"Stop pulling on that," Anna smacked her fiancé's hand as he tugged on his formal high-necked collar. Kristoff muttered something about the royal tailor wanting him to suffocate.
Elsa, Anna and Kristoff were all in a small alcove just outside of the ballroom, which was now acting as a large throne room, waiting as the last preparations were finished for the royal court to announce Anna and Kristoff's engagement. Around them scurried the people doing those preparations, a squad of royal guards, and of course Kai.
"I would suggest you stop hitting your future husband, dear sister," Elsa said without looking up. She was just a few steps away from them, running through all she had memorized for tonight. "He looks fine. You both look wonderful." And they did. Anna was wearing a dress of purple and green silk panels that left her shoulders bare and had a tight bodice and waist before spilling out into a full skirt. Kristoff was again in black tails with a waistcoat that matched Anna's dress. His shirt collar might have been higher than those he had started wearing to dinner, but Elsa suspected his discomfort was more nerves than any ill intent by the tailor.
"How does this go again?" Kristoff asked. Formal courts were rare in Arendelle. Elsa preferred to hold smaller investitures for her official business, but this occasion merited all the pomp and circumstance she and Arendelle could muster. A formal court with all the trappings would help cement Kristoff as a suitable match for Anna, and it suited Elsa's purposes as well.
"Kai announces us, we all walk down the center aisle, you follow Anna. Slowly, head up, and try to smile … or look serious, men seem to have more choices about that than women do. I sit on the throne. Anna curtsies and sits to my left, you bow … a little bow is fine, nothing that is going to have swords flying or you tumbling into my lap." Anna giggled remembering their brief rehearsal this morning. "Then you stand slightly behind Anna's chair to her left. You will get your own chair next time."
"Next time? There's gonna be a next time?" Kristoff looked a bit ill.
"We will burn those bridges when we get to them," Elsa reassured him.
"Besides I'm worth it," Anna said to him. Then she leaned up and whispered something in his ear. Kristoff blushed, whistled out an, "Oh yeah."
Elsa discreetly averted her eyes to the wall and chuckled. Edmund had used a rather vulgar term for it, but it was true. Anna had Kristoff in the palm of her hand, perhaps more literally than the Queen really wished to think about. But at least tonight they were headed down the right path.
Edmund had left a good week after Reinhardt, but Elsa was much sadder to see him go. The young prince was good company, and he had taken to Anna and Kristoff, spending much of his time with them. They had explored the town, Arendelle, and all of Arendelle "society" such as it was. Elsa thought it had been good for both Kristoff and Anna to get a taste of how royalty, who wasn't her, behaved when out and about, what with Kristoff being a commoner raised by trolls and Anna a princess who had clearly been fostered by those same trolls. Elsa had always found it hard to believe that the same exacting parents who raised her had been also responsible for raising her sister. Trolls made so much more sense.
Still for all his princely graces, Edmund and Anna were cut from a similar cloth. They were both impulsive, talkative, gregarious creatures prone to overstatement and the occasional accident. They also both clearly loved their older sisters, something for which Elsa would be eternally grateful. He had brought Carolina back to her. He also shared a few of her secrets with Elsa. It was interesting to hear stories of her time in her father's castle in Avalon retold from a different perspective. It was even more interesting when he revealed the things Carolina had decided not to talk about. His knowledge of his outwardly brave, ambitious, and exuberant sister who had a deep and emotionally reserved core gave Elsa new insights into Carolina, ones she appreciated immensely. In fact, the only downside to these conversations was that suddenly she found herself more than a little nervous about what Anna had revealed to Carolina in their many afternoons together.
Another of the benefits from Edmund's visit was that Kristoff had finally bought Anna an engagement ring. Elsa was then free to make preparations for the public announcement of their engagement. Tradition had it that the couple would be presented to the royal council first and then to the court. But Elsa had decided that tradition be … well, it could take a hike this time. Her sister's engagement would be first announced to the people of Arendelle in the formal royal court she was about to preside over. Once that happened then she would inform anyone on her council who had been hiding under a rock or off trying to ignore her and her sister's wishes.
