Notes:
Excerpt in Britannica Encyclopedia
Silesia now lies mainly in southwestern Poland, with parts in Germany and the Czech Republic. It was originally a Polish province that became a possession of the Bohemian crown, and thus part of the Holy Roman Empire, in 1335. Because of succession disputes and the region's prosperity, there were at least 16 Silesian principalities by the end of the 15th century. It passed to the Austrian Habsburgs in 1526; it was taken by Prussia in 1742. After World War I it was divided between Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Germany. During World War II Polish Silesia was occupied by Germany and was the site of atrocities against the population by Nazi and, later, Soviet forces. In 1945 the Allied powers assigned virtually all of Silesia to Poland; today its nine Polish provinces contain almost one-fourth of Poland's population.
Chapter 1: Lovely Twins
"No!" "Agnise, lift your bow arm a bit higher, you must improve on your pitches." "Caspar your posture is perfect but you draw your notes too fast at this part!" A frustrated Austrian jabs his conductor's wand at the cream colored paper. "Here and here, they are half notes!" "Do I need to buy glasses for you?!" "Your beats are completely off!" "Go to the sixteenth notes faster not slower!"
The pair of Silesian twins looks down at their feet solemnly as Roderich Edelstein continues shaking his head.
"Gah, I can't say any more, I'm going to lose my voice at this point." "Honestly, I thought we had gone through this measure already."
"We are sorry Austria-san." The twins automatically say, heads still bowed, hands clenched to their sides.
"Well, sorry is not going to produce some effort." Roderich snaps back.
With a loud huff, Roderich leaves the large room in a flurry of his dark blue coat, mentally dismissing them.
The siblings don't dare look back up again until they were sure the Austrian had truly made his leave. With matching smirks, they raise their heads and stare at each other. Within seconds Agnise and Caspar burst out in peals of laughter.
"Oh, your beats are completely off and your posture is horrible, what are you a monkey?" Caspar imitates in a lofty voice waving his hands around in frantic motions.
"I can't believe he actually fell for it!" Agnise giggles, setting her dark caramel colored violin down on the white tiled floor.
"Now we can be together tomorrow, still we have to practice more but at least Agnise, you don't have to go with that horrid Prussian." Caspar smiles, hands wrapped around the slender neck of his cello.
"I know but Caspar but I'm starting to feel bad for tricking Austria-san." "He already has too many things to worry about." Agnise replies, shaking her long silky brown locks guiltily.
"Don't be." "I don't like the way that Prussian looks at you, it's like he wants to eat you rather than just meet you." Caspar says stubbornly.
Agnise just smiles and stretches her stiff limbs from standing in one position too long. "Caspar you are just being too paranoid, you think everyone is trying to hurt me." "Remember that time when little Italy-kun was just wiping some tomato off my face?" "You reacted to that as if he was dragging my dead body away for the wolves." Agnise laughs, her royal blue eyes gleaming.
Caspar's cheeks were set aflame as he began to sputter. "That's not true!" "And besides I just made a mistake…" "BLEH~!" He stuck out his tongue finding that he couldn't say anything back.
At the same moment the wide paneled oak doors opened revealing a young Hungarian woman in a long green dress and had a spotless white apron tied around her waist.
"Caspar, Agnise you have to do your chores now." Elizabeta Hedervary, smiles at the twins.
"Okay." Agnise obediently walks towards her taking one of the white aprons she was holding out.
"He makes us play his music then he makes us clean his house!" "What are we puppets?!" Caspar grumbles but takes a white apron as well.
"Caspar, watch your mouth!" Elizabeta scolds, her pretty face scrunches into a frown. "You have to grateful that at least you have a roof over your head and food to eat."
"Yes yes I know…" Caspar puffs out his cheeks giving him the impersonation of a chipmunk.
Agnise walks out into the hall tying back her hair and arranging the apron over her dove gray skirt. Picking up one of the many mops in one hand and in the other a bucket of water she turns back to the Hungarian woman.
"Hungary-san which rooms do I have to clean?" Agnise asks.
"You have to clean the drawing room and the main lobby." Elizabeta confirms taking out a small notepad from her pocket.
"And Caspar you can cover the cleaning for the lavatories." She turns back to the pouting male Silesian with a slight mischievous glint in her green eyes.
"What?! The bathrooms?!!" Caspar yelps. "Please please tell me it's not with Italy."
Agnise turns back around and decides to start in the lobby; after all it was the closest from the music room. She could hear Caspar pleading to Hungary-san behind but she paid no attention. Agnise wanted the cleaning over with. Then she could go on into the garden and daydream the rest of the warm afternoon away.
The long hallway had various oil paintings of portraits hanging on the mint colored walls trimmed with gold. Slender china vases held bouquets of blooming flowers pristine and simple. Agnise stopped at her favorite painting, leaning against the splintered wood handle of the mop.
The painting depicted a young girl in a flowering meadow background. To Agnise, the girl looked so carefree and beautiful. Long silky locks of sunshine draped on her shoulders, her sloping forehead was slightly turned away from the viewer, so that all you could see was the girl's right cheek, full red lips, and nose. Her eyes were wide, a crystalline green that seemed to reflect the bright blue sky. One slender hand was outstretched in front of her, each finger trailing behind the other. It looked like the girl was beckoning the viewer to join her, a place that didn't know time or hardships.
Agnise wanted to join her, to take her hand and live in a place of everlasting spring. She knew that would never become true. Her life was here, scrubbing an Austrian's house and playing his composed music. Still it didn't hurt just to dream and wish.