LOVE / HOPE *

tell me your secrets tonight i'll take 'em with me, and i'll get the elves workin' on them in the workshop we'll take your problems apart, put 'em back using our hearts got the elves working so hard make your pain stop. DANIELLA HOLSTEIN 23 / PRINCESS OF DENMARK

[daniiclla]

hrh-juanesmendoza‌:

Juanes was far too entertained by this for it be as equally fun for Dani. However, she was the one refusing to let this go without a formal surrender and that was not going to happen. “If you’re going to hurl, make sure to aim away from me please. I’m wearing a pair of my good pants this time,” he said, with all seriousness that he could muster. As she began to attack him with bare hands, all he could do was thank his younger self for making working out a regular part of his daily routine at age twelve. As it stood, all her slaps and punches were bouncing off much like the pillow. “Wait, that’s not how that- ahhhhh!” he exclaimed as he felt her bit into his shoulder. It took everything in him not to just drop her right then and there. “That was dumb move, and we’re going on parade now,” Juanes declared as he reached for his door.

          at his words, she just scoffed and hit him more aggressively, cursing in her native tongue as her punches and slaps didn’t seem to have any affect on him. of course, he had always been the one more keen on workout -- actually, the best cardio she had ever done in a while was her trips to the fridge.     ‘ no i will aim for your pants. i’m gonna throw up down your pants, this nice shirt and i’ll make sure to get a bit of it in your hair. ’     she said with all seriousness, though she doubted if he’d really be disgusted out as it was nowhere near as nasty as the two had gotten before. his exclaim though, gave her some satisfaction as she grinned but her eyes widened when he began to walk.     ‘ dammit juanes -- i managed to look sane so far, are you trying to get us kicked out ? just give up already. ’

[daniiclla]

hrhrikkeholstein‌:

Before there was even a remote chance for worry to seep into her sister’s noggin, Rikke just smirked and tilted her own head. “Come on, when have I ever been known to get a full night’s ‘proper’ sleep?” she asked, air quotes around proper to emphasize her point. Even before she joined the navy, Rikke was never one to sleep through the night all that well, but now- well now she was trained to settle for a few winks. “Don’t worry thought, this bed is much nicer than mine and being able to know you were safe helped me relax and be ready for a new day,” Rikke reassured her.

          ‘ i mean -- you have a point. but maybe we should try some daisy tea or something. ’     she knew that wasn’t that much of a problem to her sister, yet dani attempted at a small talk with that as she sat up properly and stretched before reaching over and giving the older princess a hug.     ‘ thank you ... it did feel safe with you around, you know. ’     even though she would claim that she’s a grownup who can take care of herself all day everyday, she still felt the safest and happiest at her siblings side, just like when she was that little bubbly girl following her siblings around the castle clumsily.     ‘ breakfast ? ’

[daniiclla]

hrh-juanesmendoza‌:

“Nope. Not gonna happen, Polly Pocket,” Juanes replied with a newfound conviction. In his head, the longer he managed to draw this out, the more he could tire her out and ensure in some way that she wouldn’t go off to do something worse than attacking him with a pillow. At the threat of being bitten he spun her around again, one direction, then quickly in the other. Though becoming slightly disoriented in the process himself, he knew it would by him some time before she chomped down. “If you bight me and it breaks skin I might turn into a wear-Dani. Is that really something you want?”

          another cry of frustration slipping past her lips, daniella threw the pillow away to now attach with bare hands -- of course not violent enough to hurt him for real but at least slaps and punches wouldn’t bounce off with no effect like the pillow.     ‘ for fuck’s sake, mendoza -- i’m gonna throw up -- honestly -- ’     she swallowed back, nose scrunching as she could feel her stomach turn dangerously. at his words she knew she needed to threaten him for real, or well, actually do that if she wanted him to let her go.     ‘ that actually sounds good. i want a were-dani. ’     and with that, she reached to bite his shoulder, not enough to break skin but it sure must have hurt.

