Rifiuto: Non Mirena
December, 1857
Buckingham Palace,
England
She'd been watching out the window for their carriage for the last several hours, only to be disappointed-
A gasp of excitement left her vocal chords, and she hurriedly made her way from the family's sitting room, passing by her sisters and brothers without a glance or response to their questions. She even ignored both her parents, and it took several minutes before the rest of the family realized what was going on and followed. Before the doorman could grab the handles, the Princess Royal had thrown both doors open, stepping onto the landing. She watched the gates of the palace, but they didn't-
"Open the gates!That's my auntie and uncle!" No one moved, and Vicky gathered her skirts, rushing down the steps towards the guards. "Open the gates! Open the gates, please!" The guards turned at the sight of the teenaged Princess Royal waving her hands and rushing towards them."Open the gates, now!"
"But Your Highness-"
"I think it would be in your best interest to do as the Princess Royal requests." The closest guard turned, to find the King of the Southern Isles leaning out the carriage window; the Arendellian queen leaned around her husband, grinning softly.
"Y... Your Majesties! I'm... I'm so sorry, I didn't realize-" He quickly did as instructed; once the carriage was through the gates, in made its way towards the steps of the palace. Vicky hurried to meet it, returning to the steps where the rest of her family was as it pulled up in front of the steps, watching in anticipation as the King of the Southern Isles helped the Queen of Arendelle, before throwing herself into his arms.
"Uncle Hans!" The king caught her, quickly swinging the seventeen-year-old girl in a circle before setting her back on her feet.
It was soon a cacophony of shouts and exclamations of excitement as the rest of the family soon joined the oldest girl in welcoming the Scandinavian Royals as they exited the carriages; the three oldest children were seated with their parents, while the youngest three were with Anna in the second carriage. "Let's get you inside before you all freeze, though I know it doesn't affect Elsa-" Once they finally made it back inside the royal family's apartments, everyone settled down as a maid brought coffee, tea and hot chocolate.
"Oh, Auntie Elsa!" The surprise grew as Hans helped his wife out of her cloak, revealing the small swell of her abdomen. Fourteen-year-old Alice reached to touch her aunt's belly, but stopped, meeting her gaze, as Elsa took her hand. Gently, the queen rested a hand over her adoptive niece's, grinning.
"It's too early to feel movement, just yet."
"When are you due, Auntie?" Bertie asked; though he had no interest in babies and the like, he, much like the rest of the Hanovers, adored the Scandinavian Royals, and it had become a game amongst the Hanover children to guess whether their beloved aunt carried a boy or a girl within her womb whenever she was pregnant- and then what the babe would be named after birth.
"June." She replied, rubbing a hand gently back and forth over the swell. "I'm carrying another summer babe, like our Liesel." The child blushed, as eleven-year-old Lenchen picked her up, cradling the five-year-old princess like a doll. Though the Westergård-Bekkerdahl children were all close, it was only matched by their closeness to the Hanover children. Continuously referred to as 'cousins', the children saw no difference between their parents and their aunt and uncle. They all did as they were told, regardless of who told them. Elsa took a seat on the sofa with a sigh, reaching for Vicky's hand. "I'm sorry, Vicky, your uncle and I did not plan on taking the attention from you, especially since your wedding is a month away-"
"Oh, Auntie, don't be silly! A baby is so much more exciting than a wedding!" The teenager quickly sat beside her aunt, essentially stealing her mother's place as Victoria went to sit beside her friend. "And your babies are so adorable! Do you know what you're going to name it?"
"Vicky, calm down." Hans chuckled gently, accepting the cup Albert held out to him. "We do not even know if we're having a boy or a girl yet. We have plenty of time to choose names. Your aunt is only three months along, there are six more to go before we know if it is a boy or a girl." He settled on the arm of the sofa, reaching out to rub his wife's back gently.
"What are you hoping for, Auntie?" Affie asked, as he twirled seven-year-old Sof before pulling her in for a hug. Elsa sighed, thinking; one had rubbed slow circles over her belly, before she finally spoke.
"I would love another boy, to help balance out our girls."
