"Lady Sofia?" A soft voice woke the Princess up from her sleep.
The Princess opened her eyes to see the Holy Roman Empress leaning toward her to wake her up. She slowly sat up upon realization.
"Your Imperial Majesty," The Princess uttered in a muffled and sleepy voice, "What brings you here?" She asked after clearing her throat.
The Holy Roman Empress fixed a strand of her hair by pushing it behind her ear, "I thought the two of us could see the sunrise together. There is a beautiful cliff in the Palace from where we could get the prettiest view of the sunrise." She suggested.
The Princess smiled, "Of course!"
The Princess freshened up, changed into a gown, and followed the Holy Roman Empress to her little adventures. Only the direct servant of the Holy Roman Empress followed them.
"The path is a little coarse," The Holy Roman Empress said while pulling her gown up to walk uphill, "I hope I am not a nuisance."
"How could you be a nuisance? I am more than thrilled to see the sunrise with you myself." The Princess said politely, earning the prettiest smile from the Holy Roman Empress.
The direct servant of the Holy Roman Empress was holding a lantern in front of them to help them walk in the darkness. There was still a lot of time until sunset.
The Holy Roman Empress stopped for a while to catch her breath when she noticed a sparkling tassel on the Princess's gown.
"What a pretty ornament." The Holy Roman Empress said, "I have never seen anything like this before."
The Princess looked down at the tassel and smiled, "The Great Father gave it to me."
The Holy Roman Empress narrowed her eyes and smiled teasingly, "He must adore you so much!" She exclaimed joyfully. "To give a woman such a unique ornament could only mean he favors you the most."
The Princess quickly shook her head to disagree, flustered by the Holy Roman Empress's words.
"No, no," The Holy Roman Empress shook her head, "Think about it… I know he has other wives but does he get such pretty gifts for them? I have never seen him do that. Trust me. I have known him for a long time."
The Princess narrowed her eyes, "Long time? Then you must know why he must be addressed as the Great Father."
"Of course." The Holy Empress nodded, "Because he is much older than all of us."
…
Same old answer for the same old question. The Princess wasn't satisfied with this answer.
"How old is he?" The Princess asked as she gulped.
"I do not know." The Holy Roman empress shrugged.
"Then how can you claim that he is the oldest?"
"He cradled me when I was a toddler!"
There was no way the Holy Roman Empress and the Princess were talking about the same man. The Heinrich the Princess knew was much younger in appearance.
The Princess was left utterly speechless. Everybody seemed to have similar answers about Heinrich - Not that she didn't trust Heinrich's words.
They proceeded uphill and the sky began to lighten up slightly. The sky was colored red and orange at the moment. It was a perfect dawn.
They reached the peak of the cliff, sat down on the ground, and enjoyed the view while waiting for the sunrise. From the cliff, the entire city of Vienna was visible. To the Princess's surprise, it wasn't all that different from Munich.
"I had been wanting to see the sunrise for the longest of times." The Holy Roman Empress said, "I do not know why but I keep feeling uneasy lately. It must be because of this little one," She caressed her bump, "But after being out here with you, I feel relaxed."
The Princess smiled warmly, "I am glad you feel better now."
Suddenly, darker clouds started to engulf the sky. They came quickly and out of nowhere, covering not just the sky but also the sun that was just rising.
The Holy Roman Empress sighed, "Maybe the sunrise was not in our fate. I still enjoyed it though." She chuckled.
Little flakes of snow emerged from the clouds and glided down to the ground. The Princess stood up from the ground, thinking it was time to leave when the Holy Roman Empress pressed her palms against the ground and whimpered.
"Your Imperial Majesty?" The Princess asked.
The Holy Roman Empress screamed out of the blue, holding her bump and succumbing to the ground in the utmost pain. Her direct servant rushed over with panic.
"She must be giving birth!" She said in fear.
"B-But she is not even due yet!" The Princess exclaimed amidst the Holy Roman Empress's painful screams. "Go! Bring a physician!" She ordered the servant.
The servant quickly stood up and ran downhill as fast as she could. The Princess held the Holy Roman Empress's hand and started to caress it, trying to calm her down.
"It is okay, your Imperial Majesty. A physician is on the way. It will be okay, just close your eyes." The Princess kept repeating calming words in hopes that they would comfort her.
The Holy Roman Empress was exceeding her limits and it showed as the blood stained her beautiful gown.
"Your Imperial Majesty!"