NagandEmerald
His Imperial & Royal Majesty, Friedrich IV
- Aug 18, 2018
- 696
This was originally supposed to be in November IC, but real life plus a broken computer kept me from doing so...this is just me playing a bit of catch-up before moving onto December
Reichstagsgebäude
Berlin, Germany
November 9th, 2012
2:56 PM
The Reichstag Building: a center for German politics, and now, home to the Throne of the Kaiser. Outside and within its boundaries, hundreds of men and women of what would eventually become part of the Reichsgarde would stand to attention, awaiting the big moment. Further away, and cordoned off by police barriers on the lawn, many of Germany's citizens had made the trip to watch such a momentous occasion. Within its walls, hundreds who had been personally or randomly invited by the Kaiser's Household were seated, dressed in as prim an ensemble as they could muster; commoners made conversation with nobles, and nobles laughed and enjoyed the company of their fellow kin of Germany. In the front rows sat a substantial number of VIPs: 17 citizens randomly selected by the State to participate in what would become the 1st Volksrat, seats reserved for personally–invited monarchs and their entourages, all of the party leaders of the Bundestag's current seating arrangement, and parts of the Royal House of Hohenzollern.
The interior, normally decorated for the parliament, was now decorated for the Kaiser's coronation. Where the center podiums — reserved for those members of parliament who were called to speak — once sat, now sat the Throne of the Kaiser. Decorated with Prussian heraldry and jewels befitting the new monarch, the throne was flanked by two flags: the flag of the Reich — the traditional black, white, and red design adorned with the family Coat of Arms of the House of Hohenzollern adorned upon it — and the flag of the Federal Government — the black, red, and gold design, adorned with the Federal Eagle. To the rear of the throne, where the Bundestag President & the rest of the Presidium would sit, now possessed chairs reserved for the Kaiser's immediate family: his wife, and his four children. To the right of the Presidium sat the Federal Cabinet & members of the Presidium. To the left, the Staff Band of the Bundeswehr — soon to be dissolved and reorganized with the rest of the military after the processions — sat with bated breath. Across the room, camera crews from various news groups were already broadcasting.
In front of the throne, to the right, stood President Celina Kästner. This was her big day: the day when she would give up her authorities and duties as President, and pass them on to the Kaiser. To her left stood an aide, holding part of the regalia of Prussian Royalty: the Scepter & Orb of King Frederick I. Her duty was simple. Upon the Kaiser being seated, and the Archbishop making a small speech, she would present herself before the German Emperor, and present the regalia to him to swear his oath upon. She had been granted this duty by the Kaiser himself, and had the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Berlin — Rainer Maria Woelki — grant her the right to do so. After he was crowned as Kaiser, she would then proceed to list off the 17 names of the 1st Volksrat, and be awarded a special honor for her service as President. To the left of the throne, stood the Archbishop himself, with several clergymen next to him. One of the Clergymen held a velvet pillow, adorned with the German Eagle, and upon it, sat the new State Crown of Germany. The design was relatively simple, based on the designs of the German State Crown proposed to be made for the German Empire.
At about 1:58, the noise died down inside as the Kaiser's motorcade approached the front of the Reichstagsgebäude. He was nervous, and rightfully so. The Wachtbattalion outside the Reichstag stood to attention, and lowered their guns — ceremonial Karabiner 98 kurz bolt–action rifles — in an archway to welcome their new Emperor as the motorcade came to a halt. Upon stepping out from his vehicle, Georg was greeted by the hundreds upon hundreds of voices he could hear outside, cheering for him and his family as he stepped out. He was dressed in a prim and proper suit adorned with his military honors and his regal honors, while his wife wore dress, adorning herself with her crown and precious diamond earrings. Upon stepping out, he was greeted by a clergyman of the Archdiocese of Berlin, who knelt before Georg and held up the Prussian Coronation Robes, designed similarly to the Robes of King Frederick I. The Kaiser looked on with a smile and accepted the robes, one of his sons and his daughter holding the robe up off the ground as he walked towards the entryway.
3:00 PM
The Coronation
"On behalf of the German State and of the House of Hohenzollern," the Celina Kästner began, "I would like to thank each and every one of you for gracing us with your presence today. In a few moments, His Royal Highness, Georg Friedrich, the Prince of Prussia, shall walk down the aisle and ascend to his place upon the Throne of the Kaiser — the German Emperor. Because of the importance of such an event, it has been requested that everyone stand from their seats, and give the proper respect that a monarch is deserving of. Please stand and remain respectfully silent."
