speeding heart

thore glücksburg, crown prince of denmark, 34

[thcrc]

tvkla​:

“  he implied it. the day before the ceremony. you said so yourself he was playing games.  ”   she doesn’t want to feed into arnauld d'orléans‘ monumental ability to stir shit with his implications. she doesn’t want to think about it. she doesn’t want to wonder about it. even if he had been telling the truth, she doesn’t believe for a second arnauld would have given katya similar consideration just because of her age if it had benefitted him. that threat isn’t over, it’s a bargaining chip he doesn’t have opportunity to use yet.  “  maybe. i try not to dissect it, i’m afraid i won’t like the answer. like i’m expecting too much, like i should have done more, and then i’m back to square one.  ”   she pecks his lips.  “  i know i’ve been thinking about it a lot too. i don’t want nil to be homeschooled like this, i don’t want her to have attachment issues. ”

“ so it’s information from arnauld d’orléans and not levente or the romanovs. ” it was a stupid implication to make if it wasn’t true. “ i’ll ask anneli about it. i doubt they’ll try hard to keep it a secret. ” the reasons, yes, but if they were going to move a child to another country, it would be noted in the papers. “ i guess you can’t do much but to let things roll at their own speed from here on out. ” fanni had done the bare minimum but thore still wanted to shake her hand. tekla didn’t look as tortured talking about her cousin as she had some weeks ago. “ we could try living back in copenhagen and come here in turns. but truth to be told, i don’t have much business here that would require my presence. especially since viggo and sten aren’t here, it feels a bit stupid to live in a hotel room. ”

[thcrc]

tvkla​:

“  the whole thing just makes me uncomfortable now. levente and i talked about setting her up because it felt like a desperate situation. ”   thore had pulled her back from the edge. then their own priorities had taken front stage. thank god.  “  if the belarus issue hadn’t resolved with arnauld’s niece on the throne, as a ward or otherwise, would i feel this reasonable to have said it in that way ?  would she have been calm enough to have that conversation with me ?  even if i tell myself not to think about this unknown, it’s more than thinking for me, it’s this sick, ugly feeling and i can’t change how i feel.  ”   she moves over to him and loops her arms over his. “  anyway, i’m adding a couple days to my visit for that opening in sorø. it’d be nice to spend some time with ani, might convince karyna to join me with marya during the weekend.  ”

“ ah– hold on, we’ll come back to this conversation but — a ward ? as in a socially acceptable hostage ? the twelve-year-old ? ” he couldn’t describe the visceral feeling it created in him. he could hear about the deaths of soldiers and feel muted sympathy and light resentment towards the nations or the situation, but the idea of using a child as a pawn... it disgusted him in an incomprehensible way. he placed his hand on her knee, fingers giving it a soft squeeze. “ could this be because you’ve been let down by her so many times ? it’s a first instinct to question a good outcome when it defies the pattern. ” he offered her a smile. “ that sounds nice. i’ve been thinking about spending more time in copenhagen. ”

[thcrc]

tvkla​:

“  i don’t know if i deserve that kind of credit. ”  she had taken advantage of an emotional moment. she had thrown it out because she’d felt tired and numb, not because she had been hopeful. she shrugs and nods at thore.  “  there’s more than one way to care. care and obligation to solve things are very different. sometimes staying neutral with somebody as volatile as fanni is a good thing. it means being able to be there as opposed to getting shut out. they are good friends, fanni is closer to fumiko than we are. she can choose to take fanni’s word over ours. it’s her prerogative.  ”

“ getting it out wasn’t easy and you still managed to do it in a way that didn’t make her feel defensive. i say you did pretty well. ” tekla was right. it was a bit rich to expect too much from others, friends or not. people had to be able to solve their own issues on their own. “ now we wait and see. ”

[thcrc]

tvkla​:

“  considering anything less than immediate huffiness or a full eruption would have been an upgrade, way better than i expected. but in hindsight, promising to consider it doesn’t mean much without evidence. if fumiko decides to bring it up she’ll have to play it carefully. the second nudge is harder to do. but it’s really not her responsibility at the end of the day. ”  

“ that’s good. that’s really good. you did the hard thing and brought it up and you didn’t get shot down. ” he considered her words a moment before humming thoughtfully. “ they are friends. good friends. don’t we all owe it to our friends to care ? ” 

