Chapter 8

Elsa waited until the man had left the room and was about to signal the herald to call the next one when she heard her sister let out a weary huff. Glancing over, she saw that Anna had slumped so far in her seat that she was nearly sliding out of it as she stared up at the ceiling with a dull look. "Sit up," she chided, shaking her head. "We still have to look presentable."

At first she didn't react, continuing to stare blankly, until Elsa reiterated herself before shooting her a glare and sticking out her tongue. "Fine, but hold on for a second," sighed Anna, pulling herself upright. "I need a break."

"Don't worry, we're almost done," Elsa replied, doing her best to appear patient, though even she was beginning to tire.

"That's what you said twenty minutes ago," she complained as she gave herself a stretch.

Her first instinct was to deny it but when she actually thought about it she realized it was true. They'd been there for nearly an hour and a half, greeting a stream of nobles ranging from barons to dukes, including a very obnoxious count who wouldn't stop kissing her hand when she offered it until he'd felt Aaron's iron grip clamp onto his shoulder. He'd then begun to blubber out apologies as he was swiftly escorted from the room. Other than that, though, they'd all been fairly civil.

However, she couldn't blame her sister for being bored out of her mind. It was incredibly tedious as man after man came forward to offer her the exact same compliments as the last with very little differentiation in between. To make matters worse, only a few even bothered to acknowledge Anna while others ignored her completely, even though they were here to attend her wedding. Luckily, Elsa had looked over the list of attendees several times and thus had a good idea how many more there were to go.

"This time I'm positive," she said, trying to sound positive. Just hang in there for a little longer, Anna.

Despite her upbeat tone, though, Anna still gave her a skeptical look. "What makes you so sure?"

"It should only be royalty left." When Anna didn't look any more enthused she added, "In fact, I believe the emissary from Corona is next."

She repressed a smile as her sister instantly lit up, shooting her an eager look. "Really? Her?"

Nodding, Elsa said, "Should be. Let's not keep her waiting," before turning back to the door.

The herald looked down at his scroll and called out, "From the sovereign kingdom of Corona!"

As she waited for him to continue she noticed that she was feeling slightly excited. While she and the foreign princess hadn't spoken much on her last visit she'd seemed the pleasant enough sort. Not to mention the fact that she, like Elsa, apparently had powers of her own and she was looking forward to discussing them at length. And she had gotten along with Anna swimmingly, which certainly didn't hurt.

"His lordship, Duke Vincent!"

That brought up Elsa up short as she and Anna exchanged a confused glance. Duke? Not the princess? Sure enough, instead a short brunette woman a squat and round man bounced through the door with a gleeful smile on his face. Sporting a mustache and ruffled black hair, he looked like a pleasant enough sort but was still not the person she'd been expecting.

Crossing the room quickly enough, he stepped onto the dais before dropping down to knee. "Your majesty," he said with a cheerful tone. "What a pleasure it is to finally meet you. I've heard many tales of you and your exploits."

"The pleasure is mine, Duke Vincent. Welcome to Arendelle," replied Elsa, proffering her hand like she'd done with all the others. After he'd kissed it she continued. "However, I must admit that we were not expecting you. Rather, we were expecting your princess."

"Yeah," Anna interjected. "Where's Rapunzel?"

That caused the man's pleasant demeanor to falter as he frowned. "Ah, that. Unfortunately, before we could depart her majesty the queen fell ill and it was deemed by the king, long may he reign, that it might not be prudent to separate the royal family during such trying times. That said, her royal highness told me to offer her apologies for such short notice and her regret for not being able to attend your wedding, Princess Anna. She hopes you will understand."

"Of course," Elsa said as Anna gave a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry to hear that. Please send my condolences for their hardships and that I hope her mother makes a full recovery."

Vincent's smile quickly returned as he nodded. "I will, your majesty. In the meanwhile I know I'm not nearly as charming or lovely as our princess but I hope that I will make for a satisfactory replacement in her stead."

"You don't do yourself justice. I'm sure you're perfectly charming." Now it was Elsa's turn to wear a regretful frown. "However, as enjoyable as our conversation is I've had to greet many fine gentlemen like yourself today and still have a few to go so I must bid you goodbye."

"Understandable," he replied, climbing to his feet. "I should hate to waste any more of your time."

"I hardly call it wasted." Gesturing to a maid who was standing by the door, she added, "If you would follow that maid, she will show you to the quarters in which you and your people will be staying. And, again, welcome to Arendelle."

