A/N: When Hans mentions that 'even Good Queen Bess spilled blood when required', he's mentioning the beheading of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots (8 Dec 1542 - 8 Feb 1587) by her cousin, Elizabeth Tudor I, Queen of England (7 Sept 1533 - 24 March 1603) in order to protect her hold on the British crown. To this day, it's still debated about whether Elizabeth meant to dispatch the warrant for Mary's execution or not.

Okay, now back to our royal story.- Licia

1908,

Garden of Linnea Castle,

Arendelle

"She put her council to death?"

"She had no choice. Sometimes, those who were put in one's way to do good end up doing more harm, and the majority of the men on her council had begun to do more harm than good- to both her reign and her country. Elizabeth I of England had done the same, ending the life of Mary, Queen of Scots in order to protect her throne. Choices had to be made, her country had to be protected, and instead of turning on her, the people respected and cheered her for it."

"Why?"

"Because they knew she was essentially 'ending' the reign of men who had refused to help her people, who had gone against their country while guiding their monarchs' hands. And the queen made it very clear that traitors could wear both rich and poor backgrounds, that she was doing this to protect her people, and that sometimes the best way to protect the people was to stop the people who claimed to 'protect' the people but didn't."

The children shared glances. "How... how did she... do it?" Ludi looked at her siblings and cousins, before turning back to Grandpapa, who sipped his coffee, gathering his thoughts.

"Put them to death?" She nodded. "Hanging was the punishment for severe crimes, but in this case, the queen took a much more... personal approach to dealing with the councilmembers who'd turned on her. Just because Arendelle was advanced, didn't mean they did not hand out capital punishment when required."

"So... if it was... personal, then... then what did she do?"

"Public execution, by way of beheading."

The children paled, sharing looks and after a moment, Sofia spoke up, swallowing thickly. "She... wanted to make an example of them." He nodded. "But... but if her secret had been discovered, she would have faced the same fate-"

"That's part of the reason as to why she did it, isn't it, 'papa?" Thyra asked, as her sister shivered.

He set his cup down with a soft nod, gently patting Lisi's head as she turned to look at him. "It was not an easy choice to make, and the queen agonized over it for weeks; at that point, she had put those of her council who had admitted to treason into the dungeons to await execution. The actual executions did not take place until late February of the following year, due to the amount of paperwork needed to be filled out; she also gave them each a chance to admit their sins for and ask forgiveness for their treason, and each refused."

"Why did it take so long?"

"She could not go so long without a council, and so took the months before the executions to find a new council- with Lord Bismarck's help, of course. In the end, she had decided on a mix of men and women, around her age and a little older, to have perspective, and even asked the daughter of the Northuldra chief, Honeymaren, to join her new council; the young woman agreed. She wanted diversity, new perspective, a new generation to help her shape her reign and her country."

"She really was progressive, wasn't she?"

"She was. Other countries started to look to Arendelle instead of Britain- Britain may have expanded into India and other parts of the world, but they did so essentially by way of force. Arendelle expanded, overtaking what had once been Weselton, and moving further into smaller territories, but she did so by way of talks and promises- promises which she kept. When she acquired the lands to the southeast of Weselton, she brought the railroad and telegraphs- advancements Arendelle had had for a few years at that point- as well as education for all and good healthcare. Learning of the death of Helena's sister in childbirth pushed her to expand not just healthcare but open up schools for midwifery, so that the people did not just have to rely on doctors. After all, she herself had relied on a midwife for the birth of at least one of her children, and believed every woman deserved the same right."

"And the king? Did he expand the Isles?"

"The Isles were... different. They could not expand in the same way that Arendelle could, but they expanded in other ways. The king refused to go to war, he refused to claim land by force, and so built alliances and further developed trade with other countries; he brought industry to the Isles- what he was able to- and, at the queen's urging, expanded healthcare and education to his people. Despite not being able to rule together-"

"Everything they did for their countries was as though they were ruling together."

"Exactly." He sighed. "They worked well together, not just in royal matters, but in personal and private matters. They brought balance to each other; he brought sound opinion to her questions and answered them, while she brought just reasoning to his worries and soothed them. They were each others' strength, each others' right hand, despite ruling two different countries."

"And were they good parents?"

A small smile tugged at his lips. "They were wonderful parents. They both ran on the belief that if it was good enough for their children, then it was good enough for all. They got into arguments on occasion, but what couple doesn't? The constant separation only added to the strains of their marriage, but annulment was never an option."

"You really met them? Even the children?"

"I did. They were beautiful children, just like their parents. Even if you had never been to the Southern Isles, you knew of the king, and his 'fondness' for the Queen of Arendelle. He held her in great esteem, and was the only man who refused to bow to her unless required- for he viewed her as equal to him in every way, though infinitely stronger in ways he was not. And the children..." He shook his head. "Only the foolhardy were dumb enough to not see the resemblance the Queen of Arendelle's children shared with the King of the Southern Isles. Hair as red as theirs and green eyes were not common in Arendelle; they are very Scandinavian in feature," He let his gaze shift over each. "Blue eyes and blonde hair common in the Arendelle, whereas red hair and green eyes are more common in the Isles. Only those who had never see the King of the Isles would not know of the resemblance the royal children shared with him."

"Did they know? The people?" Pia asked.

"They suspected, but never asked, on both sides. I think if they had known, they may have been upset at first, but let it go, for the happiness it gave her, and all her people wanted for their monarch was to be happy. It was unspoken among the courts- rumors that the King of the Isles was involved in a passionate affair with the Queen of Arendelle, and that the children she carried and bore were his, but never confirmed. No matter how people pushed and asked, neither confirmed nor denied the rumors, nor admitted to their secret marriage, and so it remained just that- secret. And the fact that she refused to reveal her private life to her council- and that they were willing to have her killed for it- was the push to remove them."

"When did she put her council to death?"

They had returned to the matter at hand, and he sighed, becoming lost in his thoughts.

"I don't want the children watching, this is my affair, not theirs. I want them to keep their innocence as long as possible. Please, dearest, take them to the Isles, just until the executions are over. Take them to Halsten, spend time with your children."

"You're sure? Eliza-"

"Darling, look at me. This babe is due to come any day. I cannot go with you; I would not go anyway, not until this is over. I must stay and preside over this... circus until it is finished. Just... just please, get the children out of Arendelle for a while. Take them to the Isles, show them the country their father rules over, show them the land of their Isles blood. Be a Papa for a few days, not a King. You have said it yourself, you wish them to know you as their Papa, not as a ruler. Please, darling. I will be okay. Annalei will be with me. And I will keep you updated on everything, I promise."

"The last week of February eighteen-fifty. The executions stretched over the last week of February and into the first two weeks of March, finishing on the fourteenth. The queen was able to attend, up until the last few; it was the first time she had been able to see the people in a couple months, due to her confinement. Of course, by the tenth of March, things had drastically changed for the young queen, and she'd been confined to her chambers. It was quite... ironic, as the princess had said later- her sister was not only taking life in the form of execution, but also giving life all on the same day."