Chapter 11: Blended Family

The ivory keys plinked as young Prince Anakin attempted to master the sheet music placed in front of him. Over his shoulder, his first mother, Elsa, observed his progress closely. Slowly, she sang the melody, taking him through the scales.

"Un-deux-trois-quatre-cinq-six-sept-huit-neuf" mother and son sang together.

"Good," Elsa praised, then started again. "Un-deux-trois-quatre-cinq-six-sept-huit-neuf"

"Sept-huit-neuf," Anakin sounded out.

"Sept-huit-neuf," Elsa tweaked the notes.

"Sept-huit-neuf," Anakin echoed, more accurately this time.

"One-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight -"

"Nine!" Ilya belted nasally, poking her head into the study and interrupting the piano lesson. Elsa just rolled her eyes. As Anakin had grown into boyhood, she had insisted that her son receive the most worldly education possible. Lessons in music, French, arithmetic, Latin. After all, he was going to be King some day. He needed to have a well-rounded perspective to be an even-handed ruler. Having never been quite the student, Ilya had very different views on education, wanting Anakin - or "Ani," as he was sometimes called - to have a balanced childhood as well. Filled with fun as much as reading and writing. After all, children really did grow up so fast - the little heir to the throne was nine years old today, hence his second mother's joke as she now entered the study carrying a birthday cake. Scampering after her were the two young princesses - 13-year-old Christina, followed by Elsabeth, now a blossomed young woman of 19.

"Come on, Ani! Clear away the music! It's time for your party!" Elsabeth ruffled her little cousin's hair. Elsa reluctantly acquiesced to pausing the music lesson for the day, cleaning her desk so the cake could be placed upon it.

"Where's Vladdy?" Elsa asked her youngest niece.

Christina retracted a hand from the delicious and tempting cake before Elsabeth could swat at it. "He's coming now. He should be finishing up with his chores for Sven in the stables."

A moment later, Vladimir - a handsome youth of 16 - entered the study, huffing out an exhausted breath and leaning against the door. "It's a party now!" he crowed, smiling tiredly, as Elsa rushed to embrace him. When her nephew was old enough, he had been granted permission to take over his late father's old duties as the Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer. Despite his youth, he had taken to the task quite well, and was even training an apprentice to one day succeed after him. Whenever her nephew ventured into the snowy hills and mountains beyond Arendelle, Elsa fretted for his safety, much as Anna (and she herself somewhat) had for Kristoff. But Vladimir didn't seem to mind the danger - being stabbed with a sword in an assassination attempt had left him with a devil-may-care attitude. The scars across his stomach from Hans' sword had faded somewhat, yet did little to dampen the boy's sense of adventure. Though he wasn't much of a boy anymore; he presented himself very much like a man, sporting a pronounced mustache and goatee - blond in color, like his father. Yet, the facial hair seemed to suit him handsomely in a way that it most certainly had not for Kristoff. Vladimir didn't seem to mind his station, once telling his aunt, "Aunt Elsa, I'm never going to be King! The title of Prince is just fine to me. And I want to work with my hands, honor my father. I can't very well do that meeting dignitaries and drafting treaties all day!"

Ilya pulled out a chair for her son. "Let's go! Let's make a wish, Ani! Blow out the candles!"

Anakin contemplated the cake for a moment, then blew the candle out in one go. This time, Christina's impatience got the better of her, and she was rewarded with a smack on the hand from her sister. "Wait to be served, like a lady," Elsabeth admonished. Elsa did her best to hide her smirk, as she set about serving the children. Vladimir nibbled at his slice in tiny bites. He nudged Anakin.

"Come on, whatcha wish for?"

"Not telling!" Anakin chirped. "Then it won't come true. Right, Mama?"

Elsa smiled adoringly at her son. "That's right, my little King." And looking around at her family, Elsa knew that all her wishes had come true, as much as they were able. Oh, there were a few setbacks along the way, wishes that she knew could never be answered. Like seeing Anna, Kristoff or her parents just one more time. Still, nobody - not even a Queen - gets everything they want in life. But for what it was worth, Queen Elsa of Arendelle felt she had done pretty good.