After the duke had given a short farewell and was walking away she looked over at her sister to see that she seemed to be thinking the same thing she was. "It's too bad about Rapunzel's mother. I hope she gets well soon," she said.

"Yeah," agreed Anna, nodding solemnly. "Still, I was really looking forward to seeing her again. She was a lot of fun, even if she didn't stick around for your coronation party."

"There's always next time, Anna."

"I don't intend to have another wedding, Elsa," she replied tartly, her expression souring.

Giving a sigh, Elsa rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

Anna seemed about to agree when a mischievous gleam entered her eye and her lips curled up in a grin. Leaning over and whispering so that only she could hear her, she muttered, "Yeah. Next time will be your wedding."

Elsa could feel her cheeks turn pink as she quickly glanced away, fighting a smile of her own. "As if," she said weakly, letting out a nervous titter.

But Anna wasn't done. Her voice grew even quieter as she added, "Soon enough it'll be you and Aaron up at the altar."

She couldn't resist flashing a quick glance at Aaron as her smile grew. If he'd heard Anna he gave no indication of it, his expression remaining as stoic as ever as he stared at the doors. Actually, if anything he'd looked grim all morning, fixing every man who approached her with a stony stare as though daring them to come closer. Even now his eyes were sharp and his mouth fixed in a pensive frown. She'd never seen him like this and, if she was being honest with herself, his protective demeanor was slightly off-putting. As if he was being kind of possessive. Something must have happened to make him act this way, she just hadn't sussed it out yet.

Even with his somber mood, though, he was still the man she loved. There was no denying that. Like when their eyes had met before all this started. He'd looked just as frustrated as he did now but it had only taken a glance for his expression to soften and his eyes to regain that soothing glow that she found so appealing. And, just like that, her heart had given a small leap. It hadn't been much, but it was more than enough to reaffirm what she'd always known.

It was only then that Elsa realized that she'd been openly staring at Aaron, though he somehow hadn't noticed. Giving herself a shake, she looked back at her sister to see that she was giving her a knowing look. And a bit too smugly for her liking. Shaking her head again, she looked down at her hands. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything," Anna protested, though she could hear the laughter in her voice.

"You didn't have to." Drawing in a deep breath, Elsa straightened up and tried to composed herself. Focus, Elsa. Nodding to the herald, she said, "Let's just continue, shall we?"

"Sure, sure," her sister muttered, still holding in a laugh.

Vainly attempting to push Aaron and Anna out of her thoughts, she continued trying to center herself. Though it was tempting to just sit there and think about her beloved she still had work to do, meaning that she didn't have any time to waste thinking about men. But, unfortunately, that wasn't made any easier by the man who walked through the door next.

Everything about him screamed confidence, from his cocky grin to his sure stare to his proud stride. As the world already belonged to him and just hadn't realized it. On top of that, she couldn't deny that he was more than a little handsome. With his golden hair, crystal blue eyes and strong features, he looked like the sort of man most women fantasized about. In fact, she noticed that every other woman in the room instantly paid rapt attention as soon as he walked in, watching his every movement with eager expressions. Even her sister seemed to be following him with some interest. With all that, though, there was still something unsettling about the way he was looking at Elsa. As though he already owned her as well.

As he passed the herald cleared his throat to speak and then paused, as though confused by what he saw. Then he shrugged and read aloud, "Introducing his royal highness, the duke of Valenglen, champion of the Misty Isles, heir to the Ruby Crown, and the Lion of the North, Prince Cyrus of Ildonen!"

Behind him, she also saw a woman following the prince a few steps behind. Clad in tightfitting black leather armor and with a pair of blades strapped to the small of her back, Elsa assumed that she was some sort of bodyguard. Not that she looked that intimidating, with a smallish stature and long raven hair. But then, Elsa herself didn't look very threatening yet she possessed the ability to summon an ice age. Also, she couldn't help noticing that the woman had amber eyes much like Aaron's.

Speaking of Aaron, his expression had turned downright hostile the moment the other man entered the room. While everyone else was watching this Cyrus he looked like he wanted nothing more than to deck him upside the head. Not that the prince noticed, with his attention fixed on her. Before she could mutter a warning to Aaron not to do anything rash he was before her.

Striding onto the dais without hesitation and coming to a halt before the throne, he gave her a deep bow instead of kneeling like everyone before him had. After straightening up again and fixing her with that cool stare of his again he spoke with a melodic voice. "Queen Elsa. People have told me tales of your beauty but I am pleased to say that they are all woefully inadequate compared to this rapturous visage before me."

