Update: I forgot that Prussia wasn't yet a country, but I instead hinted at early nationalism from the people that lived in what was the Holy Roman Empire.

Chapter 1: The Book

"And that is the assignment." The 9th grade Social Studies professor said. The bell rang; followed by about 20 both excited and partially irritated kids. As they began to file out, he yelled over their voices. "It'll be due in 2 weeks!"

Amongst those excited was Ulrich Stern. The assignment was fairly straight forward, the goal being to research your family tree, then give a detailed report on the ancestor of your choice. The family tree either had to start on them, or include them. A smile dashed across his face as he headed outside for lunch. Even better, with X.A.N.A. defeated and William returned; he could actually give the extra time to working on this assignment. His cargo pants swished with each step as he made his way outside. A slight breeze blew his green jacket around along with his messenger bag hanging off his left shoulder. His brown hair was the same shade as his shirt.

As he entered the building, he already his idea hatched up in his mind. He would wait and ask the others before revealing his plans. He slid his tray across the metal rack and smiled widely at the lunch lady. "Wow. You're definitely excited about something." She said.

"Just a good day." Ulrich answered as he continued move along. She haphazardly slapped a scoop of mashed potatoes along with a slab of very well done meatloaf on his tray. Ulrich didn't even mind the horrid stench of burnt meat. Walking towards the back, he joined his friends in their usual spot. He sat down across from Odd and next to Yumi. Odd looked at him and winked. Not even that bothered him today. William, sitting on the other side of Yumi, shot Odd a death glare.

Only his Capri style jeans and red moccasin style shoes complemented Odd's outrageous purple hoodie.

Yumi wore black pants with a black, long sleeve belly shirt. Her hair was straight and cascaded down her shoulders. She also wore the black boots she had always been known for wearing.

William's erratic dark hair matched his personality well. His brown jacket and black shirt clashed with his blue jeans and brown hiking boots.

Aelita donned a pink hoodie with lighter pink puffballs on the end. Her interesting hair color even matched her pink skirt that stuck out from underneath and her pink shoes.

Jeremy's blonde hair almost as pale as his skin, while his black-rimmed glasses only added to the discoloration of his face. He wore a red shirt with greyish green pants and also wore moccasin style shoes. His were blue though.

Jeremy looked at him confused. "Are you alright Ulrich? You've just been smiling this whole time." The others nodded in agreement, as if he had become sick and maybe contagious.

"You know that family history assignment in social studies?" The others nodded, having received the same project.

"Yeah, I remember doing that last year." Yumi said as she stabbed her fork into the meatloaf, which promptly wiggled in the air with meat left unmoving. "The only problem was that X.A.N.A. used my family's suit of armor to attack us."

Aelita gave him with a confused look. "Why are you so excited?"

Odd joined in. "Yeah, I thought you didn't do schoolwork."

"Normally, I wouldn't really try," Ulrich answered. "But I'm ready for this assignment. My father used to tell me stories of a great mercenary who lived in the Hundred Year War period. His name was Ulfrid Stern. He was a hero of French; often joining their side and defending those that couldn't defend themselves."

"And how would you know what he tells you isn't just fairy tales?" Jeremy asked.

"Firstly, my dad doesn't joke around when it comes to anything academic. Secondly, and more reassuringly, Ulfrid kept a journal about his life that his son even added onto after his death. I'm going to call him to give me the book. They're might even be a list of family members in the front or back.

William then chimed in; "Some families did that back then, especially when the Black Plague hit. They recorded names so that family members wouldn't be forgotten. That and the priests ordered them to. In the Medieval ages, the words of the preachers were law."

Ulrich leaned back in his chair, content with himself. "So any ideas who you guys are gonna do?"

The rest of the group shook their heads.

Aelita tapped her finger against her forehead. "Well, I was thinking about seeing if any of my ancestors were mentioned in you're guys' research, then I'd go from there."

Later that evening… Ulrich sat on his bed, cellphone in hand. He punched in his family's number. He placed it against his ear as he heard it ring in the background. "Hello?" Odd sat across the room, bouncing Kiwi's ball off the ground, making him jump into the air after it.

"No I didn't call to say I got an A. Wait! Don't hang up!" Odd glanced at him weirdly. His father must have answered. "I can get a good grade if you send me that journal you always told me about."

There was a pause, then a smile shot across his face. "You can? Thank you so much! I promise you, this project is gonna be great."

