A/N: Elisabeth of Bavaria (24 Dec 1837 - 10 Sept 1898) married Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria (18 Aug 1830 - 21 Nov 1916) in April 1854, and she became Empress of Austria upon her marriage. Renowned for her beauty, she was obsessed with her youth, and refused any photographs after the age of thirty-two; any photographs of her in her later years were taken without her knowledge. She was assassinated in 1898 by an Italian anarchist named Luigi Lucheni (1873 - 1910) in Geneva. Franz Joseph was deeply in love with her, but she did not return his feelings, and detested the Habsburg court and despised her mother-in-law, who saw fit to raise her first three children. Called Sisi, she is responsible for the creation of the dual-monarchy, Austria-Hungary, of which she was crowned Queen of Hungary in 1867.
Early July, 1853
Schloss Schönbrunn,
Vienna, Austria
"I don't understand, Lise. If she is not the empress yet, but merely a Duchess of Bavaria, why do they refer to her as the 'Empress'?"
The carriage rattled along the cobblestone streets, passing by shops and bakeries and all manner of city life. The Scandinavian royals had received an invitation to the engagement ball of Franz Joseph and Elisabeth of Bavaria; the emperor wished to create an alliance with the Scandinavian monarchs, and decided that they could take a bit of time during the engagement festivities to draw up an alliance.
"Because she's the future empress, Annalei." Elsa replied, as Hans turned another page in his book. "Before I was crowned, I was referred to as the queen, remember?"
The other woman slowly shut her mouth, falling silence and turning her gaze from to the window. It was to be a quick visit, as far as both Hans and Elsa were concerned; they had much more pressing matters to attend to at home- Finland wished to draw up an alliance with the Isles, and because Arendelle and the Isles were tied together in an alliance of their own, it meant Finland had also had to form an alliance with Arendelle, but they didn't want to. The Finns saw Arendelle as weak in regards to trade and allies, but Hans was putting his foot down- there would be no alliance with the Isles unless there was an alliance with Arendelle.
Elsa turned her gaze to the window, feeling as though a piece of her were missing, for they had been forced to leave the children in Arendelle, since it was going to be such a short trip. Anna would have stayed with the children, if the young emperor hadn't requested she come as well, which confused the princess, as well as the young monarchs. A soft sigh escaped her throat, and she looked up as Hans reached over and took her hand, squeezing gently. "I wish we were home with them."
"We will be, Eliza, my love. We will not be here long; when I wrote to the emperor, I explained the situation at home, and that neither of us could stay longer; that perhaps, after the marriage, we could have a much more formal visit. He seemed to agree to that idea."
All eyes watched as Elsa entered, with Hans and Anna a couple steps behind her. Though customs varied by monarchy, because the emperor had requested Arendelle first and then the Isles, Elsa was to enter ahead of Hans, of which the king was fine with, knowing that the moment the Habsburg court laid eyes on his wife, they would bow to whatever she wished, as so many had done before her.
And so it was with quiet awe that the Habsburg court watched as the Ruling Queen of Arendelle, the rumored Snow Queen, made her way towards them, ahead of the King of the Isles and her sister, Princess Annalise of Arendelle. The skirt of the dark blue gown she wore whispered as she walked, the scooped neck and dropped shoulders revealing the smattering of freckles across her chest; nestled within her gathered, twisted hair, sat a beautifully crafted crown, diamond teardrops swinging gently as she walked. Her hands were folded beneath her breasts, and she kept her head held high, gaze locked on the emperor.
Once she reached the steps of the dais, she stopped; the king and princess quickly bowed before the emperor and his fiancée, but the queen stayed standing. She would not bow until the emperor gave his approval. Several moments of tense silence settled between the two monarchs, as he drank in her exquisite beauty and she sized up this new threat to her power- with this alliance, would he wish to do as the Russian Tsar probably wished, and meddle in Arendellian and Southern Isles affairs? Would he view her as weak and in need of 'guidance', while turning to her husband to 'guide' her, as a fellow member of this probable alliance?
After a moment, the young emperor nodded, and she gathered her skirts, quickly dropping into a curtsy; she had learned over the years that if they wished to play with her, then she would play with them- her feminine wiles and natural beauty could make even the sternest of men bow before her and bend to her will. In the world of monarchies and politics, she was renowned for being able to play the game, and play it well- to the point where she was believed to have both the Queen of Great Britain, her consort, the King of the Isles, as well as several other monarchs, and rulers wrapped around her petite fingers.
When she looked up next, the emperor had come down the steps of the dais, and lifted her chin, helping her to stand. Once all three were standing again, he glanced at the two Scandinavian monarchs, studying them both silently. They were older than him, by a few years, but no less youthful in eithers' looks. These were the monarchs who had built alliances across the board, who seemed to rule their two separate countries together- for what benefited one, benefited the other.
"Willkommen."
She was perhaps the most beautiful woman anyone had ever laid eyes on, outside of Elisabeth- the fact that her name also was Elisabeth was not lost on the emperor. It seemed that women named Elisabeth were destined to be beautiful. She had charmed every man at the ball- every man at court, from the moment she stepped into the throne room- and it was evident that the King of the Isles had only eyes for her. But when he'd asked, she'd mere raised an eyebrow and laughed softly.
It was not an answer exactly, but it was a hint towards the relationship between the two Scandinavian countries. They had spent a couple hours discussing the merits of an alliance between the three monarchies- one the king and queen both reminded him, would be least beneficial to him more than them, because they shared a sea, but Austria was landlocked every way but one- and it shared the Adriatic Sea with Italy.
In the end, the emperor had worn both down, insisting that should one or both need assistance at any time, Austria would be willing to help. The pair had discussed quietly for several minutes, before finally agreeing, but the alliance was shaky at best. At the ball held after, Elisabeth had pulled the queen aside, and apologized for her actions earlier in the day; as a Duchess, for she was not yet Empress, she was still low in rank in regards to the monarchs in the room- and even a step lower, putting her directly below Princess Annalise in rank. Conversation had been shaky at first, before the two had slowly warmed up to each other- one could only guess the queen recognised something in the young duchess, which tugged at her heart.
Either way, the emperor and his bride-to-be were sorry to bid them farewell, and insisted on inviting them to the wedding the following year. All three had agreed quietly, before leaving, eager to return home.
