The Kingdom of Prussia is a fairly large and very powerful country. They control almost a fourth of Europe, and their borders are always growing. The people are currently at war with the neighboring empire, Austria. The two rulers were constantly feuding over land and appearance. Roderich Prince of Austria, claimed that Gilbert Prince of Prussia was not fit to lead, purely because of his red eyes and white hair. It was so easy to manipulate the people under your rule when anyone you're against has something unrealistic about themselves. Roderich picked on not only Gilbert's appearance, but his personality too.
"It's not what the leader of a strong catholic empire should look or act like." he would say. His personal opinion, was that he didn't actually care about the way Gilbert looked. The only gain from spreading this idea was to get more people on his side in the war. "Fight for Prussia and be damned to hell with them!" was a common thing to hear.
That said, assassination attempts were frequent for pale prince. This is the main reason he often employed a well trained knight to stand by him at all times. It was also the reason he was currently looking for a new one. The interviews were long and intense, so many were discouraged from applying. He couldn't trust many outside the castle, and one lucky knight would have the opportunity to be his personal guard.
Sammel Zwingli stood at the gates of the large royal estate, showing various entry papers and identification cards. The gate keeper demanded to see his clarity piece, and he faltered momentarily, but pulled the glass necklace out from under his shirt nonetheless.
The magic in this world allows people to wear their emotions in a jar. When someone is born, they're gifted with a glass capsule in the shape of a heart. It's useful to those who have little trust in others, as it shows the truth behind one's actions. If someone is pure of heart, the matter inside is light colored, usually pink or yellow. If someone has dark intentions, the content has color similar to a black or purple.
Naturally, most people didn't show their glass pendants unless required. Sam was one of such people. His heart was his business, not anyone else's. Other people, however, wore their hearts on their sleeves. (Literally, even.) Sammel's sister Elise was more like this. And though he did warn her that it wasn't safe, she continued to proudly wear it around her neck and on display whenever he wasn't around
The only real problem with the pieces, is that if they break, owners of them suddenly lack the ability to express themselves. They become hollow inside, and anything that was left would be perfidious. Only on very rare occasions did someone return to themselves, and often after years of hospitalization. This is the reason they only break when someone has the intention of breaking them. otherwise, they're extremely sturdy.
As he strode across the royal court, he remembered that his sister was working nearby. She'd applied for a job two months previous, working with the tailors and learning how to make clothes. He hoped to drop by where she worked and say hello, that is, if he got the job. It was more likely, considering He himself was the one who got her the job. Sam had already been working as a guard or, some type of low-grade mercenary. He wasn't one hundred percent sure what his title was.
He would have to show his application and entry forms several more times before actually getting to the where the prince waited. Each hallway and stairway was increasingly more decorative and bright than the last. When he reached the very large and beautifully carved doors, the only thought that crossed the blonde man's mind was of how bold and obnoxious it was for someone to squander their wealth like this.
Beyond the door, a meter wide maroon carpet stretched all the way across the room. It stopped as a small set of stairs began, stairs which were probably made of marble. At the top of the stairs was a platform, and in the center of that, a chair. A currently empty chair, the prince was nowhere to be seen. Sam stepped in cautiously, still carrying the stack of papers he was sure would be useful. As soon as he did that, the doors slammed shut with great force. while he was caught off guard, a hooded figure ran up behind him, pulled him backwards and held a rather long sword to his neck.
He remained motionless for a moment, evaluating his situation. Obviously, the person behind him was part of the initiation. A test.
"This isn't a very fair way to fight." He stated plainly. A laugh came from the person behind him, and their response was to tighten their grip.
"It's not going to be a fight if you react so slow. I don't want some lowlife taking my place." A feminine voice sounded, somewhat surprising to the boy, considering how the grip on his arm was so strong it almost cut off circulation.
"I doubt you have a say in that matter." He replied, rather annoyed. "I won't go down without a fight so I think it is in your best interest to let me go."
"Hitting a lady seems pretty evil to me," she said, tightening her hold on him.
"Your gender is irrelevant to the situation. I'd have gone with pulling the sickness card instead." He quickly shifted the weight to his waist and pulled her all the way over, flipping the strong woman on her back. Before she could use it against him, Sam grabbed the hilt of the blade and tossed it away. "Now stop that."
She was about to respond, but the doors opened, and in stepped the albino prince himself.
When Sam looked up, the he was immediately drawn to look at his bright red eyes. All joking and blind religious comments aside, they were the most amazing color he'd ever seen in someone's eyes. The rest of his appearance wasn't as distracting. He wore a white tunic and pantaloons to match his hair. Clipped onto his shoulders was a maroon cape, which was so long it reached the floor. In his hand, a black and gold staff with the a phoenix on the top. The Swiss boy would later learn that Gilbert described the way he looked as 'awesome'. He would disagree.
"Liz, If you're gonna kill everyone that comes in here I'd at least wanna watch, damn. You should go rest or at least do something useful." his arms were folded across his chest and he looked somewhat upset.
Elizaveta pushed the distracted Blonde off and stood up.
"With all due respect, I'm not leaving until you properly fill my position." She stated this, soon afterwards having a small coughing fit.
The Swiss boy stood up, brushing off his coat. that he could see her face clearly, Sam noticed her pale cheeks and red nose. The fact that she's still on the job is something he found respect for.
"If you do not go lie down right this second, I'm going to tell everyone on the grounds exactly why you're sick." The Prussian threatened, pointing to the door. He grinned, knowing that she'd back down on this.
She scowled and stormed out, mentally swearing to get back at him as soon as she was well again.
"Eliza is the person who had the job first. In fact, she created the position."
"She's very... defensive."