"Your Majesty?"
Elsa turned around to see Captain Larsson trotting down the hall. "The sword is ready." Following behind him was a very large guard carrying a very, very, very large sword before him.
"Oh my," Elsa breathed, "that's ... big." It looked almost as tall as she was.
"Yes, Your Majesty. It is very old, from a time when sword size seemed to matter." Elsa heard her sister titter behind her. "It belonged to Hrolf Ragnarsson."
Elsa had to suppress her own snort. Of course, the sword of Hrolf the Huge and Mighty was the one that would be wielded by Elsa the Slight and Reads Books for a Living. She had never even seen Arendelle's Sword of State before. It wasn't part of the coronation ceremony any more. Her father never had any occasion to use it that she knew of. They had found it safely tucked away with the other royal treasures too esoteric or unwieldy or inappropriate to be used any more, with the giant "footstool of state" covered in white bear fur, the equally large "drinking horn of state," delicately carved but as tall as Olaf, and a large golden bowl with an inscription in Old Norse runes that read "bowl of the dog of the King," which had guaranteed no one would use it at the table. She wondered if Sven might like it for formal occasions.
"You only need to put it across your lap and hold it while seated," Larsson added. "And we will help you with that."
"And not poke the Princess in the eye," Anna helpfully amended. "Or the teeth, or the neck, or the ..."
"I understand. I'll be careful," Elsa muttered. Really? As if she were the clumsy one? Elsa looked around "So are we ready, then?" she asked generally.
"Yes, Your Majesty, the sword goes immediately after the royal party, and Holte here will stand on your right once you are at the dais." Larsson indicated the guard with the sword. "That way it will be close when you need it."
Elsa nodded at the large man. "Arendelle thanks you for your service Holte."
Holte even managed a stiff bow still holding the enormous sword out in front of him.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"The court of Her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle is now open. All pay heed." Kai's voice rang out across the room. Everyone who could find one took a seat as Elsa stood up and looked out over the people gathered in the throne room, waiting for silence. The nobility and upper class were of course represented, and most of them near the front. But she had made sure that as many of the common people of Arendelle as could fit in the room were present. There was even a contingent of ice-harvesters, looking much like mischievous boys forced to wear their Sunday best. They were all in ill-fitting clothing that itched and choked by the look of them all scratching and tugging. Kristoff was, to her surprise, apparently one of the more dapper harvesters.
"It is no secret how much I love my sister," Elsa began. "She is my light and inspiration, a beacon of optimism who believed in me … loved me … even when I could not believe in or love myself. She literally saved me and Arendelle as well. She is one of Arendelle's true heroes. And she is precious to us."
Elsa looked over to her sister, who was blushing. Elsa had promised herself she would not cry, or at least not cry too obviously, because already she felt tears welling up. "So it was very important to me that Anna would spend her the rest of her life in the company of a person she loves. Someone who would treat her with the respect she deserves. Someone who would cherish her as much as I do. While it is common that nobility are wed for political ends, I will not do this to my sister to whom we owe so much."
Elsa took a long deep breath and faced out again, letting her eyes run across those of her people. The room was packed tight, even the center aisle was now mostly obscured as the crowd expanded with late comers. Everyone was looking at her, not in and of itself an unusual thing, but their attention was more than polite interest to politics. She could feel that the crowd wished as much happiness for Anna as she did herself. The people of Arendelle loved their Crown Princess, and that love shone in every eye that she could see.
"I would see her happy, in marriage as in all things, and I know that all of Arendelle wishes the same for her. So, it is with great pleasure I announce that Master Kristoff Bjorgman, Royal Ice-Harvester and Deliverer, has asked me for permission to marry Princess Anna, and I have consented."
