December, 1852
Linnea Castle
Arendelle
The baby nursed hungrily at her mother's breast; in the five months since Liesel's difficult arrival into the world, her parents had adjusted to having another little princess to raise. Her mother often joked that building an alliance or a trade agreement with the Ottoman Empire wouldn't be as difficult as birthing their youngest. Once the babe finished and was put down for a nap in the nursery, Elsa joined her husband in the sitting room of her chambers, where he sat reading a story to Sof and Anja.
"They're here, they're here! Mama, Papa! Auntie Victoria and Uncle Albert are here!" Annes and Milla rushed to their parents, tugging on their hands. The couple shared a glance.
"All right, all right! How about you both go greet them?" Hans turned as Anja tugged on his arm.
"Can we go too?" The king chuckled softly and nodded, kissing his son's head. The boy slid off the sofa, helping his sister down; before they knew it, all four children had dashed from their chambers, excited exclamations of 'Auntie Victoria and Uncle Albert are here for Jul! Auntie Victoria and Uncle Albert are here!' echoing through the halls.
"Tell them we will be down in a few moments!" Hans sighed in exasperation, and his wife chuckled as they stood to follow.
"I don't think they're listening to you, dearest." He shook his head in agreement, loping an arm around her waist as they followed. The year before, they had spent the winter holiday at the Isles, and in previous years, had only been able to spend a couple days together- especially in the early years of their marriage, when they had not yet garnered a grasp on these secret visits, but now-
Now, with five children to raise, and eleven years of marriage, they had a pretty good grasp on secret visits and palace espionage, as Anna called it. When they finally joined the children, this time it was Elsa's turn to be surprised, and the young Scandinavian queen merely raised her eyebrows. Victoria blushed as Albert helped her shed her cloak, revealing the swell of her belly.
"Are you sure you were okay to travel, Victoria?" Elsa asked, wrapping her friend in a hug. The British queen chuckled softly.
"I received permission from my physician and doctor; I was not going to miss Christmas in Arendelle, no matter how far along I am."
"Jul." The queen turned as Anja slipped his hand into hers.
"What did you say, Anja dear?" She asked, and the boy met her gaze.
"It's Jul."
"Jul?" He nodded, as 0she turned to his mother.
"It is similar in ways to your Christmas." Elsa clarified, as Victoria nodded in understanding.
"Auntie Victoria!" Milla stumbled to a stop, blue gaze darting to her aunt's belly and then to her mother and back. "Not you too, Auntie! Mama just had a baby!"
"Camilla!"
But Victoria merely chuckled, holding out her arms as Milla went to her, being careful of her aunt. "I heard. We got the letter your papa sent." She turned to Elsa, taking her hand. "Hans said it was terribly difficult. Were you okay?"
"I'm here, aren't I?" Elsa asked, shrugging gently. She squeezed Victoria's hand. "We got through it, both Leisel and I."
"Liesel?" Albert asked, scooping Sof into his arms and kissing her in greeting. The little girl giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. Elsa nodded.
"Elisabeth Annalise, but we call her Liesel." She slid her arm though Victoria's, leading her to the nursery. "Come, I'll introduce you."
"I swear, between Eliza and Victoria alone, you could populate the earth- given that one of you is either pregnant or has just given birth every other year. Hey! What was that for?" Albert and Victoria laughed softly as Hans received a snowball to the face. The two couples had settled in the queen's private sitting room for tea and coffee while the children had dashed off to play.
"You're not funny, Johannes." His wife replied, adjusting her hold on the babe, for Marta had brought the five-month-old to the queen once she'd awoken to nurse. Carefully, Elsa shrugged out of the bodice of her light dress and settled the little girl to her breast, ignoring the look of disgust Victoria tried to hide.
"I'm sorry, darling, but you must admit, it's true." Albert chuckled in agreement, stopping only at Elsa's glare. Her nose wrinkled in annoyance, before she returned her attention to the babe at her breast.
"True or not, we are not amused."
Her husband rolled his eyes at her words, setting his cup down and standing, leaning down until his lips brushed her ear. "You are amused at so very little these days, my wife. It would do you some good to laugh once and a while." Her narrowed gaze met him as he straightened. "I'll be right back; I just saw Milla dash by, and the Gods alive only know what she's planning against Alfred."
Albert chuckled and stood, joining him. "I'll come. Whatever Milla is planning will be no match for Affie. With any luck, we can reach them before they kill each other." Once both of their husbands were gone, Victoria turned to Elsa, who was humming softly to Liesel in her native tongue.
"Barnet legges i vuggen ned, stundom gråter og stundom ler..." She listened, despite the very gutteral sounds of the language, it was very beautiful in its own way. And Elsa had such a pretty voice; it was a shame she didn't sing more. Victoria absently stroked her belly, watching as her friend gently rocked the baby back and forth as she nursed, reaching up to gently stroke her pinkie down the babe's nose as she sang. "Mamma tar meg på sitt fang..."
