So,
More lovely reviews! Thank you so much! Sorry this chapter is a day or so late. It's a slightly longer one, so hopefully that sort of makes up for the delay.
As always, I hope you're well. :)
CHAPTER 5
THEY COME WITH SMILES
Despite all the time Elsa spent trying to memorize the names and birth order of all the princes, once she was standing in the palace with the lot of them (save Hans) lined up to welcome her, some with their wives and children standing alongside them, her mind went blank.
Nikolaj was the oldest, followed by Kasper, Anton, Bertram, Fritz, Mikkel, twins Josef and Brahm, then Klaus, Franz, Svend and Lars. All twelve of them stood tall and straight, elbow to elbow like a row a tin soldiers. Some of them were in their military uniforms and some wore sashes or crests bearing the colours of the territories they ruled together with their wives. A few of them had brought their older children along to meet Elsa.
The one thing all the brothers had in common were their good looks. Their parents were equally easy on the eyes. King Enoch had the same striking green eyes and broad shoulders as his youngest son, and a white beard trimmed close to his strong, chiselled jaw. Queen Alma, with hair almost as white as Elsa's, was taller than her, or maybe it was just the way she carried herself; perfect posture, shoulders back, hips forward, all of it looking positively effortless. Elsa wondered if she could ever look as imposing, as stately. She knew a lot of it would come with age and experience, but she knew Arendelle needed and deserved a queen like that now. Ice rinks and weekly tours of the castle weren't going to cut it.
This evening was going to be the only chance to chat with the family in its entirety. Queen Alma explained to her that several of her sons would be packing up and returning to their respective kingdoms in the morning.
"It's been an exhausting past few weeks, you understand." Queen Alma strolled beside Elsa as they made their way to the dining room. Her hands were folded in front of her, and she held her chin up high. Elsa tried her best to emulate the queen, but in her mind's eye she looked more like a goose than a swan, with or without the good posture.
"Last week the capital celebrated Josef and Brahms' birthday, and last month Bertram's wife gave birth to their fourth daughter," Queen Alma explained.
"Congratulations," Elsa said. "How many grandchildren do you have, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Not at all," the queen replied, beaming. "We've been blessed with thirty-seven grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren."
"Wow," Elsa gasped. "So many!"
"Yes, with many more to come, I hope. The twins are finally both engaged, and then we have four still unmarried sons left."
As everyone was being seated, Elsa did some quick math in her head and realized that Hans hadn't been included in any of the numbers she'd tucked away so far. Not one person had mentioned him. She guessed that might have been because they thought it would be impolite, given everything that had happened. She decided that if she wanted to find out Hans' fate, she would have to put everyone at ease by bringing him up herself.
Throughout dinner, Elsa waited patiently for the opportunity to ask about Hans. She was famished, but she ate very little. She had a nightmarish vision of someone finally mentioning Hans while her mouth was full of food - she would try to speak and the contents would fall into her lap. She didn't drink much either, for fear that she'd accidentally freeze the crystal. She had packed several pairs of gloves, but she couldn't very well wear gloves to dinner, so she had to hope that things would remain calm and uneventful until she could make it to the room she'd be staying in.
The conversation was pleasant enough, and Elsa managed to relax some. She talked a lot about Anna, the subject she was most comfortable with. She quickly mentioned Kristoff when the queen looked just a little too interested in Anna's unmarried status for Elsa's liking.
Like there was any chance in hell Anna would ever marry into this family whether there was another man in the picture or not.
Dessert was served - a rhubarb and berry pudding topped with Chantilly cream. It was absolutely heavenly. Elsa asked the king and queen if she could have the recipe to give to her own chefs. Of course they were more than happy to oblige.
Things were going swimmingly, Elsa thought. This was as good a time as any to…
"I…um…" Elsa cleared her throat. "I had a letter from Prince Hans the other day."
It would be an exaggeration to say that, at the mention of Hans' name, everyone comically dropped their silverware on the floor and gasped loudly, but the truth wasn't much better. The room grew very quiet. Elsa glanced down towards the other end of the long table. They were all either looking at each other or staring into their glasses. It didn't even sound as though anyone was breathing.
