golden boy

closed to: @fmkonig​

there were many things that caused lèonie pause — looks that lingered too long from strangers and friends alike, words whose intonation fell from her mouth harsher than was her intent — but it was comforting to know there was usually little need to think or reconsider when she was around her brother. flesh and blood, perhaps the only thing that differed between them was obvious temperament. but beyond their facades, they were the same, the threads of their being were identical. this being said, she knew all there was to know about freddie, every like and dislike, every quirk and bad habit. usually, she was a comforting presence to him.

but not always. 

she sat in the sitting room they shared, and her gaze was fixed on him. léonie’s hands reached up, pulling her hair over one shoulder, and her brows raised upwards. still, her mouth lay straight, no quirk upwards or down. she was no easy read at the moment. she clicked her tongue before saying to him — “ i’m not sure what you expect me to say. i’m so sorry, dear brother, that you must be engaged, like nearly every monarch in our line before us — honestly, you cannot say to me you’re genuinely surprised, we both know you’re smarter than that. “

~

The silence between them lingered far longer than Frédéric would have liked, but then again they both knew he was too stubborn to say something first. It wasn’t terrible, this silence, the mere presence of his other half made every moment all the more bearable. But it wasn’t them - or at least, had it lingered longer, he might have been concerned that the promise of utmost honesty between them had broken. 

He huffed in irritation as she finally spoke (good that it was her, and not him, because what the fuck could he possibly say?), and then ran a hand across his face as if buying time. 

“Fuck, Léo, you know that's not the fucking problem.” The edge in his tone would have caused another to flinch, or perhaps even flee, but she wouldn’t - she’d never. “They told me, they fucking promised me that I could choose.” He stood quickly, anger flooding through his limbs as the prince downed his drink. “And they didn’t even fucking tell me!” Without warning, Frédéric threw the cut glass tumbler at the wall farthest from his sister where it shattered with a satisfying crash. 

@fmkonig

Ausra had been stressed for the past few days, ever since she’d received the email from home. It seemed there were considerations being taken for a betrothal to the Swiss crown. Ausra had spent so many years thinking her parents would be too busy with her siblings to think about forging an arrangement for the younger middle child. Not to mention that it wasn’t exactly like men were lining up to ask for the hand of the energetic princess that talks too much.

After days of anxiety about it though, she finally decided it was best to bite the bullet. It somehow seemed less stressful than walking around wondering when she’d run into him. Dressed nice, standing in front of his room though, thanks to the help of a number of maids, it didn’t quite seem like the best idea anymore. With a gulp and a shift in stance she took a deep breath though and fi ally reached out to knock on the door. She didn’t know Frédéric well, or at all really, but hoped it wouldn’t go too bad.

He looked up at the knock with a slight frown, he wasn’t expecting anyone. Staff tended to announce themselves, or at least they had back at home - the Prince couldn’t recall if anyone had done so here yet, and frankly didn’t care. The one person he’d actually want to see, his twin, wouldn’t have bothered with knocking. One twin’s space had always blended seamlessly into the other’s. Frédéric waited another moment, hopeful they might go away or maybe he still expected people to open the door for him.  

With an irritated sigh, the Prince stood and crossed over to the door, pulling it open with a bit more force than necessary. The girl who stood there was familiar but the overwhelming sense of her nervousness drew all of his attention. Briefly he considered what his sister would say, or rather - how she’d encourage him to act. And then decided he didn’t care. 

“What do you want?”  

Charlotte wasn’t hiding from anyone, she was just checking out on the books. There’s only three places she goes the most, apart from her own bedroom, she  likes to visit the library and the gardens for a fresh air. Today, she went to check out on more books to read, even on prohibited time, she sneak in to there for get a good book. This is when she tries to climb some of the wooden shelf, to reach the top book, and clumsily fell onto the table, but she hasn’t hurt herself. ❝ So sorry… It’s sucks being short. ❞ She pulled away from the table not covering the light anymore.

Frédéric stood quickly as the princess fell, reaching out to help her out of habit - perhaps from the deeply ingrained etiquette lessons his late mother had been so fond of. “No need to apologize, are you alright?” He might have even come across as sincere. “What book did you want?” 

Bee had been at the library a few hours before, and as she moved down the castle to continue sweeping and dusting, she suddenly noticed one of her dusting cloths was missing. Backtracking her steps, she found herself standing in the library again, and after moving through the place without any luck of spotting it, Bee finally found herself staring at the prince. Not willing to disrupt him from his reading, the blonde stood there until he acknowledged her presence.

With a polite curtsy, Bee put herself to explaining why she was there. “Forgive me, my lord. I did not mean to intrude. I was merely wondering if, by any chance, you’d seen a cleaning cloth?” For whatever reason, she didn’t assume bending over to look under the armchair he was sitting would be appropriate without announcing her intentions. And it would have made Katina’s hair rise if she ever heard the maid had pushed the prince around just to check whether he had sat on a piece of cloth.

