A Royal Engagement Part 1

The weather outside was frightful: misty and wet, with crispy brown leaves neglected from fall raking scattered across the bare stony ground. But indoors, we were having a celebration. Nessarose, Elphaba, Dorothy, and Bell dash through the snow of the environment I created, a winter wonderland laying on the air hockey table. Steve and I are wrapped in a blanket by the crackling fire, and I send out occasional flurries by my hands, much to Sven's delight. Olaf and Idina share their fourth kiss of the evening, not that I'd been counting or anything. I couldn't help but smile warmly in reflection of my equally warmed heart by everyone's cheerful moods.
Steve playfully tickled under my chin. "Are you going to blog about this day?"
I chuckled to myself and lowered my neck, teasing him. "Goodness, how could I not?"

***

She's calendar only read February eleventh, but Valentine's Day 2018 was already a concern in some dolls' minds.  The House She Lived In was quiet and empty, with the exception of us. The dresser came alive with the movement and conversation of dolls. Different voices and footsteps filled the room, with only one thing on their minds, and with that one thing stemmed a variation of things: "What kind of flowers...?", "Do you think she'll like...?" "What if I don't...?" The only one who did not seem to follow the flow was Idina, who was in blissful ignorance of Valentine's. We found her petting Sven’s ears and giggling whenever he would lick her face. Olaf, for some reason, stayed farther back, observant of the situation, which was not like him at all. Nessa and I were watching him warily, trying to figure the snowman out.

“Do you think he’s okay? Maybe he’s worried about something?” Nessa muttered.

I shook my head slowly. “I wouldn’t know, but there’s definitely something going on.”

Nessa tutted under her breath with concern for our snowman friend. He had been acting really strange lately. Ever since the week before, I think. He was moving around nervously, darting this way and that, and hardly talking. And we knew how much Olaf liked to talk. It was like his body language was trying to tell us something, but what?

“Maybe we should go talk to him.” Nessa suggested. She started to get up.

“Wait,” I said, stopping her. “Wait until the room is less full. Or maybe when everyone’s asleep.”

“Why?” Nessarose asked. “Now is as good of a time as ever.”

“Just…wait. Trust me.” I repeated. My intuition had kicked in, and it told me to have patience... for whatever reason. 

“Alright, fine,” Nessa grumbled, and she sat back down next to me. “But we better ask him soon. I’m not very good at waiting.”

I laughed. “I know you are.”

Nighttime fell fast. Two hours went by quickly. The humans stayed downstairs most of that time, so we got to talk and move around up here quietly. They had invited some friends over for a thing called a Super Bowl Party. I wondered if they knew how to play Super Bowl Bingo...?

Around 11:00, when She was sound asleep in bed and everyone else had bid each-other good night, (even though sleep for dolls is optional) Nessarose and I tiptoed up to the corner of the dresser where Olaf slept. His back was turned to us, and he was laying on his side. It was the perfect time to ask our question.

“Olaf,” Nessarose whisper-hissed, nudging the snowman lightly. No response. “Olaf,” She spoke louder, and nudged him a little harder. Still nothing. Nessa grunted in frustration. “Don’t make me jump on you.”

Even when threatened, he wouldn’t wake.

“A little help, Elsa?” Nessa pleaded.

I giggled softly and moved my hands around until they glowed a bright icy blue. A tiny snowball formed in my palms. “Should I do it?”

“Yes! Yes!” Nessa said, jumping up and down in excitement.

“Okay.” I pitched the snowball as hard as I could at the back of Olaf’s head.

“Ow!” Olaf muttered, then he turned around slowly. “Was that a snowball?” Then Olaf saw Nessa and I, and we were smiling smugly down at him. “Oh, it was you. Hey, guys. What is it? It can’t be morning already.”

“No, it isn’t,” said Nessa, stepping forward. “But we need to talk to you, Olaf. We’re a little concerned with your behavior. You haven’t been acting yourself lately. What’s wrong?”

Olaf sighed and sat up. “Was it really that noticeable?”

