The wind whipped through her hair, tugging it from the pile of curls it had been on top of her head, until it flowed loose and free in the wind. She glanced briefly behind her, before turning her attention back. The sun was slowly setting over the woodlands surrounding Osborne, and it would get dark soon, as a storm was rolling in off the coast.
Coastal storms were a regular occurence in the Isles and Arendelle, and Elsa was used to the smell of rain and roil of thunder on the horizon. While the children did not particularly like storms, when at Jannicke or Halsten during a storm, the family would gather in their chambers and cuddle under the blankets of their bed, telling stories and singing songs and playing magic until only the sound of the rain remained. They should return, lest they get caught in the storm, but Elsa couldn't bring herself to mention returning to Victoria. She got so little freedom from duties, from her marriage and yes, even from motherhood, that she was relishing these few wild moments in which she could just be, and she suspected Victoria was as well.
Eventually, they made their way down to the beaches of East Cowes, the soft patter of hooves on sand singing in response to the waves crashing upon the beach, creating a lovely symphony when mixed with the wind in their hair and the beatings of their hearts. She pulled gently on the reigns, gaze going out to the waters before them, not turning as Victoria joined her. "It's beautiful." The British monarch glanced at the sea before turning back to her friend.
"It is, yes."
"I... I have always been drawn to the sea and... and Hans... we live where water meets land; it is in our blood, but I have never had a chance to really stop and admire it's beauty." She quickly disembarked from her horse, Victoria following.
"Elsa, what are you doing?" Without the British queen realizing it, the young Arendellian had quickly removed her shoes and peeled off her coat, folding it up and placing them on the saddle of her horse. Now barefoot, she walked into the water, letting the waves crash around her ankles, then her calves, then her thighs. She turned back to Victoria, long snow-white hair tumbling free and floating about her. After a moment, she returned to her friend, taking her hands.
"Oh Victoria, I never realized how freeing it is... how wild and beautiful... I have lived by the coast my entire life, my children have the sea in their blood, but not once did I ever dare consider the freedom the sea possesses." Victoria cocked her head.
"Elsa, I don't understand-"
"I can't explain it, Victoria, I just..." She stopped, looking up. The storm had broken over the beach, and quickly, Elsa pulled her boots and coat back on, and the pair quickly mounted their horses, dashing back up the beach towards Osborne. They raced through the woodlands as the rain followed, stopping to disembark near a small alcove of trees, when the horses became tired. Now within the cover of the woods to allow their horses rest, the pair took seats upon the woodland floor of their discovered alcove; Elsa lay her head upon Victoria's shoulder with a sigh. "I feel trapped, as though I'm in a cage with no way out."
Victoria looked up at her, confused. "By your marriage? I thought you love Hans."
"By everything." Elsa tucked her legs beneath her, pulling her hair quickly into a messy braid and piling it back onto her head, sliding a couple pins that had still remained within to hold it in place. "And I do, I... I love Hans, he is the love of my life, possibly my true love, but I cannot sit upon his throne without abandoning my own, nor can he sit upon mine. I am tired, of stolen kisses and clandestine moments, spending time together as a family under the guise of 'diplomatic visits'... I envy you, Victoria. You awaken every day with Albert by your side; I wish I were so lucky. I get to awaken by Hans' side... once, maybe twice on occasion; the nights when we allow ourselves to make love, it is done in secret, in the quietest corners of Eskil or Linnea, or on stormy nights at Halsten or warm evenings at Jannicke. I am tired of hiding that my husband cannot sit by my side on the throne, nor can I sit by his side. I am tired of denying that my children share their father's features, yet cannot openly take his name." She rested her head back against the tree with a soft thump. "I'm tired, Victoria. Honestly," She took a deep breath, weighing her words carefully. "When Liesel was born... I wished for death. I wished that I had birthed her and then not survived."
"Oh, Elsa." Victoria took her hand, squeezing gently.
"What life is this? I sit upon a throne, I make nice and play with other monarchs, while my children are kept from the toxicity of my court, and my husband sits upon the throne of the Isles and must pretend that our marriage does not exist." She sighed. "I am tired... of living this... this cursed... half-life of a marriage, Victoria. I love Hans, but... but there are days when I wonder if this marriage is worth it."
The British queen pulled her friend into a hug, gently rubbing her back. "Does Hans know how you feel?"
"We have had more than one row about it in the last several years." Elsa pulled back, letting Victoria keep her arms around her. "Hans blames himself, and if he does not take the blame, then I do. We've reached a compromise as the years have gone by, to discuss it before it reaches that point." She swallowed thickly as Victoria reached up to wipe the tears that she didn't realize she was shedding away. "And if it does reach that point, then to spend time apart until we can discuss it calmly without raised tempers." Her blue gaze dropped to her hands, and the light dusting of frost that covered them like gloves. "Though I have never been very good at keeping my temper; Annalei says that I am prone to tantrums."
