Author's Note: Try to enjoy yourself this chapter. It's time to put some positivity back into the mix! This chapter takes place roughly nine months after the previous chapter. I had hoped to have this one up before the end of 2015, due to the first part of it taking place during Yule, but I just couldn't get it done in time.

This chapter picks up roughly nine months after the previous chapter.

Cover Art for the story is by the incredibly talented Trixdraws from DeviantArt. Thank you again, Trix! Official art for the story is by the wonderful Giulia! Links to both artists and their works can be found on my bio here. Please see Chapter 1 for my Standard Disclaimers!

Feel, Don't Conceal

by Jo K.

Epilogue 1: Sweet Solstice

And I'm all mixed up, feeling cornered and rushed

They say it's my fault, but I want her so much

Want to fly her away, where the sun and the rain

Coming down on my face wash away all the shame

When they stop and stare, don't worry me

'Cause I'm feeling for her what she's feeling for me

-Tatu, "All the Things She Said"

—O—

Despite the lateness of the year, well into winter and Arendelle's celebration of Yule and the impending Winter Solstice, thousands of men, women, boys and girls had gathered on the side of the city facing the nearest mountain slope, with the majority of them spread out across the relatively flat expanse between the city and the slopes. Two long ropes, anchored with simple stakes at set intervals, ran in parallel away from the mountain's base, a wide space between them to allow the skiers coming down the mountain ample time to stop before crashing into the throngs of spectators gathered to watch the competition.

Back in the city proper, hundreds of people milled through the shops, taverns and pubs, happily enjoying the newest addition to Arendelle's Yule celebrations—the Queens' Royal Ski Contest, mixing sheer downhill speed with the need to navigate through copses of evergreen trees, several of which had been carefully pruned, then marked with colored lace ribbons to indicate the course the competitors had to follow.

The fastest skiers on the challenging slope had been determined after a series of head-to-head races down the side of the mountain facing the town, with two boys, two girls, three men and three women recognized as champions, having won the right to receive prizes from the Queens of Arendelle themselves as well as attend a dinner hosted at the castle immediately after the award ceremony.

However, the presentation of those awards had to wait a few more minutes.

—O—

Atop the mountain's summit, the final two skiers took their position atop the lip marking the start of the course, the ends of their skis dangling above the steep drop marking the start of the ski run.

"You realize you're going to lose, don't you?"

Elsa turned to look beside her. Anna looked adorable in her pastel blue jacket and thin pants quite reminiscent of riding pants, both articles of true clothing rather than Elsa's icy creations. Both women's ski poles and skis were made from Elsa's shimmering ice, but the redheaded Summer Queen had wanted to wear an outfit created by the seamstresses and tailors employed by the royal family as a way of showing pride in the achievements of their castle staff. It would also be good publicity for Arendelle craftspeople as a whole, many of whom were already celebrating the influx of visitors (and their spending money) attending their city's Yule festival.

Elsa gave Anna a sly smirk as they waited for the last competitors to clear the field at the bottom of the mountain. It was a long course, with almost the entire distance visible from the large viewing area between the slope and the edge of town. The more substantial copses of pines and spruce trees had been mostly avoided, save for the edges when an opening between two or three trees allowed for a challenging path through them. The course ran up to a particularly steep drop-off on the western side of the mountain halfway down its face, but colorfully painted stakes had been placed to steer the competitors safely away from the icy cliff. Each run had been taking five or six minutes to complete, even for the fastest skiers, and two dozen horses, plus a few reindeer, had been used to steadily ferry the skiers to the mountaintop to start their runs; now those animals and their handlers were starting to make their own way down the mountain, using the more traditional paths.

Elsa looked over at Anna, her teal long-sleeved shirt and thin pants similar to Anna's in styling and appearance but made of her magical ice rather than cloth; the color of the thin, flowing material was an exact match for Anna's eyes. "The only way you're going to beat me to the bottom of this mountain is if I let you win as an early Yule gift," she replied confidently.

Anna's eloquent reply was to forcefully stick her tongue out at the woman she loved. "Guess we're about to find out, huh?" she said, digging her glittering ski poles into the crisp snow beneath them, shoving herself forward and over the cusp of the ski run.

Elsa grinned and did the same, launching herself over the lip and onto the steep descent that began the trail down the mountain. The snow had refreshed itself after each pair of skiers, thanks to a gentle nudge from Elsa's powers, and thus the blanket of white stretched out before them was pristine, more beautiful than any landscape ever painted by human hands.

Despite being made of ice, both sets of skis cut and carved through the powdery snow as easily as a knife through cheesecloth, thanks both to their mystical nature as well as the skill of the two women hurtling down the mountain. While Anna had had more practice skiing on the mountains growing up than Elsa had, what little practice Elsa had managed came at night, when there were no curious eyes beyond the few guards the King and Queen had trusted to accompany them and their elder daughter. As a necessity, she had developed the senses she used while skiing beyond just sight, and her rapport with the snow itself further enhanced her skill and self-awareness on the slopes. And while Anna's own relationship with the cold and icy elements was strong, it was still no match for Elsa's over twenty years of experience with even greater power.

As Elsa steadily pulled ahead despite Anna's blistering pace, the redhead began to push the limits; she was already moving fast enough to leave her twin braids trailing behind her, but she started to hit the turns with more speed than sanity would allow, leaving her teetering on the edge of control. When she glanced up to see Elsa still significantly ahead of her, she misjudged her approach into the next turn, delineated by a widely-spaced pair of evergreens.

She overcorrected, not wildly enough to tumble or crash, but enough to cost her even more precious speed and time as she tucked back into a low line, realigning her body on the proper course. "Balder's teeth," she hissed to herself, shifting her body and throwing her legs into the next turn as she barreled into it, skis skittering and powdery snow shooting upward in a plume as she drove into the turn.

As she watched Elsa's shapely figure schuss elegantly—elegantly!—down the white expanse in front of her, Anna had a thought that any reasonable person would have thought insane. In fact, most insane people probably would have thought the course of action she was considering unwise. But Elsa was beating her!

"Okay, snow and skis," Anna said, raising her voice slightly so as to be better heard over the slicing of her skis through the crisp snow. "Let's show the Winter Queen what we can do."

—O—

Ahead of Anna, Elsa leaned deeply into the banking turn above the cliff, extending her left leg while tucking her right, guiding her descent away from the partly-exposed rocky face that had been revealed after an avalanche before either she or Anna had been born. A quick glance behind her showed Anna to be trailing by a large margin, and she allowed herself a slight smile, laced with perhaps just a hint of smugness, as she returned her attention to making a clean run. She'd make it up to Anna tonight. Maybe with that startlingly revealing "Ice Queen" outfit Anna had commissioned the village costume maker to craft for them, although calling it an actual outfit might have been inadequately taking into account the garment's scandalous lack of fabric. Still, it raised Anna's eyebrows quite nicely when Elsa donned it, so the blonde felt it might soothe the sting of her mate losing the ski race today. The fact that she'd enjoy such an evening activity at least as much as Anna was the sweetest icing on the cake.

—O—

As Anna exited the last makeshift gate before the cliff, she hurriedly realigned her body, ignoring the twin tracks left by Elsa's skis and pointing her body directly at the cliff face.