[daniiclla]

hrhrikkeholstein‌:

Rikke hadn’t managed to sleep a wink all night. She had only managed to exchange a few words with Andreas, but the only reassuring thing she was able to glean from it was that at least her sister was in good hands. She’d spent the entire night holding the smaller redhead as she slept, and acted immediately at any stirring to chase away any nightmares she might have. But even as she guarded her sister’s sleep, her mind was still working out all the possibilities of postponing her own nuptials until things were sorted with Dani.

As Dani finally began to stir awake, Rikke smiled over at her as she removed her arm from where it been pinned beneath the younger princess. “I’m still here, min lille sol. How was your sleep?” she asked, her arm slowly starting to do the ‘static’ routine as it woke up.

          eyes finally adjusting to the light, she turned to the side to find her sister there, a relieved smile falling upon her lips. thankfully, she was not tired of her, at least yet. she gave her a soft smile before what was to come started to dawn on her -- this was the day that she would be revealing a secret she’d been hiding for the past few years and to say that the girl had conflicted feelings about it would be an understatement. nodding her head slowly, though, she sat up and brushed hair wild mess of red curls away from her face, sleep completely washed off by now.     ‘ it was good. thanks to you. ’     she gave a small smile before tilting her head to the side.     ‘ you look like yours wasn’t the best. ’

[daniiclla]

@hrhrikkeholstein   //   RIKKE HOLSTEIN .

          after a much, much needed sleep by her sister’s side, daniella actually felt relaxed and less anxious and it was clear since the moment she stirred awake. eyelashes fluttering, the danish princess opened her eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the light. she was grateful that andreas accepted sleeping in her room for the night and let her have rikke by her side for this once. sitting up slowly, dani rubbed her eyes.     ‘ rikke ? ’

[daniiclla]

hrh-juanesmendoza‌:

Juanes let out a laugh, her hits now pretty much useless as she was getting nothing but his back. “I will never give up!” he proclaimed once more, before spinning in the opposite direction for a bit. “The question now, is are you willing to give up or are you willing to endure as I parade you, helpless over my shoulder, through the vast halls of Buckingham Palace for all to see your imminent defeat?” Juanes declared in a deep baritone voice. He may not know for sure who his warrior ancestors were, but between Colombia and Cuba there had to have been at least a few and he wanted to make them proud.

          ‘ you will -- ’     huffed out daniella, frustrated since her hits were to no effect. always so damn stubborn, she never liked to be defeated. she was especially not one to take it lightly even if it was just a play fight in between her and her best friend. well, especially that, given how they would taunt each other for weeks after such incident.     ‘ oh, bite me. ’     she replied with a roll of her eyes at his threat, trying to break free from his hold as well as landing a successful hit or two.     ‘ or better yet ---- i will bite you. ’

[daniiclla]

hrh-juanesmendoza‌:

Juanes got a pensive look on his face for a moment. “Is this really something we should leave up to google? Like, maybe we should ask some the staff first. As locals, I’m sure they would have more of a feel for that no?” He may have been quick to agree to a tattoo, but that didn’t mean he was about to let Dani go full reckless about it either. “You might want to think about where you’d get it to,” he tried to suggest. Everything after that point became a mission of survival as Dani’s attacks with the pillow became relentless. She had always been more prone to violence out of the two of them, but lately she was really getting caught up…and in the back of his head, Juanes knew he’d rather have her take it out on him with a pillow than do something drastic with the real source… “I…..not….teddy,” came out every other word. Taking advantage of the brief pause, he managed to find his footing on the floor just in time to pretty much catch the small girl in mid-air. “I WILL NOT SURRENDER!!!” he proclaimed before spinning her around some.

