der könig

vainglory of a false king to profess himself worthy of the crimson dipped throne for which his wicked ambition thrusts hindrances aside. ihre königliche hoheit maximillian frederick schleswig - holstein a rising king of a new dynasty. 

[mxcimillixn]

wlhemina‌:

w i l h e m i n a had, perhaps, had one of the wildest weeks of her life. death had knocked on her window, and new blood had crossed her threshold. she supposed, if it was not going to be her mother, her brother, or any other of her imperial kin, she would be the one to sit with the man she was loathe to even look in the eye.

wilhemina was no stranger to dynastic ambitions and petty scruples— could even match them blow for blow. but this? 

wilhemina wasn’t sure how she felt. had it been anyone else, she would have undoubtedly denounced them, vicious and reviled. her father, her loyalty— now it all swayed on unsteady old feet.

she placed her cup gently onto the table, each motion laced with a control, the same control she applied diligently to her emotions which she did not care to analyse at the moment. “ i wish i did, maximillian. ” a shaky exhale. claudia was— is— family.  “ there is no use that this was anything more than a blow aimed at you, is there. ” there was no question; the statement was flat, but her eyes  met his, matching the gravely still air.

there is a coldness in the dynamics but maximillian was hardly a stranger to the atmosphere. those born and bred of the holy roman empire had traits that had propelled them into power from ambition to cunningness - things he had adapted for himself as well to reach further ahead. but perhaps nobody had expected the emperor to stray so far from the lines. 

what had been done was unfathomably cruel. and regardless of maximillian’s own person, the emperor had done such a thing to his own daughter. his dark eyes stared at the other. “a stupid blow-” he scoffed. “if anything your father decidely broke his daughter’s own heart.” 

oh he had so much to discuss with elisabeth. how many nights they had spent in the midst of arguement as she remained defensive against her family. and yet this in itself was like a knife to the back. plunged deeply enough for her to let out guttueral cries. “tell me, what plans are there now?” he is severe in tone, eyes narrowed. 

[mxcimillixn]

duchessfriederike‌:

Friedi seethed. No matter how hard she tried not to argue with him, he made it so difficult. It seemed even when she was not trying to, she said the wrong thing, she provoked him. “Then what are you interested in?” she asked, exasperated. Would lying down whilst his children scrambled for something to guide and unite them be all he would do? She was not without sympathy for the shock he had received, but she was also aware that for every moment the King was like this, Germany lay vulnerable. Even if it was not to be her home for much longer, she would not see it fall to Emperor Konrad’s machinations. 

She wasn’t sure if his denial of fear was true or not, nor was she sure if they should be. She floated in and out of it herself, at times thinking of Claudia with something akin to terror, and others, defiance. She had always been a dauntless sort, for what had she ever had to be afraid of? Until this moment, there had been very little cause for fear in her life, and she didn’t realise until now how fortunate that was. But now everything she had known had been shaken, rocked by this great deception, and though she was still unafraid, she was very aware that perhaps she should be. 

“It is difficult,” she began, watching him carefully for any sign of her temper. “To know that if her blood is enough to gain anything for us. Konrad is her blood too, and we do not know how strong his influence on her is. I want to welcome her, and get to know her, but I don’t want to invite danger in for my troubles.” 

“everything,” he was irritated - the words an obvious given. he had to understand and access what kind of creature claudia was - if she were her grandfather’s fist or his ears, it always came down to the details. friederike’s disposition to demand and to act immediately was the very reason why most of maximillian’s frustration lashed out at her lack of careful analysis. 

“she was born with the birthright, just as leopold and dorothea are.” the words are blunt, unfeeling even. he didn’t know who claudia was but certainly any sentiments towards her only ever existed on the behalf of elisabeth. there was much that the children did not know, especially with the devastation he had first hand witnessed. maximillian had not been adept at comfort, never was but a part of him had deeply cared when he watched his queen mourn. 

