WI Napoléon II: Bourbon Hostage?
- Thread starter Kellan Sullivan
- Start date
If I had a nickel every time XYZ happened, I'd have two nickels. Which is not much. but it's weird that it happened twice
I'm curious as to how the Bourbons having Frankie would affect their decisions regarding the rest of the Bonapartes. I feel like Murat-Louis XVIII has already been discussed at length. But there are still Elisa (currently at Montpellier), Joseph (whose just bought the chateau de Prangins), Jérôme (whose wife's baggage has just been stolen by the royalist marquis de Maubeuil), Louis (in Rome or Graz, sources vary, and demanding that Hortense surrender their sons to him) and, not a Bonaparte, but Eugène de Beauharnais (who Louis XVIII seemed rather "amenable" to pre-100 Days).
We're excluding Pauline (on Elba with Napoléon), Madame Mère and Cardinal de Fesch (in Rome) and Lucien.
We're excluding Pauline (on Elba with Napoléon), Madame Mère and Cardinal de Fesch (in Rome) and Lucien.
Not really sure what would happen to them but I'd love to see Frankie and Eugene interact at some point.
Ngl this whole premise is ASB. There's no way in hell Napoleon II would be allowed to be a hostage in the hands of the Bourbons. Louis XVIII was not fond of the Bonapartes or the Orleanists who he saw as usurpers. In the case of the Orleans family, Louis held Philippe-Egalite (rightly so) as personally responsible for Louis XVI's death. And while he had a contentious relationship with his older brother, he did love him.
Louis was so pissed that had any of Philippe's Children, (Louis-Philippe and his brother) set foot in Paris, Louis would have probably have them guillotined, or possibly beheaded by an axe. It was only thanks to Charles X talking him down, wanting to present a unified Royal family, that he relented.
Louis XVIII personally financed and instigated the deposition of Murat. He basically forged the letter which got Murat declared as basically an outlaw as well. Murat was set to keep his throne with his wife banging Metternich on the side, but Louis XVIII wanted none of it.
The Bonapartists were a major faction within the Restoration administration and army, and they would see Napoleon II as being perpetually in danger, with the memory of Louis XVII's treatment fresh in people's minds. Kaiser Franz would also not want his grandson in their hands either. He'd probably end up threatening another war over the issue of the safe return of his grandson. Ironically enough such an incident might actually fray relations between both monarchies, and Kaiser Franz, who was indeed fond of his grandson, might just help train Napoleon out of spite and a feeling of righteous indignation, actively holding the sword of Damacles over the Bourbons' heads.
The Bonapartists actually were active in otl and there were plots to try and smuggle the eaglet from Austria and into France. Int the custody of the Bourbons, these plots would intensify and probably have support/cooperation from Austria.
His actions though were a faux-pas. The punishment of forced labor or death as specified by the Anti-Sacrilege Act was a wild overreaction that even upset many conservatives.
@Kellan Sullivan Sorry to say, but this is pretty ASB. Ignoring the well-known hatred the Bourbons had to Nappy and the Bonapartes, and the continuing role former Napoléonic officials played in Restauration France (there was simply too many to purge without destroying the government), I just can't see a realistic way for "Frankie" to become a pro-Bourbon French Prince. Even if you flap the bat wings and get NII as a Bourbon hostage AND make sure the Bourbon courtiers don't just poison the kid, at best, there's still no reason as to why NII wouldn't be well aware of his Imperial rights, and make a play if/when Charles X screws up. At best, you're creating a Theon Greyjoy situation, and we all know what he did to his "adopted family".
Also, am not sure where you're getting the whole "Louis XVIII was OK with Murat" thing, but that's wrong. Like WAY wrong. Both books I've read on the Congress of Vienna made it QUITE clear that the Bourbons were not OK with Murat in Naples (and to a lesser extent ML in Parma), and constantly campaigned via Talleyrand for his removal. Same with Castlereagh and Britain. Even if Nappy somehow doesn't try to return form exile (which, with his son in the hands of the "evil" Bourbons, seems even more likely; Nappy was well aware of what he did to the Duc d'Enghien), the French and the British will eventually come up with a way to kick off Murat.