~

Perhaps he was spoiled (many would argue that this was, in fact, true) but at home most of the staff knew better than to bother the prince when he was reading, and if they did not, they learned fairly quickly. His quick temper was so notorious that people tended to avoid the library in the Swiss Palace when he was there. It would foolish to think he’d be able to get away with such a reputation here, nor would his sister allow it. 

“Are you always this careless with your work?” Frédéric allowed just a hint of cruelty to seep into his controlled, aloof tone. He glanced across this part of the library, and spotted a cloth that clearly did not belong draped across a reading lamp. “Is that it?” 

Cassandra was a frequent face in the library, mainly for a change of pace. She didn’t need any of the books they had, none of them worked for what she had been working on, an entire book on Hellenistic pottery, but it was a nice change of scenery. Working in her room got awfully boring and it was far too cold still for her to try to work outside. So, occasionally, she carried her laptop and personal collection of research books to the library in hopes of it spawning some motivation. 

The issue was that the Greek princess had the habit of absentmindedly leaving books on random tables if she got distracted by a thought. That was why she was returning when she head the man speak. “I apologize but I am not lurking,” she replied, leaning forward to reach for her book. “Although, if you would like me to stand here for a time, I could consider it.”

~

“Cassandra,” Frédéric nodded at the princess, his manner visibly thawing if only a little bit. The prince’s general disdain for most people had few exceptions, although he tended to view the other royals as mostly worthy of his acknowledgement. The Greek Princess merited slightly more interest than most, at the very least because she was one of the few who was as demonstrably well educated as he was. Frédéric’s respect for academia and information was the only thing that made his own doctorate bearable, he’d have much rather studied something he found more interesting like she had. 

“Of course not, if you intend to stay you should sit.” Cool grey eyes drifted to the chair across from him then back to her. “Are you looking for something?” He tilted his head, a smirk playing at the edges of his lips as the prince closed the book he was reading - a study of Greek myths and the various portrayals on recovered Hellenistic pottery. It was very clearly not a part of this bleak castle’s collection and in his defense he’d found it sitting on the table. Still, Frédéric waited to see if she’d ask for it back. 

“I don’t know where you got your information, but I’m afraid it’s a bit incorrect.” Poppy hadn’t meant to lurk, but she happened to be in a similar area to where the prince sat. There had been an electrical fix-it book she’d had her eye on in a similar are, but it was clear she was close. “I’ve lurked around here for nigh on a decade and I still have yet to be banished.”

~

Frédéric tapped the cover of the book he’d been reading, a somewhat dull history of the castle and surrounding village, then looked up at the woman. “This somewhat embellished history, for one, and a general knowledge of historical Russian domestic policies and the notoriously fickle,” that was putting it mildly, “temperments of past tsars. I’d say banishment is not out of the question.” 

“Ten years?” this surprised him, he couldn’t think of a single reason one would want to stay in such a remote place for so long. Family, he supposed, might do it for some. “Perhaps you have already been banished, then.” 

Rasa heard the words, and all they elicited from the Lithuanian was a roll of her eyes in their narrow hues. With a scoff, she addressed them. “I thought that’s what we were doing here already,” she didn’t linger to hear his response. Instead, she walked over to one of the many shelves and scanned the titles, trying to find something to read next.

In a way, they had been banished to a far corner of the world with little to no communication with people outside. So how could it be that much different? “If we are to accept this as our gracious punishment, I wonder… Who were you lurking on?” She paused on her search for a book and glanced at her companion. “Maybe an innocent little maid or housekeeper?” She guessed. “Definitely someone who wasn’t flattered by this peeping Tom habit,” she rapped her forefinger against her chin thoughtfully.

~

Against his better judgement, Frédéric smirked. The Lithuanian princess was, at the very least, not boring. The ineffable air of tragedy she’d once worn like an overwhelming perfume had faded somewhat, leaving behind something he could only describe as ‘not giving a fuck.’ As controlled as he was, the prince could enjoy and even encourage chaos in others, as long as it didn’t mess with his carefully crafted image and plans.

“My crime would never be something so common,” he scoffed in return, another little joke with himself - although he hadn’t exactly been punished for that particular crime all those years ago. “And you mean to tell me that you don’t believe we were gathered here for our own safety?” Frédéric raised an eyebrow, the mocking evident in his tone. Safety in numbers was bullshit when the entire future of most monarchies could be wiped out with one targeted attack. “What was your crime, then?”

Ivan had of course known of Frédéric’s arrival at the castle, had even been there to oversee the arrival and welcome the prince to Khatanga, as he tended to do with all. Almost two years there and he still felt a responsibility to place host. He had quickly forgotten all about the Swiss prince though as he returned to his daily tasks. They were old acquaintances anyway and despite getting on well enough some people might say that they were a little too similar. 

