His Royal Highness, Prince Vincent - 8. Norway

I keep my promises. It's Wednesday. I did get a little teacherish, is that a word? Well, it is now. Again, I want readers to see, hear and smell the movie in your head. I will post another chapter Sunday night. You're still with me, Daniel! I love you. 

Norway

There was a road that went up Denmark’s border that stretched up the coast of Sweden. That route would take too long even on a fast horse. Trains would be quicker, but the fastest would be by boat. The Dannebrog II would not be used this time. There were other smaller boats that could cut across the North Sea. Although only on the eastern edge of the North Sea. The body of water just off Copenhagen was called Kattegat. It wasn’t strictly a bay as it was a small sea that connected the North Sea with the Baltic Sea.

When you earn enough trust, you do whatever it takes to keep your job. The palace staff had rigorous background checks to be sure they truly trustworthy. Security was tight. If you are earning way more than any domestic or janitorial staff you did whatever it took. Danish Royal Defense were very clever and could be very sneaky. A diamond ring left on a table or on a burrow for a couple days. Was it still there after a chambermaid went in? Was it returned? My favorite was a rumor spoken so it could be “overheard.” Honesty was also very important. When that servant was asked, did they admit to hearing it? Saying they didn’t when they did were strikes against them. The best answer was “yes,” but no comment on the subject of the rumor. The staff that worked in Aunt Benedikte’s house had the same thing done to them. Not for me, but for Vincent. The US Marines and US Army would be here to protect me and the Embassy. Denmark’s Royal Guard was filling in a gap until the Marines and Army got here. Remember, I accepted the job at the White House and left the next day. They needed to pack and get here! Telegrams and telephone calls would be happening. A lot. Until the technology improved, letters and reports would have to work. Radio needed to improve, too. No radio wave would cross the Atlantic Ocean. A transatlantic cable was lowered in the water from Newfoundland to Ireland. America to Toronto, to Newfoundland, to Ireland to England to Norway, to Sweden and to Denmark. Vikings were wonderful seamen and wonderful explorers and they discovered Newfoundland long before Christopher Columbus was born. Amerigo Vespucci landed in America and said Columbus wasn’t in the West Indies, but a whole separate continent! However, the naming was done by Henry the VII! Use some imagination, for god’s sake! New found land? It was for him, so they named it that? That would like naming a dog, “Dog.” Now, if you named a dog “Kitty,” that would be creative!

Speaking of dogs, the Danish Royal Family had no dogs. Or cats! Queen Maregete was British! They loved dogs! Then Vincent told me she was allergic to pet dander. Her eyes would get red and she’d get congested until the “beast” was removed. I was raised with many animals and we had dogs on the ranch. They would warn us if someone was coming. We had cats, too. You find a better mouser!

Oh, yeah! Vincent and I didn’t kiss or hold hands in front of the staff. They probably suspected, but no one talked about it or asked about it.

It was unfair to show favoritism to a single country. Other embassies might be grand, but the favoritism wasn’t to the American Ambassador. I was favored because I was Vincent’s best friend. More. You know the “more” part. King Fredrik said I didn’t have to use his Aunt Benedikte’s house, but he didn’t say not to. It was perfect. A tall fence all the way around, a gated entrance and too many rooms going to waste. All of the military coming would need housing. King Fredrik might have ideas. Apartments or rooming houses would be paid for by the United States. One or two could stay at Aunt Benedikte’s house a day or two, but live there!? No way. I’d sooner move back into the Christiansborg Palace! I wanted a place for me…and Vincent. Other Ambassadors might get jealous, but I was welcomed by the family. They didn’t have the Ring of Trust! I did.

Family dinners were different now. There was laughter and conversations going on and I was being included now…by everyone. Queen Maregete was no longer showing the side of her that was stiff, arrogant and a superiority that said they were better! She was better for certain. Vincent was just telling his family about this heifer who was being stubborn at the ranch. She was pregnant and carried a prized bull’s calf. It had poured rain for two days and was still raining! She had left the herd as her time was nearing time to give birth and she had gotten stuck in thick mud. She was looking for a place to give birth and all four of her legs had sunk deeply. The more she tried to get out, the deeper she went! Her pitiful “moo” was heartbreaking. The mud was like quicksand!

“…there I was,” Vincent waving a loaded fork as he spoke grandly. “David was soaked!! I was so soaked I couldn’t really see! Water was in my eyes and pouring off the brim of my hat. David had roped her and was pulling. I decided to get behind her and push as he pulled. My legs sank in the mud and I almost lost my right boot!”