It was not unknown to Elsa that Victoria found breastfeeding disgusting, and it had caused many a polite debate between the pair that always ended up in silence. However, as Victoria watched Elsa nurse, cradling five-month-old Liesel close, singing softly to her, she felt that perhaps- perhaps- there was some merit to nursing a child after all. From what she could understand, all four of Elsa's older children were exceedingly close to her, and perhaps that was the maternal bond she shared with them. But before she could say anything, small footsteps sounded, and Milla came rushing into the room, her fiery auburn curls held back from her face with two dark green bows to match her dress.
"Mama! Mama-" She stopped, curtsying quickly at Victoria, even though the British royals had made it clear to the children that they had no need to- they were simply 'Auntie Victoria' and 'Uncle Albert'. Elsa looked up from her lullaby, blue eyes meeting her daughters' matching pair. "Affie pulled my hair." Elsa glanced at Victoria, confused, and it was only when Milla turned her head, revealing the loose ribbon hanging precariously from bright auburn curls that they understood. "And he called me Orange."
"Orange?" Elsa's brow furrowed deeper, but it was her husband who spoke up, entering the room, holding the aforementioned Affie by the arm, Albert following, one of Annes' toy rifles in his grasp; it was evident by then what had happened.
"He made fun of her hair." The king knelt before the boy, green eyes stern, but before he could say a word, the boy spoke up.
"It was only fun, Uncle Hans-"
"I don't care if it was 'only fun', Alfred, you could have seriously hurt Camilla. It doesn't matter if these are toys, you do not use them to strike another person. You are lucky you only untied her ribbon, you could have taken her eye out."
"I was trying to get her to leave me alone." The boy muttered sourly, as Camilla spoke up, from where she stood; Victoria had offered to fix her bow since her mother was still nursing her sister.
"I just wanted to play too!"
"Camilla, hush, dear."
"Girls can't play soldier!" Affie snapped, turning towards the young Crown Princess. "Girls are supposed to play with dolls!"
"I wanted you to play House!"
"I didn't want-"
"Enough, both of you!" Both children turned wide, stunned gazes as Hans, who'd been trying to speak over the argument, lost his temper. It was rare for the Southern Isles King to raise his voice or lose his temper at all, and even rarer for any of the children to bear the brunt of it. "Now this has to stop! This has been going on for how many months now? You're both old enough to act responsible around each other! You don't see the other children acting as you do, do you?"
"Hans." Elsa's soft voice broke through her husband's anger.
"God's alive, had I known you two would act this way, I would have turned down the invitation that day, and perhaps you both would be all the better for it! It is not as if the alliance was greatly needed-"
"Johannes."
"What?" Silence fell as everyone watched as the king turned, to find himself the object of his wife's angry blue eyes. The corners of her mouth tugged down into a thin line, and the crinkles at the corners of her eyes appeared; she wrinkled her nose, and after a moment, finished nursing the baby. Quickly rubbing the little girl's back and tugging her bodice back up, she handed the little girl to Victoria, before standing.
"Uh oh," Milla turned to her aunt. "Papa's in trouble." She whispered, as Victoria looked up from admiring Liesel.
"Why? What did Papa do?"
Milla glanced back over her shoulder as her mother stalked towards her father. "He yelled at Mama. No one yells at Mama because she's the queen."
"But Papa's the king-"
"Not of Arendelle. Papa's King of the Isles."
"Mama's Queen of the Isles, isn't she?" Milla shook her head. "Just of Arendelle?" A nod.
"We need to talk." Despite her petite frame, and the fact that she'd given birth five months earlier, Elsa grabbed her husband's arm in a vice-like grip, forcing him to follow her.
"Eliza-"
"Don't 'Eliza' me, Johannes Christian Westergård-" The door to the queen's study shut softly with a click. Several minutes passed before they heard raised voices, followed by the sound of something being dashed upon the floor. Victoria and Albert exchanged surprised glances, just as another voice entered the conversation.
"What did my brother-in-law say this time?" The other couple turned to see Anna having entered the room, still in dark blue riding habit, snow and dead leaves in her hair. "Oh, Albert, Victoria!" In no time, the princess had given both hugs, quickly taking Liesel from Victoria, and exclaiming about her pregnancy. Victoria felt a sense of sadness at the baby being removed from her arms, but it was soon cast aside at Anna's next words. "Excuse my sister, Lise is prone to temper tantrums, especially when someone or something greatly displeases her. How have you been?"
Conversation carried on for several minutes, before the door to the queen's study opened and the couple stepped out. Hans was looking for all intents and purposes like a kicked puppy, and Elsa refused to acknowledge her husband as she strode past, returning and taking the baby from Albert who had gratefully taken the baby girl when Anna went to give Victoria a proper hug. "Sorry about that. My husband tends to forget his place in the hierarchy of Arendelle at times."
"I know my place, Eliza," Hans retorted, rubbing a hand through his hair, tousling his auburn curls. "the problem is I cannot take it by your side without Arendelle seeing it as a grab for power." Blue eyes flashed, and she gently kissed the baby's head.