[thcrc]

tvkla​:

thore should have quit while he was ahead. the look she gives him should speak for itself. she breezes past, passing him his cup. she can let this go, no lasting damage had been done aside from fumiko being less likely to take thore at his word in the future. tekla herself should work more on looking less surprised when things like this catch her offguard, she should have been able to play it off, instead of allowing it to have reflected on thore. all that can be rectified, given time.  “  since when does levente know what’s best for anybody ?  he said it because he thinks it will solve all his problems. i just know it’s not what she wants. how hard it is to adjust is a lesson she has to learn herself, she’s not a baby. i did it, it was difficult for me too.  ”   more because of the external perception that had worked against her, than the actual adjustment.  “  anyway it doesn’t matter anymore, i told fanni to consider therapy myself. ”

“ good point. ” he nodded a few times. “ excellent point. ” it tekla’s family after all. his insight was as good as anyone else’s and worth equally little. “ how did she take it ? ” 

[thcrc]

tvkla​:

“  no that’s not what i said, i agreed with you that she needed therapy, but i didn’t think suggesting it would work, and then you brought up fumiko, being her friend and a medical professional with the authority to make that recommendation. and i said we’d try it. ”  a hand rests on her hips, and she sighs long and slow. whatever agitation she had approached the conversation with, leaves her in the same breath. she can’t stay vexed at him when he sounds this earnest. annoying. it is the most annoying trait of his.  “  that was not her takeaway.  ”  she stares at her husband for a moment.  “  he’s hungarian, we all know him.  ”  perhaps even better than thore. thore’s knowledge extended to alexander’s amiable personality and soccer prowess and ended there. she hadn’t discussed this with thore the way she had with levi because she had known thore wouldn’t understand.  “  he is a nice guy. but he is a hungarian duke. she needs out. i got out. she wants the same. it’s part of why she clung to that engagement. getting out would be good for her, she’s not wrong to want that, otherwise she’s going to end up stuck solving levente’s problems for him for the rest of her life. alexander’s niceness is not going to appeal to her more than arnauld’s magnetic pull for her while he’s hovering around.  ”  she walks over to the kitchen and pours them some water.  “  what made his name come up ? i never mentioned him. was it those rumours ?  ”

“ oh. oooh... ” he might have found the miscommunication funny had the subject matter been something lighter. he buried his face in his hands and groaned. “ i don’t know, the more i thought about it later on, i found it weird to stick my nose into her mental health. ” even through fumiko, it would have felt like crossing a boundary he hadn’t even realized he’d ever get close to. “ but fumiko said what ? ” maybe he should have stuck to the original plan... “ but have you ever had a beer with him ? people are different when they’re comfortable. ” he wasn’t sure if defending alex’s character was the hill he wanted to die on. “ and uhm... this is a guys’ thing but you can tell a lot about a person based on what they say in the locker room. ” you could at least make the rough division between people whom you could introduce to your sister and the people who were better kept away. “ there’s comfort in the known, ” he pointed out. “ i know, being in levente’s shadow is hard and all-consuming. but it’s also what she knows. let’s say she ventures outside of hungary and ends up playing the supporting role to her husband. ” that had been the expected outcome with arnauld. “ there’s a lot more on the line outside of hungary than in hungary. outside she has to be accommodating and adjust, i don’t think anyone will cut her any slack. back home she knows how things work, who she is and what the limits of her power are. it’s easier to modify her surroundings when everything is safe and familiar. ” and he had never pegged fanni for a career person in the first place. she didn’t possess the same drive tekla did. her face didn’t light up the same way as tekla’s did when asked about the latest projects. “ his name’s come up, ” thore replied with a shrug. “ i guess he just stuck in my mind. levente’s vouching for him, isn’t he ? ” 

[tvkla]

“  an arrangement ?  with alexander ?  what were you thinking ?!  what happened to therapy first ?  ”   she holds her hand up,  “  before you speak, remember that you volunteered to do this, ”  and this made all the difference. it made all compassion for excuses disappear.  “  so she wouldn’t ‘misunderstand the message’. well she absolutely misunderstood the message, she didn’t even get the message because the message was wrong !  ”   [ @thcrc​ ]

