#and off to Bad Ischl we go - Queue tag

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@corcullum

It was clearly painted on her face, Marie was bored. The young Archduchess did not like this feeling. It was uncommon to her, always the centre of attention, always closely followed by teachers and ladies who attended her... This was new. This called for an adventure.  On silent feet, she left the rooms assigned to her and her mother, where someone had been stupid enough to leave the young girl alone, and began to explore the many halls and pathways of the palace on her own. It was not as big as Schönbrunn or the Hofburg, but on the few travels she had been allowed on, Marie had never found something comparable to the splendour and grandness of her own home. It was good for her, she thought, for she could not lose her way so easily. It did not take long for the young Archduchess to find a small door, a servants entrance, that led her out into the bright sunlight. Marie blinked, taking in the green scenery before her. A park! What a lucky coincidence!  On now more quick than silent feet the girl began to run towards a place in the distance, where she could see sunlight reflected, sparkling like diamonds and... Yes, there was a river, people enjoying the first days of spring... there was life and where there was life there was also always adventure.  Marie stopped on the river’s edge, her gaze drifting towards a bridge not far from her. This one was not as fast as the Ischl, but it looked quite deep. As deep as it was brought. On the other side, she could see a familiar figure, red hair blazing in the sun. Mathilde! A un-princessly shout of joy escaped the little girl as she spotted a friend where none was expected and - quite frantically - she began to wave, hoping Mathilde would see her, too. 

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Hello 😊

A post shared by Ruby O.Fee (@rubyofee) on Sep 7, 2017 at 9:14am PDT

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@apurekindness

The sun shone from above, the red and golden crest of Camelot almost radiating from every corner. Valerie liked this place, it was so different than Schönbrunn and yet comparable enough to chase away her homesickness - at least every now and then. The people were celebrating in the streets, the coronation seemed to make them forget any pain they had felt upon the old king’s death and the Austrian Archduchess wondered how long it would take her own people to forget her father and welcome Rudolf instead if that day were to pass... The Empress was busy preparing herself for the day and so Valerie was able to sneak away for some short moments, taking in her surroundings. She explored the castle grounds, beginning with the stables - where her mother’s precious cow was now housed, always accompanying the Empress for her strange customs of staying healthy. 

Valerie fondly caressed the big animal’s nostrils. “Do you get homesick, too?”, She questioned in a low voice, “Do you miss the green alpine fields or did they lock you up in Vienna, like they tried with mother?” The young Archduchess did not care if someone saw her talking to the animal, may they think what they want, may they think she was as strange as the mother that had dragged a cow all the way from Vienna only to get the right kind of fresh milk. The young woman missed Franz dearly, her beloved was so far away from her now, and any distraction from the shards of her heart was more than welcome. She was so absorbed in those big brown and friendly eyes, that she did not hear when someone was entering, not realising that she had lost the privilege of being alone until steps were heard directly behind her. Valerie spun around, a smile already appearing on her lips. “I am sorry, am I not allowed to be in here?”

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@theladyaustria

“I was with him, in his last hours. He went very... very bravely.”, Valerie’s voice broke. It still made no sense to her that her brave and strong father was now gone. The truth had been that Franz Josef was tired in the end, tired of all these casualties of life... Yet she had thought him undefeatable, even by death.  A part of her thought that by now she should be used to eternity taking away all she held dear. She was a grown woman, a mother, and a wife, she should not shiver in front of such an event like a small girl. But as she had understood many years ago, the Emperor had been the only home in Austria that was ever hers, the rock they all build their lives upon... A small shake of her head was all she could do to chase away such memories. Would the pain ever stop being so painful? Valerie almost laughed at the disorientation of her own thoughts. “Did I ever tell you that my brother, may his ashes rest in peace, advised me to leave the country should father die? I fear even back then he had a notion of the ill that might befall us all. But there is no place left to go. The world is mad and... and Gisela and I all that is left.” Valerie did not know why she was able to speak so openly to Anneliese. Was it because of the bond her family had always shared with the woman? Or was it because she hoped to see at least a little part of her own desperation mirrored within the other, a sign that she was not the only one so shaken by this death.

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Quick PSA: Every interaction with @freigeiist makes me cry.

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Rudolf & Gisela

Oh how she wished she could believe her mother. Marie wished she could believe that Rudolf indeed loved her enough to allow her a decision like this, but the truth lay differently. She had always been the small one, the little girl that came after them. Ever since she could remember it was Rudolf and Gisela against the rest of the world, never Rudolf, Gisela and Marie. When she was still young, only a wee girl starting to write her own diaries, Marie Valerie had looked up to her siblings, adored and almost worshipped them. But growing up she had failed to build a relationship with them that could last through such turmoils. Gisela was the married sister that had build her own happy family - even if Marie found them quite dull at times - and Rudolf was the brother too distant to be understood, too emerged in the problems of court and his love affairs.

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@archduchessxerzsi

For a long moment, she could do nothing but stare at the girl across from her. Such a cruel reminder of the brother she had lost… But could she truly lose someone that had never been hers in the first place? It did not matter now for whatever had happened between her and Rudolf - or worse, between her and Stephanie - was not Elisabeth’s fault. And the little one had just lost her father a fate so atrocious Valerie could not imagine it. With a gentle smile, she bent down towards her niece. “How are you today my dear? Have you come to visit Grandpapa?” Valerie knew that Erzsi was the Emperor’s favourite no matter how good or bad Gisela’s children were, just like she herself had always been the Empress’ favourite. Would this innocent child grow up to perceive this affection as a burden just like the Archduchess sometimes did? The last time Rudolf’s daughter had been with them the pure sight of her had brought the Emperor to tears... It made her worry now. Consoling her parents, being a bastion of calm in these troubled and disturbing times was exhausting and drained the young woman of her energy. It was hard to smile the hearts around her in pieces, but she dearly hoped that the young child might bring some laughter back into the now empty halls of Schönbrunn. After a quick glance towards the young girl’s entourage, she held out a hand. “Come with me, dearest, you and your mother are expected already.”

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@kncwme

Her gaze drifted off into oblivion as Marie Valerie followed her family away from the house, not realising that she was falling behind, almost alone in the dark alley. The young Archduchess could not believe that she was taking these steps, that her body was still moving forward, that her parents were still moving forward. It all seemed so strange, so unreal, as if she was watching herself within a dream, or simply looking at a girl that seemed to be her, but was an entirely different person. A person, who had just lost a brother. The only brother, the heir... now that he had finally shown her some kind of warmth. It had been not even a month since she stepped over these cobble stones, happiness making her heart almost burst. Christmas Eve, the day on which she finally agreed to her engagement with Franz, the day she had shared that happiness with her now growing family. Rudolf had been so kind... And now she wondered if his terrible decision had already been made back then. She wondered if she had ever really seen him.  Valerie stopped in her tracks, embracing herself in a futile attempt to chase away the cold within her heart and soul. She sighed deeply, taking a moment of silence in hopes of understanding the haze inside her head. It was in that moment that she saw a movement from the corner of her eyes, turning around slowly Valerie realised that she was indeed not alone. A quick glance towards her family to see if they were still in earshot. “Can I help you somehow?” She turned to face the stranger completely, wondering if he might be here to offer his condolences to the empirical family. “Are you searching for the princess of Belgium? Are you here because of the Crown Prince? I must apologise for disturbing but... You seem as if you are waiting for something, Sir.”