The door shut softly behind him, and she turned. He quickly closed the gap between them, taking her mouth with his in a deep kiss. "Gods alive, I felt like a boy again, seeing you for the first time on that balcony. It was as though no time had passed."

"I know..." She drank deeply from him, tongue brushing gently against his for several minutes, as her hand found his hair. "For a moment, I thought Papa would cut in."

He chuckled softly into the kiss. "Do you know how gorgeous you look? Despite the... headdress?" He amended, green gaze darting up to study the gold and ribboned spectacle his wife wore. She giggled softly.

"It's worn during festivities and celebrations and weddings."

"Should I be so grateful you didn't wear it on our wedding day."

"If we had not had to secretly wed, I would have." He kissed her again, holding her close. A familiar knock was heard, and the pair parted.

"El-sa? Hans?"

After one last long, lingering kiss, he pulled away, taking her hand. "Some things never change."

Victoria looked up as Elsa sidled up beside her, still in traditional Arendellian court dress and crown. The British queen's gaze shifted up to study the elaborate crown and back down to the dress, before she snorted softly, covering her mouth politely, other hand resting upon her belly. "I'm sorry, Elsa, it's just... I've never seen... it is... quite... the outfit."

The young queen blushed, which made her look even lovelier. "My mother wore something similar to the Tercentenary; she wore the crown as well. When Milla takes the throne, she will also wear the crown." A soft sigh escaped her as she watched the girl in question dance around the ballroom with Hans in a traditional folk dance. He had spent enough time in Arendelle over the years to know the dances well, and Milla's excitement was contagious. The dancing brought back memories of dancing with her father at the Tercentenary-

"Oh, Papa!"

Victoria watched as Elsa's joy vanished in seconds, as her features shifted at her daughter's excited cry, as her heartrate sped up and she began to breathe heavily, blue gaze darting around the ballroom. "Elsa?" She reached for the queen, who took her hand and squeezed harder than she had even during labor. "Is everything all right?"

But then Hans set Milla back on her feet, and princess curtsied quickly as her father bowed, her laughter ringing out- and it seemed that between the revelry, the music, the tapping of feet and the clapping, no one had heard the Crown Princess's exclamation, and if they did, it wasn't attributed to the princess, but one of Victoria and Albert's daughters as they danced about the ballroom floor with their father as well. In a matter of minutes, Milla had returned to her mother, who seemed to relax slightly, before taking her daughter's chin gently in her hand, never releasing Victoria's from her iron grip. "You must be careful, my Milli-met. You are lucky your cousins are dancing as well; we cannot let the people know- they and especially the court and council would never accept it; they would only see Papa as trying to take Arendelle for himself."

Victoria started as Elsa referred to her children as the girl's 'cousins', but then thought about it. They did act as cousins often acted- even despite Milla and Affie's apparent loathing of each other- and she mused that perhaps it was a good thing for their children to consider each other as family in some distant way. The friendship that had formed in the nearly two years between the two couples was strong and would last for years still.

"I'm sorry, Mama-" Elsa pulled her daughter close, rubbing her back gently before pulling away.

"It's all right, darling." When Elsa and Victoria looked up next, it was to Hans joining them. When normally he would scoop Milla into his arms or slide an arm around Elsa's waist, because they were at a royal function, he maintained his distance. "Where is Annalei?"

He glanced over his shoulder and the others followed, watching as the princess fell into step with Lord Bismarck on the dance floor. They could hear the whispers of the court, and Elsa bit her lip. Though they had been allowed to court- and were doing so in secret- dancing together before the court and council started the rumors up once more about the pair. They watched in silence as the dance finished, and the pair stopped, gazes locked, before Lord Bismarck closed the gap between the pair and kissed her gently. Elsa's gaze went to the mistletoe hanging above the couple, before her attention was pulled back due to the whispers gaining speed and volume. She had to do something, lest her sister's reputation be even more called in to question- to assume something a kiss when it hadn't happened was entirely different to here. With the Jannicke Affair, doubt could be brought in, as well as deniability, but here... now...

Taking a deep breath, she gently pushed Milla into Victoria's embrace and released her friend's hand, stepping past her husband to the edge of the platform of the dais, and took a deep breath. "What is the meaning of this?"

The pair broke apart, turning to see Elsa standing on the landing of the dais, looking for all intents and purposes like Mother Nature angered, for the deep green of her court dress fell in folds around her legs, the gold crown tinkling with each small movement. She gathered her skirts, making her way down the dais, blue eyes locked on them both; the crowd parted for the queen, all dipping into curtsies or bows, but she didn't notice. It was then that the pair realized that they were the object of every eye in the ballroom and quickly broke apart.

Anna swallowed, seeing the frost upon her sister's hands, and quickly dropped into a curtsy. "We're sorry, Your Majesty, it's just... remember, it is tradition for the couple who finishes the dance- be it waltz or otherwise- beneath the sprig of mistletoe to kiss, to ask the gods for good luck in the coming year, and since you and His Majesty did not do so, Lord Bismarck and I decided that we would, being as I am of the royal family-"

Elsa stopped not far from the pair; Lord Bismarck watched as she feigned confusion, before glancing towards the ceiling. While it was custom for the couple that finished dancing beneath the mistletoe to kiss to bring luck for the coming year; it was perhaps the one tradition practiced more in the small hamlets and country towns within Arendelle than the cities or the royal court. After several minutes, the queen returned her attention to the pair; she seemed to be regarding them both carefully as Anna stood. "... very well... since it is Jul, and in keeping with our traditions, I will allow it, just this once, Princess Annalise. But if it happens again-"

Both shook their heads. As the queen turned to return to her guests standing on the dais, she locked eyes with both of them, the meaning clear, Be careful. I will not be able to protect you both next time. Their whispered agreement chased after her as she returned to the dais, taking a seat upon the throne.