Meet The King of Norway

[Odinson]

This and the following posts are private and secret.

An unforgiving, freezing breeze rushed over the train platform that a nineteen year-old young lady was standing on. She was wearing a thick blue winter dress with an even thicker coat over it along with stockings that probably went well up further than her ankles, and white gloves covering her hands. It was at least one or two degrees below freezing which wasn't common for April, but wasn't unheard of. Her most distinguishing features were her brilliant blonde hair and her unusual height of six and a half inches tall. She was the only person standing on the frigid platform, other than two Royal Police officers who were quietly flanking her on either side - both of the men were nearly a foot shorter than her. She checked her small, gold wristwatch and frowned. The train was suppose to be there ten minutes ago.

"Are you sure they're on their way?" she said with a youthfully impatient twang. Immediately after her remark, they could all hear the distant whistle of a locomotive and, soon enough, the distinctive motion of the massive wheels on the tracks.

"Yes ma'am, quite sure of it," said the junior officer to her left. She rolled her eyes and stepped closer to the edge of the platform. Over to her right she could see billowing inky-black smoke billow from above the dark green spruce trees that made up much of the Norwegian wilderness. The train was an old, refurbished steam-powered locomotive from the early 20th century, and it appeared very determined to make its way to the platform.

"Best take a step back, ma'am," the more senior officer said as he and his colleague did so. Sophia followed their lead and then eagerly shifted her weight back and forth from right to left foot. The locomotive roared louder as it got closer, and the three on the platform heard the screeching of the trains metal breaks. White steam erupted onto the platform as the black locomotive pulled in. It passed the platform, as did a coal car and a passenger car behind it. The white clouds dissipated and the train finally came to a stop. A short man with brown hair stepped out of the first passenger car - he checked his pocket watch and scoffed at the time, and then carefully stepped onto the cement platform. He walked over to the second passenger car and opened the sliding door. At the same time, a large apparatus swung over their heads and to the locomotive. It was a long metal pipe which Sophia assumed was to somehow refuel or replenish the train.

Another Royal Police officer stepped out of the train and nodded to his colleagues. He made a quick check of the perimeter and then he stepped aside. The young man that stepped out after him was nothing short of a goliath; he was seven feet tall. He had to duck to get under the top rim of the door and then hop onto the platform. He had neatly combed hair - as blonde as the young woman's - and was wearing his Royal Navy service dress blues. A few medals and a number of ribbons decorated his chest. He stood up straight and put his hands out and smiled at the young woman while he held onto his blue military cap in his left hand. She seemed very excited.

"Sorry for the delay, important business!" he said over the hissing steam. The girl sprinted towards him and jumped into his arms - he winced, and was barely able to hold her up for a few seconds before he gently set her down on her feet.
"Oh Enoch, are you hurt?" she said with genuine concern.

He put his cap back on his head and brushed off her concern, "Oh it's nothing a hot-tub can't fix... You look beautiful, Sophia."
No one could see it, but she was scrunching her toes from eagerness.

"Thank you, you look very handsome" she said as she looked him up and down, "I love it when you wear your uniform... Is it warmer in there?" Sophia said after leaning her head towards the train.
"Yes," Enoch said, faking a smile. Almost every form of transportation was very confining for a person his size, but her company would make up for it.

He removed his cap again and let Sophia step inside first. The conductor that had opened the train door before approached him, gold pocket-watch in-hand. "Your Royal Highness, we should arrive in Oslo shortly after six this evening assuming we don't make any more unscheduled stops... I presume you and your friend would like to have dinner in Oslo?"
Enoch briefly nodded and stepped inside the car. Being the Crown Prince of the country had some benefits, including being able to disrupt the rail network of a small Northern European country.

