1908
The Garden of Linnea Castle,
Arendelle
"Three children in seven years?"
"Not uncommon for that time, Magda. And remember, this was a monarchy; it was important for royal couples to have more than one child, especially when securing the throne."
"But even so, 'papa, the queen had to be exhausted, if not mentally and emotionally, then physically. A woman's body can only take so much stress, and pregnancy is stressful."
"Victoria of Britain had... ten children in ten years, I believe." Nicholai replied.
"Seven." Grandpapa corrected gently. "Victoria had seven of her nine children in ten years. She and the young queen mirrored each other; they were both young, inexperienced in the ways of ruling, and both found their footing with strong, brilliant, passionate husbands to guide them. Both brought about the industrial age within their respective countries, and they expanded their families at roughly the same time. Both defied societal conventions in their own way to make their mark within history."
"What about the king?" Alexander asked, sipping his coffee.
"The king followed much of his wife's beliefs- what was good enough for their children was good enough for the people. Seeing as the Isles were a set of islands, the king had to play to a different set of strengths than Arendelle-"
"Wait..." Pia reached for the shawl, something from an earlier part of the story clicking in her head. "The shawl! This is the shawl the queen had! That the chief of the tribe gave her!" She lifted it, unfolding it, the colors were still as bright and vibrant as the day she'd received it. He felt his heart constrict. "Right, Grandpapa?"
"Where did you get this?"
"Yelena gave it to me."
"Yelena?"
"The Cheiftan of the Northuldra."
"As a thank you-"
"Not quite. I am Northuldra now."
"How-"
"... you would not understand."
"And why wouldn't I?"
"Because you are not of my sex."
She had worn the shawl on nights when she could not sleep, when she spent them pacing the floors of their chambers, mind caught in the trap of issues that she had near beat to death searching for a solution. She had worn it on days when her loneliness had gotten the best of her, and on the nights when they had made love after months of separation. It had decorated her shoulders at least once during the birth of one of her children, and she had kept it close up until the day she had drawn her last breath.
"Yes, Pia, you're correct. This was the shawl that the Chief of the Northuldra had given the queen before the fight with Weselton. I had thought it lost forever." The whisper was soft, but Lisi heard it, turning to him.
"Did you know her, Grandpapa? The great queen?"
He studied his youngest granddaughter, but it was Agnarr who spoke up. "Of course he did, Lisi, otherwise he wouldn't be telling us this."
"I did know the queen- and the king. And the princess, and I had met the royal children a handful of times. They were a truly beautiful family, and the king and queen loved each other dearly. I dare say they were even madly in love, were I to guess. I do know that when she died, he was never the same."
"She died?" Alexander whispered, lowering his cup, receiving a soft nod in response. "How?"
"Sasha!" Ludi turned to him. "Don't jump ahead!"
"Grandpapa?" He turned to Amalie. "Did the queen ever meet Queen Victoria?"
He chuckled softly. "She did." The children shared excited glances. The children shared excited glances. "But that would mean jumping ahead. The king and queen had managed to find a balance for their small family, and with the help of their households as well as Lord Bismarck, they managed to keep things fairly under wraps. Of course, it helped that Princess Anna had developed quite a friendship with the young councilman."
"She had a crush on him." Ludi grinned. A soft chuckle.
"He had a crush on her, actually. It had started out singular, but over time, the princess began to return the young man's feelings; they were often seen strolling through the gardens of Linnea, these very gardens, in fact, discussing everything under the sun. It was over these long discussions that they realized how much they had in common, and how the king and queen's marriage gave them both hope that love did exist. You see, young Lord Bismarck had been orphaned as a child, and he had grown up as a ward of Clemens Bjorgman, fifth Lord of Bismarck. Bjorgman never married and had no children, so when he died, everything- his estate, his titles, all of it- went to Kristoff, and when he had been chosen to join the queen's council, it was more because his guardian had been a member, and so he had filled the position. He had expected a woman much older than him, and had been surprised to discover that the queen was a girl not much older than him, who had been handed not only the crown, but the very monarchy she had been born of, and it was his job, as part of her council, to help her navigate and become a strong ruler. That is not what he discovered."
"He became her friend."
"It took time, but yes, he did. What he discovered was that their monarch was headstrong and set in her ways; she was stubborn and calculating, and could hold her own in many ways, especially against the men of her council who tried all they could to bully her into submission. But Iduna Elisabeth was not one who would be bullied into submitting to others' demands. She had gone to war with a bullying duchy, married secretly, borne three children and controlled ice and snow; she was not one who would submit willingly. And she made sure they understood that."
"How?"
He sat back, thinking. "By showing them her power, of course."