Also, am not sure where you're getting the whole "Louis XVIII was OK with Murat" thing, but that's wrong. Like WAY wrong. Both books I've read on the Congress of Vienna made it QUITE clear that the Bourbons were not OK with Murat in Naples (and to a lesser extent ML in Parma), and constantly campaigned via Talleyrand for his removal. Same with Castlereagh and Britain. Even if Nappy somehow doesn't try to return form exile (which, with his son in the hands of the "evil" Bourbons, seems even more likely; Nappy was well aware of what he did to the Duc d'Enghien), the French and the British will eventually come up with a way to kick off Murat.
Fontainebleau
Soundtrack: Carl Maria von Weber - Abu Hassan - Was nun zu machen? [1]
*exterior* *Palais de Fontainebleau* *Gardens of the Grand Parterre* *we see the little king of Rome romping happily with his cousins, the sons of Hortense de Beauharnais and the year-older duc de Chartres, as well as the duc de Berri's two daughters* *while running along one of the pathways, he trips and falls* *almost instantly Madame Royal, sitting on a bench next to her husband, is on her feet* *but before she can move, he pops up like a jack-in-the-box and excitedly waves his arm at her before returning to his play*
*we hear her sigh as she sits down again*
*from a window above, King Louis and the Austrian ambassador, Baron Vincent, watch this*
Louis XVIII: we trust you are satisfied to report back to his Majesty that his grandson is perfectly safe and happy.
Vincent: sire, that is not why I was sent and you are aware of it. No doubt Prince Talleyrand has already told you.
Louis: Prince Talleyrand has informed us. The Duc de Dalberg has informed us. *looks at both men who are standing to one side* And now the emperor has sent you to inform us, Baron Vincent. We are well aware of the facts on the ground.
Vincent: and your Majesty's answer?
Louis: remains as we sent them to tell the emperor. We are unsure of why he thought the matter necessary to send his own ambassador to ask me.
Vincent: your Majesty will not return the king of Rome.
Talleyrand: *subtly* your Excellency, to return the king of Rome is to imply that we have...somehow...absconded with him. Or to imply that his grandfather the emperor has some...prior claim to him.
Vincent: he has no wish to quibble on the matter, he simply wishes to ensure the health and well-being of his grandson.
Louis: and now that you have ascertained to the health and well-being of said grandson with your own eyes, we trust the matter is at an end. *sighs* we grow tired of this repetition. *offhandedly* we have never known such a small child to cause such consternation amongst the crowned heads of Europe.
Vincent: if his Majesty could be assured of his grandson being *pauses* brought to him and his daughter at Rambouillet, then he will of course, see this matter to its conclusion.
Louis: *clearly annoyed* is our word not sufficient to his Majesty?
Vincent: *clearly choosing his words carefully* the emperor would remind your Majesty that France has an...unfortunate history of late of what she does with royal children. First your Majesty's nephew, the late king. Then the previous ruler's behaviour with the duc d'Enghien. His Majesty fears that the French are...perhaps not the best custodians.
Dalberg: the same could be said of both the Russians and the English. The tsar murdered his father, but he is hailed as liberator of Europe. The English have murdered not only King Charles but also a King Richard and two Kings Edward. One of whom was entrusted into the everloving care of his loving uncle.
Vincent: but we are not talking of what either the Russians have done or the English, but of the emperor of Austria.
Louis: does the fact that he is emperor of Austria somehow signify that he is above such scruple? What guarantee have we- aside from his word- that he will not train up this child to be wielded against us. If our word that the child shall not be harmed is insufficient for him on this matter, then how can we possibly accept his that he will not do as we have just asked?
