Rifiuto: Non Mirena
1908
The Garden of Linnea Castle,
Arendelle
"He kissed her? But... but how do you know, 'papa?"
"Is that why Prince Alfred was always picking on Camilla? Because he liked her?"
"What did their parents do when they found out-"
"Is anybody there? Hello? Magda?" Every head turned, pulled from their questions, to see a woman not much older than Magda come dashing towards them, still in her traveling coat; five other people followed- her husband, three daughters, two sons-in-law, and her young granddaughter. "I'm so sorry we're late! The train was packed-"
But before she could finish, she was swept into hugs and kisses from excited family members, cousins and siblings, in-laws, nephews and nieces, before finally stopping in front of-
"'papa." He stood, holding his arms out for her; the woman rushed to him, curling into his chest with a relieved sigh. "I've missed you."
Gently, he wrapped her in a hug, pressing a kiss to her head as she pulled away to look up at him. "You look well, Vicky." He tilted her chin up, studying her; despite being two years shy of fifty, she was as youthful as she'd been all those years ago when he'd first met her, when those striking eyes had captured his heart as she'd settled in his arms while her mother stayed nearby.
"She may look well, but she spends too much time out in the sun; I fear she'll burn up like Stoker's Dracula." The woman turned as her husband was released from Magda's hug.
"Oh, hush you! I'm fine. You just worry too much." She turned back to the older man, taking his hands. "How have you been, 'papa? Last time I heard from Magda, you'd been ill-"
He squeezed her hands gently, seeing the worry in her gaze. "A minor illness, Vicky, it comes with old age, and I've lived a long life."
"A long life." She whispered, studying his hands, before meeting his gaze. "You're not lonely, are you, what with 'mama dead... how many years now, 'papa?" She turned to the Arendellian queen. "I'm not going to have to scold Magda for neglecting visiting you?" The younger woman narrowed her eyes.
"Hey! I'm doing the best I can! And how about instead of turning on me, you make an effort to come visit more than a few times every six months-"
"All right, that's enough, both of you." The women turned back to the older man, both looking like chastised children. "I'm fine, Vicky. I have plenty of things to keep me occupied. And Magda, you yourself know what it's like to rule a country, you both do. You're both together now, and that's the important thing."
Since marrying the Crown Prince of Italy and becoming Queen, Vicky had since given birth to three daughters, the two oldest of whom had married- one becoming Queen of the Netherlands, and the other becoming the Princess of the Austrias, future Queen of Spain. Vicky would soon become a grandmother again, for Josie, her middle child, was newly pregnant-
"Can we go back to the story, 'papa?" Lisi asked, tugging on his hand. "What happened after the prince kissed the princess?"
"Story?" Vicky turned to the others; they quickly filled the rest of the family in in regards to the story of the fabled queen and her reign as everyone returned to their seats, and coffee, desserts, and sandwiches were brought out. "Wait... this... this woman ruled Arendelle and the Isles? When? For how long? What was her name?"
"Iduna Elisabeth II." Lisi said, returning to her grandfather's lap and reaching for a cookie.
"And she didn't rule the Isles, Auntie." Agnarr replied, as Vicky looked around at the others, confused.
"She didn't?"
"Not back then." Amalie added, adding sugar to her coffee. "It was the... eighteen-fifties, right, 'papa?"
He nodded. "The late eighteen-fifties; by then, Iduna Elisabeth had been on the throne of Arendelle for eighteen years, married to the King of the Isles for nearly seventeen, and was the mother to six children, and about to have her seventh. At this point in our story, the royal family was visiting the United Kingdom to attend Vicky, the Princess Royal's wedding to Frederick, the Crown Prince of Prussia. She would go on to become Empress of Germany in eighteen-eighty-eight with the death of Wilhelm I, however her husband, Frederick III, would die after only ninety-nine days as Emperor, leaving their son, Wilhelm II to become Emperor of Germany. He still sits upon the throne-"
"I've met him," Magda replied softly. "an arrogant little man if ever there was one." She shivered. "To think he's the grandchild of Queen Victoria- how she must be rolling her grave at the thought of what he's doing in Germany. He hates the British and makes no secret of it; when he discovered Arendelle and the Isles' good relationship with Britain, he about threw a fit that we 'Scandinavian wretches were more accepted by the British than he was, and he possessed British blood.'" She wrapped her arms around herself. "I was never so happy to return to Arendelle. He will start a war some day, and if he does not start a war, he will encourage it, to show the might he believes Germany possesses, you mark my words."
She turned as her husband gently rubbed her back, and after a moment, she settled back against him, relaxing.
"That good relationship between Arendelle, the Isles and Britain did not happen overnight." He replied, picking up his cup as Lisi held a cookie out to him. "It took months of communication, years of hard work put in by all sides, strong treaties and alliances that have lasted for years. It's thanks primarily to Iduna Elisabeth that our ties with Britain are as strong as they are. If she and Johannes Christian hadn't agreed to meet with Victoria, there would be no alliance nowadays. Just as there would be no alliance with the Ottoman Empire, nor the French, nor the Americans, nor half the other countries of Europe. What most men could not accomplish in decades, she accomplished in a few short years. She was unlike any woman to ever sit upon the throne of Arendelle or any throne, for that matter."
"So this... fabled queen is what every queen should aspire to be?" Vicky asked, glancing at her younger sister; Magda sighed, lowering her gaze. He chuckled.
"You could say that. She was not only Queen of Arendelle, but some would dare to call her the Mother of Modern Scandinavia. Her reign was-" He stopped, suddenly overcome with memories. After a moment, he glanced at Lisi, accepting the cookie she held with a kiss to her head. "Shall we get back to the story?"