It was like a one hundred and eighty turnabout. King Fredrik was laughing, Annabelle was laughing and Queen Maregete was partly disgusted, but laughing.

“And I am not kidding,” Vincent said happily. “There was this loud, wet pop! The suction had broken!” He took a breath. “What happened next was so fast…she suddenly went forward and got out of the mud and I lost my balance and fell on my face in the mud!”

Annabelle was holding her sides as she was laughing so hard! King Fredrik was, too. As I said, Queen Maregete was disgusted, but she was laughing as she shook her head.

“I was covered in mud from head to toe!” Vincent said. “I really couldn’t see then!!”

Annabelle smiled at me, “You were trying to make Vincent into a cowboy?”

I grinned and nodded, “He’d make a fine one. He was a cowboy that Summer!”

“No,” Vincent chuckled. “I would do it again, but David’s done the cowboy stuff half his life. He can lasso anything even when it’s moving.”

I shrugged, “That’s the nature of the job.”

Vincent could tell a great story. There was drama, comedy and it was funny!

“Tell them about what happened afterward,” I chuckled.

Vincent turned a bit red and said, “She went into labor and she gave birth to a male calf. They named him Vinnie.”

I looked at Queen Maregete who had gotten angry when I used the name on Vincent. She didn’t seem to mind there was a prize bull named after son.

“Are there girl cowboys?” Annabelle asked.

“Oh, yes,” I nodded. “We didn’t hire women to tend to the cattle, but on many smaller farms and ranches, daughters help tend the cattle.” I laughed, “One farmer thought he was being punished when he only had five daughters. They were about two years apart in age.” I shrugged, “He found out he had five of the best cowboys there is! They were cowgirls! Two could lasso better than me!”

Annabelle smiled evilly at her mother, “You’ve paid to have a mud bath.”

“In a spa!” The Queen said simply, “In a tub and the mud was heated and smelled mint and nuts.” She smiled, “It was very relaxing.” She looked at Vincent, “Was yours, Dear?” She said almost innocently.

Vincent laughed and shook his head, “No, my mud bath had none of those things.”

“Your Majesty…” I began with King Fredrik. “There are twenty coming from the United States.”

“Really?” King Fredrik asked, but not about the number I said, “You don’t have to be so formal. No one’s here but us.”

My smile was a little weakly, “I need to tell you all…my feelings for this family have grown.” I looked at Queen Maregete. “I’ve come to love and respect all of you. Some just took a little longer.” Queen Maregete just smiled her understanding. I continued, “I was a country boy who was thousands of miles from home and family. A gift was given to me that brought across the United States and the Atlantic. Meeting Vincent was not planned, but in a single day we became friends. He introduced me to his cousin Queen Victoria. He left Wentworth for the holidays. Instead of leaving me behind, he brought me here.” I smiled at Vincent. “I became comfortable here. I am still an American, but I’m at home here. This is my home away from home. I began to think of you as extended family.” I shook my head, “My father wanted me to make connections at school. This is the best one.” I grinned at King Fredrik, “So, when I say I can’t just call you two by your first names…you aren’t friends or pals.” I looked at Queen Maregete, “You are Queen,” I looked King Fredrik, “You are King. But I see you now as people. The parents of my best friend. Love and respect isn’t just because of your royal titles.”

Maregete nodded. “As scared as I was that Vincent would reject the crown, I was very glad you were there. You earned that trust. When Vincent gave you the Ring of Trust, you will recall I never said anything about you taking it off or you didn’t deserve it. You did.”

She was right! She always thought I would lead Vincent down the wrong path, but Vincent extended the trust and he gave me the ring. Not the Queen or the King and neither of them questioned that.

“You ingratiated yourself in the family,” King Fredrik said. “The number of people to do that is very limited and you are the only American Cowboy that has.” He smiled.

Queen Maregete nodded, “You are very intelligent, honest to a fault and you love so completely. You are family.”

Vincent looked at King Fredrik, “We’re leaving tomorrow for Oslo. I’ve made arrangements.” He looked at his mother and grinned, “And yes, we’ll be back before the Christmas party.”

His mother smiled and gave a nod, “Good.”

Annabelle smiled a mischievous smile, “Could you teach me to use a lasso?”

I shrugged a nod, “Of course. I’ll even show you how to do some rope tricks.” My eyebrows waggled up and down quickly at her. She lightly clapped her hands in glee.

