It's better to die on your feet than live on your knees." Prussia, dissolved for 66 years now, is confronted with the prospect of death.
For the 66th year after Prussia was dissolved, the allies dissolved it February 25, 1947.
K+, I'm paranoid.
Note: This was written on February 25, 2013. The 66th anniversary of when the allies officially dissolved Prussia. It's a tribute to Gilbert and I know it will get posted late, but I wrote it on the 25th. Prussia is awesome, and I hope he thinks this is too.
XXXXXXX
He was standing in the midst of a cold battlefield at sunset, surrounded by his soldiers. They were not the fresh-dead of a recent battle, but skinless skeletons with rotted uniforms and broken weapons. THe bones were dry and cracked after 66 years of neglect and exposure. His silver-white hair was matted with dried blood, as well as his military uniform. and his red eyes observed the sight before him solemnly, and the charcoal of the fires left from bombs burned his eyes, coaxing tears to fall.
Prussia, Gilbert Beilschmidt as the other modern countries would only call him now, silently moved amongst the bodies with a pronounced limp in his right leg, frowning when the bones slowly, stiffly turned their heads to him, soulessly staring at him with the hollows of eye sockets. Slightly unnerved by the animated skulls, he continued through the battlefield, drawn on by an urgent feeling rising in his chest. As his walked on his blue WWII uniform melted into ancient battle armor with a flowing black cape, hilted sword at his belt, and with a breast plate bearing the Prussian eagle emblem, he only retained his iron cross strung around his neck from more modern attire.
"Are you finally ready?" A sad, childlike voice asked from behind him. Gilbert whirled, looking frantically for it's owner. "You can't stay forever." It said sadly. The Prussian couldn't find the source, but he knew the voice. The image of his brother flew to his mind, standing before him strongly, black cape flowing behind the child, hat slightly askew over his brushed-back blond hair and blue eyes hard with the experience of battle. The vision faded.
Gilbert stiffened. "Nein, not... not yet." he whispered.
"The why did you come? I did not summon you. Immortality is troubling if you no longer have a cause. You have lost your country, your people, and now your will to live. Nothing else would bring you." HIs brother, Holy Roman Empire stated solemnly. "Come with me, brother."
"Nein! I-I... I have purpose! I need to help West, and..." Gilbert sighed.
"You burden your brother, though he loves you enough never turn you away. You trouble him with worry and stress him when he must repair the damage of your impulsive decisions."
"But-"
"I do not say this to be cruel. The decision is yours, but I am giving you this information to consider. A being such as us has no life beyond our lands and our citizens. Your government was dissolved with you having a healthy enough body to be almost human. You heal and are wounded as a human, and if a fatal wound afflicts you, you will die. But you will also live as long as Prussian blood exists in the Earth, provided no one harms you beyond what your human body can withstand. You are only connected to your youth and immortality by the Prussians that exist still. I was never given the opportunity to live after my government's fall. With my death the empire dissolved and I was not resurrected, I was no longer needed.
"You are not needed anymore, and would be wise to join me. Brother, do you not see you are bringing others into your despair and pulling them down with you? You do not belong on Earth anymore."
The voice echoed and Gilbert thought about what his brother's words meant. He was scared, but Holy Rome's words made sense. He knew West had his own country to run, and that it was very rare for countries and empires to live on when there government fails, normally they are killed in battle in a war to protect their country. Prussia, dissolved by the allies in a time after the war when his wounds were healed, lived on without a people to serve. As of late a feeling of worthlessness and diminishing ties to the Earth had troubled him, causing him to sink slowly into depression. He had experienced the world in moments of love, death, torture, bliss, and loss. The adrenaline of true battle would never fully return to his veins, blood of his people urging on the armies and pushing through the streams of determination. The biggest thrill he had enjoyed within the last ten years was defeating a very challenging video game, the still relative newness of game consoles intriguing him. But if beating games was exciting, it was nothing compared to the simplest command to a real soldier fighting for Prussia, for him.
His friends all but ignored him nowadays, seeing as he was never needed to discuss allyship or strategy with the countries and he could never stay with human friends, lest they find out he was immortal. New adventures and a release from the disturbing sense of the world would never find him on Earth. His friend and he would always meet again. "The choice is yours, but not for long. I must leave soon."
Gilbert unsheathed the sword, noticing the Prussian crest on the hilt and how the light played on the cool metal. He rose it high in the air and drove it halfway into the ground before the fallen soldiers, keeping his hands around the hilt. A smirk played at his face when his imagination went alight with the rush of possibilities caused by the driven sword, as if released from the ground.
"I have made my choice. Take me with you now. I have lived more than one full life and the Earth has become boring. I am ready." He shouted.
At first nothing happened, then, slowly, The Holy Roman gradually came into focus a few yards away and walked forward, dressed in his black cape and hat, towards his brother. When he stood in front of the sword he clasped his small fingers around GIlberts hand.
"Then I free you."
At the whispered words the skeletons dissolved to dust and the air became warm. A fire spread from Holy Rome's hands and Prussia closed his eyes, savoring the bonds of Earth pulling gently from his body. He felt happy and peaceful, worries drifting into the air away from him and his brother's hand once again a physical thing to him. It was warm and felt so much more alive than it ever had on Earth. He, too, was filled with rejuvenation and anticipation for the adventures ahead.
The end of the story for readers comes here, for my limited and mortal self can not begin to comprehend or describe the bliss of paradise. The countries on Earth lived on, as they always have and will as long as it turns. Eventually they will fall, one by one, but they will never disappear completely from existence. New nations will rise from the ashes of fallen lands like the rebirth of a phoenix. Someones existence will never completely dissolve, for the soul is immortal and invincible. You will never truly lose the ones you love and you will never be forgotten.
AN: I may add one more chapter for the reactions of the others. Please review!