          ‘ well -- we will finish this tattoo conversation after this. ’     she said, channeling all her focus into the pillow fight instead. sure, she had always been more keen on violence and probably more childish than the other in initiating play-fights, but this time was different. she really needed to work out some steam, and hitting her best friend with a pillow was the most non-violent way to do that, even if it was not a conscious choice. when it felt like he got the upper hand, daniella groaned loudly, the pillow still held firmly in her hand as she waited for the best opportunity to attack again, even when she was being spinned around. and when the chance arose, she began to strike again.     ‘ god, give up already ! ’

[daniiclla]

hrhrikkeholstein‌:

Finally getting a verbal response out of the younger redhead, provided a wave of relief the likes of which Rikke had only felt while out on the field. The woman had felt like a helpless mother attempting to bring their child out of unsafe depths, and the words were like hearing them finally take a breath after minutes of anxious agony. “Shh, shh. It’s okay. It’s fine, yeah?” Rikke replied at the attempted apology, a hand coming up to hold her sister’s head gingerly, stroking her hair as she tried to let her ride out the rest of her sobbing. When Dani began to pull away, her instinct was to fight it, because in that instant the thought that she may never get to hold her sister in her arms again seemed very real and it hurt just as much, but she knew it would be pushing Dani’s limits even more than she likely already had. Rikke nodded in silent agreement as Dani stated she wished to rest, oddly comforted by the fact that even in a situation like this her little sister still relied on sleep as a means to make things a little better in whatever odd way. Taking her sister’s face in her hands, she softly guided her so their eyes met and Rikke promised, “I will be there whenever you need me to be, min lille sol. And if that means that Andreas has to deal with me sitting in a chair as you both sleep, then so be it.”

          ‘ i’m sorry ... ’     she mumbled one last time, looking at her sister, knowing she did cry as well. she felt for making her sister sad just like her, but daniella was overflown with everything she had to keep inside for years. and while that latest incident wasn’t the first time her life was threatened by none other than their own father, but it was different. she was faced with love and a new life ahead of her which would unfortunately make the holstein siblings fall apart, of course not by heart but by distance. she knew she had to tell about it to them here, away from her father and near her siblings. at rikke’s words, though, the slightest of chuckle slipped past her lips as she shook her head.     ‘ i’m not sure just how much andreas would like that ... ’     she trailed off, her spirits lifted even in the slightest.     ‘ but this once, he will get over it. we can actually -- you can sleep too, right ? just like the old days, when i was little and probably ate too much chocolate again ... ’     dani said, a soft smile on her face before tugging at rikke’s arm gently to guide her to her, well andreas’, room.

[daniiclla]

hrh-juanesmendoza‌:

As she began to rant at him, Juanes just sat quietly with a look worthy of Chrissy Tiegan. He’d expected her to correct him, but he should’ve also known better than to mess with that show. He had done this to himself. As her expression changed on a dime, so did his - to one of almost fear. “Well, what better way to restore the respect than by inking it forever on my body,” he said, not in the least bit surprised that he was agreeing to this so quickly. “I mean, do we even know where we’d go to get them? Like, do choose by yelp reviews or…” His questions might sound like a joke, but it was clear by his tone and his face that he was very serious. “See!” Juanes exclaimed, as she proved his point. “If that’s what she did to him, imagine what she’d have done to me if I so much as tripped you on accident or something?” The conversation mostly stalled as they began to use their host’s pillows as makeshift weapons. One would think Juanes had all but forgotten about his fear of Dani’s siblings. “Oh that’s not fair,” he practically pouted, “I don’t know who my warrior ancestors were.”

          not paying too much of a mind to his face -- she knew he wasn’t anywhere near as crazy about that show as she was -- the danish princess gave a nod of her head.     ‘ i know, right ? ’     dani replied with a grin on her face, wiggling her eyebrows at the other.     ‘ we don’t ... yet. we can search, like, the best tattoo shop in buckingham and voila ! ’      as rest of their conversation fall into nonsense because of their little pillow fight, daniella channeled all her focus into dodging and swinging -- probably too into it.     ‘ it’s impossible to imagine your ancestors being warriors -- ’     she breathed out after another swing at him.     ‘ you are like a human teddy bear. on that note ... ’     she trailed off, charging at him with the pillow mercilessly.     ‘ GRAH ! ’

