February, 1849

The Beaches of Halsten Castle,

Southern Isles

It was nice to get away, even if it was under the guise of an official visit to the Isles.

In the six months since the birth of Elsa and Hans' third child, new things had been taking place. Places of higher education had been built in the Isles, and railways had come to Arendelle, now expanded into what had been Weselton. Talk of a new alliance with the Swedes were being considered, and the Isles had stepped in in a battle between the kingdom of Corona and France, brokering peace between the two countries.

Anna had started building a friendship with Lord Bismarck, and Hans had finally got to meet his thirdborn. The young king had all but succumbed to tears upon having his son placed into his arms, and he had sworn to the little boy that he and his siblings would know their Isles blood. That first night in the Isles, Elsa had whispered their son's name to her husband midst the darkness of their bed, and the king had buried his face in her chest, thanking her for the miracle she'd brought to their lives.

Vanja Agnarr, for his grandfathers.

But the family simply called the baby boy Anja.

So it was a cool February afternoon when they were walking the beaches near Halsten; Anna watched her niece and oldest nephew as they splashed about in the water, Anja balanced upon her hip. She glanced up, seeing her sister heading towards a rock formation not far away, but thought nothing of it, deciding to leave well enough alone when she saw her brother-in-law follow.

"This marriage is convenient to us, but not everyone else, Eliza!"

It had started as a game of chase between the couple, and she kept quiet as she leaned against one side of the rock. So far, she'd managed to elude him, but she knew he wasn't far away. Taking a chance, she moved to slip back between the rocks, only to find him blocking her path. His fiery locks were windswept, and his shirt untucked and blowing in the sea breezes, his normally perfectly kept sideburns were in need of a slight trim, and his green eyes sparkled at the sight of her. "Got you!"

"It is more a marriage of inconvenience for us, Hans." She replied, hands splayed against the rocks she stood between, her long white hair tumbling down her back and blowing in the winds, as those same winds tugged at the skirts of the light dress she'd chosen to wear. It was that period in the Isles when spring was just starting to appear, and the waters of the sea were cold, but not freezing; when winter said its goodbyes and spring took root, when new life arrived and grew. For once, for now, his was was exempt from creating new life, for they had not had the chance to be together since before Anja had been born.

He watched her, seeing the beauty she no longer saw since having their three children- how her slender figure had returned, and the marks upon her belly had faded with time, but were still there, evidence of the gifts she'd borne. She didn't see how the long, lush, silky thickness of her hair had only grown, for it now reached past her knees when free, and the only reason it did not do so now, was because she had put it up in a hasty braid that was quickly becoming undone. Her breasts were still round and filled with milk, for she still nursed their son, and would until just before his second birthday. The fact that she had born their children had only made her more beautiful-

"And our children?" He asked, causing her to turn and follow his gaze to where Milla and Annes were splashing around in the waves, while Anna held Anja on her hip, as she waded in the waves with her niece and oldest nephew. She turned back to him, opening her mouth, but stopped. He had a point; their children would never be inconveniences, not matter if their marriage was. The young king took the opportunity that presented itself and kissed her, tugging her from between the rocks and into his arms. But he tugged a little too hard, sending him stumbling backwards into the sand as she landed on top of him. Her laughter alerted the others to the situation, and before they knew it, Milla and Annes were rushing towards them, joining their mother in a dogpile on top of their father. Hans laughed, finally managing to sit up after several minutes, pulling his wife and oldest child into his lap. "If this is a marriage of inconvenience, Eliza, my love, then it's the best inconvenience we could hope for."

The children didn't stay in their parents' arms for very long; they stood, tugging them towards the water's edge, and once there, the children turned to their mother. It was evident what they both wanted, and the pair were silently debating which would ask first. "Mama!"

The pair shared a quick smile, knowing it would be Milla who would ask, for Annes rarely asked; the little boy was quiet, usually because he always had his thumb in his mouth- a habit the royal couple were working on breaking him of. Milla threw herself into her mother's arms as Annes followed. Elsa caught the four-year-old, chuckling. After a moment, the little girl grabbed her mother's hand as her brother grabbed their mother's skirts. "Do magic! Do magic!" The queen glanced at her sister, hearing Anna's childhood pleas in her daughter's.

"Okay, okay! Calm, my Milli-met!"

"Let your Mama work, mitt lille hjerte. She needs both her hands to work her magic." After a moment, the child released her, watching as her mother knelt before them.

"Oh..." Blue eyes wide, she watched as her mother rolled her hands, as frost and ice glittered against her skin like the brightest of jewels. Annes watched from his mother's skirts with wide green eyes, a thumb in his mouth. Elsa glanced quickly between her two oldest.

"Ready?" Milla nodded excitedly, and after a moment, her mother opened her palm, revealing a glittering snowflake. The child leaned close to study it, before Hans gently pulled her back, recognizing what his wife was about to do. With one deep breath, Elsa blew, sending the snowflake scattering towards the sea. In a matter of minutes, snow began to fall, and after several seconds, Elsa reached out a palm, contracting her fingers and then raising her hand; the waters of the sea bent and shifted, following the queen's command, and before anyone could blink, she had seemed to extract a small bubble from the ocean, shifting and changing it until it resembled a fish, swimming within her palm.

The child clapped excitedly as her mother flicked her wrist, sending the water-fish towards her daughter. It swam out of her palm, moving to swim around the child who circled herself trying to catch it, only for her mother to send it back into the sea with the flick of a wrist. She lifted her hands, contracting her fingers and then spreading her hands, casting the light snowstorm away, before bringing her hands back together, thereby returning the sea to normal.

"And that's why you are called the Snow Queen." Anna said, as Elsa scooped Annes into her arms and kissed his cheek. The queen raised an eyebrow.

"No one calls me the Snow Queen, Annalei."

The princess glanced at her brother-in-law. "Yes, they do, Lise, they just do it behind your back."

"We're quite lucky, aren't we?" She glanced up at him from her place in their bed. Milla and Annes were curled against their mother, sound asleep, exhausted from the day's fun on the beach, while their mother sat nursing Anja. The six-month-old looked up at his parents with wide blue eyes, suckling contentedly at his mother's breast.

Quickly, she glanced at her two oldest, before turning back to their youngest. "Yes, I believe we are, regardless of our circumstances."