Arranged: A Future Decided

Watched It Burn

October 20th, Copenhagen, Denmark

Nikolai stood in the gardens of Amalienborg, feeling the rain start to hit his skin. It had been two days now since the avalanche, and the only ones two be found were Mary and Christian. Mary had survived, but Christian had been killed when the avalanche enveloped the ski lift. Eva had flown down to Switzerland with Felix the same day it happened, helping with rescue efforts. By the evening of the 18th, they knew anyone found wouldn't be found alive. 

He still felt sick from when the Swiss government had announced that they were switching to a pure recovery mission. Thats when they knew there was no way the others would be alive and all they could hope for was being able to have a proper funeral. And when Nikolai had asked to go down, he had been flatly denied. They had said, 'we've already lost one crown prince; we don't need any more disruption to the line of succession.' 

Now, Nikolai was second-in-line behind his father, who was in constant meetings and debates with the Prime Minister and other important members of parliament. 

"Nikolai, come inside, please!" Called his mother, standing in one of the doorways as he turned his head to look at her. 

He walked inside, accepting a towel to dry his damp hair before asking, "Have we heard anything?"

"Felix is on the phone now," Alexandra said softly, leading him into one of the drawing rooms where the others were gathered, everyone somber. 

"Go ahead, Felix," Joachim said, the phone on the table so everyone could hear.

"We found the twins. They were closer to the top on the ski lift area," Felix said, the sadness clear in his voice, "We've found about 14 other people so far in the snow, but it's- it's really bad."

"Oh my god," Marie muttered, putting her head in her hands as they all thought about how scary those last moments for the twins were.

"Just a minute, they're bringing another one down," Felix said, before walking over to the body that had been placed on the ground, "And now we have Fredrick; the only one missing is Isabella..."

Margrethe sat there in complete and utter shock. She couldn't believe it. Her eldest son was dead, along with four of her grandchildren. Now that they all knew for sure, it felt a million times worse. 

October 29th, Copenhagen, Denmark

Eva sat in her and Nikolai's bedroom, her heart heavy as she stared at the black shoes on her feet. Her eyes stung from crying through the funeral. 

"Thank you for singing at the funeral; it was beautiful," Nikolai said softly, padding into the room still in his funeral attire, "And 'Boulder To Birmingham' was an excellent choice."

Eva nodded, looking up at her husband and cupping his cheek, "Thank you, I love you very much."

"I love you too, and we'll get through this, someway somehow," He murmured, leaning in and kissing her gently. 

"I know. It just, this wasn't at all what I was raised to expect. We weren't supposed to become king and queen," She murmured, looking down at their hands, "I overheard one of the meetings your father was having with the Prime Minister as well as your grandmother."

"Oh?" Nikolai asked softly, tilting his head to listen.

"Yeah, but really you should let them tell you; I'm sure they will sometime today," She explained, and even though she would like to tell him, it wasn't her place and would be better from his father's mouth.

Eva was right when she said they would talk to Nikolai sometime that day. He was called in only a few hours later, everyone sitting down once he joined them. It was strange to be in a room with just the Prime Minister, the Queen, and his father. 

"So, Nikolai, this past week and a half we've been discussing. Considering my age, your father's age, and looking to England, we've decided the best course of action is to ask parliament to alter the line of succession. We would remove your father so that you would be Crown Prince, and upon my death, immediately become king instead of your father having to abdicate later," Margrethe explained, her hands folded in her lap as she looked at her grandson.

Nikolai looked absolutely floored, looking between his father and grandmother. "So, so let me get this clear. You want to change the line of succession to make me Crown Prince, and you, far, don't want to be king at all!" Nikolai stated, trying to work it all out. 

"Exactly, it's difficult to teach an old dog new tricks. You are younger, so will be better prepared, as well as opening you up to a longer reign and more stability for the country," Joachim stated simply. 

"I've spoken to the members of parliament, and they've agreed that this is a good choice," the Prime Minister said plainly. 

"Oh, good lord, and I really don't have a say in this, so, alright, I guess," Nikolai mumbled, still trying to process everything. 

With that, the meeting was over, Nikolai getting up and leaving with his father. 

"You will need to produce an heir by next year, so you can work on that while we wait for the constitutional things to go through," Joachim stated, squeezing Nikolai's shoulder before walking off. 

Nikolai trudged upstairs, finding Eva in their living room with a book. She looked up as he opened the door, setting her book down on the coffee table. She opened her arms, Nikolai going to her and just laying on her. 

"So, they told you," She said softly, rubbing his back gently. 

"Yeah, they told me. They said we have to have an heir by the end of next year. Which is way sooner than we had anticipated having children," Nikolai mumbled into her skin, letting her comfort him. 

Eva hadn't even thought about that. She had simply been thinking about suddenly having royal duties to do; the whole heir and a spare thing had slipped her mind entirely. 

"Yeah, yeah, it is. We'll be okay; we have to be," Eva told him, kissing his head as she played with his curls, "I'll call my gynecologist first thing tomorrow." 

Neither of them truly knew what they were in now. They just knew that they were exhausted, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Their dreams and plans had been shattered, along with their hearts. This wasn't what either of them had signed up for, and it was frustrating and emotionally exhausting, to say the least. But they had each other, and their love for each other only grew by the day. 

Hello there, a lot has just happened! Let me know what you think of the chapter and how you think Eva and Nikolai will handle their new roles! Drop a vote, and as always, my lovelies, I will see you in the next chapter!