Chess Piece

The Thirteenth Prince

He actually pitied her.

Previously he had cared less for the details of his Father's arrangement of his marriage with the Crown Princess of Arendelle, as he was the only one out of his Father's thirteen sons that had not yet wedded, for as long as he could get out of the kingdom he had born and grew up in, the castle that had served him as nothing but an over-the-top prison, he would very much so accept it.

Lars had convinced him to at least study about Arendelle, to learn of their history so that he would fit effortlessly into becoming the member of it's royal family, and to know a little of who he was marrying.

The latter was proved to be a short read.

Actual detailed information about the Crown Princess seemed to have stopped being added when she was merely eight years old, at the same time as to when Arendelle's castle had suddenly closed it's gates, shutting people out from knowing what could possibly be up with the royal family. Even at the death of the King and Queen, the gates remained tightly closed.

The mystery had taken his interest, if only just a little, as he did not want to bother himself into doubting the marriage, just as long as he could be far away from his brothers, he would be fine. There was nothing in the world that would compared into what his brothers were capable of doing, not even a princess who had never been seen after her childhood.

Finally, at the age of 23, two years above his to-be wife, his Father had sent him sailing to Arendelle, with everything he ever owned, to attend to her coronation as Queen and to wed her merely a week after.

She was young, a little too young for the crown, to bear the responsibility over a kingdom on her shoulders, yet Arendelle could not wait any longer; it needed a ruler to sit on the throne. He supposed that he would have his share of responsibility later on, something that he himself could not wait to have, as he believed that he was capable of it, no matter how his brothers had belittled him about it.

Yet when he had finally seen her, for the very first time as she was crowned in the chapel, he had a slight doubt if she was truly ready for it.

She was well educated and well trained for it, prepared for the position for years, and yet it was not about her lack of study that made him had his doubts, instead it was what had come from within her. Nervousness was understandable, it was normal, even the smallest of fear that accompanied it; yet the fear in her eyes was overwhelming. She appeared so fragile, to be treated so cautiously as not to break her, and even with the expectations she must have been weighted with, there was just something else about her.

No matter how hard she had presented herself as a strong-willed, wise young Queen that should be respected by those under her ruling, she could not hide what she was from him. It was all but a mask that she put on.

He should know; all these years he had done the same.

--

"You shouldn't go there."

With a brow quirked up in wonder, he had turned to see the Princess approaching from across the hall, one of his hands remained on the doorknob, just about to turn it and enter the library at the other side of the double doors. "Why?" He had found his way there before, had sit inside to indulge himself in reading the books lining the shelves to pass the afternoon as he waited for dinner.

"Elsa is inside." It was said matter-of-factly, as if everyone should have known the unwritten rule, as the strawberry blonde haired Princess had finally come into a stop near him. "No one is allowed to disturb her when she's in the library." She had added after perhaps noticing the confusion in his expression. From the way she had said it, it seemed that this rule had been established long before he had even know the relation between him and this kingdom.

He considered in leaving, just until Anna was out of sight, before returning because the older sister was exactly who he had been looking for, yet he went against the idea, realizing that tampering with Elsa's peace would only drive her further away from him. Instead he had nodded understandingly, hand letting go of the brass knob. "Would you mind if I ask you to accompany down in the gardens, Your Highness?"

There was a slight widening of teal eyes as his request has taken her a little by surprise, yet her head nodded so quickly. "Oh yeah, sure thing!" If the older sister had been calculative in every step that she took, he found the younger to take actions without a proper thinking first, she was young and careless. "And uh, just call me 'Anna', no need to be so formal, I mean I'm not that Princess, you know."

His own head nod politely as he clasped his hands behind his back, perfect smile on his face, falling into a matching step with the Princess. "Very well, Anna." There was a bright smile that grew on her face, satisfied that he had followed her request, as she led them both toward the royal garden.

After all, if he wished to know more about Elsa, then who would better tell about her than her own sister?

--

"What is this?"

Anna truly has such a bubbly personality and talkative mouth that would not stop if not being interrupted, he had found himself barely speaking and more into listening to whatever that had come up into the Princess' mind, yet unfortunately for him she had barely spoke about Elsa, and he had slowly grown bored. Thus when he had seen the strand of platinum blonde hair, the exact color of the older sister's hair, he had voiced his wonder on that instead.

"Oh," Her hand went up to touch the said hair as she looked up at him and shrugged. "I was born with it. Although I dreamt I was kissed by a troll." A strange dream indeed, as trolls were nothing more than a myth, and one that he wasn't sure a Princess her age would have.

"I like it." Unlike Elsa, the second-born Princess received compliments openly, accept them with a smile full of happiness as he knew she yearn the attention and interaction with other people. And she did exactly what he had thought she would, to smile shyly as she turned her face away from him.

If he could not open the door to Elsa's heart, then he would use the window.