The room burst into cheers. Elsa motioned for her sister and Kristoff to stand and take the center. The ice harvesters began singing something rowdy that required hand clapping, and soon the whole room had joined in. Kristoff looked stricken at all the attention, Elsa hoped he wasn't going to be ill, but Anna shyly waved at the people, and then dragged him out into the middle of the aisle where everyone could see. The singing turned to chanting. Elsa had to giggle when she realized what the crowd was demanding. This time it was Kristoff who took the lead, bending his frame down tenderly to place a kiss on Anna's lips. Anna then pulled him down into a passionate embrace that had most of the crowd hooting. Once the kiss was over, and the noise in the room stilled, Anna started to speak.
"It's great to hear you like Kristoff because I love him …. and … and … and everyone's invited to the wedding!"
Again there was great cheering from everyone except Elsa who fixed her panicked stare on Kai. He mouthed, "It will be fine, Your Majesty," and she felt better. But still she should have known better than to leave Anna without scripted remarks.
The applause and shouts of encouragement continued for some time until Anna and Kristoff returned to their places. Again Elsa waited for silence before speaking.
"I promise this is the last piece of business," she assured the restless groups in the back, giving them a wry wink. She could guess that Kristoff's fellows were eager for the celebration that would follow.
"In the times of our ancestors it was a common practice for a monarch to accept a personally sworn oath from each of the lords in their service. This oath bound the fighting men of the Kingdom to the King, for the first bond in any Kingdom must be between the ruler of that Kingdom and those who are bound to protect it. Any who foreswore that oath were known as Oathbreakers, and it was said their own swords would turn on them in battle."
"This practice has fallen by the wayside in the more recent years. But I have been minded to revive it for a particular circumstance. To our shores has come a warrior of great worth, but one previously sworn to another King. I cannot in good conscience waste the talent of this woman, for that would be in violation of my own oath to Arendelle, to do what is best to protect Our Kingdom. But even though I trust her with my life, I wish to make sure that the question of her loyalty is assured beyond reproach."
Elsa returned to sit on her throne and beckoned Holte forward with the sword. He presented it to her with a bow and she took it, gracefully if focused on the effort, tucking the scabbard under her right arm, and securing the hilt with her left, the sword balanced across her lap. She nodded to Kai when she had it firmly settled.
"Her Majesty Elsa calls forward Lady Millicent Carolina Fitzwilliam."
The doors opened in the back and every head turned. Fitzwilliam walked crisply down the aisle, stopping to bow at the edge of the presence. She then removed her own sword belt, handing it off to one of the pages placed in the aisle for just this purpose. Once she was unarmed she continued forward to kneel before Elsa. Carolina placed her hands on the hilt of the sword of state, and Elsa covered them with her left, using her right to support and balance the sword. The air was taut with the tension of the moment, and the room had fallen completely silent.
"In your own words, please," Elsa said staring forward into Carolina's eyes. She both knew this was not the last oath they would swear to each other, nor would it be the most important. But right here, right now, it took on a significance that pushed everything else from her thoughts.
Loudly, so that any one of her detractors sitting in the last row might hear, Fitzwilliam stated, "I, Millicent Carolina Fitzwilliam do become your liege-man of life and limb. Faith and truth, obedience and counsel, I will bear unto you. I swear to live and die for you against all manner of folks, henceforth until the end of days."
As Fitz looked up into the eyes of her queen, her friend, her lover, she noticed the slender chain still around Elsa's neck, the chain that bore the promise that they had made to each other, a promise even more binding, if more private, than the oath she swore today. Their eyes locked, equal in intensity. Their world narrowed until they were the only two in it.
"I, Elsa, the undoubted Queen of Arendelle do receive your oath and declare that from henceforth until the end of days you are my leigeman." Fitzwilliam then bent her head and kissed the Queen's hand. Holte came forward and took the Sword of State from Elsa, and she stood. Fitzwilliam followed immediately after.
