Trust Runs Deep

Chapter 24

Nine months felt like a really long time, but it flew by much faster than anyone thought. Despite the rough patches at the beginning, Elsa's pregnancy went rather smoothly, no complications. The kingdom was eagerly preparing for the arrival of the prince or princess, and Anna and Olaf were absolutely excited.

While Elsa's pregnancy had been unexpected, she soon became very accepting of it. She talked to her belly every now and then, smiling whenever she felt the baby move. It was a very strange feeling, the whole experience, but, she couldn't be happier. And she knew Conrad was ecstatic to become a father.

When Elsa went into labor, everyone was tense. Unlike most expectant fathers, Conrad was able to keep his cool while Elsa was giving birth. Anna, on the other hand, was incredibly worried for her sister and was bouncing her leg constantly despite Kristoff, Conrad, and Olaf trying to calm her down.

"I would expect you'd be freaking out," Anna pointedly said to Conrad. He shrugged.

"I mean... I have a big family. I'm kinda used to getting calm when a baby is being born."

"Yeah, but it's your child. My niece or nephew." Conrad sighed.

"Of course I'm worried for her, but I know Elsa will be just fine, and so will our baby." It was true though, having three younger siblings had allowed Conrad to become more used to the waiting for a new baby to arrive. He vividly remembered when his youngest brother and baby sister were born respectively. Meanwhile, Conrad could sense even from down the hall, Elsa was beyond ready for the baby to be born.

While waiting, Conrad became lost in thought. He couldn't believe he was about to be a father. He'd married the near-mythical Snow Queen, and now they were bringing their first child into the world. It was quite surreal. They'd received many letters of congratulations from the kingdoms they were allies with. And much to their surprise, they got one from the Southern Isles. That, despite the tension, were kind and respectable enough to send a letter of congratulations. Their relationship with the Isles was complicated, to say the least.

Maybe ten minutes later, one of the nurses opened the door, allowing Gerda out of the room. Conrad, Anna, and Kristoff all stood. Gerda smiled broadly, gesturing for them to go see the queen.

"Go and welcome your daughter, your majesty," Gerda said. Conrad bit back a gasp as he tentatively stepped inside, seeing the sight of Elsa propped up against the soft pillows, cradling a soft lavender blanket, wrapped around a tiny newborn who cooed softly. Conrad's entire body became soft as he took a seat next to his wife, kissing her on the forehead. Elsa looked up at him with tired blue eyes.

"I can't believe she's here..." The queen whispered. Conrad nodded.

"I know." Anna came around on the other side, taking a seat next to her sister, gently giving her a hug.

"I'm beyond happy for you, Elsa." She said quietly. Elsa momentarily rested her head on her sister's shoulder as a way of saying thank you. Finally, the attention turned to the newborn cradled in Elsa's arms. She brought the bundle up closer to her chest, looking down at her daughter. Conrad's heart melted seeing that little face for the first time, her little face scrunched up, and her tiny hands balled up into fists, lightly kicking at the blanket.

"She's perfect, Elsa." He said. Elsa handed him their daughter, and he cradled her like she was a porcelain doll. So small... and so delicate. Her wispy blonde hair could just be seen in the right angle of light. This little baby fit perfectly in his arms, it just... felt so natural. Here was his little girl, the future queen of Arendelle, nestled perfectly in his arms.

After letting him hold the baby, he passed her along to Anna, who immediately gushed over her niece.

"You look just like your momma!" Anna giggled, "and chances are you'll probably have powers like her, too!" Elsa hadn't even thought about that aspect too much since she learned she was pregnant. It was very possible the newborn could have powers, but, there was no way to tell now. Elsa's powers didn't manifest until she was a toddler, maybe three, right before Anna was born.

"We'll have to wait and see on that," Elsa said. Anna even gave the baby to Kristoff to hold.

"She'll be your niece officially soon, Y'know," Anna said with a grin. Kristoff rolled his eyes but smiled down at the baby. Yeah, he could see Elsa in her already.

