Je T'aime. - Chapter 22: Chapter 22

The new year came, called 1761, and with it snow fell on Vienna, coating everything in the whiteness of a pure winter. It covered the heads of the statues and the tallest of steeples. Icicles hung from the roof of the palace, and within the city's most central point, the Danube was coated with a layer of ice. By the third of January, the palace grounds had become a winter wonderland.
The city had slowed to almost nothing in this event, and my father's gardeners spent all day outside shoveling the snow from the walkways of the palace gardens. But the most excited with the snow were the children.
In the early morning, in order to escape the slight melt that the afternoon sun would bring, the youngest archdukes and archduchesses rushed forward, whooping and cheering, into the green. Leopold and Ferdinand begin to calculate the best tobogganing route, while Carolina and Antonia built the foundations for a snowman. Maximilian clung to the hand of Madame von Brandeis, so bundled up that he could hardly walk. With me were Albert, Isabella, and Liesl. We turned to wave at Marianna, who watched us out of the window. The cold did terribly for her joints, especially her back.
With each blow of the wind, a swirl of powdery snow would be moved from the roof of the palace and flutter onto those below. In the sun it glittered like little diamonds, shimmering wonderfully as it fell. As we exited the front doors of the palace, the small layer of dusty snow crunched beneath my feet. This path had been paved last night before the midnight cold could freeze it over, but intermittent snowfall and drift had left the hard work of the gardeners in vain. Albert stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Quite the chill," he said.
The fur on Liesl's cloak fluttered slightly in the wind. "The sun is so bright, you'd think that it would warm up a little out here."
Isabella was watching the children play. "I'll be alright, I think. I'm wearing four petticoats."
I turned to her, examining the puffy volume of her magenta-colored skirts. "That explains it."
I watched Carolina and Antonia build the base of their snowman, struggling to roll a ball of snow that was nearly as tall as they were. Charles came trampling over from the sledding mission to help them, and with his teenaged strength, they were able to get it to stay in place securely. Suddenly the girls realized we were watching them. "Izzy! Mimi! Liesl!"
We ran over to where the snowman was being constructed, where footprints had ruined the perfection of the fresh snow. Upon seeing the nearly knee-deep snow, Isabella said to Liesl, "Liesl, care for a stroll?"
"Of course," Liesl replied. The two continued down the path towards the now drained fountain in the middle of the courtyard.
"Alright, then, Albert. You're helping us with the snowman." I stepped into the snow next to my siblings, and Albert quickly followed.
"Hey, Saxon!" exclaimed Charles. "Help me lift the torso, would you?"
Albert and Charles lifted the torso of the snowman onto the base, much to the delight of the girls. They began to roll the snowman's head. "So," Albert began, "Where's Joseph?"
"Princely duties, Isabella said," I replied.
Charles laughed to himself. "What a killjoy. See, this is why I'm the superior brother."
Albert raised an eyebrow at Charles. "Is that so?"
"Don't get him started-" I tried to say, but Charles was already off on a rant.
"Yes. See, when Joseph was born, our mother was Just a Crown Princess, but when I was born she was the Empress. So as the son of an Empress, I am higher in rank, and I should be the heir."
Albert paused, one of his eyebrows raising in puzzlement. "But Joseph is four years older. That's not how it works."
"That will be how it works. I'll marry an important princess, and I'll rally supporters to get my spot. Emperor Charles VIII," Charles paused to beam. "Has a ring to it, doesn't it?"
"I suppose," Albert replied. "But what princess would that be?"
Charles replied without hesitation, "Maria Luisa of Spain."
"My niece?" Albert inquired.
"Precisely, sir! And then I will have Spain behind me!"
"But Isabella is Luisa's cousin, and is older than she. Isabella is of the Spanish house too. And with her being married to Joseph-" I tried to explain.
Charles waved away my statement. "Nonsense, nonsense. As the younger son it is my natural right to fight with my brother for the throne."
Albert and I exchanged a glance. While Charles was rambling, Albert pointed to him. He then drew a circle in the air around his temple with his finger. Coo-coo.
I stifled back a laugh, though over his talking there was no way that my younger brother could hear me. Though no sound came from me, I mouthed the exclamation stop! in Albert's direction.
