“Shhh, don’t ever let Magnus hear you say that,” he says with a small smirk.
“I heard that!” Magnus yells. “And while you’re talking about me, how about you give me your attention.”
“Hold your horses,” Maggie chides him. She comes over to me with Viktor. “I’ve never met the infamous duo from Monaco.”
The press calls her Princess Maggie, which should be a huge hint toward her laid-back demeanor. She’s American, with the kind of backstory the media loves to play up but, even so, I’m a bit intimidated. I know that’s an odd thing to feel when you’ve grown up a princess, but the fact is that the “normal” people are the ones I find the most interesting.
“I’d hug you, but you know,” she says, gesturing to her stomach, which sticks out like she’s got a couple of beach balls under her coat.
“How far along are you?” I ask.
“Far enough. Seven months, three days,” she says.
“I told her she needed to stay at home,” Viktor speaks up.
Maggie grins at me. “And I told him to mind his own business.”
I like her already.
Then Magnus comes over with Ella, practically shoving her in front of me.
“Here, you haven’t met. Ella this is Stella, Stella this is Ella, and now I’ve just realized that your names are pretty much the same,” he says.
Ella is a beautiful fairy princess, this petite blonde with the most perfect eyebrows that would make any YouTube make-up artist sick with envy.
“Nice to meet you finally,” Ella says. “And please excuse my husband. He’s operating at a different level today.”
“Oh good, you’ve mentioned me again. I can use that segue,” Magnus says, taking a step back. He gives us all a big smile. “Okay, now that everyone has been properly introduced, let’s get up to fucking speed. First of all, I want to thank you all for coming here. When I had this idea to have a New Year’s Eve party in the middle of nowhere, in the mountains of Norway, I knew it was crazy. But the world is built on crazy ideas, isn’t it? And it takes a special kind of person to agree to this madness. Thankfully, you’re all special people. You know it, too. There are only so many royals in this world, royals that are usually held to different standards than everyone else, adhering to strict protocols their entire lives. But you guys? You’re different. You’ve proved that by coming here.”
He pauses and puts his arm around Ella. “My wife had a rough time this morning saying goodbye to the kids. So did I. It’s never easy. Since we’re all parents here, I know that you all went through the same thing today. Even when we know we deserve some time to ourselves, some time to let our hair down and have fun, away from the expectations of our countries, of the public, of even our children. But you’re here now. You made it. Now is the time to just be yourself. Get drunk as hell. Oh, except for you Maggie. And have some motherfucking fun!”
We all cheer in unison. Man, Magnus really does have a way of getting you pumped up.
The drivers and bodyguards go grab everyone’s bags from the cars and we follow them down the road, the snow getting deeper and deeper. The air is crisp and cold, and I’m grateful for all the layers I’m wearing. Orlando made fun of me for bundling up and packing so many warm clothes, but he’s not Nordic, I am. And I can tell he’s grateful that he took a cue from me.
When we get to the end of the road, we follow some wheeled tracks through the snow and then we see four ATVs.
“Our chariots,” Magnus says, waving to them with flourish.
Each vehicle takes four passengers, so each couple sits in the back, with a bodyguard or driver up front.
I buckle myself in beside Orlando, our bags secure in the storage compartment at the back, and then we’re off.
At first, we follow a trail that seems to have been cleared recently, chugging along under towering pines. But the higher we climb, the more that the trees thin out, until they’re few and far between.
Here it looks impossibly white and barren, the mountain rising up and up and up. We take a switchback route over a steep face, and then, finally, we come to a level area.
Two cabins poke out of a handful of trees. One looks like it’s seen better days, the other is smaller but newly built with fresh-looking wood.
“And here we are,” Magnus says, still living in his role of master of ceremonies. He climbs out of the ATV and stands before us. “The cabins. Your home for the next two nights. Now, in one cabin there’s a pull-out couch, a bed upstairs in the loft, and a bed in the bedroom of course. Plus a kitchen—don’t worry, it’s already stocked with food and alcohol.” He gestures to the new cabin. “That cabin is basically just a bedroom. Perfect if you need privacy. Only problem is, on a night away from our children, I’m sure we all want a little privacy right now.”
“I’ll take it,” Aksel says in a commanding voice.
I roll my eyes. Of course.
But Magnus doesn’t bite. “Oh really? Is that because you’re the king and the rest of us are just princes and princesses. Lesser royals?”
“Yes, that’s right,” he says gravely.
“You know what,” I say, raising my hand briefly. “I think Maggie and Viktor should have it. After all, she’s pregnant.” I fire a saucy smile at my brother.
“I won’t say no,” Maggie says, giving me a grateful look. “I do have to pee like all the time at night and I’d hate to keep waking everyone up when I go outside to use the outhouse.”
“And I’m totally used to it by now,” Viktor interjects.
She elbows him. “Yeah, this guy sleeps through everything. Lucky him.”
“Okay, it’s settled.” Magnus then claps Aksel on the back. “Sorry, your sister had a