[daniiclla]

hrhrikkeholstein‌:

Rikke didn’t have to think twice before she had cut the distance between them and had once again wrapped her arms tightly around her sister. It was all she could think to do in this moment. She was literally witnessing as her sister fell apart, and this was the only thing she felt capable of doing to keep her together. Rikke didn’t know what Dani was up against, or what was motivating her to act the way she was, and it was tearing her up inside to be watching this unfold before her eyes and knowing there wasn’t a damn thing that she could do to stop it. Not until Dani felt safe enough to tell her everything. Dani had said she was hopeless, but Rikke truly felt so in this moment. Without even thinking, she began to sing the old Danish lullaby that their mother used to sing to them to soothe their nightmares. Rikke had learned it to help with a younger Dani, and now more than ever she felt it was on her to ensure that her sister was okay. It was a while before she realized that there were tears running down her own face, but she made no motion to wipe them, arms still very much around her sister. Through the cracking of her voice, she continued to sing the lullaby just hoping to at least be able to recenter Dani even if only a little.

          at first daniella didn’t hug rikke back -- she was still in such shock over the things, over how close she actually got to telling her. she froze for a moment, then another, but eventually her own arms were wrapped around the older holstein princess, holding so tight as if her life depended on it. and in actuality, it really might. sobbing against her shoulder, daniella let it all out for a minute until her cheeks were flushed red and soaking in tears, eyes red and puffy, voice creaking when she finally did speak again.     ‘ i’m sorry -- i’m sorry i shouldn’t have raised my voice ... i’m sorry ... ’     she whispered, grip tightening around her before she breathed heavily, finally calming down as she felt like she ran out of tears. slowly and reluctantly she pulled away a bit to look at rikke’s face, a frown on her face.     ‘ -- i will tell you. ’      she said, swallowing.     ‘ but - after i sleep. i just want to sleep now rikke ... i will tell you when i wake, ’     typical daniella. she had not changed one bit in that, she would always sleep first to reduce stress before dealing with such stuff.     ‘ will you ... you will be there when i wake right ? ’

[daniiclla]

hrh-juanesmendoza‌:

Juanes just chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t think I could ever hate even if I wanted to, Polly Pocket. We’re like that bond from that one show, what’s it called? Pair of bites? Parasites?” he asked, knowing that if anyone would correct him it was her. His eyes reflexively went wide at the idea of dealing with her siblings rolling up their sleeves. “Uh..hard pass. The last time I saw RIkke roll up her sleeves, one of your guards wound up getting tossed into the pond from the balcony…and he was taller than her.” A warm smile spread across his face at her grin knowing it was her way of accepting the title. He hadn’t expected her to pull him down, much less the onslaught of pillow hits. However, when she got cocky, he reached out and grabbed onto her legs, pulling them right from under her, and taking a pillow of his own. “Oh you are on!”

          ‘ you did not just disrespect the parabatai bond like that. ’     daniella gasped, pointing a finger at him threateningly before gasping again, this time sounding different than the other, green hues taking the glimmer they would always have when she got a wild idea, lips forming into a grin.     ‘ why have i never thought of parabatai rune matching tattoos before ? even though you disrespecting it is such a mundane thing. ’     she rolled her eyes before listening to the memory and snickering with a shake of head.     ‘ all that poor dude did wrong was taking his eyes off me for like five seconds and i hurt myself accidentally. forever in our hearts, rip. ’     she grinned again before he began to actively participate in the pillow fight, struggling to get the upper hand as she continued to take swings at him with the pillow in her hands.     ‘ the viking in me demands you surrender or DIE ! ’

[hclstcin]

              My sister There is a sadness on your face You’re like a motherless child who’s longing for comfort           What’s running through your veins That’s causing you such pain?

