Chapter 3
"So, what do you think, dearest?"
"You were right, Elsa, it looks like cold fire on the water," Karl replied.
Queen Elsa and her intended were standing on the parapet watching as the moon hovered overhead, reflected in the flat calm waters of the harbor and fjord. She was standing in front of Karl, watching the night sky from the circle of his arms.
"Told you so. I used to sneak peeks through the shuttered windows of my room to see this. The first night after we got the summer back I came out here and watched all night long. Can I let you in on a little secret?"
"I want to know all your secrets."
"I like it a lot more this way. We'll do this often?"
"Every night there is a full moon, if you'd like."
Elsa pressed back against Karl and felt his arms tighten around her. He felt and heard her sigh deeply.
"So great a sigh, my queen."
"I was just thinking what a crazy time this has been, darling. So much has happened so quickly. And I suspect there will be so much more to come. I'm just very very happy that I'll have you and Anna here with me. I was so afraid that I'd have to do this alone. Not to know what it was like to hold someone or be held. I think that's why it went so bad the night of the coronation. The trolls warned me about the fear."
"At some point I guess I'll need to learn about that side of you, the magic and all."
Elsa turned around in the circle of his arms so that she was looking up into his face. It was a face she never wanted to stop looking at.
"We will sit and talk away a day very soon. I will tell you all about me and you will tell me all about you. For the moment I'd rather do something other than talk."
She reached up and pulled his head down and they didn't talk for quite some time. When their lips finally parted she could see the small, odd smile on his lips. She cocked an eyebrow as if to ask a question.
"As warm as you feel right now, it's rather difficult to accept that you have such power over the ice and snow. Yet I've seen a small bit of what you can do. It is such an amazing thing."
"It doesn't concern you, does it?" she asked.
"That you will do something to harm me? No, not at all. It's just that for someone who grew up surrounded by the everyday issues of growing crops and raising livestock, all of this, you, it seems so fantastic, almost like a dream."
"Does everyone who grows up on a farm become so poetic?" she asked.
"I don't think so, Elsa. It's my own special curse. My brothers used to tease me about it quite a bit."
"Hmm, they'll be invited to the wedding, of course. I believe I'll have to have a little discussion with my new brothers. Somehow, I don't think the size difference will matter all that much," she finished with a devilish little grin.
Karl could only laugh but he couldn't avert his eyes from that face. And he thought that she seemed in no hurry to go back inside and he was happy to remain on the parapet with her.
"Come, darling, let's sit on the bench there," she said.
With her hand on his arm they moved to the small stone bench that was set against the tower wall. But she had no intention of sitting on the cold hard stone. She gestured for Karl to sit and then she took her place on his lap. His arms went around her lower back and hers around his broad shoulders. Blue eyes gazed into blue eyes. Her smile was small and impish and he regarded her with a studied seriousness.
"I should warn you about something, my dearest," Elsa began.
"What's that?"
"Well, as you know I spent most of my life shut off from other people, which meant no meaningful physical contact. No hugs, hand holding, or kissing. So I have a lot of catching up to do. And I'm afraid you are going to have to bear most of the burden, my dear man."
Karl pursed his lips a bit and nodded as he considered this eventuality. He compared the idea of being in frequent contact with the exquisite creature that was the queen as opposed to some of the other burdens he had borne in his life and thought this one would not be difficult to bear.
"I think I will manage to endure it, my queen," he said with a straight face.
"Karl, dear, I know you're teasing me, but don't you think, things being the way they are, you could manage something a bit more heartfelt, than just 'queen' or 'Elsa'?"
"Actually, I can think of many things, Queen of my heart, but I've only just gotten used to using 'Elsa'. And I don't want to use any of the ones who've been using for me, that would just be copying. Perhaps this would help you understand how my feelings for you have grown," he said and then closed the space between them and there wasn't any discussion for a while.