She poled several times, nearly lifting herself off the snow entirely with the last push, adding every bit of speed and momentum she could as she shot toward the drop off. She was now past the point of no return; attempting to return to the marked course would only result in her going off the cliff sideways and out of control.

In Anna's defense, she had actually considered attempting a jump off this very cliff before, on a day when she was especially bored. It wasn't that she was suicidal, just driven by an overwhelming urge to DO SOMETHING that might possibly take her mind off of Elsa. On that day several years ago, she had settled for jumping into a fjord with her best dress on. Disappointingly, the scolding she had gotten hadn't lessened the sting of missing Elsa in the least.

—O—

The buzz and laughter of the crowds gathered below, mostly Arendellans but with a significant mix of tourists and foreign visitors as well, rapidly grew silent as those watching the final ski race realized that Queen Anna—for even at this distance, her cinnamon hair was brilliantly evident contrasted against the white snow—was traveling far, far too fast to make the turn to avoid the sheer drop-off looming before her.

As gasps began to sound amidst the spectators, two women waiting at the finish line found themselves fixated at the impending disaster.

"Did you know she was going to do this?" asked the one with medium-length ashen hair dressed in a simple white and green dress.

Arista shook her head, her light blonde ponytail swishing behind her neck and shoulders as it followed the movement. "No," she said, calmly and slowly, "but it truly doesn't surprise me." She sighed quietly. "I'm not explaining it to Queen Elsa if she breaks her leg. Or legs."

—O—

In the last seconds before reaching the cliff face, Anna squatted low, gathering power in her legs. "Just a little push," she said out loud, "and help me clear the rocks. I'll handle the landing."

And then she was there, the ground falling away in front of her in a split-second.

She pushed off as hard as she could without losing control, springing up from the ground and pulling her arms and ski poles in against her sides. She brought her legs and feet together, her icy skis clacking quietly as she held them together, soaring as high and as stiffly as she could while riding the wind that was suddenly billowing behind and beneath her, her eyes fixed resolutely on the smooth slope below the rocky section she was currently flying over.

—O—

As the sensation of nearly-flying buoyed Elsa down the steep descent, a broad grin on her bare face, she felt the stirring of her magic above and behind her; the fact that she hadn't used her magic made her actually lift up out of her crouch and look up and behind her, the slight drag of her long braid trailing behind her noticeable due to her speed.

As she saw Anna soaring over the jagged rocks from the old landslide, the first emotion that jolted her was that of terror, quickly replaced by hope and then by pride as she saw that Anna was going to safely clear the lethal deadfall beneath her. The question of her landing was still open, but she doubted the cold and the snow would let Anna be hurt seriously. But the redhead's straight line of descent, compared to Elsa's curving path, meant that by the time Anna's skis touched down, she would be the one in the lead, with the course nearly two-thirds complete.

A devious grin slid across the blonde queen's lips.

Let her safely clear the rocks, she thought to the cold, but make it close. Then she returned her attention to the ski course ahead of her, settled back into her crouch and let her heart thrill with joy at getting to do something so wonderful with the woman she loved more than anything in the Nine Worlds.

—O—

"Oh, snowballs," Anna muttered as she felt the wind shift from a tailwind to a headwind, robbing her of precious momentum. She was still over a hundred feet above the ground, but now that ground was closing with her swiftly, and there were still a last few dark patches of rocks flashing beneath her skis.

"Come on!" she called out, trying to will the wind into lifting her slightly higher, without much success. However, she did receive a sense of calm coming from the cold surrounding her in reply, and as she swallowed and relaxed her legs to absorb the shock of her impending landing, she tried to think of all the ways she loved the snow and ice, just in case they were still listening.

—O—

Anna hit the steep slope with a furious explosion of white powder and snowy spray, disappearing entirely inside the wintery plume for over a second as Elsa watched, slightly ahead of her and far to her right. Despite the snow cushioning her fall and preventing what well could have been a fractured leg (or two), the impact was still severe enough that Anna bounced back into the air several inches above the snowy slope before landing again, not as viciously the second time but still enough to make her rear sink low enough to skim the surface of the snow for half a second.

Elsa had to use all of her prodigious willpower to not laugh out loud at the sight, but she managed to suppress her mirth to just a snicker as she saw Anna shoot forward out of the falling spray, not entirely out of control but certainly closer to it than the redhead would have liked. But as Elsa watched, she saw Anna's splayed left leg pulled back into position, then her arms, followed by the rest of her body settling back into a controlled crouch... and still ahead of Elsa.

Elsa wasn't even aware of her grin as she threw her body into the next turn, only risking a glance at Anna's figure ahead of her before returning her full concentration to the course ahead of her. She carved her way through the remaining turns,slowly gaining ground on her beloved Anna before finally passing her at the next-to-last turn, being careful to not bump or block Anna in the process.

The last makeshift gate, between two large firs, saw the two sisters zoom through less than a second apart, their forms and body position eerily similar despite their very different styles. At they shot down the final straightaway, Elsa's blond braid suspended horizontally behind her in parallel to Anna's two smaller coppery braids; they each tucked as low as possible, Anna unable to gain any ground in the tight race between her and her partner. As they passed across the finish line, less than a meter apart, the crowd gathered for the ski races began whistling and shouting, the cries audible even over the whoosh of two sets of skis coming to abrupt stops at the end of the run.

Long-ingrained decorum kept the crowds from rushing forward to offer hugs or handclasps of support to their rulers, but the cheers for the final two skiers were by far the loudest of the entire festival.

Despite the din of cheering, Anna and Elsa were only registering each other as they turned to face one another; their skis and poles dissolving into a shimmer of light and frost as they quickly moved to each other, gathering one another in a tight embrace which lasted several seconds. Elsa pulled back just enough to look into Anna's sparkling green-blue eyes, getting an equally amused gaze in return right before Anna closed the distance between their lips, their lips brushing momentarily before pressing more tightly in a kiss between mates.

"I'm looking forward to tonight," whispered Anna as they broke the kiss, faces still close enough for foreheads to touch and eyelashes to flutter against their counterparts.

"Me too," Elsa whispered in return. "But we still have the rest of the day to get through."

"I know," Anna sighed happily as she shifted her arms around Elsa's torso to a more comfortable position. "It's like waiting for Solstice!"

Elsa flashed a sly smile at her wife. "That's because it is Solstice, silly."

As the two Queens walked over to the assembled champions from the ski races, they were met by Arista and Hilde, the ash-blonde woman accompanying her. "Glad you didn't kill yourself with that jump, Your Majesty," Arista said with a wry grin. "Had you planned on doing that the whole time?"

"No, not really," Anna said, holding her arms up and out as Elsa's magic began to swirl around her, changing her long-sleeved shirt and tight pants into a resplendent gown of purple and silver, the skirt falling just below Anna's knees and the sleeves slit along their lengths to reveal glimpses of her fair arms and the adorable freckles speckling that skin. "The thought first crossed my mind when I was eleven or twelve."

Arista almost choked on the drink of warm cider she had just put in her mouth. "Eleven?!" she coughed. "Or twelve?"

"Yeah, I used to think about trying to make that jump then. But I didn't want to try it without Elsa there with me."

"Aw, that's sweet," Arista said softly as Elsa, a gown of glittering white and silver newly-formed around her body, stepped forward and took Anna's hand. "You know she'd protect you if you tried it."

