Je T'aime. - Chapter 7: Chapter 7

My younger sisters ran from alongside me into the rich, green lawn just beyond Schönbrunn's garden. In a fit of giggles they romped over to where several other children were already playing. Games had been set up all over the lawn, and courtiers mingled about enjoying refreshments. The trees of the wood were shades of red, orange, and yellow. Leaves drifted down gently to the earth below. But yet, as winter was on its way, the sun was still shining and warm.
The guard in blue stood dutifully just next to the palace door, his musket against his shoulder. He stood perfectly still, like the toy soldiers that Ferdinand and Maximilian owned. The only human-like motion he made was the squinting of his eyes in the sun. Then I saw what he was protecting- the Princess, standing with her husband watching the girls play. Eleanore was with them, fluttering her fan absent-mindedly. They were both standing awkwardly- Joseph was almost as stiff as the guard, and Isabella crossed her arms in reserve.
I decided to approach them and alleviate the tension. When Isabella saw me, her face lit up. Eleanore stopped fluttering her fan. "Good morning, Isabella, Eleanore. Don't you two look lovely. Would you care to join me for some games on the green?"
Isabella immediately left her husband. "Of course, of course," she turned to Joseph briefly. "Go have fun, Joseph! Don't be a stick in the mud!"
As we walked away I said, "He's never been one for merriment and amusements."
"No kidding," Isabella replied.
"The man's got a stick up his-" Eleanore commented before Isabella stopped her.
"Eleanore, please," Isabella corrected her friend. "I'm not saying you're not right, but please keep those things to yourself near him."
Eleanore rolled her eyes. "Whatever, you know I'm right."
We made our way over to the lawn, where Johanna, Josepha, Carolina, and Antonia romped in the grass. As soon as they saw us Antonia called out cheerily, "Mimi! Izzy! Come play with us!"
Carolina joined in, "Yeah! We're playing blind man's buff!" She held out a silk ribbon that the girls were using as a blindfold.
Isabella and I exchanged glances. She looped her arm with mine. "Come on, Christina!" she laughed, pulling me towards the cheering girls. "Who's it?"
Antonia grinned with a giggle and extended her finger in a point. "You, Izzy!"
"Me?!" Isabella exclaimed, pointing to herself. Antonia nodded. "Well, alright." She kneeled in the grass, and Carolina tied the ribbon over her eyes. Isabella stood slowly, the golden sunlight shining through her pale yellow dress. The frizzy flyaways of her dark hair formed a sort of halo around her head.
I approached Isabella slowly from behind and placed my hands on her shoulders. Guiding her with my hands, I spun her around three times to disorient her, then took a jump back out of her reach. Isabella took a step forward, her arms outstretched, trying to capture one of us. I waved to my sisters, telling them to rush around the other side. The girls stifled their laughs behind their hands as we avoided Isabella's extended grasp. "Antonia," Isabella teased. "I can hear you laughing!"
Antonia replied through a giggle, "No you can't!"
"Now I can hear you talking!"
Carolina pulled Antonia back. "Antonia, hush!"
"Now I hear two!"
Josepha and Johanna stood behind the Princess, sticking out their tongues and making faces at the clueless Isabella. Johanna stepped a little too close, and Isabella reached down to seize her. In an attempt to win the game, I took a step forward to pull my sister back. In the process, Isabella tripped over my extended foot. I instinctively wrapped my arms around her to catch her, but her weight upon mine sent us both toppling to the ground. I landed on my back in the soft grass, the sun shining down on me. I quickly propped myself up and saw the girl who was laying across my torso. "Oh God, Isabella, are you alright?"
Isabella pulled down her blindfold. "Very much so," She pushed herself up and stood.
"Are you? Thank you for catching me, my dear." She extended her hand, which I took, and she pulled me to my feet.
"I'm..." my mind trailed as I spoke. "Fine."
"I'm glad," Isabella said with a sweet smile.
From the front of the yard, a crowd was beginning to gather. "What's happening?" I asked.
Isabella grasped me by the arm and pulled me towards the crowd. "I don't know, but we have to see!"
