InsaneJournal

Day 9: Arrival Thread
WHO: Rudolf Habsburg, Gabrielle
WHEN: Day 9, late morning
WHAT: Rudolf's gone a little off course on his way to Mayerling and ended up in Illusion City
WHERE: the streets of Illusion City
RATING: um...PG-13, just to be safe?
STATUS: Complete



Everything had gone so terribly wrong. How had it gotten so out of hand so quickly? Rudolf went over and over what had happened as he stared out the window of his carriage. He had time enough to mull over the horrible details on the journey to Mayerling. Now, more than ever, he was glad he'd bought the place and fixed it up as a private lodge for himself. He needed to get away from the palace, get away from his father, and just think. Of course, he was going under guard. Given what had happened, Rudolf was surprised he'd been allowed to leave at all. Perhaps his father felt himself safer with Rudolf tucked away at his lodge.

The only problem was, the longer he sat in the cab, the more trapped Rudolf felt. The walls felt like they were pressing in on him, wrapping him in a cocoon. He shook his head, worry lining his brow, and stared at his hands. "Stop!" he called out, leaning forward to bang on the wall of the carriage. The guard opposite him reached for a pistol, but froze when Rudolf ignored him completely. "Stop the carriage!"

"Your highness?" the guard asked, clearly uncomfortable with the Crown Prince's actions.

"I just need to step out for a moment," Rudolf said. "I need some fresh air." He opened the door as soon as the driver had pulled the horses to a stop, and jumped out to the ground below. He blinked as he straightened to his feet, and his jaw fell open. They'd been traveling through woods. He'd seen the thick-set trees just a moment before. Now, he found himself in a snow-dusted town, of sorts. He turned back to the carriage, only to find it had disappeared. He took a step backward, looking all around.

Madness. There was no other explanation for it. He must have gone mad. Rudolf looked around again, turning right, then left. He felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth and shook his head. He wouldn't give into madness. Not now. He just had to clear his head. That's why he'd been going to Mayerling. Perhaps if he were patient, the odd vision would subside, and he'd find himself back in the forest, beside his carriage, his guard looking at him sternly.

Rudolf walked over to the nearest building and lay his hand on the wall. Did madness feel real? Was that the mark of madness? The building felt like a building, not a tree. Perhaps he'd dozed off in the carriage, and they'd stopped in a town on the way to Mayerling? Rudolf nodded. That seemed far more likely than madness. He coughed and straightened up, an unconscious habit he'd picked up from his father, and decided that must be it. He'd turned down a side street in some little village. The carriage would be right around the next corner, or the one after that. He can't have wandered too far.

But, the more he walked, the less sure he was about this new idea. The architecture didn't look anything like the towns in Austria he'd visited. Had his father perhaps given the carriage orders to get rid of him somewhere, remove him entirely, the way he surely had Elmer and the others by now? Rudolf froze at that thought. That was the one thing he felt worst about in all of this. He couldn't help Elmer or Zeps, or any of his new friends escape from his father's men. The guilt and helplessness overtook him, and he sank to the ground, burying his head in his hands. He did not cry, however. Tears did no one any good. He'd learned that lesson years ago, and just suffered a painful reminder of it.

He remained seated for several moments, eyes closed, as he got control of himself again. Upon at last looking up, Rudolf noticed that he wasn't alone. He scrambled to his feet in surprise at seeing another person in the streets and stumbled to find a greeting that wouldn't sound odd or awkward. "Um, good morning," he managed at last.