White Queen

News unlike Any Other

She was such a fool.

How could she possibly missed such signs that had been so clear right in front of her eyes and yet was either ignored or dismissed as other things while her mind had to battle every judgment and speculations either whispered behind her back or spat right onto her face? If the doctor's prediction had been accurate then she should have known, all by herself, had discovered it the way other woman might have, and yet she didn't.

Pacing in the empty bedchamber, as she had dismissed her ladies-in-waiting and even Gerda to leave her alone to think, her fingers flexed at her sides, clenching tightly that her knuckles might as well had turned white as she felt her icy magic swirling just below her very skin, awaiting to come out from her fingertips yet she had held them back –she did not need to have the guestroom of someone else's kingdom to froze over.

When she had noticed just how tight her corset was while her ladies-in-waiting had fitted her into one, she had merely thought that she had gained a little bit of weight, and had only requested for the ribbons to be loosened until she could at least breathe easier. The way her breasts had been so tender and sensitive that she had to remove Hans' hand away had been quickly dismissed as something but mere discomfort.

She had been so utterly clueless that it was frustrating.

Tugging on her gloves, letting the silk to brush against her skin as she let out a sigh, letting her eyes fluttered close as she willed her own heart to reduce such rapid beating against her chest, her hands had ran over her own dress, dismissing off the wrinkles that may have formed, and before she realized it had found their way resting on her own abdomen, brows taunting into a frown as she could not yet feel what she thought would have been there, but she supposed it was too early for that.

"Elsa," the sound of door creaking opened had prompted her to open her eyes and remove her hands until they were back at her sides even before the auburn haired man had stepped in from the hall outside their bedchamber. "You requested for me?"

Nodding, she had told him to shut the door behind him, as she did not want words to be spread without her control over it, and when it had clicked she had motioned him to come closer, taking his hand as she made her way toward the bed, sitting down at the foot of it though the Prince had remained standing, towering over her.

No matter, it was her who could not trust her own footing at the moment anyway.

"I had the royal doctor checked me earlier," she started, prompting his own mouth to open in what she assumed was his comment of her finally deciding on doing so, one which she had given him a look enough to make his mouth shut back up. She wasn't finished. "And I have news."

"Are you ill?"

At this her head shook, and her hold on his hands tightened, she had to tell him, had to let that one word slip past her lips, but she had found it difficult to do so. She was feeling so torn that no words had come from her, and he must have noticed it, of how nervous she was, that he had returned her gesture with his own reassuring squeeze. He was there and he was waiting.

"I'm pregnant."

His hands froze, not by her magic but on it's own, as his green eyes stared down at her, expression unreadable as he stayed silent. It felt so long that she was starting to worry that it was not the kind of news that he had wished to hear from her, not when they were not even in Arendelle, not when they were away from the comfort of their own kingdom, their own home— "Are you certain?"

Her nod was slow, cautious. "The doctor said that it has been conceived before our journey here." So her ailment could either come from the infamous morning sickness that expecting women had or the sea sickness that they all had believed was the cause of her inability to enjoy the trip like the rest of them, or both at the same time, which was far worse. "Are you really not going to say anything, darling?"

The respond that he gave her was not what she expected to. Instead of words, he had come down onto his knees before her, hands slipping away from her grasp as he moved closer and placed them on her waist instead, thumbs running over her clothed abdomen with so much astonishment in his eyes than she thought would be possible. "We are going to have a child."

Hans would have been a wonderful father –she was certain of this, he would care for their child better than anyone could, love it with all his heart could offer and protect it the way that he had always did to her, his past with his family had shaped him into someone that was far better than them instead of falling in step with the cruelty of his brothers, and no child would ask for a better father than him.

She was about to be a mother.

The shock of discovering such news had overwhelmed her with so many things running in her head that she had not stop to consider, to realize, of how life-changing this had been for her too. She was to care and nurture a child, a life that was growing within her at this very moment, to be as responsible as she could possibly be to teach a person of how to be good, to others and perhaps even the world.

"We have to announce it, of the news." He was still on his knees, still has his hands on her belly, and his request was met with the shake of her head, a refusal. "Why not?"

"Tomorrow is Marlene's baptism, I do not wish to ruin the excitement by giving my news." Gentle hands cradled his face, bringing him up to meet her awaiting lips in a kiss as he sat beside her on the bed. "It would be extremely rude, would it not?"

"Not even to Anna?"

"No, not yet." Her sister would have been over the moon, she could imagine, for she adored children like no other, and to hear that she was to be an aunt would have made her at the very least squeal out in excitement. And when Anna was excited she could hardly control herself, couldn't contain the feelings that bloomed in her heart, and it would have been a disaster if she had spilled the news everywhere. "She wouldn't like this, not being told as soon as possible, but she will be fine."

His hand came up to her face then, cradling it as his thumb ran over her cheekbone as he brought her closer until she could taste his lips against hers, warm and gentle while her arms came to wrap around his neck, pulling the two of them even closer until both had fallen onto the soft mattress with her resting on top of him.

"I still couldn't believe this is real." His whisper against her lips was filled with the same astonishment that he had earlier, and she could practically felt his smile. When she had pulled away, she had never seen him with such goofy smile on his face as he grinned up to her, had not notice of how different he had looked now compared to the composed Admiral or even the loving husband that she was used to, and she loved it. Loved this part of Hans who had just discovered that he was to be a father, who she knew would be the best out there.

"Neither do I, darling."

And there you go, folks, your prayers have been answered. I have been planning this from the very beginning, just couldn't decide on exactly how I should deliver. Elsa's reaction has been changed several times, because I have a feeling you guys will riot if it doesn't ended up this way XD