"Pfft," Anna said, a smile on her face. "No, I just wanted her to be watching when I landed the jump."

"Yes, that sounds like the Anna I knew as a girl," Elsa said with a nod.

Anna smiled back, a look of utter pride and admiration on her face as she patted Elsa's hand where she was clasping it. "'Keep me from trying it'!" she laughed before turning back to Arista. "More like, she'd have tried it with me!"

Arista rolled her eyes, a rather unbecoming display before two monarchs which they missed, so busy were they laughing.

"I have the final list of winners, Your Majesties," said the fourth woman, holding out a piece of paper to her Queens.

"Thank you, Hilde," Elsa said with a gracious smile. "You've done a marvelous job this last year. Idunn did well in selecting you to take over for her as our assistant." Idunn, ever the planner, had prepared a letter for her queens prior to her death; in it, she efficiently listed recommendations for replacing her in the event of her demise.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," the young woman said, bowing slightly in appreciation. "I must admit, I was terrified when you told me she had wanted me to succeed her in such an important role."

"Well, you shouldn't have been," Anna said, gently grasping the former handmaiden's left forearm. "You have a great mind for planning and a fantastic memory. You and Idunn and Ygrit were handmaidens together for years, and you obviously impressed both of them for Idunn to want you to take over for her should anything happen to her."

The smile that drew across the smaller woman's face was sad but honest. "I only hope I continue to justify that trust, Your Majesties."

There was a pause, heavy with possibility for several seconds. "And I assume your asking to officially be removed from your previous handmaiden role comes for a purpose other than continuing to serve as our assistant?" asked Elsa, her left eyebrow raised quizzically. "After all, you've already proven you can both be a handmaiden and serve as our assistant."

The matching grins on both Hilde's and Arista's faces said all that truly needed to be said.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Hilde said calmly, reaching out to take Arista's hand in her own. "Arista and I have been... dating."

"Yes," Arista added softly, turning to look at the ashen-haired woman. "And we wanted to be able to be open about it. So Hilde needed to step down as a handmaiden, to avoid the appearance of impropriety." As well as the need for her to be a maiden, Arista thought, a slight flush coloring her face as she did so. Although that didn't exactly stop Idunn and Ygrit either.

Elsa released Anna's hand and stepped forward, placing a hand on a shoulder for both Arista and Hilde. "We approve," she said pleasantly. "Both of the change of position in the castle as well as the two of you pursuing a relationship."

"Thank you, Your Majesties," both Hilde and Arista said, Arista reaching out to take Anna's hand in friendship.

"You two be good to each other," Anna said. "Because we like you both. Don't make us throw either of you in the dungeon."

"We'll do our best," Arista said, laughing.

"This does necessitate a change in your accommodation, Hilde," Elsa said. "I'll let Kai know to get you a private room elsewhere in the castle, since you'll be moving out of the handmaiden quarters. Would you object to moving out of the basement?"

Hilde blinked twice. "N-no, Your Majesty. Not at all."

"Good," Elsa said quietly. "Anna and I would like you to be closer to us, then. Not only would it facilitate your work as our assistant, but it would offer a bit more privacy and discretion for any... visitors you might entertain." Elsa gave a quick wink to Hilde, then a small smirk to the lighter blonde standing next to her. "Arista enjoys the same freedom of movement in the castle, conveniently enough, and her quarters are, as you know, just down the hall."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Arista said, bowing slightly herself.

"You can give us your report later this evening," Anna said, leaving as much unsaid as spoken with the few words. The blonde's official job for the Queens of Arendelle was ambassador to the Southern Isles, but secretly she fulfilled much the same role she had held with the Free Islanders, as spy, scout and, if necessary, assassin. Her ability to change back and forth between human and merform and her other physical attributes already made her a formidable woman, and Elsa's invisible enchantment allowing her to resist the effects of cold and freezing only enhanced her capabilities further.

Arista nodded, again indescribably thankful for the twist of fate that allowed her to find a new home, along with a new love, farther north than she ever could have imagined. Those changes had finally allowed her to start letting go of some of the pain embedded in her past, tempering those bitter memories of loss and betrayal with happier memories of acceptance and love. Her sister Ariel had already begun the work of healing the scars on Arista's heart years ago, and her new friends—and employers—continued to help her find meaning in her life.

"Are Your Majesties ready to hand out the prizes for today's winners?" asked Hilde, her usual friendly smile back on her face. "Because the lunch with the two of you at the castle is also part of those prizes, and I expect the chefs and staff will want everyone, particularly our two Queens, to be on time for it."

—O—

Later that night, long after the coins, medals and other prizes had been awarded to the winner, after the celebratory lunch was held, after the merchants in the holiday market were starting to close down their shops and return home with their families for the longest night of the year, two young women walked out of a door on the castle's roof.

Snow was falling in the dark sky, the sun having set several hours ago. The only noise beside the soft crunching of the white blanket of flakes beneath their feet was the soft huffing breathing of the large ice dragon waiting before them, sitting in a feline pose atop the castle roof, its sail-like wings folded against its back.

"Hi boy!" Anna said, her longbow in her left hand and her sword and shield attached securely to the belt around her waist as they walked to their mount.

"Hello, Icescale," Elsa added, her voice suffused with pride for one of her most loyal and capable creations.

Greetings, Mistresses, thought the great beast. Townprotector will stay here at the castle to guard it and the city while the two of you take your holiday at the Ice Palace.

"Excellent," replied Elsa, stopping as they reached the creature. She gently stroked the dragon's head, then moved to scratch behind the ruff of its glistening white neck. "It will make everyone feel more secure, having one of you here to supplement the castle and city guards."

Agreed. Townprotector has proven to be quite capable. She has earned her Name through her service to our mistresses.

"Yes, she has," Anna said happily as she tied her bow and quiver to the ice dragon's harness. She hoisted herself up onto the creature's back using the hand and footholds in his harness, likewise made of Elsa's ice, then extended a hand down to help her wife up.

Elsa placed her own foot in the stirrup, letting Anna help her up onto the riding seat she customarily occupied directly behind Anna. "Besides her bravery and skill fighting the Islanders during their invasion attempt, she did well in assisting us in dealing with the border raiders menacing Arendelle and Ruthenia in the east." She smoothed the hem of her skirt as she and Anna settled into riding positions, wrapping her arms around her younger wife's waist and placing a soft kiss on Anna's neck as she did so.

"Ready for a few days to ourselves?" Anna asked, turning to look over her shoulder. As she caught Elsa's warm sapphire eyes looking directly back at her, Anna felt her heart tumble and bound with joy. Even now, after all they had been through, Elsa still looked at her with that look of pure, fierce love that she offered only to Anna, that same intense soul-baring gaze that spoke so much truth and want and emotion without a single syllable.

"I am always ready for time spent only with you," Elsa replied. "No one else intruding on us, no royal duties, no demands for our time or attention."

"Good," Anna replied, matching Elsa's wide smile with her own. "Because I can't think of a better way to spend Yule, especially Solstice night, than with you and you alone."

—O—

Neither of them brought gifts to the Ice Palace. Material things, save some stores of food, were unnecessary when it was just the two of them. Up in their private retreat, if Anna wanted to walk around wearing nothing but a furry bikini top made of cottony ice and a skirt made entirely of short icicles, she could—and had—done so. If Elsa felt like wearing nothing other than a cloak made of thin, wispy tendrils of frost that covered everything but concealed nothing, she could—and had—done so.

