I'M NOT GOING TO MARRY... HIM
The document dropped from her hand and fell to the floor. Her mouth stayed open and her gaze was fixed forward. She stood like that for at least a minute. Not moving, not thinking, not even breathing! After a few seconds her mouth did catch a quick shallow breath, but then she resumed the same position.
"Ah...ah...ah...ahh...!" she kept saying again and again as her mind kept reimagining the last words she read, "...your hand in Marriage!"
The room began to freeze over and snow was beginning to fall, not just in her study, or the hall, or even inside the whole castle. But the whole Queendom was experiencing another snowfall.
The only word that Elsa was trying to form revolved around a certain Red-headed sister that was her whole world.
"Ah... ah... ANNA!"
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The breakfast table in the Main Dining Hall was covered with bowls of assorted fruit, plates of smoked meats and freshly baked rolls and buns. Jars of jams and preserves as well as churned butter were also placed nearby. It's lone occupant was slowly finishing his meal when Anna came through the doors. Her gait was quick, her arms and legs moving with purposeful strides and a big grin was on her face. She was in a good mood this morning!
Kristoff looked up from his plate and noticed the huge grin on Anna's face. He too began smiling, hoping that this was a good sign.
"Good Morning, Feisty Pants! I see you're in a good mood today."
"The Best, Kristoff!" she came over and gave him a big but brief hug. "I'm famished, and ohh, everything looks so good!" She quickly grabbed a plate and started filling it up with her favourites. She knew she was going to have to eventually tell Kristoff about how she wasn't meant to be his girlfriend and that he would find somebody that was right for him, but right now the food was beckoning.
She also hoped that they could still be friends because he was the type who would always be there regardless of how bad things could become. It couldn't really get any worse than what happened during the Great Freeze, could it? And look how they all pulled through!
"So, Anna, I was thinking..."
"Careful!...You might hurt yourself!" she said sweetly, but with an impish grin as she began stuffing a croissant in her mouth.
"Boy, she was on the ball today! Sharp as razor! And cute too!" he blinked, wondering what happened to make her change so fast from yesterday?
"Okay..." he tried again. "Sven and I are going over to the next town to make a delivery, so we probably will be gone for a week. How about when I come back we can discuss ...us?"
Anna thought hard, and found that if she agreed, she would be able to take her time and work out a good speech to tell Kristoff while making sure he wasn't crushed or heart-broken.
But that also meant that he would be deceived for several days because she knew that she did not want a romantic relationship even before he left. Anna thought Kristoff deserved better. He deserved to know now.
"Listen Kristoff, I need to be honest with you. Elsa and I are...huh? " she started. It suddenly got cold. She looked up at the ceiling and gasped!
Frost was forming above and on the windows. Small little flakes were beginning to appear. Their breaths began to become visibly white."
Anna looked at Kristoff at the same time he glanced at her. Their eyes locked in confusion. Anna's eyes grew wide with fear and apprehension, and she placed both hands to her face.
"ELSA !" she cried!
Inside the Grand Dining room, it started to snow.
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"Elsa, it's me Anna, ... Elsa?" Anna was patting her hand and stroking her forehead. Elsa was lying on the couch that was next to her desk. Anna's face was a mask of worry but she knew the reason behind her sister's lack of control. Elsa wasn't hurt but they all found her collapsed on the floor shortly after the ice started forming.
It was Kristoff that forced open the doors that were sealed with ice. Even the burliest councillor was impotent against the solid oak doors that barred the private study of the Queen.
Anna held the letter addressed to her sister that one of the Ministers picked up near the Queen's fallen figure. She had no compunctions of reading the message that was handed to her. Though her French was no where as good as her sister, she was equally repulsed by the message's intent once she read it.
The sound of her sister reviving brought her much relief, yet she was careful not to wear her heart out so publicly in front of so many nobles of her court, but most especially Kristoff.
"Is her Majesty okay, is she ill?"
"Is the Queen injured?"
"What happened to her? And why is it snowing?"
"What was in the letter? Is that why the Queen fainted?"
The questions being whispered all around her were beginning to become an issue.
"Please, everyone, would you please stand back and give my sister some room?" Anna was becoming irritated by the drama and intrigue being played behind her back. "I will attend to the Queen. For now, please leave us. We will gather again for a discussion once Elsa is ready, and only then!" She was becoming possessive, but the gathered nobles acquiesced.
"Very well, your Highness."
