Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Night of Ribaldry

Arendelle Castle Courtyard

Two hours earlier

He watched her as she twirled on the arm of some farmer in the courtyard. He couldn't help but wrinkle his nose in disgust at the shameful way she was carrying on with these peasants as if they were of the same rank as she. He felt sickened at the thought of marrying her as Caleb bid. Having her as a wife would be an eternal embarrassment to him and he wasn't sure he could live that down.

He considered disobeying Caleb completely and just taking off after the wedding. Once Hans' wedding to Elsa was announced, Holford knew he lost. His brother had somehow convinced the Snow Queen to marry him and they pretty much announced to the world they had a whirlwind romance. He was sure it was all an arranged marriage sans the intimacy but with all the opportunities slated towards Hans' advancement. A letter from Caleb arrived for Hans just two days ago. Holford didn't need to read it to know that Caleb had granted Hans his title back. It was the final nail in the coffin of Holford's defeat. What surprised him though was that Caleb didn't recall him. His oldest brother had ordered him to remain on standby in case Hans proved to be a failure. It was an odd thing considering all indications pointed to Hans' success in this venture and there was no point in being a back-up anymore.

Holford's perception changed, however, when he signed as a witness to Hans' marriage certificate. The name Hans used wasn't Westergaard. It was Jorgenbjorgen. There was also no trace of any of Hans' Westergaard titles or even an indication he was granted an Arendellian title. It boggled his mind why Hans would completely disregard an advantage that was placed before him. Holford wasn't one to quibble about the details and realized this was a hole to Hans' success that he could take advantage of.

With a bit of sweet-talking, he was able to allow a newspaper reporter to see and copy the newly signed marriage contract. He also spoke to the reporter and gave him some exclusive background that his brother "had given up a title of the Southern Isles as a way to prove his loyalty to his beloved new queen-wife." News like that once it reaches Caleb, will be a slap in the face of the Southern Isles' king.

Holford proceeded with the second part of his plan to embarrass Hans further and sabotage the perfect image of his marriage. Anna was just the right person to help him.

He waited for Anna's dance to end then approached her with an offer to dance the next set.

"Oh, I'm all tired out," Anna said. "I think I need a bit of refreshment."

"Well then Princess, here you go," Holford said as he called forth a servant with some lemonade.

Anna took it and she appeared to be deciding how the best way to avoid him as she had been doing for several days now. Holford was ready for this. "Anna, dear sister. I realize we are much more closely related now that are siblings have married and there is an important matter I wish to bring to you about them."

"What is it?" she asked as her eyeballs flitted away from his gaze in an attempt to look for an excuse to leave him.

"Well, it is a rather delicate matter. Will you walk with me?"

Anna reluctantly followed him.

"You see it involves Hans and Elsa. You must notice that they must be exhausted from all of this. The days of preparing for the wedding have left them so little time to be together. I've barely even seen them have a word alone."

"Well, Hans mentioned that it is tradition for the bride and groom in the Southern Isles to not see each other until their wedding. For good luck, he said. I thought it was ridiculous, but he seemed adamant about it."

Holford nodded in assent. "It is our tradition Anna, and Hans is very much into keeping Southern Isles customs. And if I know Hans he will keep up this duty of maintaining the perfect host with your sister all night long, when I know for a fact that he has been longing to be alone with her."

"He told you that?" Anna asked, suddenly interested.

"Not in so many words. Hans has never been expressive about his feelings. But I could see it in the way he has been looking at her with longing. I can tell, he just wants the rest of the world to leave the two of them alone. They're newlyweds and this should be their night together to finally express their love. But they are obliged to make the rest of us feel comfortable and make sure everyone is having fun. Do you not think this rather unfair?"

Anna pondered for a moment before her face fell. "I suppose I never really thought about it that way. Elsa has always been busy and she never really complains about her duties. I guess I never thought she would feel this as a burden."

"Oh Anna, believe me, all this pageantry with her people is entirely burdensome, especially for a newlywed. I mean you have been wedded before. Do you not recall how all this ceremony seems to drag on and on when you just want to get on with your honeymoon?"

Anna bit her bottom lip and Holford could tell she had been picturing herself in her wedding. Holford knew her previous marriage had been a small affair and entirely devoid of spectacle so she could never attest to the pressures of being in the center of a grand event.

"And just between us, brother to sister," Holford continued in a lower tone as if appearing to whisper to her. "I heard rumors that Hans and Elsa just before they announced their engagement well… shall we say having some intimate activities together. It is natural for a couple in love and I do not condemn them for such behavior. However, someone without an ounce of consideration for their privacy decided to spread the word about it. Of course, it embarrassed them both so they felt the need to distance themselves to the point they could not even be alone together until they are wed. I feel they have been robbed of that opportunity to be happy these last few days and I think they deserved to have some alone time now."