No sooner had Icescale departed to inspect the surrounding area then Anna's lips were on Elsa's, welcoming them back to the first place Elsa had ever truly felt free, even if that freedom had been a false illusion. Her true freedom had been found someplace else—in the arms of the woman who loved her in every possible way.

"I do have a Yule gift for you," Anna said with a freckled smirk. "Do you want to go ahead and unwrap it?"

Elsa placed another kiss on Anna's lips, resisting the urge and Anna's mouth opening in invitation to deepen the kiss; instead she placed a quick kiss on Anna's cute nose, drawing a soft giggle from her mate. "I do," Elsa said slowly, "but I should probably wait until her equipment is hung up in our bedroom. Otherwise we might accidentally leave it here on the balcony."

"Good," Anna said with a kiss on Elsa's left cheek, "point," then a kiss on her right cheek. "I knew there was a reason I married you. Besides the fact that I am completely, hopelessly, shamelessly in love with you."

Elsa smiled and took Anna's hand. "Happy Yule, my love," she said as began to walk inside to their bedroom.

—O—

As they made love, Anna found herself even more enthralled than usual with Elsa's beauty, her spirit, her self. She was filled to bursting with emotions pulsing through her mind and body, sweeping her along as she made love to the one who was everything to her.

I want to carry your child, she thought, her head and heart both pounding as she knelt over her lover, Elsa's gasps and groans audible evidence of Anna's skillful touch and intimate knowledge of her wife. I want it more than anything I've ever wanted, even more than I wanted in your room growing up. Carrying your baby, bringing life to our child... that would be the greatest Yule gift I could give you. She briefly closed her eyes, her hands and fingers not slowing their movements as she knelt forward, bending over to suck the cool snowflake charm hanging from Elsa's belly button piercing into her mouth, giving it a light tug with her teeth; Elsa's sudden gasp and her entire body subsequently tensing in orgasm made Anna smile around the magical jewelry.

Please make it happen, she thought to the cold as she felt her skin tingling from the love and magic that surrounded them. Please, please make it happen.

—O—

As Elsa struggled for breath in the grips of the ecstatic pleasure being perpetrated upon her by her mate, she could only hazily form a single thought.

A child, she finally managed to conceptualize. OUR child. Made from both of us, from our love and our souls. Reflexively her body heaved for air as her muscles once again began to relax from the spasm of her orgasm, from Anna's loving touch. Her mind was a swirl of emotions, love and joy first and foremost, but with hope, caring, pride, possessiveness all mixed in as well. There was a hint of fear as well, the fear that they would never have a child, that her magic couldn't give them that impossible gift, that their family line would die out with their passing, leaving Arendelle in uncertain hands. Others would likely try to seize the throne, probably throwing the country into chaos and possibly even ruin, a final failure for the people who had grown to accept her and Anna's love and union, and those thoughts stirred a surge of anger deep within her.

Elsa could feel her magic saturating the air around her and Anna, stimulating her skin and sending thrills skittering across her every nerve. We WILL have a child together, she resolved as Anna descended to lie on top of her, a slight clinking as their icy belly button charms brushed each other, their breasts and abdomens pressed together sensually as both women wrapped their arms around each other, chests still laboriously rising and falling, falling and rising. Anna deserves the opportunity and experience of being a mother. Arendelle deserves a legitimate heir to ensure stability and a worthy successor for when we are gone. She swallowed, amazed at the audacity of her next thought. And I deserve a chance to be a mother. The chance to raise a child with love and acceptance, not with fear and repression. The chance to share the most precious gift and responsibility of all with Anna: the gift and responsibility of parenthood.

Elsa smiled as she felt as well as heard Anna sigh contentedly as the slightly smaller woman settled into the crook of Elsa's left arm, her breath warm against Elsa's head and neck where her head rested on Elsa's shoulder. "Thank you," Elsa whispered softly into the air above them.

"Y'r welcome," Anna mumbled, peace and happiness evident in her voice despite the few syllables. "And thank you too, Your Majesty." She stretched her head forward just enough to place a lingering kiss. "Happy Yule, Elsa," she said softly. "There's no one I'd rather spend it with."

Elsa blinked, with a tear escaping her right ear and sliding down the side of her head. "Happy Yule to you too, Anna. We've spent far too many of these apart."

"Nev'r again," Anna said, fighting a yawn while she spoke.

"No," Elsa agreed, turning her head to place a kiss on Anna's forehead. "Never again." She smiled as she rested her head back down upon their pillow of fresh snow. "Good night, my Summer Queen."

"G'night, my Winter Queen."

—O—

Four weeks later

"Heimdall's horn, Anna," Elsa cursed as she held Anna's long hair, fingers tangled in the cinnamon strands to keep them out of the line of fire.

"I'm..." gasped Anna as she tried to catch her breath, kneeling on their bathroom floor, face dangling in their toilet. "S-sorry, El—" Her speech cut off as she felt her stomach lurch again, triggering another powerful episode of vomiting into the defenseless receptacle.

Elsa winced as she felt and saw her lover's body stiffen up while retching into the commode. "That's four times this week, Anna," she said softly, concern evident in her tone. "Have you been feverish?"

Despite feeling like wet leather boots, Anna sat up and gave Elsa a disbelieving look. "Feverish? That's silly, Elsa."

"Not necessarily," Elsa said patiently. A proffered washcloth appeared over her left shoulder. "Thank you, Jora," Elsa said pleasantly, taking the offered white cloth from the young handmaiden. Carefully Elsa wiped Anna's face and mouth, battling her own stomach for dominance as she cleaned Anna's face. "You can still get sick, Anna," she said. "Don't you remember when I had the cold?"

"Ugh," Anna grumbled weakly. "Don't remind me. I was finding those little snowgies in my clothing drawers for weeks."

"Yes, well," Elsa said, flushing slightly as she remembered the little creatures' predilection for Anna's undergarments. "So you haven't been running a fever or feeling chill—" Another look cut Elsa off. "Right. No fever."

"I'm just sick of throwing up almost every morning," Anna whimpered, then sighing with relief as Elsa, having folding the washcloth over, gently wiped Anna's sweaty forehead with the cool cloth. "And being nauseous the other mornings, too."

Both Queens suddenly stiffened, their motions completely arrested. Slowly Anna lifted her head to meet Elsa's gaze, ice-blue eyes dancing in the blonde's face. "Do you think..." Anna said, her voice eager despite her rebellious stomach.

Elsa found herself tongue-tied, unable to speak. Numbly she handed the washcloth back to Jora, then she slowly moved her right hand down Anna's torso, fingers splayed as flakes of snow and tiny sparkles of light jumped from her hand. Her breaths came quickly and shallowly as she used her magic to assense Anna, feeling the now-familiar sensation from her wife's body, slightly different due to the recent strain and discomfort but still clearly Anna.

She moved lower, down from Anna's chest to her abdomen, still searching, blindly feeling for—

She jumped as she felt a surge of energy come back to her through her magic, the fleeting sting in her fingertips tiny but distinct. She slowly looked up at Anna as her own body seemed to echo the feeling in her fingertips, matching the feeble but clearly present sensation.

