From last chapter.
Albtraum - Nightmare in German
Juden - Jews (Jewish people) in German
POW-Prisoner-of-War
Volkswagen - "People's Car." It turned out a Nazi trade union founded the company, and that Hitler dream was that every German family can get a family car, though I don't know how successful the project was.
Wehrmacht - Roughly translated to "defence force" which was the name given to Germany's total military force, which included the army, navy and the air force.
Knight's Cross - a military award given to German soldiers. In fact, you can see Germany wearing it in the anime.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia
Chapter 2: The Patriot
Ludwig hurriedly walked towards the building as the wind began to bluster outside; just a normal November day in Berlin.
The building was an imposing structure, with a cream exterior covered with dozens of swastikas and Nazi flags fluttering outside.
He quickly climbed the steps and walked into the building and was immediately taken aback. The whole place was a complete mess, papers cluttered the floor, and workers scampered of in all sorts of directions underscoring the busy atmosphere of the building.
Snippets of conversation floated in and out of a myriad of sound,
"…did you hear, the Führer will make a speech today on the radio?" said one woman.
"I know I've heard," said another.
"I actually wanted to listen, but my radio broke yesterday when my son accidentally toppled it off the kitchen table," another woman whined.
"Oh how is little Frederick doing."
"Not too bad actually…"
Ludwig tuned them out after that.
The conversations blended well with the incessant taps and clicks of typewriters that echoed across the halls of several offices, creating a strange cacophony as the odd radio blaring music in the background was heard. The air was heavy as wafts of cigar smoke filtered everywhere in the building.
Men and women rushed in and out of offices carrying stacks of papers and documents and Ludwig tried his best to avoid colliding with anyone as he slowly navigated his way to his boss's office.
"Heil Hitler." A soldier saluted in front of Ludwig. Taken aback for an instant, Ludwig inspected the man and saw that he was slightly younger than him, though he couldn't be sure, "Heil Hitler," Ludwig saluted in return.
Ludwig began to walk forward when the sound of a woman's voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Hello, you are Mr. Beilschimdt, correct?" the cheery receptionist said behind him.
Ludwig turned around in confusion to see the happiest looking person in the building, "Um, yes, I'm here to see Mr. Strumer."
"Ok, no problem, he's actually ready to see you now."
"Really?" Ludwig asked.
"Yep," she replied. "His office is just down this hall and the second door to your left." She happily replied while gesturing with her arm.
"Danke" Ludwig replied.
"Don't mention it," the receptionist replied.
Ludwig eventually found the office without a problem and tentatively knocked on the door, "Come in," a voice replied from the room
Ludwig immediately opened the door as his boss greeted him, "Heil Hitler," the man said as he stood up and raised his arm.
Ludwig saluted in return, "Heil Hitler."
His new boss' room wasn't too disorganized or messy compared to the atmosphere outside his office. All his books were methodically arranged behind his desk, with several tall mahogany book cases nearly touching the ceiling. The man's desk was neatly arranged as well, a photo of his family on the left hand side and documents neatly stacked on the other. And in the middle of his desk was his name plate "Wilhelm Sturmer."
"Ah, Ludwig Beilschmidt I presume." The man greeted as he extends his hand forward.
"Yes sir." Ludwig replied, shaking the man's hand. The handshake was tight and formal.
Ludwig glanced up to see the subtle features of his new boss. The man had dark sleek black hair, combed neatly to the side, though he could see patches of grey here and there. He had dark piercing eyes with thick eyebrows. The man himself exuded formality, order and a strange sort of uptight attitude.
"No need to be so formal son." The man said, breaking Ludwig's reverie. "Come and sit." He said gesturing to the leather chair in front of his desk.
Ludwig quickly sat and looked to his side, the large windows filtered in the sunlight, creating a strange image of peace and serenity inside the room.
"First off, I want to welcome you to the German Foreign Ministry. I am Wilhelm Sturmer, second-in-command to Minister Ribbentrop himself." He paused slightly before grabbing a folder on his stack of documents. Quickly grabbing his reading glasses, the man began to leaf through the folder.
