Chapter 4: The Lady Ilya
The question that Elsa feared more than any other came within a year of Christina's birth.
The birth of each of the Princess's children had been cause for great celebration in the Kingdom of Arendelle. Elsa had personally decreed that their birth dates serve as a national holiday for the people - a gesture that Anna and Kristoff were overwhelmed by, but accepted at Elsa's insistence. There was no one who didn't love Anna or Kristoff; a tiny minority had expressed misgivings at the Princess wedding a commoner, but Kristoff's duties as the Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer had conferred upon him an importance that let him rise above his station, even more than his marriage did. And besides... his marriage did make him Prince Consort. He was royalty by marriage; his children royal by blood.
But that didn't erase the fact that none of Princess Anna's children would rule. They were second, third and fourth in line for the throne behind their mother. Only in the worst-case scenario would any of them take the scepter and golden ball seen at coronations.
Besides, there was a far more solid channel through which to produce an heir. The yet-to-exist child of Queen Elsa.
Never mind that Elsa was only 34 years old, and was assured a reign for decades to come. A clear heir had to be present and accounted for as the Queen progressed throughout her life; that there was not yet one was increasingly becoming cause for concern amongst Elsa's advisers. Elsa might have decades left on the throne, but she surely did not have decades to give birth to a child. Many Arendellian women lost the ability to have children in their mid-50s; that gave Elsa twenty years at best to find a husband and produce an heir. When one considered that sixteen years had already gone by without Elsa being seen with any man, the urgency was noticeably heightened.
This concern came to a head one day in Elsa's Cabinet meeting, which Kristoff accidentally interrupted by coming in with a fussy Christina. "She's been crying all day. Maybe she wants you?" he guessed, as he passed his youngest to her aunt. His hunch was correct; the baby calmed almost immediately after being placed in Elsa's arms. All eyes of the Cabinet were on Elsa and how naturally she took to rocking an infant. Kristoff didn't notice as he bade goodbye to her. "Gotta go take Sven out for ice gathering. Bye, sis!"
The door closed on a palpable silence. It took another full minute of fawning over Christina for Elsa to even remember that her Cabinet was still there. "Is there something you want to express, gentlemen?" The looks in their eyes seemed to convey an eagerness to speak.
"Your Majesty..." The Secretary of the Treasury cleared his throat. "You have always been a doting aunt to the Princess's children."
Elsa felt herself stiffen. "They are the product of my Anna. Why would I not dote on them?"
"It just... raises the question..." The Secretary of State danced around delicately. "Of when you will have your own baby?" The encouraging nod of his colleagues spurred him on to say, more strongly. "Arendelle must have an heir to the throne. Perhaps it would be in Your Majesty's best interest to court a suitor?"
Elsa sighed. There was nowhere to run or hide now. "It would be, that I grant you," she conceded. "But the right person must come along. When I do marry... I want it to be for love." When Elsa had considered the question for herself, at this one point had she arrived clearly: Anna and Kristoff's love had inspired her to want the same for her own relationship.
From the way her Cabinet shifted in their seats, it was clear that they didn't like this answer, to say nothing of the fact that Elsa had said 'person' - not 'man'.
"Not for political advantage?" the Secretary of State voiced. "Your Majesty, we still have valuable allies with eligible suitors -"
"It must be for love," Elsa stated firmly.
"Great," The Secretary of War muttered, thinking no one could hear him. "That just increases our chances of Queen Anna and the monarchy going down the toilet..."
Elsa gaped, drawing Christina a little closer to her breast. "Secretary Mattis, I fear I just hallucinated. What did you just say?"
Mattis didn't have the stones to repeat what he'd uttered, so Elsa did it for him. "You believe my sister is unfit for the throne?"
"Well, with a King Kristoff at her side..." The Secretary of the Treasury blurted out. To his credit, his mortified eyes cursed his unrestrained tongue, but it was too late. The implication hung in the air. A dirty backwoodsman, born a commoner, on the throne of Arendelle?
