Rifiuto: Non Mirena
A/N: The Ottoman Empire lasted from 1299 - 1922, and controlled much of Southeastern Europe, Western Asia and North Africa, and was the main centre for interactions between the Middle East and Europe for at least six centuries. At one point, between 1533 and 1656, the mothers and wives of Sultans (called Valide Sultans and Haseki Sultans, respectively) exercised great power within the empire; this became known as the Sultanate of Women, which is mentioned in this chapter.
By the time Elsa and Hans meet with the Ottomans, Britain and France, as well as Italy, have been at war with Russia over control of the Ottoman Empire since 1853- the war officially ends in March 1856, in a major defeat for Russia.
Like Victoria and Great Britain before, Elsa had managed to charm the Ottomans- not only by her wit and words, but with her magic- and she and Hans were soon drawing up trade agreements with the Sultan, as well as creating alliances; should the Scandinavians require assistance, the Ottomans would come to their aid, as would the Scandinavians if the Ottomans required it.
After that first awkward meeting in the Imperial Harem, Elsa's reveal of her magic had entranced the women, and once they knew of her magic, word had quickly spread. The Sultan had kindly requested a demonstration, and over dinner that night, Elsa, nervous but knowing she could not deny such a request, gave one, bringing wonder to everyone present. By the time they returned to Scandinavia, the alliance drawn between them and the Ottomans was already put into motion, and word of the Arendellian queen's wit and charm had spread through the rest of Euro-Asia.
The family returned to Arendelle, spending the late summer and early fall together at Jannicke. The queen spent many early afternoons horseback riding with Hans, and it was not long after they returned to Scandinavia that Elsa and Hans decided Milla could come with them on their afternoon rides through the meadows, since the girl had, of all the older children, developed a great love of horseback riding.
"Wait, Papa! Mama! Vent på meg! Wait for me!"
"Learn to keep up, du må ikke falle bak! An expert rider does not fall behind because the terrain gets harder! You must not fall behind, lest we leave you in the forest, my little darling!" Hans turned back, tugging gently on Sitron's reins to get him to halt, as he waited for Milla to catch up, even as Elsa spurred Nokk on faster.
"Det er ikke rettferdig, Mama! Papa! Mama's not playing fair!" Hans chuckled softly as Milla finally joined him; his wife's laughter danced back towards them from farther up ahead, and once the girl was by his side, he gently spurred Sitron to continue. The pace was steady, and he kept an eye on his daughter's posture, reminding her gently to keep her back straight and a loose grip on the reins.
"Mama is the queen, mitt lille hjerte, it's not my place to tell her to play fair. This is your mother's domain, not mine. I do not rule Arendelle, I am merely a guest in your mother's country-"
"Why?" Hans turned to her; the child waited, her mother's blue eyes watching him intently as she waited for her answer. "Why don't you rule by Mama's side? Why doesn't she rule by yours?"
He sighed, thinning his lips. He had been expecting these questions, he just hadn't expected them so soon. He knew- both he and Elsa- that eventually, the children's curiosity in regards to their shuffling household would bubble up from the depths of their innocence, and that questions would be asked, he just hadn't expected them now. And he certainly hadn't expected it to be his beloved firstborn; if Hans were honest with himself, he'd expected one of the boys to start asking why they were constantly going from the Arendellian court to the Isles court, why they spent the majority of their childhoods at either Jannicke or Halsten, why he did not sit on nor share the throne, nor wear the crown of their mother's country, and why she did not sit on the throne nor wear the crown of his-
Especially our young Christian. He is perhaps the most curious child I've ever met; it surprises me sometimes that such a curious, inquisitive child was borne from my wife's womb, for the boy hardly says two words unless he deems it important or believes it interesting enough to share. For the first four years of his life, I feared he was mute, but thankfully-
"Papa?"
Torn from his thoughts, Hans turned to his daughter, who waited. Then again, our beautiful Milla is just as inquisitive and curious as Annes. Perhaps their mother's inquisitive nature split during her pregnancies, part of it embedding in Milla, and the other embedding in Annes- A deep sigh escaped him, and he took a moment to choose his words carefully. "Mama and I... do not... rule by each others' sides because... it is... kompliceret."
"Oh." The girl paused, thinking, before she looked up at her father again. "How complicated?"
"Mere-"
"How more?"
He sighed. "Camilla-" She waited, watching him silently. "I love your Mama, very, very much. So much. More than I ever thought I could love anyone... until you and your brothers and sisters were borne into my life, and then I discovered that the love I have for your Mama... it just multiplied, tenfold."
"I don't understand, Papa."
They continued along the lightly worn path, Elsa far ahead of them now. "Your Mama is... a remarkable woman. She's a great queen; strong-willed and stubborn to a fault, witty and charming and a force to be reckoned with. But the woman she is now... the woman who rules Arendelle... the queen who has charmed the entirety of the free world... was not the woman I met or fell in love with."
"What do you mean?"
"Before..." He stopped, biting his lip. "Before Mama became Mama, she was-"
"The queen?"
"The Crown Princess. Of Arendelle." Milla's gaze widened, and he smiled softly. "Did you really think you were the only Crown Princess, mitt lille hjerte?" He chuckled softly, reaching over to gently nudge her chin. "There have been infinite number of Crown Princesses long before you were even a flutter in Mama's belly. You are the most recent; Mama was before you. She had been educated and trained in the ways of ruling in order to be ready to take the throne of Arendelle, should something happen to her parents- your grandparents, King Agnarr and Queen Iduna. As you will are, and will continue to be, until Mama decides you are ready to take the throne."
"What about the Isles? If I'm heir to Arendelle's throne, aren't I heir the Isles, also?"
"You are, but the problem is, that you will not be able to take my throne-"
"Why not? I'm your daughter-"
He sighed, his heart constricting as he realized the only way he could truly make her understand was by telling her the truth. "You are my daughter; anyone with even an ounce of intellect or sense can see the resemblance. You look like your mother, but you have lots of me in you as well. But it's more complicated than just... blood relations. You came from my seed, but you were borne of your mother's womb. You are the rightful heir of two thrones, but you can only sit upon one."
"Why?"
"A ruler of Arendelle cannot sit upon the throne of the Isles, because it will be seen as treason to the country and crown of Arendelle, a punishment of which is death." He turned back as Milla stopped her horse, mouth dropping in shock. They'd reached the clearing, and were not far from where Elsa stood near the creek that cut through, stroking Nokk's nose. She turned as they approached, watching them silently, a tiny smile tugging at her lips.
"Death?" He nodded, as she slowly caught up. "But... hvorfor mor ikke er dronning af øerne?"
"Mama will never be Queen of the Isles, so long as that ancient law stands. And it's counterpart, in the Isles, is why I cannot rule by Mama's side in Arendelle. It is... much more complicated than that, but... but that's the easiest explanation I can give, for now. You do not need to know more than that. You and your brothers and sisters only need to know that Mama and I both love you- all of you- very, very much, and we are doing everything we possibly can to make this arrangement easy for you, and we intend to continue doing so until you are all old enough to marry and take the thrones of whatever country you marry into."
And without another word, he continued towards Elsa, expecting to hear Milla following behind. However, he turned back into time to see her horse rear up at something in the grass, and quickly dismounted, rushing to close the gap. Gathering her skirts, Elsa hurried towards them, calling for the child to wrap her arms around the horse's neck, but Milla, too scared as to what was happening, tugged on the reins instead-
"No! Camilla-"
In a split second, the child was thrown from the horse, her small body landing in the grass not far away, as her mother rushed towards her, stumbling to her side in the grass, while her father hurried to grab the reins and calm the horse down before it could rear again.