Soft laughter filled the room. "What about you, Uncle Hans?" Lenchen asked excitedly, the Scandinavian king chuckled softly.
"Healthy. Boy or girl doesn't matter, I simply want it to be healthy." Elsa turned to him with a soft smile, accepting the gentle kiss his brushed to her mouth. Vicky watched the pair, almost entranced, as they parted.
Dinner had been lively and exciting, as Victoria spoke about Vicky's upcoming wedding, and Elsa and Hans informed them of the changes taking place in the Isles and Arendelle. They'd all listened as the children shared funny stories about their lessons or the things they'd gotten to do over the Christmas holiday, and Anna updated them on how she'd been doing since deciding to become a midwife, though she made no mention of Lord Bismarck or where they stood in that relationship. By the time dinner finished and they all moved to the sitting room for dessert and coffee, Vicky was full to bursting with questions.
"Auntie?" Elsa looked up as the teenager sidled up to her, gently resting a hand on her arm. "Can we... talk? Somewhere private?"
Elsa glanced at the others, before turning back to the girl. "Of course we can, Vicky." She nodded to the others, before leading the teenager out of the sitting room, back towards the guest room she and Hans were sharing. "What did you want to talk about?" The teenager was quiet as she slipped her arm through her aunt's; they meandered slowly through the halls, silent, as Elsa was giving her time to gather her thoughts.
"Does it hurt?"
"Does what hurt?"The girl's gaze darted towards her belly, and Elsa nodded in understanding. "Oh. Aches and pains come with pregnancy."
"No, I meant... well, yes, but... but...that. What... what happens on the... the wedding night."
"Oh! You mean-" Vicky nodded, and, Elsa quickly opened the door, following the girl into the bedroom before shutting it softly behind her. She took a seat on the bed beside Vicky, who, now that she was behind closed doors, allowed the mask to slip and her worries show. "You're worried about the wedding night." Vicky nodded, reaching for her aunt's hands. Elsa gave them willingly, letting the girl- for that's what she was still, no matter that once she married she would be considered a woman in society- play with her fingers. The teenager watched the frost slowly begin to coat her aunt's hands, and knew it was to give her something to focus on, for which she was grateful.
"What if it hurts? Or... or it doesn't go in? Or... or it's to... to big? It will tear me in half-" She bit her lip, tears swimming in her eyes.
"Oh, Vicky."
"Uncle Hans does it with you," She nodded to her aunt's belly. "is it truly painful when-" Her gaze darted up, and Elsa held it for several seconds before the girl looked away.
"It hurts, yes," The girl paled. "But not terribly. At first, but then it stops hurting and... becomes pleasurable."
"Pleasurable?" Elsa nodded. "How?" Her aunt sighed.
"There are certain..." She bit her lip. "areas... on a woman's body that... that are meant for pleasure." She paused. "You see, there's this-" The girl waited, and after taking a moment to gather her thoughts, the queen spoke, slowly. "There is..." Vicky watched as a tiny wrinkle appeared between her beloved aunt's eyes as she frowned, trying to think of the best way to explain what a woman experienced in the bedroom on the eve of her marriage. "Vicky," Elsa squeezed her hand. "you must understand. What goes on between a man and a woman once the bedroom door closes is... marriage is sacred..." But before she could continue, a soft knock broke the silence. The two royal women shared glances before, "Yes?"
"Eliza, it's me."The Arendellian monarch felt the girl's heart rate jump as she squeezed her hands, and after a moment, she stood, going to the door, pulling it open slightly. Hans stood on the other side, concern in his green eyes. "Is everything all right?"
"Did Victoria send you?"
He shook his head. "No. I got worried." His wife rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to speak. "About Vicky." Elsa turned back to the girl. "May I come in?"