"You are not the only one." Victoria admitted, and the two women fell into silence, listening to the rain hit the forest floor around them; they had managed to take cover in an alcove of trees not far from the tree line that led back to the gardens and stables of Osborne. No doubt their husbands would be out searching for them, but they stayed put, too content in their bond to leave their shelter. Besides, secrets needed to be shared, and they could not share them around the others, even in the personal chambers of Osborne House. After a moment, Victoria spoke up, choosing her words carefully. "I... I have grown quite fond of you, Elsa. That first visit... you charmed not only my court, and my people, but Albert and I both. I had wanted to build an alliance with both of you, and received friendship as well."
Elsa's smile was soft. "I love you, too, Victoria." The British queen returned the Scandinavian's soft smile, before leaning over and pecking her gently on the lips.
Once they had returned the horses to the stables, Elsa grabbed Victoria's hand to lead her from the stables when the other woman held back in the doorway. "Elsa, wait!"
"Victoria, come on, they will be wondering where we are, if they have not already sent out searchers."
"Did you mean it?" Elsa turned back to her, standing dripping wet in the rain.
"Mean it?"
"What you said earlier. That you love me? Did you mean it, Elsa?"
Elsa shrugged. "Of course I meant it, Victoria. You are dear to me, perhaps more than Annalei and even more than Hans, but in a different way. I wish to keep you in my life as long as you wish to be."
Victoria pulled her close, unfazed by the cold of her ice or the chill of her skin. "Forever. I want for you to be in my life forever; I have had so few within my life who truly care for me that do not have some... ulterior motive attached that... that it is refreshing to have someone besides Albert who loves me for me. Both you and Hans, and Anna. I love you all, I want to keep you all." She sniffled. "Please, Elsa, say that for as long as we are living, we shall remain forever in each others' lives- even when old and grey and our sons and daughters have taken our crowns, say that we will still exchange letters, still visit each other. That you will still love me as I will love you, that we will never part on hateful terms, and that we will forever be more than just allies."
Gently, Elsa caressed her cheek, with a soft smile. "Forever and ever, Victoria. You are my sister across the seas; my protection, my alliance, whatever you require in need of aide when you need it, I will give. As will the Isles, for they are tied to Arendelle through my marriage to Hans, and through blood by our children."
"As Mary and Elizabeth once ruled Scotland and England side by side and fought for the British crown-" Elsa shook her head.
"No. There will be no rivalry between us. Your monarchy is yours and my monarchy mine. We are sister monarchs, equal in our governance, equal in all ways save one. I bow to no man, nor will I bow to you. You are not superior to me, nor are you inferior; you are my equal, Victoria. Mary may have possessed a greater claim on England through Stuart blood, but she was greedy; her pride led to her downfall. I will never seek war with a sister monarchy unless provoked. And I swear to the Gods alive that if you dare to bring war upon the seas before Arendelle, I with bring the full might and fury of winter to England's lands. I know my place; the crown of Arendelle upon my head, her throne beneath me, her court before me. I will never seek yours, for I have mine."
Victoria shook her head, taking Elsa's hand in both of hers. "Never. I would never think to bring war to that beautiful land of yours. We will rule side by side, forever allies and forever sisters separated by a sea, but always at one another's call if desired. I shall never bow to you unless required, Elsa. I carry no pride except that for your children and the honor of being their aunt. You are my sister, and I love you."
The crack of lightning split the sky, and Elsa looked up, feeling the rain as it fell harder, soaking her through to the skin. She released a breath, feeling as though all the worries, all the anxieties, all the fears she'd carried for months were being washed away. Finally, she turned back to Victoria, still standing in the doorway of the stable, watching her. Taking a deep breath, she closed the gap between them, brushing her lips tenderly to Victoria's, sealing their vow to rule as sister monarchs with a kiss. "Forever binding, never to be broken."
Victoria nodded, as Elsa pulled away, turning to rush back, before she tugged on the Arendellian's hand. "Elsa!"
The young queen turned back, only to have Victoria take her face in her hands; their lips met, and for several minutes, they clung together, lost in each other's taste. A second crack of lightning sounded, and the pair separated, dashing back to the house and reaching it just as the downpour got worse.
Hans looked up from his pacing at the sound of laughter, in time to see Victoria and Elsa come to a stop in the doorway of the sitting room, still holding hands and both drenched to the skin. Relief instantly filled his countenance, and after several seconds, Elsa released Victoria's hand, rushing to him. "Gods alive, Eliza-" But her mouth on his stopped whatever scolding he had planned. He rested his hands against her hips, drinking her in for several minutes, before she slowly pulled away, nuzzling her nose against his.
"I love you, Johannes, my darling."