I nodded reluctantly. “Yeah.”

“Fine, I’ve got to tell someone. I can tell you guys, but don't tell anyone else!” Olaf said quickly.

“Oh, we promise.” I said sincerely.

“Yep, we promise.” Nessa replied, crossing two of her fingers and hid them behind her cape.

Olaf looked over at Sven and Idina, who were curled up and sleeping peacefully for warmth. The Room She Lives In gets kind of cold at night.

“I want to propose to Idina.” Olaf said finally.

“Really?” Nessa squealed excitedly.

“Shhh!!!”

“Fine, fine. I’ll shush. But really, Olaf? You’re going to?”

“I love her. And we’ve been together since Christmas 2014. So why not?”

“That’s great, Olaf. I’m really happy for you.” I said, beaming.

“Thanks. But the problem is I don’t know how. Well, I do, sort of. I just don’t have an engagement bracelet to give her. Without that, I can’t propose.”

“Oh, that’s no problem. Elsa and I will make you Idina’s bracelet for you, Olaf! Right, Elsa?” Nessa and Olaf looked at me with pleadingly.

“Well…” I began. Nessa had just volunteered us to make an engagement bracelet for Olaf and Idina… and I wasn’t sure what to think or to say. I had never made a bracelet before, and engagement bracelets are super special. Think of them as wedding rings for dolls. But now both of my friends were counting on me, and Olaf and Idina were such a cute couple… “Okay, fine. I’ll do it.”

“That’s great, guys. Thank you so much. Now maybe I can sleep without worrying about it.” Said Olaf. He looked relaxed all of a sudden, like someone had taken a giant weight off of his shoulders. I would have been happy for him, only now it was Nessa and I that had that weight on our backs.

“You’re welcome, Olaf. Think nothing of it. We’ll make Idina the perfect engagement bracelet. We're here to help you out. That’s what friends are for, right?” Nessa said.
“Yeah, and you too are great friends,” Olaf yawned. “I'm really happy about this! Thanks again. Goodnight.”

And with that, he turned back on his side and was snoring in no time at all.

“Ooh, yay! I’m so excited that Olaf is going to propose to Idina! I just know she’ll say yes!”

“Yeah, I’m really happy for them.” I replied, and looked over at the two lovebirds. They were a great match. I felt a small pang of jealousy. I had known Steve for longer, hadn't I? No, it wasn't right to be envious. I would get my chance one day. In the meantime, we had to get through one engagement/potential future wedding first.

“Now we just have to make Idina the perfect engagement bracelet,” Nessa said, clearly up to the task. “Do you know how to make one, Elsa?”

“Not the slightest clue.” I said honestly.

“Oh no.” groaned Nessa, her shoulders dropping. Her confidence left her quickly in invisible waves.

I tsked and steered my little sister towards her bed. Elphaba was already in there, arms splayed and frowning due to some sort of dream. "Nessa, Nessa, Nessa... just what have you gotten us into?"

***

The next day, the two of us kept away from Olaf for two reasons. One, we didn't want to arouse suspicion of any sort of planned proposal. And two, Nessa and I needed to find the time to make the actual bracelet for the planned proposal. Although the both of us aren't exactly big on planning things out, Nessa insisted that we have a sketch of the bracelet done before we got into anything big. She took care of that, and it was my job to find the supplies.
"What do you think we should use? Wire? Ribbon? Twine?"
"Something soft, I imagine," I said, cringing a little at the thought of twine. We had used that to make Moana's spear for her Halloween costume, and I would not want to wear something that itchy to remind me of my love. "And sturdy. Something that will last a long time."
"Wire, then," Nessa decided. "Or thread. The humans ought to have that somewhere. Can you check the basement craft room?"
I groaned internally. We never had frequent trips to the basement, and every time one of us went we'd always turn up with more than we had bargained. If any of the dolls were to see me go down the steps, they would want to follow, and then they would find out our secret, and THEN they would tell everyone else, and THEN Idina would know. Surprise engagement ruined. But we had to get the materials from somewhere...
"I'll do it. But I can't guarantee that I'll bring anything back. Okay?"