When Elsa allowed her head to slide sideways onto his shoulder she sighed loudly and said,
"I don't know who said it, but I certainly agree with him."
"Who said what?"
"That actions speak louder than words."
"Yes, I would have to agree as well."
Meanwhile, in another part of the castle, a slightly different conversation was taking place.
"Anna, I never said I didn't want to marry you. Your sister just caught me by surprise, that's all."
"Kristoff, you looked like you had just eaten a rotten herring. I realize I'm not as alluring as my sister since her, um, well, change, but would it be so terrible?" she asked, looking despondent.
"Anna, don't be ridiculous. You're ever bit as beautiful as your sister. You just show it differently. And no, it wouldn't be terrible, at all. In fact, I'd have to think it would be wonderful. I guess the idea of being married to a princess just sort of hit me all at once. I mean, does that mean I have to give up my business, like Karl will be giving up the farm?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure, sweetie. I mean, it's not like it's his farm. And I'm not going to be on the throne. I mean, I don't even know if I'm still supposed to live in the castle. My father was an only child so I don't know, will have to find that out. So does that mean that you'd want to marry me?"
"Well, of course I do, I thought…" was as far as he got before he was swarmed under by the energetic hugs and kisses of an ecstatic princess.
When she was finished demonstrating her enthusiasm for the idea she held Kristoff's face in her hands and said,
"We'll wait until after the royal wedding to announce it. I don't want to steal any of Elsa's thunder. I want the next few months to be all about her. I think that will be good for her."
It was close to midnight before Karl was let out through the front gate to make his way back to his cousin's shop and the apartment on the second floor. It had been an extraordinary day. He was now an engaged man and what's more, he was engaged to the Queen. On the surface, it was the result of some clever conniving on the part of the Queen's sister and his friend, Kristoff the ice man. But he had to wonder if perhaps something more was going on. His father had raised him and his brothers as fairly modern thinkers and there was no part in it for magic and trolls and such.
Yet, in just a short time he was introduced to actual magic and steadfast assertions that trolls did indeed exist. In fact, Kristoff supposedly had been adopted by them. At the moment he was only interested in the magic that now existed between himself and Elsa. They had only spent the greater part of two days together and yet he found himself totally in love with her and more amazingly, her with him. And in that short time he had come to feel very comfortable in her presence. He continued along with this train of thought as he walked unhurriedly down the street, his boots making little sound on the cobblestones.
Thus he wasn't paying attention when the door to a tavern swung open and a sailor, obviously worse for the time he spent inside, staggered out and right into the side of Karl. Karl took a small step sideways while the sailor rebounded toward the tavern door.
"'ere, watch where ya goin', mate."
"Excuse me," Karl rumbled.
The sailor pulled himself up as straight as his state allowed and he might have come up to Karl's chin. Squinting in an attempt to focus, the sailor hesitated a moment but the alcohol pushed him down the wrong path and he took a swing in the direction of Karl's voice. Instead of the sound of knuckles on jawbone, the street rang to the sound of knuckles slapping into a side of beef. The sailor blinked owlishly and was able to see that his fist was now engulfed in Karl's hand, having been caught in mid swing.
After staring at his restrained hand for a moment he turned his attention to Karl's face and thought he saw a smooth shaved, serious face with a pair of blue eyes calmly regarding him. But in the poor light of the lanterns hanging on either side of the tavern door, he felt there was more, a shaggier mien, a wilder gaze from those blue eyes and a thin veneer of restraint over a core of rage. Before he could respond in any way a voice was heard approaching.
"What have we here, gentlemen?"
Karl turned to face the approaching watchman and said,
"I'm afraid my friend here has indulged a bit too much. He nearly lost his balance and I was barely able to catch him. I think he perhaps could use some help getting back to his ship."
The watchman took in the scene. The shabbily dressed sailor swaying as he stood, his fist firmly held in the quite a bit larger hand of the quite a bit larger man, respectably if simply dressed in what was likely his best outfit. He had been on the city watch long enough to know what was likely going on but smart enough to know what the wise choice was.
