Rifiuto: Non Mirena
A/N: "She's as mad as Juana of Castile"- Joanna of Castile (6 November 1479 - 12 April 1555) was the third child and second daughter of the Catholic Monarchs. After the death of her brother Juan, Prince of Austrias and Girona (30 June 1478 - 4 October 1497) died at age nineteen, and his stillborn daughter, and after the death of her mother, Isabella, in 1504, Juana ascended the throne to become Queen of Castile. She was deeply in love with her husband, Phillip I of Castile, Duke of Burgundy (12 July 1478 - 25 September 1506) of the House of Habsburg, and driven to madness upon his death.
It is speculated she already suffered from severe mental illness long before Phillip's death, but that his passing only exacerbated her illness. Juana was pregnant with her last child when Phillip died, and the country fell into upheaval. Juana spent the rest of her life in confinement, though she was proclaimed Queen of Castile and Leon and Aragon, with her son, Charles, until the House of Bourbon (1272 - present) unified the three lands into one. Today, she is remembered as the 'Mad Queen of Castile', though historians debate on whether she suffered from mental illness or not. Though, it's speculated she suffered from a depressive disorder, melancholia, psychosis, or possibly inherited schizophrenia.
Hans, my dearest! Hans!
He had slept peacefully as long as she was by his side, but now... now he felt himself being roused from the slumber he'd been placed in by the doctor. While a fire crackled in the grate, while his wife's ice-fever raged, she called to him from wherever she'd gone. He shifted in his sleep, reaching for her on her side of the bed.Eliza, answer me! Eliza!
A shiver ran down his back, as it ran down hers, wherever she was. In his sleep-filled mind, he was back in the Isles, upon the beach, as the waves crashed upon the shores at his feet. He was dressed in the light summer clothes he often wore when they played on the beach with the children, Halsten rose up behind him, that lovely home he'd designed and built for their growing family; in the distance, he could hear their children laughing and squealing in delight of whatever game they were playing. But she was not there. No matter where he looked, he couldn't find her, until he ended up on the beach, as the waves lapped at his feet, bare as they were whenever they went to the beach with the children. He felt the wind on his face again; it ran through his hair like her fingers often did when they made love, it caressed his chest and shoulders, tickled his chin, almost as though it were mocking him by imitating his love-Eliza, answer me! Love, please! Eliza!
Though he stood upon the beaches of the Isles in his mind, she stood upon the banks of the fjord- not just in his dream, but in actuality- as she had taken to doing so many nights throughout those first, early years of their marriage. Not long after she'd informed him of Milla growing in her belly, she'd taken to spending her evenings in the inlet, wading in the water, remembering those long ago days after her coronation, before moving to stand on the shores of the fjord itself, hands cradling her growing belly as she watched the water, eagerly awaiting his return to her, often hours after he left to return to the Isles. It had become a habit of hers she could not break, no matter how hard she tried-
In his dream, he suddenly realized that his children had gone silent, and only the crashing of the waves could be heard. He turned towards where he knew Arendelle to be, cupping his hands over his mouth.Where are you? Eliza!
Seconds passed, before the winds carried back her long-desired call. Darling, I'm at the fjord! Hans!
Eliza! He rushed down the beach, only to be stopped as the waves attempted to crash over him, bending at her beck and call. He staggered back, even as the water dashed around his ankles, pulling him down.Eliza!
Come to me, Hans! I'm waiting for you!
No matter how he tried, the water wouldn't release his ankles.Eliza!
We're both waiting for you, Hans! Come to me! Come to me, darling!
He paused, something snapping in his brain.Wait- we?The water finally released him, and he stood, looking for any sign of the children- but there was none. No laughter, no shouts, no small footprints in the sand, or toys left upon the beach-Who is with you, Eliza!
The wind caressed him, moving up to caress his cheek before sliding down to brush against him as she often did when they were alone and she was tempting him to a night of passion in her bed. The giggle that echoed startled him, before her call reached him.
I'm at the fjord, Hans! Come back to me! Come back to us! I'm at the fjord!
But withwh-Her next call set his heart racing.
With Milla!
In that moment, he remembered where he was, and what long-ago memory he was trapped in. The night after he'd returned to the Isles, the week after learning of her pregnancy, he'd come out to the beach, unable to sleep, longing to be back with her and the child growing in her womb. Unbeknownst to him, she'd stood upon that fjord at that same moment, also unable to sleep, cradling her belly, longing for the father of her child to return to them, promising the babe inside her that he would return... though they knew not then that she carried a daughter in her womb, clearly his subconscious had filled in gaps he hadn't realized were there-
Hans, I'm at the fjord, with Milla!The little girl's name echoed in his mind as the wind faded and the waves retreated-
He jolted awake, at the sound of the door opening, pushing himself up in despite the pain in his body. "Hans?" He turned to find Anna in the doorway, holding a small basket of medicines and things she'd gotten from the doctor. "Wh... where's Lise?" He turned, to find her side of the bed empty and cold. On shaky, weak legs, he climbed out of bed, as Anna hurriedly put the basket down and rushed to steady him. "Hans, you need to be back in bed-"
"I... need to find Eliza... she's... at the fjord..."
