The Dark Side of the Wall
Chapter One
It was cold that winter, colder then most in Soviet Russia. Elizabeta shivered as she made her way to Russia's house, pulling her thin coat tighter around her, listening to the icy wind ripple in her ears, and the snow crunch under he boots. She had to speak to Ivan about her heating arrangement, having spent the last few nights freezing and refused to put up with it much longer, not too mention her consistent shortages of food.
She could already hear Ivan's answer in her head, "The reason you freeze at night is because you lack man to sleep beside you, da?"
She had to try at least, she wouldn't live much longer if she kept silent. Even so, the silenced whispers of Russia's reign coming to an end brought hope, but only so much.
Rounding the block she saw a shadow sitting in the entrance of a dark alley. The figure had snow white hair, a military uniform once blue and crisp now ragged and gray, dark lines and shadows where etched into his face and caved in cheeks. What caught Hungary's eye was how familiar he looked. In all her years in the Soviet Union she had never seen someone she knew before the war, until now.
"Gilbert?" she timidly asked.
At first she was met with silence, but eventually he stirred and she was greeted by the familiar red eyes of Prussia.
"Hey Liza," he said in a cracked voice. "Never thought I'd see you here."
"Same, you look awful!" Awful was merely an understatement, he looked horrible, like he had been dragged through hell again and again yet somehow still lived.
"I feel awful, haven't eaten in days. How are you?"
"I've been better, just struggling to make ends meet. I thought you where dead." It was then she realized her heart was fluttering, like hummingbird wings. It had been so long since it had done so and she welcomed the feeling and the warmth it brought in her chest. It gave her hope, no matter how small it was.
"I'm as good as dead. My empire is gone, my military, my people, my land, even my own brother. I'm nobody. I'm just someone the world wants dead but refuses to die." It was just as he finished speaking that coughs began to rack his body.
Elizabeta's heart wept for him. She felt she had to do something, anything to help him. Knowing the extent of Ivan's cruelty she extended out her hand, offering it to him, along with her heart.
He gazed at it, then her, not sure what she was offering him. It had been a long time since anyone had shown him kindness. "Do you need a place to stay?" she asked gently.
"No," he said, averting his gaze.
"You need help Gilbert."
"Help is for the weak," he curtly responded, procuring a near empty bottle of cheap vodka from his torn jacket.
"You just said you haven't eaten in days, your sleeping in alleyways in the middle of winter, and your obviously sick. Face it Gilbert you need help. There is no shame in it," she said as calmly as she could, having forgotten how bigoted he could be.
Gilbert swallowed the remaining thimbleful of vodka then tossed it aside, taking in Elizabeta's words.
"I hate Vodka," he said. "I haven't had a good beer in years."
"I know," she responded, understanding his misery and longing for home.
"No you don't!" he snapped.
"Yes I do!" she snapped back, her patience thinning. "Your not the only one stuck in the Soviet Union, your not the only whose starving, your not the only one whose freezing at night, your not the only one who is far from those you love."
She paused to take a breath. "Your not the only one."
A sigh escaped from Gilbert's lips, when in truth he was swallowing his pride, or at least what was left of it.
Using the alley wall as a support he stood on wobbly legs. Noticing Elizabeta still held out her hand for him he shyly took it, letting her lead him back to the place where she stayed.
A/N: Who else loves Prussia? Truth be told he is my latest and greatest obsession!
This is an attempt at a dark story, which is why it is set in soviet Russia. But being the romantic I am I had to include romance and also because I ship PrussiaXHungary. Also this story is not entirely historically accurate, I just took events and facts in history and played with them to create this story, which originally started as an RP with a friend.
Hope you enjoyed, please pretty please review! Let me know what you think, I adore all sorts of feedback! You can expect an update around next month, if all goes well maybe sooner. Thanks!