Elsa had been hearing men tell her things like this all day with little effect, so she was surprised when she found herself fighting back a flattered smile. It wasn't really any different to what the various dukes had told her and yet she instantly felt flustered. Pull yourself together, she thought as she allowed herself a placating smile. So he's handsome. Get over it. Making sure to speak calmly, she replied, "Thank you, Prince Cyrus. Allow me to welcome you to Arendelle. I hope that the voyage across the sea wasn't too harsh," before offering her hand like with all the others.

Unlike the others, though, he didn't instantly grab her hand excitedly. Instead he slowly took it in a gentle yet firm grip before leaning down to kiss it, keeping his eyes locked on hers. His lips lingered on her skin for a moment before he released her and said, "Even if we had passed through a white squall it would have been worth it to see such a beautiful creature like yourself." Once again his words hit her in ways she didn't expect, causing her stomach to wriggle slightly and her cheeks to burn. But this time before she could respond he stood upright again and continued. "However, let's not forget the reason why we're here."

"Which is?" Anna cut in before Elsa could speak.

His smile broadened as his eyes flicked over to her. "Why, to attend your wedding, of course." With that he twirled his wrist and an azure tulip appeared in his hand. "For you," he added, handing it to her.

"Oh," she blurted, clearly surprised. Then she smiled graciously and accepted the flower, taking a deep whiff from it before saying, "Thank you." Her eyes jumped from the tulip back to him. "That's quite the list of titles you have."

Waving her off, Cyrus gave a pleasantly light laugh. "Those? Meaningless words people throw at me to make me seem more important than I really am. There are many better men than me without such titles. Speaking of which." He paused to look around before asking, "Where's your fiancé? I should like to meet him as well."

"Unfortunately he's not feeling to well and wasn't able to be in attendance today. But I'm sure you'll be able to meet him tomorrow during the wedding feast."

"That's too bad. I was looking forward to meeting the man who managed to charm such a lovely woman," Cyrus said with a frown. Then he smirked and added, "I'm guessing all the single men in Arendelle will be weeping tomorrow evening, with such a radiant flower having been claimed."

Glancing away, Anna shrugged as it was her turn to blush. Clearly growing flustered, she shook her head. "I doubt they will."

"Trust me, they will." His attention drifted back to Elsa. "Which only leaves one of the beautiful women in Arendelle unwed."

It took all of her will not to look at Aaron, who was no doubt seething at the remark. Somehow she managed to hold his gaze as she replied, "Yes, well that won't be changing anytime soon."

His grin deepened as he flashed her a wink. "We'll see." Her cheeks began to burn again and she was going to offer a rebuttal but once again he spoke first. "However, that will have to wait. For now I hate to waste any more of your time. I'm sure you have plenty of other people to see so I'll get out of your hair."

Blinking in surprise, Elsa found herself caught off guard yet again. Most men had to be dragged from her presence and yet here was one who was offering to leave. That's… oddly refreshing. Scrambling to focus, she nodded. "Very well. Please, don't hesitate to let me know if there's anything we can do to make your stay more enjoyable."

"I will indeed." Leaning, he winked again and muttered, "Perhaps we can have a private meeting later… if you know what I mean."

Just like that, whatever spell he had over her broke as chagrin broiled within her. Her brow furrowed into a scorned glare but before she could rebuff him she was cut off yet again. Only this time it was Aaron who spoke, stepping forward while giving the prince a venomous glare. "Watch your tongue when speaking to Queen Elsa!" he snarled, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword.

The entire room instantly grew still as they waited for him to react. While Aaron was generally well liked no one spoke out against royalty like that. Even Anna remained silent as her worried eyes flicked between them while the armored woman took a step forward, her hands straying towards her own weapons only to stop when Cyrus held his hand out to her. Turning slowly, the prince regarded him with a measured expression for a moment as the silence hung in the air. Then he smiled again.

"And who is this… spirited young man?" he asked, still looking at Aaron.

Watching them both closely, Elsa waited a second before speaking to choose her words carefully. They both looked to be on the verge of tearing into one another as the tension gradually built and she didn't want to accidently set them off. "Prince Cyrus, this is Lord Aaron," she said quietly, gesturing at him. "He is the Lord Protector of Arendelle and my champion."