Vincent: his Majesty would never dream of doing such a thing
Louis: and we are sure that he spoke the same words to his son-in-law.
Vincent: I do not know what has passed between his Majesty and the usurper. I only know that he sincerely wishes for all that is best for his grandson-
Talleyrand: or?
Vincent: I beg your pardon?
Talleyrand: the manner in which you spoke, Excellency, suggested that there was a condition to what you said. That the emperor sincerely wishes for all that is best for his grandson or what?
Vincent: *sighs in defeat* or he will be obliged to declare war on France if the boy is not brought to him.
*for a few moments, there is silence in the room*
Louis: *makes a noise that sounds like a hiccup* *then another* *we realize that he is actually laughing*
Talleyrand and Dalberg: *start laughing as well*
Louis: *between laughs* he will declare war? On us. For the sake of his grandson?
Vincent: and he will rely on the support of England and Russia to do so, your Majesty.
Dalberg: *getting his laughter under control* Baron Vincent, I appreciate that you are a marshal of the Austrian army, but I would caution your master against making such threats.
Vincent: it is no threat, your Grace, his Majesty was deadly serious.
Talleyrand: *slightly more amiable tone* what my colleague means, Baron, is that it would not be difficult, in such a situation as you outline, for a few words in the right ears, to suggest that his Majesty's actions are not...after all...to obtain custody of his grandson...but instead, to place his grandson on the throne of France under the guardianship of his mother.
Louis: or even that his Majesty wishes to recall the usurper from Elba and enthrone him once more.
Vincent: *looks at them* *trying to see if they are bluffing*
Louis: we need not explain to your Excellency that such news will hardly be met with the approval of either the tsar or the English
Vincent: and they will know that such an assertion on behalf of the emperor is not only preposterous but also-
Louis: also what, Baron? His Majesty was in a position so weak that he sacrificed his eldest daughter to the usurper. That same daughter...misplaced...for want of a better term her son- my sister, the late Queen, was certainly no mastermind of strategy, and yet, even on the Flight to Varennes, in the chaos of she and my brother's arrest, they were never quite so remiss as misplacing so much as a knife and fork much less one of their children. The empress was not under such stress, or in such a state, she would've come to no harm- as my brother and sister did- and yet she failed to notice that there was one less carriage- that of her son- in her baggage train. That neither she nor Monsieur Jérôme noticed the missing carriage- being more concerned with their own belongings- is little short of a scandal! Would his Majesty prefer me to inform the courts of Europe as to how we came into possession of his grandson?
Vincent: *looks worried*
*dismisses Talleyrand and Dalberg so that he and Vincent are alone*
Louis: *suddenly calmer* now...your Excellency,,,if I may speak privately...I have certainly no wish for the boy to remain in Paris. If it were up to me...I would dispatch him to the loving arms of his grandfather and entrust him to do with him what he will. Send him to join his father on Elba or banish him to some mouldy castle in Transylvania...he will hear, naturally, no dispute of the matter from me. *heaves himself from the chair and walks over to the window * *beckons Vincent to his side* unfortunately...it is not up to me. *looks down at Madame Royal* it is her wish that he remain in France. She has vouched for him. Do you think she, the daughter of murdered parents, the sister of a murdered brother, will allow the boy to be separated from her.
Vincent: your Majesty could order it.
Louis: I can order a great many things, Baron *lumbers back to her chair* but to break with her over a trifle such as whether a child is raised here or in Vienna...will be to split my own family asunder. You may tell your master that if he doubts my word on the health and well-being of his grandson, he can surely trust hers. And if he wishes to face her resolve, ensure that you remind him of her stubborn refusal of the duke of Teschen when she was held as hostage- for want of a better term- in Vienna. And that is our final word on the matter.
