"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but you dare to admit that you carry a bastard within your belly?"
To say that the meeting erupted into chaos was an understatement.
"This child is not a bastard, Lord Oslo! This child is the heir to the Arendellian throne!" Elsa snapped; Anna's words ringing loud in her head, for her sister had accused her of the same thing, not six months earlier, when she'd confided the discovery of her pregnancy in her sister.
"And who's 'child' might this be, Majesty?" Lord Melbourne asked calmly. He watched the young queen, saw how she paced like a caged animal before the fireplace as opposed to sitting before them. With the secret she carried now out, it was even more evident- in how she carried herself, in the sway of her hips, in how she would rest her hands upon her lower back to ease the ache from the growth of the child within her.
"It is none of your concern who the father of this child is, Lord Melbourne. That is my concern and my concern only. But," She finally turned to face them, straightening, hands moving from her back to her belly. "since you are all so concerned, know that the man who fathered this child is of considerably high birth, so you need not worry. This is not a commoner's child growing within me." She resumed her pacing, hands stroking the material absentmindedly.
"A man of high birth, Your Majesty?" Bismarck asked, and Elsa glanced at him as she paced with a faint nod. "One of the nobles of the court?"
The queen snorted, a most unladylike sound, and shook her head. "Gods alive, no. While I respect my court and all who reside in it, there is not a man alive within I would choose to allow into my bed." She stopped, thinking, her voice soft, but Bismarck caught it. "I cannot be with the father of my child because of the law my own country put forth centuries ago."
"Majesty? May I have a moment?"
The sisters shared a glance, before the queen nodded. Once meeting had ended and the rest of the council had gone, Anna shut the door, locking it and choosing to stand guard, despite the fact the that they were alone. Lord Bismarck quickly helped the Queen to sit, and once she was settled, he took a seat beside her, unsure of how to word the thought that had entered his mind during the meeting. "The babe... it is the king's, isn't it?"
Elsa narrowed her gaze at him before glancing at her sister. "I don't know what you-" She started suspiciously.
"The King of the Southern Isles is the father of your child, is he not, Your Majesty?" He watched his Queen bite her lip before glancing back at her sister. "Is it because of the law, that you cannot be together?" Though he knew very of the Arendellian laws he was supposed to support as a member of his Queen's council, he knew that some of them were ancient, as ancient as the monarchy she came from.
"It is because of the law that I cannot rule by his side, nor he rule by mine, Lord Bismarck." She whispered- for that was the catch; a hereditary monarch could not marry a ruler of the Isles, nor rule in the Isles, and, so too, to keep both monarchies from falling- or, perhaps, more importantly, to prevent a royal coup by the Isles- just as an Arendellian queen- or king, depending on the line of succession- could not marry and rule the Isles, so too could a Southern Isles king- or queen- not marry and rule Arendelle.
That part itself was the unspoken rule of the Isles- that they always looked far outside their borders- past Arendelle's- for future kings and queens. Hans was the first- and only- monarch of the Isles to chose his bride to be of Arendellian blood, and a monarch in her own right, and that was where the law came into play. "And so by keeping us from each others' thrones, it also succeeds in keeping us from each others' lives." She glanced down at her belly. "And him from our child's."
"And it's due to enter the world in three months, Majesty?"
"November." Anna spoke up.
"Late November." Elsa corrected, glancing at them both before returning her gaze to her belly. "How I long for Johannes to be here when I birth, but I know that cannot happen. His duties to the Isles come first. I will not take him from that, not even for the birth of our heir; he is a king first and a father second." She swallowed thickly. "I simply wish for him to be in its life, so that it may know him, not for the king he is, but for the father he will become." She met Bismarck's gaze. "Please, don't breathe a word to rest of the council-"
He stopped her, reaching out to take her hand before stopping. "You have my word, Majesty."
"Lise, please, calm down!"
"I am calm, Anna!" The strawberry-blonde princess winced, watching her sister pace, saw the frost beginning to travel up her arms as she walked, the mound that was her growing belly preceding her each time she turned. In the many hours since the council meeting, since Lord Bismarck had pledged his loyalty to Elsa and, essentially, Hans, the realization off how the meeting had gone had finally caught up to the young queen, and, after a meeting with the midwife, she had retired to the library that late evening to process everything, completely forgetting that Hans was to arrive that night on a 'diplomatic visit.'