"Allow me to make sure of that, friend. A word to his first mate would likely be helpful as well."
Karl simply nodded and released the man's hand and with a nod resumed his walk to his cousin's. As the watchman took hold of the sailor's arm in his free hand, the other holding his duty truncheon, he said,
"I trust you know just how lucky you are, friend."
"Mebbe, but I'm sure it'll hit me when I sober up. If I'm really lucky, we'll be out ta sea by then."
The watchman chuckled all the way to the dock to hand the sailor over to his first mate. Karl made it to his cousin's without further incident, although things got pretty noisy when he informed the household that he was now engaged to the Queen. Before going to bed he wrote a message for his father to inform him of events and that they would all be expected to attend the wedding. He was expected back at the castle the next day to have lunch with the Queen and to then spend the afternoon exchanging life stories. It was also suggested that they might spend some time talking about how Elsa would present him to the council of ministers.
When that moment arrived a few days later, it turned out that Karl didn't really need any preparation. It all seemed to flow very naturally from who he was. Elsa had tried to ease the way for him but the ministers were not very receptive. The general attitude was that a major opportunity was being squandered, particularly where foreign relations were concerned. It took a fair amount of restraint to keep from turning them into a tray of ice cubes.
"Well, I can see that we aren't going to be able to make this any easier so I suppose it's time for you to meet the man whom I will be marrying," she said.
"The farmer you mean," came a comment from down the table.
"Yes, a farmer," she said with some asperity. "One of those people that keep you all fed, and in too many instances, over fed. Excuse me a moment."
Elsa rose and went out into the corridor and down to the small room where Karl had been patiently waiting. He looked surprised to see her enter the room.
"You came for me yourself? I thought you'd send someone or ring a bell."
"My love, I will most certainly not ring a bell to have you come running. Plus I want them to get used to the idea of seeing us entering a room together. We may not be equals as far as the law is concerned, but we are as far as love is. So come with me, love of my life, and let's see what they have to say when they meet you face to face."
Karl smiled as he stood up and offered his arm to his love and together they walked back to the council room. As Elsa and Karl entered through the doorway, all heads were turned in their direction. Elsa was inwardly gratified to see the reaction of the assembled ministers to the sight of her beloved. Eyes wide, a few blinks, a bit of leaning back. For weeks to come she would think back on this moment and smile. When they reached the head of the table she stopped them both and turned to face those seated.
"Gentlemen, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce to you, my fiancé, Karl Ericson. Karl, dearest, these worthy gentlemen are my council of ministers. They see to it that the kingdom continues to run smoothly. They were invaluable during the years since my father and mother were lost."
"Gentlemen, I am humbled and honored at having this opportunity to meet you all."
Again, Elsa could see the looks of confusion on the faces of the ministers. Not only wasn't a farmer supposed to look like he had just stepped off a long boat, he wasn't supposed to sound like a school master either. When Elsa went to sit, he promptly pulled out her chair and then took a smaller one that had been pulled up for his use. Once he was seated he looked around at the faces regarding him and he said,
"I imagine that you may have some questions for me."
No one seemed to want to be the first, but Karl was willing to wait for them to come to him, as it were. Finally, the foreign minister said,
"It's not so much a matter of questions, er, Goodman.."
"Karl will do just fine," he said.
"Ah, yes, well, anyway, the Queen is free to make her own choices. But tradition dictates that such arrangements are made well ahead and there are a number of factors to take into consideration."
"Ah, yes, you mean, to what advantage can such a marriage be turned and who can benefit the most from it, yes?" Karl asked mildly.
"Well, that's a blunt way to put it," the minister replied, "but the kingdom could benefit from such an arrangement."
"It would seem to me that a kingdom could also benefit from a Queen who was happy and content and able to focus on the issues that were most important to her subjects."