Enoch closed the door behind him. Both he and Sophia were hunched over in the train car, though he to a greater-extent.
"Let's take a seat..." Enoch said as he wiggled past Sophia and onto a leather couch that was bolted to the ground. The private car they were in was designed specifically with the Norwegian Royal Family in mind, minus any accommodation for their unusual height. Just as Sophia took off her coat the train jolted, sending her tumbling into Enoch's lap. He managed to catch her, but once again strained whatever part of him had been injured. She took the opportunity to to slouch down so that her head was resting in his lap and the rest of her body was on the couch. Enoch relaxed and looked out the window beside him. The train was slowly beginning to ache forward again to the capital.

"Where have you come from? How did you get hurt?" Sophia asked as she pulled a blanket from behind Enoch and laid it out over the both of them.
"It's... it's classified," he said, resting the tips of his fingers in her hair. This wasn't entirely untrue, where he was and who he was fighting was technically classified; though how he sustained his injuries could probably be in the public domain, if not explained to a close friend.
"You must not blend in very well on missions... how do you get around that?" she blinked a few times and watched him rock back and forth as the train struggled to bring them up a steep gradient.
"Oh, I have my place. I'm not proud to say that it's safer than most of the other jobs on the team but... every now and again I have to take risks. I'm pretty sure it drives my father mad, but he's tolerated it so far... Are you looking forward to meeting him?"

Sophia broke eye contact with Enoch and nodded, though it didn't seem entirely genuine. "I'm kind of nervous... I'm not sure if he'll like me."
"Oh don't worry, he has more things to worry about then who I'm dating," Enoch said without thinking. He realized the error in what he said when Sophia glared up at him from the less-than-comforting response.
"What I mean," he said, trying to mend his mistake, "is that I'm sure he'll like you... Just be polite and talk about whatever he wants to. That's what I do to keep him happy." Enoch momentarily contemplated how much he did have in common with his father, all the while how little they had in common with each other.

Sophia decided not to mention it, but immediately thought about how often she politely entertained other men with conversations that could just about put her to sleep - Enoch less than others, of course, but it still wasn't an incredible rarity with him.

The locomotive chugged its supply of coal and water, releasing plumes of black smoke as it steamed down to the capital of Oslo.

 

[Odinson]

Hours later they arrived at Oslo's Central Station to much fanfare and notice from the free press. Photographers and journalists anxiously took pictures and attempted to shout questions from the edges of the train platform as local police strictly held them back. Royal Police officers exited the train and stepped onto the platform a minute or so Enoch did, followed by a very shy Sophia. She clung to his arm as he gave a friendly wave to a reporter he recognized from Aftenposten, Norway's largest and most trusted newspaper. Sophia kept her head down, but managed to put on a nervous smile when she made eye contact with the paparazzi.

"Don't get close, I hear they bite," Enoch said as he continued to smile. Sophia couldn't help but giggle. They were escorted to the King's motorcade which was waiting just outside to take them from to the train station to the Royal Palace - it was maybe a two-minute drive. Sophia didn't classify herself as a shy girl, especially with her height and unofficial noble background, but she wasn't use to so much attention. Enoch, meanwhile, had lived with it for most of his life. It basically felt second-nature to him.

The limousine they were riding in made an abrupt left up and into the grounds of the palace. Outside of the front of the building, the King's Guard were drilling in their distinct uniforms. The cars came to a halt. Sophia was riding on the passenger side which was normally taken by Enoch. The servant who opened the door was momentarily confused to see her until he saw Enoch step out on the other side.
"Good evening!" he remarked as he put on his military cap. Sophia graciously stepped out onto the gold-colored gravel that was spread before most of the palace. About thirty feet to her left she could see the copper statue of King Karl Johan. Enoch took a few strides around the vehicle and offered his arm to Sophia who took it, and then reluctantly started walking forward. It had only been a few days that she knew Enoch was coming home, and it had been less than twenty-four hours that she knew she was going to meet the King of the country.