Cyrus appeared to be sizing him up as he slowly took a step closer they were less than a foot apart. To his credit, Aaron didn't give an inch as he continued to stare the other man down. They continued to stare at each other with neither blinking until Cyrus chuckled again. "You have spunk, I'll give you that. But clearly I was joking when I said that to your queen. I meant no offense." His expression darkened and a dangerous tone entered his voice when he added, "And you should mind yourself when addressing a prince. Or else… bad things may happen."

Aaron remained unfazed by the comment, still not yielding. If anything he seemed to be growing bolder as he replied, "You should have seen what I did to the first prince I met."

If the air was still then it became tense at the sound of the thinly veiled threat echoed around the silent room. All eyes were fixed on the pair as the bodyguard took another step closer, taking ahold of the hilts to her blades. Neither of them so much as shifted for what seemed like an era until Cyrus finally reacted. Throwing his head back and taking a step back, he let out a loud, echoing laugh.

Everyone continued to stare at him as he chortled until he finally looked back at Aaron with an amused look. "Ah yes, the rash Prince Hans. Fool who thought he could steal a kingdom overnight. I am sorry for the harm he caused you."

That last part was directed at Anna, who simply shrugged, her face becoming emotionless. "What happened happened. I certainly don't miss him."

"As well you shouldn't. Scoundrel, treating a lady like that," he said to Anna before returning his attention to Aaron. "However, unlike Hans I am no fool."

"So sure about that?" Aaron retorted, his eyes narrowing.

Nodding, Cyrus once more took a step closer. "Yes, because I understand something that he didn't."

"And what's that?"

They each continued to stare the other down until Cyrus's friendly demeanor slipped away. His smile faded and his eyes became as cold as Elsa's ice. "You don't snatch at power like a thief in the shadows." His voice dropped to a whisper so that only Aaron could hear him and, try as she might, Elsa couldn't catch what he said next. Whatever it was, it only caused him to look even more wrathful but he held his tongue, silently glaring at him.

Then, just like that, Cyrus's smile returned as he stepped back and looked back at Elsa. "Well, this was fun. But I think I'm going to leave before my welcome becomes any more worn. Princess Anna, I wish you all the best for your wedding tomorrow. Let it be everything you want it to be. As for you, Queen Elsa…" He hesitated for a moment, his expression becoming serious. "I'll see you around." With that he turned and strode towards the doors, his bodyguard falling into step behind him after giving Aaron a warning look. Halfway there, though, he paused as if something had occurred to him. "Oh, and Lord Aaron?"

Aaron had been staring at the far wall, almost literally steaming, and only gave the prince a glance. Unperturbed by the lack of response, Cyrus called, "If you miss Prince Hans then you'll love who's next!" With that he laughed again and swept out of the room, leaving a nervous silence in his wake.

Eventually the people scattered around the room began to talk again, muttering to each other quietly with a few watching the door while others shot looks at Aaron. He didn't notice any of them, continuing to glower at the door for a moment before retaking his place at the foot of the dais without a word. From there he continued to stare at the wall, saying nothing to anyone. Though he remained motionless it was clear his mind was ablaze.

Elsa was debating what to say to him when Anna spoke up. "That was… interesting," she said with a nervous laugh, watching Aaron out of the corner of her eye.

"Agreed," she replied, giving her sister a reassuring smile. "I didn't expect Prince Cyrus to be so… flamboyant."

"Yeah. You have to admit, he was smooth." Luckily, she made no comment on how handsome he was. If Aaron had heard that he might have exploded. As it stood he was slowly simmering back down, though his eyes were still filled with fiery contempt. Anna, on the other hand, still looked nervous as she asked, "What do you think he meant with that last comment?"

"I don't know," Elsa replied, shaking her head while still watching her love closely. Glancing at the herald, she added, "Why don't we find out?" before nodding.

The herald returned the nod before addressing his scroll again as the room fell silent again. "Introducing his highness from the Southern Isles, Prince Erik."

Oh no. She flashed her sister a nervous look, hoping that she would be okay. To her surprise, Anna's face became devoid of emotion, little more than stone as she stared at the man who entered next. Though Hans had tried to kill her more than once she wasn't the one he'd manipulated. Anna had been shaken for weeks afterwards, disturbed by how easily he'd seduced her and played her heart, and now they had to play host to one of his brothers. This wouldn't be easy for her. Please be okay, she thought as she looked at the approaching prince.