Anna visibly flinched when he mentioned someone spreading the word about Hans and Elsa's intimate encounters. It was no secret that Anna had been that someone. The whole council was talking about how Anna had gone on and on to hint that something was happening in the library between her sister and Hans.

"What can we do?" Anna asked fretfully.

Holford grinned conspiratorially at her. "Oh, that is precisely what I wish to speak about. You see, in the Southern Isles, there is a tradition that after the wedding ceremony, the wedding party will bring the bride and groom together to the bridal chamber and shut them in, so to speak. There is much teasing of course to encourage them to well… get on with their wedding night while the rest of us do a vigil to make sure they do not get interrupted."

"I don't know about that," Anna remarked. "Elsa's rather a private person. It might embarrass her and Hans."

Holford laughed it off. "It's all in good fun. We make sure that we lay it out to them the expectation that everything about this is alright. They're married and they should be entitled to some time alone. If we get everyone in on this, they would have an excuse to leave the party and not feel ashamed about it."

Anna considered it. "I guess, that makes sense. I do want them to have some quality time together now they are wed. How do we go about it?"

"We talk to people. Get everyone you know, especially the people that are close to them about this tradition. Leave out the ones that you think would squeal about this ahead of them. Tell those willing to go with you that this is a surprise for the newlyweds. A gift from all of us to them. Tell them to spread the word too. In two hours, I will call for a toast then announce it and that will be the signal for everyone to just join in."

Anna couldn't help but giggle. "I guess it is. Alright, I'll do it. What should we be saying?"

"I'm sure you can think of something. Don't you worry people will get the hint once they are in the spirit of things. This will be so much fun Anna, I guarantee it." He said as he gave her a wink.

Elsa was caught in a nightmare.

She expected to consummate her marriage with Hans tonight. She had told him specifically it was a condition of their union. However, she had counted on at least preparing herself and him. In the days that led to their wedding, she had been unable to even bring herself to speak to him and he certainly made it clear he had no intention of communicating with her after her disastrous proposal. She decided once the air had cleared from the festivities, she would sit with him and they could talk about this in a way that they can move forward harmoniously.

She had not counted on being accosted by her guests led by her sister halfway through their wedding banquet and carried towards her bedchamber amidst ribald teasing to "do the deed" so soon. Kai and Gerda had at least intervened halfway through and forced the pack of girls that conspired to carry her through the halls to let her go just outside her bedroom and stop her from getting disrobed. They managed to get her veil off but that was the most they could do for her gown was made of ice and had no buttons or stays to pull off unless she willed it.

Hans, she could tell, was having no such luck. From the shouts and laughter from the end of the hallway, he was being stripped naked by their male guests who appeared to have been half-inebriated already.

"Your majesty, please just go inside," Kai warned.

"But Hans…" Elsa began.

"It's no use trying to stop this," Kai told her. "It would be much easier if we just let them bring him into your chamber. I've kept the secret passageway that adjoins your room to his open. The doctor is on standby in the in-between hallway if you need him."

Elsa was thankful that Kai was so thorough. The doctor was there for a different reason altogether, but he could be useful in case Hans ended up being maimed even before he reached her bedchamber.

She entered her bedchamber and closed the door. Once inside, she willed her gown to be replaced with a simple dress that would allow her to move with more ease but one that covered her from neck to ankle and without any seams in case the crowd barged in again and demanded she undress. She considered locking the door, but realized poor Hans would be caught outside and who knows what the riled-up crowd would do to him.

The door burst open and Hans was pushed unceremoniously in. He had nothing left on but a pair of trousers and one sock clinging to the edge of his toes. The trousers had been unbuttoned on the side, leaving the waistband of his pants dangerously low. However, there appeared to be no blood or bruises so she was relieved somewhat.

Amidst the laughter, he heard Holford shout: "Enjoy the night Hans! Be sure to do your duty."

Hans shouted an invective at him but Holford slammed the door and he appeared to be leading the men on the other side in a ribald chorus that could make any maiden blush.

"Are you alright?" she asked tentatively as she concentrated on his reddened face.

He didn't answer. Instead, he kicked off the sock and buttoned the side of his trousers as he stood with his back to her. From the way his shoulders heaved up and down he was breathing heavily.

"Hans…?"

He raised a hand in a gesture to stop her but didn't turn around. Finally, he spoke with a resigned tone. "Holford's going to be checking tomorrow to see if this marriage is consummated. And if it's not, he will find a way to spin a scandal out of this marriage."

He slowly turned around and she could see the fury on his face coupled with his determined expression.

"Let's just get this over with."

