#mariusdanjou

location: apartments of the archduke of austria, palácio da correio-mor

The Archduke was a pawn, he knew that well enough, and part of him had come to accept that that was all he’d ever be. His family expected more, as if laying claim to a throne which boasted a plethora of more realistic successors was a simple task. The King of Castile and Albert’s little cousin Magdalena, Prince Nicoleto of Croatia and even the unwilling Prince of Austria all had better chances than he and his Babenberg blood. Even the defector Prince of France retained more influence in the empire than Albert but Marius had proved to be a curious addition to Apollonia’s court. While officially an advisor, he suspected the prince was merely another way for the empress to have a hand wrapped around the throats of neighboring kingdoms. She’d seen that Marius had nowhere else to turn and knew it could be used to her own advantage. The prince himself remained an enigma, unreadable even now as they sat drinking with some of the men of their respective households. Royals were only as strong as their supporters and often a small reward encouraged continued loyalty. Good natured merriment and endless ale was sometimes all it took. 

closed to @mariusdanjou​

         wherever the empress was, there was marius d’anjou: nipping at her ankles, gnashing his teeth at her guests, yapping insurgently. yet, the grand hall is silent as the king swings his racket forward and the thudding, springy pop of a tennis ball falling into marius’ gloved palm echos around the court –– making the score deliberately even. as courtiers tore their eyes from the game, returning to their fare and their chatter, it proved an opportune time for alfonso to snap his fingers and call the game to a halt; gesturing to the attendants waiting upon him to bestow the pair with refreshments and silken face-cloths.  ❛  you’ve a decent aim, my lord.  ❜  one might wonder where that aim went when his target was the throne?  with a genial cant of his head, the king concedes, reservedly: ❛  and your attendance is much appreciated, all things considered.  ❜ the weight of henrietta von eggenberg’s death looms over alfonso’s words like a leaden cloud, extrapolated in the momentary glance he pins to marius. 

❛  well ,  for  the  sake  of  my  choices  i  will  assume  me  being  younger  than  any  of  these  fine  options  bears  no  consequences  as  far  as  the  adoption  goes .  if  that  is  so ,  i  would  adopt  sultana  mihrimah ,  the  wonderful  young  lady  she  is .  the  one  i  would  befriend  is  grand  duke  nikita ,  as  he  seems  like  a  most  charming  and  polite  man ,  and  high  in  status ,  too .  the  person  i  would  ignore  is ,  as  it  would  seem ,  queen  isabel  ─  i  harbor  no  resentment  or  ill  will  towards  her ,  truly  ─  i  just  have  yet  to  form  an  impression  of  her  majesty  given  the  limited  time  we  have  spent  in  one  city .  ❜

Perhaps inviting Marius wasn’t the wisest decision that William could have made because he seemed like the sort of guest that the French would take exception to. However, William wasn’t a great fan of the French no matter what their alliance said, so it could be considered a test of their devotion to peace if they behaved. 

Besides that, he was under the protection of the Holy Roman Empress, wasn’t he? And considering her presence, he doubted anyone would make too much of a fuss about it. 

Even if they did, William felt certain that John could find some way to use it to their advantage. So look at that, William found a way to be spiteful to the French and John got to observe potential tensions between two countries to search out a possible weakness to exploit.