Another slight pause, followed by, "Alright, I'll see ya later dad." He brought the phone down and hung up. Looking back up, he saw Odd had already changed into his red shirt and boxers. Kiwi was tucked away in the drawer and his ball, although covered in saliva, was neatly tucked in the drawer with him.

"So you gonna get that book or what?" Odd asked and he leaned back and left the covers at the end. He placed his arms behind his head and stretched out.

"In a couple days, you'll see what I mean." Ulrich said as he changed into a white A shirt and boxers. He turned off the lights and sat on his bed.

As Odd's eyes drifted close, he said, "I hope this isn't a big let down."

Ulrich the stretched out and collapsed on his bed. "Trust me. Everything's gonna turn out fine."

Two days later... Sitting at lunch, Ulrich heard the door to the cafeteria open, then close. Turning his head, he saw Jim with several envelopes and a couple packages. "Mail call!" He called out. The kids immediately quieted, hoping they were one of the lucky ones to get a letter, or even better, one of the two packages. Jim made his way from table to table, handing out several letters. As he passed the gang's table, he passed out a plain letter to Jeremy, a postcard of a beach and tropical trees to William, and the two packages to Odd and Ulrich. Odd's box was rather large with masking tape over the flaps. Ulrich's was more or less the same, except his had the phrase handle with care slapped all over the box, and it looked as if the mailmen had actually taken the time to be careful with it. Also, it was 2 feet long.

Several kids moaned in disappointment as he continued handing out letters and postcards to the rest. Jeremy opened his letter. "What's this?" He said as something shiny slipped out of the envelope. It was a pair of heart shaped lockets, one with a J etched into the gold heart, and the other had an A. He took the small letter out and began to read it. "Dear Jeremy. Just wanted to say hi. Hope everything's going well. You're making a lot of friends this year, and I hope it keeps up. P.S., we remembered seeing how you looked at that Aelita girl during Christmas break and thought…" Jeremy's voice trailed off as he blushed as red as a beet. Aelita grabbed the one with an A on it and lifted it up to her face.

"I think that's sweet of them." She said as she put her around her neck and tucked it into her hoodie. Jeremy quickly swiped his up and slapped it into his pocket. Leering at all of them, he said, "You didn't hear the last part or see anything."

Odd leaned back, saying, "Not quite true, Einstein. I'm sure word will get out." He gave a suspicious look. "It always does."

"You tell anyone and no homework privileges for a month." Jeremy said as he pushed his glasses up to his face. Odd immediately tipped back forward, not saying another word or showing intention of doing so later.

William flipped the postcard over. "Having a good time in the Caribbean, wish you could be here." He then flipped it back over and tossed it across the room. It spun horizontally like a falling feather until it landed in the trashcan. He leaned back and kicked a leg up onto the table.

Odd immediately tore into his package, pulling out a large rope with a tag attached to it. "Mint scented to make any dog's breath like you brushed them yourself." Odd immediately dropped it back into the box. The group laughed. William even fell forward from laughing, banging his head on the table. "Really? Nothing for me? Again?" Odd said as he dug through the packing peanuts. Then he felt something. Pulling it out, he saw it was a sky blue 3DS with a game packaged with it. Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" He said as he hugged the box.

Ulrich carefully pulled the flaps up. Amongst the packing peanuts sat a book, but it wasn't nearly long enough. It was a simple book, design made of dark blue leather with a gold ribbon attached to the inside as a bookmark. The front read in gold imprinted letters. "The Journal of Ulfrid Stern." The edges of the pages were lined with silver colored ribbon. It only was tall enough to reach 9 inches back. Reaching his hand further into the peanuts, his hand touched something rough.

He pulled out, only slightly, a heavy, leather scabbard with an elaborate silver patterns running up and down it. Rubies sat welded on either side of the top of the scabbard. The hilt of the sword had black leather around it for a tight grip. The very end had silver eagle's talons grappling a large ruby the size of Ulrich's palm. The room fell silent except for a few gasps and seats shifting. The wider piece touching the scabbard was constructed of well-kept steel that shone in the light. Pulling it out slightly, he could see what looked like dragon fire forged onto the wide side of the sword. It pointed out straight, and was still sharp. Looking closer at the wide piece, he saw it was built to loosely resemble a dragon's mouth.

William was the first to gain control of himself. "Dude, that blade is sick." Murmurs of assent rolled over the lunchroom.