“then learn,” he turned his eyes toward friederike, “enemy or not, she has her place just as the rest of your siblings. i will keep an eye on her but this is a careful game. a game of politics and strategy, one that may prepare you for the ottoman empire,” he said with a tired sigh. even now, maximillian was an opportunist. claudia had proven to be a test of sorts. how the children behaved and acted toward her would be a reflection of their capabilities. 

he himself would be tested. but for all the shit he had done and lived through, another daughter was perhaps generous.  

[mxcimillixn]

xhheavensent‌:

A slight, bitter grin curled the edge of her lips as he addressed her in a similar fashion as she had him. Even in a beaten and seemingly insomnious state, he did not fail to bark and growl like the sly dog he was. “I suppose I shall forgive you this once for failing to correctly address me. Only because undoubtedly you’ll be reminded of your place when this erroneous kingdom of yours shall collapses altogether sooner rather than later.” An event she prayed to accrue now more than ever. Hoping that in this fall he and his newfound, pretentious daughter would be buried beneath the rubble. 

As the German king spoke the name of her father in law, Louisa’s eyes flared up with fire. No matter how much she disliked the man that stood before her, all misery and madness had started with the current reigning emperor.  “Do not speak that name again in my presence.” her composure faltered as she spoke the words, venom on her lips as she felt the rage flare up again that she had attempted to suppress during hours spend in prayer. Those who had claimed the Portugese princess had lost her southern temperament in the years of being raised at the Empire’s court was proven wrong now. Not that she took pride in it, but the Holy Roman conqueror had delivered a coup de grace to the very last bit of patience she had left. It was sinful to wish ill upon a person, especially one announced empire by the grace of God, but he deserved to pay for his countless sins at last. This final scheme truly his final masterpiece. “I have no loyalty for him left, nor do I wish to be reminded of the disgusting lies and treachery.” she hissed, failing to disguise her pure disgust from the thought of the old man alone. - Louisa took a deep breath in order to require some calmth, her chest falling and rising at a slower pace in her tightly cossetted dress as she attempted to collect herself. “Any man who dares to separate a mother from her babe should receive the punishment he deserves and feel the wrath of God. - Only a heartless beast could be so cruel.”

“I’m honored to be forgiven by yours truly,” the sarcasm laid thick, the indifference even higher. regardless of her position as the wife augustinus, she was still just a sister in law. he saw nothing interesting in her person and even now, he had little damnations to give. 

he held his silence, acknowledging her venom. any day prior to the news and he would’ve mocked her for being a tool. but even maximillian had been unknowingly dragged into a mess that threatened to topple over everything he had worked for. a part of him wondered if this was checkmate - the end all be all. if it were so, he’d cheer to the old man himself, he was a mastermind - going above and beyond all lengths, including the boundaries of his own daughter. maximillian had gone far - far enough with leopold that had inevitably strained his relationship with elisabeth but now, none of it seemed to matter when claudia’s very existence had been a ploy to ruin germany. “careful now, he could have your head for it,” macabre humor in the darker topics. 

above it all, maximillian could only half smile, half scowl at the words. he’d be a liar to say he hadn’t tried to do the same. perhaps that was why konrad had chosen him as the man to wed elisabeth, they were not that different. 

any missteps and they’d be weeded out from the rich soil of german luxury - alive no longer. if desperate, could he sacrifice his own children? 

the answer was a horrifying yes. 

[mxcimillixn]

words untold

@ferdinandlorraine​

since the last meeting of the two, maximillian had not seen his son. with the state of germany’s affairs unraveling by the seems with the newest familial addition, he could barely be bothered. yet here he was, standing before his son once again, wary of what he had to say or what he had done. perhaps both would strike yet another headache, perhaps he’d have to figure out more effective ways in managing the boy. 

absentminded pupils stared at the matching hazels of his son. the redness obvious around the sockets of where his eyeballs rested. 

“what have you done now?” the sentence brief and curt. whatever the issue was, maximillian was far gone from listening - his priorities had amassed from friederike’s engagement to claudia’s arrival to the italian letters he demanded to be burned from matthias’s desk. the prospects of his own wife’s feelings drifted into his mind accompanied by eleonora’s recovery and dorothea’s prospective future. maximillian was fucking weary. 

