Title: Treaty of Versailles
Summary: Treaty of Versailles, Hetalia Style. Oneshot, no pairings, WWI. Rated T for dark themes.
Show: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Pairings: None.
Protagonists: Germany, probably.
Other characters: England, France, America. Mentions of Belgium, Russia, Austria-Hungary and Serbia.
Warnings: I'm trying to be historically accurate here. WWI is a controversial subject, so not everybody will be happy with my interpretation. I am, however, not demonizing anyone.
Disclaimer: Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya, and the rest is history.
A/N: EDIT: I corrected some of the grammatical/spelling errors and tweaked the phasing a little. Thanks to all those who reviewed and favourited!
"But one thing is sure—a war like this should never happen again."
"We are trying to prevent this by making a few new rules…"
"Hmm, let's see…"
America adjusted his glasses and wrote a few things down in a notebook. The room was so silent you could hear the scratching of the pencil on the paper. However, it was not an unpleasant silence.
America, France, and England sat next to each other. Although they hadn't fully recovered from the war, they seemed relaxed. Even England listened to America with a smile on his face. …Of course, this was nothing but logical. They had won World War I. Countless soldiers were killed and they were exhausted, but they were the ones to put an end to all the terror, the glorious victors.
And they were not the only ones in a good mood. The other countries could feel it too: the relief, the happiness they felt when they realized it was finally over.
Except for Germany.
Some said that this Treaty of Versailles was simply to ensure the peace and nothing else. However, Germany knew better. England and especially France wanted revenge, and they would not bother to hide it. Just what price would they make him pay…?
"How about this," America said, looking around, his face ominously daring. "Germany is not allowed to have a big army."
England nodded in agreement. "100.000 soldiers sounds like a reasonable maximum."
Germany looked at them with a complicated expression on his face. Only 100.000? Who could win a war with that? The whole army would be gone after a single fight! How was he supposed to defend the country?
"Alors!" France said in a loud voice. "Germany will not be too militarily strong, either—"
"No air force sounds like a good idea." England chimed in.
"And he should not be able to attack ships." America said with an angry glance towards Germany.
"Right, moving on." England said. "I suppose a little... fee will be in order here."
France's gaze darkened. "I will be needing more than a 'little fee' in order to recover... old friend."
"How much will you need, then?" America inquired. "Take an educated guess."
France exchanged a look with Belgium—they've probably discussed this beforehand, in private—and then returned his gaze to England and America, eyes a-twinkle, before saying: "I—we—are thinking of one hundred and thirty..."
...Germany couldn't breathe...
"...billion Marks..."
...and his heart sunk immediately.
"130 billion Marks?!" he yelled, startling various other nations. "That's twice as much as there is in the whole world! How am I supposed to pay that?!"
The room was silent once more, but Germany's sudden outrage made made the silence a lot less pleasant. Countries looked from Germany to England and back, nervously, as if they were expecting more—and were intimidated by the idea.
"Germany," England began, slowly, with a low voice he had never before used in front of the younger nation. "Remember the trench warfare?"
Germany frowned, taken aback by this question. Those were days he'd like to forget. However, Germany was a nation. He had responsibilities, and he had to face the consequences of a war he had continued, even after Austria and Hungary had stopped fighting.
Germany looked at England, who glared at him with poison-filled eyes, and nodded. "…Yes. I remember the trench warfare."
"Then you should also remember how the area looked when you left. Belgium and the north of France were completely destroyed. Do you have any idea what they will have to do to restore all these areas, to clean up your mess? How much it will cost?"
"You were fighting there too—"
"I TRIED TO SAVE THEM!" England cried out while violently jumping from his seat. He hastily collecting himself before he continued, but he didn't sit down. "We've sent so many soldiers to Belgium—trying to help her! But you didn't care! Your troops just marched on and destroyed everything and killed everyone, for what, for power?! For territories, for the sake of fighting?! Look outside! Look what you've done! You're the reason why the people have suffered, why they are still suffering, why they are not with us anymore, so take responsibility and face the god-damn consequences!"
England kept on hitting the table, overcome by anger. America and France didn't seem surprised at this behaviour, but Germany was stunned to silence. The relaxed atmosphere was now completely blown away.
Russia shot a glance at Germany, wearing an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face. He wasn't allowed to speak, either. The revolutions had forced him to stop participating in the war, betraying his allies. Also, especially America did not trust the new politic system called communism.
"Anyway," France continued in a soft, low voice, while gently pushing England back into his chair. "Germany will also have to give up several territories in Europe. Par exemple, I'd like to have Elzas-Lotharingen back…"
Germany hadn't meant to be so aggressive in the war. He wasn't even the one to start it—that had been Austria-Hungary, who fought against Serbia. The Europeans had wanted the war. They thought it would have ended quickly, with favourable outcomes for their own country. But the countries had all taken damage, and a lot of it was Germany's fault. And that is why, on this fateful day in 1919, Germany was not allowed to decide anything in the Treaty of Versailles.