Nessa shrugged, getting back to work. "As long as we have it eventually."
But I knew that Nessa was just trying to brush it off. We needed to make these bracelets, and fast. Olaf wanted to propose on Valentine's Day, but that seemed impossible with so many nosy dolls around. But maybe things would be easier than I thought now that we had Loki's friends to distract them.
And I was right. Mostly everyone was downstairs in the kitchen, the pocket-sized avenger's domain. I think they liked the table with the chairs all around it. With so many wooden surfaces and bars connecting underneath, it was almost like a playground for them.
Today Tony stood atop the humans' table, feet above some of those who were standing on the ground, but that made our Iron Man appear all the greater. Tony seemed to like crowds. It was like he got energy from being in front of an audience. Chris, their three-and-a-fourths-inch Captain America, accompanied Tony as always, but he clearly wasn't the star of the show.
"And for my next trick... I will make this Captain America doll disappear!" Tony announced. Apparently he was doing magic tricks?
From the dolls gathered around to see the show, I saw Steve feign surprise as he pointed to himself, but then smiled it off because he knew that Tony had meant Chris all along. Almost by some sort of homing device, Steve spotted me by hanging out by the pillar that separated the first floor from the basement stairs, and his smile grew broader.
Normally I would have been happy to see this, but not today. I silently begged him not to come over to me. But even with a homing device, Steve and I didn't have telepathy. He walked over to meet me, politely dodging other dolls who were standing nearby. Now I only had to hope that he wouldn't attract so much attention.
"Hey there, snowflake."
"Hi." I said.
He cocked his head a little. "What, no nickname?"
"I'm feeling a little quiet today." I lied. Maybe that would drive him away.

"Something wrong?"
"No, no, I just-" I leaned forward until my mouth was level with Steve's ear. "I really need to get into the basement with no one else noticing."
"Why?" Steve whispered back. I was thankful that he caught on.
"Don't question it. It's a surprise."
Steve withdrew. "Ah. I'll see what I can do."
Steve stepped back into the group and pretended to focus on the show. "I volunteer for your next trick!" He shouted.
Every doll's head turned his way. Tony looked at him quizzically, and Chris peeked out from behind the napkin holder to do the same. "You sure, Captain?"
Steve looked nonchalant. "Why not?"
"Okay... but you're gonna get cut in half. A lot. Like, in four pieces." Tony said.
Steve recoiled but kept up with the game. "Perfect. How refreshing." He made his way up to the tabletop, and when I was certain everyone was distracted by his bravery, I mouthed him a "good luck" and darted away from the pillar and down the stairs.
The basement craft room was full of all sorts of mysteries. From She's art kits to long-lost snowman brothers, this place had it all. I wasn't sure where to look for the doll-sized things, but I found them easily enough... all over the floor. The craft room was always a remarkable mess. I gathered a roll of the thinnest wire the humans had, tiny beads in sheer blue and opaque white, and white thread to match, then hid them under my cape. If I was lucky, no one would find that suspicious when I went upstairs.
I was lucky. I released my cape and handfuls of beads poured out at Nessa's feet.
"You survived." She said jokingly.
"Yes, but my boyfriend didn't."
Nessa's brow wrinkled. The sketch was done, but she was still tracing around all of her shapes for the fun of it. "Steve?"