[mxcimillixn]

duchessfriederike‌:

He declared that it didn’t matter, but to Friedi, it did. How could she be reborn, or alive again, when she had never been dead in the first place? “Stolen,” she murmured, her only response for saying little else on the matter. She didn’t want to argue semantics. She didn’t want to argue at all. Even she could see that they would need to present some sort of unite front now, or else they opened themselves up to the dangers that lurked around every corner. 

“Right,” she said with another great sigh, piecing together how this had possibly been able to occur. It seemed to her that they had relied on the fact that anything but a healthy boy would be of little consequence to Maximillian, and he had not disappointed them. “Do you suppose the Archduke and duchess knew, or was this a plan of Konrad’s alone?” He had already told her that he did not have the answers, but who else could she turn to in order to ask these questions? She could not simply do nothing, or slink off to the Ottomans and leave her homeland in this state. “Are you afraid of what she may do?” She asked, eyes boring into him. It was a small insight into the inner workings of this woman, but he knew his own mind, and Elisabeth’s, too. Perhaps that would be the way to deduce what her next steps would be. “Is she entirely lost to us?” She demanded answers of him, even if he was in no fit state to give them, but her voice was calm. Even if he would do nothing but snap at her, simply voicing what was on her mind was perhaps enough to start to concoct a solution. 

his jaw was clenched, his eyes focused on the color of the sheets rather than anything else - mind still reeling from the latest discoveries. in his younger years, he had been cockier, prouder, glowering with a massive ego that he had believed to win him victories whichever way. little had he known, the holy roman emperor was quiet in his cunningness - stealthy in his methods and crueler than he himself had ever predicted. he had underestimated the old man. 

“I do not know. nor am I interested in pondering over such things without validity,” he muttered, his voice snapping as he knew his rage would unfurl if he staked claims at elisabeth’s brother and sister in law. it wasn’t as if he had never gotten along with them. no, it was merely their politics that put them aside from each other. however, he wondered how they took the news of konrad’s lengths. the lengths he took to maintain control and checks on those he deemed a threat. 

once upon a time maximillian would have laughed at the notion. women in such power with ambition and capabilities that matched a mans? laughable. but witnessing his own unknown daughter stepping foot wearing armor like a man himself, made him question his beliefs. he looked at friederike, no hesitation in his address, “no.” he had looked death upon the eye several times in his lifetime. such a shift was no different. instead, perhaps the fear laid in the outcome for all else he had built. the family which he had constructed, and the heartache elisabeth had to bear - her anguish would be as much his burden to hold. he sighed, feasibly tired. maximillian was aged, the longer he stayed at switzerland the more he felt the conflicts take hold of his energy. “she is royal blood - there are no losses, only gains.” with the truth out now, the blindfold was lifted off his eyes. 

[mxcimillixn]

claudiablanche‌:

mxcimillixn‌:

Few men who look upon ruin, can recognize it. They mistake it for love, or forgiveness, or a gold-haired girl who’s put up her armor to pad through foreign halls in silks befitting of an imperial princess. And they do not see, this is the beginning of their end.

Luckily, her father is no such man.

He greets Claudia with no warmth, no loving embrace—yes, Maximillian will know better than to expose his chest to her, lest she drive a blade through it. Instead, he simply watches her, a pair of familiar cold eyes leveled intelligently against her own. She has his eyes, Claudia finds herself thinking. His tall, authoritative nose; his grave mouth; his stature; even the unaffected tones of his voice, rising and falling in familiar patterns. 

She tries not to dwell on these uncomfortable details. Perhaps it should reassure her of the place she holds within his family—that it’s real, it exists for her, that she did come from somewhere, someplace, someone. Instead, it only makes her more afraid. 