"Elsa?" Anna asked, worry, anticipation, anxiety all audible in her shaky voice. "Elsa, what is it? What do you feel?"

Elsa swallowed as she met Anna's gaze, face utterly, stonily blank. "I think..." she started, unable to complete her sentence.

Anna nodded in anticipation.

"I think..." Elsa tried again. "I think you're..." She swallowed, her own throat dreadfully dry. "Pregnant."

Anna stood still as a frozen pond, her blue-green eyes still locked onto Elsa's. "P-p—" she stammered. "Pregnant?"

Elsa nodded so slightly that only the suggestion of moment could be seen. "I-I think so," she said, barely able to breathe, let alone think. "I can feel a spark of magic inside you, something that's partly you, but not completely you, and it's... responding to me, too."

Anna closed her eyes, daring to allow a small smile to cross her face. "A spark inside me..." she said dreamily, "that's part me, and part you..."

Elsa nodded, then realized that Anna's eyes were still closed. "Yes," she whispered, leaning forward and closing her own eyes as her and Anna's foreheads touched; their hands laced together where they stood. "It must have been Solstice night, when I let my magic run wild while we were making love..."

Anna giggled suddenly, releasing Elsa's hands to throw her arms around Elsa's waist, pulling Elsa's abdomen flush against her own. She leaned forward to kiss Elsa, only to find her lips stopped short by slender, gentle fingers. Anna's eyes snapped open, meeting Elsa's blue eyes looking back at her with a mix of adoration and teasing.

"Not until you rinse your mouth," Elsa said softly. "Then you can kiss me."

Anna grinned in return. "Best Yule gift ever."

—O—

Four days later, two sets of equally miserable groans echoed out of the royal bathchambers.

"Freya's..." Elsa heaved as she seized a brief moment's respite from vomiting into an icy trough she had hastily conjured beside the commode, "boar... Anna," she gasped. "Lutefisk... spicy peppers... and blueberries?! What were you thinking?"

Anna's only reply was another round of heaving into the commode, her body rigidly tense before collapsing into its now-familiar hunched-over posture. "It sounded..." she said, gasping, "really good at the time!" She heaved once more, nothing further remaining to come up. "I'm really sorry you got sick from the smell," she gasped. "You were just trying to help me."

"Jora," Elsa called out weakly, leaning on her elbows over the refreshingly cool trough beside the bathtub. "Jora!"

"I"m out here, Your Majesty!" came the young girl's voice, from their bedroom.

"What are you doing out there?" Elsa groaned, her voice echoing slightly off the trough. A weak blink of her eyes coated the bottom of the trough with a sheet of snow, concealing its unsightly contents.

"She probably doesn't like the smell any better than we do," Anna grumbled as she flushed the toilet, not opening her eyes until it had disgorged its contents. "Jora, could you please get us a cold washcloth?"

Jora briefly debated how much trouble she could get into were she just to throw the washcloth into the room. After a few seconds, she accepted that she had a duty to her queens she had to uphold; taking a deep breath, she ran into the bathroom, hurriedly splashing two washcloths under water from the nearest sink, then she hurried over to the incapacitated queens, handing a wet rag to each of them before racing back out of the bathroom and the acrid stench of stomach contents within.

"Thank you, Jora," Elsa said, with Anna doing the same just a split-second behind her. She turned to look at Anna, who looked pitiful with the side of her face resting on the commode's basin. "The next time you decide to eat some disgusting combination of foods which should never be consumed together, I'm covering my nose."

—O—

Two days later, it was Elsa vomiting into the commode and Anna into the icy trough, which Elsa had decided to leave in place in case it was needed again.

"Okay..." Anna gasped between ragged breaths, "you can't blame me... this time! You threw up first!"

Elsa weakly nodded, spitting the bitter saliva from her mouth as she flushed the commode yet again. "I know, I know," she said shakily. "You didn't do anything. I don't know what happened."

"Did you smell something really strong?" Anna asked. "That did it for me yesterday."

Elsa slowly shook her head, wiping her mouth with a cool rag handed to her by Jora, who by this point had learned to cover her nose and mouth with a lightly-scented cloth while performing this particular duty. "No, I honestly don't know what it was that made me so sick." She sighed, sitting up as she lifted her chin, trying to catch her breath as the toilet finally finished refilling. "You'd think I was the one who was pregnant."

The wet smack of a washcloth striking the stone floor was the only sound that could be heard in the large bathroom.

Slowly Elsa's head turned to meet Anna's gaze. "Anna..." she said slowly, "What exactly were you thinking when we made love the night of the solstice?"

"I was thinking how much I wanted to be pregnant with your baby," Anna replied, her upper body trembling briefly. "I wanted it more than anything else right then."

Elsa closed her eyes and turned to face the wall once more. "Did you want it with all your heart?"

Anna nodded. "Yeah, I did."

Elsa swallowed despite her swollen throat burning. "And did you feel your emotions swirling around inside you, filling you up like you were about to burst because you just felt so much?"

Anna nodded again. "I was so full of love for you, plus I was hopeful that we'd be able to have a baby, but then I was afraid that we'll never figure it out, and I was jealous of how many people who don't care about their kids can just have them whenever they want, and I was angry how unfair it all—" She stopped, turning back toward Elsa. "Sorry. Yeah, let's just say I was feeling all the emotions at that time."

Now Elsa slowly nodded. "So was I," she said calmly, because after all, wasn't this what they had wanted, just twice as much? She smiled despite the discomfort in her throat. "I wanted to give you a baby with all my heart and soul, just as you did me."

Elsa carefully lowered her hand until it was resting on her own lower abdomen, just below the snowflake charm dangling from her belly button. With great care, she extended her magic just the barest fraction, nowhere enough to reach Anna or the young life growing within her wife. Almost instantly she felt a twinge contacting her magic, a faint, reflexive echo of power almost identical to her own but with just enough difference to be distinct.

She extended her other arm toward Anna, reaching out to touch the energy in Anna's womb with similar precision. "Yes," Elsa said softly, almost to herself. She lifted her head and opened her eyes again, turning her body to look at Anna. Immediately Anna scooted over to Elsa on her knees, taking Elsa's hands in her own as she stared deeply into Elsa's deep blue eyes, waiting with pent-up excitement for Elsa to continue.

Elsa felt tears begin to form in her eyes, but this time from joy, not vomiting. "We're both pregnant," she said tenderly—and only a hastily conjured snow drift kept them both from striking the hard floor when Anna happily tackled her with a fierce hug.

—O—

The next few months were quite unprecedented in the history of Arendelle's royal family. Plans that had originally been made for a single baby had to be redone for two, a second midwife of utmost competence and unimpeachable dedication to the Queens had to found and hired in case the two Queens both happened to go into labor at the same time, more servants had to be hired or trained for different duties, more handmaidens had to be brought up to speed on caring for infants, more clothes and supplies needed to procured to be prepared for any eventuality.

"Do we need a second nursery?" asked Hilde as she and Anna inspected the changes made to the rooms adjoining their chambers—Anna's old chambers, newly repurposed as the royal nursery.

"I don't think so," Anna said, running her fingers across the same baby bed which had held both her and Elsa at points in the past. "It'd make it harder to care for them, and we really wouldn't want them to be apart."