"But-" Granted, Anna knew nothing of childbirth or pregnancy, but she did know that it wasn't a good thing for the mother-to-be to get stressed-
A soft knock sounded on the door, cutting her off, and she relaxed, relieved to have something to take her focus from her worry for her sister, even as Elsa ignored it. "Come in, please."
"I'm sorry, Kai, but whatever is so important is going to have to wait until morning. I am in no mood to deal with whatever news you come bearing me tonight at this hour." The Queen's tone bit, and Anna glanced to the person who'd entered, a quick smile tugging at her lips as the door shut softly. She quickly stood and hurried to lock it.
"Perhaps I should retire to the guest quarters until Her Majesty is willing and ready to receive me tomorrow, then." Anna watched her sister stop her pacing, saw the exact moment realization struck like flint against stone, and then watched her whip around, long curls having tumbled from her simple twist sent flying and the skirt of her nightdress bunching and straining against her legs, accenting her growing belly even more.
"Johannes." She choked on a sob, hands moving up to cover her mouth and block her sobs, as her husband made his way towards her. Anna watched from where she leaned against the door, as the King of the Southern Isles dropped to his knees before the Queen of Arendelle, reaching up to caress her belly. Her sister's shoulders shook with barely contained sobs as tears of joy raced down her cheeks and over her fingers.
"Oh, Elisabeth." He looked up at her, smiling softly before returning his gaze to the mound beneath his hands. "Gods, how beautiful you've grown." He met her gaze again. "And it's healthy?" She nodded. "And strong?" She didn't respond; couldn't, for the sobs escaping her, so Anna spoke up from her place by the door.
"Just like its Papa. And its Mama. And getting stronger and healthier every day." Hans looked back at her, a smile tugging at his lips as Elsa finally reached down and took his face in her hands.
"You've finally come home to me. To us." She amended, feeling the baby shift within her. He took her hands, kissing each palm before standing and kissing her gently. She reached up, grabbing the front of his coat and pulling him closer; gently, he wrapped his arms around her, cradling her tenderly as she rose onto her toes to deepen the kiss.
Anna watched in silence, feeling a tug of desire for the type of love her sister had start within her heart. She loved Elsa dearly, but she longed for a love of her own someday. After a moment, she silently unlocked the door and slipped outside to wait. It wasn't long, before they joined her, her sister's arm tucked into the crook of his. The three made their way through the castle as Hans walked them both to their chambers; once before her door, she pressed a kiss to Elsa's cheek and bid Hans goodnight with a nod before slipping into her room.
Once Anna had disappeared behind her door, the couple continued the short distance to Elsa's chambers, just down and across the hall. "It's been so long since we last wandered within the shadows of this castle, remember, my love?" She smiled at him as they reached the door to her chambers.
"Barely children, then," She replied, as they stopped outside her door. A hand came up to rest atop her belly, and she glanced down, watching how her hand gently stroked back and forth over her belly. "And now, we're having a child of our own."
He leaned down, kissing her before pulling away. "Oh, how I love you, Eliza."
"I love you." They stood in the doorway for several minutes, noses nuzzling. She reached for the doorknob, turning and pushing it open, but before she could step through, Hans scooped her up with practiced ease. "Hans!" Her quiet squeak was quickly silenced with his mouth, as her arms came up to latch around his neck.
Like Victoria, Elsa was not very tall; standing at five feet exactly, the Arendellian and British Queens were close to each other in height- Victoria being four foot eleven- and, like Victoria, Elsa's outspoken, straight-forward nature made up for what she lacked in height. She was opinionated, meticulous and considerate, and deeply, deeply in love with her husband. Though unlike Albert and Victoria, whose marriage started arranged and grew to become a love match, Elsa and Hans' marriage was a love match from the very beginning. They, like the British queen and her consort, were devoted to each other and their growing family- for Victoria had three children already; both she and Elsa were expecting at the same time, though Victoria was a little further along in her pregnancy.
Once the door shut behind them, he carried her to the bed, setting her gently upon on it. "Stay with me tonight." He met her gaze. "You're my husband; you're the father of the child growing in my belly. You shouldn't be staying in the guest chambers, you should be staying here, in my bed, where you belong."
"Your staff won't-"
"Only my most loyal of ladies are allowed to enter my chamber; and Gerda wakes me every morning. She has known about our relationship since we first met. Please, Hans, stay with me tonight."
He kissed her softly in response.