She frowned in discomfort at the thought. She had never broken anything but she had been sloppy enough to cause some harm to hand and that had been enough. “Did you have an instructor when you started out?” Some people didn’t. Some people regretted their decisions. “I wouldn’t say a lot but it’s a nice change from just using the machines. I’d much rather go on hikes but the unbearable weather here is not letting me.”
He laughed and shook his head. “Nah, didn’t think I needed one. I was like, how hard can it be? Just punch the thing. That’s probably why I broke it like a dumbass, huh?” Aleks nodded heartily. He didn’t like being cooped up in a gym, no matter how good it was for him to do something less dangerous for exercise. “I know what you mean. There’s some amazing hikes around here, too! But at least this place has a halfway decent gym in it. I can’t stay anywhere that doesn’t have one.”
“Hell yeah I would! I’ve bungee jumped off of some pretty insane places, and I’ve climbed icebergs, but never the two combined. That sounds like fun. You offering to take me?”
Who immediately caught your attention when you arrived?
“Well, I came to see my sister mainly, so I guess her by default? Ran into @rhiannonofwales right away, so that was… um, fun. But then, uh… after that, a few people. Lots of familiar faces, plenty new. No one and everyone. Is that bad? I wasn’t fully paying attention.”
“They’re... they’re, uh, like that? Yeah, that’s... that’s fine. I’m very okay with that. Why wouldn’t I be? I’m very, very okay with that. You know, I, uh...” He scratched the back of his head and looked down. “I left her, and I made that choice. So, she can do whatever she wants. It’s fine. It’s great. Yep.”
1: Everyone always lamented that Aleks had yet to propose to Rhi officially, when they were so clearly meant to be together. Many thought he was never going to ask, that one day they would just suddenly be married like that. In fact, about a week before Rhi’s overdose, Aleks had gone ring shopping. He didn’t find one that was quite right, but he resolved to give it another go a few days later. Then he went on a bender with her and forgot, and then… well, then it just didn’t matter anymore.
2: Aleks was hung up on Rhi for about a year. They’d spent most of their early 20s together after all, and it was hard to just walk away from that kind of commitment. To help himself get over her, he took up boxing. And then quit when he broke his nose, because he didn’t want to end up like Mickey Rourke. He got back into MMA, and then left again after breaking his left hand. He bounced from extreme sport to extreme sport, mainly the ones where he’d get beaten up—an unconscious but fitting choice.
3: While they were still together, Aleks was completely monogamous. The idea of being with anyone else when he had the perfect woman already was laughable. If anyone tried to encroach on their relationship, either with Rhi or himself, he shut that down immediately, and was not always nice about it. He was a bit possessive, but not in a dogmatic way, just in that he valued their relationship and their time together so much that he didn’t want anyone taking her away from him.
4: Everything Rhi did drug-wise, Aleks was right there with her. Alcohol was his preferred poison (still is), but he insisted that whatever she wanted to do, he would do it, too. On the surface, it was because he wanted to have fun experiences with her, no matter what those involved. On a deeper level, he worried about her having a bad trip without him, that she might end up too deep down the rabbit hole and not have a familiar presence to anchor her.
5: In a secret part of his heart, he holds… not a candle for her, but more like a match. It goes out once in a while, sometimes having burned all the way down to his fingers and burned him a bit. Sometimes he blows it out himself. There are long periods where he doesn’t light a new one, even manages to forget the matchbox is there to be lit. And now and then, he lights a new one, consciously or unconsciously, and it just sort of stays there until it goes out again. But he knows it would be pointless to allow more that—she’s better off without him, and he wants her to stay better.
Okay, he couldn’t be faulted for not knowing she’d be here, too. After all, they hadn’t spoken in years, and he’d only come here to see Nat. “Rhiannon.” Aleks mumbled, nodding awkwardly. “You... you’re here, too, huh? How about that...”
"So this is where you’ve been holed up.” Aleks shoved his hands in his pockets, meandering towards the figure of his sister and looking around the opulent hotel. God he hoped this was all worth the effort. “Not bad. Bit bland, isn’t it? Sure you didn’t want to go somewhere warmer?”
“Excuse me, you wouldn’t want to partner up for boxing, would you?“ she asked as she tied her hair up. “I’d rather have someone holding the cushions than just punch a bag. I’ll do the same for you if you want.”
“Yeah, why not?” Aleks wiped his brow with a towel and stood up from the weight machine he’d been using. “I actually broke my finger on a punching bag once. Still don’t know how that happened, just hit wrong somehow I guess. Never used them since.” He picked up a cushion and smiled. “You box a lot?”
&&. announcing his royal highness, ( aleksander brynjar magnusson ), the ( 30 ) year old ( prince ) of ( iceland ). he is often confused with ( kit harington ). some say that he is ( irresponsible & inconsiderate ), but he is actually ( earnest & independent ).
Okay look. LOOK. I TOLD myself this wasn’t gonna happen, but I felt a burning need for another man in my life and I wanted to fill some WCs and also cause more drama. So here we are. Say hello to Aleksander.
TW for alcohol and substance abuse, death, overdose
His full name is Aleksander Brynjar Elías Magnusson, while his current full title is His Royal Highness Crown Prince Aleksander of Iceland. His primary nicknames are Aleks and Alek, although he also responds to things like “hey dickhead!”
Aleks is the oldest son of the current king of Iceland, and at present the heir apparent. His younger sister Natasja is next in line after him, a point of no small amount of contention.