[thcrc]

the word arrangement made him knit his brows together. “ i thought you didn’t really agree with the therapy idea. ” the croÿs didn’t do therapy, hadn’t that been it ? “ i was talking about setting them up, not arranging them. completely different ! ” he had stopped believing in arrangements the moment seeing them fall apart had become more likely than seeing them bear fruit. “ besides i know sasha, he’s a good guy. it honestly might be a good match. ”

[thcrc]

fvmikc​:

“ i – ” she feels some pressure. she has benefited from connecting with thore and tekla, some more tangible than friendly relations. “ oh, i… ” it is embarrassing how long it takes to collect her thoughts, how has the crown prince caught her so off-guard. this should be simple. but fanni is not. “ she is…fine. i can say from experience that it’s difficult when the feelings were strong, when you can see a future with someone. that’s not easy to let go even when you know your partner was wrong. the dreams are still there, it’s….complicated. ”

“ mhm... ” he looked at her seriously before nodding. maybe the mistake everyone were making was thinking that fanni now viewed him as poorly as everyone else did. “ anyway, that’s all i was sent to tell you. fanni plus alex equals great things. i’d say that in hungarian if it wasn’t such a damn difficult language to learn. ” his weekend efforts were not taking him very far very fast. “ what about you ? how’re you doing. the speech you gave was received really well. consider me a fan. ”

[thcrc]

tvkla​:

“  maybe, or the only women he spends time with that don’t drink are pregnant ——— forty-seven. ”  she says, looking up from her phone,  “ forty-eight this year… that’s… interesting, ”  her tone betrays how little interest the information really holds. “  at this rate at fifty he’ll be an unmarried king of france. is that a world-first ? it has to be a record, good for him. he’ll be more desireable than ever, ”  as a man, he’ll be framed by the media as world’s pickiest monarch instead of, handsome guy who can’t legitimise a relationship until marriage.  “  really ? no wine for me ? ”

“ a french person ? definitely. i think we cracked the case. ” he was glad of the neutrality of the conversation. the mere mention of the man hadn’t soured tekla’s mood. “ considering the pr machinery he has behind him. they’ll be talking about the importance of patience. ” it was such a sad life ! the king would miss decades of partnership. “ i’m not going to stop you. honestly, you won’t be able to drink soon so one glass now isn’t a bad idea, right ? ”

[thcrc]

tvkla​:

“  no he just happened to be there when i asked about one of the drinks and answered quicker, i couldn’t just leave. ”  not immediately at least, but she’s starting to think that leaving would have served her better, this conversation already gives the man too much air-time. her lip catches between her teeth in a muffled giggle. “ stop, i wish she was still here. how old is he actually ? do you know the exact age ? should i google it ? ”  vitriol aside, the french king’s manners and looks prevented people from thinking too long about the exact numbers. 

“ still, sounds pretty random. maybe just an excuse to see where you stand or just mind games. i’m sure he’s on a level we can’t understand in that game. ” tekla had discarded a unused skill and thore had never had the energy to learn to play with people. “ i don’t know, fourty-five ? fourty-six ? he is not that old. ” just older than the two of them which gave him the right to make fun of his age. 

[thcrc]

tvkla​:

“ it’s okay, don’t worry, i was just wondering. ”  she hopes he’s been saying nice things like, yes they hope to be blessed with another child soon, not that they’re very diligently trying, or that their intimate life shows a clear exponential upward trend. “  it was strange wasn’t it ? that conclusion ? he seems to like feeling ahead. i was confused i asked him what he was talking about, in case i was wrong, but he never specified. ”

“ not strange but definitely a jump. he just randomly came up to you and congratulated you ? ” it almost sounded like someone had started a rumour. a weird fairly harmless rumour but still, completely untrue one. “ maybe he has dementia and mistook you for karyna ? ” he shouldn’t be joking but he can’t help himself.