“I don’t need to tell you anything,” she says in rebuke to his questions. Plain and decisive, with no room for negotiation. She is careful to remove all traces of anger, of hurt, of any indication of feeling whatsoever from her tone. He doesn’t need to know how often she once ached for him: for his guidance, his pride, his protection. For anything, really. And in her weakest, most vulnerable years, to have received nothing—

No. Just as he will not be privy to the information she knows, he will similarly be barred from her emotions. If she will not be the vessel to an emperor, she certainly won’t be the child to a lower king now. 

she was a stranger and yet not all the same. his teeth gritted against each other, jaw shifting - the muscles of his face constricting, revealing tense creases against the lines of his face. what followed from her lips were words that he had certainly left him in a state of fascination and intrigue. 

something within maximillian stirred. something exciting and wholly visceral : a sensation that he had long abandoned ever witnessing in his other children. the daughter before him was molded in his own image, a likened image of ambition and capability stripped of emotional neediness but sheer acuity - a keenness that reminded him of his youth. she spoke unlike the tempers of her siblings who struggled to separate their inner fervor from clinical rationale. 

she is sharp as she is restrained. a slow smile almost makes it’s way to his otherwise iron like veneer - yet there is nothing sweet of his expressions. no, it is the look of one challenger prepared to greet another worthy to stand upon the same platform as equals. whatever konrad had done - there was no denial that she was a reckoning force. and she was his, his and elisabeth’s. who she was, what she had become - it was equal parts terror as well as pride. for the brevity of their meeting, there was undeniable exhilaration. he wanted to know who she was, wanted to see if there was a possibility of repair to the loss of twenty five years. 

“do you have questions?” his tone was blasé at best, controlled at the very least. he only made one stride forward, arms crossed as he watched her, eyes sweeping through the littlest shifts of movement, staring like a vulture. 

the unpredictability of her existence, her very being began to enrapture and electrify every part of his brain. she was worthy of his attention. she commanded it, just as he did. 

[mxcimillixn]

duchessfriederike‌:

Friedi let out a loud huff, frustration and anger exhaled in an audible “hmph” of air, and collapsed into a chair. “Undead makes her sound like a monster,” she pointed out, a roll of her eye as though to highlight the ridiculousness of such a statement. “And she isn’t that, either.” What Princess Claudia Blanche was remained to be seen for Friedi. She was a big fat question mark, and one she intended to puzzle out as soon as possible. She was a danger to them, all that their family was, a tentative balance that seemed ever-set to topple, yet somehow managed to stay together through the sheer stubborn will that they shared. Claudia could strike it all down, or she could become their greatest ally, strengthening them against their true enemies in the Holy Roman Empire. Surely, this only proved the kind of man their emperor was? 

She did not speak when he bid her to be quiet, falling uncharacteristically silent, allowing him to speak, to admit that he did not know how to proceed. She stared at the man before her, who looked so much like her father, but acted so different. At least when he was snapping at her, there was some decree of normalcy. “I see,” she said, and she drummed her fingers on the arms of the chair. “Did you never ask to see a body?” the question came before she had truly thought of it. 

“alive again, reborn, call it what you will - it doesn’t matter,” he muttered with a sigh. he was tired, exhausted from the news itself and the crippling rage had gotten the best of him. he was no longer as young as he once was - his physical body could only take so much. he was king but he was also aging. he was nowhere near as close as konrad but for all the things he had done. it felt as if he lived beyond his lifetime - the capacity of carrying every burden feeling like a brick weight against his back. at this point, what once was seen with a grain of lenience, 

the palm of his hand rested against forehead, fingers wishing to grate his own skin as if he could claw through all these issues. “they never even mentioned your sister’s sex. they said the child was was dead and disposed of.” he had not taken heed to the words considering the fact that he had trusted the women who were the ones taking care of elisabeth. the physicians had likewise diagnosed her as maniac saying that the illusions she had of their dead babe was from anxiety. how he wished he could find those people and slice their heads from their necks. “she is formidable. she is everything elisabeth and I am, yet possibly worse,” there is a dark chuckle to his statement. when he had set eyes upon claudia, there was an uncanniness, one that he saw in both he and his wife. neither him or elisabeth were saints and it seemed as if the new princess was an accumulation of his ferocious ambition and elisabeth’s sharp lithe coldness - a perfect storm. konrad had done this with impeccable precision. 