"We are not discussing this now, Johannes. We will discuss it later." Victoria and Albert shared glances; clearly, they had not been given the full story that day in Buckingham over tea. Elsa turned, finally realizing Anna was there. Her blue eyes roved quickly over her sister. "Really, Annalei? Still in riding habit, covered in snow and with twigs and leaves in your hair? What were you doing, rolling about in the snow like a hog in the heat? This is how you choose to greet our guests?"
Anna had the decency to look ashamed, and quickly gathered her skirt in a curtsy, a small pile of snow and several leaves landing on the floor between the sisters as she did so. Elsa's mouth pursed in annoyance, and Anna looked up nervously. "I'm sorry, I'll go bathe and change now, Your Majesty."
The children especially found winter in Arendelle exciting. The palace at Linnea was decorated in wreathes of pine and holly, sprigs of mistletoe were hung, and a beautifully decorated tree stood in the ballroom. The Jul log was lit on the eve of the Solstice, and a grand ball was held on that night in celebration. Jul was the one celebration in Arendelle in which a woman's confinement could be put off, for the holiday and its traditions were of utmost importance, and so that was how Victoria found herself standing beside Anna and Lord Bismarck in the ballroom on the night of the Jul ball- a tradition since the country had been founded. Even the children were allowed to attend the ball, and all were excited for it.
In the years since the queen and king's secret marriage on the Southern Sea, it was known that the King of the Isles was to attend the Arendellian celebrations as a gesture of goodwill and peace between their two countries, as Elsa's attendance of the festivities in the Isles was similiar. Of course, Jul was celebrated throughout all of Scandinavia, and rarely did outsiders get to witness the celebrations, so Victoria and Albert considered themselves fortunate to be Elsa's guests of honor. All of Arendelle received time off for the holiday and generous compensation; it had been a week of celebrations and festivity, and Elsa had been at the center of it, essentially opening the festivities, as the ruling monarch had done for centuries.
A hush fell over the ballroom as the queen entered on the king's arm, walking together in step to all eyes of the Arendellian court. In a traditional court gown- the one her mother had worn all those years ago during the Tercentenary celebrations, in fact- the queen cut a striking figure, and several people whispered of how she reminded them of the late Queen Iduna I, her beloved mother. "Presenting, Her Royal Majesty, Queen Iduna Elisabeth Isabella Katerine Bekkerdahl II, and His Royal Majesty, King Johannes Christian Andres Westergård IV of the Southern Isles."
Jul was the one day of the year where the queen cast side one of her cornets or tiaras in favor of the traditional bunad and its headdress. "Bunad."
Victoria and Albert turned to Anna, who stood in a dress similar to one Elsa wore, though in blue. "What?"
"She's wearing a bunad, it's a traditional dress and crown usually worn for weddings and festivities. Because she's the queen and therefore represents the country, it is customary for her to wear the bunad and crown on the eve of Jul. In Arendelle, it signifies that she will usher in another year of good luck and prosperity to her people and country, while still keeping the traditions of Arendelle strong at heart. Hans has attended every Jul celebration since Lise's coronation, just as we have attended Jul in the Isles, and it's a show of goodwill, faith and peace between our countries for another year."
"It's all about tradition." Victoria replied, glancing back at the pair. The tinkling of the headdress she wore accompanied the orchestra as the couple began to dance, a traditional Norsk Vals.
"Of course it is. You both should know about tradition, Victoria." Anna replied, and they watched as the king walked her back, before twirling her out and bringing her back to him, the tinkle of her crown and swirling of her skirts creating a mesmerizing image.
"Should I lead for now?" She joked softly, and he chuckled, pulling her closer.
"I think I remember how to dance this." He replied, as she turned to face him, her arm going around his waist to mirror his as they walked around each other as per part of the waltz before she stepped aside and let him take her hand to spin her before bringing her back in to continue the waltz. As they waltzed past the British Royals and Anna, she was surprised to hear their conversation.
"Still the quick study, I see, Prince Johannes."
He grinned. "Please, Hans, Prinsesse."
She giggled, glancing around. "And Papa is not here to cut in."
"Shall I count myself lucky, then?"
By the time the waltz ended, the pair had not even realized the music had stopped, so enamored with each other were they. He slowly released her, feeling as he had all those years ago, when they were both within their teen years- though he had kissed her a thousand times since that night long ago, though he had shared a bed with her, made love to her, built a family with her and a life, no matter how fleeting it had to be- it was as though no time at all had passed, and he was standing before the Crown Princess, feeling his heart flutter at the first stirrings of what would become love.
"Johannes-" He smiled softly as she breathed his name; it escaped her lips like the wings of an angel taking flight, and he longed to scoop her into his arms then and there before her court and kiss her-
He stepped away, seeming to break the spell, and after a moment, bowed to her, of which she returned with a soft curtsy. "Thank you for the dance... Majestæt."
"The pleasure was mine."
And with that, the pair separated, turning and heading in different directions as the dancing continued. Albert realized the pair had disappeared, and turned to Anna. "Where did they go?" The princess sighed, knowing exactly where the couple had run off to.
"The library."