Seeing him as he traipsed through the library though, Ivan couldn’t help but make his way towards Frédéric, leaning against the edge of the nearest bookshelf. “Now would you be referring to Russia or yourself specifically?” Ivan questioned, a smirk slowly curling up the corners of his lips. “And where would you try and banish me to?” 

~

“Russia, of course,” Frédéric said matter of factly, closing the book and leaning back to look over at the Russian. Ivan was one of the few crown princes he could actually stand, perhaps it was how similar the two were - which wasn’t without competition. Maybe he even liked that, needed it. “Isn’t that was Siberia is for? Don’t tell me you’ve gotten rid of all of those gulags?” Frédéric raised an eyebrow. 

“Hmm,” the prince drummed long fingers on the desk, almost negligently. “Somewhere warm, I think, maybe a rainforest. Whatever the exact opposite of this godforsaken place is.” 

Elias really hadn’t entered the library with the intention of following Frédéric around, but who was he to ignore such a perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with the Swiss prince? After all, they were neighbours which, in Elias’ mind, meant they were destined to be the best of friends. Failing that, he could always be the fly in Frédéric’s soup instead, which was just as fun.

“Banishment?” Elias parroted as he picked a book at random from the shelf closest to him. He flipped it open about halfway through, read a couple of words, then sighed. “For my numerous crimes? Yeah totally generous, I mean just look at me, such a rogue. Y’know I’m surprised I haven’t been banished already, but I know you’d be so lonely without me here,” Elias smiled, looking positively innocent for a second or two, before it widened into a cheeky grin. “So, what’re you reading?”

~

Frédéric sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. He should have fucking known he couldn’t avoid Liechtenstein in this over crowded palace. The pince, and even his nation, had been a thorne in Freddie’s side longer than he cared to admit and more than once had he fantasized about invading and annexing the damned place just to be done with it. 

“Ritter,” the prince gritted his teeth in a dismissive greeting. “If only that were true. Perhaps I will speak with the russians.” Frédéric turned the page in what he thought was the universal signal for ‘leave me the fuck alone’, but Elias was being purposely obtuse. He glanced down at the page number, then closed the book and looked over at the other man, eyes cold. “A history of this place, might as well be prepared since we are all trapped here.” 

He liked the quiet that came with libraries, for a moment he could almost imagine he was back in Zurich, or Geneva - somewhere he and his sister belonged instead of this isolated liability. The selection here wasn’t even that horrible, although his stubbornness would never permit him to admit such a thing to anyone else. Really, Frédéric was killing time, which seemed to be something he would have to do a lot of here. Maybe the looming conflict between the Netherlands & Russia would be a welcome distraction... 

“Lurking is punishable by banishment in this part of the world,” he did not look up, merely scowled as the shadow of another person fell across the text he was reading, blocking the light. “Which, if you ask me, is quite generous.” 

With the clean up in the village and at the castle and all the royals wanting an escort to help it was no wonder that Gio had heard all the rumors that were circulating about the two countries supposedly going to war. It was exhausting having to listen in on these conversations as Gio really preferred to stay out of it. He didn’t know either of the princes involved nor did he know their sisters very well aside from the snippy one he sat with on Valentine’s day. But he was being pulled in anyway, people asking his opinions left and right to which he usually replied with a shrug of his shoulder. Which is exactly what he had done when he’d sat down and the person nearest him had asked which side he would take if he were a royal and involved in this mess. “I try not take sides. Is Switzerland still neutral because that’s who I’m going with if they are?”

~

As a general rule, Frédéric did not pay particular attention to staff unless they were the chosen few loyalists who’d made the journey with him to this godforsaken place. And even then, he had to be in a very particular mood to engage with them socially. He was, however, exceptionally attuned to any mention of his nation, his birthright. Grey eyes flitted up sharply and found the speaker before the prince let out an almost imperceptible scoff. It was always fucking neutrality with the masses, as if that was all they’d accomplished in centuries of bankrolling Europe. He took a sip of his drink (it was shitty) and signaled to his guard to back off a bit. 

“The last I heard, we still are.” He remarked dryly, a private joke with himself. How many times had some member of his family, joking or otherwise, speculated that he would single handedly ruin centuries of Swiss neutrality with his temper? Frédéric had lost count, but really no longer cared. “Tell me,” the prince almost commanded, cool gaze settling upon the other man. “What is it that you see as neutrality? Surely you must know it is much more nuanced than noncommittal.” He raised a brow. 

— ♔ In the past, people were born royal and for FRÉDÉRIC MAXIMILIAN KÖNIG the TWENTY eight-year-old CROWN PRINCE of SWITZERLAND, that is a tradition HE intend/s to keep. To others, HE looks an awful lot like FREDDY CARTER and has/have been painted as THE GOLDEN BOY but behind closed doors, HE is/are HARSH AND VOLATILE but also METICULOUS AND BRILLIANT. It has also been said they are NOT BETROTHED (yet)

(tw mentions of violence & murder)