CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 30

“She said that, and you didn’t sleep with her?” Lillian asked.

“Lil,” Elin said, laughing.

“What? She told you that the Northern Lights – one of the most beautiful things to exist on this planet – were dancing in your eyes, and you didn’t give her any?”

“I did, too; I kissed her.”

“Kissed her? That’s it?”

“Well, I really kissed her,” Elin said. “She ended up on top of me.”

“And you didn’t even let her–”

“We did that for a long time, and it was amazing, Lil. Neither of us seemed to take it any further than that.”

“She was waiting for you to make a move, Elin. You’re the Queen, remember?”

“That didn’t stop her from asking me out,” Elin reminded.

“Well, she did wait three years, so…”

“We fell asleep, Lillian. We just watched the lights, kissed, and fell asleep. I woke up holding her, and it was exactly what I want for the rest of my life,” Elin said, smiling.

“So, you two will just sleep next to each other forever? I think that’s just called friendship, Elin.”

“We will do that. And, honestly, I was so exhausted. I think she was, too, but we had that last dinner in London, and then I had to fly back early that morning. We flew to the island and hiked for hours. I thought we’d take the easy trail and turn around, but we just kept walking instead. It was so much fun; we just got back a lot later than I’d intended. I thought we’d nap and then go on that cruise I’d booked, but she wanted it to be just us, so we ate, talked, and watched the lights. I fell asleep around midnight.”

“But you had a good time, didn’t you?” Lillian smiled at her.

“She’s the one, Lil.” Elin nodded confidently. “She just gets me in a way no one ever had. I can’t imagine waking up with anyone else like that.”

“I’ve narrowed down my options, if you’re curious.”

“Your options?”

“Yes, I’m down to three guys.”

“So, you’re on a dating game show, Lil?”

“No, I’m just casually seeing them.”

“How can you tell if it could be serious one day if you’re just casually seeing all of them?”

“Well, there’s Lord Charles. He’s–”

“You call him Lord Charles? You’re dating.”

“You know him as Lord Charles. I call him David; not to be confused with Victoria’s husband. So many rich men named David, huh? Anyway, he’s nice. We were able to see each other once in London. Then, there’s Edwin, who I spoke with on the phone last night; and Sven, who I’m going out with tonight. I like all of them enough to see where things can go.”

“I just don’t get that. I guess I’m more like Mari: I find one person, and that’s it for me.”

“You mean you’re more like Dad,” Lillian countered.

“What? I am not like–”

“And in most ways – you’d be right, but in this case – you’re wrong; you’re just like Dad. Mom was seeing someone else when she met Dad. You know the story.”

“Yes, I do,” Elin replied.

Her mother had been young and had just started seeing someone when she’d met Elin’s father. Her father had fallen in love pretty quickly, though, and while her mother had resisted at first, she, too, fell in love with him. Her father hadn’t dated or attempted to court anyone other than her mother. Elin supposed that in that respect, Lillian was right. Her previous attempts at relationships hadn’t been real attempts because she’d been in hiding but also because she’d known those women weren’t right for her. With Ingrid, though – Elin knew. She knew, and she only wanted her.

“Anyway,” Lillian said. “Enough about all that. What do you think Markus wanted to meet with both of us about?”

“It’s that time,” Elin replied.

“Consecration talk?”

“Plans are already well underway for that; it’s more about you.”

“Me?”

“Well, what happens when I die, that is,” Elin clarified.

“Why do we have to talk about this stuff? You’re thirty years old, Elin.”

“Because I have to sign the legal succession document, and I want you to make sure you’re okay with it.”

“I don’t really have much of a choice, do I?” Lillian asked before she took a sip of her iced tea.

“Yes, you do. Whether I die in fifty years or tomorrow, you have a choice, Lil. Christian got his choice. Mari will have hers, and so will you. I won’t let Dad bully you into doing something you don’t want to do.”

“You’re an amazing sister,” Lillian said, smiling at her.

“Your Majesty, Markus is here to see you,” her attendant announced from the open door.

“Send him in, please,” Elin replied.