The next morning, we took a small boat to go Oslo. It wasn’t a dingy and seemed to go pretty fast. We got to the city about one in the afternoon. Norway had mountains. Oslo was in a lower portion of land surrounded on three sides by mountains. Northwest of Oslo were some breathtaking peaks. Some were covered with snow all year round. In December, all of Norway was covered with snow. The northern part of Norway was in the Artic Circle. In Norway, life went on even in snow. They had learned to adapt. Imports and exports had to come and go. They had metals they exported from many mines, but also chemicals, natural gases and made machinery.

Transportation was, now because of the thick snow, was limited to water, horseback or sleigh. I didn’t really get the chance to ride in one when I lived on the ranch. As much as we were snowed in, the ranch still ran. The animals still had to eat every day. We’d walk. We learned to prepare for when we would be trapped by snow and Wyoming was farther south of the Artic Circle than Norway.

There was beauty in snow, too! The ground was covered in white making the city of Oslo into a Winter Wonderland. The ugly part of the snow was when it started to melt. The snow would turn to slush and got dirty. The pristine white would turn brown from dirt kicked up by the many horses and carriages that passed. The slush would freeze again at night and cycle of snow to slush started again, but that was months away. I considered myself well-traveled, but I never had come to Norway. The closest I got was when we passed a few times coming from England to Denmark. The city cast its magic spell on me and I saw that Winter Wonderland wherever I looked. The streets were active. Many rode in sleighs. Some of the horses pulling the sleighs made a jingling sound as jingle bells were shaken. Some people were just on horseback, but the rest were on foot. Men, women and children.

Turning right on a street that spread wide, there was this huge building. Three stories tall and spread out in equal distance left and right. I would find out there was another “wing” in the same style that stretched from the back of the palace. The sandstone-colored brick structure was practically brand new! It was only forty years old. In the normal lifetime of castles and palaces, this was a baby.

“There it is,” Vincent said waving at the palace. “That’s Det kongelig slot.” He chuckled. “Slottet for short.”

It stately and elegant. It had to be. Have you heard of an ugly palace? Castles and palaces had jobs. A purpose. More than just to have a place where the royal family lives. Castles were fortresses to protect. A palace was to impress. It caused made the subjects, the people, feel proud. It made visitors feel both the desire to have the grandeur to become a part of them, or if they were an enemy to feel intimidated.

There were also Hans Majestet Kongens Garde (His Majesty’s The King’s Guard). The Royal Guard. Every monarchy had their own royal guard. Every government had guards to protect leaders from the crazies in the world. Queen Victoria’s palace guards wore those sharp red coats and tall furry black hats. King Fredrik’s wore the tall furry black hats, but wore dark coats. Norway’s guards wore all black. The hat looked more like a fedora with black bushy feathers out the back. Except now. They were guarding, but the outer coat was a lot furrier and so was the hat. There also were two thick, furry earflaps to keep the ears warm. Frozen ears, fingers and toes were the worst. If someone flicked your ear, suddenly it hurt! Very, very much. Numb was only a little better.

The sleigh stopped and we went up the steps. I wasn’t wearing what I would wear as Ambassador. At the moment I wasn’t. I was Vincent’s friend who came with him to visit his wife. The media cover was pretty thorough. Pictures of Prince Vincent and Princess Angelica had been in newspapers. In Norway’s newspapers every day starting in May! Everyone in Norway knew Vincent’s face. The guards were posted in many places. Unlike some, like in London…these guards moved. There were two on either side of the double doors. The one on the left, our right, bowed his head quickly to us and opened the door. We walked in the entrance.

I looked at the marble floor that stretched before me. Our footfalls echoed. As many languages as I knew, words to describe things are so limited! Big, enormous, cavernous, elegant…it was all of those and still didn’t cover how you felt when you saw it. Wide corridors and tall, very tall ceilings! Normally, large, open spaces weren’t used because the need to heat, but all the windows allowed sunshine in. Nights now were getting a little longer, but with cloud covering most of the sky. Daylight was, at best, a dull gray. The number of windows just let that in. The ceiling here was…twenty feet high? There were the moldings again on the walls and ceilings. There was art! Paintings, statues, busts of people. It all spoke of elegance refined! Then at the top of a giant letter T, the ceiling went up even farther to fifty or sixty feet, and round! Like a hub on a wheel, the three wide passages stretched right, left and straight back.

“I’ll say it again,” I said to Vincent. “You guys don’t do anything small.”

