Season 3 Young Royals (Version 1)

58. ...men vi kan välja hur vi vill leva.

A/N: Again, any Swedes reading, please let me know if I'm making historical, linguistic or cultural mistakes. Thank you! ❤️

Yes, the song is repeated but I love it and listen to it all the time while writing, so enjoy.

The title of the chapter means: "but we can choose how we want to live" the end of Boris' comment to Wilhelm in episode 5.
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"What would you ideally want to do?"

"I'd want to make my mother proud, and be happy at the same time."

"If you could only have one, which is more important to you?"

"Being happy I guess. But how can I really be happy if I disappoint my family?"

"If your family is disappointed in you for being yourself, maybe their approval isn't so important...or shouldn't be." Boris furrowed his brow and turned his head slightly to the side in a questioning way, waiting.

"So be happy being myself and disappoint them, or pretend to be something I'm not and be miserable forever?"

"Well, we have to live our lives for ourselves regardless of what our responsibilities are to others. It's easier for some, and your case is particularly complicated. But, you can't be expected to sacrifice your happiness any more than anyone else, simply because you were born into this family."

"My mother would probably disagree with that."

"She might, but being born into it isn't the most important thing for the rest of your family either."

"How do you mean?" Wilhelm squinted slightly and shifted in his chair.

"Well..." Boris sat forward in his chair with his elbows on his knees and his hands together as if contemplating, "thinking about the history of the Swedish Royal Family which I'm sure you know all about."

"Uhh, I had to study it but I don't think I was the best student considering it's my family."

"Well, you know the only reason your family is where they are...is because of an adoption, right?

"Uhh, yeah, that sounds right."

"And not a very typical one either..."
Boris waited for some reaction from Wilhelm, but Wilhelm only lifted his eyebrows and turned his head slightly, waiting for him to continue.

"Well, the previous Royal Line came to an end when they had no heir. So they adopted your ancestor."

Wilhelm vaguely remembered studying this several years ago but couldn't remember the exact details.

"Right. Jean Bernadotte."

"Yes...in 1810 he became the Crown Prince, then later the monarch. He was a not-so-successful French general, and, because the elderly King and Queen had no heir, this forty-seven year old son of a lawyer from Pau, France became their heir through adoption."

Wilhelm smirked and raised his eyebrows. "Ok. That sounds familiar."

"Sorry to pretend to teach you about your family history, Kronprinsen, but I find it very interesting."

Wilhelm shook his head slowly. He found it amusing that Boris was such a history buff. "I didn't remember all that, so it's good one of us does."

"Well, my point is that the insistence on a natural heir and maintaining traditions that have been passed down for centuries is a bit funny when you look at it in that context, don't you find?"

"Yeah, I guess so. And we're the descendants of a mediocre, foreign general." He smirked again.

"Not just that, but there's a precedent in your family for adopting an heir which is practically unheard of in other monarchies. If anything, the Swedish Royal Family are known for being anything but typical and traditional, and that goes back two hundred years. As an aside, a mediocre general, but a decent monarch. He was responsible for lots of liberal reforms."

Wilhelm pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows. He wasn't sure how to react but he liked the point that Boris was making. It made it feel legitimate that the pressure Wilhelm felt wasn't absolutely necessary. His mother didn't absolutely have to put everything on Wilhelm's shoulders, but, to an extent, she chose to.

"I'm not suggesting anything about your family or your mother, but refusing to look for any other solution doesn't seem very fair to someone who's expressed that he really doesn't want this life, does it?"

"Mmm...so...how can I make her understand that? I think deep down she must know it already, but it's just easier to accept things as they are and bend to what the Court wants..."

"Well, a natural heir isn't going to be possible, right? She probably needs to know that it won't happen. You could calmly explain the reality of the situation to her in case she hasn't listened properly to what you've been trying to tell her."

"What if there already were a natural heir?"

"Uhh, to take over for you you mean?"

"Well, not now."

"Umm, I'm not sure I can really advise you on that...Does this person want to be Crown Prince?"

"Uhh, this person isn't aware of much...yet..." Wilhelm cringed out of nervousness and regretted bringing it up. "Nevermind." He waved his hand quickly to dismiss the topic.

Boris nodded and continued slowly, "In any case, there are other options. It's just a matter of people being willing to explore them. And I think your job is to try to convince your mother to explore those other options."

"How would you recommend I convince my mother, and the Royal Court?"

"Well, have you thought of writing her a letter? Sometimes it's hard to say everything we need to say face to face, and in a parent/child relationship it can be hard for the parent to listen to what's actually being expressed when strong emotions come out first."

"Hmm..." Wilhelm became pensive for a moment, "I guess it's worth a try." Wilhelm didn't say it enthusiastically but he did intend to attempt it. He didn't have any better ideas and had come to the end of his rope in regards to his mother and her expectations of him.

The session ended and Wilhelm returned to his room to begin writing.

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A/N: Am I crazy or is it strange to come from a family line that exists because they adopted a 47 yr old French general and then claim that you absolutely must have a "natural" heir to the throne?

I guess the goal is to keep it in the family as long as possible, but that's not necessarily to the benefit of the country or the family members, is it?

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