"I want to tell you a story."
Germany looked up at his brother, tilting his head back to better see Prussia as he towered over the small boy. Lowering himself to the ground, Prussia mimicked his younger brother's posture, wrapping his arms around his legs and resting his chin on his knees.
"Once, a long time ago, there was a small boy and his younger brother. They lived together with their father, but when their father was killed by a wolf, the two boys were taken in by their oldest brother. In his house, the boy decided to fight the children of the wolf, so left his youngest brother with the oldest and went to battle. He became strong, strong enough to kill any wolf that attacked him and seized many vital regions. He went back to get his younger brother so they could live together again. But when he reached the oldest brother's house, he was told his brother had been sent out to fight the wolves and had gone missing. Everyone believed he had been devoured. The boy despaired, leaving to wander the earth to look for his brother."
"Did he ever find him?" Germany's blue eyes bored into Prussia's red ones.
"No," Prussia answered after a pause. "No he did not. Not alive, anyway. He found his brother's body surrounded by wolves he had managed to kill before succumbing."
The two sat in silence for awhile.
"What happened to the boy?" Germany asked quietly.
"The boy? Well…." Prussia scratched his head, waking up Gilbird who cheeped peevishly before settling back down to watch the two.
"The boy came back to find his house under attack from wolves and other boys, even his oldest brother! He fought them all off and settled down on his land, keeping his house safe from everyone else."
"That's it!" Germany blurted out after it was clear Prussia wasn't going to continue.
"What? You didn't like the ending? Tough. Not everything is perfect and good. I never said it was a happy story anyway!" Prussia shot back. He opened his mouth to continue, then shut it with a click of his teeth. Prussia rested his chin on his knees again and looked out over the river.
"I know it's not a happy story. But it's a good story because it makes you think: who was right and who was wrong? Was the boy wrong for leaving his younger brother, or was the oldest brother wrong for sending the youngest brother out to fight when he was clearly too young?" Prussia's eyes flashed over to look at Germany before refocusing on the river.
Germany drummed his fingers on his arms, thinking about the two questions.
"I think…." he started. "I think… te oldest brother had a responsibility to look after the younger two. Why couldn't he go out and fight instead of sending the boy and his brother? It's not the boy's fault; he probably thought the oldest would watch over his brother and felt like he could leave and the younger brother would be safe."
"So it's the oldest brother's fault?" Germany might have said Prussia sounded hesitant, but that made no sense because Prussia was never hesitant.
"Yes. The youngest brother's death was the oldest brother's fault," Germany declared, feeling strangely damned and damning. Prussia's shoulders relaxed and he ruffled Germany's hair.
"That's good to know, kid. That's good to know," he repeated as he slipped his arm around Germany's shoulders and pulled him close.
"But I'll tell you a secret. The boy never will forgive the oldest brother for sending the youngest out to be slaughtered."
Prussia squeezed Germany closer and pressed his lips to Germany's temple, feeling the thick scar that barely peeked out from the hair line. Letting go, he stood up and brushed off his pants before leaning down to pick up the heavy book Germany had brought outside with him.
"C'mon kid. Let's go inside and get something to eat. Wurst sound good?"
As Germany took his right hand and smiled at him, golden hair glinting in the light, Prussia could only be grateful that he had been given a second chance.