Yumi marveled at the rubies while Odd yelled, "Where is this even from?"

"It was Ulfrid's" Ulrich answered simply.

"It is over 600 years old." Jeremy said, again nudging his glasses up.

Aelita looked at the sword as Ulrich buried it back under the peanuts. "Is it a replica? The real thing wouldn't be in that kind of condition."

Ulrich looked up. "With some love, care, and vacuum packaging, it's lasted a long while. For generations, it was kept polished, chip free, and then placed in an airless container once we had the technology to keep it from rusting. That and this is only one of his weapons. He was a man at arms, the most elite of elite. He was a master of the sword, capable of using two in battle with ease. Like me." Ulrich said, referencing the days of Lyoko.

"I have to hear about this." Odd said as he took his box off the table and tucked it under an arm. Ulrich pulled the book out and closed the box.

"I just need to take this to my room, and I can read it outside. Or we could meet at the factory later and read it.

Jeremy was about to speak when Odd blurted out, "I need to hear about this now!" The others nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, it's settled." Ulrich said as he got up. He quickly sprinted off towards his dorm. He needed to put the box where no one would find it. Entering his shared dorm, he immediately got the perfect idea. A place no one would look. He opened Odd's closet door, shoved the box in and closed the door before the clutter could pour out. By the time he got outside, the others were gathered around a bench in the shade. Ulrich walked over and sat on the bench between Odd and Yumi.

His hand delicately pulled back the leather cover. The next page showed who was writing the book. "As written by Ulfrid Stern." Underneath, it read, "Final chapters by his son, Frederick Stern."

Next page.

"Prologue, My childhood was a trail of seeing good in the bad. My parents were of the peasant class, and when they had me, they couldn't afford their home any longer. They petitioned the property landlord, led by a very wealthy aristocrat. He offered that my parents would work in his manor as servants to pay off what was left of the money they owed on their shack. They thankfully agreed. This is where my journey to the military began. Being an only child, I quickly found myself bored through the days, being too young to work myself. Then I met my lifelong friend.

I was 4 when it occurred. I had been wandering through the manor, exploring as I did most days. That was when I came across the young master. He had been in a study session, and had just been released. I gazed down the hall as the door opened. Stepping out was the young master, which I didn't know at that distance. He smiled wide and approached me. We were of the same age. He wore purple trousers with black velvet shoes and high white socks. His shirt was a small white blouse. I had donned my normal attire of loose browning tunics with sandals and ragged pants. His hair was well kept, part slightly to the right, hair smoothed out. It was a dark jet black. Mine was messy and plain brown.

He ran up to me and waved. His voice was light and happy. 'Hi! What's your name?' he asked.

Nervously, I answered, 'I'm Ulfrid.' I knew that he was rich and me a peasant. I wasn't sure how his father would react if he knew I talked to his son like it was nothing, but he seemed really excited.

'Hi! My name's William, but the other workers call me young master.' He answered-"

William abruptly interrupted. "Whoa wait, I'm an aristocrat?"

Jeremy looked at him. "It's just the first name, I'm sure there's no connection. Those chances are astronomically unlikely."

Ulrich cleared his throat, regaining their attention. "Anyway, he ran off towards the door to the front gardens. I simply stood there, until he said, 'Come on! I want someone to play with.' At that sound, I joined him in a race for the outdoors. We passed several other workers, all who bowed and said something like, "Greetings young master." The two of us must have looked so happy, as no servant looked at me as if it was wrong.

When the doors opened to the front gardens, my heart was brought back to life. It felt like it had been dead the whole time I was inside. I never did like to hole myself in the manor. I often tried to help with gardening whenever I could. Flowers of entire rainbow were dotted throughout the property. A hedge wall wrapped around the whole premise. We joyfully strode through the front lawn, taking in the beauty of nature. Finding a stone bench next to a patch of Pansies and Chrysanthemums. The morning dew glittered off the velvet like petals.

The young master sat on the bench, legs dangling through the air as they weren't long enough. Mine were the same, except they reached a few inches further. He swept a few stray hairs out of his face and smiled. "Isn't this place beautiful?" He asked me while he still looked at me.

"Yeah." I answered. "I wonder what the rest of the world looks like." I said with a curious tone in my voice.

"There is a free way to find out." The young master looked at me now with a partially serious look. "We can join the military when we grow up."

"Why would you worry about it being free? You can go anywhere you want to." I said, scratching the back of my head. He placed a hand of my shoulder.