"I've read your file Ludwig, and I dare say I am very impressed. Three years of duty with the military; awarded the Knight's Cross for exceptional bravery during the Battle of Warsaw, and if I am not mistaken you served a bit during Operation Barbarossa." He paused for a bit before continuing. "It's a shame you blew out your knee in Russia. You could have had a promising career within the military." He sighed, while shaking his head. "However, those are not the reasons I'm asking you to be my assistant. It is because you're organized, a great law-abiding citizen, and a true and loyal Nazi."
There was a short pause as the man neatly returned the folder back in the pile.
"Now, my first assignment for you is to accommodate the new Italian ambassador to Germany." The man ordered.
"Wait…what do you mean sir?" Ludwig asked, genuinely confused. 'Accompany the ambassador, what does that mean?' Ludwig thought silently. 'And why does he want me to do it, I thought he said that I would be his assistant.'
"Well, basically, I want you to house him until we can get the proper living arrangements ready." The man stated, calmly answering Ludwig's question.
"But why isn't there living arrangements in place for him?" Ludwig was still confused. 'Italy is our closest ally; surely someone of such a high stature as the Italian ambassador should get a better living accommodation.'
"To tell you the truth, I actually don't know." The man paused, giving a look of genuine confusion. "I thought the Italian embassy already had living arrangements for him, especially since he's their top diplomat. But last night, the embassy basically begged me for emergency living arrangements. And then I realized that you were my new assistant first thing the next day so I thought I'll just assign him to you."
Ludwig blinked before his new boss continued, "Oh well, that's life for you, always throwing out surprises."
"Uh yeah." Ludwig stated
"He'll be arriving this afternoon at the train station around 5 in the afternoon, give or take an hour or two."
"That soon." Ludwig cried in surprise.
"Yeah, sorry about the short notice." 'No kidding' Ludwig thought. "However, I understand that your brother is also leaving town this afternoon by train. So this should not be a problem for you." His boss beamed.
'How did he know that?' Ludwig wondered.
"No sir, it's not. I'll get on it right away." Ludwig stated before getting up and giving his new boss the traditional military salute.
"Good." His boss simply replied.
Ludwig thanked his boss before he turned around and began to walk out of his office, then he realized he forgot to ask something important. Quickly turning around he asked, "Actually, just one more question sir, if you don't mind."
"Sure. What is it?" His boss said.
"What's the ambassador's name?" he implored.
"Feliciano Vargas." His boss stated simply.
"Thank you sir." Ludwig said. With that last bit of info, Ludwig turned around and walked out of his office.
"Dammit, dammit dammit, Dammit!" A man fumed as he waited on the platform of a train station.
"Oh, fratello, you need to calm down, being angry won't make the train come faster," another man implored beside him.
"Dammit Feliciano I know that. It's just so damn frustrating waiting for this stupid train. That damn schedule said the train will get here in 30 minutes. And guess what, that was an hour ago!"
"Ve~"
Feliciano kept quiet, living with his often angry brother has taught him when to back down and let him vent. This was one of those times.
"Stupid train, stupid schedule, stupid everything," Lovino continued to mutter under his breath as he continued to pace back and forth.
One glance at the pair and it becomes clear that both were brothers, some even mistake them for twins. And it's hard to blame them, after all the two brothers look eerily similar to each other. Feliciano has light brown hair with light brown eyes and a strange ahoge that protrudes from the left side of his head. Lovino has darker brown hair and darker brown eyes while having the same strange ahoge that protrudes from the right side of his head. Though similar in appearance, they could not have been more different, Feliciano had a happy-go-lucky bubbly personality with the ability to get along with everyone. Lovino on the other hand is often seen swearing and complaining, which goes hand in hand with his sour disposition.
Feliciano didn't notice but Lovino had stopped muttering and stared at him, "You know what you're doing right?" Lovino asked silently.
"Yes, fratello I know what to do." Feliciano replied silently. The two conspirators lowered their voices amid the hustle and bustle of the train station.
