Chess Piece

The Unspoken Words of the Queen

If there was one thing that could truly soothed her, it would have been music.

She had sat by her Mother's side when she was young, to watch her fingers moved over the keys of the piano in the recreational room, to listen to the soft hum that would come from her lips as the late Queen poured her heart into her playing, smiling as the young Princess leaned her head against her side as she shut her eyes, listening contently.

It had been her wish to learn how to play herself, finding the difficulty in reaching for the keys as her fingers had not been as long as her Mother's, scrunching her nose in annoyance as she had pressed the wrong tune and broke the beautiful song, and yet her Mother had encouraged her to continue on; and over times as she had grown she had finally able to do it without a single fault, it was the only activity where she could find herself at peace, her powers somehow had never gone out of control whenever she sat at the piano.

During her reign as Queen however, she had found it to be quite difficult to come to the recreational room, her duties had demanded her to be present during meetings and to attend to the paperwork on her desk, and after dinner she was far too exhausted to bring herself to play and would much prefer to retire back to her bedchamber instead.

Thus why she had found it to be a blessing that today her schedule had not been as full as it usually had, and she was able to spare some time to come and enjoy some free time for herself with her favorite musical instrument, the only one that she could play honestly.

The music that had flowed out of the instrument had filled the room enough for her to forget her surroundings, if only for a moment, and she had unconsciously began to hum the old song that her Mother once had sang to her, one that she would request for the lullaby to accompany her into sleep.

"It's beautiful; I didn't know you could play." The voice that had spoken in an awed whisper just as she had finished had brought her out of her moment of nostalgia as she looked over her shoulder, finding her sister standing at the doorway, one hand still grasping the knob of the door. "I... didn't mean to intrude; I didn't expect you to be here."

"It's quite alright." She could not blame the Princess to come into a room that was not locked in the first place, nor for her to stay and listen instead of leaving for she knew that the song had not only been played for her.

"It's Mother's song, isn't it?" Anna had asked as she came to sit at the lounge by the window, in which the Queen had nodded in confirmation, as she let her shoes slipped off her feet before she had tucked her legs under her. "I missed them."

Her gloved fingers hovered over the ivory keys, eyes darted downward at her sister's words. "Me too." When they were still alive she used to hear Anna's laughter, muffled by the door and the windows of her room, as their parents would make sure that the younger Princess was happy even without the older. Every time she had seen Anna, out in the gardens while she was up in the library, she could only wish that she could join her, to enjoy the warm summer sun and the scent of blooming flowers in spring, yet the coldness at her fingertips would have reminded her on why she couldn't, why she had to stay inside and away.

For a long moment there was nothing but silence between the two, and although she knew it was best for her to just leave, there was a part of her that knew that if she had risen from her seat and left, she would have hurt Anna's feeling even further by believing that even her presence was unwanted by the older sister, it was why she could only sat through the silence that hung heavy in the air.

"You were out, with Hans, the other day."

She should have realized that Anna would have taken notice on the fact that she had spent her time with her husband, though she wasn't quite sure if she had been referring to their horse-ride or the carriage-ride, and in her eyes Elsa must have seemed as if she was being more social to anyone but her own sister, that she hated the Princess and wish for nothing but to avoid her.

"The Council wished for me to," it was her only liability for the situation, though now that she had voiced it out she felt exactly as what she had feared had become of herself, a mere chess piece in which the politicians had played instead of the ruling Queen. "They wish for me and Hans to be more... public."

There was a hum that came from her sister then, though the tone of it made her brows furrowed, for it almost as if she did not believe her, and when she had turned to look then, the strawberry blonde haired Princess had her face turned toward the windows, finger running over the smooth surface in shapes she randomly drawn as her lips were pursed in a scowl.

"Anna-"

"No, I get it; those old men can be irritating." The Princess' shoulders were raised in a shrug before she lowered her legs back onto the ground, feet slipping back into her shoes before she stood up and ran her hands over the non-existing wrinkles on her skirt. "Forgive me, for interrupting you. I will just go and search where Gerda hides the chocolate for dessert."

Anna had hid her true feelings away from her; she could see that passed the smile and the nonchalant way she had spoken of finding the sweet-tasted dessert made of cocoa, yet even when all she had wished was to talk more with her, to equally spend her time with her and not just fulfilling her Council's demands, the memory of her young sister unconscious with skin as cold as ice had always reminded her that she couldn't, not until she truly controlled her powers.

Until then, she could only dreamt of enjoying the one dessert they both loved so dearly with her sister as she silently watched the Princess left the room.

--

It was well past midnight and yet the bed remained lacking of one person.

From the moment that he had retired back into the bedchamber up until now that he was sitting with his back against the headboard, never once did he saw her walking in. Her ladies-in-waiting had come, excusing themselves as they prepared for her nightgown, and when asked about her whereabouts they had stated that she was still in her study and had requested for them to just prepare her night clothing before dismissing them for the day.

It had come to his concern that she had been forcing herself to work late, as she was a very well-scheduled person and would not have done such a thing if it was not a matter of urgency or that something was bothering her mind, the latter had appeared to be a far more logical option for the night.

It was why he had made his way out to the darkened halls, dimly lit by the candles along the walls, carrying his own as he padded along the stone flooring with his feet bare as he headed to her study, seeing the dim light that had escaped underneath the door from within.

Surely enough, he had found her hunched over her desk, head resting on her folded arms, the dancing flame from the candle at the corner of the desk as her only company. Even in her sleep her brows were furrowed, yes as he brushed away the platinum blonde strands that had fallen over her face she had only shifted in the smallest of movement.

Blowing the flame on the candle he had brought with him as well as the one that she had perhaps lit for herself, he had set the candle holder aside before he had adjusted her to lean back against her seat, and still her sleep remained unbothered, not even when he had wrapped her arm around his neck before hoisting her up into his arms, her head moving to rest against his chest.

"You are a good Queen, Elsa." He had sighed as he brought her back to their bedchamber, and she had only mumbled incoherently as he gently laid her onto her side of the bed, though now she had to endure sleeping in her full dress for he would not undress her himself. "I do hope you realize that."

Yet she was far too exhausted that he had thefeeling she would not even remember any of this by the time she would wake upthe next morning.