[mxcimillixn]

@claudiablanche​

he had never fathomed the possibility of elisabeth and his first child alive. they told him the babe was a stillborn, not even bothering with the sex. konrad had gone farther than even maximillian had believed capable. to steal the firstborn as leverage against him and elisabeth was shocking and gutturally cruel. the more he thought upon it, the more he wanted to hurl. 

yet the time had come where the meeting was inevitable. 

he needed to know this daughter of his, who she was. he needed to see if she was like minded, to see if she was as clever as konrad had sought to make her be. from appearance alone, her resemblance was undeniable - as if he were looking through a mirror. his teeth felt as if they were smashing against against each other as his jaw clenched. 

he had debated how to approach. to be unkind was his natural reaction but ... as he stepped forth, he felt a strange peace. parts of her were her mothers, perhaps even more reminiscent than the other two true borns. she had softness but the steel in her eyes were just like maximillians. such a feeling felt like a knife slitting against his throat. this was the daughter he could’ve raised as his. yet she had become a tool to finish his own head. he maintains a distance, the expansive space between them enough to slaughter a battlefield. 

“what do you want?” and yet the words fall without demand. there is an unprecedented softness and curiosity, combined with fatigue and confusion. “... what do you know?” the second phrased forced forward. there was fear. fear that he had never thought possible. he knew not the lies that she had been fed. knew not the woman before him who was his own flesh and blood - a stranger. 

“and why?” a whisper from his lips as his eyes gaze at her, unfaltering as he bates his breath in anticipation. hellfire surely would fall upon him. was this divine punishment for all the sacrifices he had made along the way? retribution by a man as wicked as the devil himself. 

[mxcimillixn]

duchessfriederike‌:

Friederike did not come to argue. 

She came to learn what he knew, to ask what he would have her do. For the first time in her life, her reaction had not been to flare up at her father in defiance, and that was a small miracle in itself. Unfortunately, a miracle overshadowed by the fact that she had a sister who could apparently rise from the grave. She was here to seek his wisdom, but apparently, there was none to find. Freidi wasted no time in moving to his bedside, but did little else, simply standing there and peering down at him with disappointment etched all over her face. Her father was a piece of work, but he had always been a tower of strength, an imposing figure that none could touch. This figure in front of her was almost pitiful. 

“Sit up,” she said, reaching out to grab his shoulders and give him a shake, as though to bring him to his senses. “My new little sister, you mean? With the emperor, if I had to take a guess.” Her eyes grew darker as she spoke, and she tugged at his shoulders again, trying to bring him into seated position. “You’re embarrassing me,” she hissed. “This isn’t you, father. I understand this is a shock, but there will be time for weakness later,” She finally let go of him, and stepped back, away from his bedside. “Tell me what to do.” 

max was like a rock, adamantly stiff in the shoulders as his eyes were almost dead - his mind still whirring quietly to unpack all the information. “she isn’t new,” he snapped. “undead,” he muttered. who would’ve ever thought such a thing like this would’ve happened. surely elisabeth herself was sobbing. the fresh memory of her wails, the nights she had said the child was alive and yet no one believed her - madness they said. but here came the truth over twenty five years later. he didn’t know what to make of and certainly friederike wasn’t helping his state of mind demanding as if he could do everything in his power to make it stop. 

“be quiet friederike, you’re giving me a fucking headache,” he was harsh, shrugging off her grip as his hands clenched his forehead. “I need to think. I do not have the answers to everything.” it was a truth, a pure confession that he had allowed himself to say. “I must speak with her myself. she has no fault for what has occurred - she was born stolen,” the tone of his voice growing darker and darker, a familiar feral rage burgeoned. but he found himself sitting back against his bed, his heart threatening to spike again - his health couldn’t afford the strain. 

[mxcimillixn]

xhheavensent‌:

For Character : Maximillian of Germany  | @mxcimillixn​

Location : Post plot-drop, at Montebello castle

The dark circles underneath the eyes of the Archduchess revealed the truth behind her cool composure. She had managed to pick herself up and regain her strength after the whole drama had unfolded on the main square the day before. Why the Lord punished them so was unclear still, but it did not keep the secrets from starting to unravel and reveal more with every passing hour. Her world had been turned upside down, a false heir had risen and shamelessly stated her claim on not one but two thrones. The audacity the pretentious child had was not unlike the bloodline from which she came, but it did not make reality any easier to bare. 