"Of course, Your Majesty," Hilde said, internally kicking herself at even bringing up the possibility of separating the two siblings-to-be.

"And Elsa and I plan on doing as much with them as possible," Anna added, offering a kind smile to their assistant. "We don't want them to have more fond memories of their caregivers than of their mothers."

As Anna's left hand drifted down to her stomach, finally starting to clearly show its enlargement, Hilde noted with a hint of sadness that the Summer Queen's sword remained affixed at her hip, despite the belt having to ride slightly lower around her hips than before the pregnancy. Events had remained calm since the assassination attempt the previous year, but neither Queen was willing to risk the lives of their children—or of each other—with a false sense of security.

"Do you and Queen Elsa still feel well enough to proceed with the Royal Matrimony Day tomorrow?" Hilde asked.

"Of course," came a voice from behind them, before Anna could reply; rather than respond with words, Anna grinned and spun around quickly enough that her sheathed sword flared outward from the movement.

"Hello, my beautiful Queen," Anna said in her best sultry voice, extending and spreading her arms to let Elsa step into her embrace.

Elsa met Anna with a kiss as they hugged, with Hilde and the servants bustling about the new nursery either smiling happily at the joy of their monarchs, politely averting their eyes, or both. "The nursery appears to be coming along nicely," Elsa said when their lips slowly separated.

"It's looking wonderful," Anna agreed, moving so as to let Elsa look around the room without relinquishing her hold on Elsa's waist. "Although I still want the baby beds moved into our bedroom." She looked around thoughtfully for a moment. "Assuming they'll actually let us put them in separate beds."

Elsa smiled at how adorable Anna looked when she got entirely focused on something. "Do you still think they're going to be born at the same time, Anna?" she asked gently. "You know what the midwives told us, that women who get pregnant around the same time still usually deliver at different times."

The look of exasperation on Anna's face as she turned to look at Elsa nearly made the blonde queen giggle out loud. "Seriously, Elsa?" Anna said in an aggrieved voice. "One, they were conceived at the same time by your magic."

"Our magic," Elsa added gently.

That small comment made Anna's expression of frustration, only half-hearted to begin with, disappear, replaced with a loving smile. "Two," she said in a more neutral voice, "that same magic is almost certainly going to have them develop at the same time and be born together."

"And you know this because of your encyclopedic knowledge of magic, I suppose?" Elsa said teasingly.

Anna frowned slightly, reaching up and lightly pinching Elsa's lips together. "No more interruptions," she said firmly, getting an awkward attempt at a grin from Elsa. "Three, it's going to be much more difficult and hectic for them both to be born at the same time, and when have we ever done anything the easy way?"

"Gbd ptt," mumbled Elsa, prompting Anna to release her lips. "I said, good point."

Anna crossed her arms over her chest, a satisfied look on her face. "So have I finally convinced you?" she asked.

In reply, Elsa leaned forward and kissed Anna's lips lightly, pulling away when the redhead's neck tilted forward for more. "Yes, you have," Elsa said with the smirk she did oh-so-well.

"You left me hanging, Elsa," Anna said with a weak attempt at a pout.

"Then come claim what's yours," Elsa replied quickly, smiling when Anna did just that.

As the two mates kissed again, Hilde made a note in her notebook, a habit she had adopted from Idunn after seeing how helpful it proved to her late friend. She waited until the latest kiss was complete, then she said, "Will we be using the same location for the royal marriage ceremony as we did six months ago?"

"I think so," Elsa said, looking to Anna, who gave her a nod of agreement.

"It worked really well to do it in the main ballroom, and it allowed us to maintain tight security as well," Anna said. "Plus everyone did a great job with the decorations. I think all the couples we married were happy, don't you?" she asked, looking to Elsa.

"Well, being married by one of their Queens would certainly make for a memorable story to tell their children and grandchildren one day," Elsa said.

"Yes, it certainly would," Anna replied with a smile as she ran her fingers through the short blonde bangs hanging over Elsa's forehead. "Especially if they got that hot blonde Winter Queen doing their ceremony. It'd be pretty hard for anyone to keep his or her eyes off of her."

Elsa actually blushed slightly, a fact that made Anna giggle audibly, before she turned back to Hilde. "When is Arista coming back?" she asked neutrally, ignoring the subtle redness tinting her cheeks.

Hilde quietly cleared her throat before replying. "She should be back today or tomorrow, Your Majesty. Even though things are much calmer now in the Isles, I still worry when she's gone."

Elsa nodded gently. "I understand that. Them still using her code name for correspondence could be the Council being cautious, or it could be a sign of some lingering concerns." She put her arm around Anna, pulling her wife against her as Anna rested her head against Elsa's chest. "I know that Anna can take care of herself, but I still worry any time she's away from me on official business."

"Which is why I make a point to not take foolish chances," Anna replied, her voice slightly muffled by her lips' position against Elsa's too-tempting bare neck. After a pause, she added, "Well, not too often."

"You do much better, my love," Elsa said agreeably. "Which is even more important now that we're going to be mommies."

The abrupt squeal that came from just below Elsa's left ear nearly made her jump out of Anna's embrace, had such an action been possible inside the redhead's tight grip. "We're going to be mommies!" Anna shouted, as a small flurry of snow sprang into existence several feet away, depositing a light dusting of wispy snowflakes on Hilde's notebook and hair before Elsa had blinked it back into nothingness.

"Anna," Elsa said patiently.

"Yes, my love?"

Elsa paused briefly. "Please don't shout like that again."

Through the silence, there was a soft noise that might have been a snicker, muffled by the cool fabric of Elsa's icy dress.

"Yes, my love."

"Because when you shout suddenly like that, I don't know if you're excited because you're happy, if you've been stung by a bee, or if you've seen a rabid wolverine climbing in through a window."

"Well, if you'd just listen to what I said, you could prob—"

"Plus you take several months off my life when you shout like that so close to my ear."

With that Anna lifted her head, a smile on her face, and she gently kissed Elsa's cheek, then her temple, then her nose before looking into Elsa's eyes, total adoration in her teal gaze. "Well, that I can't have. I mean, you dying early on me. We still have many, many years together ahead of us, and I want you around for every single day of them."

—O—

When the time finally came, it began almost as an afterthought.

"ELSA!" Anna shouted from the game room, her legs propped up on a couch at the end of a trying day of trade negotiations. Her poor feet, now consistently swollen to the point that she had had to give up her favorite boots over a month ago, just rested there, tantalizingly close but agonizingly too far to reach due to the growing girth of her abdomen.

"I believe Queen Elsa is in the bath, Your Majesty," said Heidrun, one of the newer handmaidens who was maybe fourteen or fifteen.

"Then could you please help me with these blasted shoes, Heidrun?" Anna asked, trying once again to reach her feet but once again unable to do so. "My feet are so swollen that I can't just kick them off anymore."

As the thin brunette, small for her age, sat down and began unbuckling the straps of Anna's shoes, Anna suddenly had an intense contraction strike, causing her to lean forward in a reflexive attempt to mitigate the pain. After several seconds she finally felt the pain ease enough for her to lean back and open her eyes, revealing a very concerned stare from the young handmaiden.

"Are you having contractions, Your Majesty?" the girl asked quickly. "Should I get one of the royal midwives?" All of the castle staff had been briefed and even drilled on notifying and physically getting one of the midwives who had been temporarily moved into the castle over the last few weeks, should the need arise. This was increasingly feeling like such a need was, in fact, rising.

