Author's Notes:
The plot bunnies just seem to keep coming this week for some unknown reason...
Ah well. At least I took my time with this one.
Disclaimers:
Hetalia does not belong to me.
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Eva
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"Would you stop that?"
Austria pauses long enough to give Prussia a nasty glare before resuming his attempt to dig a circular hole on the marble floor.
Prussia is sitting spread-eagled on a sofa not far away, watching as his rival/cousin nervously pace in front of the door leading to Hungary's room.
"You're making me dizzy, Specs," Prussia drawls. "Go make yourself useful and get me something to drink."
"Get it yourself!" Austria snaps.
Prussia grins. It is already very easy to annoy Austria during normal circumstances. However, it gets better when one irritates him when his nerves are already shot; his eyes take on a manic look, and the way he runs his hand through his usually impeccably combed hair causes the locks to stand up on their ends and join Mariazell without him even realizing it.
A scream from inside Hungary's room catches their attention, and without even thinking about it, Austria bolts inside, leaving Prussia alone at the hallways.
The screams continue, along with a variety of very colorful curses, all directed towards the man who entered the room. That makes Prussia's day even better. Now if only they had not gotten rid of the frying pans that she normally keeps inside the room, he reckons he would finally be able to see Austria getting smacked on the head with one.
Maybe I could still see that if I sneak one in...? Prussia thought gleefully.
He is still contemplating on the idea when Hungary's sobs made him curious enough to peek into the small gap Austria had left behind when he failed to close the door properly. There are women bustling around inside the room, carrying a bunch of cloths and dishpans of hot water. One of them is sitting in front of the bed where Hungary laid, effectively covering much of her lower body from his view (Prussia's blood involuntarily rushes to his face as he remembers the rather interesting belief Hungary used to have concerning their anatomical parts...).
A glance at both Hungary and Austria's faces quickly brings a frown on his face, though. Despite all her curses earlier, Hungary is clinging on to Austria's arm as if her life depended on it. Austria holds her close with his other arm as he whispers soothing words – nauseatingly, Prussia adds – as he runs his hand through her unruly hair.
Prussia pushes away from the door and drops unceremoniously back on his seat. This sucks, he thought. Why in the world is the awesome me forced to wait hours for this damn event?
Why in the world have we allowed this to happen in the first place?
When Austria and Hungary got married, Prussia did not really think much about it. Sure, there's that rather annoying buzz that seemed to ring in his head during the entire celebration, and for some reason his fists were clenching on their own, but he attributed that to his muscles jerking off since he had been restrained into a straight jacket by a furious Hungary just a couple of hours prior to the wedding. Besides, weddings between nations are not uncommon – it's even that prick Austria who actually made this common.
Nothing to be worried about. Everything is status quo.
But when Hungary announced that she was pregnant... well. That changes everything.
Nations are not supposed to get pregnant. They get married, and they separate after a couple of hundred years or so, and live on as if nothing happened (much). But they just can't possibly even consider having a child. To do so means that their offspring would eventually take over their place, and the two parent nations would fade away into obscurity.
No more Austria. No more Hungary.
Just like with that Roman Empire guy and grandpa Germania.
What were those idiots thinking?
If they both disappear and leave only their kid behind, then that means that Prussia would only have one person to annoy instead of the two he used to have (did they really think he would leave their child alone?). How dare they think they could get away with that line of thinking!
Well, the fact is, they did get away with not listening to his awesome reasoning. That's why they're where they are now. Hungary is giving birth to that damn kid, her co-conspirator Austria right beside her, while there he is sitting outside being rather miserable about the whole affair.
Tsk. I guess I really do need a drink.
Prussia stands up once more and is just about ready to walk away when he hears both Hungary and Austria screaming. Okay, maybe Hungary began first, then Austria followed. Whatever the case, it's intense enough to cause Prussia to come scrambling back towards the slightly open door to see what was going on.
