Chess Piece

The Heart Could Not Lie

It was all but a game of gambling with her.

For if she had been in a good mood then the chances of her agreeing to what he has in mind would be bigger, yet if she had not then he may as well never have his hopes up for she would refuse straight away without even an explanation from him.

Whichever her respond would be, he would make sure that he was at least prepared for if she had agreed.

He had just finished buttoning his vest when she had entered through the bedchamber's door, his letter in hand, with an eyebrow raised questioningly at him as she closed the door behind her. "What is the meaning of this?"

"An invitation, of course; what else could it possibly be?" His chuckle had come from his amusement of her question, for he was quite clear in his writing over his intention to her. He would have asked, in the joking manner, of whether she had read it or not, yet decided against it for it has clearly been opened and it would only foul her mood should he had spoken so freely.

Still she was taken aback, as she was silent for a moment with the look of disbelief clear on her face, before she had regained her composure once more. "You cannot just... write an official letter to invite me for a horse-ride."

"Why not? The weather is quite nice today; it would be a waste if we do not enjoy it." And for him to write to her officially was just his way to gain her attention, for her to come searching for him, as if he had merely asked she would only brush him off without even a consideration at his way.

Her lips pursed as she eyed him, of the riding clothes that he had dressed himself in, and her arms crossed over her chest. "I am quite busy today."

"I promise we would not be gone for long." She considered it, no matter how she tried to mask it, he knew she was. For her to take a small break from her duties, just to enjoy the warm sun, however dedicated she was to her title, she must have felt the need to take a break and to let herself breathe. Blue eyes adverted away from his gaze as her lips moved in a mumble that he could not quite catch. "What was that?"

"I can't ride." She repeated, just a tad louder, and the blush growing on her cheeks was so apparent against her pale skin. "I don't know how."

Well, that served as a little problem, though nothing he could not handle. The reason on her inability to do such task was quite apparent; he realized a little too late, for she had been locking herself inside her bedchamber for so long, he wasn't even sure if she has a horse herself. "You can ride with me." They were married; after all, no one could gossip that the Queen was being inappropriate if the man she was riding with was her own husband.

Perhaps she realized that he would not back down, he admitted he has been quite insistent on a few things with her, this has been added to the unwritten list; for she had sighed with her shoulders slumping down in defeat. "Fine, but only for a short ride, I wish to return before dinner."

--

Has this truly been her first time on riding a horse for so long?

Her fingers curled tightly around the lapels of his jacket as her cheek had been pressed against his back, and he hasn't even been urging Sitron to go fast, they were nothing but slowly trotting through the valley just outside the castle's walls; yet it seemed that she was afraid.

There had not been a word that came from her, and the silence was not the most comfortable one, besides his intention in bringing her into riding with him was for her to open up to him, to let him in so he could understand her better. "Have you never had a riding lesson in your life?"

She did not answer right away, remaining silent for a moment that he began to question if she truly had heard him. "I had, once." Her voice was quiet as her fingers curled tighter around the fabric in her grasp. "When I was little my Father gifted me a pony and I learned to ride it."

It seemed to upset her, for some unknown reason, of discussing her childhood, thus why he had not pressed the topic any further. Perhaps it was around the time where Arendelle had suddenly closed it's gates, when suddenly there was not a single word of the royal family heard to the outside world other than the very common ones.

"This place looks decent for us to stop for a while, wouldn't you agree?" He had only felt the nod of her head against his back as a confirmation before he had unmounted his steed, and just like when he had helped her up, when he had held her waist while her hands held onto his shoulders, he could feel her tensed up under his touch, and she had shaken his hands off her as soon as her feet touched the ground.

Even out in the valley, beyond the castle walls, her shoulders remained straight.

The tension on her muscles were clear, her back rigid as she stood by the tree, shielded away from the sun, watching the gleaming blue water of the fjord below with her arms wrapped around herself as he came to approach her, having lead Sitron to graze on the green grass after he had carried them both on his back.

"Isn't it beautiful?" She may rule Arendelle, yet he was in doubt that she had actually seen it as a whole, having mainly stayed inside the castle. He had seen the glory of the kingdom when his ship had come to dock, to see it rise from the horizon as he grew nearer, on how peaceful it looked.

"Yes, it is."

He had taken his jacket off then, with her eyeing him and asking on what he was doing, though he had only given her a smile as he laid the piece of clothing onto the ground before he sat beside it, gesturing for her to join him on his jacket as to not ruin her dress, which she reluctantly did.

They fell into a light conversation regarding things that he knew she would not mind discussing, which was quite challenging in his part as he truly had to be careful to keep the atmosphere between them as it was, though the more they talked the more she fell into some sort of comfort as she had smiled more than before.

"I suppose Lord Melbourne is as bothersome as always?" She had given him the impression that he was her least favorite council men, though she really did not favor any of them seeing at how demeaning they could be to her.

An amused scoff came from her as the corner of her lips tugged into a small smile. "As expected of him."

He had wished to help her in matters more than just trades and deliveries, as much as important as they were, he knew he was capable of more than just that, he had spent his years growing up learning with Lars on how to be a ruler that could bring their kingdom prosperity, though his meaning to learn was once to help his father, yet the King had never expressed his interest at the youngest prince.

Yet Elsa had not trusted him enough either.

His way for her to recognize his ability was to be her husband, not for mere status but her actual husband, one that she would love and trust with her heart. Driven by this desire of him, he had leaned forward, seeing how her eyes fluttered as she was unsure of what to do, even when it would not be the first time that they kissed.

Her lips were as cold as it had been on their wedding day, sending chills down his spine, unexplainable as he had never know someone's whole body could be so cold even during summer, yet still it had been as soft as he had remembered, gentle and innocent.

The kiss was brief, as she had pulled away and advert her face from him, though still he was able to find the blush that crawled up her skin. "Can we go back now, before it gets dark?"

"Of course." He promised that they would be back before dinner after all, and he was not going to break that promise to her.

Besides, she had not avoided his kiss, even when she could have just recoiled and tell him no, and it had told him what he needed to know.