"Well, that was a sad part. But after this, we get to some pretty AWESOME parts! Once you got over your nasty bug, you were on your way up, West!"

"You're talking about the German Empire, aren't you?"

"You bet I am! Those times were the BEST!" And so Gilbert began yet another section of history…

* * *

The year was 1870, and Prussia found itself in yet another war- this time, the Franco-Prussian War. Gilbert thought that Bismarck had really outdone himself this time! He started the war by provoking the French! They'd just about dropped everything to declare war once that "adjusted" Ems Dispatch was released. Bismarck had scored a ton of points with just that action. It took guts to even attempt something like this. First he gave Gilbert the opportunity to stomp on Austria, and now this business with France… This was a man Gilbert was very much convinced to respect. He still was no Old Fritz, but manipulations like these just screamed AWESOME.

The scene was very similar to how it was four years ago, during the Austro-Prussian War: Gilbert was getting dressed, and Ludwig was sitting on his brother's bed, watching him prepare, and listening to him ramble about how thoroughly those French were going to be smashed. The most prominent difference between the two scenes had to be Ludwig himself. Now representing the North German Confederacy, he was about fifteen years old physically. This war wasn't hurting him anywhere near as much as the previous one did, but he still did feel a little sick every once in a while.

"…And that's why I'm going to rule the battlefield like no one's ever seen before!" Gilbert concluded a speech that Ludwig hadn't been paying attention to. He had something a little more important on his mind.

"I'd like to be able to fight next to you someday, brother." It seemed that, every time conflict rolled around, he would be in the same position: curled up in bed and sick as a dog while big brother did all the fighting. He was tired of having to sit out every war and do nothing. Next time, I won't tell him that I'm not feeling well. If he doesn't think I'll go down if someone looks at me sideways, he'll take me along, and I'll finally be able to do something. …It probably won't be that easy, though…

Gilbert caught Ludwig's statement in the middle of another rant of his. "Hm?" He turned to look at his brother. He was still a little skinny-looking, but he was undoubtedly stronger than he was a few years ago. He had actually started training quite some time before the war broke out. Yes, if he kept getting stronger at this rate, he would probably be able to join him on the battlefield sometime soon. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea, West! I'd love it if you'd come kick some ass with me!" Ludwig shot him a glare but otherwise raised no comment about the mild profanity. "But would you really be able to do it? You're not really all that strong yet, so-"

"But I WILL be! I'm going to get strong, so I CA-" Before Ludwig could say the word "can," something bizarre happened. A noise happened. A nearly indescribable noise happened… to his voice. His hands swiftly went over his mouth, as if a toad had just jumped out of it and he didn't want any more to follow the leader. He had a feeling he knew what had just happened. He braced himself for the teasing that was bound to occur in drei, zwei, eins

"What was that?!" It slowly sank into Gilbert's head that he just heard his brother's voice crack. For some reason, it struck him as very, very funny and gave him an idea to boot. "I'm sorry, West? Could you pleeeaaase say that again?" His signature smirk was starting to make itself seen. Ludwig remained with his hands clapped over his mouth, determined not to give a repeat performance and glaring daggers at his brother. "Ha ha, West! You're growing up, kid! …I don't think I ever told you much about this, did I? Well, I'll start by telling-"

Okay, this was beyond humiliating. Not wanting to give his brother the satisfaction of hearing him squeak again and not feeling terribly confident in his ability to give his brother a much-needed punch to the face, Ludwig grabbed a pillow and chucked it at Gilbert with as much force as he could. The soft projectile hit the older nation square in the face, surprising him greatly.

"Wha- HEY! Those things HURT when you throw them like that!" It didn't really hurt all that much, but it was really more the element of surprise that knocked Gilbert off his high horse. "Geez. I never knew you could throw that hard." Well, whether it hurt or not, he had to admit that he was a little impressed by the younger nation's new strength. It seemed that the training was actually starting to have a payoff. Also, it took guts to throw anything at the great and mighty Prussia, even if it was just a pillow. That was good for a few extra points for his little brother (and only his little brother), right there. Ludwig, however, continued giving his brother his best "there-will-be-a-dead-rodent-under-your-pillow-tonight" look. (Not that he'd ever touch a dead rodent, much less put it under someone's pillow. Too messy.) But on the inside, he was gloating about the successful surprise attack. Gilbert rubbed his nose where the pillow had smacked him. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry for teasing you about the voice cracking. But I am serious about you joining me on the battlefield someday. If one badass brother can make a day of crushing the Austrians and the French… imagine what BOTH of us could do!"