While all that screaming was taking place, the mid wife said some things that can barely be heard over the noise. Eventually, the voices finally die down, but for some reason the atmosphere in the room remains tense. Hungary appears too exhausted to be aware of anything, but Austria looks quite worried for some reason. The mid wife handed a small bundle over to a nearby nurse, who takes it out of Prussia's limited view.
What happened? Prussia wonders. Is it over? Somehow he always thought it would get even noisier than that...
After what seems like hours, a high-pitched screech echoes throughout the room. If the earlier screams had not already destroyed Prussia's eardrums, this one most certainly have.
Everyone inside the room visibly breaths a sigh of relief. The same nurse that had taken the bundle earlier is now carrying it back to the bed, where its parents were waiting.
Hungary looks like a mess. Austria also looks like a mess. Yet somehow her tired laughter and his brilliant smile, along with the newborn in Hungary's arms, brought back that annoying buzz into Prussia's ear that he hasn't heard since the wedding.
Gah, my ears! Damn that kid! Hasn't even been out for a few seconds and it already found a way to annoy me! Prussia thought, attributing the buzz to the screech that was heard earlier.
He takes a step back and finally walks away as he intended to earlier.
Okay, I need that drink. Something hard. Now.
.
.
The baby turns out to be a girl. Her parents decide to call her Eva, until she is given an official name once she got older.
As the years passed, Eva has grown up into a bright little girl with a rather mischievous streak. In fact, Prussia could have sworn that she was Hungary all over again, except this time he doubts that Eva would ever have a misunderstanding concerning her gender.
There is also that bit about Eva having a rather weak constitution, preventing her from prancing around the open fields all day like her mother once did. Prussia attributes this to Austria also being a weakling. Too bad.
Austria and Hungary are constantly worried about their daughter's health, but they did hope that she would eventually grow stronger. In the meantime, given Eva's very young age, Austria and Hungary continue to manage their country until the time came when she's ready to take over their duties.
Prussia does not like looking forward to that day. But he does make the occasional quirk about it. Just the other day when he came to visit, he had asked Hungary where "Oum" was.
"'Oum'? Who's that?" Hungary had asked.
"Oh, you know. 'Oum'. O-U-M. You don't really expect me to call her 'Österreichisch-Ungarische Monarchie', do you? It's too long and it sounds stupid! Or would you rather have it as 'Omm'? 'Osztrák–Magyar Monarchia'? You know that sounds even more ridiculous? Or hey! What about 'Kuki'? You know - just add 'i' to K-U-K. That's so much better, don't you think?"
He had got a frying pan (that just got out of the open fire) on the face as a result of that.
As the only child of two countries to be born within a hundred or so years, Eva does not really have other nations of her age to play with. So she occasionally pesters her German uncles. Particularly her Uncle Prussia.
Who is he kidding? She especially likes pestering her Uncle Prussia.
"Go bother West! I'm busy!"
So Prussia says, but the fact is that Eva has already managed to weasel him into carrying her over his shoulder and run around the gardens like he's her own personal horse. He can't quite figure out how she does it either.
"Onkel Germany is busier!"
"Can't you just ask Austria to do this for you?"
She wraps her little arms around his albino head and giggles as she buries her cheek into Gilbird, much to the little bird's annoyance of her managing to invade what was once its private space. "I like it better when awesome Onkel Prussia does it!"
"Gihihihihi! Yeah, I'm just really awesome, aren't I?"
And yet he's still wondering how she's able to wrap him around her little finger...
"Papa can't carry me around longer than awesome Onkel Prussia can."
"Heh! Of course he can't! That little priss can't even lift a chair without heaving!"
Somehow, as it occasionally did whenever Eva (or her mother) is around, he ends up unconscious after that.
While he's out of it, he hears some bits and pieces of discussion, though he's not sure if he's just hallucinating or not. Something about "Did you use your violin on your onkel's head again?" and "He's saying bad things about Papa!"
However, Prussia is sure that he's heard Austria mutter about having to find someone who knew how to create a violin out of metal so that it wouldn't break all the time.