"Yeah. It was the Pocket-Sized Avengers. They cut him in fourths."
At the name "Pocket-Sized Avengers" a blush filled Nessa's cheeks, but she tried to ignore it. "They cut him."
I nodded. "Uh-huh."
"In fourths."
Nessa caught on quickly. It must have been my smile that gave it away, because when I had left the basement, everyone was guffawing at Tony, the false magician, who could not figure out a way to Frankenstein my boyfriend. "Good thing there's another Captain America doll, then, huh?"
"Please. It's obvious he likes Tony."
"I was only kidding," Nessa stopped her drawing and bent down to pick up some of the beads. "These are perfect. Ooh, what about these blue ones for Idina, and since these white ones are bigger, they can be on Olaf's bracelet? They won't match perfectly, but they don't need to. As long as they fit, right?" In a great feat of strength for her size, Nessa lifted the roll of wire, picked out the end of it, and bent it into a curve with her bare hands. Sometimes I think that there's some secret hidden power within her. "What do you think, Elsa?"
I shrugged. "You're the artist. I'm just a writer."
"Yeah, well, the writer's going to be making some bracelets today. We need to figure out wrist measurements for Olaf and Idina. Olaf will be easy, but since Idina can't know, we're going to have to be sneaky.
"How on earth am I going to be sneaky doing that?" I asked, getting peeved.
"You know what? Nevermind. I can do this. Be back soon." And with that, Nessa had made her choice, and she turned on her heel and left the Room She Lives In.
I was left with my supplies and my thoughts. Such pretty beads... I wanted them for myself. Here I was thinking the whole time that I was going to wear an engagement bracelet before Idina. I met Steve at least a week before they fell in love at first sight. That had to count for something, didn't it? Nothing seemed fair.

I sighed wistfully, but I scolded my own dreams away. Olaf and Idina were also not separated for nearly a year. They've had more time to bond. You'll get your chance eventually. Once again my jealousy was extinguished, but how many times would I have to do so to be completely satisfied? I didn't know. All I knew is that if I didn't have any sort of progress by the time Nessa came back, I would be in big trouble by a little ornament.
I set to work on organizing all the beads by color and size, and throwing out the ones that wouldn't let the wire pass through. I trimmed both down with the blue doll-sized scissors Anna and I had reviewed. Everything looked set for some crafting.
Nessa returned only a few minutes later, looking smug as she held up a piece of the thread I hadn't seen her snatch. There were two markings on it, one that was definitely taller than she was, and one that was up to her shoulders. "Got 'em. Idina wasn't a problem at all. She thinks I have a passion or fashion now or something. And Olaf... well, Olaf wouldn't stop fidgeting because he was so nexcited. But I'm pretty sure the measurements are accurate."
"Great," I said, not letting any of my previous emotions show. "Let's begin."
Unfortunately, I wasn't much of a use to Nessa. Her smaller fingers could easily loop beads through the smaller, thinner wire for Idina's bracelet, and her unnatural strength bent and twisted Olaf's wire foundation all the ways I could not. I made little progress, and Nessa would always have to come by with that parental sigh and help me out. Valentine's Day was two days away, and if something were to come up tomorrow (like the humans staying home or other dolls coming by to check on us) then I was afraid that this mission was doomed.
When there was a knock at the door, Nessa and I scrambled to cover our work with the bedsheets, but the intruder was too quick. The two of us breathed a sigh of relief whenever we found that it was only Olaf.
"How's it going?" He asked, bouncing over and climbing up onto the dresser.
"Fine..." Nessa muttered, her tongue held fast between her teeth.
"Okay, but because I have some bad news."
I gave him a look, like, "What is it?", not feeling ready to speak.
"She is behind on marking the days off on her calendar. Valentine's Day is actually tomorrow."
"What?" I squeaked.

"Yeah. It's kind of really bad, but that's okay because these look great! I'm so happy!" Olaf motioned at Nessa, and she tossed Idina's bracelet over to him, now tied and done.
"Olaf! Back to the date. How did you find out that Valentine's Day is tomorrow?"
"Elphaba always has She's iPod with her. Whenever she turns it on, it shows what day it is. Today's the thirteenth," Olaf looked up from the bracelet and saw both of our faces, then smiled sheepishly and tossed it back onto the bed. "Don't worry about it, though. This looks really good. Idina will love it." Olaf giggled dreamily and left the room again without another word.
We were still frozen on the bed whenever he had completely gone. Then Nessa turned to me and said steadily, "Olaf does realize that there's more to a proposal than an engagement bracelet, right?"
I scowled at the calendar in She's room, and the Incredible Hulk on the poster part of it scowled back. "I guess not. But maybe that's all he's going to get at this point."
"Here, let me finish the rest of Olaf's bracelet," Nessa demanded, not taking no for an answer as she plucked it from my hands and continuing the pattern of beads. "I'm going to need you to do something I know you don't want to do."