"We're discussing...womanly matters, Johannes." She replied, pointedly, meeting his gaze. Hans sighed, leaning against the doorframe, one eyebrow raising. "It's up to Victoria if she wants you present, husband." The Princess Royal met her aunt's gaze, before glancing at her uncle. She bit her lip. Hans had told Vicky after that first visit to Britain that should she need him, she could always write to him or speak to him, and in the last few years, he had become the one she ran to, when she had a chance. She loved her parents, but she could not discuss such an important matter with her parents- her father would go philosophical on her, and her mother would dictate her every move, as she had done Vicky's entire life. Anna was as innocent in matters of the bedroom as Vicky herself, but Elsa and Hans... they would tell her the truth; they would give her not just facts, but advice, they would not dictate what she did or how to do it. Hans was as open minded as Elsa, and in that vein, she trusted him as much, if not more, than her own father.
"You can come in, Uncle. Please." Elsa stepped back, pulling the door open. Her hands automatically went to her belly, as Hans straightened, stepping into the room and shutting the door softly behind him. He met his wife's gaze, before glancing at Vicky.
"Womanly matters." The girl blushed, as his wife looked back at her.
"What takes place on the wedding night." He nodded in understanding, before taking a seat beside Vicky on the bed. "Perhaps you can explain it better to her. I cannot seem to find the right words, and you have always been better at such explanations that I have." She joined them, absentmindedly rubbing her belly; Vicky watched her aunt, swallowing nervously before turning to Hans.
"I... I won't... I won't have to... to bear a child immediately after the wedding, will I, Uncle Hans? I don't want to-"
"Vicky, hush. Calm down." He gently stroked her cheeks, hushing her softly. "Eventually, yes, you will have to bear a child, but not immediately. Not every woman becomes pregnant on her wedding night. It often takes several tries before a child is created. Your aunt and I are testament to that. We did not have Milla until three years into our marriage." Vicky turned to her aunt, who nodded.
"And... the... that night... Auntie said it... it hurts-"
"I wouldn't know about that, but I specifically remember the look on your aunt's face that night." He met Elsa's gaze.
"It was more uncomfortable than painful. Yes, there was a bit of pain, but nowhere near like you're expecting, Vicky." The queen cut in. "And that pain quickly turned from discomfort to pleasure."
"Pleasure?" The girl glanced between them. They both nodded. "I... I don't understand... Mama said-"
"Forgive me, Vicky, but just because Victoria is Queen of the United Kingdom, does not necessarily mean she knows best in regards to everything." Elsa snorted softly, quickly covering it up with a forced cough. The girl glanced between her aunt and uncle. "What a man and a woman experience on that night is..." He sighed, considering his words carefully. "It is about finding and experiencing pleasure together. It is not only about creating children."
"It's not?" She glanced between the pair, both of whom shook their heads.
"No. Children are secondary in the bedroom, especially in the early months of marriage. You will have a child when you are ready, and not before. Those first nights- especially the wedding night- are about discovering yourself, but more importantly, it's about discovering you and Frederick, and your likes and dislikes in the bedroom, what brings you to the brink and what doesn't." Hans glanced at his wife, before reaching across Vicky; Elsa took his hand with a gentle squeeze, her other hand caressing her belly. The teenaged princess watched as his thumb gently stroked the back of her hand, as the pair shared a glance that spoke more than all the worlds in the English language could.
"Monarchies tend to forget that there is something even more important than creating children and continuing a dynasty." Vicky turned to her aunt. "Compatibility. If you are not compatible with your spouse in thebedroom, then how will you be compatible as a rulers on the throne? Your uncle and I learned the hard way; we cannot share our thrones, nor combine our lands. We must live apart and therefore rule apart instead of together."
"But we've managed to figure out a system that lets us essentially rule our kingdoms together without being together." Hans added.
"And while our countries prosper, unfortunately it's our family that suffers." Elsa glanced down at her belly, stroking it gently. She met Vicky's gaze. "But we make do. We do our best to give our children as normal a childhood as royal children can have, which is why visits such as this are so important." She reached over, lifting Vicky's chin with a smile. By the time the three returned to the sitting room, the girl's anxiety had lessened greatly.
She watched as Hans let Elsa take the chair by the piano, where Alice was playing a piece with Sof's help. The king glanced at her as he leaned against the back of the chair; Elsa reached up behind her, hand curling around his bicep. He winked at the young Princess Royal before pressing a kiss to Elsa's head and turning his attention back to the music.