Chapter 19

The last rays of the sun could be seen peeking in through the castle's windows, filling the halls with its golden light and pleasant aura. Outside the spring chill was starting to settle back into the fjord but inside the air was kept decidedly toasty to accommodate the guests who weren't used to the northern cold. However, to be honest Aaron quite prefered the cold. It wasn't that he disliked heat but rather that he rarely noticed it, what with his naturally torrid touch, so he appreciated it when he felt a cool breeze rush across him.

It was when he was sauntering down a corridor towards his chambers, having finished a particularly lengthy inspection, when he felt such a waft and paused to look for the source. That was when he saw a set of doors to his left at the end of a small offshoot hallway that had been left ajar. They opened onto one of the handful of balconies situated at the back of the castle and just so happened to give a lovely view of the setting sun before it dipped behind the opposing mountains. Normally he wouldn't have thought anything of it and been on his way except for who he saw on said balcony.

Sitting by herself next to a table in front of the doors was Elsa. With her hands folded in her lap and her back to him, she had her head tilted back almost like she was staring directly into the sun, though knowing her she was probably just sunbathing for a bit. Apart from a pair of guards situated within the hallway she was alone with the sun.

After hesitating for a moment Aaron felt himself give a small grin and a shrug, thinking, Why not, before walking down the hall towards her, acknowledging the guards with a glance as he went. Both offered him stiff nods as he passed but otherwise Aaron ignored them, keeping his attention set on Elsa until he arrived at the doors. There he came to halt once more and gave a small bow, uttering aloud, "Greetings, my queen. May I join you?"

At first she didn't react, giving him reason to wonder if he'd spoken loudly enough, but then she stirred. Leisurely turning her head, Elsa glanced over her shoulder and fixed him with one of those piercing azure eyes of hers, revealing the faint smile playing across her lips. She regarded him for a brief pause before turning back to the view, saying, "Of course, Lord Aaron. Do shut the door, though. I fear I may be letting in a draft."

That caused Aaron's smile to grow as he moved to comply, stepping out and closing the doors behind him with a whisper. Any chance to be alone with Elsa was one he would go for without question and even though there were still two guards on the other side of the door this still counted in his mind. Just had to be a little more careful was all.

Rounding the table to sit in a chair beside her, he saw that she was in fact sunbathing with her eyes closed and her face tilted toward the sun to soak up its warmth. That wasn't why he paused yet again, though. Rather, it was because of the look of serenity and tranquility that was on her face. Being the queen, she rarely ever got a moment to herself other than late in the evenings so seeing her at peace filled him with such a sense of contentedness that he nearly even considered leaving her be just so as not to disturb her bliss.

Before he could, though, she cracked open an eye and upon seeing him watching her an instant smile blossomed across her face, her cheeks beginning to glow. Of course, with skin as ivory as hers even the faintest blush stood out and it only grew when he took a step closer. Even so, she continued to maintain her regal visage or at least tried to as Aaron drew near, though even someone with her resolve couldn't remain composed when he suddenly swooped in for a light kiss.

At first she didn't react to his touch, clearly caught off guard, only to lean into to it, her head tilting to one side as her lips embraced his. She didn't react when his hand swept her braid aside and caressed the side of her neck. For a brief, blissful moment neither stirred, simply allowing their lips to say what their voices could not, their hearts mingling for a fleeting moment. But, just as quickly as she seemed to accept the kiss Elsa jerked backwards, pulling away to give him an alarmed look.

"Aaron, what are you doing?" she exclaimed in a hushed tone, glancing around them as she did so.

Despite her paranoia, though, all Aaron could do was laugh softly as he let his hand drop. "Relax, love. No one can see us. There's nobody on the wall and I happen to know for a fact that there isn't a single guard who can see this balcony at the moment."

"You don't know that for sure," replied Elsa, now giving him a stern look before gesturing towards the fjord. "Besides, what if there's someone on the deck of one of those ships?"

Chuckling again, he shook his head. "Come on, Elsa. Even if someone could see us from there I doubt they'd be able to make us out. Just admit it, you wanted me to I kiss you."

Glancing away sharply, she ducked her head as her cheeks began to burn again. "No one's denying that. I just wish you would be more careful."

"Yes, my queen," Aaron replied with a grin, only to lean in once more. Except this time she turned away so he caught her cheek rather than her lips and when he gave her an inquisitive look what he got in return was a stern one. Giving a mocking sigh, he fell into the chair beside her with a huff. "Fine, I'll behave."

"Thank you."

With that they both fell quiet for a moment, with her turning back to the sun's dying light while he in turn continued to watch her. Her eyes were once more closed as she soaked up the rays with her hands resting on the arms of her chair, though they opened once more when he began to stroke the back of her hand. Leisurely tracing small circles onto her skin, he continued to watch her as he muttered, "You and your sunbathing."

Her gaze lingered on his hand for a moment before lifting, regarding him out of the corner of her eye. "Can never have too much sun."