***

A minute or so later, I'm standing on the kitchen table like it's a podium, with all of these dolls on the floor waiting eagerly for a performance I'm currently improvising. Behind my back are various dresses just Idina's size, but crashing Chris and Tony's magic show was the only way I could get Idina to try on the outfits without raising suspicion.

I whistled to begin my charade. "Who wants to see a fashion show?"

From the crowd, Magneto grumbled and stalked away, unhappy that Tony's attempted feats of slicing other dolls in half was over. He had probably liked the chaos it brought. Magneto, though, wasn't the one I was concerned about. When I saw Idina's eyes light up, I knew I had done the right thing.

"Why don't we have Miss Idina come up here and give it a whirl?" I announced.

Idina pulled away from her fiancee-to-be and I helped the plush mini-me onto the table while avoiding Steve's confused gaze. He knew that something was up, but I couldn't let him know what yet. 

"We have three options today for the lovely lady! What would you like first...?" I tried to remember exactly what I had brought. "Purple, pink, or blue?"

"Surprize me." Idina said, caring little what came first as long as they could all be hers. 

We ran through all of them, losing crowd members along the way, but the only two that mattered to me were Olaf and Idina. If they could a dress that they both liked, then that would be the one Idina would wear for the proposal tomorrow. As Idina is very picky, it was a long and careful process, but I knew that we had found the right one when I saw that Olaf was smitten.

"Does that work for you?" I asked, folding my hands in a secret prayer.

"Definitely," Idina said with a twirl. "I can't believe I never noticed eet before."
So at the very least that was settled. We had the bracelets and the outfit. What else needed to happen before tomorrow? Nessa thought it best to give our friends a little privacy during the proposal, so guest lists and invitations would only have to be a thing of the future if all went well for Olaf and Idina wanted a wedding. Aside from that, it looked like our duties were done. We just had to make sure that the room Olaf chose to propose in was clean, and that was easy enough. Nessa and I settled our heads down for the night, prepared for some restful and well-deserved sleep.
We didn't get it. "Pssst. Nessa. Elsa. Are you awake?"
"Unfortunately." I grumbled, turning over to the sound of Olaf's whisperings. "What's the matter, Olaf?"
"Do you really think this is a good idea? Should I really propose to Idina?"
"Of course," Nessa confirmed. "You've been together for such a long time. We're all rooting for this, trust me."
"Are you?" Olaf was doubtful, but it doesn't take too much to get him to believe something. "Yeah, you're right. I need to do this. But I'm scared."
"Don't be! Idina loves you through and through. If someone were to love me that much..." Nessa stops for a second, then continues. "...then I would most definitely say yes to their proposal."
I giggled softly. "Even if it means marrying a man you just met?"
"If it comes to that, yes. Why not. We're dolls. We have magnets inside of us that draw us to others, and a match is only ever to one other magnet. It's like what the humans call soul mates."
"Do you think Idina and I are soul mates?"