*dismisses Vincent as he sits down again*
*fade to black*
[1] sorry, I couldn't resist the irony of the title
*exterior* *Palais de Fontainebleau* *Gardens of the Grand Parterre* *we see the little king of Rome romping happily with his cousins, the sons of Hortense de Beauharnais and the year-older duc de Chartres, as well as the duc de Berri's two daughters* *while running along one of the pathways, he trips and falls* *almost instantly Madame Royal, sitting on a bench next to her husband, is on her feet* *but before she can move, he pops up like a jack-in-the-box and excitedly waves his arm at her before returning to his play*
*we hear her sigh as she sits down again*
*from a window above, King Louis and the Austrian ambassador, Baron Vincent, watch this*
Louis XVIII: we trust you are satisfied to report back to his Majesty that his grandson is perfectly safe and happy.
Vincent: sire, that is not why I was sent and you are aware of it. No doubt Prince Talleyrand has already told you.
Louis: Prince Talleyrand has informed us. The Duc de Dalberg has informed us. *looks at both men who are standing to one side* And now the emperor has sent you to inform us, Baron Vincent. We are well aware of the facts on the ground.
Vincent: and your Majesty's answer?
Louis: remains as we sent them to tell the emperor. We are unsure of why he thought the matter necessary to send his own ambassador to ask me.
Vincent: your Majesty will not return the king of Rome.
Talleyrand: *subtly* your Excellency, to return the king of Rome is to imply that we have...somehow...absconded with him. Or to imply that his grandfather the emperor has some...prior claim to him.
Vincent: he has no wish to quibble on the matter, he simply wishes to ensure the health and well-being of his grandson.
Louis: and now that you have ascertained to the health and well-being of said grandson with your own eyes, we trust the matter is at an end. *sighs* we grow tired of this repetition. *offhandedly* we have never known such a small child to cause such consternation amongst the crowned heads of Europe.
Vincent: if his Majesty could be assured of his grandson being *pauses* brought to him and his daughter at Rambouillet, then he will of course, see this matter to its conclusion.
Louis: *clearly annoyed* is our word not sufficient to his Majesty?
Vincent: *clearly choosing his words carefully* the emperor would remind your Majesty that France has an...unfortunate history of late of what she does with royal children. First your Majesty's nephew, the late king. Then the previous ruler's behaviour with the duc d'Enghien. His Majesty fears that the French are...perhaps not the best custodians.
Dalberg: the same could be said of both the Russians and the English. The tsar murdered his father, but he is hailed as liberator of Europe. The English have murdered not only King Charles but also a King Richard and two Kings Edward. One of whom was entrusted into the everloving care of his loving uncle.
Vincent: but we are not talking of what either the Russians have done or the English, but of the emperor of Austria.
Louis: does the fact that he is emperor of Austria somehow signify that he is above such scruple? What guarantee have we- aside from his word- that he will not train up this child to be wielded against us. If our word that the child shall not be harmed is insufficient for him on this matter, then how can we possibly accept his that he will not do as we have just asked?
Vincent: his Majesty would never dream of doing such a thing
Louis: and we are sure that he spoke the same words to his son-in-law.
Vincent: I do not know what has passed between his Majesty and the usurper. I only know that he sincerely wishes for all that is best for his grandson-
Talleyrand: or?
Vincent: I beg your pardon?
Talleyrand: the manner in which you spoke, Excellency, suggested that there was a condition to what you said. That the emperor sincerely wishes for all that is best for his grandson or what?
Vincent: *sighs in defeat* or he will be obliged to declare war on France if the boy is not brought to him.
*for a few moments, there is silence in the room*
Louis: *makes a noise that sounds like a hiccup* *then another* *we realize that he is actually laughing*
Talleyrand and Dalberg: *start laughing as well*
Louis: *between laughs* he will declare war? On us. For the sake of his grandson?
Vincent: and he will rely on the support of England and Russia to do so, your Majesty.
Dalberg: *getting his laughter under control* Baron Vincent, I appreciate that you are a marshal of the Austrian army, but I would caution your master against making such threats.
