A few hours had passed since Analiese had retired to her room yet she was still wide awake. She had tried reading a few of the many books in her room but it had done nothing for her wakefulness. Her fingers played with the hem of her new night clothes, her parents had ordered them for her to keep up the illusion at all times of the day, and opened the doors to her balcony before stepping outside. The moon was high in the sky, shining brightly onto the expansive countryside, the castle, and the little homes and shops the villagers lived in and frequented. It was peaceful so she closed her eyes, smiling lightly, but still did not feel tired so she slipped back into her chambers, crossed to the door and silently made her way to the music room.
Gilbert had found peace in a light sleep he'd fallen into. Having no trust in the castle or its residents, he could not allow himself to sleep any deeper. In the midst of the night, he awoke to bright light of the full moon. He stood and carefully made his way to the window, intending to close the curtains before noticing the nature of the outdoors. From necessity, he opened the window, relaxing as a gentle breeze rolled into the room. He leaned forward slightly, surveying the view of the town that surrounded the castle and the gardens beneath him in the court.
Soon Analiese was seated on the piano bench and her fingers were flying easily over the polished keys. The music of the masters quietly reverberated through the room and down the hall but her own blends and compositions starting joining the mix. She was lost to the world and her tension was slipping away, carried off by the gentle notes. The stress of meeting the new prince and hiding her true identity had weighed more heavily on her mind than she realized as noticed just how hard she was pressing down and recognized the song she was playing. Slowing to a finish she sighed and put her head on the smooth piano, feeling much more relieved but also a little sad like she often did after playing the song she had unconsciously chosen.
The Prussian snapped his attention away from the view when he heard the sound of a piano playing not far from his room. Whoever was playing sounded lovely and was very masterfully executing compositions, some Gilbert did not recognize even. The Prince shifted away from the window and back to the door, slipping into the hallway quietly and listening for where the sound was escaping from.
It did not take long for him to locate the room, which was in the same hall as his own, and not far at that. The door was left open, making entrance easier to be undetected, an advantage for Gilbert as he did not want to be caught sneaking around if it was a guard or one of the monarchs. However, once he saw a familiar figure at the bench of the piano, he relaxed. He was not too worried about being caught or reprimanded by this person at all. He leaned against the frame of the doorway, listening to the Princess play.
When she had finished, he watched her rest her head and he waited a moment before making his presence known. The Prince spoke softly, "... I recognized that last one."
The sudden voice startled Analiese and she jumped, spinning around on the bench to see who was in the room with her. It was common knowledge among the knights that Analiese never be interrupted when she played. Playing music was her escape and she didn't want that happiness ruined for her. First she glared at the prince, rage barely contained in her throat, then she realized that she was simply in her thin nightdress and scurried over to the small couch in the room meant for visitors. A blanket was draped over it which she draped around herself in an attempt to make herself more decent. "I am glad you recognized it but now it is time for you to return to your chambers."
Gilbert was mildly surprised by the other's quick reaction until he realized that the other was not suitably covered. He was thankful for the cover of night to hide the light pink hue that had sprung upon his face. Had he been more used to being around women, he might not have intruded with so much ease. Frowning slightly as he registered what the other was saying, he looked at her and shrugged it off, "I don't see why I should."
"No one is allowed in here while I play. I see that no one informed you of this so I have to do it myself. The only time when anyone can be in this room is while it is being cleaned." She quickly looked out the window at the moon. "It is late and you should rest. I think plans have been made for us tomorrow and it would be rude the sleep through them." She wanted to leave the room and return to her own but the man was blocking the way and she had been taught that it was not decent for a woman to be seen in such a state.
He vaguely listened to what she had said, knowing in the future he wasn't going to not go in the room when she played. Gilbert was also not feeling very tired, not anymore at least. He had other things on his mind. He quipped, "What song was it?"
Analiese crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. "You were the one who interrupted me by saying you recognized the song," she shot back. "You tell me." She waited for an answer, not changing her expression for she expected that the other man wouldn't know the answer.
Gilbert raised a brow; the other's haughty attitude had caught him off guard. He took a step forward and shut the door behind him before continuing, "I told you I recognized it, not that I remembered the name. It simply sounds familiar to me."
The moment the door shut Analiese felt very nervous. She did not like being stuck in a room with a man she had just met. Most of her life had been spent far from people, only interacting with a few besides her parents, and strangers made her uncomfortable. Being locked in a room with only the other man made her instantly start panicking but she desperately tried to hide it. "I-It was V-Vivaldi...a great composer born here in Wien..." she cursed herself for stuttering.
The Prince smiled a little, happy to have an answer and interested in the other's sudden adoption of a stutter. Amused, he continued, "And the title...?"
Analiese tried to slip around the room discreetly, hoping it would pull the other man away from the door so she could leave. "F-Figure it out. S-Surely that is not too difficult for you."
Gilbert stood where he was in front of the door and shrugged, "It might not be, but I would rather you tell me."
Analiese frowned. Her plan wasn't working due to the other man's stubbornness. "I do not wish to though. I do not believe you are in possession of that knowledge."
"Is it so hard to say?" He watched her, noticing her quick glances to the door and noticing her discomfort, but it didn't encourage him to move away or give in.
"Perhaps it is."
"That's not my problem. Simply tell me the name and I'll let you go." Gilbert smiled, putting his hand on the handle of the door.
She frowned. "You are quite the self-entitled prince. I do not have to do anything when you can figure it out just as easily. Now kindly remove yourself from my path."
"Nor am I really invested in following through on your demands." He shrugged, not really understanding the other's stubbornness.
"It is a song that should be so familiar to you that it takes no time at all for the name of it to find itself on your tongue." She smirked and flipped the long hair out of her face. "Or perhaps you are not that sophisticated?"
The Prince didn't think much of her insult, not having been one for sophisticated manner, although the thought that she had the upper hand bothered him. He smirked, "Who needs sophistication when war is your specialty? Remember, I don't have to be here at all."
Analiese bit her tongue. The other was pulling out all the tricks he could. "Fine. I will give in for now." She frowned. "It was Winter. Now let me out."
Gilbert smiled as this and opened the door for the other, "Danke. Now was that so hard?"
"Ja," was all Analiese said before making her way out the door.
The Prussian let her leave first before shutting the door behind him and turning back to his room, still mildly exhausted.
AN: This series may be updated rather sparsely since the Prussia who was writing it with me (my old girlfriend) is no longer doing so and it will take me longer to get chapters out as I have to write Prussia's side myself. Prussia is not my strongest character so I have to work on developing it.
I might be able to have her continue to write it with me but I'm not sure how well that will work with some of the upcoming scenes...it might be awkward or uncomfortable so I will have to keep you updated on that. However we do have many chapters already written (they're still in editing though) so not all is lost. Once we pass chapter 10 I think (buckle up this is going to be a loooong story) that's when everything pre-written runs out...until then everything is between the two of us and we'll see how the rest of the story will go.