We pushed our way to the front of the herd of well-dressed ladies and gentlemen to see my younger brother Charles brandishing a sword. "Joseph, my brother, shall we see who is the better heir?" At first Joseph refused, shaking his head. "What are you, some kind of coward?" Charles grinned. "Come on, Joey."
Joseph shook his head, despite all of his friends around him pushing him towards the young Archduke. "No, no."
Isabella turned to me. "Watch this," she let go of my arm and strode towards Joseph. She approached him with a beaming smile and placed a hand on his chest. She leaned into him, and looked up at him with wide, puppy-dog like eyes. "Oh, Joseph," she cooed in a sweet voice. "Won't you protect me from that ruffian? Won't you, my prince?"
Joseph wrapped his arm around Isabella's waist and embraced her. "Of course I will. Ernest, hand me the goddamn sword," he reached out behind him, and once of his friends placed a sword in his hand. He extended it towards Archduke Charles. "It's on, kid, it's on."
Isabella came back to my side with a glowing grin. "See, it's just that easy."
Charles raised an eyebrow before stepping forward. "I see you've mustered up your courage with ideas of chivalry. But let's see what you can do," he swiped his sword forward. With the sound of clashing metal, Joseph intercepted the sword's path. He took a step forward, forcing Charles back. He took a swipe at the younger dueler, but Charles blocked his attack. "Is that all, Crown Prince?" Charles teased. "All show and no grit?" Charles stabbed towards Joseph, who leaped back just in time. As Joseph took another swipe, Charles stepped forward for leverage. The two looked each other in the eyes. "My, my, Joseph. Your footwork is impeccable."
Joseph clashed his sword with Charles's.  For just a moment he paused as Charles kept blabbering on and on. "Maybe if you'd stop talking you could have better swordsmanship!" Joseph's grip on his weapon's handle loosened, and the perfect posture of his stance began to slip. A smile hinted on the edge of Charles's lips as he watched his older brother struggle.
Isabella seemed to notice the sharp decline of her knight's battle. "You can do it, Joseph!" she cried out to him. Joseph glanced over at his wife, and for just a moment it looked as if Charles was going to overtake him.
Suddenly, with a great surge of energy, Joseph pressed his weight into his weapon, cleanly knocking Charles's sword to the ground. Charles watched his sword clatter to the ground before looking back up to Joseph with wide eyes. Joseph stood with dignified posture and pressed the tip of his sword to Charles's chest. "Good game, sir."
The surrounding crowd burst out into applause. Isabella ran forward to her husband and was immediately welcomed into his arms. With his sword still hanging loose at his hip, Joseph pressed a soft kiss to Isabella's hairline. From behind them, Charles pretended to gag. "Ugh, get a room already!"
From within me came a strange rise of emotion. I watched my brother embrace his wife, the pinnacle of domesticated happiness. But at the same time I could not pay attention to the happy couple, or wish that I would be held by my husband one day. I only saw the beautiful Isabella, her stunning smile setting her face aglow. But I quickly shook these thoughts from my head. They were happy. I was happy because they were happy. That was everything, that was all.
Joseph glanced from his wife to the gaggle of gentlemen standing behind him. He extended the sword forward. "Alright, who's next? Anyone, lads?" He locked eyes with an awkward, slender man I knew all too well. "Albert?"
Albert smiled and strode forward, almost too confidently. I had to stifle back a laugh at his acting. He glanced around before stepping to the side alongside the stiff François. "Can I borrow this?" he reached for the sword strapped to the guard's hip, though François didn't say a word. "Thank you kindly."
Joseph released his wife to stand beside me once again. "Well, Lancelot," he said to Albert. "Choose your Guinevere."
Albert grinned. Without even looking around he came towards Isabella and I. I half-expected him to bow before Isabella; if he was Lancelot then surely he would be after a married Guinevere. But to my shock Albert came and kneeled before me. He took my hand in his and pressed a gentle kiss to my knuckles. He glanced back up at me with a smile, his blue-gray eyes shining in the autumn sunlight. "Wish me luck," he whispered before standing. As he turned towards my brother Albert gave me a wink. He ran his thumb quickly across his lower lip before stepping confidently towards Joseph.
Isabella gave my arm a squeeze. "Oh, he likes you, Christina. He really likes you."