Aleks has always been allowed certain liberties that Nat never had. He was permitted a great deal of leniency in school and at home, free to do basically anything he wished. He goofed off in school, really only making it through because he was a prince and therefore had access to any number of tutors. Academics were never his strong suit. Actually, it’s always been hard for him to find anything he’s really good at, other than screwing things up constantly. But that didn’t matter. He was Crown Prince, and he would be king. That’s just how it was.
His and Nat’s mother died when they were still quite young, which didn’t help matters. Despite his independent streak, Aleks was always very adamant about looking out for his little sister. They were very close growing up, all things considered, and he was fiercely protective of her. And to a large degree, this is still true. Aleks and Nat might have their issues, but by god you do anything to his sister and he will fuck you up. He has her back to the end.
This didn’t stop a rift forming in the Icelandic Royal Family. Their dad went through many mistresses after their mother died, so he wasn’t exactly a fantastic role model. And since Aleks was basically allowed to do whatever, he spent his time partying with friends, developing a pretty serious drinking problem, and seeking whatever thrills life could provide. Meanwhile, Natasja was stuck doing the heavy lifting, being the model royal for their country, picking up the slack that her brother (and their father) left. This bothered her, and he could tell, but he didn’t see what he could do about it. And frankly, he didn’t really care at the time.
Aleks is a thrill-seeker, always looking for a good time and something to get his adrenaline pumping. He does as many extreme sports as he can, is actually a trained mixed martial artist, and loves traveling wherever and whenever he can. He’s also a model, though that’s really more so he can meet attractive people to sleep with.
As you might be able to tell, he’s not great at making good choices. He’s had a slew of failed relationships, some short, some long, a few clean breaks, many messy ones. Everyone has always told him he’s an idiot, and while he’s not really stupid, he’s definitely bad at understanding the consequences of his actions and how they affect others. But he’s internalized that he’s a moron, and just kind of accepts it at this point.
Of the few good choices he’s ever made, one of the top three was his long-term relationship with the Crown Princess of Wales. Aleks and Rhiannon were very close for several years, and while he never officially proposed like everyone thought he would, most people agreed they were going to end up married. They were really inseparable and had a lot in common, including a love of partying, and Aleks genuinely loved her a lot.
Unfortunately, one of the things they had in common was a penchant for drug abuse. Though Aleks was always more fond of alcohol, he wasn’t shy about trying new drugs when he was younger. They fed each other’s addictions, and it ended up almost killing Rhi when she overdosed. As stated earlier, Aleks isn’t actually completely stupid, just a terrible decision-maker. But this time, he felt the decision was clear. He was responsible for encouraging Rhiannon’s habit. He was responsible for putting her in the hospital and back in rehab. And it would be better her if he wasn’t in her life anymore. So he was gone, with barely a word, leaving heartbreak in his wake. He believed it was for the best, so that she could have a safer, healthier life without him. He didn’t take into account how much it would affect her, and has avoided thinking about it since.
This incident did no favors for his own drinking problem, and Aleks’s reputation as a partier only grew. He distanced himself from his family, choosing to escape around the world whenever he felt like the consequences of his actions were too close to catching up. Not long ago, a magazine back home revealed evidence of his father’s many affairs, plunging their family and country into scandal. The king decided to shove a ring on the finger of his long-time mistress with barely any warning, and revealed to his children that they had a half-sister who was almost the same age as Natasja. So he’d been throwing his dick around when their mother was barely cold in the ground, what a delight.
Aleks was in Vegas with some friends when this new development hit the newsstands, and during this trip got so plastered that he made a video stating his intention to abdicate his title and leave the throne to Natasja. Screw all this bullshit, he was tired of the royal lifestyle being a massive drag, tired of being the family screwup, tired of his father being a disgrace of a king. He wanted out. And at the time, it all felt perfectly reasonable. When he got home, it was a slightly different story. Confused and hungover and unwilling to sit and talk about all that had just happened, he and Natasja actually got into a full-blown fistfight. Between the scandal, his video, and their father’s hasty engagement in the span of a few days, they had a lot of pent-up tension and anger that just came spilling out.
Since then, Aleks hasn’t seen Nat for more than a few minutes at a time. He was present for his father’s wedding, but didn’t stay for the reception, choosing to fly to the Bahamas at once instead. He’s traveled extensively, modeling around the world, drinking heavily, getting into some seriously risky shit to distract himself from all the pressures waiting when he goes home. And, of course, sleeping with a new person (or a few) in every city he visits.
Aleks was in New York on New Year’s, and the next morning received a call from his father telling him he was to go to Natasja and make things right, or risk being cut off from the family entirely. He’s very reticent, but he’s also had a lot of time to think (in between hangovers) over the last few years. With his father turning out to be a massive douche, Aleks has started re-examining some of his own behavior. And while he’s not really ready to buckle down and be a perfect royal, he also knows he needs to do something to change how much of a dumbass he is. He needs to make better choices, be better to the people he cares about, which there are surprisingly many. He needs to get his shit together, and working things out with Nat is the first step. He knows their dad is mostly worried about the whole abdicating business, but this is more personal for him. He’s trying to un-fuck his life.
So there you have it. My dumbass baby who legit thinks he’s cursed to be a terrible person and be dumb his whole life. He needs friends, he needs lovers, he needs enemies, he needs everything. So hmu and let’s get this drama train rolling.