"Good, because remember, you are a member of the Resistenza, no scratch that." He paused. "You are an Italian first and a soldier second, it's your duty to help the movement in any way, shape or form." Another pause, "Although, I still can't believe Grandpa Roma managed to get you that cushy job." Lovino remarked, a hint of jealousy in his voice.
"Yeah, I know, I mean Italian Ambassador to Germany?" Feliciano still couldn't believe it. He knew he wasn't good at fighting with the Resistenza, but he failed to see how he'd do better as a spy.
"Yeah, either Roma was a smooth talker, or their getting desperate over there at the Foreign Ministry." Lovino chuckled silently.
"Let's go over the plan again, just in case." Feliciano said, a small smile still plastered on his face.
"Fine, and remember everything this time dammit." Lovino muttered.
"Ok, so I take the train all the way to Berlin." Feliciano recited.
"Then you stay over at the embassy masquerading as the Italian Ambassador while simultaneously being a spy, gathering information for us to exploit German positions in Italy." Lovino added.
"Actually fratello, I'm not staying at the embassy." Feliciano stated nervously.
"Huh?" Lovino asked, confusion written on his face.
"Didn't Grandpa Roma tell you, I'm staying over with a high-ranking official in Germany, that way it'll get me closer to the Foreign Ministry." Feliciano continued.
Lovino emotions blended and changed rapidly, from confusion, to concern to pure anger.
"Um…Lovi." Asked a concerned Feliciano.
"WHAT, THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE…" Lovino exploded.
"Lovi calm down." Feliciano silently begged, 'So much for trying to keep quiet.' Feliciano thought.
"…MY BROTHER IS NOT STAYING OVER WITH SOME POTATO BASTARD! I MEAN WHAT THE HELL IS ROMA THINKING." Lovino bellowed.
'This might take a while' Feliciano thought, 'He's always hated Germans, or Germany in general,' so instead of intervening he stood there and waited.
Eventually, Lovino calmed down a bit, "stupid, stupid, stupid, grrr, I can't believe this; why the hell didn't he tell me, dammit…"
As Lovino paced back and forth, the train pulled into the station and soon people began boarding, with hugs and kisses among family and friends scattered around the terminal as they began to say their farewells.
As Feliciano began to board the train, he felt a tug on his shirt. Confused, he turned around only see a more serious looking Lovino.
"You say safe now." He said.
He looked so serious, it concerned Feliciano, so instead he tried to lighten the mood and smiled while cheerily remarking, "ve~ you have nothing to worry about fratello."
"No I'm serious Feliciano, please say safe. I want to see you again dammit." Lovino begged, tears welling up in his eyes, as he looked away.
"Don't be worried about me," Feliciano said.
"I am not!" Lovino snapped, before his eyes softened again, "I just care for you…a lot." He paused momentarily, "you know that right. I always did care for you. And you know what; after this stupid war is over, we can go walk again on the streets of Rome without the stupid Arditi, we can even go open that stupid pasta restaurant you've always wanted to open, we can go on with our lives together, as brothers-in-arms." The silence that followed was deafening, Lovino has never showed this side of him, at least not in public.
"Ok, fratello, I promise." Feliciano said.
"Don't promise dammit, actually come back." Lovino muttered, as tears slowly started to cascade from his eyes.
"Ok fratello, don't worry so much, I'll be back before you know it." Feliciano stated softly, before being pulled into a hug by his older brother, "Stay safe."
"I will." Feliciano replied.
At that moment, the train whistle sounded and Feliciano offered a weak goodbye before boarding the train.
And as the train rolled out of the station, the situation hit Feliciano with full force. Thinking back to the promise he gave to his brother he thought with clear determination, 'I am fighting for Italia. My country is in need, and to save it I joined the Resistenza. I will help my country, by any means necessary. My name is Feliciano Vargas, and I am a patriot.'
I have to agree with Lovino here, there is nothing that gets on my nerves more than waiting for a bus or a train, especially if it's really late, or if its -25 outside with the windchill and you're standing there freezing to death waiting for the bus to come.
Big thanks to Cinder Snow, my first reviewer ever.
And remember, read and review.