Nessa scoffed. "Um, yes. Just do it, Olaf. You won't regret it and neither will she."
Olaf looked over at his girlfriend, who had her lips parted in a tiny "o" so that her snores were only whistles.
"She's so beautiful," Olaf sighed. "She's told me everything about herself, and she doesn't do that so much. That must mean I'm really special, right? But still I want to know more about her... I want to take our relationship a step higher."
"Yes, good for you." I mumbled, half in and out of sleep.
"But a lot of responsibility comes with marriage."
Nessa agreed. "It does, but come on. You keep forgetting that we're dolls. We already live in the same house together. You and Idina are basically already married. What difference will it make, other than showing your true love for each-other?"
Olaf looked as thoughtful as a snowman plushie with a head full of fluff could be. "Good point. I'm going to do it. I'm going to ask her to marry me tomorrow. But... can you guys stick around? For me?"
Nessa looked puzzled. Wasn't this supposed to be their special moment? "Sure, Olaf."
Olaf thanked her settled back down onto the dresser. As soon as his eyes were closed he was asleep.
"Thank goodness! I never thought he'd stop talking. I'm exhausted." Nessa exclaimed.
"Did you really mean what you said?"
"Huh? Yeah, of course I think they should be married. Olaf and Idina deserve each-other. They are my OTP. Ilaf." Nessa laughed a little, but I could barely hear it.
"No, the other thing. If someone loved you and asked you to marry them, you'd say yes?"
"That came out wrong," Nessa said quickly. "I mean not just anyone can ask me. That's too weird. But, you know, if it were a mutual thing, then yes. Yes I would."
"You were thinking of Vision, weren't you?"
Nessa's cheeks darkened to the color of her cape. "Maybe! I don't know, okay?! It's not my proposal that's tomorrow. That I know of. Oh gosh, what if it is? No no, that's silly. I'm going to bed."

I smiled secretly to myself. Nessa wasn't one to hide her feelings before, for Loki or for Vision. I wondered who she had feelings for more, though. Not that it was any of my business. Valentine's Day was tomorrow, and it was bound to be a big one. I had to get some sleep.

***

"Good morning, snowflake." Said a voice behind my sunlit eyelids.
"Mornings are never good." I groan with a smile, turning my face around to my sachet pillow.
"Will this make it better?" Steve asked, slipping something flat and square-shaped into my hand.
I open my eyes, holding the thing up to my face. "What is this?"
"Chocolate," he replied, obviously waiting for my reaction. "Happy Valentine's Day."
"I can't have chocolate for breakfast!"
"Maybe it won't be so bad if you share it?" Steve suggested.
I can settle for that. We broke the chocolate square in half and shared the smell of cocoa and sugar. Happy Valentine's Day indeed. Wait... it was Valentine's Day?!
"Steve, I have something to tell you," I began, realizing that it was useless to keep information from my boyfriend when neither of us were affected. "Olaf and Idina are... well... Olaf is going to propose to Idina today."
I saw Steve's eyebrows raise from underneath his ever-present mask. "Really? Good for them."
"Yeah... I'm planning the engagement."
"Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"It was going to be a surprise, but now that it's going to happen today I thought it would be fine to tell you."
"You're telling me Olaf is going to propose to Idina today."
"Yeah."
"Elsa, I have something to tell you." Steve said, looking away.
Oh my goodness, could this be it? Was I going to get engaged today, too? I held my breath, not sure whether to panic or cheer.

"It's 10:00 AM. We let you sleep in. You might have already missed it."
"What?!" I cried, throwing down my chocolate and hopping from the dresser too quickly for my legs to react. They were still asleep, so my flight was less of a hop and more of a flop. "I was supposed to be his wingman! He asked me to attend the proposal!"
Steve shrugged. "I don't know, you might be lucky. No offense to Olaf, but he can be cowardly. He probably hasn't done it yet."
"I hope not. I'll do check with Nessa. Do you know where she is?"
Steve didn't have a clue, and neither did I. It looked like I would be missing the biggest day in Olaf's life, and I began to feel even worse when he had asked last night that I be there. Why did I have to be such an anti-early riser?
But Steve was right, luck had come my way. As soon as I had opened the door, Nessa ran into me with an "oof".
"Oh great, you're up!"
"Could've been up sooner, though," I grumbled. "Did I miss anything yet?"
"Thankfully, no. Olaf's just about to do it! He wanted it to be in here, though."
"Why?"
"It's the place he had his first conversation with Idina. It's special."
"I see..." I murmured, then saw Steve on the dresser. He got the hint.
"Okay, okay, I'll leave. Hope it all goes well." He took both chocolate squares and kissed my cheek on the way out.
"You look like a firetruck." Said Nessa.
"Oh, quiet, you," I said. "Today's not my day."
Nessa raised her chin. "Maybe not. But I have a feeling it will be soon."
"I hope you're right," I said, then shook myself back to reality. "So what should we do now?"
"They're coming upstairs now. I just had to help Olaf with an excuse. That's all."
"Which was...?"
"You'll see." Nessa smiled, and I helped her climb onto the dresser where we were supposed to wait.