Elsa then proclaimed, "Your oath is a gift and as such must be answered with a gift. As it was said in the times of my ancestors, 'A gift always looks for a return.Gjöf sér æ til gjald.' Those Kings were known as 'ring givers' for the tribute they gave their most faithful and valiant vassals. This is not a ring, but I hope it will be acceptable," Elsa couldn't help the smile that broke out on her lips. "And quite possibly more practical."
Captain Larsson brought out another smaller sword and handed it to the Queen who then gave it to Fitzwilliam. It was a handsome sword even in its scabbard, which was curved, made of highly polished brass with silver inlay of roses intertwined with crocuses. The hilt was brass wrapped in rich leather, with a brass quillon and knuckle bow, and on the pommel a gold crocus.
"At least I shall remember where I got it from," Carolina whispered as she loosened the crocus buckle on the sword belt and started to wrap it around her hips.
"At least," Elsa answered equally quietly unwilling to let the rest of the world in on their intimate moment just yet. "Now let me do that." She took the belt from Carolina's hands. "I read that the lady gets to arm her knight."
"Your knight?" Carolina looked surprised, almost amused.
"Knight – rook – I know you're not the Bishop." Elsa smirked at her as she wrapped the belt twice around and then buckled it.
Carolina took the moment to consider this thought. "Yes, I am your rook," she agreed solemnly, taking Elsa's hand. "Your tower, your place of safety. I will always be this."
Elsa felt the sudden surge in intensity at Carolina's words. "You already are," she answered, for her world had become a much safer, happier place from almost the moment she had met her.
They were standing so close, hands clasped, breathing together. All it would have taken was for Elsa to lean in, and they would have kissed. But Elsa became aware of the ballroom full of people watching them. And waiting for them. She took half a step back. The intensity faded if not the intimacy.
"Lady Fitzwilliam," she said. "Please look at your blade. If you don't I will be very disappointed."
"Oh," Carolina looked down and then reached for the hilt to draw it, keeping an eye out for guards who might decide to run her through. "If you're sure?"
"I am sure," Elsa said firmly, and she guided Carolina's hand in pulling the blade up a good foot. Carolina looked at the blade. Then she bent her head down so she was right on top of it and looked again. "Oh my god," she breathed and pulled it completely free of the scabbard. Elsa waved off any attempt at rescue. "Oh it's … it's beautiful. So very beautiful." Carolina ran her gloved hand down the side of the blade, examining the distinctive swirls and mottling that marked a blade of Damascus steel. "However did you ..." she looked up at Elsa, breathless in surprise. "Thank you, thank you so very much."
Elsa smiled, pleased as she could be with the reaction. "It is only what you deserve. And you can thank me properly later."
Carolina completely missed the innuendo, still running her fingers lovingly down the blade. "Of course," she said as she sheathed the sword and backed away from the presence with one final bow. Elsa watched her as she turned and made her way slowly back to the entrance of the room, clinging to the sword as if it were her most prized possession. It was, Elsa reflected, often quite a good thing to be the queen.
Elsa heard Kai closing the court as she returned to the throne. She didn't even bother to sit, she just beckoned Kristoff and Anna to follow her out. As they passed the section of Ice Harvesters she heard someone call out, "And now we drink … to Princess Anna … to Kristoff …" and then a whole chorus of rough voices cried …. "to Queen Elsa!"
It was good to be the queen, indeed.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"You gotta come … like now." Anna ran up and started pulling Fitz away from a conversation she was having with several of the naval officers who had come for the occasion. The reception was in full swing, the throne room now returned back to a ballroom, the refreshment tables overflowing with food and drink. The room was full, and the sounds of merriment carried up from courtyard below.
"What's the problem?" Fitz gave her apologies and followed Anna.
"You'll see." Anna continued to pull Fitz out of the ballroom "OK, not really a problem. I mean not a big problem, not yet. Actually it's kinda funny … but … well … you'll see."
Anna and Fitz came out of the castle to find a raucous party going on in the courtyard. Apparently the ice harvesters had decided that they needed to properly wet down Kristoff's engagement, which required toasts to a long and happy life and endless children with akvavit and troll juice. Fitz shuddered as she saw the distinctive green liquid being shared.