"I-I'm sorry," she said quietly to the queen, even though she wasn't quite sure what she was apologizing for. King Enoch brought a napkin to his mouth and coughed into it, eyes flitting in the direction of his wife.
"A letter?" the queen sputtered, losing her composure for one sliver of a second. "Are you sure?"
Elsa blinked, puzzled. This was nowhere near the reaction she was expecting.
"Well…yes."
Everyone else at the table began speaking in hushed tones, and Elsa gripped the napkin on her lap under the table with both hands, twisting it between her fists.
Calm yourself. Control yourself.
Leaning closer to Elsa, the queen whispered, "Perhaps this is something we can address once everyone has retired for the evening?"
Elsa nodded. "Okay," she replied, her voice shaking just the tiniest bit.
Coming here alone may have been a bad idea after all.
oooOOOOooo
True to their word, King Enoch and Queen Alma sat with Elsa in one of the drawing rooms later that night and talked about Hans. Or, rather, they talked around Hans. They apologized again for his treachery and the attempt on her life. They told her that he had been punished. "Tried, convicted and sentenced by God and King," Queen Alma said. Elsa was afraid to ask what that meant, but she knew this was something they had to get out of the way tonight. By the tones of their voices and the resistance in their eyes, she knew she wasn't going to be able to bring up Hans again for the remainder of her visit.
"When you say 'God and King', do you mean to say that…I mean is…is the Prince unwell?"
Is he dying? Just ask already.
King Enoch looked away. Queen Alma shifted in her chair.
"Yes," she finally answered. "The doctors all say he may not be with us for much longer."
Elsa's stomach knotted. She felt an ache in her throat, as though it were straining to suppress a sob. She couldn't think of any reason the news of Hans' impending demise should bother her so. He was a snake, and soon he'd never be able to hurt anyone ever ag—
And then it happened – the arms of the chair she was sitting in started to frost over. The freeze extended from her fingers like fine, electric blue threads, tracing the detailed carvings in the wood, winding their way around the legs.
"I'm sorry!" Elsa gasped, leaping to her feet and wringing her hands together. "I'm so, so sorry!"
King Enoch reached out and touched her wrist. "It's alright, dear. No harm done."
"I'm sorry," she said again. "I usually wear gloves, but –"
Queen Alma smiled kindly. "We're familiar with your powers. There's no need to hide them here."
Elsa nodded and slowly lowered herself back into the chair. Of course they knew about her powers, she thought stupidly. Everyone did.
"That letter you received must have been a forgery. Hans can't even lift a hand to feed himself, let alone write a letter," King Enoch said, looking at Queen Alma uneasily.
Queen Alma folded her hands in her lap. "He's been ill for weeks now. The king is right – it must be a forgery. Do you have the letter with you?"
Elsa shook her head. "No," she lied. "But if you need it to aid in tracking down the culprit forging letters in your family's name, I can have someone bring it right over."
Testing…testing…
"No, no. It's alright. I believe the best thing to do is to destroy it once you return home and forget any of this ever happened. Obviously it's just some scoundrel trying to start up a bit of trouble. What do you think, my dear?" King Enoch asked. The queen, once again, was in agreement. "Yes, I'm sure it was just a one-time occurrence. If it does happen again, though, please don't hesitate to let us know, Queen Elsa."
Elsa's fingers pinched and fidgeted with the hems of her sleeves in an attempt to pull them over her hands. Something wasn't right. Why didn't they want to see the letter?
God, I wish Anna was here.
"We should all turn in for the night. It's very late, and we must be up early for your tour of the capital tomorrow," Queen Alma said pleasantly, taking Elsa by the elbow and gently but firmly guiding her out of her chair and towards the door. Despite the friendly tone, there was a visible clenching of the queen's jaw that sent a chill down Elsa's spine. Not that kind of chill.
"Very well," Elsa said quietly. Both the queen and king looked relieved.
Once in the hallway, Elsa turned to face them. She crossed her hands neatly in front of her and lifted her chin, arching an eyebrow as she stared down the two imposing figures. She wasn't going to let another member of this family try to pull a fast one on her or the people she loved again. With a firm tone leaving no room for argument, Elsa spoke.
"Tomorrow, after the tour, I should like to visit with Prince Hans."
