The Boy: Der Tod

Years passed. Elisabeth regained control over her own life and her children's education. For a few short months after Franz Joseph accepted her conditions Elisabeth rarely let her children stray from her sight. But soon she began attending to more of the political matters that involved her husband and spending time on her own. She placed her children under a nanny's care and soon began spending much less time with her family.

Eventually Elisabeth played a role in helping the Emperor to reconcile with the Hungarians. The people were rejoicing in the streets, saying that because of this accomplishment, Austria would begin a bigger and better era than before. Little did the people realize that Elisabeth's actions would eventually lead to the fall of the Habsburg Empire.

But now I am getting ahead of my story.

Elisabeth had gained some of her freedom back, though she would never be completely free from the ties that held her down as Empress. She and Franz Joseph had become a little closer than before (which irked me to no end), though they would never be able to rebuild their bond entirely.

I watched throughout these years, silently shadowing her life as time ticked by. I watched as she would ride her horse through the open fields for hours on end. I watched as the Archduchess continued to scheme against Elisabeth, thinking of new methods to make her life difficult. And I watched as Elisabeth's children grew.

I have always had a soft spot for children, perhaps that's why it was still so hard for me to take them, especially the very young ones. Little Gisela had wide brown eyes like her mother, eyes that explored the world and seemed to be searching for all of its mysteries. Her blond curls fell gently over shoulder and her laugh was small and delicate. I would often catch Gisela looking in my direction when I would visit the children, sometimes I wondered if she could see me, though she never said anything to her parents. The Crown Prince Rudolf had blond hair as well, though his eyes were a dark shade of blue, like his father's. He seemed to be a very inquisitive little boy, though seemed a little small compared to other boys his age. He was very quiet but I could tell that he felt a strong attachment to his mother. However, as time passed that attachment became harder and harder to maintain.

The year that Rudolf was eight, Elisabeth was spending most of her time with Franz Joseph, tending to political matters, or on her own away from her duties as the Empress. Rudolf was placed in the care of his nanny and his personal tutor. His sister, being older than Rudolf, did not notice her mother's absence as much and was content to study her books. The young boy, however, did not understand where his mother had gone and often cried out for her. It was on one such occasion that I had the pleasure of meeting Prince Rudolf.

Elisabeth had gone to a formal ball with Franz Joseph, once again leaving her children in the care of their nannies. I had decided to stay in the palace, simply walking along the corridors and examining the building. Although the palace was vast, it seemed cold and distant from the rest of the world. Like me I thought as I came to a stop in front of a painting of a large, magnificent carriage. I had a carriage myself, though it was much different than the object in the painting. My carriage was black as ebony, with jagged edges and a ragged surface. It was pulled by skeletal horses, and was used to carry the souls I gathered into the final realms of death. Certainly not something worthy to painted and hung on a wall.

A faint noise reached my ears just then, it sounded like crying. I walked slowly to my right, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. Soon I stopped just in front of a large wooden door. I turned the ornate handle and slipped silently into the room. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness I could hear a small child crying in the dark. I soon saw that it was The Crown Prince Rudolf. The young boy was sitting up in bed, clutching his sheets with a scared look on his face. When he spoke it was very faint and still held the sound of his tears.

"Mama! Mama where are you? Can you hear me? I'm cold Mama, I need you."

I walked forward slowly, listening to the small voice in the dark.

"I know I'm not supposed to bother you, but I don't know why! I'm afraid of the dark Mama, there's no one here to sit with me and make the shadows go away! Why do you leave me alone?"

I sighed, hating to hear the fear and sadness in the young child's voice. My own voice was hardly more than a whisper as I answered the little boy.

"She doesn't hear you, don't call for her."

I knew I sounded a little harsh, but Rudolf was the Crown Prince, he needed to learn to rely on himself instead of his mother. I sensed that she would eventually grow even more distant than she was now.

"Wh..who are you?"

"I am your friend." I stepped into the light, trying not to frighten the boy any more than I already had. "Whenever you need me, just come find me." I did not know why I was offering to help Rudolf, perhaps it was my way of apologizing to him for playing a part in driving his mother away. I offered Rudolf a small smile and began walking to the door again.

"STAY!" I stopped, a laugh on the lips. I turned back towards the boy, already acting the role of a ruler at his young age. He was standing on the bed, his arm stretched out and his palm facing me. I smiled again, inclining my head to him,

"As you wish."

I walked back to the bed and sat down on the end, my back against the footboard, one leg bend and the other straight. The little boy walked tentatively towards me, finally sitting down on the bed next to me. When he spoke again he sounded like a nine year old child instead of the Emperor that he had imitated a moment before.

"Will you stay with me? Please?" I regarded the young boy for a moment, wondering what further role he would play in the story I was weaving.

"I will be close to you…whenever you need me."

Suddenly the boy's face light up and he stood up, one of his hands resting on my bent knee.

"I can be a hero if I want to be! Yesterday I killed a cat!" I had to laugh at his determination, the seriousness on his face as he lunged with an invisible sword, fighting the air.

"I can be anything I want to be! I can be good or evil...maybe I'll just be wise…like mother."

I watched as the sadness came back into his eyes and he sat down again on the other end of the bed, hugging his pillow to his chest.

"Oh Mama, I want to be like you…but whenever you leave me you never take me with you. But then when you come home you close your door and won't talk to me. Why do you leave me alone?"

I silently watched as Rudolf lay down, staring up at the ceiling for a while. Soon his breathing became steady as he fell asleep. I remained there on the bed, feeling a sense of déjà vu as I remembered sitting up with Elisabeth a long time ago. How strange to now be sitting with her son in the same manner. Perhaps this would be a helpful tool, befriending the Crown Prince himself. If nothing else at least Rudolf would have a friend when he needed one. I felt sorry for the little boy, even though it was partially my fault that Elisabeth had grown so distant. Distant to everyone it seemed, to Rudolf, Franz Joseph…and to myself. My voice echoed in the dark room as I spoke softly, understanding how Rudolf felt.

"Elisabeth…why have you left me alone?"