It was a sunny day. Although it was peaceful in the country of Eylstadt, war raged in the neighboring countries. Germania was the start of it all, and now all of Europe was in turmoil.
Finé sat in her room, staring at a photo. It was of her father, who had passed away not to long ago. Her heart ached as she thought of him.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in," Finé called out. The door slid open, and there stood the red headed witch Izetta. The witch saw the tears rimming Finé's eyes.
"O-oh, is now a bad time?" Izetta asked, worriedly stepping back. Finé shook her head and scooted over, patting the spot next to her. Izetta closed the door, walked in and sat next to her.
"Your father?" Izetta asked, looking at the photo. Finé nodded, and Izetta frowned. "Oh... I'm so sorry."
Finé shook her head. "Don't be sorry," she said, putting the photo on the bedside table. "Father left the whole country behind for me, and we're in the middle of a war. I've got to be strong."
Izetta dipped her head, clutching her dress tightly. "You're amazing," Izetta stated. "I don't deserve to be in your presence."
Finé looked back at her, her eyebrows furrowed. "Izetta," Finé said sternly. Izetta looked up at the beautiful princess. "Don't downplay yourself. You are the country's hero, after all."
"And you're the princess!" Izetta grinned. Then her eyes grew wide. "Or... would you be queen now?"
Finé opened her mouth to say something, but then she stopped and looked away. Izetta sighed and stared at her feet.
"I need... to confess something to you." Finé started softly. Izetta looked back over, but Finé avoided eye contact. "Izetta... I..." She couldn't get the words out, and she clenched her fists. "I... I love you."
Izetta gasped, her eyes lighting up. Finé turned around so her back was facing Izetta. She couldn't dare look at Izetta's face.
"You... love me?" Izetta asked. Finé didn't respond, and Izetta beamed. "I-I love you too!"
Finé's head shot up and she swiveled it to look at Izetta. The young witch was sitting on the edge of the bed, gazing up at Finé, ecstatic.
"Y-you do?" Finé asked. Izetta nodded. Finé walked over to her and sat down next to her, grabbing her hand. They stared into each other's eyes for a bit, squeezing each others' hands.
"Want to... kiss?" Izetta asked.
"Yes," Finé responded, her face burning red.
They leaned in, their lips gently touching. Finé put her hands on Izetta's hips, and Izetta's arms around Finé's shoulders. They continued to kiss, their eyes closed, their hearts fluttering.
They pulled back, taking deep breaths. "I-I've never kissed anyone before." Finé admitted. Izetta smiled and giggled.
"Me neither," Izetta agreed.
They leaned back in and kissed again, hugging each other tightly. Suddenly, the door opened.
"Princess Fi-" A man said, but stopped mid sentence. Finé and Izetta pulled back and whipped their heads around to look at the man. He blushed and looked away. "E-erm, someone is here to see you." He stuttered.
"Who is it?" Finé asked, fighting the blush on her face.
The man still avoided eye contact. "A soldier by the name of Ekkehard Roth."
Finé's eyes grew wide. She had heard of Ekkehard. He was the best soldier on the front lines. He had fought many battles and was a sharp shooter. The soldiers spoke fondly of him, although they said he didn't talk much and mostly clung to the shadows. Finé had requested to meet with him.
She stood up. "Thank you sir. Tell Herr Roth we will meet him in the conference room." She said. The man dipped his head and quickly left the room.
Izetta stood up as well. "I guess I'd better leave you to your duties," she said, giving her a wink.
"You're coming with me," Finé told her. Izetta stared, and Finé smiled. "You'll be working alongside this man on the front lines, it would be beneficial for you to get to know him."
"O-oh, then okay!" Izetta's eyes lit up, and the two left the room and headed to the conference room.
They entered the room, and there stood a man. He was on the smaller side, to their surprise, and his facial features were soft. He immediately saluted Finé once he saw her.
"Greetings, Herr Roth," Finé greeted. Ekkehard smiled.
"Please, call me Ekkehard," he replied, his eyes shining. His voice was somewhat high. "Hello, Princess Finé, and Izetta."
Finé and Izetta exchanged glances. This man was not what they expected. He seemed... quite feminine. But there was nothing wrong with that, he was still an amazing fighter, and that was all that mattered in this war.
"Please, have a seat," Finé said, gesturing to the chairs. Ekkehard dipped his head and sat down. Finé and Izetta did so as well. "So, Ekkehard," Finé started, "Soldiers say you're the best soldier out there."
Ekkehard grinned. "Do they now?" He cooed. "Well, that is an honor to hear."