Sure enough, he was the spitting image of Hans, if one added a beard and slightly longer red hair. Otherwise he looked like a slightly older version of his brother, with the same strong chin and tall frame. If she didn't know better she might have mistaken the two for one another. Which only caused her to feel undue spite towards the man. Easy. He had nothing to do with his brother's actions. It was all Hans, not him.

Unlike Cyrus, Erik did not look happy to see her. If anything, he looked uncomfortable being there. Stopping at the foot of the dais, he gave her a shallow nod. "Queen Elsa. A pleasure to meet you," he said in a slow, withdrawn voice.

Putting on a polite smile, she returned the smile. "Prince Erik, welcome. How is your family?"

She was just trying to be amiable but she still saw both Aaron and Anna flinch at the mention of his family. Erik, however, just offered a weak smile and said, "They're well. Yours?"

"Well enough. After all, we're all here to attend her wedding."

"Right, right."

The conversation had almost instantly become awkward as she struggled to think of something to say. There had been almost no interaction between the two kingdoms since Hans's death apart from a few couriers delivering acknowledgment of the prince's death. In fact, this was the first time a member of their court had been present in Arendelle since and while Elsa wanted nothing more than to put it all behind them there was no denying that things weren't exactly good between the two nations.

To her surprise, it was Anna who spoke next. Her voice was steady yet deadpanned as she said, "Hello, Prince Erik. Thank you for coming."

Turning to her, he gave her a nod as well. "Thank you for the invitation, princess. We would have understood if you didn't want us there."

"What's done is done. All we can do is look to the future and try to mend the gap between our kingdoms," she replied solemnly.

To be honest, Elsa was surprised by her sister's maturity. She'd expected anguish or even hostility towards anyone from the Southern Isles but instead she was nothing but civil. Good for you, Anna. Looking back at the prince, she retook control of the conversation. "Well, as you know the wedding is tomorrow. Until then, there is a feast this evening and you are free to do whatever you wish."

"Thank you, your majesty." He was about to turn around when he seemed to come to a decision. Letting out a sigh, he held his ground and looked at the floor. "I know I have no right in asking this, but I have to know. Who did it?"

The silence that followed was even worse than the one that had followed Cyrus's departure as everyone present shifted nervously. They all knew what he meant yet no one wanted to answer. She was debating whether or not to tell him when Aaron spoke up. Taking a step forward, he simply said, "I did."

Turning to face him, Erik regarded him morosely for a moment before asking a single word. "Why?"

All eyes flicked over to Aaron, who didn't hesitate to answer. "Because it had to be done." When Erik didn't seem satisfied with the answer he continued. "Because your brother was turning into a monster."

He didn't react for a while, just giving Aaron a long stare before giving a sigh. "Perhaps. But, thank you for having the courage to tell me." After Aaron gave him a nod he glanced back at Elsa. "Alright, thank you for having me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go settle in."

"Very well. Goodbye for now, Prince Erik," she replied calmly. She waited until he was out of the room before looking over at Anna and asking, "Are you okay?"

Her little sister hadn't shown a single emotion during the exchange and remained stalwart as she quietly muttered, "I'm fine. Just…"

When she didn't continue Elsa nodded and gave her the warmest smile she could manage. "Okay."

Neither of them spoke for a while until Anna gave a sigh and sat back in her seat. "How many more do we have to go?" she moaned. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Just two," Elsa replied quietly, placing her hand on Anna's and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, I think you'll like seeing them."

That piqued Anna's interest as she shot her a curious glance. "Who is it?"

Her smile broadened. "Someone you haven't seen for a long time." That seemed to have satisfied Anna for now so Elsa turned her attention to Aaron, who had retaken his place once more. The anger within him seemed to have given way to a somber tone as his scowl retreated into a thoughtful expression. Whatever it was he was thinking about didn't seem to be too troubling so she waited a moment before whispering, "Aaron. Are you okay?"

He didn't react at first, to the point that she'd been too quiet and he hadn't heard her. She was going to whisper it again before he gave her a sober glance and replied, "Fine, my queen."

First Anna won't talk to me and now you? When it was clear he wasn't going to offer any more she asked, "Are you sure?"

He hesitated to answer again before simply saying, "Yes." With that he turned away again, leaving Elsa alone between the two people she cared about most while they battled their own demons. Yet she was powerless to help them if they wouldn't let her. She looked from one to the other and, when neither reacted, gave a dejected sigh. Very well. Let's end this.

After nodding to the herald one more time he held up his scroll again. "And lastly, heralding from the kingdom of Maneva, Prince Zacharia and Princess Kresta!"