Markus walked in, stopped to bow his head, and said, “Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness.”

“Have a seat, Markus,” Elin told him.

He sat in the chair across from them, holding on to a portfolio that, Elin guessed, held the paperwork.

“May I begin, Ma’am?”

“Yes,” she said.

“Ma’am, the paperwork naming Princess Lillian as your successor has been drawn up. It names her first, followed by Her Royal Highness, Princess Mari, in the event she does not have children. In the event that she does have children, they will follow her in the line of succession. If Princess Lillian dies before one of her children reaches the age of twenty-one, Princess Mari will act as regent until they reach that age, per your request. If Princess Lillian does not have children, the line of succession falls to Princess Mari, and then to Princess Mari’s children. If Princess Mari passes prior to one of her children reaching the age of twenty-one, Princess Lillian will act as regent.”

“I thought talking about the death of a sovereign was still punishable by death,” Lillian joked.

“My apologies, Ma’am,” Markus offered.

“It’s fine,” Elin said. “We have to talk about this.”

“I’m confused by this. If I don’t have kids, Mari’s kids take over, but I’m regent if they’re not old enough?”

“Yes, Ma’am. This assumes you’re still alive, Ma’am; you’ve just not had children to carry the line.”

“And what if Mari doesn’t have children?”

“I’ve asked that Christian’s children follow next,” Elin replied.

“Does he want that?”

“We talked about it over the phone. He understands it likely wouldn’t be necessary, but that it might be, and that they’d have the same choice he’s making now one day,” Elin explained.

“Okay. Well, I guess it sounds fine with me.”

“Very well, Ma’am,” Markus said.

“What of the other matter we discussed?” Elin asked him.

He looked down at the portfolio and appeared nervous.

“I’m still working on that, Ma’am.”

“Working on it? What’s to work on?”

“Well, I just think it might not be the right time. We should focus on the line and the consecration.”

“What are you two talking about?” Lillian asked.

“I do have some other concerns, Ma’am,” Markus added.

“Other concerns?” Elin asked him.

“Yes. May I speak openly, Ma’am?”

“Sure,” Elin said impatiently.

“Well, Princess Lillian is twenty-seven and hasn’t yet… settled down.”

“I’m not married; that’s what he’s saying,” Lillian said. “Just spit it out, Markus.”

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but if the Queen is insistent on not having children, the line will fall to you and your children – which you don’t yet have, and it doesn’t appear they’re on the horizon anytime soon. That means Princess Mari’s children are incredibly important; at least, today.”

“Her non-existent children?” Lillian said.

“Yes, Ma’am. But that’s not actually the problem with the Princess: she’s in a relationship with a future King.”

“You’re worried that her children would be sovereign to another country.” Elin nodded.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“He’s right: they would be the future Kings or Queens of Denmark. And if I don’t have kids for whatever reason, they’d also be the Kings or Queens of Norway.”

“Yes, Your Royal Highness,” Markus replied to Lillian. “I realize these events don’t seem likely to occur, but we’re in an interesting time for the Norwegian monarchy right now, and we must plan for all eventualities. I’d like to have open discussions with the current King of Denmark to create a plan where the two countries would not be united under one royal family.”

“Why?” Elin asked, clasping her hands in her lap.

“Because Norway is a sovereign nation with its own monarchy, Ma’am.”

“It wasn’t always,” Lillian noted just for the sake of it. “You can’t be worried about something that happened in the Middle Ages,” she said to Markus.

In 1380, Olav IV succeeded to the thrones of both Norway and Denmark and was also King of Sweden. After his death, the three Scandinavian kingdoms were united under one crown. Olav’s death extinguished the Norwegian male royal line. Sweden later left the union, leaving Norway in an unequal union with a Danish King who had already embarked on centralizing the government of the union in Denmark.

After that, what remained of the Norwegian monarchs mostly resided abroad. This further weakened the monarchical governing structures of Norway. Then, there was the power struggle between the Norwegian nobles and the King that culminated at the same time as the Protestant Reformation. Both failed. The Norwegian Catholic bishops were replaced with Danes, and the Norwegian church was made Danish.