Elsa had to resist the urge to wrap her arms around those impossible shoulders, but she was partly compensated by the expressions of the council. They were good men, in general, but all seemed possessed of a varying amount of 'classical' thinking. She suspected more than one of them had been hoping that she would marry some scion of a noble family, native or outland, that could be cultivated as a sort of pseudo king. How ironic, she thought, that this simple farmer could be that and more, in all but name.
"And gentlemen," Elsa interjected, "I have asked Karl to put his considerable talents and experience to use working to complete the list of projects that my father had assembled over the years. I think it would be a fitting tribute to his memory. And of great benefit to the kingdom and its subjects. That's one of the reasons I thought it was important for you to meet him as soon as possible, as he'll be interacting with some of you in the future."
She held their gazes for a moment and then smiled.
"I think that will do for today, gentlemen. Let's bring this meeting to a close. Thank you."
Karl rose quickly and helped Elsa rise and they walked out of the room and made for Elsa's quarters. The ministers had all risen after the soon to be royal couple left and now stood looking at each other. Finally the foreign minister said,
"Well, if nothing else it should be interesting to see how our neighbors react to him."
"They'll probably have nightmares about the old days," the finance minister said. "That might not be such a bad thing."
The object of their discussion sat on a couch in the sitting room of Elsa's apartment. His Queen was seated beside him, pressed up tightly to his side, one of his hands clutched tightly in both of hers. Anna sat in a chair across from them.
"So, it looks like you two did all right for yourselves," Anna said.
"He did, and far more than all right," Elsa replied to her sister. "I don't think a single one of them saw a farmer sitting next to me. I don't think they could really figure out who he is."
"What do you mean by that, love?"
"Karl, sweetheart, when I first saw you, I wasn't thinking that you were a farmer. I'll bet that Anna didn't think so either. It may speak poorly of us but the image that comes to mind is callused dirty hands, a lined, weathered face, shoulders stooped from hard labor, all wrapped in worn, threadbare clothes."
Karl couldn't help himself and he began to laugh. It was low and slow, but his rumbling chuckles began to annoy his beloved. Anna simply looked confused. When Karl finally stopped he looked at the two young women and said,
"You've just done a very good job of describing my father at the end of a workday during the planting and harvesting season when every hand is needed. His stocky build doesn't help with the stooped shoulder look," Karl said, his eyes alight with amusement.
"Sweetheart, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I was just trying to tell you why people around the castle see you as they do," Elsa said.
"No, love, there is no offense. Believe me, my brothers and I know what kind of image we bring to mind. It comes from my mother's side. In the right dress, she would not have looked out of place here in the castle. She was tall and beautiful. Her smile covered her entire face, much like yours does, Elsa, when you let it. I wish you'd do it more. She was smart and clever and could hold her own in any conversation when visitors were at the farm. And she loved my father to distraction. There is something of her spirit in you, love. So, when you see my father, you will very much see a farmer. And were you to say so, he would consider it a great compliment. It has always been his greatest ambition to be known as the best farmer in the kingdom."
Elsa sat for a moment or two and then pulled his head down to kiss his cheek. Then she sat back and said,
"I would be proud to be able to call such a man 'father'."
"And he would be very pleased to have you do it. My sisters in law are very much his daughters now."
"Alright, that's all very well and good, but what about the meeting? Karl handled it well you say, which means someone was giving him something to handle," Anna prodded.
"The foreign minister seemed to think we were squandering an opportunity to firm up a relationship with some trading partner or ally or something," Elsa explained sourly. "Can you imagine? I come out of years of isolation just so my advisors can saddle me with a total stranger."
"Um, sweetie, isn't that sort of what Kristoff and I did?" Anna asked, her face going rosy.
Elsa laughed a bit and then said,
"On the face of it, yes, but when I think about it I have to conclude that you two were merely the instruments of the gods who gifted me with this perfect man who is so uniquely able to deal with my peculiar situation."