As Louisa left the chapel, where she had spend most of her night in fervent prayer, the man that moved in the direction towards her was the last she wished to see on this earth right now. There were a few people to blame for this wicked madness and the king of Germany was one of them. Not only for declaring his independence from the greatness that was the Empire years ago, but also for simply providing the seed from which the devil’s spawn had been born. - She did not fail to notice that he too looked as if the night had not kind on him. A well deserved punishment so she thought, but she would not let him pass without but a simple conversation. No matter her anger and disgust, there was also the smallest spark of opportunity with making amends with the the false king. “Maximillian” she did not bother to adres him by his title, for in her eyes he had non, but did make the effort curtsy as a formal greeting. “You have survived to see another day, it seems.”

maximillian was contemplating if this what a mad man felt. was he even awake anymore? the newfound information had left him completely slack jawed. he would’ve never perceived konrard capable of such evil and yet ... a part of him was unsurprised. he had long knew the emperor was a selfish bastard. maximillian had thought he had the last laugh but now with the new events unfolded, he felt as if all control he had once held was taken from his fists. he despised the unpredictability, and the terror of all his ploys jeopardized. 

the last person he had anticipated decided to show up. he had little interest in hiding his irritation, his tone matched her own, “louisa,” her name sharp. “i could say the same for you, konrad hasn’t gotten bored yet it seems,” a snarl that’s guttural expands against his chest. 

that fucking asshole fucked everything up. 

maximillian was desperately thinking of methods and ways of managing the complexities of their familial affairs. 

[mxcimillixn]

post count this week (march. 15th - march. 21st ) : n. of replies ( 13 ) + n. of tasks ( 0 ) points gained: 13 points (in-character replies)  + 2 bonus points (per five replies) = 15 points points allocation: maxed out / 15 bonus. health total: 150/150

purchase date : march 22nd. item : fourth character slot ─ 25 point deduction from health total + sections. points deducted : -5 influence, -5 intelligence, -5 wealth, -5 luck, -5 physical. health total : 125 / 150.

[mxcimillixn]

@wlhemina​

of all the activities he could’ve been doing, maximillian was in disbelief with himself that he was sitting here with his sister in law, drinking tea. his jaw was clenched, teeth grit as he a thousand questions began to through his ears. the wound was still fresh and the rage as hot as the news was. even his own wife had never informed him that she had given birth to a daughter - though he understood : elisabeth would’ve known he would have viewed it as a failure. but now more than ever, he couldn’t help but gnaw on his tongue with fury. how dare konrad. how dare he take his own blood and flesh from max and his own daughter. such deceit and manipulation was unprecedented. 

he turned to wilemina, eyes stern. if anyone knew any details - it would be her wouldn’t it? “did you know? did you know your father did this?” he was soft but sharp, knowing that he’d bubble over if she were to confirm the knowledge. 

[mxcimillixn]

@duchessfriederike​

the feelings that maximillian had just experienced were indescribable. him and elisabeth had never discussed the loss of their first child, a passing that both had come to accept. but the newfound truth that his firstborn daughter with her was alive and standing before, controlled and perfected at the hands of konrad had sent him reeling. 

fuck the old man. he had truly thought he had done what he could to build a brighter future. and yet here he was now, feeling like all the clarity he once had was now ripped from his hands. undoubtedly, maximillian did not take the discovery well. before he knew it, he had collapsed - his heart shot with what felt like an arrow. 

it wasn’t until he woke up that he found himself laying in bed, a wet cloth on his forehead as he stared up at the ceiling, lips parched. thankfully the servants were quick to serve, catering to his needs as they attempted to soothe the german king. and yet he was still inexplicably in shock. the sound of a knock thudded against the door. his head turned to see friederike ... lord, what could his children want now. he was in no condition to fight. more than ever, his age and mentality felt as crippled as his physical body. “...where is she?” the words directed at the newest princess of the royal family. 

