Chapter 10: Domestic Royal Life
The sky was awake, barely gray, as 7-year-old Vladimir tiptoed into his aunts' room. The chambers of the Queens' private residence were peaceful and silent, punctuated by the boy's baby cousin, Anakin, sleeping in the bassinet at the foot of his parents' bed. That crib had been used for Christina, and Vladimir before her, and Elsabeth before him. And now, Vladimir ran around it as he clambered up onto the royals' bed.
"Auntie Elsa! Auntie Elsa! Come on, Auntie, we gotta go, wake up! The sky's awake!" There was slight groaning and shifting underneath him, but neither Aunt Elsa nor Aunt Ilya moved in any significant way that indicated an enthusiasm for rising. "Aunt Elsa?" Vladimir pouted.
"Your nephew's awake," Ilya mumbled to her wife through a yawn, as if the boy wasn't there.
Elsa huffed in a very un-Queenly manner. "Before sunrise, he's your nephew," attempting to pass the buck to her spouse.
"Aunt Elsa, come on! You promised!" Vladimir's pleading eyes - the eyes of his late mother - did the trick.
"OK, OK. I'm up, I'm up!"
Vladimir cheered and scampered for the door, as Elsa slowly rose to face the new day much earlier than she would have liked. After getting dressed, aunt and nephew exited the palace and strolled into the foothills just overlooking the kingdom. Vladimir's father had worked this land, harvesting ice, and eagerly digesting his aunt's stories about him helped to pass the time and trek.
On a small outcropping, Elsa turned to Vladimir. "Ready?"
Vladimir nodded, then sent a tongue of flames her way. Elsa's ice quickly froze the fire into little shards. And the two powerful royals continued to practice, trading elemental barbs for the rest of the morning.
Elsa could not remember exactly how the argument started. Only that she and Elsabeth were now arguing at each other with raised voices. Aunt Elsa did not care what her namesake's excuses were - she was the Queen. Her aunt and guardian. And as such, Elsabeth needed to learn to mind her. She was 10, the eldest royal child, and needed to learn responsibility.
Elsabeth now attempted to storm from Elsa's study in a huff. "What else do you want from me?" Elsa was demanding. When no answer was forthwith, she put on her best regal voice, "Don't you turn your back on me, Elsabeth Genevieve Bjorgman - tell me what you want!"
The little girl spun around at the door, tears threatening to escape her eyes. "My mom!" And she fled for her room, sobbing. Elsa let her go, and attempted to combat the pain in her heart by going over reports. After about half an hour, she gave up and took a circuitous route to her niece's bedroom.
Elsabeth had been provided with her own room, not long after Anakin was born. Vladimir and Christina still slept in the nursery, though the boy would be getting his own room soon, too. Holding her breath, Elsa knocked on the door, using the familiar pattern that Anna used when they were children. No answer. Frowning, Elsa cautiously peeked in. There was her niece on the bed, unmoving. An easy rise and fall of her chest. She appeared to be sleeping. However, when Elsabeth turned her head, her eyes were wide open. Seeing the intruder was her aunt, she rolled over again, facing away from her.
Elsa bit her lip, but undeterred, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently caressed her niece's back. She was encouraged when Elsabeth did not immediately shrug her off.
"Have I ever told you the story of our first moments together? After you were born?"
Again, Elsabeth did not reply, so the Queen continued on.
"I waited all day and most of the night for you. Finally, your daddy came out with you and placed you in my arms." She sighed wistfully. "I had never seen anyone or anything so beautiful - and that was before I even met your Aunt Ilya. Your mommy was pretty tired, so I kept you with me that night and all the way into the next. I rocked you. I played with you. I sang to you. I danced you around my study. It was hard for me not to be around you sometimes, even with my duties as Queen."
By now, she had Elsabeth's full attention, and the little girl didn't even look angry anymore. Just... tentative. And maybe a little remorseful. "So... you really do love me?"
Elsa held her close, laughing even as her throat threatened to clog up. "Oh, darling! I've loved you your whole life."
A sudden noise from the open doorway made both women look up. Levi was standing in the entryway, blubbering like a baby. "I've never been so happy in my entire life!" he almost squeaked through his tears, sobbing as a grimacing Kai awkwardly moved to close the bedroom door for privacy, and also console his emotional colleague.