Winter of 1816.
A union between Norway and Sweden was established following the treaty of Kiel, though not entirely condoned by Norway in the first place. Wanting independence, he fought a war against the treaty in a desperate attempt to gain it after so long.
And the only solution was to stand and fight
But he lost. Not only his pride, but his little brother he had to leave behind. Knowing well that he'd thrive well with Denmark, it hurt his heart beyond measure still. He spent his days alone at the docks of Stockholm now, his body aching from the unification and battle scars. His mind, lost and wandering off to better times with his beloved family who were now so far from reach. And he was boiling with fury, rage, anger. Why him? Why him all the time?
And my body was bruised and I was set alight
He knew that holding grudges against the world wouldn't help him any further. And even though he was angry, he never blamed Sweden for anything. The tall, gentle giant who desperately tried to aid him the best he could every day. Who tried to mend his wounds but was continuously disrupted by the fury of the Norwegian. The long time friend who suffered the loss of his own loved one not so long ago. Who was lonely, too. And the person who never wanted the treaty of Kiel to end the way it did. He never wanted to force Norway to come live with him, but people higher up don't care about any of that.
And maybe it was because of that shared loneliness, that over time they grew together again. Both so desperately craving eachother's presence but too lost and confused to give in to it. Both in such a desperate need for love and affection but too shy and morally conflicted about it.
The nights grew colder now, and after about an hour of insisting on Sweden's half, Norway agreed to come inside. The crisping fire lit up the room while the cold wind cloaked Stockholm in a near surreal landscape. They were both sitting near the fire, blankets keeping them warm on the small couch they were sitting on. Hands entangled into one another in an attempt to warm up. And for an unknown reason, Norway fell his insides glow with something other than sheer anger.
But you came over me like some holy rite
He lifted his still frail body from the couch and he pulled Sweden with him. Sweden on the other hand was a tad confused about the sudden movements the Norwegian made, yet he didn't feel like fighting it. As the blankets draped off the two onto the wooden floor, the two Scandinavian nations locked eyes. Their stomaches felt alight now, but no longer of anger and disbelief. It was a strange feeling, a feeling they both so desperately craved for so long.
As their hands locked once again and as their feet moved across the room in a slow but magnificent waltz, the feeling of affection and desire slowly overtook them. There was no music other than the tunes playing in their heads as they gently moved over the creaking floor, and the lights of the city in the background engulfed the room in a magical wonderland. The thoughts of anger slowly being pushed to the back of their minds, their bodies warming up with nothing but glee.
And although I was burning, you're the only light
And as their bodies grew closer together, the shyness faded in both of them. They were so lonely, they were so frail, they were so broken. But holding eachother now, seeing eachother's pain as they gaze into their eyes gave them a sudden joilt of so much happiness. Their faces grew closer now, and a bit of hesitation came back to them once again.
Was this right? Was this the right thing to do? What would they think?
But it didn't matter. In this moment on a cold winter night in Stockholm, it was just them. And even though they knew it wouldn't last forever, it would fade again quicker than they could even think of, it didn't matter. As their lips touched, a feeling of euphoria overwhelmed them. For now, this was what they both needed so badly and they were the only two people who could give it to eachother. And as the lights slowly went out in the city and the moonlight was the only thing lighting the room, Lukas closed his eyes. He wrapped his arms around Berwald and let himself drown in the moment, he told himself to hold on to it.
Only if for a night
~
So I had a sudden joilt of inspiration listening to 'Only if for a night - Florence and the machine'
And I thought it was really fitting to the story of the Treaty of Kiel, which ultimately led to Norway being pulled from Denmark in order to live with Sweden. It's not a very common pair but I wanted to write something nice for a change!