@daniiclla

[bcnoist]

katherine mcnamara in happy together, 1x10.

[daniiclla]

hrh-juanesmendoza‌:

“Yeah, that be the big caveat. I would make a legitimate list of things that are snack foods, and you’d try to argue a reason as to why certain crisps should be considered real food or something…it would be a never ending vicious cycle, and I’d probably cave and let you have like some snacks during the month anyway,” Juanes said as he looked at nothing, the whole thing playing out in his head. “Heck yeah it was more of you thing,” he said, “Can you imagine what Felix and Rikke would’ve done to me if I’d responded in kind? You’re siblings are not only scary sometimes, but they care about you. Mine, on the other hand…well, there’s a reason I call you my sister.” He watched her prep for a fight, and as she worked on rolling her sleeves, he simply walked up to her, slipped his foot just behind one of hers and tipped her onto his bed. “Oh yeah. You’re a lethal weapon, Peli.”

          ‘ see ? that’s why i love you. i keep annoying you to the point that you say fuck it and cave in, yet don’t hate me ... yet ... hopefully ... ’     she grinned sheepishly before shaking her head, the thought of her siblings catching the young boy in such action passing before her eyes ... which would undoubtedly not end well in any way.     ‘ well, their first instinct would be rolling up their sleeves, that’s for sure. but you had always been a better kid than me, everyone in my family practically adored you. ’     she grinned before letting out an ‘aw’ at him calling her his sister.     ‘ well, that only means more juanes for me. ’     she commented right before she was tricked onto the bed.     ‘ oh so mature. ’     she mumbled before grabbing his hand and pulling hard to make him fall as well right before grabbing a pillow and beginning to attack him mercilessly.     ‘ finish him -- FATALITY ! ’

[daniiclla]

hrhrikkeholstein‌:

When her sister made to stand, Rikke didn’t stop her. The conversation they’d started was a loaded one, and what she’d just said to her wasn’t an easy thing to process. Standing up herself, she dusted her pants before turning to face the youngest Holstein. At her response in regards to Rikke’s offer to take care of things for her, the older redhead just sighed. “I know that you have your reasons for not wanting to discuss things now.  I do, I promise. But that doesn’t mean that in keeping me in the dark, you’re leaving me at a disadvantage here, Dani. You want to learn about guns, to go off and do something and when I offer to do it for you, you basically tell it’s to much to ask of me yet you expect me to be okay with you finding a way to do it yourself? Because don’t kid yourself, I know you. I know that me saying ‘no’ doesn’t mean you’re not still considering it,” Rikke said, her voice stern once more. She was always the one to protect Dani from whatever came about, and not being able to do so right this moment had her at a complete loss and it was not a feeling that Rikke was familiar with. She didn’t like it. “I don’t want this conversation to end with a giant question mark looming over the both of us, Dani…”

          at her words, a quiet huff left her lips, anger beginning to bubble under her skin and in her veins now. she wasn’t particularly angry at rikke -- no, she had the least fault in this ordeal. she was clueless. daniella was rather angry at herself, at her father ... at life, even. she often wondered how her life would have changed, at least since their mother’s death, if she didn’t know the true nature of it. as selfish and stupid as it was, she sometimes wished she had been oblivious to the fact just like the rest of her siblings. but no. she knew, and for that, she was angry on top of everything.     ‘ do you think i’m just being childish right now, not taking no for an answer and conspiring to find another way just for the sake of it ? do you really think i have better options and i’d still rather choose having the blood of my-- ’     she cut herself, shaking her head as a stray tear rolled down the side of her cheek.     ‘ i am hopeless, rikke. i’m desperate. ’     she sobbed out quietly, voice dropping for a second before she cursed in their native tongue, turning to the side and kicking down the trash bin next to her. facing away, she let out a frustrated cry, the feeling of almost spilling everything and retreating back not easy on her nerves.

