Anno Domini 1568, October 17th, Stockholm Palace
As the herald announced him with a simple, "Captain Ferdinand Brandt, Ambassador of the Hanseatic League." Ferdinand got his first glance at this new King. By all accounts John III was an intelligent man, he had to be to stage a coup so smoothly, but until now he had remained almost invisible to people outside of Sweden. According to the few documents he had been provided of the man, Ferdinand knew that John III had spent much of the past in what the Swedes called Österland[1] as a Duke, and had only recently come back to Sweden proper. As he made his way to the throne, the man seated upon it stood up and walked on a pair of stairs.
By all accounts he stood every inch the Norse king. A bit over average height, pale skin and blond hair and beard surrounded a pair of half lidded eyes that seemed to be weighing all his options very carefully. This was not a man to leap into alliances or actions lightly, and never in haste. However deeper in those eyes glinted a fire that might be considered heathen in its nature. Not a man to stand on proprieties either.
Ferdinand left six steps between himself and the King and began to bow, but the King simply marched closer and motioned for him to stand straight. Taken aback, he stood straight and just as he was about to speak was caught off guard again.
"We, John III King of Sweden, of Goths and the Wends welcome you." Before Ferdinand could reply he turned to the narrow faced man behind him and harrumphed, "Was that alright, Nils?"[2]
"Most adequate, your Majesty." The man spoke with a wry smile, "Though you might want to avoid getting so close to an armed man in the future."
"Oh there is no need to fret, after all the Ambassador is surely a man of honour and if he wasn't.... well Kalle and Jyri there would avenge me." The King made a vague motion to a pair of roughly dressed men in cavalry boots standing behind the throne. Though neither of the man was particularly tall, they had the air of professional soldiers and killers.
Having stood there with the proverbial boot in his mouth for a while now, Ferdinand felt a surge of annoyance. No damned robber baron.... king would talk like he wasn't there.
"Actually, your majesty I believe I would not even draw my sword. I'd use the dagger in my boot and slice upwards at your jugular and then move for the Chancellor there. By the time I was done your bodyguards would still be trying to draw their swords or heft their halberds."
Ferdinand regretted the words immediately after he said them. The almost friendly atmosphere dissipated as "Nils" straightened and the two bodyguards suddenly seemed a lot less relaxed. In fact they had hands on those cavalry swords already and were looking like they'd draw, but were held back by the fact that the King was only a step away from the possibly enemy. Clearly the Kings own gregariousness had gotten the pair into a slightly... uncomfortable position.
For a moment it seemed like Ferdinand's diplomatic mission would end in bloody blades, but then the King burst out laughing and clapped Ferdinand on the shoulder, "Well said! It's been a while since you German pencil pushers have had the guts to say anything except ,'tariffs' this, 'tariffs' that! I believe I will like you."
With that, the King moved back and comfortably sat on his throne before motioning for Ferdinand to make his case. Whilst Ferdinand had a lot of experience talking down to soldiers and sailors alike, his oratory skills felt... lacking for a speech to a king. However he had come this far, and even nearly threatened a king, so he might as well go all the way... right?
"Your Majesty, I come to you with the blessing of Heinrich Sudermann , the Syndic of the Hanseatic League and with the authority to negotiate an alliance with the Kingdom of Sweden." He began, noting the pleased smile on the kings face and the glint in his eyes. He had clearly been hoping for a turn such as this.
"We are willing to place the full might of our fleet and whatever armies we can muster into the war against Denmark until such time that they agree to negotiate a suitable peace for both; the League and the Kingdom of Sweden." Ferdinand continued until he was interrupted by Nils Gyllenstierna.
"Correct me if I am wrong, ambassador, but is the League not allied to the Kingdom of Denmark?"
Ferdinand smiled as he replied, "I suppose from a certain point of view that is true."
"And what is the point of view you'd offer us?"
"From the point of view of the League, the Hansa and the Kingdom of Denmark have fought a co-belligerent war against Swedish blocking of trade routes into the Tsardom of Russia. Were the King to... announce that after the wars conclusion the Hansa could once again trade freely, there would be no reason for conflict to continue between us. Indeed, many would argue that it would only be just for the League to thank the King for his magnanimity with trade benefits and assistance against the imperialistic Danish."
The Lord High Chancellor looked like he was about to speak again, but the King waved his hand, cutting him off and spoke himself, "Say we'd accept your offer. What assistance would the League be in a position to offer? I may not have visited the Germanies as much, but even I know that the Hansa are no longer the dominant power in the Baltic. Your contribution to the Danish side in this war hasn't exactly been sterling either."
Ferdinand swallowed. Now came the tough part, clearly the king was aware of the Leagues short comings and the... record they had in this war. He'd need to convince the Swedes that the League could offer meaningful support so they'd consider them equals in the conflict rather than just additional baggage. Realizing what he wanted to say, Ferdinand spoke again.
"Your Majesty, it may strike you as... weakness on our part that our fleet and armies have not managed to make an effective contribution, but one must only ask -why- to see the reason. Quite frankly we like the Danes even less than you Swedes. They're the biggest bunch of hypocritical lechers that God ever spawned on this world, and they should be taken down a peg or two."
Despite the Chancellor straightening at the implied insult, the King only laughed and motioned for Ferdinand to continue.
"The League is prepared to put fifty ships to the seas in order to ensure our dominance of the Sound, and ensure that the Danes cannot send reinforcements to Sweden. In addition we are willing to pay 100,000 thaler yearly as war subsidiaries until the end of the war... and we are willing to open a second front in Schleswig. "
The first two offers were what the Swedes were expecting; ships and money were a thing that the League always had been willing to spare... but the last one made the eyebrows of the King to rise. This would be the first time the Hanseatic League was offering to move in force.
"And what are you looking to gain from the negotiations?" The King asked, "Trade freedoms from Sweden, removal of the Sound Toll from the Denmark?"
"Whilst I thank you for offering those things your Majesty, but we want... Holstein."
All of a sudden Nils Gyllenstierna looked like he was about to spit out his drink, but thankfully he didn't have a drink available so the carpet remained unstained. The King however was leaning on the armrest of his throne looking at Ferdinand considering. Whilst Ferdinand supposedly did not know what the League wanted with Holstein, the King clearly had understood. What the League would do with Holstein was... revolutionary. It might not appear as such, but it was. For a moment Ferdinand thought the King would say no, but instead he arose and nodded.
"I agree that these are acceptable terms, but I will need to speak it over with the Riksdag[3] before I can give you a solid answer. Is this acceptable?"
"Of course your Majesty." Ferdinand spoke, relaxing. It was over, he had done his part. Now he could head back to his ship and relax with a bottle of wine without a hint of politics.
"You will of course join me and my family for dinner." The King smiled devilishly.
Oh balls.
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[1] Historical province that encompasses much of southern Finland of today. John III acted as the Duke of Finland for many years. I know this term fell out of favour before this TL, but I couldn't find a similar term that wasn't simply Finland.
[2] Nils Gyllenstierna, the Lord High Chancellor of Sweden at this time.
[3] Riksdag of the Estates. A Diet made up of the Four Estates of Sweden. It was the highest authority in Sweden, next to the King.
Sorry for the long wait. Been in the US last month, and sick since I got back... going to try and update all my TL's this week.

As always, feedback is welcome!