The couple had been dating for over six months now and were growing extremely close. Despite her unmatched beauty and Enoch's international popularity, both had a very limited dating life. For the longest time, Sophia had considered her height a curse. Young men admired her from afar, but it was rare than anyone other then her own father could even match her height, let alone exceed it. Enoch, on the other hand, had only ever dated a girl when he was in his teens. She was killed in a plague that also killed his mother - Queen Catherine - as well as his younger sister. Over a thousand more died and tens-of-thousands were made ill before a cure was discovered by scientists. After that, Enoch focused on two things: school and physical fitness. It wasn't until he met Sophia that he even considered dating again. Whether it was true love, or lack of experience, both of them felt very infatuated with each other. They were spending so much time together that the press eventually compiled enough pictures of them in public places to deduce that they were in a serious relationship. Instead of denying it, they decided to embrace the idea of being "Norway's favorite couple".

"Just be yourself," he whispered to her before two King's Guard cracked open the doors of the palace. Most of the staff, especially the senior members, were assembled inside to greet the returning Prince. They, like most everyone else so far, were unaware that he would be accompanied by a friend. A couple dozen maids curtsied and about half as many male servants bowed to Enoch.

The head of household, a senior butler Enoch had known his entire life, stepped forward while he kept his hands behind his back. "Welcome back to the Palace, Your Royal Highness. We're all very happy to see you," the man couldn't help but break a smile as he looked up at the young man he helped raise.

"Oh trust me Groven, it feels great to be back to civilization, and here especially... May I introduce Lady Sophia Anker. She's from Trondheim," Enoch said as he gestured to Sophia who gave the group of commoners a warm smile.

"Very nice to meet you, my lady. I'm Olaf Groven, Master of Household for The Royal Palace," Groven dutifully asked if either of the two would like any refreshments.

"I was actually hoping for us to see my father. I'm surprised that he wasn't down here to greet us?" Enoch's eyes pondered around the grand entryway. Its magnificence still didn't fail to impress him, especially after all of the places he's been.

"His Majesty was planning on being here, however the new Prime Minister," Groven said, putting a slightly disgusted emphasis on the title, "has come to be granted permission to form a government. They've been in a meeting for over twenty minutes, they're likely to be done soon."

Speak of the devil, the newly-elected Prime Minister strutted down the stairs with unusual confidence for his age. Upon spotting Enoch, he made a B-line for him and gave a reasonable bow.

"Oh hello Your Royal Highness. I was just meeting with the King - I'm sorry that I ruined your arrival. If it were up to me I would have waited for a more opportune time but... duty calls... I'm Felix Frost, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said. He was a slim, older man that appeared to be around his mid-fifties, and was wearing a conservative blue suit.

Enoch offered his hand to shake, and the man grabbed it firmly. "Should I call you Felix, or Mister Frost?" Enoch asked jokingly.
"My peers call me Doctor Frost, but you can address me however you want, Your Royal Highness," the Prime Minister said in a friendly tone.
"Very well, Doctor Frost. This is my friend, Sophia Anker. She's from Trondheim," Enoch said, once again gesturing to her.

"Oh no need to tell me where she comes from, I recognize that last-name. It's my pleasure, Lady Sophia... I would really enjoy to get to know the two of you sometime, but I don't want to keep you from your father and... whatever this is," he said, looking over at the household staff which still assembled there.

They parted ways, and Groven escorted the two upstairs. After quietly discussing what happened with one of his junior butlers, Groven escorted them both to a drawing room. Enoch allowed Sophia to step inside first so he could shake Groven's hand. Her jaw dropped immediately when she saw him. Seconds before Enoch entered, he heard a booming voice said, "Now who's allowing angels into my palace?"

Sophia - who was six and a half feet tall - was dwarfed by the man inside who stood at eight feet tall (244 cm). He was wearing an obviously custom-made black suit which included a royal sash, and was partly leaning on a cane that may have been as tall as one of the maids she saw outside. Enoch stepped inside the room which answered the man's unasked question of Who is this person?

"Oh son, I'm so happy to see you," the giant noted.
Enoch approached the man and shook his hand.

"Father, this is Lady Sophia Anker, from Trondheim. Sophia, this is my father, King Oskar."