He's also sure that Hungary is going to add another bump to his head after she hears her daughter echo the un-childlike words Eva's been constantly hearing out of him.
Damn Hungarian women! Prussia complains.
But he ends up "playing" with Eva again on his next visit anyway.
.
.
Although he's aware of the limits to their active playtime, Eva is such a bubbly little girl that Prussia has almost forgotten exactly why she couldn't over-exert herself. He's reminded of this when he visits one day and finds the house to be very silent. The absence of Eva's laughter seems out of place as he walks down the hallway towards her room, where the servants had directed him.
Austria is already inside, sitting at the head of his daughter's bed and gently playing with a lock of Eva's hair as the little girl slept. For once, Prussia tries his best not to make too much noise as he closes in on them.
"What happened?" he asks in an urgent whisper.
Eva's father leans over and kisses her on her forehead. Eva wakes up and weakly asks where he's going. Austria quietly answers that he's going out just a bit, drops another kiss on her head, and leads Prussia out of the room where they could talk normally without bothering the little girl. "She's sick," Austria answers.
"I can see that, you idiot. Where's Hungary?"
"She's still at work."
Prussia knows enough about what was going on in the household to know that Hungary is having problems with some of the ethnic groups inside her border.
"There's nothing much I can do here. I need to see if Hungary would like some help to sort this out... also maybe have a talk with Russia a bit... see if things could get better... Damn that Serbia..." Austria looks worryingly at Eva's room.
"Hey, uh... I'll stay here and wait for the little runt to wake up. The... uh... The bird needs to speak to her anyway."
Austria gives him a skeptical look.
"Just get out of here and do what you need to do, Specs!" Prussia takes hold of Austria's shoulders, whips him around, and practically boots him towards the direction of the stairs.
After Austria disappears around the corner, Prussia re-enters Eva's room, drags a chair over to her bed, and sits on it with the backrest to the front, his arms crossed over the top, his chin resting on them.
Eventually, Eva stirs, and opens her bleary eyes. "Anya...?"
"She's not around, kid."
"Papa?"
"He's gone to help your mama. They're both busy trying to make you feel better."
"... is Onkel Prussia going to be busy, too?"
Prussia smirks. "Nah. Your awesome Onkel Prussia won't be going anywhere today."
Eva smiles contently and goes back to sleep.
His heart drops for some reason.
.
.
Things did not get any better. In fact, they become even worse.
When the Habsburg crown prince had been shot dead due to the escalating conflict at the Balkans, the family had felt the resulting pain of having one of their leaders killed coursing through their bodies. But the effects vary per person.
For Hungary, who has been a sovereign nation for hundreds of years and has already experienced such an event many times in her turbulent past, she only ends up stumbling as she was walking down a hallway, managing to catch herself by leaning on a nearby table.
Austria, whose entire existence has relied on the Habsburgs and the loyalty of the Habsburgs crown lands, collapses on the floor, his wife having been unable to support him.
Little Eva, already weak to begin with, turns comatose.
The event tears the entire household apart.
"Enough is enough!" Austria roars. "We need to put Serbia back in place!"
"But Austria... war?" Hungary tries to reason with her husband. "Eva is too young!"
"You've been through more wars than her when you were her age, and look how strong you've become! Eva needs this!"
"I wasn't weak like she is! And my enemies do not have huge allies that could turn the tide of war around!"
"Hey!" Prussia interrupts. "Don't tell me you don't consider Germany and I to be more than a match for Russia?"
Hungary rolls her eyes. "I don't suppose you've got it in your thick German skull that Russia has allies, too?"
"What, like France?" Prussia laughed. "That little sissy won't stand a chance."
"Austria, please!" Hungary pleads once again. "Know when to fight your battles! This isn't one of them!"
"Hungary, if we show any more weakness, the entire empire will break apart! There are already many people clamoring for separation, especially those in your lands! Haven't you heard any of their anti rhetoric against you?"
