Chapter Nine: Allies
Gilbert stood frozen in place on his front step as he watched France's carriage drive away through the snow. He did not feel the icy wind that blew into his face, nor did he feel his limbs slowly start to freeze as he kept watch until the carriage was out of sight. Even as the wind whistled in his ears, he did not hear it. All he heard were the last words his brother had spoken, those words that had broken his heart, Ich liebe dich Bruder…
"Well," Roderich said quietly, startling the other kingdom from his thoughts. "That's it then. The boy is finally with France. Now we must figure out what to do now that he's acquired the German states."
Turning around on his heels, Prussia marched past his guest and into his house. Furious tears blurred his vision, but he did not notice much. His blood was on fire, his head felt as though it were being cleaved into two halves. There was nothing but hatred filling up in the albino, hatred and remorse.
"Preußen!" the Austrian called out after him, but the northern kingdom did not stop. "Gilbert! What are you doing?"
The enraged kingdom turned around sharply, startling Austria. Blood red eyes gleamed with passion as he glared down at his cousin. "I'm going to get my little brother back."
oOoOoOo
In the carriage several miles away, France was congratulating himself on finally finding the embodiment of the Confederation of the Rhine. It had been quite a delight to discover that Holy Rome's heir was such a lovely little creature. Yes, a very great delight. The child would fit in very well at the French courts. Napoléon and his wife would love seeing this little one.
Looking out the window, Francis watched the snow falling, rushing past the carriage. Oh yes, he had so loved seeing Austria and Prussia's faces when he had taken the little confederation away from them. Austria had looked so sick and Prussia had looked pissed beyond reason. It was well worth it to see the albino's red face and murderous expression when he knew full well that he couldn't do anything. Oh how Francis had laughed on the inside!
Once he got home, the expanding empire planned on a long rest where he could relax and drink his wine in peace. Then he would take it upon himself to train and educate his little confederation. French would naturally be the child's first lesson, then perhaps proper etiquette. After all, the small thing had been living amongst the Germans and other barbarians, so his manners were sure to be atrocious. How to dress properly was going to have to be soon as well. What the boy was wearing was simply horrific!
There was just so much to do for this little one, but Francis was up to the challenge. He would enjoy everything about caring for his new little confederation. It had been too long since he had control over a weaker nation. When he had lost his precious Canada to that bastard Britain, it had been a major blow for the other European nation, but now he was strong. Now he was strong and he had complete control over the German states. Now he could spend his time and attention on building himself up and becoming a great empire. He could start with this little one…
Smiling to himself, France turned to take another good look at the newest addition to his house. "So, Confédération du Rhin, before we arrive in France, I—" the older country trailed off when he actually looked at the boy sitting across from him.
Although at first glance the child had seemed nothing short of angelic, now he appeared to have transformed into Lucifer himself. The round face that had been so appealing earlier now seemed somehow sinister and the pouting lips were turned into a vicious scowl. The brilliant blue eyes were now colder than ice and as hard as steel, freezing and pinning Francis in place. And while the boy was still hugging his stuffed animal close, it looked like a death grip now and the empire swore he could see hatred and contempt radiating off of the child in massive waves. He could feel the ire, the disdain slapping him in the face, willing him to die.
France sat completely stunned, unable to move. Although he knew there was no reason for it— as he was the bigger nation after all— he was intimidated by the little one across from him. No, intimidated was not the right word for it. Terrified! Scared shitless was perhaps a better way of looking at it. There was really no other way to look at it. The boy was simply horrifying!
"I-I-I…" the empire tried again, but failed to get any farther than that. The child across from him scowled deeper, his scorn seeming to intensify.
For just a moment, France was certain the little hell spawn was going to lash out at him and slit his throat, but the child remained rooted in the same place the older man had sat him in earlier. This is why they let me take him so easily! Francis thought despairingly. They are probably hoping he'll kill me on the trip back home!
Staring at the child for another few seconds, the older blonde cleared his throat awkwardly for a moment before laughing uneasily. "Ha ha!" It was forced, sounding strained and edged with fear. "Well, mon petit," he folded his hands awkwardly in his lap before immediately changing positions ad trying to put his one arm over the backrest casually. "When we get to France, you will meet my emperor, Napoléon." The child continued to glare. "A-and he will brief you on everything that you will need to know."
Pale blue eyes seemed to contain flames burning from within them, surrounded by ice. An angry red inferno seemed to dance around the child, licking his clothing, engulfing the boy until it seemed the whole carriage would soon catch on fire. The utter hatred that was etched into the little one's features nearly gave Francis a heart attack.
It was in that moment that France knew that while he had dominance over the German states, it was not going to be easy.
oOoOoOo
"Where the hell were you?" Gilbert slammed his hands down on the table furiously.
