Rifiuto: Non Miriena
A/N: Written: 2019 - Licia
Hans had a sneaking suspicion Elsa closer to thirty-seven weeks by now, if nothing more than for the sheer size of her belly. Though he kept his mouth shut, considering the last time he'd said anything, Elsa had created a giant snowball from where she'd been sitting with Honeymaren and Ryder by the fire and, with a swipe of her hand, lobbed it at him, when he had is back turned. He'd been buried in snow and it had taken five people to dig the expectant father out. Safe to say, he learned to keep his mouth shut.
Either way, regardless of the week, her belly had continued to expand, her hips had loosened, and he couldn't deny that he enjoyed watching his wife start to waddle about the camp, when she was allowed up and about. While Elsa hated it, Hans thought it adorable and told her so repeatedly. At their last check, Vanja had informed them that the baby was not quite in the birthing position, as should be, and suggested a couple things Elsa could do to encourage the baby to shift, and if those didn't work, to let her know and she would see if she could get the babe to turn.
Which was what Elsa was currently doing, on her hands and knees amid the blankets of their bed, swaying her hips gently back and forth. Hans was out helping with- she wasn't sure to be honest, and she couldn't care, and so she had the hut to herself to rest. Of which she'd been doing for the last two hours. She had only been in this position for a few minutes, and already felt relief on her back and hips. With a sigh, she looked down, past her lumpy, engorged- was that even the proper word?; she waved it away- breasts to her belly.
Vanja had noted the day before when she'd stopped by to check her that her belly had dropped, which explained why Elsa was having such an easier time breathing. The downside she'd discovered however was that her center of gravity was now off, and her back was slowly starting to kill her. She was starting to get the feeling of carrying a pumpkin between her legs, but couldn't be sure. She released another breath, reaching down to cradle the bottom of her huge belly.
"Almost done, little one. We're almost done, you and I. Five weeks left, I promise."
With a sigh, she sat back on her heels, brushing her hair off her shoulders. It flowed freely down her back, past her waist, thick and full and glossy, no matter how often she washed it. Swallowing, she reached down, trailing a hand over the sensitive skin, scratching lightly to try and relieve the itching. The baby shifted, and she froze, reaching down to hold the bottom of her belly.
Huh, she could have sworn she'd felt the baby starting to shift downwards, yet the movement she'd just felt came from the side, closer to her ribs. Must have been imagining it. Another kick, and she grunted, reaching up to press a hand to the spot. "So you haven't moved down. Good to know."
With another sigh, she returned to her former position, swaying her hips gently back and forth, closing her eyes as she let herself relax. This was the position her husband found her in when he returned from whatever he'd been doing. "Um... Elsa?" She glanced over her shoulder. "Is... there something you need, sweetheart?"
She groaned and rolled her eyes, shaking her head, released another breath, before reaching down to feel the bottom of her belly. "Come on, love."
"Everything okay?" Hans removed the jacket he'd worn and tossed it side, before slipping out of his boots. She released another breath, grunting softly.
"Remember how Vanja said yesterday that she should be engaged now that she's dropped into my pelvis?" He frozen, thinking back. A moment passed, before he nodded.
"I remember. Means she's getting ready to be born."
"Right." She sighed, sitting back on her haunches and tossing her head as he joined her. "She told me there were a couple things I could do to shift her down, and this is one of them." He nodded, rubbing her back, before she moved back to her previous position. "I thought... at one point that I'd felt her... engage, but then I felt her kick and... I guess not."
"Which is why you're... doing this." She nodded. He sighed, shaking his head as he continued to stroke her back. "I will never understand pregnancy, nor will I ever try too. I will, however, admire you so much for what you're doing, carrying-"
"Your baby?"
"Our baby, Elsa Dahl. Our baby. We made her together. She belongs to both of us, not just me and not just you."
She grunted in annoyance, sitting back on her haunches and then sliding onto her buttocks, her legs stretched out before her. "I can't do that anymore. No matter how much pressure it takes off my back, it's tiring." She huffed, blowing her bangs off her forehead. "Everything is tiring now. This is baby is draining my energy." With another huff, she reached up and gathered her hair to begin doing a braid, only to stop. "I don't even have the energy to braid my own hair. Forget it."
"Here, let me do it." He scooted closer, until he sat with her between his legs, and began to gently rake his fingers through her hair. "Your usual braid, love?"
She shook her head. "Two please."
"Two? Now that's different." She shrugged, reaching down to cradle the bottom of her belly.
"Why not? Things have been different lately." She fell silent, with only the sound of her hair threading together to break the silence. A moment passed, before finally, she spoke, her voice small. "Hans?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm..." She swallowed. "I'm scared."
He stopped midway down the braid. "Of what, Els?"
She felt him continue, and then heard him tie the braid off. "Of... of what happens next..."
"You mean the birth?" She nodded as he moved to work on the second braid, eventually tying it off. "Elsa, you have every right to be scared. What you're going to go through is... hard and difficult and scary and... and it's going to take a lot out of you."
"That's what I'm afraid of, Hans." Came her soft reply. "I'm scared it'll take too much out of me." She turned to him, her eyes glittering with tears. "That it'll... that the river will... that I won't..." He pulled her into his arms, holding her close.
"That won't happen, Elsa. Because you're strong. You're one of the strongest women I know, and I'm so honored to be your husband. I'm honored that we've gotten to go through this... beautiful journey together, and I can't wait for the moment you go into labor. I promise, Elsa Dahl, I'll be right by your side until the end, I won't leave you."
She pulled away, meeting his gaze. "Promise?"
