Hello everyone! TVR here~! I would like to thank you all for taking the time to read this fanfic~ This is actually the very first historical fanfiction that I ever started writing so yeah, there's bound to be mistakes.

Thanks again and enjoy~!

Part One:

The Photograph

Another boring day in the German household, Ludwig thought to himself as he stared up at the sky. The sun was beating down that hot February morning and all Ludwig wanted was to take a long workout in his pool. Unfortunately, he made arrangements with his brother that they will be cleaning the old storage rooms today. He heaved a sigh as he slid his wide hands inside his pockets then trudged inside.

"Bruder?" he said as he looked around.

"In here!" Ludwig blinked then followed his brother's voice into the adjoining room. He cocked a brow when he saw Gilbert wearing a protective suit around him. He nodded his head as he rubbed his temple with his two fingers. "Just.. Why?" he asked.

Gilbert merely grinned as he pulled the suit up and strapped it to himself. "One can't be too careful, Lud." He walked to the couch then got another suit. "Wear this, bruder," he said, giving the blond German the protective gear.

Ludwig snorted as he swatted his brother's hand away. "I will nicht (not) wear that," he grumbled as he hooked his thumbs to his pants. "It's already hot out and I don't want to feel even hotter." He folded the suit neatly then settled them on a chair. "Now come on. I want to finish early."

The albino pouted as he crossed his arms, murmuring something about "safety" and "little brother." He stretched his arms up high into the air as he followed his brother to the storage house. "It's pretty cramped there," he warned. "I haven't cleaned it in like.. ages." He opened then went in before he let Ludwig enter.

Ludwig's eyes widened when he saw the enormity of the junk. "Mein gott," he breathed. "H-how.." He gestured with his hands at all the piles of junk that were there as he glared at his brother.

Gilbert smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I never really stepped foot on this building in quite a while," he said. He dragged his hand through his hair as he sighed. "So let's get started shall we?"

~O~

Hours passed and Ludwig was really getting sweaty. His damp clothes stuck to his muscular chest as he wiped his brow with a toned arm. He scanned the room and was a bit pleased that they were making a lot of progress. Three hours more, he estimated.

He walked to his brother when something caught his eye. Curiosity getting the better of him, he climbed through a small pile then saw an old photograph. Its edges were frayed and yellow but it was still clear. It was a picture of his brother when he was still a country but something made his senses tingle.

Beside his brother was a young woman that was a bit shorter than him but somehow, she looked almost exactly like him, as if she was the female version of his brother. She had her body pressed to his and they were both wearing grins on their faces, their red eyes glinting as if they knew something that the world doesn't and will never know.

They looked happy, he noted, in their own twisted way.

"Hey bruder," Ludwig said he slowly trudged towards his brother, his blue eyes still fixed on the photograph. "Ja?"Gilbert replied as he didn't look up from his work. Ludwig managed to reach him and not slip on something buried underneath. "Who's she?" the younger German asked.

It took a few seconds before Gilbert to finally look up. "Who's who?" He smiled at Ludwig before looking at the photo. Upon seeing it, his usually happy face slowly turned into a pained frown. His eyes hardened as he took the photo from his brother's hand. It had been years since he saw this photo.

"Scheiße.. (Shit..)" he cursed to himself as he stood up and paced the room. He felt his eyes fill with tears but he fought hard not to let them fall. The albino pressed the back of his hands to his eyes as he struggled to control his tears. His hands began to tremble as he gently held the picture.

"Bruder.." Ludwig said softly. This was the first time that he ever saw his brother tear up over something. He took a step closer to his brother but stopped himself. 'He needs to take his time,' he thought to himself. Biting his lip, he sat on one of the stools scattered inside the storage house.

Watching his elder brother pace around the small space, he wondered who that woman was. Was she a lover? No, he thought. Gilbert would have bragged about her if she was a lover. Maybe she's a relative of theirs? Maybe but.. Who?

Ludwig was just sitting there quietly with his thoughts when Gilbert walked to him, his eyes all red and puffy. His hands were still trembling but he had on a smile that he knew was false. "Bruder," he said softly. Gilbert merely shook his head then sat down on a dusty crate. The blond only stared at him.

"Who was she, bruder?"

Gilbert rubbed his face with his scarred hand as he stayed quiet for a minute. He stared at the ground then looked at him with his puffy eyes. "She.. She was mein twin schwester (sister)."

Ludwig's blue orbs widened as he stared at him. "T-twin?" he asked in disbelief. He honestly didn't think that Gilbert had another sister much less a twin. Nobody ever told him that. "Where is she now?"

The albino's fingers drummed on his knees as his foot tapped restlessly on the ground. He felt his heart ache. It ached for the sister he once loved, a sister that was as important to him as a limb. "She's.. She's dead Ludwig." His eyes were hollow as he clasped his hands together as if in prayer. "She died while protecting me."

The blond tried to open his mouth but couldn't. What can he say to his brother when he was just told the truth about someone he thought never even existed? He wanted to reach his hand out to his brother, wanted to make the physical contact but didn't. It will only shatter his brother when he touched him now so he waited.

Deafening silence passed over them as the clocked ticked by. No one spoke. No one moved. Ludwig barely breathed. Fighting the urge to shake Gilbert from the trance-like state that possessed him, he stood up and stared outside the window.

"Ludwig.." the albino finally said, his voice hoarse, his throat dry. He looked up at his younger sibling with those red eyes of his but instead of seeing the usual confident and arrogant gleam, Ludwig only saw the sorrow and pain. Just.. What the hell happened?

Gilbert beckoned him to come closer so he did. He sat on a dusty crate in front of the shattered Prussian. "Bruder.." he said softly. He looked intently at him as he touched the back of his hand, something that he'll only do to his brother when it fits. "What happened to her, bruder?"

Not saying anything for the next couple of minutes, Gilbert took a huge, shuddering breath. He didn't want to relive it again, didn't want to feel the pain. All those years that passed never really made the pain go away, only dulled it. He wasn't sure how to tell him, didn't know if he could.

Dragging a hand through his hair, he gave a frustrated sigh. Holding the edge of the photo, he stared at the smiling face of his twin. So young, vital. Alive. She didn't look the way she really is.

Dead.

"Do you really wanna know Lud?" Gilbert asked, his voice hollow. Biting his lip, the German nodded. Heaving a deep breath, Gilbert fingered the edges of the old photograph. He stared ahead, his eyes dead and wide, darkness engulfing his once vibrant orbs.

"Her.. Her name was Julchen Beilschmidt…"