Upon his instructions, the crowd within the Reichstag stood from their seats, all taking off their hats and directing their attentions to the entrance of the Plenary Chamber. For a moment, all was quiet. It was until two members of the Wachtbattalion walked over to open the doors for the Prince that the Staff Band of the Bundeswehr began to softly play.
"And now, to welcome His Royal Highness, the Staff Band of the Bundeswehr shall play and sing for Him, on his behalf, 'Ich hab mich ergeben'." The Prince could only muster up the courage to keep walking down the aisle towards his Throne...his throne...it was almost too good to express in words, as the band picked up, reaching a crescendo as he was bowed to by the Archbishop and by the President, Celina Kästner. His expression of happiness was one of pure elation; the smile on his face was barely enough to contain his giddiness for the moment he'd been waiting his whole life for. His eldest son, Carl, stood to his left, walking past the throne along with his wife, who stood to his right, to the Presidium. Upon taking his seat, his other children made to move his coronation robes to the side and make their way to their own seats behind the Throne. Upon the song's completion, the crowd did not applaud, but silently sat back down, awaiting the processions.
Upon taking his seat, the Archbishop moved forwards, and stood besides the Emperor, before beginning.
"Upon this 9th of November, 94 years to the day that the monarchy of the German Empire was abolished, I, Archbishop Rainer Maria Woelki, recognize His Royal Highness no longer as Prince, but as Emperor of the German Realm and as King of Prussia. As a token of the appreciation of the German People, we of the German State, given the grace to do so by God himself, present unto you the Imperial Robes of the German Realm and the Regalia of the Prussian King. President Celina Kästner, by the power vested in me, I grant you permission to pass the torch to His Imperial & Royal Majesty." The Archbishop stepped out of the way as Georg stood to be disrobed of the coronation robes he had walked in with, thanking the clergymen who did so, and to be embraced in the Royal Veil of Prussia by none other than the German President herself; prior to doing so, she knelt down before him and presented the robes like a knight would a sword to his king
"Your robes, your Highness; may your gilded veil shelter the German People & protect them from harm," she professionally stated, standing back up and enclosing him within the robe. Upon being given his robes, he sat back down into the throne, the President standing in front of him as her aide handed him the Orb & Scepter of King Frederick I.
"Your regalia, your Highness; may you use the scepter and orb of King Frederick I to guide the way of the German People. You may take your oath, and then receive your crown." Georg took a deep breath as he recalled what he had written in the Constitution. He stayed seated in the throne, holding the robe and scepter outwards to the German People — his People — as he gave his oath.
"I swear, upon the Fatherland and all of its inhabitants, that I will dedicate my efforts to the well-being of the German people & realm, promote their welfare, protect them from harm, uphold and defend the Constitution and the laws of the Empire, perform my duties conscientiously, and do justice to all. If I am to fail in any of these duties & efforts, or if I am to become a tyrant, it is the duty of every citizen of the German Realm to select my heir or to choose their own fate. Upon this scepter and orb, I take on the responsibilities given unto me by the German People, and by that of the peoples of Europe." The King sighed in relief almost immediately afterwards as Celina stepped away to make way for the Archbishop and the Clergyman holding his crown. The clergyman bowed before his Emperor as the Archbishop took the crown from its resting place, holding it in front of the Kaiser.
"Understand, your Highness, that as soon as you take this Crown, that it shall mean the End of the Federal Republic. Are you willing to live with the consequences of your actions here today, and to take responsibility for those that come in the future?" he asked to reaffirm to the German People that Georg truly meant well. Looking at the crown in his hands, The Emperor straightened himself and nodded in reply.
"Yes Archbishop...I am willing to accept full responsibility to what is done here today."
"Then, by the power vested in me," the Archbishop proclaimed as he placed the crown upon Georg's head, "I title you as His Imperial & Royal Majesty, Friedrich IV, Emperor of the German Realm, King of Prussia, Heir to Wilhelm II; long may you live for the German People!" Upon proclaiming Georg as the Emperor, the Staff Band of the Bundeswehr began to play Deutschlandlied, the members of the German People singing to rejoice in the Kaiser's coronation. Upon the completion of the song, the Kaiser stood greet his people as Emperor, and say a speech that he had prepared for them. Two clergymen took the Orb and Scepter and held them to the side for the moment as the Kaiser raised his hands up to the crowd.