Anna initially opened her mouth to argue, but then another contraction hit, even harder. "Skadi's skis," Anna gasped through clenched teeth, as this contraction hurt, much more than the previous one; after several seconds had passed, Anna could feel her feet and legs tingling, and a disconcerting sensation that made her think she might have peed on herself slightly. She nodded quickly, finally able to add, "Yes, go find one of the midwives, please." As the girl broke into a run, Anna called out, "And tell Elsa too!"

No sooner had the girl left the room than a shriek rang out in the hall, startling Anna even more. "Heidrun?!" she cried out, only for the girl to reappear, face flushed.

"A-apologies for yelling, Your Majesty," the girl stammered, moving aside to reveal another handmaiden, this one slightly older with red hair darker than Anna's, her normally pale face ruddy in the cheeks and forehead.

"Karin?" Anna asked, confused. "Why are you—"

"Queen Elsa..." gasped the girl; she was risking reprimand for interrupting one of her Queens, but she felt the circumstances warranted such a breach in protocol. "She's in labor!" she gasped again, sucking in a huge breath. "Ran all the way... she told me to... find you," she heaved, "And... bring you... to her!"

"Well, of course we'd go into labor together," Anna grumbled, mostly to herself, although she had been the first to tell everyone through the entire pregnancy that she thought the magic would have her and Elsa both deliver at the same time. "Freya's boar," she softly swore. "Well, nothing to do other than deal with it, I suppose." She looked up at the handmaidens. "Can the two of you give me a hand up?" she asked, extending her arms toward them. When there was no immediate response, Anna wiggled her fingers. "Come on, don't leave me here like a turtle on its back!"

—O—

Together the three of them managed to get Anna up to the second floor after a few pauses for contractions; there one of the castle guards was able to pick up the Summer Queen and carry her down the hall to the spare bedroom chosen to serve as the birthing room. The large but otherwise unremarkable room had served the same purpose for both Elsa's and Anna's births, as well as for their father and grandfather before them.

However, the chill Anna could clearly feel from the time they stepped onto the floor was not a good sign. "Elsa's scared," she said, really to herself, but she felt the guard carrying her—Peter, who had served in the castle for several years, initially under their father and mother—increase his walking pace in response to the mumbled words.

When they arrived at the bedroom down the hall from the Queens' usual chambers, flurries of snow were visible blowing out into the hall. "Oh, Elsa," Anna whispered to herself as she saw the opacity forming over the doors to the room where moisture was beginning to condense. Elsa herself was on one of the two large beds in the room, being attended to by both midwives, their two assistants attentively waiting.

"Queen Anna is also having contractions," Peter said firmly, immediately drawing the attention of everyone in the room... including Arendelle's other Queen.

"Anna?" Elsa asked weakly, her face sweating with crystal beads of frozen perspiration and her eyes alight with fear. The midwife closest to her had hair frosted with snowflakes, and there was a light dusting of snow on the simple white bed linens as well.

"Put me down next to Elsa," Anna told Peter; she could feel the pangs of the next contraction beginning to build in her pelvis.

"Your Majesty, we have the other bed set up for you," said one of the midwives, the one whose head appeared free of precipitation so far. She stood and started toward the second bed, laid out identically to the one Elsa was currently occupying, white quilt and sheets crisply tucked in all corners.

"Unless you want someone shoveling snow during these deliveries, you'd better put me next to Elsa," Anna said, her voice firm.

Without hesitation, Peter moved to the bed holding Elsa, carefully maintaining his posture to the side of the bed while he extended across the bed, depositing Anna carefully next to her wife.

"You're going to hurt your back!" Anna chided him lightly as he placed her down.

The not-quite-middle-aged man smiled. "A risk I proudly take in caring for my Queens," he said, offering both Queens a slight bow.

"Thank you," Anna said, reaching out to take Elsa's hand as soon as she had scooted close enough to do so. "Hi," she said, turning to look into Elsa's eyes, normally deep wells of icy blue, but now those eyes were red, watery, full of fear and pain.

"Hi," Elsa replied, smiling slightly despite all the emotions she was experiencing. "I'm scared," she said simply, and those two words struck Anna with all the force of an avalanche.

Anna felt her own eyes tear up at Elsa's heartfelt confession. "Whatever happens, we're together," she said, trying to feel as much of their connection as she possibly could before projecting those thoughts of comfort and support to Elsa. "No matter what happens, to you, to me, to either of these babies, we're facing it together."

Elsa closed her eyes and sobbed quietly, nodding her head in an attempt to convey to Anna that she understood, that she agreed, just that words were too much for her right now.

Anna knew. Of course she did, because she was feeling it too. "Elsa, you've got to stop fighting being afraid this way," she said soothingly, smiling as Elsa lifted her head back up, looking into Anna's eyes.

The moment of eye contact was brief, though, as Anna suddenly doubled over, gasping as a powerful contraction surged through her.

A powerful gale of wind suddenly howled across the room, ruffling dresses and threatening to blow the clean linens stacked beside the beds into the floor until the midwives each shielded them with their bodies. It was a testament to their professionalism and composure that neither of them made a peep, despite the circumstances which were new to both of them, even with their decades of experience.

"Elsa," Anna choked out, despite the pain. She felt Elsa's hands on her face, warm despite the cold wind. "Elsa, you've got to stop the wind."

Elsa nodded, frosted tears dripping down her face and onto the bed, making little plinking noises where they struck each other as they began to collect on the white sheets. She thought of Anna, of how things were again bearable now that Anna was here...

The wind disappeared as abruptly as it came, a small drift of snow now accumulated at the base of the room's southern wall.

"Thank you," Anna said, smiling at Elsa as her contraction began to ease. "We're both scared of what's about to come, but we've got the best two midwives in the country, we have friends and our castle family here to help us..." She smiled as she reached up and cupped Elsa's left cheek with her right hand. "And we have each other. We can do this."

—O—

The labors were not easy, or brief. But over the fifteen hours it took for Queen Elsa and Queen Anna to deliver their daughters, the two of them never left each other's side. When a bedpan was needed, servants held up sheets and eyes were averted to preserve modesty and dignity, but never did the two sisters-turned-spouses let each other go.

After both babies had crowned, minutes apart, the pushing began, with the baby inside Anna deciding to lead the way; those present inside the birthing room watched as Elsa's right hand and Anna's left froze together, a rough ovoid of ice encasing their hands where they gripped each other tightly. After things had calmed down and the scene was retold to the Queens, neither of them would remember it, only that they had drawn upon the constant support of each other to get through the process, that tactile sensation of the other's hand a lifeline when their bodies and minds had been pushed far beyond exhaustion.

After another ten minutes, the two monarchs had long since lost the reason and composure to call even each other's names, only crying out gutturally when being told to push. Finally the cries were interrupted by speech.

"She's out, Your Majesty!"

Elsa had long since gone numb from her waist down, but she somehow still registered that the pain was over for now, and she began smiling and laughing despite the tears still coming. "She's here, Anna," Elsa said weakly, turning to look at her lover, only to see Anna's face contorted in agony, teeth bared and eyes tightly clenched. "I'm here, Anna," she urged, voice regaining a hint of strength. "You're almost done, too!"