Her serious face lasted perhaps twenty seconds while Karl and Anna looked at her and then she broke out in a wide smile and girlish giggles. She took hold of his arm in both hands and leaned her head on his shoulder. He looked down at her with a cocked eyebrow.
"I thought that part of why you're so attracted to me is my simple, rural humility. You start throwing around 'gift from the gods' and it might be hard for me to hold on to that."
Anna laughed and then got serious again.
"So, they're not happy about it but they seem willing to accept it, is that what you're saying?"
"So it would seem. I suppose if Karl winds up getting attacked in the streets that will give us some hints."
"Actually, that already happened in a way, but it was the other night so it couldn't have had anything to do with us getting married."
"WHAT?" Elsa shouted, but not quite shrieked. "What are you talking about? Who attacked you? Where? Where is this criminal?"
"Love, calm down. As you can see I came to no harm. He was just a drunken sailor who stumbled into me as he came out of a tavern as I was passing by. He was aggressive and I stopped him. A watchman happened by and took him in hand and returned him to his ship. There was no problem."
"What if he had been armed with a knife?" Elsa insisted, both of her hands squeezing on his arm, but making little impression on his rock like muscles.
"Um, Karl," Anna began, "doesn't it seem odd though that this sailor just happened to stumble out of that tavern right as you were walking by?"
"Not as far as coincidences are concerned. For it to have been something else would have meant that they knew I was going to be at the castle that day and what the outcome would be. And if they knew that, don't you think they would have known to send someone who wasn't a head shorter than I am?"
"I suppose so," Anna conceded. "Wait, you said you stopped him? How?"
"He threw a punch at me and I caught it," Karl rumbled.
"You mean you blocked it," Elsa said.
"Yes, by catching it."
"How on earth do you catch a punch?" Anna asked.
"This time it was easy. He wasn't in the best of shape so there wasn't much to it. It was more difficult with my brothers, but I got pretty good at it. It used to upset them quite a bit," he said, cracking a smile.
A little later, when Anna had left on some errand and Elsa and Karl where alone, she took hold of one of those large hands and said,
"Karl, dearest, you know that I have very little experience with people. I trust that you won't forget that I am far more fragile than your brothers."
Karl looked down at his bride to be and thought he saw a glimmer of a grin, but he decided to play it through. He gently disengaged his hand from hers, twisted slightly as he sat and gripped her waist in those large hands. He lifted her up and lightly deposited her on his lap. Then he wrapped her in his arms and cuddled her to his chest. She was surprised at his reaction to her gentle jest, but pleasantly so. She could never remember feeling so safe and loved. She wondered if this was how it felt to be held by her mother and father.
"I can tell you've never had to help a laboring cow or ewe deliver through a difficult birth. Or to carry a weak newborn lamb inside to warm it by the kitchen stove to ease it through those first few hours of life. I can be as rough and ready as anyone but you, Queen of my heart, will only know the most gentle hand from me."
From the cradle of his arms, Elsa reached up and grabbed his head to pull it down, murmuring as she did,
"Well, not always that gentle," and then she kissed him and his embrace became a lot less parental.
When they finally surfaced, Elsa regarded her intended with eyes that burned like flaming blue ice crystals.
"Oh, yes, that was much more the thing. Oh, darling, you have me feeling so many things. It's just one big confused jumble. And I can't imagine anything more wonderful. This is going to be a very long summer."
"I understand what you're saying, love. But based on what my sisters in law have said, it will pass more quickly than you could imagine and there won't be enough time to deal with all the details," Karl said.
Elsa laughed and with what Karl had said, they began to talk about plans for the wedding, the arrangements for his family, what dignitaries would be invited and just how many people could fit in the castle chapel. Karl looked out the window and said,
"It's a shame that we can't fit more. Considering you're marrying one of the common folk, it would be fitting to invite as many as we can. At least from the town."