"The... the fjord? How... how do you-"
"Annalei...trust me,please..." He grabbed for his pants, that rested against the back of a chair, now dry. "I have to go to her..."
"Hans, you're too weak! You need to rest-"
"Anna,please!" The look on his face tugged at her heart. She bit her lip.
"Fine, but I'm coming with you."
Her hair glistened in the moonlight, tangled and sweat-soaked though it was. She shone in the moonlight like the brightest of stars fallen to earth. Her hands moved to cradle her belly, an old habit she couldn't break. Tears glistened upon her cheeks, and she was soaked to the skin."Eliza!"Slowly, she turned, to find her sister and husband at the other end of the dock. A moment passed, before she spoke.
"Hans?"
With Anna's support, he nodded. "I'm here, love."
"You... you came back to me... to us..." She glanced down at her hands; it was soon evident she was caught between wakefulness and sleep. He nodded, stepping closer, reaching out a hand to her.
"Of course I am, Eliza. I would never leave you willingly. I leave because I have no choice, when all I want is to be in your arms forever." Slowly, Anna released her hold on her brother-in-law, and after a moment, her sister reached for him, before hesitating. "Eliza, please. Come to me. Let me feel you in my arms again-"
Only the sound of the waves crashing on the banks of the fjord broke the silence. She turned back to the sea, lost in thought, before turning back to him. Taking a deep breath, she quickly closed the distance between them, though it was evident the weakness in her, as she stumbled. He caught her, and she looked up, meet his gaze as he brushed a curl off his cheek. "We need to get you to bed. It's not good for you to be out in the cold like this," He bit his lip, glancing at Anna. It was evident Elsa was not quite out of her dreamlike state yet. "and it will only harm the baby."
Anna started, but quickly understood that he was playing into her feverish delusion. "You'll stay with me? With us?"
"I will always stay with you, Eliza, when I have the chance."
"We need to get you inside before you get even more soaked to the skin, Lise." Anna admonished gently. Their return to the family's apartments was quiet; as Hans helped her back into bed, Anna rushed off to fetch the doctor explaining what had happened. They returned to find Elsa curled up in Hans' arms, head resting gently against his chest, one hand on her belly. The king caught Anna and the doctor's gaze over his wife's head as he kissed her hair, and it was evident he was playing along to appease her in her fevered state.
Elsa barely acknowledged the doctor, who quickly filled a small cup with a dark red liquid and handed it to her. "What's this?"
"Something to help you sleep, Your Majesty." Elsa looked at it, before handing it back.
"No, I won't take it. It could harm the baby." As her sister started to protest, Hans, gently turned her head to meet his gaze.
"It won't hurt the baby, love. It's going to help you sleep, and you need all the rest you can get right now. Please, Eliza." She met his gaze, searching his face.
"You won't leave me? You'll be here when I wake up?" He nodded, as she turned back to the doctor. "You promise this won't hurt my baby?" A moment passed, before the doctor nodded with a soft 'yes'- anything to appease his queen and get her to take the liquid. She accepted the cup, glancing at her sister and the doctor before doing as instructed and drinking it. A look of disgust crossed her pretty features, before she yawned. Though she fought it, the medicine soon worked and she was sound asleep in her husband's arms.
"She was in some sort of... partial dream state." Hans spoke softly, stroking her cheek. "She's burning with fever, but... she's not warm. It's like... an ice-fever."
"I've never seen anything of the sort, then again, Her Majesty is the first person I've ever met that possesses powers over ice and snow. My only guess is that the stress of the last few months has worn her down, almost turning her magic into an illness."
"Illness?" Anna and Hans shared a glance. The doctor sighed.
"From what I can figure, the stress of everything caused her magic to turn on her, especially since her magic is often linked to her emotions. No doubt her assassination attempt as well as the attempt on your life months earlier has weighed on her heavily, Majesty. We need to keep her calm and give her fever a chance to break." Hans listened in silence as the doctor explained what they needed to do to get her healthy again, holding her close, a hand gently stroking through her curls as she lay curled against his chest.
"We'll look after her, doctor. Thank you." The older man nodded, before excusing himself. Once he was gone, Anna perched on the end of the bed, watching the king as he held her sister close. "Do you really think she'll get better?" He met her gaze, recognizing the fear in her eyes. After a moment, he turned his gaze back to his wife, with a sigh.
"I do. I think she just needs sleep, and time away from the court, and-"
"Time with you?"
"For now. But at some point, we need to remain apart, until things calm down."
"You know Lise won't agree to that, Hans."
"She'll have no choice, Annalei. When things have calmed down, we'll resume our visits." The princess nodded, getting up after brushing a hand over her sister's head. "Get some sleep, Anna. I'll watch over her for now." Once the princess was gone, the king settled down, curling tight around his wife.