Twenty-First Missive
The Christmas season is a time meant to be shared with family. I am fortunate in that my wife, Elisabeth, is here with me at such a time. It makes the season feel less lonely. But I do miss the rest of my family, and I believe the holiday time makes me feel it more acutely.
My mother lives at home with us, in the palace. She is a very formidable woman. Remarkable in her organization, in her influence, in her drive. There is very little she cannot achieve if she sets her mind to it. I suppose some would call her stubborn. There is only one real act she has committed which has ever made me angry with her - and out of respect for Elisabeth I will not rehash it here. One of the largest sources of disappointment is that my wife and my mother could not seem to get along with each other.
My father passed away before I married, when I was still a young man. He was not a very remarkable man, but he was warm and friendly. And he knew his own limitations.
Elisabeth has blessed me with four beautiful children. Who should have been our eldest, Sophie, died as a babe. Gisela came soon after, and Rudolf, our only son, a year after his sister. The two of them were quite close in their early childhood, before mother took charge of their education and separated them. And our dear Valerie was but a babe when I was brought here. She was born a year after Elisabeth and I were crowned King and Queen of Hungary. They should all be gathered around a fire, sitting for a portrait with the two of us. Instead, we are separated from them. It is unconscionable.
My duties have sadly kept me from spending much time with the children, something I regret the longer I am here, and particularly in light of the news Elisabeth has brought back upon her return to the City. I suppose that I must trust that the so-called "deities" will see fit o send me home at some point, so I may continue my life as before. I only hope that when that day comes, I am allowed enough of my memories of my time here to remember the intent to spend more time with the children, and with my wife at home as well.
My mother lives at home with us, in the palace. She is a very formidable woman. Remarkable in her organization, in her influence, in her drive. There is very little she cannot achieve if she sets her mind to it. I suppose some would call her stubborn. There is only one real act she has committed which has ever made me angry with her - and out of respect for Elisabeth I will not rehash it here. One of the largest sources of disappointment is that my wife and my mother could not seem to get along with each other.
My father passed away before I married, when I was still a young man. He was not a very remarkable man, but he was warm and friendly. And he knew his own limitations.
Elisabeth has blessed me with four beautiful children. Who should have been our eldest, Sophie, died as a babe. Gisela came soon after, and Rudolf, our only son, a year after his sister. The two of them were quite close in their early childhood, before mother took charge of their education and separated them. And our dear Valerie was but a babe when I was brought here. She was born a year after Elisabeth and I were crowned King and Queen of Hungary. They should all be gathered around a fire, sitting for a portrait with the two of us. Instead, we are separated from them. It is unconscionable.
My duties have sadly kept me from spending much time with the children, something I regret the longer I am here, and particularly in light of the news Elisabeth has brought back upon her return to the City. I suppose that I must trust that the so-called "deities" will see fit o send me home at some point, so I may continue my life as before. I only hope that when that day comes, I am allowed enough of my memories of my time here to remember the intent to spend more time with the children, and with my wife at home as well.