I watched Albert stand gracefully before Joseph, his sword extended. He was a thin, lanky man; he was built a bit awkwardly on a long skinny frame. He was average looking- not desperately handsome but not terrible either. His hair was a light chestnut brown, and his eyes a steely blue. But he was kind hearted, and that was all that mattered to me. When I met him so many years ago and ever since, I had never thought of him in a romantic way. But maybe I could learn to. "You think so?"
"Oh, I know so," Isabella replied. "Did you see the way he looked at you?"
"He's never looked at me like that before," I said back, still watching him. "But that all could have been an act."
"It's not an act. He looks at you like that all the time. He's just been doing it when you're not looking."
"Really?"
"Of course."
We both turned towards the sword fight at hand. Albert and Joseph were clearly a match for each other. The fight was desperate. Every move was replied with a block. The sound of clashing metal filled the air. The crowd had taken sides, and was shouting out the names of their chosen knights. Joseph and Albert struggled against each other, but in a graceful, princely struggle. Charles watched from afar, shouting insults at Joseph in an attempt to rally him. Soon the younger girls had joined us- Carolina grabbed hold of my skirt in excitement as she watched the match. Johanna and Josepha wedged themselves between Isabella and I, and Antonia beckoned for Isabella to lift her. Isabella balanced Antonia on her hip and pointed towards the battle at hand. "See, there's your brother. Who do you think is going to win?"
Antonia replied with a beaming smile, "Joey. Albert looks like Papa's walking stick. He's very thin and long."
Isabella and I looked to each other and burst into laughter. "Well," I commented. "She's not wrong."
Antonia looked out towards the clashing of swords. "Go Joey!" she cried out. Soon her sisters joined her with cheers. Joseph struggled to keep his focus as a smile hinted at the edge of his lips.
"Am I the only one cheering for Albert here?" I asked.
"Yes," Carolina stated matter-of-factly.
Soon it looked as if a resolution was coming. Both men were beings of focus, ignoring the cheers and jeers of the crowd. Joseph quickly wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve. Albert's grip of his sword was tight; even from where I was standing I could see the bones and veins of his hands through his skin. He stepped forward, forcing the energy of his weight into his weapon. In a quick flick of the wrist, Albert had his sword pressed diagonally across Joseph's torso.
Albert grinned with unexpected glee. He looked to me with a beaming smile and opened his arms. I rushed to him and was met with his embrace. I was struck with how pleasant it felt. His arms wrapped around me, my face against his shoulder. I hadn't hugged him like this since our first times together as children. Though Albert did not strike me as much as Isabella did, I still felt comfortable with him like this. In my mind something clicked. When my mother arranged my marriage I would refuse. I would marry Albert of Saxony and no-one else.
"Did you see that, Christina? I'm more powerful than the Crown Prince!" Albert exclaimed.
"You did it! You really defended my honor there," I replied, my heart fluttering with his pure glee.
"I shall always defend your honor, Guinevere."
I returned to Isabella as another sword fight between two other courtiers began. Isabella pressed the back of her hand to my cheek. "Goodness, you're red as a beet! Maybe all this chivalry is a little too much for you," Isabella joked. "Come on, we'll go for a walk in the garden."
Isabella and I worked our way towards my father's perfectly manicured gardens that were the gem of Schönbrunn. Flora, both domestic and exotic, was curated by a team of highly skilled gardeners that my father hired personally. Besides Wilhelmina, these gardens were my father's joy. Isabella and I passed through the entrance to the garden, which was guarded by two white marble statues, one of Aphrodite and one of Ares. Their stone-cold gazes were directly at each other, and for eternity they stretched over the garden's path towards each other, their fingertips only about a foot apart.
I directed my attention towards Isabella, who was carefully looking over my father's gardens. She would pause to gently run a waxy leaf through her fingers, or to enjoy the sweet fragrance of a delicate blossom. "This really is beautiful," Isabella commented. "It's more natural than the gardens at Versailles. I always thought French gardens were too well groomed, anyways."
