So here's the good ending. If you all were worried after that last chapter, fear not! Here's the good stuff.
Content list: No sex. Violence: one punch in the nose.
Shoutout to the person who reviewed "this is a really bad chapter". You are entirely not wrong. That is why I named it "bad ending". I'm not mad or anything, I just honestly got a laugh that "bad ending" has a review saying "this is a really bad chapter".
Word spread quickly about the duel. Mostly because Prince Sheisskopf told everyone in the castle that he was about to best Princess Anna in a duel and then bed the willing queen. When the trio met in the throne room at high noon, the court chambers were filled with servants and courtiers, murmuring and discussing the upcoming show.
"The challenged shall name the weapon," Elsa announced from her position on the throne.
"No weapons. Bare hands," Prince Sheisskopf said.
"Let it be known that the winner of the duel claims the hand of the willing maiden, Elsa Arnadalr," Elsa said. "The participants will state their acceptance."
"I accept," Anna said.
"I accept," Prince Sheisskopf said.
"Let the duel begin," Elsa said.
Immediately, Anna dropped into a fighting stance, legs bent and fists hovering in front of her mouth. Prince Sheisskopf made no such preparations, instead drawing himself up and smiling pompously.
"When I win, I shall send you to a Sheisskopfer brothel for the rest-" he started.
WHUMP!
Anna's fist smashed into Prince Sheisskopf's nose. His head flew back, the rest of his body following as he was lifted off his feet and fell full-length on his back. He lay unmoving, his arms splayed out widely and blood running down his face.
"I claim victory," Anna said.
"Granted," Elsa said, rising with a smile. "Guards, why is there garbage in my throne room?"
Two guards scooped up the limp Prince Sheisskopf, who was blissfully dreaming of an imagined outcome where he'd bested Anna and Elsa threw herself adoringly at him. He left a trail of blood as the guards dragged him out by his arms.
"Arendelle has no desire for future relations with Sheisskopf," Elsa said, addressing the prince's unsurprised retinue.
"But what about the duel?" One of the watching nobles asked. "You can't marry your sister!" Anna felt the little prick in her heart again, despite her wild hopes that things might change.
"Cannot a queen do as she pleases?" Elsa asked archly. "But it is of no importance. Anna is not my sister."
There was a wild clamor from the crowd. Finely dresses ladies gasped, and cries of "What?" and "Egad!" emanated from besuited men. Anna looked up sharply, unable to believe that her sister would do something so shocking.
"Nineteen years ago, a peasant woman, unable to feed her infant, left it on the steps of the palace, throwing herself on the queen's mercy. Anna is not royal by blood. But she is by marriage."
Anna gasped, her hands flying up to her face as a grin erupted on her face. She ran to Elsa and grabbed both her hands in hers. Interlocking her fingers and raising her hands to her shoulders, she kissed Elsa on the lips for everyone to see.
Elsa had thought of everything. Revealing Anna's true heritage would throw her mother's kingdom, now ruled by an elected oligarchy, into civil war, but one simple, harmless lie preserved both her kingdom and their relationship. And the risk of the duel was nonexistent, for she had justified faith both in Anna's strength and in her heart. It was true that her parents had always taught her not to lie, but she had come to learn not everything her parents taught her was correct.
The wedding was the spectacle of the century, barring only the hubbub surrounding Elsa's coronation and its aftermath. Elsa's blue-tinted gown was accented with crystal snowflakes, and Anna's cream-yellow one had bright embroidered sunflowers. The invitations included everyone from Arendelle and precisely no one from Sheisskopf or the Southern Isles. Anna exulted in her newly appointed position of Captain of the Guard, in addition to her duties as princess consort. Arendelle continued to flourish, led by two women whose love for their kingdom was surpassed only by their love for each other.
I added the adopted part because I'm squeamish about incest. I'm not judging those who like such stories, I just personally am squeamish. Although I realized as I wrote that it doesn't even matter. Inbreeding isn't a problem, since Anna and Elsa can't procreate.