"Because I want to go where you go." He said. He looked at me sincerely. It was as if a mutual bond built between us in the background while we got to know each other. At that time, however, a voice echoed through the entire garden.

"William! How dare you defy me?!" His father screamed from the front door. We both turned around to meet the glare from his father. He swiftly trudged across the garden, grabbing William by the had sternly, causing him to wince. His other had swiftly slapped his cheek, then grabbed me by the hair. In one swift jerk, I was off my feet and following them into the manor. He led the two of us through the house, the young master's eyes filled with tears and terror. Mine watered but I didn't cry. I had grown used to physical pain and treatment like this.

As we reached the kitchen, I quickly saw my parents' eyes widen in surprise. The landlord growled through his gritted teeth, "Follow me. Now." My parents turned to the other workers and bowed, then followed the landlord into the hallway. He looked straight at my father. "I just caught your grub of a son with my civilized prodigy. Give me one reason I shouldn't throw you out on the street right now."

My father stammered slightly, then said, "I am your head cook, sir."

"I can get another." He said as he reached under his coat. He whipped out a flexible, short stick. He cracked it once in the air.

As the Landlord stared down my father, William spoke up courageously, "Because I like him." His father froze up, then slowly turned his head.

Their gazes locked onto one another. "You actually like that slob?" The young master nodded. "Fine. But you either clean him up, or you don't go outside together." He turned on his heel and walked away. As he brushed past me, he flicked his wrist, slapping my bare arm and making me jump. From there, we went into his room, and he helped me change clothes as well as do my hair.

Since then, we grew closer together over the years. At the age of 13, we both picked up fighting, so we could enlist in the military and serve The Holy Roman Empire militia, a secret force that began to build up to serve what use to be the German barbarian camps. A land once held by proud people that toppled the Romans, only to be controlled by them later. That same year, I also dabbled in the art of weapon crafting. Also in that year, our friendship turned to rivalry over a girl. We met a girl named Elizabeth. She was of the merchant class, fitting between us. We met her one day while I was getting supplies to craft my weapons while William went to buy one.

As we approached the stand, her father stepped up and she watched the both of us intently. Over the years, people not only recognized Young Master Dunbar, but I as well."

William jumped up. "I knew it!"

Odd looked up at him. "Calm yourself William. There must be an explanation."

Ulrich looked among the group, all of whom were surprised at the revelation. In a past life, the two of them had actually been friends. Looking back at the book, he continued. "Her face was done up with powder, and she wore a dark green dress with gold lining along the front and white, silk gloves imported from Asia. She smiled warmly at the both of us. She mouthed the words, 'meet me around back and pointed to the alley way next to the stand. My head bobbed lightly.

I had noticed as we grew up, that William was liked mostly for his money. He was half a head shorter than me, paler, and frankly not as handsome as I had grown into. It was hard to tell who she was talking to. As her father asked me what I wanted, I pointed to a string of leather dyed black, 4 steel ingots, two ingots of silver, and six rubies. Two were large enough to fit in my palm individually, 4 were smaller. William paid for the equipment. I was getting ready to finish my Blacksmith apprenticing today by constructing personal weapons for myself.

He picked out a 5'11" reinforced bamboo stick, which stood 2 inches over him. It was designed to flex without breaking. He also picked up a steel ingot, along with a string of softer, more expensive, black leather. Also, he picked up a gold ingot and a large sapphire large enough to compare to a chicken's egg. After handing over a stack of gold, the vendor asked, "What do you plan to do with all that?"

"I'm finishing my smith training and then I'm going to craft him something as well." I answered as William grabbed the bag of jewels. I took the one of the ingots and leather. He carried his stick as we walked down the alley. The girl opened a side door and stepped out. She looked up at me, then eye level with William.

"My name is Elizabeth Giovanni." She looked at the young master first. "You would be Master William," then to me. "And you, Ulfrid, his loyal friend." I nodded, as did William.

"Where are you from?" William asked. We had started taking classes together as well, becoming educated of the world and its wonders. I knew where she was from based on her name.

"My family hails from the Italy and Rome regions, but we moved out here to be closer to the war front. Most of our goods are weapon related, so it made sense to go where they are needed." As she said this, she looked seductively at the both of us. She rarely made eye contact with either of us. She instead preferred to vaguely look at us. "I hope to see the two of you another day. It was good to meet you." She curtsied, then went back into her home. The two of us turned to each other and headed for the local Smith.

