Elsa almost feared for the worst once she saw her husband's trembling body. His knees buckled and he fell onto his knees with no words, just tears, and wide eyes.
Most of his hair disguised the falling beads of his roaring emotions. His hands were shaking, quivering.
It took one sob to let Elsa know he was okay. There were no sounds. Just the strong tension of his guilt.
The familiar woman in front of him began choking up herself. Soon, words of regret and apology drowned out the despised silence.
"I-i'm sorry."
Elsa sniffled as she pulled out a hankerchief and wiped her own tears, Anna holding on tight to her as they watched the two reunite.
Anna yanked the hankerchief from her sister's hand and used it to wipe away hers, blowing her nose into it with fading sniffles.
Kristoff looked at the two sisters uneasily, awkwardly staring at them with folded arms, not knowing what to do.
"W-we'll leave you both alone," Elsa said dismissively, taking her sister's arm, "We'll just be waiting outside. Come on, Anna."
Anna nodded in agreement and walked away with her older sister, not one of them looking back. Aiden looked at his brother in law, who smiled at him assuringly he'll watch over the girls.
After seeing the blond depart, Aiden continued to bow his head in shame.
Pabbie glanced from Helena to the kneeling King of Arendelle, clearing his throat silently, "Excuse us."
The other gawking trolls slowly rolled away to give the reuniting duo some privacy.
All that's left to do was—
Aiden finally wailed, which drove Helena to break herself, too.
She kneeled down next to her son and caressed his hair, tears streaming down her cheeks while she recognized that this was not the man Aiden had grown up into.
She saw a little boy beneath his strong willed emerald green eyes.
Pain... Pain was something Aiden had gotten used to. Thinking of his pain itself, is as painful as it meant. She looked back to where the first time Aiden had first felt what pain is like.
And she realized, she was there most of the time her son felt pain.
He felt pain because his ears could hear her and he who must not be named's yelling.
He felt pain because of the pressure.
He felt pain when his eyes sees the horrifying sight of her being abused.
He surely felt pain when he found out that his own mother had left.
He surely felt pain when he saw her casket being buried.
And... The pain may have turned stale when he began to move on, move forward.
Was she the reason Aiden learned to cope with pain?
Aiden was not the only one who needed to murmur an apology.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry,"
Their little scene was a representation of their scars. Scars; mental wounds. Wounds that had healed long before, but they were never forgotten.
Who they were now, was because of the flaws life had.
"You.. You did nothing wrong..."
How she missed his voice. She almost forgot what it sounded like.
"Please... Just stay."
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
There was no hesitancy in her voice once she answered, "I'll stay."
____________________________________
That smile lingered long enough on her husband's face. He looked like an idiot, but he would not trade it for the world. He felt so content. He felt like he could wrap his arms around the world. He could jump; he could aim high, he could lift his chin up brightly.
His hand— still wrapped around hers, warm, smooth, soft— remained unmoving. His hand fitted hers like a glove. His other arm was protectively nestled around her shoulder.
Helena was silent in her own little corner in the sled, eyes closed, which meant she was savoring how good the wind felt against her skin.
Anna and Kristoff looked at the Queen of Arendelle in unison from the front, as if to say how are they doing at the back.
Elsa shrugged.
The ride for home wasn't as eventful as earlier. To be honest, it was quiet and blissful.
The moment Elsa returned her gaze at her husband, the smile on his face had stilled and wavered.
(A/N: The picture below does not belong to me. I only edited his eyes to be green. Credit goes to the one(s) who owns it.)
"You okay?" The platinum blonde queen whispered sharply. The fire king turned to her surprise, but he recovered and nodded, "More than you'll ever know."
"Why don't you go talk to her?" She encouraged.
"I... It's going to be awkward... I mean, it's been so long. It feels strange and good at the same time. I'll talk to her once we get home."
"Oh.. Okay."
The smile returned to his face once an idea popped into his head, "What about you? You two should really talk sometimes. She's thankful to you, you know. I think she'd love it if you approach her."
The thought of the two most precious beings to his heart interacting and bonding made Aiden beam. Picturing it and bringing it to life would be something too good to be true.
"Son."
His eyes widened once he got called by the topic herself. He turned to his mother with a soft smile, his eyes directly looking at hers, "Yes?"
"Can I meet my grandchildren immediately once we reach the castle?"
He could read the excitement in his mother's eyes.
"Of course, mama. You'll love them both, I just know it."