"That would be a fitting gesture, but there simply isn't room for more than a few, and how would we choose which ones. What we would need is a great big hall or cathedral," she mused.
"It's too bad you can't put a roof over the courtyard of the castle. You'd fit the whole town and more that way," Karl offered.
Elsa looked into that serious face and those amazing blue eyes. As she did, a germ of an idea began to form in her mind, like frost forming on a window pane. She smiled. When she broached the subject with Anna later that evening after Karl had left for his cousin's house, the two sisters talked into the small hours of the morning.
When Karl returned the following afternoon, having spent the morning helping his cousin, he had a folded letter in his pocket. It was his father's response to the letter Karl sent. He thought Elsa would find it interesting and amusing. He was passed through the gate without comment or escort. At the doors to the castle proper he was told the Queen was awaiting him in her private study. It was a long trek up the spiral stair case but he didn't mind, considering who was waiting for him.
As he approached the study he saw that the door was closed but what really got his attention was the sound coming from the other side. Someone was singing. Really singing. He couldn't make out the words too clearly through the heavy wood door but the tone seemed joyful and was delivered in a ringing voice. He stood outside and patiently waited, enjoying what he could hear. When the song died away he knocked. It took a moment but the door was pulled inward. He couldn't help but smile at the face that greeted him from the other side.
"Your Majesty, your humble servant presents himself at your bidding."
"I bid you enter, you silly man. Humble servant indeed," she said, laughing as she grabbed his arm and pulled him into her study.
"You seem to be in a very fine mood this afternoon, love."
"And why should I not be, beloved of mine? So much good fortune in so short a time. The only thing that would make it perfect were if mother and father were here. We'll need to consider some way of honoring them at the wedding, don't you think?"
"I think that would be a fine idea, love. Father always had good things to say about them."
"And your mother, too."
"Thank you, Elsa," Karl said in a quiet, almost small voice. "Oh, and speaking of parents, Father sent this."
He pulled the folded letter from his pocket and handed it to Elsa. Elsa smiled and said,
"Please, read it to me."
She would die of embarrassment if he knew, but the sound of his voice sent little shivers down her spine if she wasn't careful.
"Alright, love, ahem, my dearest son, as you may imagine, your letter created quite an uproar. While outwardly surprised I must admit to a certain satisfaction that my suspicions proved correct. If the Queen is a true daughter of the late King and Queen, her intuition would have easily marked you as someone of unique qualities. While I love all my sons unreservedly, honesty dictates that there was and is something special about you. Your mother and I remarked on it often. It comforts me greatly in my old age to know that someone of such perception now occupies the throne and that she will have you standing at her side. Of course, I and your brothers will be there to share your special day. Look for us on the eve of the last day of summer. With love and pride, your father."
Karl looked up to see Elsa regarding him with a warm smile and shiny eyes. She took the letter from his hand and read it through to herself. Then she looked up and said,
"That is a man that I will call father, and gladly."
Karl could only smile. Then Elsa gave herself a little shake and said,
"Dearest, there is someone I would like you to meet. Once you take up residence in the castle, you'll likely see him around a fair amount so I thought it was time to meet him. He was a friend from our early childhood and he reappeared during the recent unseasonable weather."
Karl knew that Elsa always referred to the freak winter she caused in some oblique manner and that the idea of it caused her great pain so he never made as if to notice.
"And who might that be, love?"
"Olaf, little guy, could you come in here, please?" Elsa called out.
A narrow door opened and from a small anteroom Olaf the snow man waddled in. Karl stared dumbfounded as the small ambulating mass of snow drew closer and then looked up at him.
"So this is the one that Anna told me about. My goodness, it hurts my neck just to look up at him. If I had a neck, that is, hehheheheh," the little frozen man said.
"Karl, this is Olaf. Olaf, this is Karl, the man I'm going to marry."
"Hello, Karl, it's very nice to meet you," Olaf said, holding out his stick hand.