"En! To! Tre!" The call was picked up by the crowd. "Drink!" And bottles were upended and shot glasses were drained.
"Why do you need me? I'm never drinking that vile concoction again!" Fitz exclaimed.
Kristoff's height made him stand out from the crowd, but the group seemed to be centered around someone too short to be seen from outside the circle.
"It's Elsa. You need to rescue her!" Anna laughed.
As they approached the crowed, it parted as Kristoff exclaimed "ANNA!" and opened his arms for his betrothed. His betrothed could tell he had accepted every jug, bottle, and flask that had been passed around. She could also tell he was going to have one hell of a hangover when this was over. And she knew she would be returning the favors Kristoff had done her after the night of revelry with Edmund. Still she threw herself into his arms and kissed him hard enough to raise a cheer from his fellows.
Of greater concern to Fitz however was the Queen, the center of attention, who was chugging down a slug of troll juice as Fitz and Anna came up to her. Her face was flushed, and she giggled as she upended the rather ornate crystal shot glass she was holding. She cheered with the rest as Anna and Kristoff kissed, then looked at Fitz and winked.
"Hey, sailor, new in town?"
Varying degrees of shock, concern and then merriment appeared on Fitz's face before she answered, "Why … indeed, and at your service."
"That's a really nice … um … sword," Elsa blushed at her own innuendo.
"It is, and perhaps I can ..."
One of the ice harvesters pushed his way through to them. "You need a drink," he said to Fitz. "Make him one of those ice glass things, Your Majesty."
"Oh … oh yes! You're right." Elsa started quickly rubbing the fingers of her left hand against her thumb. "Carolina, what's your favorite animal?"
"Um … horse?" Fitz replied caught off guard.
"Horse? How boring! No, a dragon," Elsa responded. And then she closed her eyes and gestured with her hand. From it sprung a miniature dragon made of ice curled around a small glass. She handed the sparkling, beautifully wrought glass to Fitz. "Mine is a wolf," she explained showing off the shot glass she had been using, which was indeed an intricately detailed wolf. "His is an eagle," Elsa pointed to the man who interrupted them. "His is an elephant," she indicated another ice harvester. "And Kristoff's is … oh, yes how could I forget … Sven."
Fitz looked over and sure enough Kristoff was swilling troll juice from an ice replica of his reindeer. A reindeer who was also actually at the party, braying along with everyone else. She noted that Elsa seemed to have made Kristoff's glass particularly large, which might also explain his lack of balance.
"She makes things out of ice!" One of the gentleman … er ice harvesters … exclaimed with great passion. "Beautiful things out of ice!"
"To the Queen, a master ice carver ..." another man shouted in agreement. The whole crowd of ice harvesters echoed this with cheers. They were great appreciators of ice artistry.
The Queen shrugged shyly and nodded.
"You need to drink," the first man who was standing near them said again as he poured a healthy slug of troll juice in Fitz's glass. "Drink to the Queen!"
"Have some troll juice, it'll put hair on your … your …" Elsa blushed again. "To your good health, and," she giggled and tapped the bottom of Fitz's glass, "… to me!"
Fitz nodded in amused agreement, and then with a flourish downed her troll juice in one gulp. She almost managed not to cough, and when she finally raised her head she heard more cheering and someone slapped her on the back.
The crowd started another chant of "Kiss, kiss, kiss ..." that was clearly meant for Anna and Kristoff. Fitz took this opportunity to wrap her arm around Elsa and ask, "How many of these have you had?" She indicated the glass with a little bit of troll juice residue on the bottom.
"I don't know." Elsa looked to Kristoff who was just coming up for air from Anna. "Kristoff, how many have I had?" She held up her glass.
"Three!" Kristoff shouted back, holding up five fingers.
Fitz leaned down and said as quietly as she could and still be heard. "How about we make our excuses and go upstairs?" She knew Elsa wasn't too much of a drinker, and somewhere between three and five shots of troll juice was a lot.
