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Elin watched her father walk over to the chair, and her mother moved quickly to him to help him sit down. It was more protective than was absolutely necessary, but it was evident that her father’s tremors and other symptoms were beginning to show more and more every day.
“Shall we have tea brought in?” he asked once they were all seated.
“I’m good,” Christian replied.
“I just had some at lunch. Elin?” her mother asked.
“I’m fine,” Elin said, crossing her legs how she’d been taught by her mother when she was young.
“Very well. I suppose I should cut to the chase, as they say,” he began. “Your mother and I have been talking, and I’ve been speaking with my doctors as well. It would seem this disease is progressing faster than they initially projected, and it’s far beyond tremors now.” He paused as his wife of thirty-two years took his hand. “They’ve done more tests, and it seems some of my cognitive functions are showing a decline. We thought I’d have at least a few more years, but I need to announce to the country that it’s time for me to retire. What does that mean for a King? I know I’ve asked myself that question. Monarchs don’t retire; they die and pass the crown on to their firstborn. But, in rare circumstances, monarchsdoretire, and while it’s still an abdication, it means that they are no longer the sovereign.” The King looked up with the blue eyes all of his children inherited. “It will soon be time for a new King of Norway, Christian.”
“Dad, I–”
“Now, I know this isn’t what you wanted or expected,” he interrupted his son. “But I can’t let the country see me fall apart. I am still technically the head of state, and while that doesn’t mean all it used to mean, it means something, and I won’t have people think me weak or frail. That’s my ego; I’m aware. However, I also won’t have anyone think this nation is weak or frail. I won’t put it at risk as my mind continues to go. You understand.”
And it wasn’t a question; he expected them to understand.
“Dad, I don’t want to be King,” Christian replied. “I never have. But you know how much I love the Air Force, my men, and my job.”
“You have a duty to your country.”
“And I will perform that duty as a Captain in the Royal Air Force,” Christian replied.
“Christian, don’t do this,” their mother chimed in. “You know this is more than your military career. Your father is telling you that he needs his only son to do his job.”
“Mom, I’m the only son, but I’m not your only child. We all know it should be Elin anyway,” he said, hooking a thumb at Elin. “She’s better at this. She’s been doing it for the past six years while I’ve been training.”
“You’d placeyourduty on your sister’s shoulders?” their father asked, clearly unhappy. “I thought you’d grow out of this phase.”
“What phase?” Christian asked.
“The one where you don’t care about anyone but yourself,” he replied.
“Dad, that’s not fair,” Elin said. “Christian cares about his men. He cares about the Air Force and this country.That’show he wants to serve.”
“So, you’re all right with this?” her mother asked. “Your brother abdicating right after your father? You think that shows the country a strong monarchy?”
“I think he should remove himself from the line of succession, saying it is due to his military service, prior to Dad announcing his own retirement.”
“And what aboutyou?” her father asked.
“What aboutme?”
“Elin, you’d be Queen of this country,” her mother said.
“Oh,” she uttered, realizing that maybe for the first time since she’d met her brother in the hallway and they’d walked into this room.
She’d be Queen. She supposed she’d known this to be a possibility. Since they were little, Christian had spoken about how he didn’t want to be King. Ultimately, he didn’t see the purpose of the monarchy and didn’t feel that someone who felt that way should be the one wearing the crown. Elin suspected that his four years living in a country without a monarchy didn’t help him find that purpose, and once he’d joined the Royal Air Force, his mind had been made up. She should have been preparing herself for this eventuality because that was what it had been all along; an eventuality.
“I want Christian to be happy, and it’s clear that’s in the Air Force. I did my two years in the Army, but I don’t want a career in the military, and I don’t plan on becoming a nun, so I see no reason why I couldn’t be Queen of Norway and fulfill my duty,” she said, trying to sound confident as her heart thundered in her chest.
“We haven’t prepared you for this,” her father replied.
“Dad, you’ve prepared both of us for this. Elin and I took all of our lessons together as kids. If it were Lillian or Mari, I’d understand your hesitation, but Elin knows what it takes to be the head of state. She has a political science degree andis, technically, a lawyer. The nation loves her because she’s constantly out there volunteering and taking care of them. She’s the best choice.”
“There’s not a choice, Christian,” their father said before he cleared his throat. “That’s not how this works. I’m not a father running the family butcher shop who has to decide which child will take it over when he can’t handle the work anymore. I am a King. This is a country we’re talking about. You will do your duty.”
“Iam, Dad. I swore an oath to the Air Force, to the men and women who serve with me, and to the crown.”