"You talk as if I don't know how to handle my own country," Hungary answers coldly.
"The fact is that Serbia is a threat to both you and Eva. Especially Eva! Winning this war would not only rid us of a troublesome pest, but would unite the nation and would give our daughter strength!"
"And if we lose?"
"You won't lose," Prussia guarantees. "Russia and the others are not prepared to fight. My men are. If we're going to attack, the time is now. Any delay is just going to make this difficult for us."
"Can we be certain of your full cooperation, Prussia?" Austria asks
"Hey! I'm that little girl's great and awesome Onkel Prussia! Of course you have my support! Besides, I've been itching for a fight for decades!"
"Prussia!" Hungary protests.
"C'mon, specs! We haven't got all day! Let's get this show on the road so that we're done by December!"
Austria contemplates on Prussia's advice, before finally agreeing. "We need an excuse to attack. I'll be writing an ultimatum that he's sure not to accept," Austria said, ignoring the horrified look on his wife's face.
Prussia turns towards the door. "I'll get my men ready and have Germany go over and pick up Italy."
"Italy hates us!" Hungary cries.
"South Italy does. North Italy doesn't, so he'll find a way to make his brother honor our alliance. Besides, do you really think North Italy will fight against the people who used him as a training tool on how to raise a daughter?"
This time, Prussia earns a glare from both Austria and Hungary.
.
.
They fought the war.
They lost.
And in the midst of all the madness...
Eva died.
.
.
It is after the war.
Prussia slowly approaches Austria, who is sitting with his back hunched on a wheelchair.
"Specs..."
"They don't think I'll survive too, did you know that?" Austria said. "She had been a nation with established borders for hundreds of years. All I really had was the loyalty of my rulers' crown lands. With Karl giving up any further participation in the lands' affairs... well." He laughed bitterly. "This has all ended up so well, hasn't it?"
Prussia sat cross-legged on the floor beside him. "Heh. Yeah."
"It sucks."
"You said it."
Austria clenches his fists on the arm rests of his wheelchair and silently weeps for his lost daughter and his estranged ex-wife.
Prussia did not offer any insults, for once.
.
.
What happens when nations die?
Prussia wonders about that as he lay on his back, too weak to move.
It had been bad enough when that mad man did not recognize his existence. But when England and his allies had declared that he really is gone... that had been the final nail on his coffin, so to speak.
He snorts. So much for Austria being the "next one to go".
Austria almost did cease to exist, actually. It's just that when Germany and Prussia "adopted" him, he had been turned into his own state.
Prussia couldn't even have that after the second Great War ended.
He closes his eyes, and for a moment he thought he could hear the sound of a little girl's familiar laughter.
"Onkel Prussia!" the little girl says cheerfully. "Are you here to play with me?"
Prussia blinks. If he's where he thinks he is... then... "Don't you have Opa Germania to do that for you?" he asks.
"Opa Germania is boring! Opa Roma is much more fun. But awesome Onkel Prussia is the best!"
He grins.
.
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Notes:
* Fic is loosely based on the Germans thinking they were "shackled to a corpse" during the latter part of WW1, when the Austro-Hungarian Empire couldn't hold its own.
* It's also based on a random what-if thought of mine, wherein "unrelated countries" that really unite (not like the "Austria-Spain" marriage wherein they still existed as separate countries, but more like the "Austria-Hungary" one where they really did essentially got "united") would end up being truly recognized as one entity sometime in the future.
* While the economy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was relatively fine, the fact is that the government was a mess. Concerning matters related to the entire monarchy, the German and Magyar elites couldn't seem to come up with compromises. Add to the fact that the realm is composed of so many nationalities that just can't seem to get along, and you have one, very weak, divided country.
* Cisleithania (Empire of Austria) was a bit more willing to embrace the multi-national aspects of the country. Transleithania (Kingdom of Hungary) was not. There were a lot of Anti-Hungarian feelings roaming around as a result.