Disclaimer. I do not own Frozen/Disney.
Hi! First of all I apologize for the delay of this chapter (life got in the way XD). Anyway I am sure many of you were curious what would happen next to the slowest burn couple we have here. Believe me I do too so here it is! XD. Also I would like to dedicate this chapter to person who sent me a DM, who kept on reading my works since I started my first fic and had sparked the inspiration to finish this chapter. Thank you, Paudy. :D
Thank you to all the people who reviewed the previous chapters. All of them were highly appreciated. I am so happy that I am able to share more Elsanna contents to those who like them! And thank you to those so favorited and followed this story. You guys are my inspiration.
So here it is! Enjoy and let me know your thoughts on the review section. :D
They were told, Lord LaBouff had prepared a lavish feast that befits royalty. Hence Elsa had put on her pristine high collared shirt, black waist coat and high collared dark blue double breasted coat with silver buttons, paired by cream colored breeches and knee high boots. She opted for black cravat to put around her neck instead of white. She knew many wanted to ask why she preferred tailored men's clothing instead of dresses but they kept their mouth shut. She would only smirk at the hesitance of the people she talked to.
She debated whether to put her hair up or leave it in a single plait.
"Your Majesty?" a muffled voice was heard behind the door.
"Come in." she said then stared at the reflection of the door through the mirror.
"Good evening, Your Majesty."
"Good evening Eric, what is it-" before Elsa could finish her sentence, Anna emerged from the door wearing an aquamarine colored off shoulder short-sleeved dress. Her hair was in a double braid-back style, with small aquamarine gems attached to it, while the rest of her hair was curled and draped on her left shoulder. She also wore the aquamarine jewelry she gave before. Elsa almost gaped at the exquisite reflection of the beautiful woman standing just behind her.
"Good evening Elsa." Anna smiled brightly.
Elsa took a deep breath and turned before she gave her a faint smile. "Good evening." she subtly signaled Eric to leave them alone for a while by flicking her eyes towards the door. Of course Eric complied and dismissed himself.
"Is there a problem?" Anna asked after the door was shut with a soft click.
Elsa smiled faintly and shook her head. "No, of course not. I just-" she faltered. "-just want to ask how you feel about this dinner? Please have a seat." she gestured at the plush chair across the bed. Anna did what Elsa asked her to do and sat down. "Lord LaBouff was a supporter of your grandfather, probably having me here in his home will cause quite a tension."
"I was made aware of the situation." Anna stated. "Making our ruse quite a bit of a challenge."
"I was just gonna mention that but yes it will be challenge." Elsa paced in front of the latter. "That's why I want to ask you about how comfortable you are with me initiating intimate gestures throughout this dinner."
Anna tilted her head in confusion. "We've done this before in front of the council, I am sure it won't be that difficult to repeat that again."
"I know but this time it's different." Elsa halted her pacing and looked into Anna's eyes. "I—I don't want to do things without your permission, I am going to respect your boundaries and will not force you nor make you feel uncomfortable in any way."
"It seems like we're doing things backwards." Anna awkwardly smiled and looked anywhere but Elsa.
Anna's thoughts were filled with those deep kisses Elsa had given her. She wouldn't ever forget how those lips had touched her lips, jaw, neck and chest neither those intimate gestures of wrapping her arm around her waist in a possessive manner. They would be forever ingrained in her memory.
"Anna." she heard Elsa utter her name in a certain tone she couldn't put her finger on. Slowly she turned her attention back to the platinum blonde only to find her kneeling in front of her on one knee. Anna gasped.
"What are you doing? Get up, please." Anna hastily took Elsa's arm and urged her to stand on her feet but instead her hands were clasped by Elsa's own.
"I know I've done awful things and judging your reaction you were thinking of them-"
"No I am not!" Anna's hasty defense had raised that impeccable eyebrow. "Okay yes, you're right. I'm sorry." she mumbled and refused to meet Elsa's gaze.
