[POTN] 1.7 - A Rising Star in the North

In his exile, the Prince Valdemar drifted closer to the Swedes, even attending King Gustav's wedding in 1649. This greatly worried King Frederik, who was concerned about the possibility of Valdemar revolting with Swedish support should there be a war between Denmark and Sweden again.

Frederik sent Valdemar numerous letters in early 1649, urging the latter to return to Copenhagen and pledge his loyalty to his brother and King. Valdemar, however, believed that it was a deliberate trap set up by Frederik to capture him for once and for all. He refused to enter Denmark-Norway at all, not even entering Norway to visit the younger brother Christian. The two, however, did occasionally meet in Oldenburg and other neutral German territories.

Frederik, angered by his defiance, began purging Valdemar's supporters in the capital. Many were sent anonymous death threats as ordered by the King, while also detained for varying periods of time, without being told what would happen to them, before finally being released.

Fearing the persecutions, some chose to leave Copenhagen and settle in Scania, Norway or even Sweden, thus allowing Frederik to consolidate his grip on power.

Christian, meanwhile, remained largely oblivious of the brewing tension in Copenhagen, remaining devoted to his bride and also his life in the military.

While a Major in name by this point, Christian did not lead units in the borders where most of the Norwegian military was located. Instead, Christian continued his job of leading a couple of companies to inspect the fortifications in different parts of Norway. This job, however, was anything but stressful. The unit consisted of young, often spoilt noblemen from all Norway, and all they did were to travel around Norway like men on vacations, some of them flirting with local ladies wherever they went. Christian, sometimes even able to bring Maren with him on trips, continued his pursuit of the Norwegian language and culture, documenting even more tongues from across the land.

As the winter of 1648 came, the units became less willing to travel to the far north. Staying mostly in the Christiania region, they spent most of their time partying and drinking, occasionally fighting on the streets, causing quite some disturbance to the locals. Christian, while upset by the developments, wasn't really able to stop his subordinates. After some more drama, Christian had to leave Christiania proper with his units, staying near a village outside the city.

By early November, Christian's wife Maren had been feeling rather unwell, perhaps from the cold weather outsidte the city while staying with Christian. He excused himself from his army duties for a while, and moved back into the city with Maren, hoping to help her recover from the illness. The symptoms persisted for some time, until eventually ceasing by the end of the month. By this point, however, Christian began suspecting a possible pregnancy, as he felt like Maren's stomach had been enlarging slightly, more so than the usual fluctuations.

A visit from physicians was arranged soon afterwards, and they believed that a pregnancy was "highly likely", given her recent symptoms and a lack of periods for almost three months. Christian was very excited, and immediately applied for a leave from the military till after the expected childbirth. The couple spent most of their days by each other's side, sharing much intimacy as the bulge on Maren's stomach continued to grow.

By March 1649, Maren was having difficulty leaving their castle, and Christian, for the most part, spent all his days with her in their chambers, while also ensuring that midwives and nurses were always ready. Meanwhile, Christian also dug through the Norwegian legends and myths he collected from different regions of the country throughout the previous years, trying to decide on a name for their coming child.

In an evening in April 1649, Maren let out a sharp shrill out of nowhere, intense pain gripping her suddenly. The nurses and midwives helped her into her chambers, a panicking Christian trying to help by the side. After many hours of pain and difficulties, with Christian staying by Maren's side, progress could already be seen as dawn broke. The head of the infant began appearing from Maren's body, slowing pushing its own way out of its mother's womb.

At around 11am, 11th April, 1649, the baby finally left its mother's body, and cried loudly after the first gasp of fresh air from the world. The midwives quickly took the baby and did a thorough examination, with one of them concluding with a smile,

"A healthy, energetic boy, my Lord and Lady!"

The weary Maren shared a smile with the over-excited Christian, both of them looking at the little, loud boy with a mixture of love and intrigue. A flicker of understanding was shared between the couple, and they simultaneously whispered the name they decided for their baby boy beforehand:

Olav Christian Christiansson

A few days later, the infant boy was officially baptised in the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Christiania, as Prince Olav Christian of Norway, Denmark, and Oldenburg.

Frederik, in Copenhagen, received the news after a few more days. He was very alarmed by the development, as Christian having a male heir could very well mean a stronger support in a potential revolt.

In late April, Frederik decreed that Christian to cease serving in the Norwegian military forces "for the sake of the Prince's own safety", much to Christian's dismay.

However, with the influence of the Chancellor, Christian was able to maintain a certain level of influence in many Norwegian units, despite not being officially regarded as part of them by the Royal Government in Copenhagen.

Christian did not take Frederik's degree too seriously. In fact, he was content to be away from the military for some time, spending more quality time with his wife and newborn son, touring different cities by the southern coasts of Norway.

At Midsummer night, the three laid together under the moonlight in their castle outside Christiania, little Olav grabbing his parents' arms in curiosity. Christian hugged both Maren and Olav in bliss, looking up at the moonshine, and thought to himself that...

"Such happiness shall last forever."

CHAPTER I - THE UNDYING VIKING -- THE END