Vincent chuckled as I walked, but I did a slow circle to attempt to see it all.

There were people moving around to do various jobs. Cleaning was just one job, but men discussing things to others could be heard, carrying satchels like mine (if I had it with me). This was the residence of royalty, but it was also the center for Norway’s Government. Other courthouses were in Oslo, but here was all of Norway’s Government. There were five regions in Norway, each with a Representative. Those regions had counties that had a Representative, but unless a county needed the King’s and all Regional Representative’s attention, they met in their region. King Olav was very democratic. He would listen, as would the five others, and have a vote! If it was tied, King Olav cast the deciding vote. King Fredrik did things similarly. Really, they were all the same people!! They were! Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark were always fight in the past! Why? Food was the bigger cause. Denmark had yield in agriculture the others wanted. Norway sided with Denmark. Sweden sided with Finland and it would shift! Unions were formed and broke apart.

Anyway, a man in his late thirties saw us and approached. He smiled at Vincent. He only glanced at me. Here we went again.

“Your Highness!” He greeted and bowed to Vincent. “I didn’t hear that you were coming.”

Vincent shrugged a nod, “It was kind of last minute.” He waved at me, “This is David Richards, the new Ambassador from America for Denmark and Norway.”

The man wasn’t ugly, but he was not Vincent. And again, where was the blond hair and full beard? His black hair glistened from whatever he used to keep it in place. He looked like he just came out of the water! He wore a nice suit and smelled…rich. It was a cologne and it did smell masculine and musky. His eyes widened as he looked at me.

I held my hand up, “Don’t bother. Yes, I was appointed as Ambassador by President Cleveland. I was recommended by King Fredrik of Denmark and by your King Olav. I was also recommended by Queen Victoria of England. I have paperwork to show that; and my degree from Cambridge University. All of them know me personally.”

Vincent chuckled and waved to the man, “This is Ditley von Linstow.”

Mr. Linstow’s shock was on his face, but it was lessening as he shook my hand. “Welcome to Norway, Mr. Ambassador.”

“David, please,” I requested. “It’s the age thing, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Ditley nodded. “I was surprised. I am Ditley.” He chuckled, “You made quite an impression on King Olav and Queen Martha. You are a cowboy?”

I nodded, “I was born one and will die one. You’ll see the boots and hat when I am being the Ambassador.”

Ditley grinned and nodded, “That should be very interesting. I can hardly wait.”

The fact was, yes, all of the Scandinavian languages came from the same root language. There were words that were similar with each, but after one thousand years they each changed. They fought with each other, but didn’t talk with each other much. Hence, the languages diversified due to isolation. Trade and relations with Great Britain made them all learn English. They now spoke English with each other. It was less confusing. Iceland! I needed someone from Iceland to learn it better. They were way more isolated. So many consonants together and pronunciations! Now that people were traveling farther and faster, hopefully the languages will evolve a lot slower. New developments and technology were adding words to each language. People were becoming more educated and reading. That should help stabilize things even more.

Vincent thumbed at me pointing, “Is there a guestroom he can use?”

Ditley nodded, “I know there is one. I’ll let the palace staff know one is needed. I don’t know where it will be.”

It was assumed by most that Vincent was going to stay with Angelica. They were becoming parents! Annabelle was right, most adult married couples shared a room. Angelica was already pregnant, so why wouldn’t he? Then again, she could throw him out because of snoring. He didn’t really, but it would explain his not being in their room. Hell! He could blame her for snoring! No one would believe that. The pretty princess could never do that!

“Is King Olav here?” I asked Ditley. “We’ll only be here a couple of days.”

“He is,” Ditley nodded. “He’s in a meeting until about four or five o’clock this afternoon. Then he has a delegation from Spain.” He shrugged, “But he’ll be at dinner at eight tonight.”

“No rush,” I said. “This really a visit for Princess Angelica.”

“How is she doing?” Vincent asked.

“All the reports have been very positive and promising,” Ditley smiled and laughed. “She comes down for meals, but doesn’t move much around the palace. She said she was getting huge and was comparing herself to a hyalross.”

“A hyalross!?” Vincent blurted.

“Vinnie,” I grinned. “She thinks she looks like a walrus. She is carrying an extra load. She’s what? Five to six months into this pregnancy? Mom told me she would become emotional about the silliest things and cry when there was nothing to cry about! My Grandmother helped to get my mother’s body back in balance. Grandmother said Mom’s body was getting ready for a new life and that would throw her body out of balance.”

