So back in the 1890s when Gihon-Europe was just chalk fully
of bomb throwing anarchists,Gihon-American and Gihon-British
spies skulking about Giselda Habsburg's parents,the Emperor
and Empress of the Emsland Empire had shielded Giselda from
the nastier world that lay outside of Castle Hapsburg.
Since she was their only child she was one day destined to be
Empress of the Empire.Since the Empire was fairly advanced
in mechanical things,having developed the Babbage Steam
Powered Computing Engine back in the late 1830s,Emsland
and its colonies were a minor power broker and prize for
the bigger nastier nations of Gihon.
Lets just say the Emsland Empire was a kinder gentler version
of Earth's Germany/Austria with nifties Zeppelins,U Boats
and Marconi Wireless Sets.
All that back in the 1890s,not bad.
So when 13 year old Giselda's parents were assassinated
by a anarchist in 1897
things moved swiftly along and Giselda Hapsburg was
crowned Empress with relatively few bumps
in the succession.
Amonst the things smoothed over in 1897 was the fact that in
Giselda's maternal line there had been three instances over the
centuries of a 16 year old female ancestor transforming into
a drak,a sort of river dwelling magical Gill-Woman or
Gill-Girl.
So come her 16th birthday in 1900 Giselda started growing the
fish-lizard scales of a drak.
Clearly tossing the Empress of the Empire onto the streets,
or even the canals,was not a option.
Nor was a 'accident' particularly practical since both
Gihon-Briton,Gihon-Russia and Gihon-Germany/Austria were waiting for the slightest excuse needed to snap up the Empires colonies.
So instead,whilst the 16 year old Empress transformed into a
bigger scalier more finned and taloned version,a drak female
the Imperial Court advisors said it like it was,and invited
other merpeople to apply at any Emsland Imperial Consulate
to apply for Sanctuary and Citizenship in Emsland.
And a lot of street beggars around the world took up the offer
and so drak Empress Giselda Hapsburg had a new purpose.
She was the new Champion of the mers of the world.