Walking down to the street, the sound of metal clashing, water searing, and the smoke rose in the distance. "She seemed nice." I started.

"Yeah, fitting for someone in a high position like myself." William said.

"What makes you think she liked you?" I asked, looking down at him. "She seemed more interested in my looks than your height."

William turned red with embarrassment and irritation. "Short jokes aren't funny!" He whisper yelled. "And besides, she was far too sophisticated for you." He said.

Ever since then, whenever Elizabeth was involved, we turned from close friends, to even closer rivals. But she never seemed to take a specific interest in either one of us. Always vague and mysterious between who she adored more, forcing us to compete for her attention.

Anyway, I arrived at the Smith, who promptly nodded at me. "Show me what you've learned." He said swiftly. I took the equipment from my bag and immediately took out the 4 ingots and began to temper two of them in the fire. Grabbing my gloves and a hammer, I pulled them out onto and hammer and smashed them together, then returned it to the flame. I did this several times, William looking on in aspiration. About 30 minutes later, I pulled out a two foot long steel blade, as well as a 1.5 foot long blade.

Then, I began the annealing process, wrapping the dull mass in several thick rags. Following that, I grabbed a pair of pre annealed blades, one two feet, the other 1.5. Walking to the nearest grindstone, I quickly began to sharpen the two blades until my well trained eye noted it being done. Then I turned both sideways and engraved a fire pattern into side of both blades on both sides. I would take a brush to them later.

Taking them straight off the stone, I stabbed them deep into the coals, causing them to rise in temperature rapidly, then placed them in cool water to harden it.

I did this again, except at a lower temperature to make the blades strong, but not brittle. Between tempering, I worked on the scabbards, crafting the silver elegantly into them both, along with a pair of rubies in each near the top.

Pulling it from the water, for the last time, I found my blades were flexible, yet strong, I carefully wrapped the handle in black leather and started adding the silver.. I fashioned it into an eagle's talon, placing the ruby in both midway. Quickly after preparing the handle, I moved onto the guard. I carefully, yet precisely crafted it into what looked like a dragon's maw, then painted on the red and orange in the engraved patterned.

When I was done, I had two straight swords, one longer than the other. I slapped the larger one on the right side of my belt, and the smaller on my left. The Blacksmith walked up to me. He placed a hand on my shoulder, then said, "You have come far over this time. But now, you are ready to teach others."

William took a few steps forward, then asked me, "Can you make me a spear?"

I nodded. Taking out the steel ingot, I handed it to the Blacksmith. "Here's a replacement for a new spearhead to craft." He grabbed it and nodded. Turning his head around, he pointed to a wall of spearheads of different size. William walked over and began scanning over them. I thought I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye. I glanced back, catching a glimpse of green whipping back around a corner. "Elizabeth, come on over." I called to the corner.

She stepped from behind and approached us. "How are you doing?" She asked me.

"Fine, just passed my Blacksmith assessment." Looking back, I saw William pick up a spearhead of six inches. He handed it to me.

"I'd like something like this." He said as he traced out a design with his finger. It was elaborate design of curves that formed into a bubbling mass of raging flames. I took it to the grindstone and began to sharpen it, as well as etch the pattern. After it was complete and the blade finished, I notched the staff and slapped the head onto it. Taking a hammer and pick, I spliced the sapphire in two. One half went on the end, gold holding it on, shaped into flames.

While I worked, I heard William and Elizabeth talk it up behind me. Their conversation constantly drifted between him and my Smith work. She was an unpredictable character. The other sapphire was hollowed and attached between the head and staff. The rest of the gold was lined up and down the staff to add resilience to it.

"Catch." I said as I tossed the newly crafted weapon at him. He turned slightly and caught it with one hand and kept talking with Elizabeth. I took my swords and began to trudge across the smith. Tapping him on the back with the wide side of my longer sword, he whipped around quickly.

"Oh, hey there." He said as Elizabeth started walking around to face me.

"Yeah, hey. I thought we were gonna start training." I said as she gave me a smile. It was difficult to judge what kind of emotion went with it.

"Where are you gonna train?" She asked as I-" The bell exploded in sound behind the group.

"Oh man, we're late for class!" Jeremy said as he jumped up. The group began to disperse. Ulrich called out to the others.

"So we're gonna meet up at the factory later, right?" The others either nodded or called out in agreement. "This book is amazing. I just hope I get to the war soon."