"What village are you from?" Izetta queried, leaning forward. She stared at Ekkehard, and for a split second, he seemed worried, but it quickly vanished.
"I'm from a small village from the south," Ekkehard answered. "It's very small, only a few tens of people."
"Oh really?" Finé asked.
"Yes your majesty," Ekkehard responded, giving a nod of his head.
Izetta leaned in closer, narrowing her eyes. Finé looked at Izetta, confused on why Izetta seemed so on edge. Ekkehard seemed uncomfortable with the intensity of Izetta's stare, especially when he saw where Izetta was staring. Izetta's eyes were fixated right on his chest.
"E-erm, uh, Fraulein Izetta?" He asked, scooting back. Izetta got closer, staring even harder.
"Izetta, what are you doing?" Finé asked curiously.
"You..." Izetta started, her eyes narrowed. "You... have breasts?"
Ekkehard's face turned bright red. Finé stared at Izetta, extremely confused. "W-what? I do not!" Ekkehard spat. Then he realized his outburst and calmed down. "I-I mean, no, I don't, ma'am."
"Yes you do! I can see the shape of them! Small, but they're there!" Izetta protested. She slammed her fists down on the table. "Guards!" She shouted.
"Izetta?!" Finé yelled, confused. Ekkehard turned to run, but guards ran in and grabbed Ekkehard, holding him down.
"Impostor!" Izetta shrieked, pointing at Ekkehard. "You are not Ekkehard Roth! You are a girl!"
The guards pulled the lady up, and she tried to struggle free. "No, I'm not! I'm Ekkehard Roth!" She shouted, her voice slipping to its regular high pitched tone.
"Undress her," Finé ordered. The lady's eyes grew wide and she tried to break away, but the guards started to undress her. Finé then ordered them to stop before they stripped her down completely. The girl stood in her bra and underwear. Izetta was right, she did have breasts, and no male genitals. Finé felt herself grow angry.
"Who are you?" Finé hissed. The lady stared at her, obviously humiliated. She didn't respond. "I said, who are you?!" Finé demanded.
"Fine, I'll tell you!" The lady wailed. "I am Tikva Waldvogel!"
"Where are you from?" Finé questioned. Tikva looked away.
"Munich, Germania," Tikva admitted. Finé bit her lip.
"A spy!" One of the guards yelled. Tikva looked at him and shook her head frantically.
"No, I'm not a spy! I'm a refugee!" She wailed.
"Take her to prison," Finé ordered. The guards nodded and started to take her away.
"At least put her clothes back on first!" Izetta told them. They nodded and redressed Tikva, taking her out of the room and down to the prison.
Finé sighed and smiled and Izetta, putting an arm around her. "Good eye," she complimented. Izetta frowned.
"Thanks," Izetta murmured.
That night, Izetta laid in bed, thinking. Maybe she was stupid, maybe she was naive, but this Tikva lady didn't seem like a threat. She had been fighting the Germanians for a long time now, or that's what she heard from the other soldiers. And the way she yelled she was a refugee, it made Izetta's heart break. She needed to find out Tikva's story.
She put on a coat and tiptoed out of the palace and toward the prison. Once she was past the guards, she ran, and was about to sneak into the prison when someone stopped her.
"Halt!" A man shouted. Izetta froze and turned her head to look at the guard standing in front of the prison.
"Oh, hello," Izetta said. The man narrowed his eyes.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" He bellowed. Izetta stepped back.
"U-um, I'm Izetta," she said. The man's eyes grew wide.
"The witch I've been hearing about?" He asked. Izetta blushed and nodded, and he stepped aside. "Please go inside, miss. However, I will accompany you."
"O-oh, thanks!" Izetta stuttered, stepping inside. The man followed her, and they walked down the hallway.
"Who are you looking for?" He asked her. She kept her eyes on the cells.
"A woman named Tikva," Izetta responded. The man nodded and took her to a cell. There laid Tikva in her bed, staring at the wall. The man stepped back, and Izetta got closer to the bars. "Tikva?" She asked gently.
Tikva looked over. "Izetta?" She said, her eyes slits. "What do you want?"
"I want to talk to you," Izetta replied.
"About what?" Tikva snarled. Izetta sighed.
"You said you're a refugee... what do you mean by that?" Izetta questioned. Tikva sat up and stared at her, her eyes dark.
"I'm..." she started. "I-I'm Jewish."
Izetta tilted her head to the side. "And?" She asked. She was confused on what this lady's religion had to do with anything. Tikva stood up and walked over, standing at the bars.
