"So you say this green-eyed stranger has been stalking you huh? Well have you told anyone?" Kristoff asked skipping a rock, Elsa shook her head sitting upon a rock by the lake. "I don't think it would be wise I already told mama and she didn't believe me."
"At least you'll have Reider to protect him." Kristoff tried to console her sitting on the rock. "To be honest I would have proposed to you in time, to get you out of here." Elsa grinned resting her head on his shoulder. "Thanks Kris, what a couple we would have been." The mountain man chuckled. "Yeah, so how long do you have?"
Elsa pulled back smirking. "Kristoff I am getting married not sentenced to death." She chortled, he impishly scratched the back of his head. "I honestly don't see the difference."
"I'm sure Reider won't have much malice towards me." Elsa chimed trying to find at least one positive outcome of the recent arrangement. "If he hurts you I'll stab him with my pike, I swear to god." Kristoff threatened in a low, dark tone he rarely ever used.
"I'll make sure to notify him." Elsa replied curtly nodding. A loud bell sounded of in the distance both friends looked back in the direction of the village. "You'll be there, won't you?" Elsa asked worriedly, her stomach decided it was a good time to tie itself in knots giving its owner a stomach ache. Kristoff gave her a comforting hug, Elsa buried her face in his chest inhaling his comforting familiar stench. "Of course, I will, and I'll be there when you have children and birthday's and all that fun stuff."
"And I will be there when you marry the princess." Elsa jested sniffling, upon hearing his silence she looked up with a concerned expression. "Too soon?" she asked wincing. He shook his head coughing into his hand. "Little bit but I'll be fine so uh go on get out of here." She pulled away running up the bank hurrying when the bell tolled once more. "I'll be in the front row, in a red dress crying!" He called after her through cupped hands.
Elsa hurried home panting heavily. The house seemed to be overrun with chattering hens who yanked her in at sight. "How Elsa?! How on a simple walk you managed to get so dirty!?" Her mother rebuked her sitting her down. The other woman of the village pinned her hair up rambling on about how she was so lucky and the beautiful children they would have, how happy and content she would be. Elsa chuckled to herself while they dressed her in a simple pale dress made from thin cotton, listening to them talk about her happiness as if they were the ones getting married living everyday as she herself. Then came the part where her mother explained a wife's duty. The whole conversation made Elsa inwardly cringe so harshly she actually at one point twitched, but what she gathered from it was that it would be her duty to keep him satisfied and although carnal relations were not meant to be enjoyed by women if the wife turned out lucky and seemed Elsa had such luck then she would sometime get pleasure laying with her husband.
The prospect of laying with Reider in a marital bed didn't stir any emotions with Elsa and for that she was grateful, better to feel nothing than fear or dread. There would be pain she knew it but Elsa was quite sure she had been through worse physical strains then the breaching of her maiden hood. They ushered her outside. "Do not forget the centerpiece!" The butcher's wife called running up to Elsa with a floral crown. She gently placed it upon the bride's head then cupped her cheek. "What a sight." She sighed.
"In truth Hagitha we all thought Elsa would never marry." Her mother looked to her with a glare rounding her shoulders with a smug air about her.
It was an odd thought for her, as she was led to the village center where she would be given by her father to an elder who would then offer her to her new husband, the idea of being a wife. Elsa used to wonder if she was broken when she was younger even now she felt nothing stir when it came to scandalous matters as sensuality. Having a connection emotionally with another sounded magical to her but the men of her village seemed uninterested in forming such a bond with a female, to busy working and surviving, instead they only craved the one thing from their women her mama warned her about and it seemed to only turn the girl away.
From the expanse of how vast the audience was Elsa concluded the whole village was present. It amazed her at how they put this whole thing together, from the makeshift aisle, the banquet table, the large bonfire, and dancing square, to the "romantic" canopy set above her husband to be. For once Reider wasn't in green, instead he was adorned in white trousers and a matching tunic which accented his lean build. Elsa was dragged back from her thoughts by her father gently taking her hand. She looked at the connection then to his smiling face. "I don't believe there has ever been a father prouder than I am at this moment." He whispered softly. Elsa managed to form a small forced grin.
While he looped their arms, and began to lead her down to her new future Elsa dug in the deepest parts of herself to catch a hint of some feeling, it could be said that her apathy to her own wedding was her inner knowing protecting itself in doubt and fear. Her azure orbs searched the guest seating area for a friendly face. Many of the girls her own age or near it never really spoke to her either from jealous or well envy.