Olaf and Idina broke through the door seconds later, Olaf giggling nexcitedly and nudging Idina carefully into the room. An elastic headband was placed snugly over her eyes, and her arms where outstretched as she tried to feel around the interior.
"Right this way! Over here. It's on the dresser."
"Where iz eet?" The part of her mouth not concealed by the headband twisted into a frown.
"Follow my voice. Trust me, okay?"
"I trust you..." Said Idina, just now starting to realize that perhaps this wasn't normal for Olaf.
Olaf instructed her, step by step, how to use the open drawers as stairs until Idina was safely on top. Nessa and I didn't make in a peep to better keep this a surprise.
"Okay. Good! You did really good. Well. Or whatever," Olaf giggled again. "Let me get the book again. You'll like it. Trust me."
"I trust you," Idina confirmed, sounding more certain this time. "But why did I haf to cover my eyes?"
"You'll see," Olaf went over and lifted one of the cotton-ball pillows on Nessa and Elphie's bed, and underneath was a tiny plastic box. Black and classy, it was the perfect size for Idina's engagement bracelet. It looked so official sitting there on the foam, like, wow, we really did this. Nessa and I really made that. It was a moment of pride.
"Here it is!" Olaf cried. He clasped the box in his hands and hid them behind his back. "Open your eyes!"
Idina shrugged off the blindfold and blinked in the bright light of She's bedroom, but didn't see the Frozen Storybook Collection that Olaf had promised her anywhere. She saw Nessa and I standing next to her, secret smiles on our faces. "I don't see anything."
"Well, maybe 'cause it right here..." Olaf paused, then revealed his hands. Idina gazed down into them, not thinking his joke very funny. There was no possible way the book could be so small when she had just seen it last month. When Olaf saw her reaction, he opened his fists, and the little engagement box laid perfectly on top of his stick-palm, the glossy cornflower beads of her bracelet shining in the sun. "Idina... will you marry me?"

Idina's gentle hands flew to her mouth. Obviously she hadn't been expecting this at all, yet somehow had been looking forward to it all along. Which is exactly what she wanted. Then her hands fell to her sides in a show of surrender and love. "Yes, Olav. I will marry you!"
The couple was overjoyed, and it was a wonder why they hadn't been engaged sooner. They immediately launched into an eager talk about the wedding date and the location and the food and the outfits... it was a happy mess.
Nessa and I realized that we weren't really needed at all. There was no doubt in our minds that Olaf would have done it even without backup.
"You didn't change her dress?" Nessa asked quietly.
"Idina wanted to keep it this way. Olaf thinks she's beautiful just the way she is."
Nessa beamed. "Oh, gosh, don't tell that to your sister. She would squeal."
"You know you're my sister, too, Nessa."
She elbowed my leg. "I know. Just enjoy the moment."
Elphie was called into the room (apparently Nessa had her stationed behind the door the entire time) to take the engagement photos with She's old iPod. After that, "Ilaf" went to go share the good news. Later that evening, we had an engagement celebration, complete with blankets, a roaring fire, and game after game of air/ice hockey.

As of now they are thinking of having a springtime wedding, when all life in nature is new.

You might think it too soon, but it's only a human rule to have the wedding be 6 months to years after the engagement. For dolls it's much different. If you find a magnet match, there's no one else like that person you will love. So why delay a wedding?

Nessa and I were pleased to find that the bracelets fit both of them like glove.

So that was A Royal Engagement Part 1. Stay tuned for the sequel when a wedding date is decided!

Happy for "Ilaf",

Queen Elsa