, she turned, hurrying back down the hall, needing to find Lord Bismarck.
The door clicked shut softly behind him, and after a moment, the queen looked up. Neither said a word; he tossed his coat and gloves upon the chaise at the foot of the bed before climbing up and moving towards her. Their gazes locked, and after a moment, he took her mouth with his, kissing her deeply, pouring everything he felt in that moment- from the moment he'd opened the letter to Anna's explanation, to the sight of her, alive and healthy- into it. She reached up, threading her fingers through his hair, before he finally broke the kiss, nuzzling her nose gently with his before he buried his face in her chest. She held him close, before he pulled away.
Soft cooing reached their ears, and after a moment, she gently pushed the blankets aside and shifted, standing and walking carefully to the bassinet not far away. Her belly still protruded before her, making her appear softer than she already was. Her long snow-white hair fell in curls down her back, ends just barely brushing the floor. It tumbled over her shoulder as she knelt and scooped up the bundle, coming back to him. "It's okay, little one. Someone's here who wants to meet you." She returned to his side, gaze still locked on the baby in her arms, and Hans leaned close. "This is your papa, Elisabeth, Johannes Christian Andreas WestergÄrd, Ruling King of the Southern Isles, though to us, he is just Papa."
"Elisabeth?"
She nodded. "Elisabeth Annalise WestergÄrd Bekkerdahl, Princess of Arendelle and the Southern Isles."
Hans felt his heart skip a beat as she laid the bundle in his arms and he turned his gaze upon his new daughter. Barely two days old, the baby was good-sized, with large, unfocused blue eyes like her mother, and a head of thick snow-white curls. Gently, he took the baby's tiny hand in his, feeling her fingers curl around his index finger, and he choked on a sob. She's so beautiful... He turned as his wife curled into his side, and pressed a firm kiss to her head. "Thank you, for bringing her into the world, regardless of the struggle. I will never be able to repay you for such a marvelous gift."
She hummed softly in response, looking up as the door opened and the older children peeked into the room. Carefully, Elsa stood, making her way around the bed towards her oldest. She knew it would not be long before the other children had awoken at the sound of their papa's voice in the halls and came to greet him. "Come tell Papa hello, darlings."
The children hurried around the side of the bed towards where Hans sat on the window seat, cradling the baby. He kissed each child tenderly, before turning his gaze back to his newborn daughter as his wife settled back in bed, drinking in the sight of her husband with their children. "Liesel." Anja whispered, and his father turned to him.
"Liesel?" The boy nodded, as his father smiled softly at him. "It's perfect for her."
