Katja was nine before she really figured out her family of two mamas was a little more than simply two women who cared for her. For the longest time it just pleased her that Freya and Elsa spent a lot of time in each other's company, after all, that was what a personal guard was there for. She had never intruded on Elsa's room at night, so she had never come across the pair sleeping together in bed. Their affection for each other in the day was simply that of close friends.
On the day she found out Katja had been excused from lessons early. She was progressing in leaps and bounds and had already memorised her times tables up to twelve and helped Lisbet get to grips with writing her simple words. The children's lessons were divided in three ways, the academic education that all three needed, tailored to their ability and progress, the skills that both Elsa and Anna wished for them to learn and for Matteus, education a future king had to have.
While Matteus learned of the dry details of ruling deemed suited to a nine year old, Lisbet and Katja had been learning needlepoint with Anna, one of the few tasks that required patience that the Princess enjoyed. "If you get as good as my Mama was then you'll have beautiful flowers all year long." She explained; sitting together doing needlepoint had been one of her favourite things to do with her Mama.
That afternoon, Katja had completed her work, a crocus in three colours, ahead of six year old Lisbet.
"I finished." Katja lifted the carefully stitched work.
"Well done Katja, that is very pretty." Anna said, looking up from her own piece, a scene of a reindeer family.
"Mama, I am doing mine." Lisbet added, lifting her half-finished depiction of Olaf. "Do I have to finish now 'cause Kat is?"
"You can keep going as long as you want honey." Anna knew well the urge to fidget and the desire to run and play. "Katja, do you want to start a new one?"
"Can I show this one to Mama and Mam first?"
"Sure! It'll give you time to think about your next one." Anna sent the girl away to find the pair. It didn't really cross her mind that they had scheduled an afternoon together.
Katja found Elsa and Freya in the library. They were reading, sort of. Freya was reading aloud dramatically, somewhat comically considering how much Elsa was laughing. The girl wandered a little closer to the voices and saw Freya holding a book aloft, pacing and gesturing as she read, pulling all manner of faces. Katja was about to alert them to her arrival when something unexpected happened.
Elsa was sat at a desk with a book disregarded in front of her; she had been watching Freya's performance. Still reading aloud Freya had walked closer and dropped down, her face level with Elsa's and their eyes both half closed. The minuet gap between them was filled when Freya kissed Elsa and a pale hand found its way amongst the thick black curls.
Katja didn't shout, or gasp or even know how to react. She watched a moment longer as the women separated for breath and looked at each other with such love and Elsa pushed forward again to embrace Freya. Deep long lost memories of her mother and father made their way to the surface of her mind, they would kiss like that, hug like that and look at each other in that special way. Kristoff and Anna did too, sharing the same look, the same closeness.
She was confused. Unnoticed, Katja slipped out and to her room. To think. She sat on her bed and pondered. The two women loved her a lot, they were her Mama and her Mam, and they did all the things a mother did. She loved them a lot too. But where they supposed to love each other like that? She'd never heard of it before.
A knock on her door interrupted the reverie. "Who is it?"
"Kat, I finished lessons, do you want to go play?" Matteus called in.
"I don't know Matty." Katja thought a moment. "Do you want to come in?" His answer was the door opening.
"Hi, what's the matter?" Matteus was perceptive; he also knew that Katja never let him in the room since the 'flying doll' incident earlier that year. Something was up.
"Do Mama and Mam love each other?" She asked carefully. It was a strange question to the boy.
"Yeah? Of course Aunty Elsa and Freya love each other." Matteus said, nonplussed. "They got Trollfully wedded and everything 'cause they couldn't get married like Mama and Papa." He went and sat on a chair in the room and kicked his legs. "You didn't already know that? I thought it was why you called them both Mama and stuff."
"Oh." Katja replied, thinking it through. It was different, she hadn't heard of it before but her friend had no problems with it. They both loved her and she loved them. This just made them even more of a family.
"'sides." Matteus said. "Olaf and Grand Pabbie both say that love is real special and we have to cherish it wherever it is."
"Yeah." Katja smiled slowly, he was right, they had taken her in out of concern but kept her, adopted her, out of love. "Uh, I got to go see Mama and then I'll come play." Katja ushered the boy out of her room as she left and hurried off in search of Elsa and Freya.
She found them still in the Library, sat on the couch opposite the desk and certainly sat closely; Elsa was leaning against Freya who had an arm looped around her as they both read from a book. Katja approached quietly, she felt a tiny bit upset when they separated, Elsa hurriedly sitting up and out of Freya's embrace.
"Yes Katja?" Elsa sounded slightly fearful and Katja's careful words escaped her. Instead she walked up to them and carefully pushed her Mama closer to her Mam, Elsa complied but looked confused, even alarmed. After Katja had her nearer to Freya she reached over and pulled Freya's arm back around Elsa. Nodding once at her completed task, she clambered up onto the both of them, sitting on the space on Freya's lap.
"I like this." She said, snuggling against her Mam. "You love each other and you love me."
"You figured it out?" Freya said quietly, tightening her hold on Elsa and putting her free arm around Katja.
"I kinda maybe might have seen you kissing…" The sentence ended with an embarrassed squeak.
"Oh." Elsa felt her cheeks heating up at being caught. "You don't mind?" She laid her arm over Katja, catching Freya's hand to create an unbroken circle.
"Why would I mind? I love you and Mam." Katja had gotten a lot longer since she had arrived at the palace, now when she sat on their laps her feet dangled free from Elsa's. The girl put her hand onto the joined pair around her, "It is better that you both love each other too because that means we are a real family." She smiled up at Elsa and Matty said that love is special and if you love each other and me that is a whole lot of love."
"That's good." Freya commented, "You don't think it is too weird? Us both being, uh, ladies."
"Why should it be weird? I know not everyone is like it and I didn't know that two ladies could love each other like a mama and a papa but you are really nice and kind and happy so it has to be ok." Katja finished her speech and simply sat between the pair.
Elsa took a moment to just gaze at the girl, her daughter. She had raised the child for three years and Katja was so open and loving. "Oh sweetie, I love you so much." She hugged her tight.
"Cutie, I love you too." Freya wrapped her arms around them both.
"I love you Mama, Mam." Katja's eyes sparkled. "I got a family..." She whispered.
If spending the rest of the day in each other's company was unusual, no one passed comment and if nine was a bit big to be tucked in Katja didn't care. She had a whole family again, everyone loved each other and love is powerful.
Have some family cuties.