[mxcimillixn]

ofleuchtenberg‌:

“I think they will if it’s in god’s plans.”Of course, Matthias would stop at nothing for his own plans to come to fruition. His faith was being tested daily and had been for years and Matthias had learned that his plans were only in his control. Of course, his father would have some influence on his success but Matthias couldn’t leave his luck all down to that. Matthias didn’t know what else to expect from his father. When he was the only living son, things were different. He was adored and cherished by his only parent but since the son’s came and more so the legitimate heir, so his father’s love went away. “That is my only aim in life.” Matthias stated, almost cringing at the words for how dramatic they were. “I have and will only ever want to bring glory to you and our country.” Though it seemed he was the only son committed to the cause, Matthias still had a long way to go about proving it.  He didn’t know if it was foolish to believe but Matthias had thought the love his father had for him was the main reasons for him not slitting his throat. That of course and getting blood out of fabric was too much work. “Then order one, at least I shall be finely dressed.” Matthias could play this game to though none could play it as well as his father. “I am not going to condemn myself to hell to prove a point to you, at least not on something as trivial as letters once written by a boy and not the man who stands before you.”

maximillian resisted the urge to keep scoffing. the boy had dreams but no means of such ambitious achievements. at least none that he could see. he was growing tired of such repetitive conversation, temper thinning. 

“I don’t care but let this serve as a warning. any relations with the italians for the sake of frivolous fondness is a waste of time. it is also an insult to this country,” he was gruff, harsh in each word. “I have more important affairs to attend to. if you have anything important to say, have it addressed another time,” he muttered, his patience was at the tipping point. he would leave before his temper spiked up once more. 

[mxcimillixn]

herzoginxfmecklenburg‌:

She could simply not recall the last time they had talked to calm and openly with one another. Perhaps because such had never occurred in the history of time. It felt as if there was almost an equal respect of one another. Naturally, her father was king and she a mere duchess, a title bestowed upon her name by him no less, but her words did not seem to be considered childish nonsense. Her suggestions seemed to be weighed in all seriousness and for the first time in her life she felt as if she were one step closer in fulfilling the destiny she had had her eyes on all her life. “Yes, Vader. I shall make no false promises and be subtle. I merely wish to figure out their character and intentions. To find is their knowledge and power might serve our nation, although I am sure your diplomatists and yourself may do a far better job at assessing potential.”

It was made clear to her that time had come that he would retire to other matters once more when he asked if she had any further questions for him. Undoubtedly, there was much to be arranged now. Marriage agreements where not matters on his mind, surely. She was about to bow her head in grace and say there were no more questions burning on her tongue, but she would be lying if she would say so. Hesitantly, her lips parted. Her mouth eager but her heart in fear of the answer that may come. “How is Friederike? Did she receive the announcement of her marriage well? - I do not doubt your capability and great care with which you have chosen her match, Mein Köning, but is he a good man?”

he was content to hear eleonora’s stance ever so obedient to his own ambitions and desires. “that is a good plan. if there are issues that arise, I would like for you to inform me of the changes. any valuable information would be helpful for both germany’s future as well as your own,” he murmured. his children would be his extension, his eyes and ears in the corners of the farthest worlds they could help him amass power. though it wasn’t as if he didn’t consider their own happiness. truly if he wanted his own place as king to function, it’d be far cleverer to please them simultaneously while achieving his own goals. 

“she is well, it seems that she has taken a liking to the sehzade,” he spoke practically wistfully. “he appears good but the truest colors will show once they are wedded. but the ottoman empire has offered a boon to our empire alone, their military prowess and capabilities are undeniable in strength. it shall serve to benefit us. I trust friederike shall understand that as soon as she becomes a wife.” he turned to eleonora again. “do not fret for her. it is now time for you to focus on your own future.” 