[daniiclla]

hrh-juanesmendoza‌:

“See?” he said pointedly, “Not even a week.” Juanes let out a small laugh of his own, as he then raised his index finger to begin the count once she snorted. “Oh no, no. It was you who blocked her. Besides, we don’t have to speak all formally or anything to be polite. If you sneeze, I’ll still say salúd, and when I open the snacks with the tough packaging you’ll still say ‘about time’. Nothing overly weird. Although those siblings that refer to each other by full titles are on another level,” he agreed, as he moved to drag one of the ottomans over to use as a small chair against the foot of the bed. “Why not? You fought my parents before and actually won.”

           ‘ if i had a big gain at the end of it and i was challenged seriously, i would last a month without snacks. but we would have to map out what’s a snack and what’s not first -- and i can only imagine that to be a long ass debate between us. ’     she then mocked a shocked gasp before shaking her head.     ‘ no, i’m sure it was the other way around. i did try to be polite with you when we were children but quickly realised pushing you into the mud and sharing my chips with you as an apology afterwards was more of my thing. ’     following him, she pursed her lips with a shrug.     ‘ i mean, i could. i’m always down to fight. ’     she said, rolling up her sleeves cartoonishly.

[daniiclla]

hrhrikkeholstein‌:

Rikke didn’t like the response that the she got. It was the perfect response that someone who had just made her argument would hope to get, but she knew her sister well enough to know that the ‘perfect’ response never came without a struggle first. After all, there were many a nights where the older redhead would have to make her way into a tiny Dani’s room to coax her from a nightmare and then sleep in the same bed the rest of the night to keep her company, before the youngest Holstein finally learned chocolate and bed time didn’t mix. As much as she just wanted to take this at face value, Rikke knew better. She was done with taking things at face value when it came to the people she cared about.

Rikke took her sister’s hands once again and walked them both over to the nearest bench, where she proceeded to sit the girl down before she herself dropped to her knees so they could remain eye-to-eye. “I need you to remember that I’ve been to Afghanistan, Iraq, and even spent some time on land in Libya. My words aren’t just from an older sister, they’re from someone who’s had experience with guns, and lots of it. The second you pull a gun on someone, you better be sure you’re willing to go through with pulling the trigger, but most importantly, you have to be willing to deal with everything that comes after you pull it,” she said, voice stern and eyes unwavering. “If you learn how to use a gun and you use it well, you’ll have to deal with knowing that in less than one second, a trigger was pulled back and an entire life was ended with possibly many more affected by it. And the person who pulled the trigger was you.” Rikke took a moment to real herself back in a bit, not wanting to go into any more detail than she had too with her little sister. Clearing her throat, she said, “I don’t want you staining your hands with blood that will never wash out, Dani. But my hands are already saturated. I know I don’t have all the details, but I can assure you that if you need a gun fired, I’m the best shot anywhere.”

          settling down onto the bench, daniella avoided eye contact for a bit, realising that rikke didn’t take her word too seriously based on the lecture that came next. of course she didn’t -- if there was only a few people who knew how truly stubborn she was, one of them was certainly rikke. and her words were only true. she knew that there would be consequences if she ever tried anything with their father -- hell, he was the fucking king of denmark.  but what scared her more than that was what people would think of her. her loved ones. what would she say to her fiance ? andreas, who already trusted her with becoming a good queen for greece. what about juanes ? did she have any right to shame him with such thing, burden him with a murderer as a best friend ? but most importantly -- her siblings. while she didn’t doubt their love for her ... she wondered many times before, would they even believe her ? if they don’t, she knew that she would be doomed as a traitor to their nation, disgrace upon the family, abandoned by her siblings too. tears biting at her eyes again as such thoughts flooded her mind, daniella abruptly stood up, shaky hands straightening her clothes to distract herself.     ‘ no -- i will not ask you to do such thing. ’     she said, trying to blink the tears away before finally looking at rikke again.     ‘ as i said ... we’ll stick to the self defense thing, if you’re still offering. that uh -- that should come in handy too. ’