With Russia out of the picture, the Revolutions of 1848 are starting to get underway. Let's see what's going on...
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CHAPTER TWO
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Russia's fears soon came to pass. Less than a month later, in January of 1848, a young man with auburn hair, visibly exhausted from running, burst into the royal court of the King of the Two Sicilies.
"Your Highness!" The young man, not even bothering with the typical formalities such as bowing, made his way up to the king.
The king stared down at the man, annoyed at his outburst. "Romano! What is the meaning of this?" Ferdinand II locked eyes with the nation before him.
Romano answered quickly, the look of irritation on his face."The people in Sicily have thrown a revolution!"
"What!?"
Frowning, Romano replied. "It is true! Those bastards even restored the 1830 constitution..."
"The 1830 constitution?" Realising the seriousness of the situation, King Ferdinand II gestured at his territory's avatar. "Romano! Fetch me my generals. This is my kingdom, and the Sicilians must learn their place within it!" The nation nodded before making his way out of the court once more.
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Soon, January turned to February, then March. Inspired by the initial success of the Sicilians, uprisings of a similar nature began to take place across the continent. Some were hit harder than others, though, as the aristocrat in blue seated at his piano knew all too well. Hearing the arrival of a guest at his door, Austria ceased his fingers' delicate dance across the keys. "General Radetzky."
The military officer entered the home, tipping his hat. "Herr Edelstein." He took a seat near where Austria was, waiting for the nation to face him.
"What is the latest from Italy?" Austria's voice had a most serious tone about it.
"It's not good. The rebellion is quickly conflagrating into all-out war. And not only that," the general continued, "the Italians have begun to rally around their national avatar, Herr Feliciano Vargas."
Austria was dumbstruck, though it was difficult to tell just from looking at his face. "How on Earth could the Italians have convinced Feliciano to play along in their little game?"
General Radetzky began to look over his messages and field reports. "It appears that they... bribed him with vast quantities of pasta."
Roderich facepalmed deeply at this revelation, though he quickly regained his composure. "In that case, Herr General, I do believe that it is time I took a personal stake in this whole affair. If the Italians succeed, everyone else in the empire may start to have ideas."
"But sir, with all due respect, you are not the strongest fighter in Europe. Having you on the battlefield could be a significant ris-"
"Italy has always been a weak nation. And even if things are difficult, Hungary and her regiments stand ready to aid the war effort, correct?"
Acknowledging the nation's wishes, the general gave a single nod."Very well then, Herr Edelstein. Be ready to leave by tomorrow morning. The front line awaits."
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Additional notes: The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies covered the southern half of the Italian peninsula, along with the island of Sicily. The Sicilian attempt at independence was the first recolution in 1848, taking place on January 12, and it wasn't long before those in Lombardy-Venetia in northern Italy tried throwing off Austrian rule as well. And yes, I know none of the nations have seen one another face-to-face yet, instead just talking with their bosses and such. There'll be plenty of nation-to-nation interaction soon, don't worry.
