*disclaimer: I don't own Frozen nor the characters of this story except the ones that I added*
This story takes place before Frozen, I'm taking some elements from the Movie and from its sequel, Frozen II, but i'm changing the events in order to create this alternative story.
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I firstly wrote this back in 2014, when Frozen II wasn't released yet so lots of elements of it aren't quite the same.
Chapter 1
It was a cold, dark night of early spring, a weak rain was pouring around the big castle of Arendelle where in an unlit hallway the king was pacing back and forth nervously biting his nails, a concerned look on his face. It had been hours since his wife, queen Iduna, started her labour and he had been sent outside the royal chambers, men weren't allowed when it came to chuldbirth. Of course he had wanted to stay beside his wife during the whole painful process but he just couldn't.
Suddenly a white wooden door decorated with carved red roses opened and an old nurse drew the attention of the anxious king: 《Your Majesty.》 The man seemed as he had just woken up from a dream, he looked at the nurse worried wondering what she had to say to him. 《The situation is alarming, it's already been ten hours and it's like the baby doesn't want to come out. The queen has been asking for you and I think it's better for you to come in even if this isn't quite appropriate...》
The king froze, this was the first time he was experiencing fatherhood, he and his wife were ecstatic to welcome their first child into the world, everything seemed perfect up to that moment, nine long but mesmerising months had passed since that warm July night when the queen had announced to her husband that she was expecting. During this long period of time the gardens of the castle exploded into beautiful colored flowers that didn't disappear despite the cold winter. Every month Iduna had found herself looking into the mirror, amazed by her changing body. She had started talking to her baby every night, telling it all about her kingdom, her husband and the wonderful world that would have welcomed it. King Agnarr was convinced that they would have got a baby girl, a princess, while the queen wasn't sure about that, she knew that the kingdom needed an heir, in fact it could be ruled by a queen but if in the family there was a male heir -a cousin, an uncle and so on - the throne passed to him. Iduna and Agnarr didn't have a large family, she was an only child and so was Agnarr, and they hadn't any male relative that could possibly inherit the throne so the child was preferred to be a boy, however as long as the baby was healthy Iduna didn't mind if it turned out to be a girl.
Now, upon hearing that the life of both his child and his wife were in danger, the king became pale and his head got dizzy. He took a deep breath, trying to be brave and to cover his huge fear and then followed the nurse into the room. On a big bed his wife, queen iduna, was lying on her left hip, curled up in fetal position, her dark brown hair braided and messy. She was surely in a lot of pain, her face grimaced every time a new contraction hit her causing her to hold tight onto the white sheets letting out whimpers of pain She was wearing her light purple nightgown that was now stained in blood. At the bottom of the bed there was a tall, skinny man well dressed despite the situation who was washing his hand in a basin, it was the family doctor that had followed all the development of the pregnancy during those months. He had grey hair and concerned green eyes. At his left two young women were arranging some hot towels and at his right stood the midwife, a middle-aged woman with a blonde bun. The king headed close to his agonising wife, he sat beside her taking softly her hand and kissing it. 《A-Agnarr.》 Iduna left out those words weakly, almost without voice slowly rising her blue, tired eyes to look at her husband. She was breathing heavily as numerous contractions ripped her body, forcing her to curl up trying to put an end to those pains. Agnarr felt useless in that circumstance, he wanted it to stop, he just wanted to hold his baby in his arms with his adored wife by his side. He caressed her hair trying to calm her down.
The doctor approached the king and whispered in his ear: 《I'm afraid we're losing both of them. The bleeding isn't stopping and the queen's too weak to keep pushing. The only solution is to help the queen deliver, even if this put at risk the baby's life.》 The king had no idea how they were going to "help the queen delivering" but he was too afraid to lose his wife and his child: 《Is this going to hurt? How are you going to help her? Isn't there another solution?》 He asked looking at his wife, sweaty and exhausted.
《I won't lie, it will hurt pretty bad but the other solution is to cut open and if I do that there's no way to save her Majesty's life.》 Then he lowered his voice and explained to the king how they were going to speed up the process. King Agnarr was horrified: 《You can't do that! She's already in so much pain, this will only make it worse!》
《It's the only way, your Majesty, otherwise we will end up burying the two of them.》 The rawness of the doctor's word made Agnarr's stomach revolting he hought about it a bit, then he nodded to the doctor, allowing him to proceed.
The midwife helped the queen turn on her back, Iduna was too tired to even ask what they were going to do now, she understood that clearly something wasn't right but she hadn't the strength to protest. The midwife raise her gown and then she made pressure on her swollen belly causing the queen to let out agonising screams. The pain was excruciating. Iduna started crying begging it to stop. Agnarr was completely frozen watching that terrible scene. It seemed like it had passed hours but just after ten minutes the baby was born although the room was way too quiet.
The baby wasn't crying. The doctor tried several times to help the baby's breathing but nothing seemed to work. He handled it to the midwife that bathed it, the only noise in the room was the splashing of the moving water of the basin. Finally the baby was covered up and given into the king's arms. It was a girl. A heavy tear made its way on Agnarr's cheek, the queen started crying. Everything they had dreamed about was gone. Then Agnarr passed the child to his wife, queen Iduna held the lifeless baby girl squeezing her into her chest. Agnarr stood there not being able to completely understand what had just happened, tears running from his green eyes. After several minutes, still sobbing, the queen decide to name the baby 《Lilje. Our little flower》. She placed a kiss into that tiny forehead, resigned to let go forever the little girl. She didn't get to see the color of her eyes but her hair was brown like hers.
A servant took the baby, she bowed to the speechless sovereigns and she left the room without saying a word, sorrow in her eyes. She headed to the gardens and then crossed the iron gates, once she got to the near forest she chose a spot under a tree, near a newborn Heather, and she left the baby resting there. She then returned to the castle. It wasn't common for the royal family to bury children until they turned five, it was an old rule dating from the sixteenth century when child mortality was seen as weakness and incapacity of giving the kingdom heirs.
As the first lights of dawn shone coloring the dark bue sky in pink and yellow, under that weeping willow, a light drop of dew fell onto the apparently lifeless baby that started to breathe again and to smile softly watching the morning sky.