"Can if you get burned." Aaron's finger paused. "But then you never seem too."

Shrugging, she returned her attention to their hands, now turning hers over in a clear invitation. "Hard to burn ice."

Accepting the invite, he slid his arm beside hers, his fingertips trailing along her forearm until they slipped between hers, their hands clasping together. Despite this, though, there still seemed like something was… off. That moment their hands touched Elsa looked away again, her eyes growing distant. Something about her demeanor and noncommittal speech hinted that something was worrying away at her thoughts.

Rather than approaching it directly Aaron elected to use a less obvious route, asking, "Anyway, if I may ask what are you doing out here? I doubt you came out here just to sunbathe."

Giving him an indifferent look, she said, "I'm just enjoying the peace and quiet while I can. After all, starting tomorrow peace and quiet will be hard to come by for at least a week."

"You could always retreat to the gardens. Only a few people are allowed back there."

"Yes, but I don't want people thinking that I'm hiding or anything."

Hiding? Who does she have to hide from? Still, that was all the confirmation he needed to approach the issue head on. "Something's wrong."

Feigning a surprised expression, Elsa glanced back at him. "What? No, I'm fine."

Despite her denial, though, there was still something lingering in the back of her eyes so he let out a sigh as he placed his other hand on hers. "I think I know you well enough to know when something's bothering you, Elsa." His eyes locked onto hers. "You know you can tell me."

At first she continued to give him a benign look, still trying to pretend that everything was alright, but that quickly caved when she glanced away, muttering, "You won't like it."

"Doesn't mean you shouldn't tell me."

For a while she gave him a long, long look, clearly reluctant to speak, but when his gaze didn't falter she let out a sigh. "Fine. It's just these… suitors."

Sure enough, just as she feared Aaron felt his jaw clench and his spine go rigid at the mention of… them. Just as quickly as they locked he did his best to force his body to relax, keeping his sudden agitation out of his expression as best he could. Elsa was already reluctant to talk about this so the last thing he needed was for her to sense his agitation. It was only after he felt sufficiently calm that he replied, "What about them?"

However, his effort was for naught when Elsa's eyes flicked away, clearly detecting his frustration. "Nevermind, it's nothing," she muttered, looking down at her lap.

Not that Aaron was having any of that. Moving as gently as possible, he placed a finger along her chin and turned her back to him while mustering the most sincere look he could manage. "Elsa."

"They're just… complicating things."

Doing his best not to let his emotions respond, he simply asked, "Complicating how?"

"Let's just say I don't like spending time around. Especially since I know how it makes you feel."

"You could just avoid them."

Shaking her head, she frowned. "It's not that simple. Things are expected of me. I have to spend time with them. Like I'm supposed to give them a chance to court me."

Though he was doing his best to remain comforting he still felt his enmity rear its head at her words. "I thought you said they didn't have a chance."

"They don't," Elsa replied in a soothing tone, giving him a reassuring smile only to let it fade. "But I'm still supposed to give them one."

"Well, if they don't then it sounds like there's an easy answer to this."

"Which is?"

"Tell them to leave."

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. "Aaron, please be serious. I'm not really in a joking mood."

Even though she clearly thought he was jesting Aaron didn't even blink, his expression hard. "I am being serious. If they really don't have a chance then there's no reason for them to be here so you might as well tell them to go home."

At first she looked at him like she still thought he was joking but that quickly faded when she saw his dour look, replaced by a look that he could only describe as sad as she shook her head. "I can't do that."

"Why not?"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Elsa frowned, saying, "Because then people will want to know why. What am I supposed to tell them?"

"Just say that you weren't interested in any of them." It is the truth so why not?

Though Aaron's frustration was steadily mounting as the conversation continued he was still doing his best to be helpful, so when her expression nearly became forlorn he instantly regretted his words. Yet he couldn't think of anything to say as her frown deepened and her eyes fell to the floor. "Like people are going to take that for an acceptable answer. Royal marriages often happen even if the couple doesn't like each other."

Several uneasy seconds ticked by in silence as Aaron contemplated her words. The last thing he ever wanted Elsa to be was upset yet he couldn't think of anything to allay these fears. After all, he still didn't fully understand most aspects of the political games that royals played, much less the rules to them, meaning that he couldn't see a way around. But what he could do was offer hope. Or at least what he thought was hope. "You could always give a different reason." When she didn't react he softly added, "You could tell everyone about us."

He'd said it with the best intentions, just trying to give her some sort of hope to look forward to. What he got was an instant spike of anger as her eyes hardened, her brows knitting and her mouth tightening. "Don't go there, Aaron. You know how I feel about that."

Normally he would have dropped it, instantly retreating after seeing how agitated it made her. But not this time Aaron pushed forward, still trying to remain optimistic. "I'm just saying, would make things simpler if we announced our relationship."