Anna hadn't laughed so much in ages. She doubted Holford in this scheme but it turned out quite to be a lot of fun teasing her sister and her new brother-in-law into the royal bedchamber. It didn't take much effort to find people to rally behind his plan. Once it started, people got into it. The servant girls from the royal kitchens joined in with so much enthusiasm that Anna realized she didn't need to even lead them in bringing Elsa out of the ballroom. She pulled back to let the girls deal with Elsa until her sister disappeared behind a corridor towards her bedchamber.

She then watched as the male guests carried Hans through the same path. The men were a lot more aggressive with him and to her shock, they started tearing off his clothes right in the hall. She roared with laughter at first when he lost a shoe and his coat. The expression on Hans' face as his vest came off next was just too hilarious for words. However, when he was finally stripped of his shirt, Anna started to think this was taking it too far.

"Hey! Save some of it for Elsa to take off!" she shouted in half-jest.

Holford, who had just pulled one of Hans' socks off, stopped halfway from pulling out his remaining sock and left it hanging at the edge of his toe.

"Sure, Elsa can take that off him! It can serve another purpose to at least keep him warm later!" Holford shouted back as the men roared with laughter.

"Holford, you scumbag—"

Anna shut her ears to the rest of Hans' cursing. She had never heard him this angry and worried he might get seriously injured.

Anna followed them until they stopped outside the royal bedchamber. One of the men yanked open the door and with a command from Holford, the men pushed in a furiously cursing Hans, and shut the door behind him.

"Holford. HOLFORD! Stop it! This has gone far enough!" Anna shouted but the Southern Isles Prince no longer seemed to hear her. He started leading everyone into a chorus of a song with very dirty lyrics while bottles of alcohol were passed around. The musicians that had previously been playing waltzes during the reception were called in and ordered to play. Half-drunk guests were soon dancing and singing ribald songs out of tune right outside Elsa's bedchamber door.

Anna finally gave up. She trusted Elsa would bar that door with her ice if she had to, so it was unlikely they would be disturbed. She turned back towards the ballroom but nearly tripped over something strewn on the floor. She bent over and picked up Hans' discarded inner coat. Something fell off the pocket and Anna saw that it was folded piece of paper. She walked to a quiet corridor before opening the page.

It was a letter from Lars addressed to Hans.

Anna didn't want to pry and knew she shouldn't be reading his private mail. However, Lars' salutation caught her eye:

Felicitations, future king of Arendelle!

The words struck her with a horrible sense of déjà vu. Suddenly she couldn't stop reading the rest of the letter.

No! It's not possible that Hans just married Elsa so he can be king. He wouldn't do that. Not anymore! He and Elsa want each other. I can see it in the way they look at each other. And she did ask to marry him. I'm not going to jump to conclusions this time. I did that once and it only ended in disaster. I'm just going to have to talk to him about it. And Elsa too.

There was nothing much she could do but wait until morning. She headed back into the ballroom but didn't have much spirit to entertain anymore. After an hour she headed off to the nursery to check on her sleeping twins. She climbed into bed with them and fell asleep without realizing it.

She woke up a few hours later. Dawn had not yet arrived so even without a clock she knew it was still the wee hours of the morning. She slowly eased herself out of bed and went out.

The castle was silent as the wedding party had died out probably hours before. She went to Elsa's chamber and her relief found the hallway outside her door empty. Somehow, the guests that formed Holford's rowdy vigil had dissipated. Curiously, she put an ear to the closed door and couldn't hear a sound. She gave the door a soft knock and waited.

Nothing.

She gave a louder knock and this time waited a whole five minutes.

Still nothing.

She made a third knock and whispered, "Elsa? Hans? It's just Anna, I'm alone. I just want to check if you're okay."

Fifteen minutes went by and yet there was no response.

Anna's hand grasped the door and she gently turned the knob, expecting it to be locked. It was not.

She gently opened the door and tiptoed into the room, careful not to startle Elsa and Hans in case they were asleep or engaged in some other intimate activity. But she realized in a second, she didn't need to be so careful. The bedchamber was empty.

She inspected the bed. There were signs that probably someone had sat on it, but the bedspread and sheets were still neatly made it was obvious it had never been slept in.

Dozens of worried scenarios raced through her head. Was it possible Holford's drunken crowd drove them out of the room? Or could it be they were disturbed and brought somewhere else by force? Could I have ruined their wedding night?!

She left the room and stepped back into the hallway, wondering if she should call up some servants to begin search parties. However, she stopped herself. It would not be a good idea to let everyone know Elsa and Hans were missing on their wedding night.

I'll have to find them on my own.

She didn't know where to begin but decided it would be prudent to get a scarf first in case she had to go searching the grounds. She headed towards her bedchamber but stopped short of entering it.

There was light filtering underneath the crack in the door of the bedroom across from hers: Elsa's childhood bedroom. Anna turned to it instead and carefully entered it.

She found Elsa lying fast asleep in her old bed. Completely alone.