"We are united...after over a decade of conflict, of changing regimes, of men and women beating each other on the streets to protect their ideals, we have finally united once again; this time, I hope for good. It did not come without great cost, however. The Battle of Europe, the regime of Leopold Hertzberg...and ultimately, years of suffering under the oppressive heels of others. I, as your Emperor, feel honored that you have decided in favor of designing a proper Constitution to the German Realm. The past decade of hatred and self–loathing will now come to an end, and we shall learn to coexist with one–another without resorting to violence or hateful spite against one–another. We shall all rebuild Germany together, and, to truly rebuild the German Realm, we must be willing to put aside our prejudices, and act kindly to one–another. Let us not engage in violent riots like the United States, nor let us fall prey to the manipulations of others. Let us exist, hand in hand, with the rest of Europe. I swear, unto everyone, that war in Europe will not be caused by Germany again; not now, not ever." The Kaiser smiled as he turned to Celina Kästner and beckoned her forwards. He then turned to her and gave a pleasant smile.
"Frau President, because of your bravery to stand up for what was right, and in your help in designing the new Constitution, I have opted to give you a special honor. Your stepping down as President is, while necessary, an unfortunate turn of events. Therefore, it would be my pleasure to appoint you as Minister of the Royal Household, and as a neutral adviser to both I and the Chancellor. The purview of your duties shall be to represent the Royal Household, and furthermore, to advise both the Chancellor and I on decisions that we require a second opinion on. You shall also be awarded the Family Crest of Hohenzollern as a special honor befitting of your position." The Kaiser proceeded to turn to an officer of the Wachtbattalion, taking a specially crafted medal featuring a platinum Iron Cross & the Coat of Arms of the House of Hohenzollern upon its center and Prussian Blue–Ribbon, and presenting it to the President.
"Before you receive this, however, please; rise and state the names of our first Volksrat: the true Voice of the People within the German Government." Celina nodded and took her stand as the Kaiser stood next to her. She took out a folded piece of paper from her pocket and cleared her throat.
"The Volksrat: the Peoples' Council. These men and women will be the forefront to our new democracy, where the voices of 17 individuals who represent the Länder, will ensure that our Kaiser and Chancellor do not act as tyrants with their newfound authorities. The 1st Volksrat has been chosen by random raffle of the Länder in accordance with the new Constitution. I have accepted that these men and women are qualified to act as the 1st Volksrat, which shall be named as such. Those of you whose names are called, please take your stand." The members of the congregation took their seats as Celina began running off names.
"Krista Habisch of Berlin, Peter Steine of Brandenburg, Gerd Lehnert of Saxony, Andreas Hendricks of Saxony-Anhalt, Sabrina Loewe of Thuringia, Justin Mansfeld of Munich, Nicola Asmann of Bavaria, Birte Engler of Baden-Württemburg, Heidrun Elle of Saarland, Sophia Preiß of Rhineland-Palatinate, Kevin Bonn of Hesse, Marlis Bartsch of North Rhineland-Palatine, Wilma Breunig of Lower Saxony, Leonard Sigloch of Bremen, Frank Jäger of Hamburg, Jürgen Adler of Schleswig-Holstein, and Jacqueline Gösling of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern." Upon each name called out, each member stood up with applause following them. 17 members for 17 Länder, each one a crucial representative of their people. They had already been briefed on what their duties would include, and what the punishments handed out by the Federal Courts would be should they have lied or done something they shouldn't. Upon finishing the call–out of names, Celina turned back to the Kaiser and stood to attention.
"Your Imperial & Royal Majesty. It is with great pride and honor that I accept your offers. It is with your approval that I am to be dismissed as President of the Federal Republic of Germany, and, in turn, given the positions of Minister of the Royal Household & as Adviser to the Government." The Kaiser gave a warm smile and presented her with her new medal.
"Then it is, by decree and by order of the German Constitution, that you are dismissed from your duties as President, and given the Cross of Hohenzollern as an honor befitting of your roles and titles. Carry them with pride, and carry them with gravitas, for you represent the Government and the Royal Household to the People now." Celina bowed her head in acknowledgement as the Kaiser pinned the medal to her suit, before stepping back to her position on the right of the throne.
"It is also with pride that I call forth Chancellor Andrea Nahles, to stand by my side as an equal. She shall be the Federal Government's check and balance to the Royal Household, as I shall be the Royal Household's check and balance to the Federal Government." The Chancellor stepped down with thunderous applause as she stood by the Kaiser's right as he took back the Orb and Scepter before taking his seat.
"Now...rejoice my people...you have much to be proud of, and much more to be certain of. Return to your lives, and live the rest of your days knowing that I will support the People, no matter the cost to myself." Applause followed as the Staff Band of the Bundeswehr began to play patriotic songs of Germany, many of them leaving as the Kaiser stood with his family, the Chancellor, and his adviser to make their way to the motorcade to make his journey to the Prussian House of Lords for the closing processions. The Federal Republic was dead...long live the German Reich, and long live the Kaiser.