Prologue: An Introduction
The room was a mess. Gilbert wondered when it had begun to become that way. The clothes scattered 'round the floor, the sheets strewn liberally near the bed, holes in the wall, where the plaster used to be, cracks, breaks, stains and blood. When had his life been reduced to this? Was it That War or was it before that? Perhaps his strength had ended (in his own mind) when Friedrich had died. So long ago but still so painful: so horribly prominent in his mind. Fritz had been so much a part of him, and gilbert was unsure if, when he lost everything else, he lost what made him "Fritz's Gilbert".
West had made those holes, he'd used rods swung at Gilbert's head, thrown glass at him, and used his head (Gilbert's head) as a battering ram. The blood and stains were Gilbert's as well, gifts from his beloved little brother, who seemed to take pleasure in hurting him in as many perverted ways as possible. What a fucking mess.
The only one who seemed to understand Gilbert's plight was Arthur, and the Brit had his own fair share of problems. Not only was his boss abusive, but also his brothers seemed not to care. Arthur was doing all the paperwork, all the dealings with the boss, all the help needed wherever and whenever. Sometimes, Gilbert feared Arthur would breakdown, and take his whole nation with him. All the same, every February 25th, Arthur would arrive at the local pub, spend the night making sure Gilbert didn't give himself alcohol poisoning, and keep him company as they talked of the 'good old days'. In return, Gilbert would trek down to Arthur's local pub every Fourth of July, make sure that the tolls of the year and the memories of the day didn't lead Arthur to suicide (and apologize silently in his own way for helping make Arthur this mess).
Gilbert wasn't a child; he wasn't young, even by a nation's reckoning, and he knew that he was living on Ludwig's benevolence at the moment. The fact that that gave Lud the right to do whatever he wanted to Gilbert had not slipped Gilbert's notice either. He needed to have his land back, to have his people back, or one way or another, he'd be dead within the decade.
Perhaps the taint of That War had never left Ludwig. That war had destroyed something fundamental to both of them, after all. Who would've thought that he would (at some point in his life) risk himself to protect The Prissy Aristocrat, would willingly accept Ivan's "charity" in order to survive, would have actually thanked Ivan for his help (and mean it). Love, hate, friendship, betrayal, and family- all things he'd had in his life, sometimes he wished he'd experienced none of them.
What was it Arthur had said, after America, after his self had returned? "Someday, Gil, you'll fall too and I'll be there, and I'll smile at your fall. You'll finally understand that your whole life was made a lie in that moment, and every feeling dulls in comparison to that constant ache, that sharp, cruel, stabbing ache."
Arthur had been right, but he hadn't smiled at my fall. He didn't so much as twitch his lips upwards; instead I saw tears glistening in his eyes for me. I had put my heart into raising Ludwig, I gave him all I had, I gave him all I could be. I gave him my future, and he destroyed me in the blink of an eye. No hesitation, no regrets.
Gilbert was now a fixture at the grocers, at the local malls and with the local tradesmen. Where Ludwig and his government had lost touch with the people, Gilbert had not. The tradesmen (and their families) had adopted Gilbert, giving him help and medication as and when he needed it. They had realized quite early that Gilbert could not defend himself against whoever was hurting him, and were unsure what to do, since Gilbert had told them pointedly that going to the police or government would only get them into trouble. They did what little they could by letting Gilbert stay, letting him work part time with them, let him tutor their children. As a result, the children were doing excellently in school.
That is where the story really begins. Well, that and one incident in which Ludwig sewed Gilbert's mouth shut with string and proceeded to beat him for screaming. The incident led Gilbert to seek aid from his grocer friend, whose son he tutored. This son happened to have a friend who was studying medicine. That friend met Gilbert and KNEW him.
He also knew a boy named Friedrich who missed Gilbert's presence in this life.