Elsa wrinkled her nose in thought.
"I'll make it worth your while …." Fitz added.
"Yes, absolutely!" Elsa said enthusiastically, and she snapped her fingers dissipating the beautiful wolf glass. "Anna, we're going to …."
Fitz clapped her hand over Elsa's mouth and said, "finish our evening."
But no one really seemed to notice anyway, except Anna who rolled her eyes and laughed.
Fitz and Elsa walked together back through the crowd into the castle. Elsa seemed to pull herself more upright with every step, and Fitz noticed that she remained the perfect hostess throughout, saying goodnight, stopping to talk when necessary, and walking as if she were just coming in from an evening stroll, not under the influence of the same alcohol that was knocking much bigger men to their knees in her courtyard.
She made her way up the stairs, past the ballroom, and to the rear stairs that led to the bedrooms of the castle. And not once did Elsa stumble, not once did she start giggling, not once did she do anything that might be considered remotely inappropriate. That was not until she was up the rear stairs and almost to her bedroom.
"Oh my ..." Elsa leaned over almost falling on top of Fitz, "aren't we there yet? We've been walking fooooorever!" Then the giggles started, and the stumbling, and the grabbing and the touching that was most definitely in the realm of inappropriate. "Carry me," she said hanging on Fitz's shoulder while her hands explored under her waistcoat.
Fitz looked around and made sure they were well out of sight from anyone in the castle, including any guards, carefully took the crown from the Queen's head, and then she scooped Elsa up and threw her over her shoulder.
"Hey … hey … this isn't what I had in mind," Elsa smacked her on the butt and then was overcome by giggles.
"Almost there," Fitz grunted as she kicked open the door to the sitting room, then the door to the bedroom, dropping Elsa in a pile on to the bed. "Troll juice just hit you?"
Elsa just laughed and stared up at the canopy. "No, it hit me somewhere between toast two and five …"
Fitz looked incredulous.
"Come on," Elsa said, trying to sit upright and failing. "Conceal don't feel? I haven't completely lost that skill. Oh, why is the room moving?"
Fitz quickly pulled off her jacket, grabbed a trash can, placed it at the side of the bed, and then brought a goblet and a pitcher of water. "You're going to want to drink this. All of it."
"I don't want to drink. I want you!" Elsa grabbed Fitz and tried to drag her onto the bed.
"How about you drink the water and then you get me."
Elsa stuck her tongue out but then reached for the glass. It took two tries before she managed to not freeze the water, but after that she drank until Fitz was satisfied.
"OK now, how about we take off your clothes?" Fitz asked with very careful distinct words.
"See, I knew you wanted me!" Elsa waved her hand, and her dress disappeared.
Fitz sat down on the bed and ran her fingers through Elsa's hair, pushing it from her face. "I always want you." She then gently removed Elsa's shoes. "But let's start by getting you comfortable." Fitz pulled the sheet over her and settled her head on her pillow. "I'll just get out of my clothes and be back in a flash."
"OK … waiting … waiting, oh so not patiently … are you back yet?"
Fitz chuckled and finished taking off her own boots, and trousers, and the rest of her clothing, draping it over the chair by the bed. When she came back to the bed the first thing she noticed was …. snoring.
At least she felt redeemed or … well … not so guilty. She climbed into bed and gave Elsa a kiss on her cheek, then as she rolled back she felt cool hands wrap around her.
"Don't go anywhere … still want you."
"And I want you too, love," Carolina said gently. "Now remember, if you feel ill … the bucket is on your left."
"Want … you ..." Elsa breathed slowly, her eyes fluttering closed.
"Bucket on the left," Carolina answered.
A/N: Oh, this was fun. Thanks as always to grrlgeek72 who made it fun with her brilliant moments of inspiration and brilliantly inspired words. And as a gift to "reveal" ... OK, because I was having fun ... it stretched out into another chapter. So there will be chapter 16.