"One more push should do it, Queen Anna!" the second midwife said excitedly. "Her shoulder's just about to clear!"

Anna's eyes opened, and in them was a weariness Elsa had never seen before... but only because she had never seen the dejection, the heartbreak in young Anna's eyes after years of walking away from a locked door separating her from the person she loved more anything in existence.

But Anna had never given up, not at anything, and she wasn't giving up now.

"Bring our other daughter into this world, my heart," Elsa whispered.

Despite the sweat trickling down her forehead and face and the aching throughout her body, Anna gave Elsa a smile. And she PUSHED.

—O—

"Beautiful, just like her sister!" cooed the midwife attending Anna as she carefully cleaned the youngest Arendelle, inspecting her methodically while doing so. One of their assistants held out a cord clamp; when the midwife looked up and gave the young woman a nod, she skillfully slid the clamp into place, tightening it to hold it fast. The second clamp followed just seconds later, followed by the assistant handing the sterilized scissors to the midwife to allow her to cut the tough umbilical cord. With a steady, sure motion, she cut the thick vessels contained in the cord, depositing the scissors into a basin for instruments with a metallic clang.

"They're both okay?" Anna asked weakly, lifting her head to try and glimpse her daughters.

"They both perfect, Your Majesty," spoke the first midwife. "And I think they're eager to meet their mothers face to face."

Handmaidens helped the two queens into sitting positions, the fatigue and agony of the last hours now forgotten in the post-birth afterglow of hormones, joy and excitement. The assistant midwives moved the drapes covering both queens' legs with them, as the less glamorous business of birthing was yet to be completed.

"You take Elin first," Anna said to Elsa, looking into her wife's eyes as they sat against each other, shoulder to shoulder while each began unbuttoning her top, in case a breast were to be needed quickly. "And I'll take Erin. We spent almost ten months getting to know the little girl we carried, now it's time to get to know the other."

"It's going to be hard to tell them apart, Your Majesties," said the elder of the two midwives as the baby she held, Erin, began to fuss as her nose was suctioned and head cleaned. "Both with the same hair, same bodies, and same eyes."

"Look like twins," whispered the second midwife as she finished cleaning her own charge; she tucked the end of the cloth and blanket around baby Elin, who was still calm, with her blue-green eyes looking sleepily at the older woman.

After a moment of still contemplation examining the two babies, now both starting to get fussy, the other midwife nodded sagely. "They do," she said. She turned to look at her counterpart. "Magic, I suppose."

"Must be," nodded the other woman matter-of-factly. She looked up at the two Queens, sitting beside each other, still with their legs draped, heads swinging back and forth, trying to catch a glimpse of their babies. "Time for these two princesses to meet their mothers!" she said cheerfully. "They're probably going to—"

The sound of a baby crying cut her off, quickly followed by the sound of a second baby joining in. Hurriedly the midwives handed the children to their mothers, then they silently returned to the process of delivering the afterbirth; fortunately, both Queens were thoroughly numb at this point, and neither of them so much as noticed any of the ongoing motions beneath the drapes while the midwives dealt with the last of the birthing and began cleaning and examining their queens one last time.

"Hi, baby," cooed Anna as she shifted the wrapped, crying bundle of baby Erin in her arms, looking for a comfortable position. "Hold on, hold on," she said, rocking the baby gently as she watched Elsa take baby Elin. "Your mommies have got you now, yes we do," she said softly. "We've got both of you now."

Elsa was wiping tears with her free hand while holding Elin to her chest with her other hand. "Elin has your eyes, Anna," she said, fighting the emotions.

"They both do," Anna said, leaning against Elsa while they positioned the tightly-wrapped babies next to each other. "And they've both got your hair, it seems," she added while fingering a downy tuft of light blond hair on Erin's head.

"Do you think..." Elsa asked, her voice trailing off as she turned to look at Anna, concern visible on her face.

Anna smiled and leaned in enough to softly kiss Elsa's lips. "I don't know," she said as their lips separated just enough to allow movement, still brushing against each other as she spoke. "And it doesn't really matter. If they have your powers, then we'll teach them how to use them." She looked deeply into Elsa's tear-limned eyes. "There will be no guilt for them, Elsa. No shame in having powers if they do, no shame in not having them if they don't. They're our daughters, and we'll love them and teach them and raise them like parents are supposed to do."

Anna felt herself start crying again as she watched her wife, her best friend, her everything struggle to hold herself together. "No concealing," Anna said tenderly, wincing as she saw Elsa's eyes snap shut reflexively. "They'll never have to go through the hell you did, Elsa, because you're going to be the most wonderful mother ever."

"How can I?" Elsa moaned weakly.

"You can because you're—"

"No," Elsa said, interrupting Anna when her eyes shot open again, to look Anna directly in the eyes with a gaze as blue as Anna had ever seen it. "I meant, how can I be the most wonderful mother ever when I'm competing against you?"

Anna was speechless, her mouth just slightly opened, and Elsa leaned forward and filled the space between words with a statement of love that needed no utterance.

Very soon, babies would start fussing again, new mothers would nurse their children for the first time, midwives and their assistants would finish with the last of the cleaning, and life would begin to move forward again. The two queens would make full recoveries, so quickly that the two midwives agreed amongst themselves that Queen Elsa's magic had to have some part in the healing process. After a week of having the babies all to themselves, the Summer Queen and Winter Queen would formally introduce their two daughters to the country of Arendelle in a grand ceremony that brought the loudest cheers anyone in Arendelle could ever remember, which made Princess Elin and Princess Erin a bit upset, which in turn led to a brief interruption in the ceremony for some impromptu (and only slightly embarrassing for the Queens) nursing/soothing time for the two baby princesses, but the whole situation and the openness and honesty with which it played out only made the people of Arendelle love their new Princesses and their Queens even more.

But before all that, for one brief moment in a quiet spare bedroom in a quiet country, time stood still in celebration of a love so powerful that it gleefully ignored existing ideas of propriety, morality and reality, as two new mothers held their new daughters together and marveled at how simply right it felt.

—O—

Author's Afterword: First Epilogue complete! Two more to go.

Think of these like multiple endings to video games. If you just run through the game once, you get the "regular" ending, which would have been Chapter 25. It closes the story, but still leaves some things unfinished. You play through it again, you get the "secret" ending as well, which would be this chapter, giving you more information and more of a happy ending. But accomplish the right side quests along the way, and you can unlock not just the "good" ending (second epilogue and the next chapter) but also the "perfect" ending (third and last epilogue), finally giving you the whole story.

Hope this chapter was enjoyable; I know several of you have been waiting on this moment and my take on it for quite some time, and I greatly appreciate your patience. I tried to take a unique approach to the kids, as there seems to be an oddly high percentage of Elsa's and Anna's babies being twins in stories; I honestly am not sure why so many writers think of them having twins, but it definitely crossed my mind too. However, the thought of the two of them being so eager to give the other a baby that they accidentally wind up both getting pregnant when they finally figure out how to make it happen just wouldn't go away, so I went ahead and walked the line of twins/not-twins via the path you just finished reading. I think it's just perfectly Elsanna, both of them getting into a bit of a situation because of how much they love each other, only to weather it together and come out even closer and stronger because of it. I love all of you, and I'll see you soon with the next chapter!