Elsa sighed. "Anna, you don't have to apologize, I want to do things right between us, if you'll let me." Anna felt Elsa's hand squeezed her own gently. "You are my wife. I know I am the least person you wanted to be with but I—I want this to work. I want us to work, please." she could hear her heart pounding so loud in Elsa's quiet room. "I can't turn back time to fix those mistakes I made against you but I am more than willing to make up for them. Also I am not asking you to trust me, I just want a chance to-" Elsa faltered.
"To what?" Anna carefully lifted her gaze towards those beautiful glacial blue eyes.
Anna was so focused on Elsa's eyes and waiting for the words to come out that she failed to notice the faint blush blooming on Elsa's usually pale cheeks.
"To. . . prove that I mean all the things I've said." Elsa's sincerity was evident in each word.
Anna took a few deep breaths to calm her raging heart inside her chest, those words touched her so much. She could feel Elsa's sincerity and it shook her. Anna's body then moved on its own accord and leaned down to place a soft kiss on Elsa's cheek. Startling them both.
"Oh gods! I am so sorry!" Anna stood up abruptly, knocking Elsa from her spot in the process with a soft thud. "Elsa! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to." she knelt beside Elsa's stunned form.
"I—I am fine, don't worry." Elsa snapped out of her stupor and supported herself using her elbow to get on her feet, Anna did the same but her dress was caught on her shoes making her stumble forward and landed on top of Elsa. "Oof." Elsa's breath was knocked out of her and once again landed on her back. "Are you alright?" she asked.
Anna's cheeks couldn't be more redder than they already were. "I'm so sorry. Gods, this is so embarrassing." she subconsciously hid her flaming cheeks at the crook of Elsa's neck.
There was a brief silence then Anna heard soft chuckles from the person beneath her.
"We have a fair share of embarrassing moments I am sure." Elsa amusedly stated.
Anna lifted her head from the crook of Elsa's neck and the smile the latter sporting made her heart tug in a good way.
The door burst open. "Your Majesty! I heard some noise, are you all—right?" Eric was stupefied at the scene in front of him. Anna and his Queen shared looking into each other's eyes, rather intimately, while her body was on top of the latter. "I apologize." He shut the door after him.
Both her and Elsa's cheeks were dusted with ten shades of red, both from embarrassment and something else, at least on her part.
"I- Excuse me. " Anna carefully got on her feet and dusted off her dress while looking away from the latter who also got on her feet and did the same on her coat.
Elsa cleared her throat. "Your dress suits you."
"L-Likewise." Anna stammered.
"Shall we?" Elsa offered her arm towards her and she gladly, albeit shyly, wrapped her own around the latter's arm and nodded.
On their way out she couldn't look Eric in the eyes.
The dinner was quite lively, especially when Lord LaBouff's daughter was regaling them with stories. Elsa was seated at the head of the table and Anna seated on her left while Lord Labouff was on Elsa's right, followed by the Duke of Weselton, and the other nobles with them. While the person next to Anna was Lady Charlotte, followed by the Count of Isles.
It was an interesting affair, the Queen and the nobles talked about the amount of the harvest they had for the year before the snow started to fall. Anna conversed with Lady Charlotte as if they were childhood friends, the conversation between them flowed naturally and it was interesting how Lady Charlotte highlighted the must see things in Heather Town. Her attention was on the enthusiastic Lady, but she could feel an intense stare coming from her right, she met those stares with a warm and affectionate smile. The nobles were pleased. The dinner was less tense than they anticipated, so much to Anna's relief.
The dinner was followed by a drink, champagne and wine, in the drawing room. Anna said to herself she'd only have a glass but Lady Charlotte had kept on refilling her glass with different variants. The Queen and the others were on the other side of the room, talking about certain things. While she and Lady Charlotte were seated on a chaise.
"Father acquired this from one of the southern kingdoms, he's been keeping it for a special occasion and I snuck it out from his private cellar." Lady Charlotte had whispered the last bit.
Anna chuckled. "Wouldn't you be in trouble once Lord LaBouff found out?" she asked.
"I might but I am sure he can forgive me once I told him that I shared his exquisite wine to the future wife of the Queen of Arendelle." Lady Charlotte giggled, already intoxicated by the amounts of wine she consumed, she failed to see Anna's awkward smile.