Vincent: it is no threat, your Grace, his Majesty was deadly serious.
Talleyrand: *slightly more amiable tone* what my colleague means, Baron, is that it would not be difficult, in such a situation as you outline, for a few words in the right ears, to suggest that his Majesty's actions are not...after all...to obtain custody of his grandson...but instead, to place his grandson on the throne of France under the guardianship of his mother.
Louis: or even that his Majesty wishes to recall the usurper from Elba and enthrone him once more.
Vincent: *looks at them* *trying to see if they are bluffing*
Louis: we need not explain to your Excellency that such news will hardly be met with the approval of either the tsar or the English
Vincent: and they will know that such an assertion on behalf of the emperor is not only preposterous but also-
Louis: also what, Baron? His Majesty was in a position so weak that he sacrificed his eldest daughter to the usurper. That same daughter...misplaced...for want of a better term her son- my sister, the late Queen, was certainly no mastermind of strategy, and yet, even on the Flight to Varennes, in the chaos of she and my brother's arrest, they were never quite so remiss as misplacing so much as a knife and fork much less one of their children. The empress was not under such stress, or in such a state, she would've come to no harm- as my brother and sister did- and yet she failed to notice that there was one less carriage- that of her son- in her baggage train. That neither she nor Monsieur Jérôme noticed the missing carriage- being more concerned with their own belongings- is little short of a scandal! Would his Majesty prefer me to inform the courts of Europe as to how we came into possession of his grandson?
Vincent: *looks worried*
*dismisses Talleyrand and Dalberg so that he and Vincent are alone*
Louis: *suddenly calmer* now...your Excellency,,,if I may speak privately...I have certainly no wish for the boy to remain in Paris. If it were up to me...I would dispatch him to the loving arms of his grandfather and entrust him to do with him what he will. Send him to join his father on Elba or banish him to some mouldy castle in Transylvania...he will hear, naturally, no dispute of the matter from me. *heaves himself from the chair and walks over to the window * *beckons Vincent to his side* unfortunately...it is not up to me. *looks down at Madame Royal* it is her wish that he remain in France. She has vouched for him. Do you think she, the daughter of murdered parents, the sister of a murdered brother, will allow the boy to be separated from her.
Vincent: your Majesty could order it.
Louis: I can order a great many things, Baron *lumbers back to her chair* but to break with her over a trifle such as whether a child is raised here or in Vienna...will be to split my own family asunder. You may tell your master that if he doubts my word on the health and well-being of his grandson, he can surely trust hers. And if he wishes to face her resolve, ensure that you remind him of her stubborn refusal of the duke of Teschen when she was held as hostage- for want of a better term- in Vienna. And that is our final word on the matter.
*dismisses Vincent as he sits down again*
*fade to black*
[1] sorry, I couldn't resist the irony of the title
A shame that XVIII was not king instead of XVI. He seems to have gotten the braincells of that generation
he definitely is. Whether that will be enough though...
even his contemporaries admitted that. Per a contemporary (almost think it was Constant) Napoléon's marshalls were more terrified of Louis XVIII than they were of the emperor
Les Jeux Sont Faits
Soundtrack: Ferdinand Ries - Overture to Schiller's Trauerspiel 'Don Carlos', op. 94
*exterior* *Chateau de Rambouillet [1]*
*Cut to interior* *Emperor Franz is sitting at a table with Baron Vincent and Klemens von Metternich* *the trio are clearly not discussing their respective hands of cards*
Franz: it seems that his Majesty the king of France has already succeeded in convincing the British that my interests in obtaining custody of my grandson is not because I wish to protect him from the vengeance of the Bourbons-
Metternich: if I may, your Majesty, the empress' [Marie Louise] stay at Plombières and her...lack of interest in her son's welfare is having a most unfortunate effect on attempts to persuade them that your efforts are little more than concern for your family's well-being.
