I'm not even going to try to put a note here.
Juvo- translates directly to help, but indirectly to 'befriend'
Aureus- Gold coins
Denarius- Silver coins, 25 denarii make one areus
Forum- the name of Roman markets (Fora is plural)
Sesterius- bronze coins, four sesterii make one denarius
Nation's Companion- an animal that is meant to, well, be a nation's companion. They can live as long as the nation themselves the Companion isn't killed first. Gilbird is a Nation's Companion.
About Rome calling Prussia "Gilberte"- I couldn't find a Roman form of "Gilberta" so I used the French.
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In the decades since the fall of Germania, Prussia had grown like a weed, at least by nations' standards. She had physically and mentally developed to about sixteen, and all the rebelliousness that went hand in hand with the age was obvious. She refused the lessons most Roman women attended, chased away suitors, and pranked the soldiers.
Most nights, she didn't return to Rome's house in the capital and was occasionally arrested by the Praetorian guards.
When Rome confronted her, she pulled an innocent look or mentioned her father's name, then left the house again.
The whole time, she worked where she could, slowly earning her own supply of money to fund a return to her homeland. The hidden gold slowly grew of the years until she had enough for the trip.
She sneaked into the market, heading straight for the horses. Several vendors called for her to look at their wares, and she declined as politely as she could manage.
A loud whinny was heard, and she turned quickly enough to see a dark gray stallion with a white blaze rearing onto his hind legs, lashing out at the man holding his tether. Prussia darted forward, twisting her fingers into his mane and pulling him down. She shushed the stallion before cooing softly in German, taking the rope and leading him calmly to his corral.
The stallion's seller looked at her. "I have never seen someone calm him so quickly, and I have been trying to sell Juvo for two years."
"How old is he?" Prussia asked, running her hands down his neck.
"Three. And worth fourteen aurei."
Prussia counted the coins out and handed them over. The man looked at her for a moment, then pointed back the way he had come. "There is a trainer down that way, he will work with you and Juvo for twenty denarii."
"I can handle him," Prussia muttered. "Juvo, huh?" She let him sniff her hands. "Come on." She led him back out to the forum, keeping one hand on the horses nose, the other accepting the document of ownership. In a moment of giddiness, she spent two sesterii on an apple for Juvo. He crunched happily into his treat, leaving half the apple and looking at her.
Prussia smiled, her first real smile since her father's death. "You are a Nation's Companion, are you not?" Juvo whinnied, and Prussia took a bite of the apple. Juvo finished off the rest of it, then pulled Prussia's hair from its know at the base of her skull, letting the plait fall down her back. She laughed and lapsed into a giggling fit broken by a confused, "Gilberte?"
Prussia whirled around to see Rome with France and Spain behind him, all looking on with shocked expressions. Rome's changed quickly to anger. "You stole a horse!"
"Bought," Prussia countered, waving the ownership document in front of him.
"You stole to money."
"My gods, you do not know how easy it is for a German to mistaken as low class, do you? I've had forty years to earn my own money. I have a small fortune you will never see stashed away!"
Juvo nickered softly, bumping his nose to her shoulder. Prussia set a hand on his forehead, and he calmed and nudged her shoulder again. "What?" she asked softly. "What do you want?" Juvo nickered.
Rome stepped forward, and Juvo reared up as he had earlier. Prussia pulled him down on four hooves again and smacked his nose, berating him. "You could have hurt someone innocent, Juvo. I do not care if you trample Rome, but no one else deserves it, so not in the forum. No no.. no."
Rome looked scandalized for a moment by wiping all expression from his face. "We should get him to the stables. I will hire a trainer-"
"I will train him myself," Prussia gritted out. She was shaking in rage. She forced herself to walk away, clicking her tongue thrice at the horse. He followed her, flipping his tail in Rome's face as he passed.
...line-break...
Prussia whistled from her perch on Juvo's back, and he turned right, continuing in a loose circle until Prussia whistle-clicked, walking straight until she click-whistled, when he stopped. France risked a few claps from where he stood watching; she'd only had Juvo for a few days. She did the same thing she had done for the last forty years: ignored him.
After several minutes, she guided Juvo to stand next to him. "I realize I will need my hands free in battle, so I need any horse I have to be independent of reigns but still able to have a set of directions to follow."
"Why would you need to fight? Women are not soldiers."
Prussia was quiet for a moment. "I am going back to Germania. I do not know how long I will be gone, but I will return with an army to free my people. I leave tonight. You cannot stop me."
"I will not," France answered. "Will you explain why?"
"Because... I represent the German people now. And I feel them every day, and they are hurting.
"My siblings and father are dead, and Ludwig hardly knows German anymore. We are not Roman, we will never be Roman. All we have left is our pride, and we lose more of it every day. I cannot let this happen." She coaxed Juvo into a trot, leaving France alone.
...line-break...
The next morning, Rome silently placed a note in front of France and Spain. The latter read in aloud. "Pray to your gods, Rome, because when I return, it will be with an army, and you will need all the help you can get."
...line-break...
Don't hurt me, please.