Anna nodded and emptied her glass and gave it to one of the servants in the room to keep the Lady from refilling it. She was quite drunk herself and the room felt warm and stuffy. "Excuse me, I'd like to get some fresh air to sober myself." she stood up then Lady Charlotte laughed as if Anna said something funny.
Lady Charlotte downed the remaining wine from her glass and wobbly stood up. "Of course Your Highness!" she flourished a curtsey and lost her balance.
"Oh dear." Anna gasped and caught the Lady in time, preventing her from face planting on the floor. "Please sit." She did her best to ignore how she was addressed and assisted the Lady back on the chaise. She then realized how the room had gone silent. Now she could no longer ignore the Lady's words because everyone clearly heard it and caused a thick tension in the room.
"Kindly assist my daughter to her room please." Lord LaBouff's voice sounded so loud in the silent room. A butler and a maid had assisted the intoxicated Lady out of the drawing room. "Your Majesty, I apologize for my daughter's behavior, I assure you it won't happen again.'' The man's voice was steady but the paleness of his complexion was saying otherwise.
Anna was sure Elsa's eyes were cold not until their eyes met. Those cold blue eyes visibly softened and turned to Lord LaBouff.
"Of course." Elsa said. "So where were we?"
"Ah yes, about opening the market once again to other towns and to the city's market square-" the man immediately listed down a lot of things Anna wasn't interested in, or at least not at the moment.
Anna made her way towards the balcony and leaned her folded arms on the railing to feel the cool breeze of the night and try to regain her equilibrium, of course Eric followed her in a respectful distance behind her. She knew she had too much to drink since vision was swaying in front of her so she closed her eyes to fight back the nausea building up inside her.
It took minutes to feel a little better and once she did she could only think about the kiss she initiated hours before. Elsa's cheek was incredibly soft and that startled look of the latter was something she'd seen for the first time, she was sure she caught the latter off guard.
A gust of cold wind breezed through her, making her shiver, opening her eyes abruptly only to be hit by nausea once again because of her vision spinning. Propping her hand on her temple and closing her eyes again to prevent herself from making a mess on the balcony, she didn't want more embarrassment for this night.
"Are you alright M'lady?" Eric worried words reached her ears.
"Yes, I am fine. Don't worry." footsteps were heading her way.
"I'm fine Eric. No need to concern yourself with." Anna's eyes were open wide as a coat made contact on her bare shoulders. "Eric, you don't have to. . ." she turned only to see Elsa in front of her sans the coat she was previously wearing. "Elsa." she breathes.
"It's cold out here. Come, I already excused ourselves to retire for the night." Elsa's arm was around her and steadied her because her heeled shoes were becoming an inconvenience in her current state.
"Okay." That's the only word she could utter then lean her head on Elsa's shoulder for support. She heard Elsa say something to Eric but she was so distracted at the arm around her and the latter's scent coming from the coat on her shoulders. The latter guided her out of the drawing room towards her bedroom with ease.
Once they were inside her room, Wendy was already waiting for her to assist her out of the stifling dress. While Wendy unraveled the laces of her dress, Elsa handed her a glass of water which she graciously accepted. "Thank you." Anna said with a smile.
Elsa smiled back. "I'll leave you to it. Good night." she said and walked her way to the door but she halted and gave her a confused look.
Anna realized too late why Elsa was giving her that look but the latter's eyes fell on the hand gripping her shirt. She followed Elsa's line of sight and blushed.
"I'm sorry. I was just uh." Anna darted around the room thinking of an excuse and sure enough she found one. "Coat. Your coat. Don't forget your coat." Anna picked it up from the chair next to her where Wendy put it. "Here."
Elsa nodded and took the coat but it wouldn't budge from Anna's grip. She stifled her laugh. "Is there anything you want?"
A shy smile graced Anna's lips and nodded. "Can you stay awhile?"
"Of course." Elsa went and sat on the chaise by the fireplace while she and Wendy went behind the privacy screen to slip the dress off.
