Chess Piece

A Holy Declaration

She felt naked without her gloves.

Father had told her that however helping the gloves were, there would be a day where she would have to stand before her people without them, that she had to be prepared for everything that could possibly happened and should not be entirely dependent on the one thing that has served as a barrier for her ever since the incident that had happened during her childhood.

Yet still, she felt the need for them, especially for today, a reassurance that she would have survived through the day without an accident.

Her control had improved, she dared to say that, as she had not yet froze the bouquet of flowers held in her hands as she did with the scepter and the orb during her coronation, yet her fingers had itched as she waited behind closed doors, listening to the muffled sounds inside.

"Your Majesty," Kai had remained silent as he stationed to open the doors for her, and though he hasn't said anything but addressed her, she already knew what he had meant. "It is time."

The song changed as the doors were opened, finally revealing the bride that had been long awaited, and she took her first step, heel digging into the soft red carpet that had been laid out for her, where he was waiting for her at the end of it.

Should her father had been alive, he would have walked her down the aisle, to hold her and perhaps whisper reassuring words that she would be alright, that he would not let her slip and fall perhaps. Yet he wasn't there and she had to walk alone, as neither her father nor her mother had any sibling to take their place. Her eyes caught the sight of her sister, standing at the front row as she was her only family, and she realized that as her older sister she would walk her down the aisle when the time would come for her to, and she would, she made a silent promise to herself for that.

When she had reached the end, and the bouquet had been taken from her hands, his replaced it as they stood face to face with each other before the priest, and though slight she could feel how his hands tensed for a moment, causing her to take a quiet deep breath as she attempted to reduce the coldness in her hands against his equally bare warm ones.

The priest's words blurred into the background as she repeated the mantra she had grown with, to conceal and to don't feel, to never let anyone know of her curse, and she used his green eyes to focus on instead, seeing the way he watched her.

They were as entrapping as always, and for a moment she had forgotten where they were or what they were doing, though she had been reeled back into reality when his lips moved, realizing that her turn would soon come.

"I do."

His hands slipped out of her grasp, and while his left hand held hers, he used the other to take the golden band resting on the purple cushion, slipping it around her ring finger before she did the same with his, careful and precise to make sure that the ring would not slip off from his finger.

With a dull thump the leather-bound book was closed as the priest laid it on the podium before turning his attention back to the man and woman before him. "Queen Elsa of Arendelle and Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, through their words today, have joined together in holy wedlock. Because they have exchanged their vows before God and these witnesses, have pledged their commitment each to the other, and have declared the same by joining hands and by exchanging rings, I now pronounce that they are husband and wife." No matter how often she had reminded herself that this marriage was necessary and that she had prepared for it ever since she was eighteen, her heart still skipped a beat at the words, as not only she was fulfilling her father's decision, she was too doing so in the eyes of God. "Those, whom God hath joined together, let no one put asunder. You may now kiss the bride."

His hands left hers for the second time, coming up to touch the ends of her thin veil, moving it up until it rested against the top of her head to reveal her face. Both leaned forward until their lips met, and she was thankful that his hands were busy holding her, for her fingers curled around her skirt, a thin layer of frost forming beneath her touch. Though it was not for the way that he kissed her, his lips were soft and cautious against hers, instead it was from her own fear of hurting him through the kiss; thus why she had directed her powers to her hands instead.

Cheers from the audience came after they had pulled apart, and as her last test in the chapel, she let her fingers curled around the dark burgundy jacket he wore as they stood before the people with a smile on their faces.

--

Tradition required her to be carried all the way to their bedchamber.

His hold against her was firm, strong, his arms unshaking under her weight. Not once did he swayed, his footing true and able to keep the steady pace as they made their way through the halls. All the while she had kept one arm around his neck to serve for her own steadiness, while her other hand curled over her chest, eyes watching how his jaw moved as his green ones remained focused on the way ahead.

Her ladies-in-waiting opened the door for them, though they remained outside as they closed it, as they were not allowed to be present during the wedding night, not even to assist her into getting out of her dress.

Hans lowered her to sit on the bed, letting her watched as he started to undo the buttons of his jacket and the vest underneath it, and her eyes widened at the sight, for she did not think that he would have be so bold after being so cautious and keeping his distance at the respectable limit before.

"Would you really sleep in that dress?" His eyes watched her, as he always did it seemed, and she could feel the warmth climbing up onto her cheeks at the absurd thought that he had put into her mind.

Standing up from the bed, she had her arms crossed over her chest as she returned his look with narrowed eyes. "Of course not." Making her way to the changing screen, she found her nightgown ready and hung neatly at the other side, and she pulled at the ribbons holding her dress together before changing into the comfortable piece of clothing.

When she had emerged back, fingers undoing the tight bun and releasing her platinum blonde hair from the many pins and ribbons that had held them together, he has already stripped down to only wearing white pants, bearing his bare back for her to see. She had never seen a man's body before, pictures of it in some of the books she had read yes, but never with her own two eyes, in such a way that made her unable to hold the boiling heat on her face, at the very least it had rendered her powers for a moment.

Clearing her throat, she had gained his attention as he turned to face her, and her blue eyes drifted down to his muscled abdomen before she snapped her attention back to his face. "I'm going to sleep."

He was silent for a moment, and she suspected it was from how confused he was for she opted to sleep than to- "Of course. But do you really sleep with gloves on?"

"I-" her head lowered down to look at her gloved hands, lips pursed as she only did that to protect him, and she looked back at him with sharp eyes. "It's comfortable this way." He had nodded, though she doubted he truly understood, and had let the topic go, at least for the night. Making her way to the bed, she climbed onto her side of the bed, one closest to the big triangular window, and kept her back toward him as she pulled the thick blanket over her body. "Good night, Hans."

"Good night, My Queen."