[Human Names: Elise-Liechtenstein Roderich-Austria Gilbert-Prussia Ludwig-Germany Edwin-Kugelmugel Folkhert-Germania Romulus-Rome Francis-France Antonio-Spain Feliciano- N. Italy Lovino-S. Italy]
A young girl cried out from her father's arms over the sound of booming gunshots, and twin boys replied with cries of their own as they clutched to their brother's legs. None of the children knew what was happening and why they were being pulled away from half their family, but their guardians did. They knew this would be their last kiss as their lips gingerly pressed together, they knew that as soon as this final embrace ended they would be forced into the life of bitter enemies. As their lips parted they whispered their farewell words of love with tears streaming down their faces before running off in opposite directions. The children understood that they would likely never see one another again and reached to close the gap between them, but to no avail as their fleeing guardians held them tightly.
Elise shot up in bed, her eyes damp and breathing heavy. She reminded herself it was all a dream, it had been eleven years since the chaos in Vienna and she was safe now in Berlin. Safe being a relative term; you're never truly safe living in a mafia family. Yawning, she resolved herself to get ready now that she was up and left the warm safety of her bed. Her bare feet enjoyed the soft touch of the lush carpet of her room as she walked to her closet. From her large selection of clothes she chose a simple white skirt and a blue shirt of soft cotton. She changed quickly and left her room.
Even at the early hour of six the Beilschmidt family's Berlin estate was always bustling, as would be expected of a mafia family's main house. Many blond men Elise had never spoken to were constantly walking the halls with guns, documents, or mysterious items. She had learned to ignore them and live life as a normal teenage girl.
The first thing she wanted to do this morning was ask her father about her dream. Usually when she asked him about these things he would brush her off and tell her it was just a dream, but she had to try at the very least. Filled with hope she skipped down the two flights of stairs to the main floor and over to her father's office. She knocked on the solid wooden door and waited, but got no response. Gingerly, she pushed the door open and found the office empty. Remembering how early she had awoken she realized her father would still be asleep.
Being alone in the room she realized now would be a good time to snoop for information on those people in her dream. She realized it was wrong to look through other's belongings but the temptation could not be denied. Quietly, she went to her father's imposing black desk and began searching the drawers, the only thing to be found there were documents on banking and affairs between families and a few candies that must have been older than Elise. Next she checked the file cabinet and found similar results. At last she turned her attention to the small linen closet. At first she thought the closet merely contained an endless collection of coats but after a little digging she found a dusty cardboard box labelled 'memories'. She blew some dust off of the box and almost opened it before she heard the creak of wheels and the steps of a servant. She hid the box and flew from the closet as her father's wheelchair was pushed into his office by a stout servant.
Elise plastered on a smile "Hi daddy!" she chimed "I was just looking for you!"
Elise's father, Roderich, was a middle aged man with graying brown hair and nearly blind but gorgeously purple eyes. He was confined to a wheelchair after being shot in a fight with the Vargas family, The Beilschmidt family's former ally but now bitter enemy. Little crows' feet appeared at the corners of his eyes when he grinned upon seeing Elise.
"Hello my darling, for me you were looking? How sweet of you, let me just get situated" He said, directing the servant to push him behind his desk.
Elise took a chair in front of her father's desk and waited eagerly for him to get settled. She watched his wrinkled hands push papers to and fro on his desk, a determined look in his eyes, the same determination as when he used to play piano, but none of the joy. After a few minutes of awkward silence he looked up at her and grinned again.
"What was it you needed dear?" he asked.
She stayed silent for a moment, searching for a way to word her request, but as the quiet grew and her frustration with words increased she sputtered out, "Tell me about the people from my dream."
Rocerich appeared to have been taken by surprise, he sat up straighter and cleared his throat before answering her with the same default response "It's just a dream, my dear, don't read too deeply into it."
Elise didn't want to accept that same old answer again and pressed on "please, daddy, I know you loved him, they were from the Vargas family weren't they? Was that before Grandpa Folkhert killed Mr. Romulus? Who were the two bo-"
"It is just a dream, Elise" he cut her off and waved her away.
Elise bowed her head and apologized before scurrying out of the room. Now at a loss for what to do she made her way to the kitchen for breakfast.
An old cook with gray hair covered by a hairnet gave her a plate of eggs and bacon. Elise thanked her and took the plate to the dining room. Her still bare feet did not like the cold wooden floors of the kitchen and dining room.
As she ate an obnoxiously loud voice came from behind her, "Basch? Oh wait, it's just you Ellie, without your bow I thought you were old Basch" Gilbert laughed at his own joke as he sat across from Elise at the dining table.
Elise reached for her bow and realized she had forgotten to put it on today. She laughed along with her uncle, mostly to please him and not because she actually found the joke funny. She turned back to her eggs and tried to ignore Gilbert's rambling. Then a thought struck her. She could ask Gilbert about the people from her dream.
She tried to approach it indirectly, "Uncle Gilbert, do you know anyone from the Vargas family?" she asked.
He chuckled "I used to have two good friends from the Vargas family, Antonio and Francis, though I think Francis found a new family with his boyfriend Kirkland. But Antonio was a good guy, used to be married to your pops, you must remember him." Gilbert began rambling and for once Elise was grateful that her uncle had a motormouth, "I think Antonio's the current boss, real happy go lucky kinda guy, nice ass too. He takes care of his two little brothers now that old Romulus is gone. Cute kids, Feliciano and Lovino, I think. Of course they're Vargas filth though, hate the whole lot of them, and shoot them on sight, that's the order."
Elise thanked her uncle and processed all this new information as she finished her eggs. Elise returned the plate to the boisterous kitchen and, seeing as she still had several hours to kill before lunch, she went to visit her young brother Edwin.
Edwin's door was covered by a painting of the Swiss Alps that Edwin had done himself. Edwin loved art and hated the mafia, he found fighting to be unartistic and therefore resented the violent ways of his family. Elise knocked on the beautifully painted door and called out "Little brother, may I come in?"
She could hear the seven year old high voice cheer from inside the room and a servant opened the door. Edwin was confined to his bed as he was gravely ill and likely dying, but he was still a happy seven year old and he loved his big sister.
"Sister sister!" he exclaimed, "will you braid my hair?"
Edwin had their father's eyes but his hair more closely resembled that of their Uncle Gilbert, pure white, but kept long and braided. Elise giggled and agreed to braid his hair. Together they played until lunch was called and Elise had to join the family in the dining room. She kissed her small brother's forehead before leaving.
Lunch looked delicious; it was a ham and cheese sandwich with rich moist ham, perfect fresh cheese, and crisp bread. But before Elise was permitted to eat it or even say grace she had to wait with everyone for Uncle Ludwig to give his address that he gave before every family meal.
Ludwig cleared his throat before announcing "The war with the Vargas family still goes strong, but we may soon gain a new ally in this battle. I am discussing an alliance with the boss of the Oxenstierna family. We are still mending relations with the Adnan family, but it is looking good. Our strength may soon triple! And now grace."
The entire family bowed their heads and prayed. After the amen, they dug into the expertly prepared sandwiches.
As Elise munched on the scrumptious sandwich she had a thought. As everyone was at lunch, she could look in the box she found earlier. She immediately set down her sandwich and requested to be excused. Once she was permitted to go she made her way from the dining room to her father's office.
[hope you like it, I love reviews and such]