It took minutes before Wendy managed to assist her on a night dress followed by a dark green robe on top of it. Her personal maid was dismissed for the night. She emerged from the changing screen silently and was about to go approach but stopped short because the latter was sitting on the chaise looking at the fireplace on the other side of the room.
Anna cleared her throat, capturing Elsa's attention. She saw Elsa smile.
Anna approached her and sat next to the latter with respectable distance.
"Is there anything you want to tell me?" Elsa asked as she filled a glass with amber liquid from a crystal decanter on the center table across them.
"I could use some company." she admitted. The truth was she didn't want to sleep in an unfamiliar place alone, sure she had guards outside but she was still uncomfortable sleeping alone when she got used to someone's presence in her, their, room back in the castle. Of course she wouldn't want to admit that to Elsa.
"Oh?" Elsa took a generous swig from her drink. "How do you feel right now?"
"A lot better thank you." Anna sighed and leaned on her back on the plush chair. "I didn't expect Lady Charlotte would make me drink that much."
"You could've said no." Elsa shrugged and finished her drink in a one long swig. "Gods." she mumbled as she felt the burning sensation from her throat to her chest.
Anna was curious about the taste of the drink. Thankfully there was still a small amount left on the glass. She reached for it but Elsa moved it far away from her.
"You can barely stand on your own and yet you still want to drink?" Elsa asked in amusement.
Anna glared at Elsa and grabbed the decanter itself.
"Whoa! Hey, hold it." Elsa grabbed it from Anna, making her pout. "This stuff is stronger than you think. Alright fine, you can have a taste but don't complain after." Elsa re-filled about two fingers of the amber liquid before into her glass then handing it to Anna. "Take a sip first."
"Why? You think I can't handle it?" Anna rolled her eyes and smirked. She downed the entire content of the glass in one swing. Elsa could only shake her head. "This is awful!" Anna's face crumpled in distaste of the drink. "How could you drink that?! Water, I need water!" Thankfully Elsa was already filling another glass with water, Anna took it without hesitation and downed it in seconds, wanting to cleanse her mouth from that awful and bitter taste of the amber drink. "Ugh."
Elsa laughed. "You're one stubborn woman."
Anna momentarily forgot the bitter taste on her tongue, after she heard Elsa's laugh. She couldn't believe her ears. She has a beautiful laugh, she thought. Lips curled into a smile while her eyes were on Elsa's face. "I am." she said. Anna's teal eyes zeroed on Elsa's smiling lips and she gulped.
"I never met anyone more stubborn than you." Elsa turned to Anna. "I guess you're not used to drinking such strong stuff."
"Are you?" Anna asked.
Elsa's bright expression was replaced by a calm yet uncomfortable one. "Kind of? I started when I was fourteen, Uncle insisted since it's part of my. . . training, as he put it."
The lightheartedness in the room dissipated in mere seconds. Anna couldn't even start to imagine how Elsa was treated in her childhood. She was sure it was far different from her own, given how emotionally damaged Elsa was based on how hard she let slip of any hint of emotion since they met, not to mention the nightmares that always wake Elsa in the middle of the night.
"Was it hard?" Anna carefully asked. "Your training." she continued.
Elsa smiled wryly. "Let's just say it is something a Lady, such as yourself, wouldn't want to witness nor subjected into."
There was a brief silence then Anna spoke.
"I was brought up not knowing what was really happening." Anna shifted on her seat. "Everything looked and felt so perfect, you know? I mean everyday I go out and greet the people on my way to the market square, they are so happy as if life couldn't be any better." her hand fiddled with the knot of her robe. "Then I was abruptly sent to the northern territory, and stayed there for months because-"
"Because of me." Elsa supplied. "I know."
Anna looked at Elsa. "Yeah, but I am not trying to imply anything. What I want to point out is I lived my life in lies and deceptions of the people who mattered to me most, one of them was my grandfather. My grandfather loved me, he gave anything my heart desires and yet he lied to me to cover up his crimes, the blood he shed to get what he wanted. I've always thought that the crown fell upon our house because that's the way it is. The Vinters became extinct due to bandits and the King died of a natural death. I was fed with lies for years by my own governess using fabricated events and false accounts about our history." Anna clenched her fists. "Even our family tree was incomplete."
