Yearning

        It had taken hours to work through, but if you had asked Anna about it Elsa knew she’d say it was worth it. And now, the first time the queen had seen her sister in the past week, Elsa wouldn’t have been able to do anything but agree. The little babe in her arms, his big blue eyes closed as he slept soundly, was possibly the more beautiful thing the queen had ever seen. She was an aunt.

        “Anna he’s… he’s perfect.”

        “Thank you…” Anna said.

        Her sister, the princess, usually so full of energy and life simply lay in bed, her husband Kristoff next to her, smiling. It was strange not seeing her out and about full of energy, even during the pregnancy. A little boy would be good for her, Elsa was sure. Another little bundle of energy for her to run around with. To chase and play. Family things.

The queen caressed the baby’s cheek, “What’s his name?”

        “We haven’t decided yet, actually,” Kristoff said, watching the two of them. Elsa pawed at the young boy’s cheek, a feathery smile on her face.

        A few minutes later Queen Elsa stepped out of her sister’s room the large double doors shutting them in. The happy family needed some time to themselves. That was good. Right. Yes. A royal family should have children, lots of children. A full home was a happy home, wasn’t that a saying?

        So why hadn’t she had any children?

        She’d married her husband a few months after Kristoff and Anna had taken their vows, and since they’d lain together nearly every night, and still years later they had nothing. Anna had confessed to her one night when she couldn’t sleep from the baby in her belly that she and Kristoff had always intended to wait until after Elsa’s first born, that she was sorry. The queen hugged her sister; she had nothing to be sorry for.

        Elsa walked past her and her sister’s old room. In the far corner her mother and father had still kept the crib Elsa and Anna had used when they were babies themselves. She made a mental note to ask Kai to have the crib moved to Anna’s room. A mother shouldn’t have to be away from her child.

        Elsa had always taken something of a small comfort in walking the halls of the castle. Anna hadn’t liked being cooped up in here, but Elsa had always been fine within the castle. She loved the history of their family, the stories of their family going back generations. She looked up at an old portrait, their great great great great grandmother, surrounded by children. That was what Elsa had imagined her life would be, the beautiful queen with her children. Instead the maids gossiped about rumors that the queen would never have children.

        A sorry shivering sigh slipped from her lips as she leaned against the wall opposite the portrait. Her husband didn’t know about this. He was kind and handsome and loyal and she loved him for it but reading the queen’s emotions was not one of his talents.

        Anna would have her family portrait made soon, to commemorate the new prince’s birth. Elsa could feel little icicle tears sliding down her cheeks. She placed a hand on her belly and it felt cold.