Antonia and Carolina pulled fallen twigs from the remnants of the garden and began to construct arms for their new frosty friend. In order to keep myself from cracking up at Charles's ideas, I began to help the girls with their snowman, Albert following suit. Pebbles from the walkway became buttons, a smile, and eyes, and a discarded trowel handle became the nose. Albert found a strip of burlap in the gardener's shed. He wrapped it around the snowman like a scarf. "Ladies?" Albert inquired towards my little sisters, "Opinions?"
Carolina and Antonia squealed with delight. "Hmm," I replied. "I think it's missing something."
Charles took the hat from off of his head and sat it on the snowman's. Antonia exclaimed, "It looks like Papa!"
Just as I was about to laugh, something struck me in the chest, exploding into a white puff. I looked over to my left for the origin of the projectile. There was Isabella, Liesl pulling her to hide behind a bush. I stooped down and scooped up a handful of snow. "Oh, it's on, Princess!" I declared. I kneeled behind a snowbank for cover, Albert joining me.
Soon we were all participating, whipping snowballs at each other through clouds of laughter and wisps of crystalized breath. Isabella's laugh was the loudest, carrying on the air with shrieks of pure delight. Soon we stood from our fortifications and began to slam each other with snowballs from a few feet apart, being struck with them from every angle. My nose ran and my hands stung from the cold, but Albert and I worked together like a well-oiled machine. Snow would strike me on the head and on the shoulders, on my chest and back. Some snow would travel down my clothes and leave a wet spot on my chemise.
Albert and I, along with our team consisting of Amalia, Leopold, Carolina and Ferdinand, gathered as many snowballs as we could and ducked down behind the snow bank that served as our fortifications. "Regroup, regroup!" I called, and we all circled around, panting and sniffling away nasal drip. Our clothes were frosted with snow, the outer layers wet where the warmth of the body had melted the frost. "Captain, what's the plan?"
Albert took the initiative. "I say that we all take as many snowballs as we can and we charge. At my call we'll throw them all, and we'll take them for sure. I'll take the left flank, Christina, you take the right. Everyone else will hold the middle line. Got it?" Albert looked to each individual member, waiting for their nod of approval. "Good. Follow me."
I watched Albert fix his steady gaze on the enemy fortification. He held his hand out to me, never breaking his stare, and beckoned me over. I came to his side. "What is it?" I whispered.
"I don't know what they're doing in there, but it's awful quiet. I think now is the perfect time. Control the left flank."
"Yes, sir," I replied sternly with a salute. Albert smiled, shook his head, and went back to his watch.
I gathered as many snowballs as I could and waited for Albert's signal. Then it came. "CHARGE!"
In a cloud of battle cries and giggles, we leapt over the fortifications into the snow below, trudging across no-man's-land and to the other side. There were snowballs flying everywhere, and the fleeing enemy crossed in every direction. I located my target.
Isabella, in her magenta winter outfit, squealed girlishly once she saw me. Just as I was about to throw she abandoned her post, ducking around me and nearly avoiding a passing snowball. "Charles!" she cried, "I'm on your team!"
Isabella struggled to run in the deep snow, and collapsed down into it onto her back. Her chest rose and fell with every panting breath. Her cheeks and nose were red with cold, and there was both snowflakes and water droplets in her hair. I stood triumphantly before her, and raised my frosty weapon above my head. "Shall I put you out of your misery, or take you prisoner?" I asked her.
Isabella laughed through deep inhales, and rested her head back on the snow. She raised her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. You've got me."
I offered my hand and helped Isabella to her feet. The fight still ensued, and I watched Albert whip a snowball at a retreating Charles, striking him square between the shoulder blades. "Captain!" I called out to him. He turned to me, adjusting his crooked hat. "Retreating man! That's a war crime!"
"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Lieutenant!" he shouted as a reply before scooping up another handful of snow.
"Lieutenant?" said Isabella. "I think you've been promoted."
"I'm not exactly sure what that actually-" my words were cut short. Antonia, with her cheek covered in snow, began to wail, and all fell silent.
Leopold clambered over the snow towards his sister with exclamations of "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" but Antonia wouldn't take it.