Vincent: what would you have his Majesty do? His daughter is no longer his subject. If she refuses to return to Rambouillet or even corroborate his assertion that he is only interested in her son's welfare, what can he do?
Franz: things are not helped by my cousin, Madame Royal- or, as I suspect, King Louis - reminding all and sundry that both my father and I left she, her mother and brother at the mercy of the Revolutionary government.
Metternich: my agents in Vienna tell me that the queen of Naples [2] is increasingly viewing her granddaughter's disinterest as proof that it might be better for his Majesty, the king of Rome, to remain in her niece's custody.
Franz: *grumbling* only this was missing, my one time mother-in-law wading into the fray.
Vincent: in her Majesty's defence, her support may be a species of flattery of King Louis rather than a criticism of your Majesty.
Franz: what would she need to flatter that antediluvian swine for?
Metternich: from talks with the prince of Saxe-Coburg [3] and the Prussian envoy to Paris, it seems that while King Louis talks openly of his support for his cousins in Sicily to be restored to their throne in Naples, in private...as the English say...the matter may well be in his Pater Noster, but it is certainly not in his Credo- since there is talk of him dispatching envoys to the court of General Murat at Naples.
Franz: to what end?
Metternich: per the prince of Coburg, Prince Talleyrand is attempting to convince King Louis that it may be in his interests to, if not endorse Murat, that it may be useful for France to at least cultivate friendly relations with him.
Franz: *shocked* and the king has agreed to this? To parley with-
Metternich: the king has not expressed his will one way or another on the matter. Although given that his feelings towards the non-assistance provided to him and his by his Spanish cousins since the Revolution began are...well known. One can imagine that with a bargaining chip as powerful as your Majesty's grandson in his possession, the king may believe he can call Murat to heel far more easily than King Ferdinando.
Franz: and the British will accept this matter?
Vincent: I do not regard it as likely sire. They have already made their opinion on the matter clear.
Metternich: *nods* of course. And shall they be landing a force in Stockholm to dislodge Marshall Bernadotte as well?
Franz: the situations are hardly alike, Metternich.
Metternich: the situations are not that different either. In both cases, the rightful holder and his heir were deposed from the throne and banished into exile. A pet of the usurper was installed as either the heir to the throne or the occupant of the throne in their place. So long as Murat...co-operates with them- as Bernadotte has- the British can say what they like. They are as at the mercy of the winds and tides of events and economy as their ships are on the sea.
Franz: *sighs as the clock chimes the hour*
*a man is shown into the salon and makes his way to the table*
Franz: *studying his cards* what is it Monsieur Cipriani [4]?
Cipriani: I bring news from Paris, sire.
Franz: and what is that?
Cipriani: after having conferred with several of his Majesty's marshals and other members of his court...it seems that there is a species of consensus on the matter of the king of Rome.
Franz: is that so?
Cipriani: yes sire.
Franz: and what is that consensus?
Cipriani: *pauses* many of them share your Majesty's concerns for the king's well-being. There are even fears amongst their number that...once the smoke has cleared and King Louis is more secure on his throne...that the little king will be deemed...superfluous to requirements. That he will gradually be removed from public view and as his memory fades, meet the same fate as the duc d'Enghien.
Franz: a firing squad for a three-year-old seems excessive.
Cipriani: which is another concern. That one of the archroyalists will simply slip the child a sweet or a candied fruit laced with poison-
Metternich: good God man, you sound as if you are talking of the Borgias or the Medici not the Bourbons. Do any of them have the brains to carry out such a scheme?
Cipriani: many of the emperor's supporters would not be keen to put the temptation in the way.
Franz: *nods smugly* so we can be assured of their support in our efforts?
Cipriani: *winces like "that was the good news"* no, your Majesty.
Franz: but you just said-
Cipriani: as much as they fear that harm might come to the boy and as much as they do not feel comfortable with him being in- as one said- the shadow of the guillotine...most- including his uncles, the Kings of Spain and Westphalia- would prefer that he not be removed from France.