The Danes wanted Norway to be made a province under Denmark instead of a sovereign nation, so things didn’t get better for Norway. They got worse until the King allied Denmark-Norway with France during the Napoleonic Wars. When Napoleon lost, the King gave Norway to Sweden. He gave the country away. Then, Prince Christian Frederick, from which Elin’s brother received his name, participated in founding a Norwegian independence movement.

Norway declared independence in 1814, electing Christian Frederick as their King. A short war with Sweden led to the ousting of Christian Frederick and the election of Charles XIII of Sweden as King of Norway, creating a union between Sweden and Norway once again. All of this ended with the Norwegian monarchy eventually becoming a constitutional monarchy.

“Ma’am,” Markus went to object, “You know our nation’s history with Denmark. People would have a problem with the countries uniting under one royal family again.”

“Markus, people study that in history class in school; they don’t carry it with them throughout their lives. It hardly matters anymore,” Elin said.

“It is still something we need to discuss, Ma’am,” he replied.

“Well, it hardly matters; I want children,” Lillian stated. “And I’ll marry a man who also wants children. You don’t have to worry about Mari and Erik uniting the kingdoms with their children. They can run Denmark, if they want.”

Elin was getting a headache, so she rubbed her temples. This wasn’t what this meeting was supposed to be about, and it shouldn’t be anything they had to discuss today.

“Lillian, would you mind giving us a moment?”

“I thought I was supposed to sign something, probably in blood, indicating that I understand my role here,” Lillian replied.

“We can sign things later,” Elin said.

“Whatever you say.” Lillian stood up.

Markus stood abruptly and bowed, addressing Lillian, “Your Royal Highness.”

Lillian waved him off and left them in Elin’s office.

“Markus, what was all that about?”

“Pardon, Ma’am?”

“I told you I wanted to sign the papers and talk about Lillian’s title change.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Why didn’t we talk about her title change?”

“I’m still working on that, Ma’am.”

“What’s to work on? I’m no longer The Princess Royal.”

“It’s an honorary title, Ma’am. It–”

“Yes, and I’d like to honor my sister with it,” she interrupted.

“After the consecration would be the best time, Ma’am. We’d prefer the country be focused on your ascension.”

“We?” she asked.

“Yes, Ma’am; Parliament and the Prime Minister, of course.”

“And my father?” she guessed.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am?”

“Nothing.” Elin sighed. “What was all the Norway and Denmark stuff, Markus?”

“It’s important, Ma’am.”

“You just scared Lillian; you know? She just got thrown into this, too. She knows it’s going to fall to her after me. That’s already a lot. You don’t have to frighten her into getting married and having children so that Mari and Erik don’t end up running two countries like it used to be.”

“Well, there’s a clause in the paperwork that I would need you to review, Your Majesty. It talks about your own children. Obviously, should you have them, they’d inherit.”

“Fine,” she agreed because it was easier than arguing about something that would never happen.

“But…”

“But what?”

“Ma’am, it’s just that should your future… spouse–”

“Wife,” she corrected.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Markus replied, looking down. “Should she have them, her biological children would not inherit. The line would go to Princess Lillian.”

Elin hadn’t expected that. She seethed beneath the surface but did her best to keep her composure when she really wanted to throttle someone.

“I’m aware you are just the messenger here, Markus, but as sovereign, I will be the one determining who will take over for me when I’m gone.”

“Parliament and–”

Elin leaned forward and said, “I dare Parliament to try to prevent me from naming my successor – I’ll do so publicly and with fanfare, Markus. You can tell them that. Let them try to deny whomever I name then – it won’t go well.”

“Ma’am, it’s–”

“Leave me the papers to review. I’m going to go over them in great detail and many times, Markus. There better not be anything in there I’m not expecting, or I’ll be having a conversation with our Prime Minister and Parliament.”

“Ma’am,” Markus said, placing the portfolio on the table between them.

“Markus, tell me now: do you have a problem with me being gay?”

“No, Ma’am,” he replied, sounding sincere.

“That’ll be all, then,” she said.