Vincent smirked at me, “You don’t know how to make it.”

“It’s hormones, Vincent!” I said loud. “Treatments for that have been around for a long, long time! The ancient Greeks had one and Pohogwe had them.” I shrugged, “They didn’t know why, but it worked. No. I don’t know how to make it, but modern medicine knows how to treat a hormone imbalance.”

Ditley’s eyes had followed us like watching the tennis ball at a tennis match.

“Okay!” Vincent replied just as loud, “As long as that’s all it is!”

Ditley saw neither of us were mad or angry and now he was laughing, “You two have known each other a while.”

Vincent threw his arm around my shoulders and brought me closer and acted like he was going to strangle me, “Oh, yes. We met at Wentworth Academy in London when we were sixteen. We became friends, roommates and best friends immediately. We’ve been inseparable ever since.”

“Vincent found out I was from Wyoming and part Indian,” I chuckled shoving Vincent slightly. “He thought he’d hit the jackpot!”

“Maybe you can cheer Princess Angelica up,” Ditley pointed. “You remember where her room is.”

“I do,” Vincent nodded. “Let’s go.”

We climbed some stairs and Vincent walked to a door and knocked lightly.

“Come in,” a girl’s voice said.

Vincent cracked the door open, “Hi, Angelica. I brought David with me. If you don’t mind, he wants to talk with you.”

She was lounging on a chaise lounge and covered with a blanket and reading. She was moving like she was going to get up.

I held my hand up to her, “You don’t have to do that.” She was very pretty. She had the blonde hair I was looking for. “Unless you want to.” I chuckled, “And you do not look like a hyalross! You’re glowing!”

She was a little shocked, but then she shook her head as she smiled, “A strandet hval, perhaps?”

You try to remember animal names in a language you learn. “Absolutely not! You are not a beached whale!” I shot back grinning. “I have heard that some women glow when pregnant. You definitely are.”

“Thank you,” she smiled and bowed her head slightly.

I might as well just say it, “Are you in love with Vincent?”

Her eyes grew in surprise, “What!? No!! We don’t even know each other!”

I nodded, “Can you see yourself falling in love with him?”

“What is this!?” Angelica shouted getting angry.

I reached out, “I don’t mean to upset you, but if we don’t talk plainly we won’t get anywhere. Don’t get upset. It will hurt the baby. Please, answer the question.”

“No!!”

“Good, I don’t want you to,” I said. “I don’t want either of you hurting. I do love Vincent.” I confessed.

She nodded as a smiled grew, “Oh, I see.” She relaxed with a sigh. “What Vincent said at the table that first night at dinner in Copenhagen was true. I had a feeling it was more between you two, but Vincent hardly said a word about you two. He was doing what his duty called for in Denmark, just like I did in Norway.” She waved her hand at Vincent, “You’re a very nice man, Vincent, but I too have someone I love. Harald is a guard I fell in love with at fourteen. He was eighteen. I am still in love with him.” She shook her head, “He and I can never be out in the open together.”

“David and I are also in love,” Vincent said. “We’re keeping any relationship secret. We both knew we’d have to.”

“This is different than the world I grew up in,” I said. “My parents and family don’t really see a problem with what we are. My father was worried because of who Vincent is.”

Vincent nodded, “He would question me about the dangers if we were caught.”

Angelica nodded quickly, “Harald and I know about that. But Harald is just the nicest, sweetest guy!” I swear, I almost saw the little heart-shaped bubbles come from her.

“We’ll agree to disagree,” Vincent smiled and pointed at me. “I say, he is.”

“The reason I wanted to talk to you…” I sighed, “I don’t hold you responsible for any of this. No hard feelings toward you and I don’t blame the baby and I won’t! If the child is there with us, I would like to be in his or her life.” I watched her smile and added. “If you will allow me.”

She laughed, “I know you are this genius, but do you know how to change a nappy?” The British word for diaper.

“I’ll learn!” I said. “The papoose Indian women carry their babies in on their backs, they wrap the baby snugly. I’ve seen a few.” I shrugged and threw my arms out, “I graduated from Cambridge! It’s square cloth. Surely, it isn’t that hard.

“I had to take lessons!” Angelica narrowed an eye as she pointed, “You two will take lessons, too!”

Vincent nodded, “We don’t want the baby to bleed to death when we put the pins in the nappy.”

“We can start tomorrow!” Angelica said happily.