She caught sight of Kristoff of course in the front row just like he promised in the front row pretending to be crying, part of Elsa was disappointed the man didn't wear the scandalous red dress. When the image appeared un her head, Elsa let out a chuckle. Her father looked up to her squeezing her arm.
Elder Holsen offered his wrinkled hand to her when they finished the bride's walk. The man blessed her quietly then handed her off to her husband.
The young woman's heart thumped violently at the feeling of her husband's calloused strong hands. Elsa dared glance up at him, this was the closest they had ever been before. Rieder took his time observing his new wife, while his eyes climbed down her form Elsa took her chance to study his features; She noted the greying sides of his black hair, and aging hairs only made him seem more weather than her, it was intimidating had she not reminded herself he was her husband. His eyes were just as blue as her, after her survey Elsa finally understood why woman went mad over the hunter.
She drank from the goblet he offered her and he ate the bread she was given by her father. The crowd cheered as Holsen blessed the couple to be fruitful and prosperous. Elsa took a breath, feeling a great weight lift, now she didn't have to wonder who or when she'd marry; it was over done with. Elsa was married, now all she had to do was get through the bedding tonight.
She didn't fuss as her new husband led her to the center of the banquet table not saying a word. They sat side by side. Hagitha approached whispering in her daughter's ear that it was the wife's function to serve her husband, so not wanting to start this relationship on a sour note Elsa fixed his plate which he took silently. A spike of annoyance resonated through her but she ignored it unsure of where I came from. Her attention was stolen away by a unfamiliar happy tune on a flute. Elsa searched above the dancing crowd for the source.
A snowfall began once more as when she found it. She expectantly looked to the other villagers, did no one see this cloaked figure casually sitting piping the music they were so contently dancing to?
"Rieder?" She whipped her head around to the man. His eyes met hers again no expression to his frigid face. "Um n-nothing." Elsa turned back to her plate. If the keen huntsmen didn't notice the green-eyed stranger than there was use. Kristoff! Where was Kristoff? Elsa stood hurriedly ignoring Rieder's questioning eyes.
She hitched her dress up speed walking, she found him sneaking a…oddly shaped table veggies? She approached tapping his shoulder. The contact caused the ice harvester to leap in the air with fright. "HEY! ThisisatablenotSven!" He rushed out. Elsa scrunched her brows to together looking to the "table" to see it was indeed Sven.
"Kristoff this is my wedding if you wanted to invite Sven why didn't you ask?" She deadpanned, the boy opened and closed his mouth three times. "Nevermind that I need you to come now, the stranger is here and I need to make sure I'm not hallucinating." She grabbed his arm about to drag him to the music when she felt a large presence behind her. "Rieder? Can I help y-"
"You are no longer a bumbling child anymore Elsa, you are my wife and as such you will not be spending most of your time with this boy." Despite his harsh words the young blonde didn't cower. "Kristoff is my friend Rieder as my husband you will have to accept this." She challenged.
"I will not have my wife floating about another man like some moth to a cloth." Rieder's voice darkened significantly as he took a step closer between the two friends.
"Kristoff has been there for me since I was a child, he helped through a lot even marrying you, if I wish to spend time with him then I will do such as what I normally would!" The man's face flushed, Elsa would have sworn his blue eyes turned black as her head was spun to the side by a blunt force that left her cheek stinging red.
"Now who do you think-"Kristoff began ready to kill man but was held back by Elsa's father. This was a lesson his daughter had to learn and everyone in the village knew that.
"As we are now married Elsa we shall get to know each other, you shall learn that I will always care for you…" White specs fell from the sky cooling Elsa's burning cheek. "and you shall also learn that I will not tolerate disrespect from my own wife. I know you are young but you will learn how to make a home and how to treat your husband." Elsa searched for the one comfort to help, her parents along with the rest of village began cleaning up the center circle hatting amongst themselves minding their own. Kristoff was dragged away by her father. And her green-eyed stranger was nowhere to be seen.
"Come I wish to show you our home." He offered his hand to her but she simply brushed by it staying silent. Was this really her life now? She knew that this was how it went and would tell Kristoff such but why was it so hard to accept it?
His cabin was just off in the woods away from the village surrounded by nature. He kept no animals, well no live animals anyway. The old cabin was one room yet the hunter's pride and joy. He built it himself and always look forward to bringing his wife under its roof.
Elsa felt along the then pulled back hissing. She brought her finger to her mouth to suck out the splinter that was lodge of it. Rule number one don't touch the walls.
