Rifiuto: Non Mirena

When she finally awoke from the draught the doctor had given her, four days had passed; four days where the king and princess had held silent vigil by her side, caring for her, watching over her. Though not fully awake and still feverish, the doctor had only one suggestion he could give to help break her ice-fever.

A bath.

Though unlike the ice baths Anna had endured as a child suffering from high fever, this one would be slightly different. Because the cold didn't bother her, it was best to try a hot bath. "Because it's her ice that's affecting her, a bath might just break her fever."

"Wait... Doctor... Doctor Ibsen, are you... are you saying that... that we have to... to put my sister into an... an ice bath?"

"No, Your Highness, I'm saying we have to put her into theoppositeof an ice bath. This one must be hot, not boiling, and not lukewarm. It must be just right; if we can get the temperature right, we can break her ice-fever."

On the royal physician's orders, the maids began warming water and filling the tub. The princess looked back at where her sister lay against her husband's chest. She was half-asleep, one hand curled tight around the material of Hans' shirt. The king met her gaze, and nodded, and with a sigh, Anna turned back to the doctor. "She'll be better?"

"With luck, this will break her fever completely." Once the water had been warmed and the bath ready, he nodded for the king to bring the queen. Hans, doing better than Elsa, slipped out of bed, sliding an arm around her waist as he walked her to the tub. Not fully awake, she whimpered softly as he kissed her freezing forehead.

"Eliza, look at me, love." She turned her head towards him, eyes barely slit open. She reached up, caressing his face.

"Love you." Tears filled his eyes; he hated having to do this to her. He hated having to do this to the children whenever they got horribly sick. Over the years, he'd been witness to more than one ice bath, as fever raged in his children's small bodies, as ice was the only thing that could break it, and often found himself holding tight to a sobbing Elsa, for it was her ice that they often used to help bring childish fevers down. Though she knew it was for the health of their children, as a mother, she hated having to do something that caused her children pain, even if it would end up benefiting them in the end.

"I love you, too." He rested his forehead to hers for as long as he could handle; she was so cold- colder than normal. Hans could handle the cold to a point; having shared a bed with Elsa on and off for sixteen years now, he was used to the constant coldness of her skin, of her ice and snow, but this... this he wasn't used to. This was beyond what was normal, even for her.Eliza, forgive me, please."We drew you a bath; Doctor Ibsen thinks it will help break your fever."

She turned towards the doctor as he stepped forward. "Please, Majesty, let us help you in."

The moment her body felt the heat from the water, she struggled. Elsa had never cared for heat; the fire in the grate and the body heat from her loved ones were about as much as she could handle, and perhaps it was because her magic kept her body naturally colder than normal. She couldn't handle being out in the sun for too long without feeling sick- something her parents had discovered back when she was a child- and she preferred overcast skies with limited sun to exceedingly hot, sunny days.

They hadn't expected her to struggle so; despite the doctor and her maids' attempts to keep her from going completely under the water, she managed to wrangle out of their grasps, slipping to the bottom of the tub. "Majesty!"

Her eyes snapped open, and she found that the water distorted everything above her. She could see flashes of color, hear voices that sounded miles away, feel the warmth of the water seeping into her skin to warm her frozen bones. For the briefest of moments, she considered holding her breath until she lost consciousness, but then thought of Hans. Her beloved, her darling, was waiting for her, waiting to pull her from the tub, waiting to wrap her in a towel and dry her, waiting to put her back to bed and join her-

After several minutes, she broke through the surface of the water, gasping for air to fill her starving lungs. She clung to the side, resting her chin on the edge of the tub, closing her eyes as she greedily inhaled air. She felt a hand on her head that wasn't her husband's and after several minutes, one of her eyelids was tugged open and then the other. "Her fever's breaking." She heard whispers of relief, as she closed her eyes again. "We'll have her stay in the water for a few more minutes before we bring her out, hopefully we can get it fully broken. Add some more water, please, Miss."

Gently, the doctor guided the queen to lie back in the tub so Marta could add some more hot water. She whimpered, but it was weak, as the hot water mixed with what was already there. As her head lolled to the side, she caught her husband's gaze."... Hans."

"I'm here, Eliza. I'm right here." He leaned over, kissing her forehead as she reached up to caress his cheek. Eventually, after another half an hour, the doctor finally deemed that Elsa's fever had broken, and allowed Hans to help her out of the bath. Gently, he took the towel from Helena, draping it around his wife's shoulders. He helped to dry her off, before allowing the girls to help her remove her wet nightdress and clothe her in a fresh, clean, dry one. They then quickly worked on untangling her hair until it was smooth and free. "Let's get you back to bed."

"You'll stay with me?" A quick glance at the doctor, who nodded.

"Of course I will. I'll never leave you willingly, if I can help it."

Once they returned to bed and everything was cleaned up, Doctor Ibsen checked her over one last time. "She's still slightly feverish, but I believe the bath did her some good. It's brought the majority of her fever down, and I believe if she has one more good night's rest, it'll break her fever completely."

"Thank you, Doctor. We're forever in your debt." The older man shook his head.

"It's nothing, Your Majesty. I live to serve the royal family. Should you need anything, let me know." After he and the others left, Hans turned to his wife. She looked up at him, her big blue eyes studying him intently. Slowly, she reached up, brushing her fingers through his hair. The white streak that had appeared the moment she struck his heart had since vanished, most likely due to her being willing to take his place.

After a moment, he leaned down, kissing her gently. "Oh, Eliza, how I love you so." Gently, his fingers came down to caress her cheek, thumb stroking the apple of it, before he pulled away and kissed her forehead. "Get some sleep, my love. I'll be right here beside you all night. I promise."