He nodded, resting his forehead to hers, reaching down and resting his hands atop her belly; she reached up, resting her hands on his, and he threaded their fingers, squeezing gently, his thumbs moving to stroke her distended skin. "I may only be watching from the sidelines, but I've always been here. I've never left, I never will." He sighed. "Elsa, we did this together, made her, together. We will continue to do this, raise her, together. I promise."
She nodded with a sniffle, before capturing his mouth in a soft kiss to seal their promise. But their quiet moment was interrupted by a commotion in the camp, and after a moment, Hans stood, leaving his wife to check. "Hans? What is it?"
He glanced back at her, brow furrowed. "Stay here." She nodded.
Hans stepped out of their hut to Kristoff dismounting from Sven; Lieutenant Matthias doing the same from his own reindeer; the two deer were the only ones in Arendelle, for Sven had gotten lonely and so Kristoff and brought a friend for him. The blonde man smiled when he laid eyes on Hans, but a voice stopped him from moving. "Are you here to threaten my people, Lieutenant?"
Hans heard the flap of their hut lift and soon felt Elsa's hand slide into hers, the nightgown she wore flowing loose over her frame, but doing nothing to hide her very prominent belly. He glanced at his wife, who met his gaze and laid a hand on her belly. They watched Matthias roll his eyes. "As long as you're not invading my dance space, Yelena." Elsa giggled softly, and Yelena softened. "We're to see Elsa, since she's getting close and can't travel anymore, Kristoff and I thought we would come visit her."
With a smile, Elsa pulled away, slowly waddling towards the two men. She reached Kristoff first, wrapping her arms around him in a gentle hug. "You can this way to see me?" He nodded as he pulled away.
"Believe it or not, Elsa, I do care about you, we both do." He glanced at Matthias, who joined him and accepted Elsa's hug. Once she'd pulled away, the older man chuckled.
"Well, well, look at you. Quite the belly you've developed since we last saw you." Elsa blushed, reaching down and laying a hand on the crest of her belly. "How are you feeling?"
She sighed. "Tired. Overwhelmed. Scared. Exceedingly, exceedingly scared." She reached up, covering the hand her husband rested to her shoulder when he joined her, laying her head against his cheek. "But I'm also ready." She swallowed. "I'm ready for this baby to be born. I'm ready to hold her in my arms." No one commented on the tension in the air, and after a moment, she turned the conversation back on them. "How long are you saying for?"
The two men shared a glance. "We were... wondering if it would be all right if we could stay until the baby came? Keep you company, help you prepare. Whatever you need."
The couple before them shared a glance, before Elsa turned to Yelena. "Would that be okay?" Yelena met her niece's gaze with a glare, but she softened after a moment, the flash in her eyes disappearing.
"Of course it would be okay." She nodded to one of the others. "We'd best fix supper. Get a couple extra bowls, we have guests." And then she was gone. Hans pulled Elsa closer, having noticed the glimmer flash in her eyes, but Elsa merely assumed it was because he was protective of her. She smiled at Matthias.
"I think Yelena missed you."
Supper was lively; Sven and his friend had been put with the rest of the herd, and an extra place for Kristoff and Matthias set up. Soon, Kristoff, Honeymaren and Ryder sat around a fire, eating and chatting quietly. Matthias was talking with Vanja and Yelena, chatting as if they were old friends, and hadn't been enemies for some thirty-odd years. "I swear to the gods, Johannes Christian Andersen, if you so much as mention that I look bigger than I am, I will bury you under so much snow, you will not only miss this baby's birth, but her wedding and every day in between."
Honeymaren took the bowl Hans handed her, as Kristoff and Ryder rose to help, but Matthias, with Vanja behind him, was had hurried over and taken Elsa's other arm. He glanced at Hans, who nodded in thanks, as they slowly helped to lower the heavily pregnant woman to the ground before the campfire before joining her. She sighed, tossing her head and puffing out her cheeks with a smile. "Thank you." She accepted the bowl Honeymaren handed her as her husband stood and disappeared to get a cup of coffee. "I will never be so glad than when I can sit down by myself again with the fear of toppling over." Soft chuckles went around, the fire and they ate in silence for several minutes, before Elsa winced, resting her hand against her side, below her ribs on her left side.
"Elsa?" Hans quickly set his cup down, worry in his voice. She groaned in annoyance, with a shake of her head.
"Just another kick, that's all. I could swear she'd dropped into my pelvis today, but... looks like she's going to be stubborn." The worry didn't leave his face, and she leaned over, kissing his. "I'm okay, Hans, I promise."
After several moments, Kristoff spoke up, asking the question that had been at the back of everyone's minds. "So, with Elsa so close to giving birth, what do we do? Do we keep trying to figure out a plan to defeat the troll queen or-"
"Even we do have a plan, I won't be able to do anything until well after she's born." Elsa replied with a shake of her head, hand rubbing slowly over her belly.
"So should we put it on hold?" Ryder asked. He'd told them of his plan to get Elsa to the river if needed; that the river that boarded the tribe where the beach was, that led to the Dark Sea- had not just the beach inlet, but there was a small alcove not very far down the beach, carved from rocks, that could afford Elsa the privacy to birth, and that there was a small set of stone-formed stairs not far from the main ones that led to it; Hans had quickly informed them that the plan wouldn't be needed, as Elsa would be fine if she birthed in their hut. Elsa, however, knowing what her husband refused to acknowledge, simply thanked Ryder, saying they would keep it in mind, should things not go according to plan.
"We can plan, just not implement it. As long as we have a plan, then we have something, which is better than nothing." Hans said, rubbing his wife's back.