Franz: even if this was what his father wished [5]?
Cipriani: a decision many feel was ill-advised. They will- per one- not be comfortable with him in the king's hands, but they will not see him in the hands of a foreign government who might use him against France. In this, they and the king- if for different reasons- are of one mind.
Franz: *dismisses Cipriani*
Cipriani: *bows out of the room*
Franz: so then it seems, gentlemen, that we may have only one card left to play. *lays down a full house*
*fade to black*
[1] Emperor Franz had left France by the time of his daughter's departure to take the waters at Plombières. It's understandable that with his grandson (and far more valuable bargaining chip) in "enemy hands" that he's put off his departure some
[2] Maria Karoline of Austria, queen of Naples. OTL she likewise couldn't understand Marie Louise's aversion to Frankie as well. Since while Maria Karoline absolutely despised Napoléon, her great-grandson was a horse of decidedly a different colour
[3] yup, Leopold of Coburg. While he rode into Paris with the Russian army's Maria Feodorovna Cuirassiers in 1814, the guy had slept with Hortense de Beauharnais and Caroline Murat (and it was rumoured that Josephine was likewise a notch on his bedpost), so he'd definitely have "some" value as knowing people who would've heard what is being said in private
[4] Giovanni Battista/Jean Baptiste Cipriani Franceschi, a familiar of Napoléon's who sometimes served as a private envoy on his master's behalf
[5] Napoléon's plan was to send Marie Louise and Frankie to his father-in-law in the hopes of obtaining a species of clemency
*exterior* *Chateau de Rambouillet [1]*
*Cut to interior* *Emperor Franz is sitting at a table with Baron Vincent and Klemens von Metternich* *the trio are clearly not discussing their respective hands of cards*
Franz: it seems that his Majesty the king of France has already succeeded in convincing the British that my interests in obtaining custody of my grandson is not because I wish to protect him from the vengeance of the Bourbons-
Metternich: if I may, your Majesty, the empress' [Marie Louise] stay at Plombières and her...lack of interest in her son's welfare is having a most unfortunate effect on attempts to persuade them that your efforts are little more than concern for your family's well-being.
Vincent: what would you have his Majesty do? His daughter is no longer his subject. If she refuses to return to Rambouillet or even corroborate his assertion that he is only interested in her son's welfare, what can he do?
Franz: things are not helped by my cousin, Madame Royal- or, as I suspect, King Louis - reminding all and sundry that both my father and I left she, her mother and brother at the mercy of the Revolutionary government.
Metternich: my agents in Vienna tell me that the queen of Naples [2] is increasingly viewing her granddaughter's disinterest as proof that it might be better for his Majesty, the king of Rome, to remain in her niece's custody.
Franz: *grumbling* only this was missing, my one time mother-in-law wading into the fray.
Vincent: in her Majesty's defence, her support may be a species of flattery of King Louis rather than a criticism of your Majesty.
Franz: what would she need to flatter that antediluvian swine for?
Metternich: from talks with the prince of Saxe-Coburg [3] and the Prussian envoy to Paris, it seems that while King Louis talks openly of his support for his cousins in Sicily to be restored to their throne in Naples, in private...as the English say...the matter may well be in his Pater Noster, but it is certainly not in his Credo- since there is talk of him dispatching envoys to the court of General Murat at Naples.
Franz: to what end?
Metternich: per the prince of Coburg, Prince Talleyrand is attempting to convince King Louis that it may be in his interests to, if not endorse Murat, that it may be useful for France to at least cultivate friendly relations with him.
Franz: *shocked* and the king has agreed to this? To parley with-
Metternich: the king has not expressed his will one way or another on the matter. Although given that his feelings towards the non-assistance provided to him and his by his Spanish cousins since the Revolution began are...well known. One can imagine that with a bargaining chip as powerful as your Majesty's grandson in his possession, the king may believe he can call Murat to heel far more easily than King Ferdinando.