Sobbing, she ran to the closest parental figure, which happened to be Albert. Antonia buried her face into Albert's hip, hugging his leg. "Oh, you poor thing," he said, scooping the girl up and into his arms. He brushed the remaining snow from her face. "See, you're alright. Let's go see Mimi and Izzy. They'll get you fixed up, won't they?" Antonia wiped the tears from her face and nodded. "Very well then. Let's go."
Albert handed Antonia to Isabella. Antonia's cheek was red from the impact, but besides that, nothing else was wrong. She put her thumb in her mouth. This was a habit that my mother tried to break from her, but it didn't matter much to me. Isabella rocked Antonia back and forth while I wiped cold water from her face with my sleeve.
Antonia looked over Isabella's shoulder, and I followed her gaze. In a navy blue cloak with the collar turned high was a man, walking towards us. When he raised his head, I could see his face. Joseph. Antonia must have noticed at the same time I did, for she called out to him, "Hi, Joey!"
Joseph smiled at his littlest sister. "Hello," He came to stand beside Isabella and kissed her on the cheek. "What's going on out here? Everyone's covered in snow."
"A snowball fight," I replied.
"And you let me miss it?" Joseph said with a smile. "Damn. These princely government things make me miss out on all of the fun."
"How'd that go, by the way?" Isabella questioned.
"Well, I think. I think we have troop movements covered for the next month or so. And imagine my surprise when I see the name of Albert of Saxony on my list!" He stepped forward and shook Albert's hand. "Congratulations, Captain."
Charles spoke up, wiping snow from his knees. "If you would have participated, Joseph, I would have whooped you all of the way to Munich. You would've lost hard."
Joseph simply rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You're all bark and no bite. Where's your hat, anyways?" Charles pointed at the snowman. "You're going to catch a cold."
Charles scoffed. "I'll be fine." but as he walked away, one could see the reddening of his ears.
"I don't even know why you bother," said Isabella, "He's a lost cause."
"Brotherly love," Joseph sighed. "That's the way he's always been. We've just been bickering and bickering, all of our lives. He's got himself convinced that he's better than me."
Isabella asked my brother, "Did you hear of his plan to-"
"Overthrow me?" Joseph interrupted. "Yes. And it's ridiculous, and is never going to work. The only truth in it is the girl he's arranged to marry. And even for her I feel great pity. To put up with him every day will certainly be a chore. He thinks he's some Bonnie Prince Charlie or some such."
"You won't exile him, will you?"
"If he keeps it up while I'm Emperor, I just might. But I'm convinced this is all just childish, and he'll grow out of it. He's only fifteen. I'll send him to the British Americas, where they won't give a damn about his crown."
"He'll get scalped out there."
"Good. I can't tolerate threats to my crown. Even if it's my own brother. Call me tyrannical, but I have plans for this country, and I can't let him ruin them."
"You'll have to tell me about these plans," Isabella said as she set Antonia back down on the ground.
"Oh, trust me," Joseph said. "You will."
"Joseph, der Kaiser?" Isabella implored with a smile.
"One day. And you, die Kaiserin."
I watched the romantic aura of my brother and his wife with a kind of bitter reserve. Did she love him? Did she love him at all, or was it all an act, the consort turned into some kind of royal actress? The lips that smiled at him had been pressed to mine twice now. How could she go through with being this double-sided? Did it not eat away at her soul?
But I assumed that I was no better. Standing to my right was a Saxon prince and now a Captain in the army who had sworn himself to me. Both of us, in the tenderness that grew between us, turned a harsh cheek towards the gentlemen in our lives. And they were good men, too, as far as I was concerned. It was a double life that we were both forced to live, joined by the arrow of Eros that struck us by chance.
Even though she was not born to it, Isabella looked like the prettiest painting with her blushing face and the snow in her hair, even if her nose dripped and her fingers were stiff. She smiled through the shivers, acting slightly, though not overly, grateful when Joseph laid his cloak over her shoulders. It was at this time that she probably hoped for the Romanesque Spanish languages, or a sweet Mediterranean breeze to blow through an open window in Parma. Maybe she only wanted to hear the delicate voice of her mother again. But here she was, in a nation that she was forced by her blood and foreign policy to call her home.