"How so?"
"Few days after you took the throne. I took it upon myself to find out whether you were an impostor and read our recent family records. Your father's name was mentioned and your siblings, and your real name, however your mother's name was not mentioned at all. How could they not write your mother's name wherein she was the most immediate family of the late King Olav."
"I didn't know why they left her out not until Olaf showed me your maternal grandmother and your mother's portraits. Then I realized your claim to the throne of Arendelle is much greater than mine. Since the beginning I have no leg to stand on because you are the purest blood among us descendants of Rozen the Great. Your mother was an Aren through her mother, so does your uncle, and your father descended from Prince Eleazar, an Aren. While I could only trace my Aren blood through Prince Heinrik, the third son."
"My hatred and my desire for revenge blinded me to the truth, which was staring at me the whole time. The truth is that my family had committed a great sin of not only killing the true heirs but also responsible for the deaths of many innocent children just because you and your brother managed to get away."
Anna's sad eyes were brimming with tears. "I thought I was prepared enough for my position as Queen when the time comes, because all of them told me I was more than enough to fill the role of a monarch. I had let those empty praises of how I excelled and how great I was in my studies get in my head and made me feel so damn confident in the things I do. But it turned out I was no better than a fool. They fooled me. I fooled myself because I trusted them so much." she covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
Seconds later Anna felt arms around her and held her gently, she sobbed more on Elsa's shoulder.
"I was a fool to believe them. I couldn't help but to feel like a useless human being." Anna's muffled words on Elsa's shoulder, while she wrapped her arms around Elsa's waist.
"I may not know how you feel but I—I'm here if you need me." Elsa softly stated.
"Promise?" Anna almost whispered.
Elsa pulled away and wiped Anna's tears using the soft pad of her thumb. "Promise." she gave Anna a small smile.
"Then will you stay with me tonight? I don't think I can be on my own." Anna looked away as she waited for Elsa's reply.
"If you're sure. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."
Anna placed her hand on Elsa's. "I'm sure."
Hours later.
Elsa was gazing at the fireplace while sitting on the carpeted floor, accompanied by a glass of bourbon, with green liquid added in. She couldn't sleep. The words of the Duke kept on running in her mind over and over since what he said was new to her. That only meant Anna was indeed desirable in the eyes of men, they just failed to get to her because of the Duke. She didn't expect Runeard to be so easily manipulated, because for years he was a cunning and manipulative man himself.
The absence of a marriage proposal evidently bothered Anna, perhaps one of those was suitable and who would truly cherish the latter but instead she got Anna without even trying. That night there was something in Anna's tone as she asked that particular question, insecurity. She wouldn't know if her answers that night made any difference.
Elsa took a generous swig from her glass and winced at the burning sensation in her throat. She closed her eyes but immediately regretted it as Anna's gorgeous form emerged from her memories just a few hours ago. Her glacial blue eyes were on Anna in the entire course of dinner, then their brief embrace at Anna's outburst after the alcohol settled itself in her system. Elsa could feel Anna slowly becoming comfortable around her, it was quite unsettling but still much better than Anna flinching at her every touch.
Now here she was in Anna's room drinking once more as the latter was sleeping on the four poster bed. Elsa didn't mean to stay but Anna asked her to stay and immediately agreed since she wasn't comfortable leaving the latter on her own, especially now they were in someone else's home. Elsa left her empty glass on the table and went to check on Anna.
Soft even breaths came from Anna, she was on her side and her lips were slightly parted. It was a cute sight to behold. Elsa sat on the bed next to her before gently brushing the back of her forefinger against the latter's cheek. She knew it was inappropriate to watch someone sleep but she couldn't help but to appreciate Anna's soft expression. Slowly she found herself leaning down, her breath mingled with Anna's own, she gulped and willed herself to pull away before she did something inappropriate.
"You're making it hard for me to control myself." Elsa whispered and went out to the balcony to calm herself down. She couldn't get Anna out of her head.