"Do you not know what Germania is doing to us?" She questioned. Izetta shook her head slowly. She admitted to herself, she didn't know much about what was going on with the citizens of Germania. Izetta looked back at the guard, who seemed shocked.
"I-I'm afraid I don't," Izetta murmured, looking back at Tikva.
Tikva's lip quivered. "They're... they're killing us."
"What?" Izetta gasped. The guard stepped forward.
"I heard they've been persecuting Jewish people, but killing?" The guard said. Tikva nodded, fear dancing in her eyes.
"Yes. They destroyed my father's business and killed some of our neighbors. They're sending us away to prison camps in Livonia. I've heard..." Tikva's voice caught in her throat. "I-I-I've heard the Germanians herd them off the train, give them bars of soap and tell them they're going to take a shower. They undress, all of them, and they move them into a big room... and then they gas them."
"Oh my god," Izetta whispered. The guard stared at Tikva sadly.
"That's... that's what they did to my parents... in a place called Treblinka." Tikva told them. Izetta stared at her feet sadly. How could the Germanians do that to people? This poor girl, losing her family. Izetta knew how that felt.
"How did you get out alive?" The guard questioned. Tikva looked at him with wet eyes.
"My parents sent me away. They told me to come here. They said it was safe here. My mother was too ill to come, so I had to leave them behind." Tikva explained. She stood up straight. "So when I found out about their deaths and how Germania was invading Eylstadt, I had to fight. I knew I could die fighting, but if it meant protecting the Jewish people here from Germania's wrath and avenging my parents, then so be it."
Izetta and the guard exchanged glances. If what this girl was saying was true, Izetta looked up to her. She was very strong, and Izetta's heart ached for her.
"I've got to tell Finé." Izetta stated.
"B-but Frau-" The guard started, but she threw her hand up to interrupt him.
"I need to! I can't let Tikva suffer alone." Izetta told the guard. She reached through the bars and put her hand on Tikva's shoulders. "Don't worry Tikva, I'll make sure Finé gets you out of here." Izetta told her. Tikva smiled thankfully, dipping her head, and then Izetta and the guard turned and ran.
They reached the entrance of the prison, and the guard stopped. "I can't go any farther, Fraulein Izetta," the guard informed. Izetta stopped and looked at him.
"Okay. Thank you..." She stared at him, and he smiled.
"Götz." He replied.
"Thank you Götz." Izetta thanked, then sped back to the palace. She ran inside, then up to Finé's room. She knocked on the door, and Finé opened up, gazing at her tiredly.
"Izetta? What's wrong?" Finé asked. Izetta stepped inside and closed the door. Finé stepped back, confused. "Izetta? What's going on?"
"It's about that Tikva girl," Izetta told her. Finé gasped.
"Did she get free?" She asked. Izetta shook her head.
"No, but we need to set her free!" Izetta whispered. Finé seemed confused, and Izetta drew in a deep breath. "She's from Germania, but she's Jewish. Finé, they're killing Jews there." Izetta then explained everything to Finé, about the Germanians sending them away and gassing them. She also told Finé about Tikva's situation. Finé seemed disgusted and horrified.
"Oh my god," Finé breathed.
"That's why we have to set her free and let her fight," Izetta explained. Finé stared at her feet, thinking.
"Izetta, I trust you, and I trust your judgement. We'll let Tikva free, but we'll keep a constant watch on her due to her ties with Germania. It's just to be safe." Finé informed. Izetta smiled and clasped her hands together happily, her eyes sparkling.
"Thank you, princes!" Izetta squealed, kissing Finé's cheek. Finé blushed, and then the two turned and headed towards the prison.
Götz smiled when he saw them, and he lead the two back inside to where Tikva was. He held the keys, and when they reached Tikva's cell, they saw her sitting on the ground. Her head snapped up when she saw them, and she quickly stood up and saluted.
"Princess Finé!" She greeted. Finé dipped her head.
"I heard your story, Tikva, and I am truly sorry. I've decided to set you free, but you will be under constant supervision by some of my female guards." Finé explained. Tikva clasped her hands together, looking as if she was going to cry.
"Thank you, princess, thank you!" Tikva thanked. Finé smiled, and Götz unlocked her cell. She stepped out, and they lead her to the palace where they gave her a room. Finé awoke Bianca and told her the situation, and Bianca agreed to watch over Tikva from now on.
As the war raged on, Tikva proved to be an excellent soldier for Eylstadt. Her relationship with both Izetta and Finé blossomed, and soon she was their best friends. She was there to support their romantic relationship, and they provided her with friendship. The three were inseparable.