"Um, nice to meet you, too, Olaf," Karl replied, reaching down to shake the hand, only to have to stick it back into the snowy body.
He turned toward Elsa and asked quietly,
"Does he always have that little snow cloud with him?"
"Yes, darling. I had to do that for him to keep him from melting in the summer heat."
Karl merely nodded.
"Will he be at the wedding?"
"Of course, dearheart, he was a very big help to Anna and I think he's earned that place."
Again, Karl merely nodded and then said,
"I suppose if we could get him to stand still long enough, we could put him with the ice sculptures."
Elsa's eyebrows shot up and then she tried to stifle the giggles behind a hand. Olaf wasn't sure what had been said but he couldn't help but laugh as well. He liked it when either or both of the sisters laughed. Olaf waddled off in pursuit of what ever it was that snowmen might find of interest. Karl took a seat on a settee and Elsa perched herself on his lap.
"Are there any other interesting things I should know?" Karl asked.
"Well, let see," she said, as she snuggled down to lean against his broad chest. "I love chocolate. Anything and everything about chocolate. If you ever feel at a loss as to what to give me for some occasion, you can always fall back on chocolate."
"That's very helpful, thank you."
"Oh, and on a more serious note, don't ever expect me to get on board a ship. I didn't like the idea of mother and father going off on one, and I was right. I might go out on the fjord in a boat, but only if you and your brothers are rowing it."
Karl laughed.
"I'll make you an offer. Come winter, you can freeze the fjord solid and we'll take a ride along its length in Kristoff's sledge. I'm not a fan of the idea of ocean sailing myself."
"Thank you, sweetheart," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be morose, but I do miss them. As I'm sure you must miss your own mother, especially at a time like this."
"Yes, I'll miss dancing with her at the wedding party," he said sadly.
"You dance?"
There was a discernible pause in Karl's response so that Elsa brought her head up just as he said,
"What? Is the idea of the lumbering Viking oaf taking a turn about a dance floor so inconceivable?"
"Of course not, Karl," Elsa said vehemently. "I just didn't think the opportunity to dance would come up much on a farm."
"Elsa, it is patently obvious that you really don't know much about what goes on outside the walls of this castle or the boundaries of this town. Of course there is dancing on farms. Recall those gathers I mentioned? Dancing is a big part of those. Music is much a part of our lives on a farm. There isn't much to do on those long winter nights. Would it interest you to know that I can do a fair turn on a wooden flute?"
"Really? I'm sorry, Karl, I never would have thought…" Elsa began and then hesitated before going on. "I'm so sorry, Karl, I'm making such a mess of this. You're right. There is so little I really know. I did read a great deal, there wasn't much else to do, but so little of it told me about what goes on in the world around me. How will I ever manage to do this?"
As she said this she pulled herself into a tight ball, leaning heavily into Karl's chest, like a small frightened child. Karl wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.
"I'm sorry, too, love. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I suppose it's a sore spot how people see me."
"Then I suppose we are a finely matched pair, you and I," Elsa said, as she sat up a little straighter.
"As to the how, you and I will do it together," Karl added. "You as the Queen, me as your most faithful subject."
"Karl, darling, you are so much more than my subject."
"I'm aware of that, Elsa, love, but everyone else must see you as the Queen, and in complete charge. I will be your husband, but not co-ruler. That can never be. Otherwise there may be those who would attempt to use me and my place for their own purposes," Karl explained.
Elsa looked at her intended with untrammeled admiration.
"Something you learned from your many scholarly visitors, my dear?"
"Yes, history is full of many such tales. Brother against brother, son turned against father and so on. Your own readings never told you such?"
"I never liked history much. I spent most of my time with the more practical matters of governing. Taxes, trade, and so on. It seems I need you for so many things, dearest."
"And I will be there always, in whatever manner you need."
Blue eyes met blue eyes and Elsa began to smile slowly.
"Perhaps I, we, will manage after all."