Morning came and Anna vowed not to drink more than necessary since it was embarrassing and quite humiliating. She was currently out on the balcony to get fresh air while drinking tea, already dressed but not for travel. Anna couldn't look into Elsa's eyes because of embarrassment when she woke up the first time.
Hours earlier, Anna woke up abruptly in the middle of the night to empty her gut into the chamber pot underneath her bed. She retched and heaved for quite some time. A hand held her hair out of her face and another was slowly rubbing against her back in a comforting manner. Anna wiped her mouth using the back of her hand and winced at the awful taste in her mouth.
"Here." a glass of water was handed to Anna and she accepted it. "How are you feeling?"
"Thank you." Anna handed back the empty glass to Elsa. "My head is killing me." She was carefully assisted back to her bed.
"You should sleep more to reduce the pain." Elsa said as she walked towards the small and cramped chaise but Anna held her hand. "Yes? Anything you need?"
"No. Are you going to sleep on the chaise?" Anna said incredulously.
"Yes? I'm used to it. Sleep please."
"No. The bed has more than enough space for both of us." Anna gently tugged Elsa's hand. "I won't sleep unless you agree."
Elsa sighed. "Alright, fine. Stubborn woman." she whispered the last two words. Elsa reluctantly got on the other side of the bed and tucked herself in. "Good night." she said and turned her back on Anna.
Anna on the other hand was falling back to sleep fast. "g'night."
Both Anna and Elsa slept on either edge of the bed, leaving enormous space between them, that's why Anna almost shrieked when she woke up. Her face was buried on the crook of Elsa's neck while her arm slung over Elsa's waist. Anna tried to move but Elsa's arms were wrapped around her and holding her tightly. She looked up and saw Elsa's peaceful sleeping face, even in her sleep her eyebrows were slightly knitted together. Without much thought Anna reached out to gently brush her forefinger against Elsa's brows, she smiled.
The room was cold because the fire in the fireplace was long extinguished, however Anna couldn't feel the cold because of the heat coming from the body next to her. Elsa was so warm and it was comforting, so far from her cold attitude she always had on display. Anna continued to stare at Elsa's face, she subconsciously gulped at the sight of those pink pillowy lips. Anna knew she should get up and get dressed to spare herself from further embarrassment but she couldn't will herself to do it, instead she continued to stare.
"It's rude to stare you know." Elsa's husky sleepy voice reached Anna's ears.
Without meaning to, Anna shoved Elsa away and sat up from the bed instantly but quickly regretted it as her massive headache made itself known.
"Oh gods." Anna winced. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to push you. You startled me."
"Hmm. You shouldn't have stared at me." Elsa retorted and got up. She wore her boots back and turned to her. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Painful." Anna winced once more and massaged her temple. She was thankful that Elsa didn't mention how their limbs got tangled up in their sleep. She doesn't have any strength to deal with that at the moment. She heard Elsa sighed.
"I guess we have to delay our journey." Elsa handed her again a glass of water. "You in a moving carriage would be a very bad idea." Anna understood the implication of Elsa's words.
Hence she was at her assigned room's balcony having tea.
Elsa on the other hand got back in her own room and her hands were clasped together underneath her chin. She knew giving in at Anna's request of staying in her room was a bad idea and agreeing to sleep on the same bed as hers was an absolute miscalculation on her part. Elsa only meant to pretend to sleep and go back to the chaise once the drunk lady fell back to sleep but she fell asleep.
Her knuckles turned white as she was having this uncomfortable sensation of dread, as if she was panicking. Elsa didn't like it, she didn't like how her usually sensitive senses failed her to recognize a person next to her moving closer. She had let her guard down without her knowing, it was a terrifying thought. However she wasn't visited by her nightmares, that was the most peaceful sleep she had in ages. The warmth radiating from Anna was comforting, and that warm finger brushed against her brows that pulled her out from her sleep. Elsa never felt anything like it before. She couldn't explain how good and terrifying it was at the same time. She decided not to question why Anna was lying on her shoulder because she herself had her arms around Anna securely, she didn't want to deal with the mortification of how they found themselves in.
Elsa closed her eyes and did her best to calm herself down, when she did her hand reached up to her brows.
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