No matter what he meant, though, it only caused her frown to grow. "Stop pressuring me," she growled in a muted hiss.

"I'm not pressuring you."

"Then stop talking about it. I told you, we'll tell people when I'm ready."

"I know, but-"

That was as far as he got before Elsa's head whipped up, her eyes fixing him with a hostile glare, as she cut him off with a loud, "Enough!" The cry was punctuated by her stamping one of her feet, sending out a flash of ice.

As soon as she uttered the word, though, shock instantly replaced her mounting anger, her eyes widening and her mouth opening in a silent apology. Then, just as soon as the shock appeared it gave way to shame as she looked away, her eyes distraught. After a moment she even slowly excised her hand from his, tightly wrapping both her arms around herself. Only after a heavy breath did she mutter, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

For a while Aaron said nothing in response, his hand instinctively reaching towards her. In spite of himself he'd recoiled at the shout and immediately regretted it. Even though in all the time they'd been together Elsa had never raised her voice against him that was still no excuse, especially since his hurt reaction undoubtedly only made her feel worse. Now all he could do was sit there in silence, yet there was not time to chide himself for his poor response. Elsa was in pain so all there was to do was to alleviate her angst.

"No, I should be the one to apologize," he replied in the gentlest voice he could manage. As he spoke his arm slipped around her waist, drawing her as close as the arms of their chairs would allow. Maintaining his soothing murmur, Aaron rested his head against hers as he added, "You told me you were feeling stressed and I upset you. I'm the one who's sorry."

At first she looked like she was going to disagree, still thinking she was to blame, but quickly gave in with a sigh, clearly in no mood to fight. Instead she let out a sigh a as her eyes met his. "Can we not talk about that anymore? I just want to spend a few quiet minutes with you." As she spoke she shifted closer, her lips reaching for his in a muted request.

"Of course, love," Aaron whispered in a barely audible voice, happy to fulfill the request. "Whatever makes you happy."

...But it seemed that fate wasn't on their side that afternoon as the moment before their lips met a loud knock sounded on the door, followed by the voice of Prince Zach. "Queen Elsa? I heard you were out here and thought I give you some company if you don't mind," he called through the door in a hopeful tone.

He was actually quite luckily as it was all Aaron could do not to blast the doors apart with a wave of fire as his wrath broke the surface in an instant rush. Shooting them a scorching glare, he had to bite his tongue for he wanted nothing more than to shout, "Piss off!" His beloved was feeling distraught and he was just on the verge of helping her before the interruption so it only seemed fair that he burn the Manevian prince down.

Before he could do anything, though, he felt Elsa's fingers slide around his jaw and pull his attention back to her in time to see her give a slow shake of her head. He was going to give a hushed protest but that too was pushed aside when she leaned forward to give him a light kiss. Though it was only for a moment it was enough to temper his rage and ease his frustration enough that he no longer felt like setting the castle ablaze. Not that he wasn't still extremely angry, but that would have to do for now. Or at least until he was on his own again.

After they broke apart she gave him a pleading look that clearly asked that he not do anything rash which in turn got a slow nod. Now was not the time for any of that. So, swallowing his fury, he rose to his feet and took a few steps away from Elsa, pausing to adopt a somewhat neutral expression. Elsa, on the other hand, was able to retain her regal poise after quickly clearing her throat giving one eye a quick wipe. Once they were both ready she replied, "Not at all, Prince Zachariah. Please, join us."

The doors swung open instantly and the man stepped through with an eager look on his face, only to have that look falter when he saw Aaron. "Oh. Lord Aaron. I wasn't expecting you to be out here as well."

Somehow Aaron managed to keep his face anything but hostile as he gave a short bow and said, "Don't worry, your highness, I was just leaving."

"You don't have to leave just on my account."

"No, I have some duties I really should be attending to," he replied as he straightened up, giving the prince a stern look. "I just needed to speak with Queen Elsa about a few matters first but I'll be on my way now." Before I accidentally set you on fire.

"Aw that's a shame." Despite those words Zach's smile quickly returned as he stepped around the table. "Don't fret, though, your queen is in good hands."

Fortunately Aaron's hands were clasped in the small of his back so Zach didn't see the puff of fire that emitted from them at those words nor did he notice how virulent the small smile Aaron gave him was. "Delightful," he replied before turning to Elsa. Taking one of her hands, he gave it a light kiss before saying, "Farewell for now, my queen."

All she offered was a weak smile and a quiet, "Bye," obviously not wanting him to go but unable to say anything.

After they shared a brief look he gave Zach another glance and a tart, "Your highness," before sweeping back into the castle, marching down the hall at a brisk pace. Only when he was out of sight did he let his face descend into a sneering glower, his hands curling into fists. As he went he snatched up a rose that decorated one of the walls, ignoring its thorns as his fingers wrapped around the blossom and incinerated it in a matter of seconds. Needless to say he was feeling considerably more agitated than he had been not an hour ago.