"First things first." The white-haired man strolled over to Sam and snatched the papers out of his hands and continued after reading a few lines. "Are you actually 19? When and why did you move here?"
Sam looked confused for a moment. "I'm 18, your math is wrong. I moved here two years ago, because of the current deals the Austrians are trying to make. They're recruiting mercenaries and I'd rather not go off to war to leave my sister behind. Especially not for a cause so stupid." The Prussian put the papers down, and narrowed his eyes.
"What was your job in your home country?" He asked
"My parents were blacksmiths, so I learned their trade and took on their job." Sam could tell this...interview would go on for possibly hours. Hopefully Elise wouldn't be home before him, the doors were locked and there wasn't any extra key lying around. He wondered if she would hang around and wait for him if it got too late.
He could tell this...interview would go on for possibly hours. Hopefully Elise wouldn't be home before him, the doors were locked and there wasn't any extra key lying around. He wondered if she would hang around and wait for him if it got too late.
Meanwhile, in a very separate part of the large estate, the blonde girl stood near a taller woman, who was sitting at the table in front of them with her hands whisking back and forth to create a royal garment. Her lines were so practiced that they were measurably perfect. Elise wondered if she'd ever be as good as miss Maria who sat next to her, concentration fully focused on the fabric. Elise knew that her brother was just across the castle, probably getting every detail of their past torn out right in front of him. She remembered the things that brought them to this point, their sick father and traitorous mother. The thoughts still burned in her mind, even after so many years.
She wondered if he would actually be accepted. The pair weren't the most qualified for anything, and in recent days it had been harder for him to find something to do. Her faith stood strong, as she knew he would find something else, if not this.
"Hey Lil stop daydreaming and get me a pen and ink, will ya?" The raspy voice of the long haired woman called out. She was a few inches down the pattern already, and must've needed to mark something.
"Yes Ma'am." She responded, rushing to pick the supplies off of the counter that was far out of reach originally. Her job was to help out as much as she could, and to occasionally take lessons on how certain clothes are made.
She was glad the job she had was one where she could zone out for minutes at a time. Though the instructor always seemed to notice when she was out of it. Luckily she wasn't as mean as the small girl had first thought. The long silvery hair and scar on her face always gave her an intimidating look. But Miss Maria was more of a scrappy woman with a lot of intelligence. Though she'd rarely spout anything that showed her aptitude. She'd been in the wars a few times, but wasn't allowed out much more due to almost losing an eye in the last one.
Hours later and many tunics finished, Elise was sent on her way to check on her brother, whom was still in meeting behind closed doors and two guards. one of which appeared to be a sickly woman. her appearance told the young girl that this woman shouldn't be on duty, but intuition told her she was there on her own will.
"Excuse me, May I ask if Sammi is still in there?" She asked, standing up straight and trying to be respectful. From what she could tell, people in this building get more annoyed with others the closer you get to the actual royals.
"Sammel Zwingli is inside. But he shouldn't be much longer, if you were planning on waiting for him." the woman replied. She looked at Elise for a moment, with a suspicion in her eyes as though to be looking for anything wrong. Elise nodded and said thank you as politely as she could before turning the corner to wait in the front courtyard. 'Surely most people would've been thrown out of the room by now, so he must be doing well.' She thought to herself.
On the other side of the thick wooden doors, the Swiss boy was only getting more frustrated with the random questions that were being asked. There were physical tests that he passed without much effort, but the annoying questions about his family lineage and whatnot wasn't relevant. He knew it was getting late by the room's darkening and candles being lit.
"It's getting late, and I must go home. Should I be coming back or not?" Sam asked, his voice sounding tired already. He wasn't sure if he was tired from being awake, or just tired from talking to this guy. the royal seemed to get all of his work done in the past few hours while maintaining the interrogation.
Gilbert raised an eyebrow at this. "Why do you need to leave?" He asked, curious.
"My sister can not walk home alone, and she's been here all day. It's about the time we usually make dinner." This was one thing he wouldn't let be overruled.
"Ah ... Elise?"
"Yes, Elise." The blonde straightened his coat and waited.
"Fine, you can leave after this question. Would you die in your sister's place, if such a problem ever occurred to you?" He knew it was a less than comfortable question, but felt it was necessary. However, to his surprise, the other answered without hesitation.
"Absolutely." His tired expression hinted what could be described as annoyance. "If that's all, I'll be leaving."
"Hmmm return back tomorrow, I'm not done." To this, Sam raised his eyebrows, but nodded.
"I will, then." With that, he left the room, pushing open the tall wooden doors. They were heavy, but not so much that he needed help. On the other side, his sister was waiting patiently against the wall, her bright green eyes focused on the sky in awe. The person next to her was pointing out patterns in the sky- constellations that people from the west had created. When he heard the woman's voice, he realized she was the sickly lady who'd attacked him from hours previous. He didn't know if she was still suspicious of him, but figured it was most likely.
"How fun, you pick on me first and then try to get my sister sick. You're out to get us aren't you?" He teased, walking up to the pair who were still conversing. Elise recognized his voice and turned to him, smiling.
"Do you think you got the job?" She asked, her smile unfading. Sammel's reaction was to shrug his shoulders.
"There are a few areas I am not particularly up to date in, but I was told to come back tomorrow." When he said that, the brown haired woman huffed, walked away, and pulled the brown doors open with ease. She seemed like she was going to throw another tantrum, as she forcefully walked into the room behind them. The sight made him laugh under his breath, it was mildly amusing how she acted.
"Let's go home, I'm hungry."
The light in the sky grew dim with each passing minute, but the only trouble on the siblings' minds as they walked off the grounds was what food to make when they got home.