Embers in a Crystal Storm

by Ziva- Zia- Z

Two kingdoms ruled by married monarchs separated by a sea would not outlast those kingdoms that came before. It didn't matter he had loved her the moment they met. Everything was against them- a marriage built on such major differences could not last- but they were determined; they would rewrite the story, even if they had to rewrite the stars to make sure their story was told.

13. Chapter 13

1908

The Gardens of Linnea Castle,

Arendelle

"I don't understand, Grandpapa. If the Southern Isles court was as enamored with the queen as Arendelle was, why would they be against their marriage?"

He sighed, trying to think of the best way to explain it so the children would understand- so everyone would understand. He glanced around, before noticing the ruler and sketch paper on the table. Reaching around Lisi, he picked up the ruler, balancing it on the meat of his finger. "Do you see how it's balanced?" They nodded. "Do you also see how, while it's balanced, it's still unsteady, because it moves side to side?" More nodding. "Lisi, press gently on the side closest to you, love."

The young princess glanced at the others before doing as told. "Like this, Grandpapa?"

"Yes, exactly. Do you see how it rocks more? It is much more unsteady now that pressure has been applied?" Several nods and murmurs of agreement. "Now, picture one side as the Isles, and the other as Arendelle, and in the center, are the young king and queen. Without any pressure, it remains fairly steady, but if one side tips further either left or right, the balance is thrown off. Because those laws were put into place in the times of the clans, they were meant to keep royal clan maidens from running off with rival clans from the Isles; if threat of death were upon their heads, they would remain loyal to what would become the monarchy of Arendelle. And because the young queen was Arendellian, and the young king of the Isles, they were essentially the descendants of those two clans. Though the clans were no longer at war, the law- forgotten by the people and councils, but written into the early laws of the monarchy- still stood, more as a silent, unspoken treaty than anything else."

"If the law was abolished, the marriage would be seen as a grab for power by the Isles, which was why the law was put in in the first place." Sofia spoke up, and he glanced at her, nodding quickly.

"Exactly. And Arendelle's land was too precious and plentiful to give up, especially to a mere batch of islands to their southern borders. As long as the queen and king were bound to search outside their borders for mates, their countries were still in check; and neither one could steal land from the other, thereby keeping their empires from expanding and engulfing each other. That law kept the land to the countries, kept the countries in check in regards to expanding, kept war between them from beginning, but it also kept the king and queen from being together- if she married him, it would be seen as her giving up not just her title but her country, handing Arendelle and all her wealth and lands over to the Isles and absolving the country entirely to be roped in and possibly be renamed to the Northern Isles."

"And Arendelle would not allow that to happen. They have been their own separate monarchy for so long, they would bow to no one."

"Exactly, Sofia. Arendelle has never been anything if not desired. It is why the Isles and Norwegians went to war in the fifteen-hundreds over it; Arendelle stepped in and brokered peace between the two, declaring she would be owned by no other country but herself. She would allow royals from other countries to come to Arendelle to rule by their monarchs' sides, but they would need to convert to do so. That way no other power could claim Arendelle for their own."

"Similar to Marie Antoinette, when she married into the French monarchy. She left everything of Austrian origin behind."

He nodded, tossing the ruler slightly before catching it and setting it back on the table. "Those who were willing to convert to the religion of Arendelle were deemed loyal to Arendelle and the ruling monarch."

"And the Isles?" Magda asked, setting her cup down.

"The Isles were Arendelle's enemy for years; to Arendelle, any member of the Isles royal family who married into the Arendelle monarchy would be seen as making an attempt to take power, to expand the Isles' reach- and any monarch of Arendelle who married into the Isles was seen as willingly handing over Arendelle to the Isles. Despite the good relations between the two countries, animosity bubbled quietly beneath the surface. One wrong move, and everything could come crashing down, and the young queen would pay with her life."

"So to Arendelle, the Isles would always be seen as hungry for power and land, no matter who was on the throne, and to the Isles, Arendelle would always be seen as weaker and up for grabs, no matter the ruler who sat upon her throne." Thyra spoke slowly, putting the pieces together. "That is... horrible. To put that much at stake on the young queen's shoulders-"

"But she didn't know about the law, did she, Grandpapa?" Iduna spoke up, turning to him. He met her gaze.

"Not at first. Her council did not think to inform her of it. Remember, it was her sister who found it, but they did not know the extent behind it. They merely knew that they were not allowed to marry because it would be seen as treason. They did not know that it was a law focusing on stopping expansion of the Isles. They were young, after all, and did not know the extent of their countries' bloody combined history. They merely knew that they were in love and wished to marry so that they may be together, even if they could not rule together."

"So what happened? Did they marry? Or did they break off their engagement?"

He sat back, pulling Lisi further onto his lap as she began to slide off. How exactly did he explain this to them in ways they would understand? It was difficult to understand in the most basic of terms- "They kept their engagement. What followed, was perhaps the most difficult years of their lives, not only complicated by their individual reigns, but by the lives they would try to carve out together. Stealing quiet moments in the darkened corners of a castle during a celebration was one thing, but building a healthy marriage and raising children while both ruling over their respective countries was another thing entirely. Because they could not sit upon the thrones of each others' countries together, they had to shape their rules as well as their marriage around their own monarchies, even though the children they would bear were to become the heirs of both thrones. It was a dance not many could do, nor would want to even attempt."

"But they did anyway, because they loved each other, right, Grandpapa?"

"That's right, Iduna. Just because it had never been attempted before, didn't mean it was not worth trying. Because if you don't try, you will never know if succeeding is possible."

"So what did they do?"

He sighed, glancing at the crystal snowflake before picking it up. The weight of it still surprised him.

"It's beautiful."

"So you will always have a piece of me, even if I must remain in Arendelle."

"Grandpapa?"

"Sorry, what did you say, Duna?"

The girl watched as he set the snowflake down gently. "What did they do? The king and queen?"

"They got married, of course."