Trust Runs Deep

Chapter 20

The next morning, everyone woke up in an excellent mood. With it being the start of a new year, it was definitely time for new beginnings, and the beginnings to plan a wedding. Everything was going smoothly, Elsa was becoming more accustomed and comfortable being open with her relationship with her fiance, whose family she loved and treated like her own. Conrad's brothers and sister were treated like her own siblings, and Elsa held a great deal of respect for Conrad's mother and father.

Letters of congratulations poured in from allied kingdoms in the months following the announcement of hers and Conrad's engagement. While sorting through them, Elsa was shocked to see a letter addressed to her from the Southern Isles. She opened it tentatively, unsure of who from the Southern Isles would send a letter. Her heart skipped a few beats when she saw that it was from Hans himself.

Elsa's breath caught in her throat as she read it. He was polite and fairly straightforward in addressing her. He wrote he didn't expect her to read it, but he felt obligated to send her something. He described his awareness of her fiance and Edvard's betrayal, expressing that he deeply apologized for having caused her any more grief and anger. He closed off his letter by saying that he genuinely wished her the best, both for her specifically and for her future wedding to Conrad.

Elsa didn't want to have any empathy for him, but... yet, he didn't seem to be fishing for anything of the sort. Just a general congratulations and I-wish-you-the-best. She couldn't help but crack a small smile. Yes, it was from the man that nearly killed her and her sister, but he seemed to have grown since then. She would tell Conrad about the letter and ask him on his thoughts of what they should do to respond.

As she finished opening and responding to most of the letters, Conrad came into their now shared bedroom, looking exhausted. Barely glancing up from her desk, she simply chuckled.

"Long day?"

"Quite. Been talking with the captains and their crews most of the day. Two of the ships had faced some weather disturbances on their way to London and Edinburgh."

"Are they all doing alright? I know the weather and swells can get treacherous on that side of the island." Conrad nodded, taking a seat on one of the loveseats.

"They're okay, but they had some minor damages before pulling into port." He took a glance over at her desk, seeing it covered in opened letters and paper.

"Lots of letters today?" Elsa nodded.

"Oh yes... most of them are congratulations from our allies, one from Queen Victoria even! But... there's one I think you should read yourself." Conrad raised an eyebrow and came to her side. She handed him the letter and allowed him to skim over it.

"Hans...?" He breathed out. Elsa gestured for him to read it, watching his eyes scan the papers thoroughly. After a few minutes of him reading, he paused, unsure of what to say. He scratched at his scalp, a mix of shock, wonder, surprise, and perhaps amusement crossing his face.

"Well?"

"I mean... I'm, surprised the Southern Isles even sent us anything to begin with," Elsa nodded.

"I know, the same thought came to me as well."

"What do you suggest we do? Obviously, we ought to write a response back." Conrad slowly bobbed his head in agreement. Any letter from any kingdom was required to have a response, regardless of the relationship between the two kingdoms.

"If it were me, I'd write a simple thank you and then tell them to never send a letter again, but... we can't do that either, even though we don't have ties with them."Conrad bit his lip and tapped the papers in thought, "honestly, I can't think of anything to do with them now. Did you have something in mind?" Elsa frowned.

"I feel like it's a matter I need to discuss with Anna." Conrad nodded. Of course, after all, it was Anna and Elsa who had dealt with Hans personally, he would go with whatever they agreed on.

With evening fast approaching, the couple got ready to unwind and relax after a long day, both of them getting into more casual clothing. Before Conrad pulled on his usual light blue day shirt, Elsa caught a glance of his scars. She didn't see them very often, knowing how her fiance felt about them, not to say he was necessarily ashamed of them, but, he didn't like thinking about how they got there.

"How are your scars feeling?" She asked him gently. He looked down at them and sighed.

"They don't hurt anymore," he replied, his head hanging, "I don't like thinking about them, though." Elsa sadly pursed her lips and walked over to his side.

"Hey, it's okay. You're okay, we're not going to let anyone interfere with our lives. I promise that." She whispered, cupping his face in her hands, stroking his cheekbone lovingly with her thumb. His blue-green eyes were glassy, he shut them tightly, fighting them back. He took an unsteady breath through his nose and rubbed the inner corners of his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, Elsa took a step back to allow him to compose himself and get dressed before joining Anna and Kristoff for dinner.

"I'll be alright." He finally said. He looked at Elsa with a sad half-smile, letting her hold his hand gently.

"Come on, dinner will make us both feel better." She said encouragingly. He nodded and together they made their way to the dining room, greeting the servants with smiles.

Once they made it to the dining hall, they all sat down together, smiles and all.

Elsa was happy to see Conrad's mood lightened by talking to Anna and Kristoff, though her mind drifted elsewhere. Between gazing at her engagement ring, to looking out the window, and thinking about her upcoming wedding, she had a lot on her mind. She wondered whether it was appropriate to bring up Hans' letter... no, it probably wouldn't. No need to damper the mood now.

After dinner, everyone made it upstairs to get ready for bed, but Elsa pulled Anna aside into her office.

"Elsa? What is it?" Elsa sighed.

"A letter of congratulations came in from a kingdom today."

"Oh? Who's it from?" Elsa paused.

"Hans." Anna froze.

"What...?"

"He sent a letter. It was specifically addressed to me, but I feel that he meant it for Conrad and I, and a hint to you." Anna began fuming.

"Does that bastard really think-"

"Anna, Anna, calm down."

"Elsa! He nearly killed both of us! Trying to take the crown!"

"I know that! But as queen, I have to take the letter with my head held high. I know we have our problems with him, but he's still a prince. I have to be careful about how I respond to his letter." Anna 'hmped' and crossed her arms, frowning at her sister.

"You aren't possibly considering-"

"I am not. At least not now. But, Anna, despite everything, I feel that we both need to take this in stride and move on. We're adults, we need to be mature about this." Elsa placed her hands on Anna's shoulders and looked directly into Anna's eyes, trying to convey her message. The princess sighed.

"You're right... but, can we talk about it more in the morning?" Elsa nodded.

"Of course. Get some rest, I'll see you in the morning." They hugged and bid each other goodnight. Elsa stepped into her room where Conrad was reading a book on one of the chairs.

"Everything alright?" He asked.

"I explained to Anna the situation, she's not happy about it, and I don't expect her to be, honestly."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her that it's time we move on, we're adults, and we hold our heads high and move on with our lives." Conrad gave her a hopeful smile, "but, we'll discuss it more in the morning." She went and took a seat on his lap, leaning against him, feeling the warmth radiating from him, feeling his heartbeat in his chest.

"I think that's for the best." With a laugh, he scooped her up bridal style and carried her to their bed, kissing her furiously. Elsa returned the affection, laughing along with him, letting her worries melt away into the night.