She heard the man sigh running finger through his hair leaning against the table. He looked to Elsa who was seated in the chair twiddling her thumbs.
"I go out every morning until noon then I return, I will teach you how to skin and debone then, I'll rest while you prepare what I have caught. I can weave until you get the hang of it the it will become your responsibility. Along with cooking keeping our home clean. Sometimes I go on trips to the eagle valley or further." Elsa sighed, then looked out the window to the forest painted orange from dusk.
"I've never left the village before." Her comment earned a sharp look from her husband he started to loosen his collar. "And you never will, you greatly misunderstand, I am not taking you with me when I go away."
Out of all the things she had been through the realization of what this whole arrangement would entail filled her soul with trepidation. Rieder stood grabbing hold of his wife's elbow drawing the distracted to their marital bed. "And I forbid you to sneak about with that ice collector." That brought Elsa back from her haze when she realized what was happening.
His calloused fingers traced the soft skin of her neck down to the laces that held her dress together. Elsa did her best to exhort herself for what was to come. She studied the man's now exposed chest, the hair present, his knickers pulled taunt with his readiness. She strained herself to find something pleasing about her spouse's body but bile only bubble in her lower stomach rising into her throat as he pushed back against her shoulders to lay askew on the cot.
Elsa's chest repeatedly rose with each heavy breath. "The more tense you are the more you'll hurt and bleed." Rieder responded in an ennui tone spreading her legs. The room began to grow colder to the point of the man seeing her breath. "What the hell?" He mumbled looking around. Elsa looked down to their hips so close together. His member…gods she couldn't do this.
With him sitting up she wiggled free, she fell to the floor whimpering then without looking back raced out the door. "WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING!?" the enraged voice only fueled her legs to pump faster. Her mother's warning rang through her mind. "If you do ever happen to stumble upon a stranger, you run your little legs home and find papa as fast as you can." Only it wasn't a stranger she ran from it was her husband who she could hear calling after her.
She found her papa drinking with some friends all congratulating him. When he caught his daughter's eye the man stood up. "Elsa?" He called concerned approaching her. Upon seeing the frazzled barefooted girl, a crowd drew near. "Papa-" she began but was interrupted by Rieder who had slipped on only his tunic and shorts. Upon seeing their state of dress all present concluded what has happening.
"Elsa you cannot run from this you must return back to your husband and do what has to be done." He replied in a calm tone. The angered huntsman moved towards her but she backed away. A wind of white kicked up encircling the couple. Some of the villagers backed away from the unnatural occurrence except Kristoff who marveled at the sight.
"St-stay back." She warned holding her arms up fearfully.
"Elsa this is your life now!" Her father barrated but she shook her head saying no. A feeling that was both terribly wonderful grow within her. "ELSA GO BACK WITH HIM!" the farmer roared.
"I CAN'T!" She screamed out as a feeling of pleasure melted within her mind and body, as if a muscle that lay stagnant for too long finally stretched in a painful euphoria. When the sensations ceased, she felt like her legs were made from yolk unable to support her. There was a ringing of gasps, murmurs and screams. Elsa groaned, suddenly she was yanked up by two men confided by their vice grips. She looked up seeing those crying and speechless, her azure windows fell upon the gruesome sight of what her gratifying release had wrought.
Rieder's impaled body twitched, as his mouth gurgled blood, the only thing supporting his weight being what killed him. His heavy form slid even further on the large spike protruding from the ground made of, ice?
"Burn the witch before she kills us all!" A woman screeched from the crowd. "Someone go retrieve the elders." Another ordered.
"Eried?" One of her captures looked to her father who looked devastated by what happened, after a moment of hesitation he responded with great regret. "Bind her."
Elsa felt her hands tied behind her back with strong rope. As they walked to the great hall, fellows who watched her grow up around cursed and spat on her name throwing stale vegetables. "What do you expect from an outsider!" One of them slandered.
Upon entering the hall, the elders sat at their tables of judgement while their advisors prattled frantically of solutions and advice. Silence took over as their hateful eyes fell upon her waiting for instruction from the head elder.
With a heavy breath and willowy voice, he raised his hand off of the table dismissively. "Contain her in the strongest cell we have." Elsa was taken through doors down to a cellar. She was thrown in to a barred stone cell, and her hands cuffed in the large manacles and feet shackled.
"Well Elsa you didn't like where your life was headed so you changed it." She mumbled to herself looking around her new prison.
"...Probably for the worst."