Rifiuto: Non Mirena
1858
Linnea Castle
Black.
The last time Anna had worn black was when their parents died; it had been years since the family had suffered such a tragedy-
The feel of another body behind her caused the princess to turn, and she found her sister standing before the portrait of her daughter; the whisper of black silk as it tumbled over the portrait the only sound in the gallery.
Elsa choked on a sob, burying her face in her hands. It took a moment before the princess realised her sister was swathed in not black silk, but black ice; the mourning veil swept past her shoulders, the color making her look even paler than she normally was, a living ghost mourning the loss of her child. But before Anna could comfort her, the queen was gone; she hurried into the hall, watching as her sister rushed for the gardens, bursting out midst the overcast sky.
"She was my child! You stole my child from me!" Those loyal to the family came running, the rest of the children and their father as well. Anna felt as though she were watching her sister stand on the precipice of a cliff, terrified that if she stepped forward, that the queen would go over into the waves of the fjord below. Elsa stumbled to her knees at the steps of the royal chapel, that which her daughter would soon be brought to the next morning a stark reminder of her grief. Her gaze locked on the cross that broke through the overcast sky; it mocked her in its cold stone and bare ornamentation.
"You stole my babe from me! What kind of gods are you, that you would steal away a child from her mother? How could you? I am nothing if not loyal and faithful to Arendelle! I have been her servant for years! Despite my transgressions, despite my sins, I have done all I could to make sure she prospers! I've been a faithful servant, putting my country before my family! And you see fit to steal my child from me? Have I not served Arendelle enough? Have I not paid my dues? Have I not deserved a small measure of happiness for being Arendelle's faithful, loyal servant? Well? Haven't I? Answer me!"
But she received no response, except the roiling of thunder, the howl of the wind... and soon, the lashing as rain broke over the country, as though the heavens themselves were mourning the death of the princess.
"I have never questioned my faith! I have always been loyal in my worship of you! And this is how you reward my loyalty? You steal my child? What did I do? Tell me, so I may fix it! If I was ever worthy of sitting upon the throne of Arendelle, then show me! Give her back to me!Give me back my Elisabeth!"
Her screams- bloodcurdling and primal- echoed throughout the gardens, through the city. Anna covered her mouth to keep from sobbing, she had to be strong for her sister-
"Mama-" Milla's soft, choked voice broke the princess's heart, and she snapped her eyes shut at her sister's howl; in that moment, Anna feared her sister would become one of the fabled Ruskala, a woman who died of heartbreak and was left to wander the earth in search of revenge for her betrayal. Never, not even in the throes of painful childbirth, had such a sound escaped her sister's throat, and it broke the heart of all who heard it.
"Please, Your Majesty, you can't-"
Anna only opened her eyes at footsteps, watching as Hans hurried to her sister. But Elsa, too wrapped within her grief, fought against him, beating her small fists against him as he struggled to get her under control."What kind of gods are they, Hans? They took our daughter, they took our Liesel! They stole our Liesel, they stole our Elisabeth from us! They stole her from us!"
"Elisabeth, please, come -"
"No! Leave me! Leave me! I want to be with Liesel, I want to be with my daughter! Let me be with my daughter!"
"Elisabeth, Liesel is gone! We have to accept that!"
"No..." She continued to fight against him, but despite the strength of her grief, the beat of her fists were weak, and she soon collapsed, sobs morphing into screams as he gathered her into his chest, rocking gently as he whispered softly to her, ignoring all who gathered around them, his focus solely on her.
Anna slowly tore her gaze from her sister and brother-in-law, going to the cross atop the chapel, even as the wind picked up and the rain fell harder.
"- we have other children, Elisabeth. Yes, we must mourn, but we cannot forget to live, my darling. We have a family to raise-"
"A family that is broken now." She sniffled, curled tight against Hans's chest as he held her in his lap as they sat on the window seat in the family's apartments. He had finally managed to tear her away from the steps of the chapel, scooping her into his arms and carrying her back into the castle. The door quietly clicked shut, and Hans looked up, to see the other children enter, Milla and Annes holding tight to their younger siblings' hands.
"Papa?"
"Come here, my darlings." Slowly, they joined their parents, gathering around them. It was this sight, of the children also draped in black, surrounding their parents, that met Anna- who had promised Hans she would check on the twins- and Lord Bismarck when they entered.
"I'm deeply sorry for the loss of the princess, Majesties." Bismarck whispered, bowing. The Crown Princess turned to meet his gaze; she knew that her father was listening, though his attention was focused on Mama, and she nodded in quick acknowledgement. In that moment, with her mother wrapped tightly in grief, and her father's attention on her mother, the young Crown Princess had stepped easily into her mother's shoes, if only for the time being, and Anna saw every bit her sister in her oldest niece. A soft knock sounded, and Anna turned-
"Enter." The princess turned back to Milla, who'd been the one to speak. Kai stepped into the room, bowing quickly to the royals.
"Your Majesties, Your Highnesses. I'm sorry to interrupt, but Queen Victoria and Prince Albert have arrived-"
What are Albert and Victoria doing here? But before Anna could voice the question, Camilla spoke again, voice shaky yet as regal as her mother's. "Please, Kai, let them in."
"Yes, Princess." He bowed again, before doing as told, not questioning the young princess's having become her mother's voice, if even temporarily. In minutes, the British royals had entered, and then Anna remembered the reason for their visit. They were only a few of the visiting royals come to attend the burial-
"Auntie Victoria..." The moment Kai was gone and the door shut, Camilla's façade broke, and she was just a little girl, mourning her sister's death.
Victoria immediately rushed to the girl, wrapping the Crown Princess into her embrace, pressing a kiss to her head. "Camilla, darling." Albert embraced Anna, before they both turned to the Scandinavian rulers.
Hans met Albert and Victoria's gazes, before turning back to Elsa, slowly pulling away and taking her face in his hands. "Elisabeth, darling, Victoria and Albert have arrived."
Slowly, the queen met his gaze, and he gently kissed her forehead before she, almost robotically, slipped off her husband's lap, stumbling into Victoria's embrace once she'd finally released Milla. The moment she was wrapped in the British queen's arms, she broke down. "She's gone, Victoria, my Elisabeth... my Liesel... is gone... she'sgone... they've stolen her from me..."
Victoria immediately tightened her hold, pressing a kiss to the woman's head. "Elsa, what did you say?" Gently, she pulled away to meet the Snow Queen's gaze.
"... fault... it's my fault..."