Author's Notes:

Here's the actual final vignette in the story, or rather the expanded epilogue of it. At the time, I thought it fitting to have book ends to the episodes, especially when you consider the names used. Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed the ride!

The Piano Hall: A RDNA-verse Tale

Epilogue

2019

Franz Ferdinand II didn't really know why he entered the room, let alone unlock it. It was but one of many others in the Royal Residence. If only they really knew, he thought. Lately, the strain of being Archduke of New Austria was gaining on his nerves. Quietly, he took out a lighter and pack of cigarettes from his nightrobe, only for a sudden, harsh cough to cause the objects to scatter on the near-pristine carpet. The years had not been kind to him. Such was the burden he and his predecessors bore.

Giving as worn-out sigh, the Archduke thought for a moment how it must feel like to be in the Piano Hall all those years ago. Over at the grand piano, he imagined Herr Edelstein-Hedervary playing a Brahms waltz, his wife and the Fraulein dancing to the melody. Of them entertaining another visiting Nation, perhaps 'that Prussian prick' Francesca mentioned every now and then. Of either the family or the Crownlands themselves sharing a quiet moment together; it wasn't called "The Inseparable Union" for nothing. Of so many episodes like these, now lost to time…

Why do I keep remembering all this? In tired frustration, he brushed the images aside. It didn't help matters that he had the 'honor' of being the first Habsburg in generations to not only set foot on Austro-Hungarian soil, but to also see the Nations his forefathers once led and served up close. If only in another world… But the Displacement was long past. The collective ridicule of their neighbors was fading as time moved on. Even the Hall seemed to be more silent now than it has ever been. Except for a very faint wisp.

Then he heard the sounds of someone stumbling by the door, opening up to reveal a shy-looking young man in uniform, clear shock barely masking a rushed salute. As far as most people were concerned, he was simply a military officer who went by the name Georg Vogel and was here for the night merely for official duties. The Archduke, however, knew his lineage better.

"I-I'm sorry t-to intrude, my liege." The officer stuttered, yet beneath it, Franzi could still trace bits and pieces of his esteemed ancestors.

The man simply gave a wry smirk. "You can't sleep, can you Georg?"

"Y-yes," he nodded. "If you don't mind me asking, what about you, Erzherzog?"

"Perhaps the same reason as you, perhaps not," the old man replied. "There are some things that still surprise me after all these years."

"I-I don't understand, sir."

"There's something you should know, von Liechtenstein," he said beckoning the heir to the Lost Nation's throne. "You might have heard this saying before: 'That so long as people know Chopin, Poland can never die.' Sometimes, it makes me wonder. Are we really so sure about what happened? Do you think it's true for them?"

Georg didn't answer right away, only giving a quick though awkward glance at his watch. Both saw that it was 12:01 AM. "Perhaps," he muttered. "It's their curse. I guess only they know the answer." After fumbling another apology, he gave a nod to the Archduke and left.

The man himself soon followed, but not before feeling an unusually strong breeze hit the Hall. For a brief moment, he though he heard words coming though. With one last sigh, he gave a brisk salute, or as much as his age allowed him to.

'Whatever happens,' indeed. "Gute nacht."

ENDE