[thcrc]

tvkla​:

“ oh i didn’t mean him, that’s inconsequential. ”   that femke might tell her husband if she’d understood correctly is a given of course.  “ no it’s not a big secret, i mean ebba knows, we’re hoping, our kids will be born in the same calendar year… but i’d rather our effort be private. ” ebba didn’t really count. neither did femke.  “ i don’t know i thought it was weird that d’orléans tried to congratulate me. all i did was ask if something had alcohol in it. it’s my fault, really, i should have remembered the names to things. ”  she should have thought her words through, the mere mention of the man is a mood killer considering how well they’d been doing with their marital relations, she could gag if she had lesser will to maintain any decorum.

“ how private ? i haven’t been exactly denying when someone has asked if we’re going for a second. ” if he were a cartoon, sweat drops would have been sliding down his forehead. “ huh... ” it was odd. “ sam’s been spending time with d’orléans but i find it hard to believe that your personal life would come up in their meetings... ”

[thcrc]

tvkla​:

it takes him mentioning the moon for the contained laugh to spill out. only thore could come up with such a ridiculously witty and charming statement at the drop of a hat. she shakes her head, usually it would be overly sappy, today he’s read the room correctly, and it also does not escape her notice that he’s sidestepped her mention of wine. keeping her on the straight and narrow. she isn’t sure if she’s impressed or disappointed that her pout didn’t weaken his resolve.  a hand catches his fingers to pull him nearer.  “  that’ll do. i told femke i’m on pre-natals. well i mouthed it at her, i don’t know if she read my lips right. she wouldn’t tell anyone right ? ”

he pouted at her as his hand relaxed in her grip. “ femke ? that means sam knows. what you tell femke, reaches sam, but that’s probably given ? why ? it’s not a terrible secret that we’re trying again, is it ? ”

[thcrc]

fvmikc​:

“ ah, sorry! i wasn’t sure if this was business or….friendly, ” she smiles,  shoulder lifting for a shrug. it was complicated navigating these sort of boundaries, she can’t help her caution. “ meddling suggests intervening, ” she points out, “ is that what this is? ” ink gaze drifts, considering his question carefully. maybe it was easier for men, to discard people they loved. “ i’m not sure why you’re asking me this, it seems a better question for fanni. ”

“ i’ll let you know when i start my match making business and these sort of things become business. ” he was a wee bit worried for fumiko: he was sure there were new lines on her face and she just in general seemed less full. “ this is definitely intervening with her life. ” why dress it as anything else ? “ but the intention is good ! promise. tekla and levente think it would be a good thing. ” he was partly trying to convince himself as well as fumiko. “ oh no, no no: i’m not close enough to fanni to discuss something this personal. anyway, i think she should consider giving him a chance. how is she doing ? tekla hasn’t gone to see her in a while. ”

[thcrc]

tvkla​:

like watching a cake rise ! what a comparison to make !  “  but i don’t want nil to be an old lady by the time she gets a sister or a brother. and i really want a glass of wine.  ”  she is whining, she knows. “  only today ? not every day ?  what’s your definition of very pretty ?  ”

“ it’ll be better if she’s an old lady when the next one is born ! we can use her as free labour. ” he reached forward, the tips of his fingers carefully brushing a golden strand of hair away from her face. “ today you’re very pretty, yesterday you were very beautiful and i think tomorrow you’ll be very breath-taking. depends on where the moon is. ” he pointed at the ceiling. “ the definition is that i can’t stop staring at you. ” he arched a brow as if to ask if he was being too saccharine. his finger traced her arm. “ and you know, hard to keep my hands to myself. the definition for very pretty. ”

[thcrc]

fvmikc​:​

“ i’m unfamiliar with the duke aside from the fact that he is hungarian. and an athlete! so unfortunately, i could not answer that question, your highness. ” mouth twitches, urge to worry her lip with her teeth smoothed away. “ are you asking my opinion about fanni’s readiness to…date again? ”

“ your highness ? you’re being formal today. ” he offered her a grin. “ i don’t know. i honestly... i don’t want to meddle. i don’t think anyone should meddle with whatever that’s going on with her. that being said... i don’t think it would hurt if she had someone. ” he paused for a moment before directing a frown at fumiko. “ is there a reason why she wouldn’t be ready ? it’s been well over a year since... ”

[thcrc]

“ on a scale from one to ten, how compatible do you think that hungarian duke and fanni are ? tekla thinks she should give him a chance. or if not him, someone. ” | @fvmikc​