"Oh course, your Highness."
"By your leave, your Grace!"
The departing voices showing tacit approval at Anna's unexpected control of the situation.
"Oh my God, did I really do that?" Anna blew out a breath she was holding until the advisors all disappeared. Only Kristoff, Kai and Gerda were left in the study.
"Wow, I'm impressed!" Kristoff said with a small grin. He quickly became serious. "Was that letter what caused Elsa to ... lose it?"
Nodding she thrust the letter into his hands while she turned and gave her sister much closer attention now that only her closest friends were here.
Kristoff quickly looked at the letter and passed it along to Kai who began to read it himself. The words were meaningless to him as he was ignorant of foreign languages.
Elsa was starting to react to the voices around her and was attempting to prop herself up, her eyes still closed, when she felt her sister peppering her forehead with little kisses. "Anna, Anna, I'm okay, I just got lightheaded after reading that letter..."
Then it hit her! She blinked her eyes wide open with fear. That same cloak of despair she spent over thirteen years trying to overcome, came back to her. And she was afraid!
Anna held her sister tightly while she was shivering. "It's going to be okay, Elsa, we'll figure this out." she stroked her older sister's back while whispering comforting words in her ear.
"You read?" Elsa was so unlike her usual calm self. Her normally regal aura was replaced with a frightened child.
"Oh Anna, Anna, Anna, what are we going to do? Just when things were coming together... for us."
"Queen Elsa ..." Everyone turned and looked at Kai. "This message states that the King's son, Prince Johnan, will not arrive by ship until the middle of the month, at the earliest. That gives us at least a three weeks to prepare ...some kind of response." he smiled sympathetically.
She smiled at her House Master and old friend who along with Gerda looked after Anna and herself as well her parents when they were alive. "I think I may have a plan, or at least an idea how we can use this. Assemble the whole council for a discussion in committee for tomorrow. " Elsa declared, her sharp mind overcoming her fear.
"You have a plan?" Anna asked, her huge eyes blinking in wonder at how Elsa could so quickly begin formulating strategy. It awed her.
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It was split pretty evenly between the members of her Royal Council once Elsa proposed her plan. The committee was in heated debate once the contents of King Charles letter was revealed. Most of her advisors also served her father, and a couple ancient Lords even served her grandfather!
Some of them remember the debate regarding rejecting the request of the Grand Monarch and the Betrothal Condition attached twenty-one years ago. It was even feared that King Charles would take the matter personally and subdue the King of Arendelle. However the extent of Elsa's powers were unknown then and almost none of them knew why Elsa's father declined King Charles' request.
Today, everyone knew about the Queen's power. All of them were confident that it's existence would be an asset for the Security of Arendelle. Less were as confident of Elsa's ability to control it, as evidenced by the display immediately after she received the dispatch.
"We should agree to the letter and allow Prince Johan to court our Queen, it is for the Best for Arendelle!" her Minister of Defence declared. Many of the other nobles nodded at his statement.
Her Minister of Foreign Affairs interrupted, "If this plays out though, it would mean that Arendelle would be directly controlled by his Majesty from Stockholm, even assuming that our Queen remains as Regent. That would certainly affect if not intimidate our neighbours... the Southern Isles and Weselton perhaps?" This too brought more nodding heads.
"With Corona assisting our forces and the Queen's power, they would be no match for us! We would be unbeatable!" her Minister of War emphatically pronounced. Elsa and Anna immediately looked at each other with concern on their faces.
"Perhaps, but we would certainly make ourselves noticed by the Great Powers! Imagine the British Empire, Austrian Empire, Prussia, France, Spain and Italy uniting against us!? Even King Charles would intervene against us if he decides it would lead to war against Norway!" Lord Oveson replied.
"MY LORDS!" Elsa stood up. "We all seem to agree that treating with any ONE party would unbalance the status quo. Therefore it only makes sense that we give ALL interested parties the opportunity to ally themselves with us, with Arendelle."
Elsa surveyed her gathered councillors. Everyone one of them entrenched in their ways, but also realizing that the Queens Powers added a new wildcard to played in the events of the world stage. Also, regardless of how biased or bigoted their viewpoints were, all were patriots and did not want to be ruled by a foreigner. At least Elsa hoped that was true.
Then I propose that my idea stands. We will invite ALL the Great Powers to a festival we will host with the purpose of seeking my hand in Marriage."