Kristoff handed the baby back to Elsa, and they called Olaf in to see her. Kristoff hoisted the snowman up onto the bed so he could see. He waddled over to Elsa's side and plopped down next to her, peeking into the blanket.

"She's so small... and squishy!" He commented. Everyone chuckled.

"All babies are," Anna said.

"Do you think she'll like me?" Olaf asked.

"Of course she will." Elsa assured, "we all love you, so I'm sure she will too." The baby then opened her eyes, and Elsa was taken aback at how similar her daughter's eyes were to her own mothers. A cooler shade of a blue than Elsa's. Even Anna noticed.

"She has mom's eyes..." Elsa nodded sadly, stroking her daughters cheek delicately.

"She does..." Elsa allowed Kai and Gerda to come in, since they've been a part of hers and Anna's lives for as long as they could remember, she let them meet the new princess. Gerda sighed.

"This reminds me of when you were born, Elsa." Kai nodded with a smile.

"Oh yes, you were quite the lively baby." Everyone shared a laugh when the baby sneezed suddenly. With everyone having had the chance to say hello to the new baby, Kai asked Elsa what the princess's name would be. Elsa studied her newborn for a moment.

"Conrad and I agreed on Kjerstin." Anna grinned, looking down at her niece.

"That's a beautiful name, Elsa." Kai went off to write the announcement for the kingdom and their allies, Gerda followed close behind. Anna decided that it would be good to leave Conrad and Elsa alone with their newborn, taking Kristoff and Olaf's hands, they left as well.

With the room quiet now, and darkening with the sun setting outside, Conrad got comfortable on the bed next to his wife. He cradled his daughter delicately, watching her in awe as she breathed steadily. Kjerstin watched her parents with wide blue eyes, cracking a smile at her mother. While Conrad held her, Elsa decided to see how Kjerstin would react to her powers, wiggling her hand above her face, lightly dusting the newborns face with sprinkles of snow. Much to their delight, the newborn giggled, raising her arms up, trying to catch the snow with her tiny hands. Elsa beamed at this. She knew she couldn't be too hopeful yet, their daughter was only a few hours old, there was no way to tell if she had powers.

"I think that we should aim to raise her as normally as possible, if she shows signs of having my powers, then we'll adjust," Elsa said, resting her head on Conrad's shoulder. Conrad nodded.

"I think that's a good idea. If she does show signs of your powers, what should we do then?" Elsa frowned as she thought about it. Definitely educate Kjerstin, and help her practice how to use it safely were the obvious. Elsa expressed this, and Conrad agreed.

"We can certainly do that." After a little while longer of them bonding with their newborn, Conrad decided it was time for Elsa to get some sleep.

"I'll keep an eye on the baby," he assured, "you should get some rest, okay?" He went to the cradle and carefully placed Kjerstin down, making sure she was nestled carefully among the blankets and pillow in the cradle, softly kissing her goodnight. Once he was assured Kjerstin was comfortable, he went back to Elsa's side and helped her get comfortable too. Once she found a position that didn't put too much pressure on her stomach or crotch (where they both knew Elsa would be quite sore for a week or two), he pulled the blankets up to her shoulders, making sure she was cozy and in the least amount of discomfort possible.

"You comfortable?" He asked softly. Elsa nodded and fully allowed herself to relax into the pillows, and Conrad watched her as she fell asleep, wanting to know that Elsa was alright. Soon, she was breathing quietly, sound asleep. In the cradle next to their bed, Kjerstin too was asleep soundly, making cute little baby noises doing so. Conrad was at peace, he had a wife, he had a daughter, and a kingdom. He knew that in a couple of weeks, once Elsa could get back on her feet and start doing things normally again, there would be a celebration for Kjerstin's birth, celebrating its new heir to the throne. It was a lot, but in the two weeks they had before that happened, Conrad intended to make sure he and Elsa took it slow and steady with help from their family.