Elsa's eyes flashed dangerously. "Kristoff has no desire to be King!" Of that much she was certain. Even now, her brother-in-law showed discomfort at royal functions. "In the event Anna succeeds me, she would have supreme command. You all do well to remember that. And don't you ever insult my sister's competence again! Are we clear, gentlemen?" Guilty nods abounded.
"And... the question of Your Majesty courting...?" Secretary Mattis offered up meekly.
"... will be discussed later," Elsa laid down cooly. "Issues concerning my family, and my love life, are my affairs, and mine alone. I will let you know if my thinking regarding the latter changes. Dismissed."
The Cabinet room emptied in record time.
Elsa hated having to receive dignitaries this early in the morning. And she was sure Anna and Kristoff hated it even less. Whenever a foreign ambassador arrived at the palace, it was a mandatory, family affair. Kristoff and Anna would spend the better part of an hour coaxing their three little ones out of bed, washed and clothed in their best. If Kristoff had his way, he would have been just fine with his children receiving the Ambassador of Enchancia or whoever it was in their pajamas, or even wearing nothing at all. Growing up as he had in the wilderness, Kristoff's modesty was learned, not inherent. The trolls had told Anna enough stories about that, apparently.
The Palace Crier banged his staff and announced, "Your Majesty, Your Highnesses: may I present the Lady Ilya, Ambassador of Prydain!"
A svelte, statuesque woman entered the throne room. She locked eyes with Elsa first. And the world promptly spun off its axis.
Elsa had never felt this breathless since she had held her sister's babies in her arms for the first time. Which made her recognize all the more clearly what this was: love. Love at first sight.
Elsa's mind raced: "Someone just came in the door... like no one I ever saw before. I feel... I feel... I don't know where you came from. I wish I did, I feel so dumb. I feel... your swagger and your bearing and the just right clothes you're wearing... I thought it was supposed to be wrong, but you seem OK with being strong - I want... You're so... It's probably conceited to say, but I think we're alike in a certain way... I know you... I know you..."
There was no denying it: The Lady Ilya (that was her name, right?) was gorgeous. Her chocolate brown hair hung down past her shoulders. Her porcelain face was pristine, unblemished - with a tall forehead, button nose and lips that looked incredibly soft. Her brown eyes were deep pools that Elsa wanted to dive into.
By now, Ilya had arrived just before the throne, and graciously curtsied, her smile warm. "Your Majesty, Your Highnesses... it is an honor." Was Elsa just imagining it, or did Ilya's eyes betray a deeper intrigue and interest than seen on the faces of most guests? One thing was certain: Ilya's gaze had yet to leave Elsa's.
For a moment, Elsa was tongue-tied. But she recovered quickly, and moved to introduce her family. "My sister, Princess Anna, and my brother-in-law, Prince Consort Kristoff. And these are my nieces and nephew: Elsabeth, Christina and Vladimir."
Ilya immediately picked up on the name of the eldest little royal. "I wager that Queen Elsa must be a beloved ruler and aunt, to have a child named for her. They are darling little ones."
Elsa blushed, even as her mouth dropped open at the compliment. Seeming to misconstrue Elsa's reaction, Ilya quickly curtsied again. "If I may be so bold, Your Majesty."
"You may. You may indeed," Elsa allowed. And she found herself beaming. "How long will you be staying with us, Lady Ilya?"
"Our Secretary of Foreign Affairs has allowed a two-month stay. It is our hopes that a treaty might be discussed."
Ah. So that's what she was here for. Elsa's face fell ever so slightly. Political interests would surely be at the forefront, as opposed to... other interests.
"Very well." Elsa clapped her hands. "Kai, please give the Lady Ilya our finest available guest room."
"Yes, my Queen." As Ilya was led away, the lady cast a glance and smile over her shoulder. Elsa held her gaze, with eyes that could have melted all the ice on the North Mountain.
"I look forward to seeing you, Lady Ilya."
Ilya grinned. "And I you, Your Majesty."
As soon as she was gone, Elsa guided her family through a side door, reaching for a fan with which to fan herself. Anna noticed.
"Are you OK?"