[mxcimillixn]

simulacrist‌:

with: @mxcimillixn

the boats were such a scintillating activity. in truth, they offered little in terms of entertainment, save if one were easily amused and could content oneself with merely enjoying the scenery, but an insistence on the physical aspect of rowing served to be some sort of proxy for augustinus’ unending energy that seemed to have no outlet now that crusading and warring were barred from him.  

he takes to the boats, mind set up about heading through such an activity alone.  (  oh, but to share such scenes with his wife !  though, of course, such an activity would have to be avoided lest he find himself getting pushed overboard.  )  yet when he comes across the boats, his eyes glance upon one already departing—and with the presence of a man he’s been dying to meet, how could he pass up the chance ?

❛  einen Moment, liber Bruder !  ❜  he calls, feet hurriedly catching up before hands grasp the wooden edges of the boat and, in a moment, launches himself inside, the strength and force of which propels the boat almost forward. smiling, he takes an oar, almost as if this is perfectly normal, before saying:   ❛  such sights of nature are best enjoyed with family, would you not agree ?  ❜  as if he hadn’t been just about to go through this alone just moments before.

maximillian despised elisabeth’s family for their bigotry. yet blood was thicker than water, was it not? and thus he found himself in the company of the man who he had to address as his elder brother. “du wirst schneller, bruder.” 

he had begrudgingly agreed to meet with his brother in law, rather keen on making him uncomfortable first so he’d have the other man’s full attention. “sisi is doing well,” there was something wicked with the way he grinned at his own statement. “her stubbornness on the matter of politics will surely come around considering that her stance on the maritial bed had changed,” he laughed, fully prepared to delve into the details of his private life with his wife.

“should’ve seen her when she first arrived, bull headed and all. took her two weeks to get adjusted. your sister has impeccable vocal chords,” he was bemused. he had never spoken candidly about such a topic like this in public. but seeing as it was all in ruse to make the other man pay attention - he had a decisive game plan in mind on achieving his objectives thus so. 

[mxcimillixn]

duchessfriederike‌:

Her lips curled at his tone, and how patronising the word sounded in his mouth. To say nothing was so against her own nature, so maddeningly infuriating that it was a wonder that she managed it at all. Still, though it pained her to do so, she kept control of her temper. “Perhaps she will,” she said, though that was a prospect she doubted very much, She could not remember a time before Elisabeth, though she wasn’t certain she would be as happy to help as her father was suggesting, though she supposed at the end of the day, it would not matter. “Matthias has expressed concerns on whether the wedding will be conducted in a church,” she raised an eyebrow in his direction. “I imagine that would not be the case, unless you are about to tell me otherwise?” If it was not to be a Christian union, having Elisabeth arrange the nuptials may serve as more of an insult than a joy. 

“Challenge him?” She repeated. She could barely believe what it was he was bidding her to do. Ever had he favoured Nell and Dot, with their obedience, their blind trust that he knew better. She had always sought to challenge, to hold him to as much of an impossible standard as he had held them. “If you’re certain I’m up to the task.” There must be a trick, something he was yet to say. He could not bid her to be better, then ask of her what came most naturally. 

he knew that elisabeth would likely despise the union but what was done was done. maximillian anticipated to see friederike wed the sehzade thus solidifying the german-ottoman alliance as soon as possible. the strength and manpower was much in need given that the events on swiss terrain had already shown grounds for weakness. at the mention of matthias, maximillian couldn’t help but scoff. “your good for nothing brother has his nose stuck in business that does not regard him.” despite matthias being maximillian’s eldest, his incompetency was infuriating enough that kept him from sharing any of his political and financial plans for the country. that included friederike’s marriage. “I shall speak to the sultan but perhaps we may barter for two ceremonies if it does not prove to be exhaustive for yourself and your betrothed.” it would be a sufficient plan seeing as they were all in one space together. 

he glanced at her. he knew friederike capable of voicing her own opinions. all that was left for her to do was curb her tongue and any ounce of carless stupidity. “you will be wedding into the ottoman empire, there will be thousands of rivals. you aren’t there to sit pretty and act frivolous. you were born royal, not wedded into it.” each word matter of fact with his tone. “success, power, ambition comes from courage. your ability to show your displeasure toward my face may aide you in your future endeavors,” he was nonchalant once more.