White Queen

The Sound of Silence

To find the Queen in the Princess' bedchamber was such a shock, she could only imagine.

A hand had cautiously shook her shoulder as an attempt to wake her up, and when her eyes did fluttered opened she was met with the face of Gerda over her, with a confused and yet amused expression at the same time as she shook her head. Her mouth moved to ask why it had been her who came to wake her up instead of her ladies-in-waiting, yet the realization had dawned on her before she could speak a word, of where she had fallen asleep in.

The light snoring that came from the other side of the bed had belonged to her sister, still deep in sleep with a clear line of drool coming from the corner of her mouth and hair unbelievably messy she was beginning to question if Anna had perhaps battled the covers in her dream.

"You gave everyone a fright, Your Majesty." Gerda's voice had been reduced into a whisper as she watched the Queen sitting up on the bed, unable to contain the smile on her face. "They all thought you've fled to the mountains."

Unable to hold back the light chuckle that came from her, Elsa's hand had moved to cover her mouth to stifle it instead. "Well then I'm glad you've found me before Hans could send a search party then." There would be no way that she would leave just like that, to leave her husband and her sister behind, to abandon her entire kingdom; such thought would never come true. "As for Anna," turning her head to look over her shoulder as she followed the Governess toward the door. "Do let her sleep a little more; I'm sure she's in need of the extra hour."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

Warm bath had been drawn by her ladies-in-waiting when she came back into her own private bedchamber, though her brows did furrow as she found no sight of her husband anywhere, though she think nothing of it. The heat of the steaming water relaxed her muscles and warmed her face as she let her eyes fluttered close as she had her arms received a throughout scrubbing and massage.

There was always a nagging feeling of caution within her whenever she bathed, even after she was deemed to have control over her powers, as it was something that she could not help but feeling, something she had grown so used to, especially when her mind was swirling with so many things at once. At times like this, Hans' smile and reassuring squeeze of his hand would always able to loosen her tension.

Her bath had mostly been filled with silence, her ladies-in-waiting conversed among themselves in quiet voices as she spent her time shutting her eyes and leaning her head back, though cautiously trying not to let sleep consume her once again.

Even when her ladies-in-waiting moved about and around her as they fitted the teal dress over her body, her lips remained tightly shut without a word, partly from the lack of sleep she had for she had only able to fall asleep hours after midnight in Anna's bedchamber, another part was that she truly had nothing to say nor discuss anyway.

Her eyes did lit up once she had stepped back into her bedchamber, where they settled on her husband standing with his hands clasped behind his back, eyes watching the view outside of the window, already he was clothed in his daily royal attire, hair brushed so throughout with not a single strand out of line.

"You look handsome today," she whispered once she had stood by his side, and she did not lie. The way that the morning light hit his figure, sharpening the features of his face and casted his shadow over the smooth wooden flooring, he was as breathtaking as the sun rising outside.

His head turned upon hearing her words, or perhaps it was the delicate hand resting on his shoulder and over the black epaulet there, the corner of his mouth tugging into a small smile as he turned his whole body toward her, thumb finding it's way over her cheekbone. "And you look so lovely," the slight frown that appeared on his face did made her tilt her head. "Although, it seemed that I have lost you somewhere around midnight. Where have you been?"

"I couldn't sleep," feeling the rising blush on her cheeks, yet she did not turn away to hide it, a blush was a mere harmless thing that she should not hide from him. "So I took a walk in the halls to tire myself, but then I came across Anna and we talked." About what, she left it to herself for now, unable to bring herself to indulge in the subject at the moment.

There was a short silence that transpired between the two of them before a hum came from Hans' tightly pressed lips, his green eyes watching so intently that she almost felt as if he was studying her like a parent judging whether his child had been putting herself into a larger trouble than she had let on. And it made her shift her footing in discomfort. "I may not be able to join you for lunch later," she had wished for him to speak, yet when he did, the words that came from him had disappointed her. "There are some things that I need to take care of."

"What is it?"

Yet he had only smiled as his fingers took hold of her chin, bringing her closer as he pressed his lips against her forehead in a gentle kiss. "Do not worry yourself over it, darling, I will handle it." It was such a clear picture that he did not wish to share his story with her the similar way that she had with him earlier, and it took her entire self not to scowl. She wished to protest, to tell him that as Queen she was supposed to know, yet Anna's voice rang back in her mind, reminding her that perhaps she truly had to try and let others help her every once in a while.

Besides, if Hans could handle whatever it was he was referring to, then she had at least one thing off her mind.

--

She thought she was used to being lonely.

The long dining table was empty saved from her that sat at the head of it, the clinking of her own silverware as she ate was the only thing that filled her ears and reminded her of how quiet the hall was as Hans had been true to his word of unable to join her for lunch, and she had only been notified earlier that Anna had gone to the town, accompanied by a few guards as to prevent having an earful from her older sister later when she returned, thus she too was not present in the castle.

For someone who had been spending more than ten years alone, isolated in her own bedchamber, she had thought that eating by herself like this would not have bothered her so much, that this was not to be permanent anyway for her family would have joined her later on dinner, and yet the ache in her heart had made her unable to enjoy the food served before her.

Perhaps it was because she was not used to this anymore.

Reaching for the glass of wine, her hand had stopped, fingers mere millimeters away from the surface, as her eyes narrowed at the deep red color of the drink, and a sigh escaped her lips as her hand retreated back, coming into a curled fist against her chest as she leaned back in her seat.

She had been overreacting, hasn't she?

It was no secret that from time to time she would stay in her study to work, having her lunch delivered to her instead, leaving her husband and sister to eat in the dining hall similar to what she was doing now, and yet it seemed that none of them had reacted the way that she had. Pushing her plate away, she had rose from her seat even when she had only eaten perhaps a half of her meal, making her way toward the door as the guards opened it for her to pass.

There was no point in her being so sullen at the table, so overdramatic, and she did not wish to waste any precious time that she could use to continue with her work if she wished to be at dinner without the burden of unfinished papers at the back of her mind.

And work could definitely mask how tired she felt.