"The gardens are all the undertakings of my father. I'll pass your compliment on to him," I replied, watching Isabella carefully admire the greenery. We passed the thick hedge maze and made our way deeper and deeper into the garden. We were walled on all sides by heavy shrubbery here, and I knew that this place was where thousands of secrets were told. I also knew, even though it drew up bitterness within me, that my father and Wilhelmina used this place for rendezvous. We came upon a little white building, with its Greek architecture and rounded dome roof. The outside was decorated with seashells and Romanesque urns. It was a beautiful little building, hidden in the tranquility of the deepest parts of the gardens. A pair of swallows rested on the roof, taking a break from the cruelty of the world.
"Welcome to the Fair Spring," I said to Isabella, slowly opening the gate of iron bars that kept unwanted guests out of the building. "It's my favorite part of the garden." I let her in first, to let her admire it.
Inside of the building was a beautiful sight. The walls were decorated with the image of reeds that grow along streams, and garlands of flowers made of stone embellished the ceiling. A curved opening in the back of the building let in the spotted light of day in the forest. But the treasure of this place was the spring itself. A shell-shaped basin was elevated about hip-height above the ground, embedded in a false natural rock alcove. Lounging above the basin was a statue of a beautiful woman. She was naked, and was seated with her weight on her left hip. Her hair was pulled back in a Roman style. In her right hand she held a cornucopia of fruits and grain. Under her left arm was a vase, which poured water from a natural spring into the basin. It truly was a beautiful sight.
"Oh, it's wonderful," Isabella said with a smile. "Who is she? Venus? Juno? Oh, Castalia! With the whole fountain thing?"
I grinned at Isabella's excitement. "No, no. She's Egeria. Lover of the King of Rome, giver of great knowledge. When the King died, she melted into a puddle of tears and formed a fountain. The water gives those great wisdom. And it's said that since Egeria was a nymph, her water also gives blessings of fertility."
"Fertility," Isabella said. "Hence the cornucopia."
"Precisely."
Isabella cupped her hands under the gentle stream of water that ran out of the vase. She brought her hands to her lips and drank. "Oh, it's delicious," she said. "If I am to bear your brother heirs, I might as well."
I placed my own hands under the water and filled the shallow chalice that I had made for myself. The water was surprisingly cool. I did the same and Isabella and drank. To my surprise, the water was crisp and refreshing. As it wettened the back of my throat I didn't doubt that it was not magical. I shook the remaining moisture off of my hands. "You're right, it is!"
Isabella smiled. "Don't become too fertile. I don't think Her Majesty wants grandchildren from you quite yet."
"No. She wants them from you. And who would I father them with, anyways?" I joked.
Isabella raised an eyebrow. "Albert."
I glanced over at Isabella, who stood before me in spotted sunlight in her canary-yellow dress. "He's too low in rank. My mother would never let me marry him. Within the next few years I'll be shipped off somewhere to marry a stranger. My father has his nephew Benedetto in mind. I'll be carried away to marry him. Like you."
Isabella took my hands in hers, nearly forcing me to look her in the eyes. With her touch my heart fluttered. "Albert is in love with you, Christina. And I know you care for him, too. A friendship can be gently groomed into romance. Trust me. Joseph says Her Majesty treasures you as her favorite child. If anyone can convince her to anything, it would be you. You have so many other siblings for politics. I want you to be happy. You don't want to be married off like me."
"But if I am married in an alliance, I could save my younger sisters from heartbreak. Little Antonia- I could take future weight off of her shoulders. I could-"
Isabella interrupted me. "I admire your selflessness, I really do. But this is one time when you have to just think about yourself. And if nothing else will convince you, Christina, I will tell you one thing. The only thing that brings me great joy in this court. I would hate to see you sent away to marry some miserable prince of god-knows-where. I cherish you, Christina."
I wasn't quite sure why, but I felt tears building up in my eyes. My head was a flurry of emotions, and I couldn't even express a single one of them. "Thank you. God, thank you."
Without thinking, I wrapped Isabella in an embrace. Something about that hug felt completing. When we let go, Isabella reached up and wiped a stray tear off of my cheek with a swipe of her finger. "Oh, don't cry. You're very welcome, Princess Albert," At Isabella's comment, my lips curled into a soft smile. "There! That's what I was looking for! Come on, let's get back out onto the green before people start worrying about us."