That picked Ludwig's spirits up right away. His hands finally came away from his mouth, and he nodded vigorously, nearly saying "yes" but catching himself before he repeated the whole episode. Gilbert continued, "I'm going to train you, and you're going to be the one of the most powerful nations around by the time I'm through with you! Got that?" More nodding. So the deal was made. Hopefully, it wouldn't be long before Ludwig could fight alongside his powerful brother at last…

* * *

It was January 18, 1871- an incredible day for Ludwig. Soon, he would be revealed to the world as the German Empire, possibly getting to see other nations than his brother…

The proclamation of the Empire was in Versailles- specifically, the Hall of Mirrors. Gilbert was outside of that very room giving his brother a pep talk before they went inside for the actual proclamation. "Are you ready, West?" He took a moment to look the other nation over. He had grown to be quite a fine young man. Appearing to be about seventeen or eighteen, Ludwig was now just about as tall as his older brother, if not actually taller. He was also more muscularly built than his brother, albeit not quite to the same extent as he was in the present. The wonder that had shone in his eyes as a child had been replaced with a kind of icy seriousness. The only thing about him that seemed even a little childlike was his bangs, and even those vestiges of his childhood would soon be pushed back so that they wouldn't get in the way during combat. He'd probably have girls throwing themselves at him if he wasn't such a stick in the mud, Gilbert thought. Despite that, he felt proud, seeing how his little brother had grown up. It seemed like it was only yesterday that the strong nation before him was just a small, frail child.

Ludwig paused to consider his answer before he spoke. "…I think I'm ready. Well, I am a little nervous about appearing in front of all those people, but I'll be fine. Nerves don't mean anything, really." His discipline was starting to show. Being nervous was a lousy excuse to not do something in his book.

"That's the spirit, West! You just come on out with me, and they'll know the deal's been sealed! The German Empire will be official!"

"But what if there are other nations? They're going to want to know where I came from and why I just suddenly appeared."

Gilbert chuckled at the thought. "Pssht! If they give you any trouble over stupid little details, I'll field 'em for you! They should know better than to screw with me over those kinds of things, so maybe they'll know not to bug you about it, either."

It was almost time to enter, but Ludwig had one final question before his big moment. "Brother… we'll be returning to the battlefield after this, won't we?"

"Of course! It's not like we can just go home after this, whether we've got miles of paperwork or not!" The past few months had been a bit of a mess for the German brothers. Gilbert had not only stepped up Ludwig's training, but had also started dragging him onto the battlefield to test him out. The extra training was no problem, for Ludwig had adapted to the new, more intense schedule fairly quickly. The real source of the mess was the growth spurts that seemed to occur nearly at random but really might have been linked to certain notable victories in the war. That was how he had aged two or three years in a few months. Both brothers would be shocked at the changes when they happened, and then they'd have to frantically rummage around for new clothes that would fit the rapidly growing nation. Right now, Ludwig happened to be wearing Gilbert's hand-me-downs, but he was worried that soon he wouldn't even be able to fit into those at this rate.

And as for the war itself… well, certain others in the army had attempted to give Gilbert some trouble for dragging a child onto the battlefield, but their attempts to dissuade him failed spectacularly. Some enemies would start mocking Gilbert for his decision, jeering that the Prussian army was so desperate that it was pulling new soldiers out of the cradle, but that didn't last long, of course. Once Ludwig started to grow up, those particular taunts disappeared on their own (and his older brother's punishment for the hecklers undoubtedly helped). It had been weeks and weeks of "watch and repeat" amongst other things, but Ludwig felt that his older brother was a good teacher… when it came to the battlefield, at least. However, Ludwig worried that he might not have been the best student to his brother's teachings.

As if he had read his little brother's mind, Gilbert continued, "Hey, West… are you worried about how you're doing out there?"

Ludwig wasn't sure how to respond. If he said yes- the truth- he might have been considered weak, but no seemed an even more absurd answer. "A little, Brother. Why do you ask?"

Then Gilbert gave his brother one of the biggest surprises of his life. He looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Well, quit worrying! Let me tell you something: you're doing great out there. I didn't think you'd get that accurate with a gun that fast. Keep it up!"

The fair-haired nation's blue eyes practically bugged out of his head. He was receiving a compliment on his battle prowess… from GILBERT?! "R-really…?" Ludwig couldn't suspend his disbelief.

"What do you mean, 'really?!' Take a good look at yourself, West! You're strong now! Believe it or not, I'd say you're actually a competent soldier now! And you know I don't lie about how good people are at fighting! Your training paid off, bruder! In the next war, you're not even going to be able to say no to fighting with me! We'll tear up the battlefields, you and I! Prussia and Germany! Gilbert Beilschmidt the Great and his awesome little brother, Ludwig! How's that sound, huh?"

Ludwig beamed on the inside, happy to have passed his brother's trials and to have finally been recognized as a true soldier by him, but he still couldn't believe his ears. "I'm… a competent soldier now?"

"If you didn't hear me the first time, I'm not repeating myself."

"Th-thank you, Brother…" For Ludwig, this was one of the highest honors.

"Hey, wait, don't get all embarrassed! They won't want to see your face all red there! I know you can suck something like that up, so do it! And don't get too cocky or complacent just because I gave you a compliment! That's the first mistake everyone makes when they get their praise."

Ludwig tried to will the blood away from his face and didn't really succeed. "I'll do my best. Some day, I want to fight to my fullest capacity, and I want you to see it when-"

Someone poked their head out through the doorway of the Hall. "Pardon me, Herr Beilschmidt, but both you and your brother are needed."

"Wait a minute! There's more than one Beilschmidt here! My brother has my awesome last name too, you know!" The person went back in the room and closed the door, but Gilbert didn't take into account whether he'd been insulting or not. "Well, West, that's our cue. Let's go show 'em what we're made of!" He whispered one last thing to his brother before the two of them went inside. "You can do it, West. I know you can. We'll take 'em all on together."