War, Court, and Knee Pillows: Austria’s Destiny

Description

Let others fight wars—you, fortunate Austria, go marry! What the God of War can grant, the God of Love can too. The smoke of the Napoleonic Wars has cleared, and the Vienna System, once bringing peace to Europe, is now riddled with holes. Beneath the calm facade of peace lies a turbulent era, the quiet before the storm. The air is thick with the steam of sweat, choking black smoke, and on elegant dining tables, soldiers and fat men in suits jostle, feasting on the world’s banquet. Van Gogh’s self-portrait hangs on the wall, waltzes play in the background. Suddenly, the music shifts to a march, the scene turns to a battlefield, soldiers march in neat rows toward machine guns and barbed wire. A cannonball lands, and after the smoke clears…