Franz: and the British will accept this matter?
Vincent: I do not regard it as likely sire. They have already made their opinion on the matter clear.
Metternich: *nods* of course. And shall they be landing a force in Stockholm to dislodge Marshall Bernadotte as well?
Franz: the situations are hardly alike, Metternich.
Metternich: the situations are not that different either. In both cases, the rightful holder and his heir were deposed from the throne and banished into exile. A pet of the usurper was installed as either the heir to the throne or the occupant of the throne in their place. So long as Murat...co-operates with them- as Bernadotte has- the British can say what they like. They are as at the mercy of the winds and tides of events and economy as their ships are on the sea.
Franz: *sighs as the clock chimes the hour*
*a man is shown into the salon and makes his way to the table*
Franz: *studying his cards* what is it Monsieur Cipriani [4]?
Cipriani: I bring news from Paris, sire.
Franz: and what is that?
Cipriani: after having conferred with several of his Majesty's marshals and other members of his court...it seems that there is a species of consensus on the matter of the king of Rome.
Franz: is that so?
Cipriani: yes sire.
Franz: and what is that consensus?
Cipriani: *pauses* many of them share your Majesty's concerns for the king's well-being. There are even fears amongst their number that...once the smoke has cleared and King Louis is more secure on his throne...that the little king will be deemed...superfluous to requirements. That he will gradually be removed from public view and as his memory fades, meet the same fate as the duc d'Enghien.
Franz: a firing squad for a three-year-old seems excessive.
Cipriani: which is another concern. That one of the archroyalists will simply slip the child a sweet or a candied fruit laced with poison-
Metternich: good God man, you sound as if you are talking of the Borgias or the Medici not the Bourbons. Do any of them have the brains to carry out such a scheme?
Cipriani: many of the emperor's supporters would not be keen to put the temptation in the way.
Franz: *nods smugly* so we can be assured of their support in our efforts?
Cipriani: *winces like "that was the good news"* no, your Majesty.
Franz: but you just said-
Cipriani: as much as they fear that harm might come to the boy and as much as they do not feel comfortable with him being in- as one said- the shadow of the guillotine...most- including his uncles, the Kings of Spain and Westphalia- would prefer that he not be removed from France.
Franz: even if this was what his father wished [5]?
Cipriani: a decision many feel was ill-advised. They will- per one- not be comfortable with him in the king's hands, but they will not see him in the hands of a foreign government who might use him against France. In this, they and the king- if for different reasons- are of one mind.
Franz: *dismisses Cipriani*
Cipriani: *bows out of the room*
Franz: so then it seems, gentlemen, that we may have only one card left to play. *lays down a full house*
*fade to black*
[1] Emperor Franz had left France by the time of his daughter's departure to take the waters at Plombières. It's understandable that with his grandson (and far more valuable bargaining chip) in "enemy hands" that he's put off his departure some
[2] Maria Karoline of Austria, queen of Naples. OTL she likewise couldn't understand Marie Louise's aversion to Frankie as well. Since while Maria Karoline absolutely despised Napoléon, her great-grandson was a horse of decidedly a different colour
[3] yup, Leopold of Coburg. While he rode into Paris with the Russian army's Maria Feodorovna Cuirassiers in 1814, the guy had slept with Hortense de Beauharnais and Caroline Murat (and it was rumoured that Josephine was likewise a notch on his bedpost), so he'd definitely have "some" value as knowing people who would've heard what is being said in private
[4] Giovanni Battista/Jean Baptiste Cipriani Franceschi, a familiar of Napoléon's who sometimes served as a private envoy on his master's behalf
[5] Napoléon's plan was to send Marie Louise and Frankie to his father-in-law in the hopes of obtaining a species of clemency
Amazing work as always! And murats prospects appear good!
And still wishing the Best For frankie