After what seemed like forever, all her advisors stood up and graciously clapped long and hard. Elsa smiled at them and then surreptitiously took Anna's hand in hers. Both of them bowed as Elsa squeezed Anna's hand, sharing a secret. She had the full support of all her ministers. "Well that's Part One, it only gets harder from here on." she thought to herself.
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It was no surprise when Anna announced the she would take care of Elsa and intended to share her bedroom for the immediate future. Kai and Gerda aided in this manner with a proclamation to the castle staff that the Queen would not be attending her normal duties due to the impending Imperial visit and other Noble dignitaries. Both of them seemed far too easily agreeable to the new sleeping arrangements, and Elsa suspected they knew of the intimate relationship she had with her sister.
Anna was still getting used to sharing her sister's room. She felt that she still needed to explain to Kristoff , but the current events set in motion placed a premium on the time they had.
Both she and Elsa agreed that Kristoff should be included in their plan, but decided to tell him about them after the arrival of Prince Johan. He agreed to help them and was placed in the servants wing on the second floor for the time being. Also, Elsa began thinking of him as a friend now that he was not a rival for Anna's affection.
"Do you think Kristoff would be appalled by what we've become?" Anna asked Elsa as she was slipping into their bed? Her light nightgown coming off as she slid naked next to Elsa.
"And what have we become, my love?" Elsa propped herself on her elbow and gazed at her sister lying beside her. Her hand sliding underneath the covers and resting on Anna's stomach. She proceeded to trace small circles around her sister's navel.
The gesture was sweet but ticklish, and Anna found herself giggling before she could answer. Elsa's coy smile slowly becoming more eager as her traces began sliding further and further down Anna's stomach.
Anna responded by spreading her legs wider, inviting her Queen to explore the hard smooth surfaces of her inner thighs with her hand while Elsa's tongue was slowly circling the nipple on her right breast,
"You know,... umm... more than...umm...sisters...Ahhh!" Anna was having a harder time focusing as Elsa's finger began circling her rosebud. The other fingers slowly rasping the light fuzz above.
"Well, Anna, I've been searching my whole...Uummuff!" Elsa's reply was silenced as Anna pulled Elsa's head towards her, opening her mouth as she guided Elsa's lips towards her own. The kisses they shared becoming more heated as Anna's tongue begged entrance and her sister opening her mouth at the request. Much as Anna was allowing Elsa's fingers entrance to her other soft lips below.
Both their questions and answers were soon forgotten for the now. As their world was becoming more complicated and demanding, they knew they would overcome their obstacles as long as they were together.
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AUTHOR NOTES:
1) Corona, like Arendelle, is an imaginary place. Most sources place it in the Baltic Sea coastline of Germany or Poland. Interesting fact that the word "KORONA" means CROWN in Poland and Romania.
2) "The Southern Isles" is also speculated being South of Norway near Denmark, and Weselton on the German coastline. That being said, it would be pronounced: Vay-zel-ten
3) Most commoner's of the labour class could NOT read or write. Middle-class merchants and tradesmen could but few would be fluent in foreign languages with the exception of sailors who took port in different countries.
I'm sorry if you got mixed up with the NEW preview of Chapter 9 BELOW that was put up.
I had to DELAY the other chapter because I needed to introduce another Canon character to make the transition smoother to the MIDDLE chapters I wrote much earlier.
Anyways, those chapters were supposed to start in Chapter 7 but the story took longer and now we are already in Chapter 9.
So bear with me!
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PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 9
WHAT A TANGLED WEB WE WEAVE
"Anna, do you remember your Nana Vicki, Princess Victoria, the Duchess of Kent from England?" Elsa asked. "She visited here once when you were... three?"
"Nope!"
"I didn't think you would. Well her daughter, our cousin, who is also named Victoria, became the Queen of Great Britain three years ago when she was eighteen." Elsa continued, "I've been writing letters to her since ... after the ice incident. Anyways, we've been invited to her marriage later this year. Guess who her groom is?"
Anna sat up on the cushion and crossed her legs. "It better not be you!" she pouted.
"No silly, it's going to be her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxony, her FIRST cousin." Elsa spoke, her eyes becoming large.
"Hey, you two are the same age! How neat is that?" Anna came up to her sister and straddled her on the chair, peeking over the letters her sister was holding. "If cousin Vicky can marry her cousin, why can't WE get married?"
Elsa was still going over the letters in her hand when what Anna said registered. "Wait,what?" she thought.