The sweet smile that seemed forever present on Russia's face never left as he looked over at the albino across from him. The bigger nation seemed completely unconcerned by Prussia's outburst. "As I've told you before, I am at war with Turkey also, so I have been busy. But I cannot attack France yet as it is still the winter," Ivan's gentle voice was light, almost happy sounding. "It would be very foolish to fight in winter, da?"
The smaller kingdom glared intently at the other nation across from him. "You Russians like to brag about how you can withstand the cold, right? Why not fight now while you have the advantage and France is helpless?"
The passion in Prussia's voice was moving, forceful, immediately signaling to the others in the room that he was worried, desperate perhaps. "Why so urgent all of a sudden?" Ivan questioned, his brow creased ever so slightly in confusion.
Gilbert stiffened ever so slightly, and he straightened up, to look down his straight nose at the Russian. "Well," he growled, "You and yours are already late and left me alone, didn't you?" Austria, sitting between the other two nations, winced. "I'm not really thrilled at the prospect of that Frog-face overrunning my lands. Enough's enough. This bastard needs to go."
Everyone knew that of all the kingdoms, all the empires, all the nations in the world, that Gilbert Beilschmidt was the most arrogant, self-absorbed bastard of anyone. It had been frustrating for everyone else when he had declared himself neutral at the beginning of the war, and a shock that he had been beaten by France when he'd entered the war. There was no question that Prussia would want revenge, would be itching for a fight. But there was something about all of this that did not sit right with Russia. He had a feeling that he was not being told something.
"Da," Ivan nodded once. "It was most unfortunate that I arrived too late to help in the beginning, but what is to be done about the past?"
"I quite agree," Austria spoke up. "We should each of us look to the future…A future without Napoleon."
"Da," Russia nodded again. "However, I believe that it is important to understand the past before we look to the future. Do you not agree?"
The two German nations sat very still. Apparently neither one seemed completely comfortable with the situation. Knowing that he had hit some sort of cord, Ivan decided to press on in hope of discovering something new.
"What I am wondering is what has made the mighty Prussiya interested in this war at all?" The Slavic nation's smile seemed to grow just a little bit sweeter. "As I am recalling, you did not want to get involved at all, da? You left Mr. Austria and I all alone in the beginning with no support. Why have you jumped into the fight all of a sudden?"
"Sorry I wanted to insure my people's safety," Prussia growled sarcastically. "It served my interest in the beginning to stay neutral." He crossed his arms over his chest seriously. "Besides, it was pretty amusing for a while to see you two get your asses handed to you over and over again," he smirked arrogantly.
Although he felt the insult, Ivan made sure his smile did not waver. He knew that there was something else going on. Prussia was an ass, which was not in dispute, but he was not stupid, nor was he— despite popular belief— rash. There was a reason why he had seemingly jumped into this war, but what was it? The smaller kingdom had seemingly made his peace with France and the expanding empire did not seem to mind the neutral nation so much, so what could propel Prussia into war so quickly that he and his men did not even seem prepared to enter the fight?
Ivan's purple eyes widened as realization suddenly struck him. His menacing smile grew slightly. "Oh!" he exclaimed. He enjoyed watching the other two snap their attention over to him. It seemed that Austria was in on this as well, which would make sense really. It only confirmed the Russian's suspicions. He knew he was right.
"Oh?" Prussia snapped irritably. The huge empire smiled smugly when he detected worry in the other nation's voice.
Joyfully beaming at the other two faces in the room, Ivan took his time in answering. "I understand," he folded his hands carefully on top of the table. "I have heard recently that your brother—what was his name? Holy Roman Empire?— was dissolved recently. Only several months ago, da? You are fighting now because of his death. And now you worry over his successor, who would belong to France."
"No!" Gilbert refuted too quickly. Ivan's smile deepened. "I'm not worried about that little upstart," he growled.
"Then why are you worried?" Russia pushed. He was enjoying his time among the two German nations. They were interesting and easy to fluster.
"I'm not worried!"
Ivan smirked.
"Please!" Roderich stepped up before his cousin had a chance to do something rash. "I believe that—whether any of us want to admit it or not—we are all a little worried about France and his new emperor." He turned to Russia. "The loss of Holy Rome has been hard on Prussia and I," he ignored Gilbert's expression of outrage. "I assume you've heard about the Holy Roman Empire's successor?"
"Rumors mostly," Ivan smiled easily, glad to know that he had been able to strangle some information out of the other nation. "I was told that your Holy Rome was dissolved. I assume that his heir has come into existence already, da?"
"That is correct," Roderich nodded. "He is currently in the care of France. He is Rheinbund, the Confederation of the Rhine."
Now that he believed he was on more level playing ground, Ivan decided that he would leave his game of torment and get down to serious business. He did not quite understand why these two had wanted to hide the fact that they were throwing themselves into the war more so because of this new confederation, but then again, there was much about the West that Ivan did not understand. They were just so strange, so…weird. But if they were worried about France's new little pet then he supposed that he should keep his eyes out for the new amalgamation as well.
"Ah, I see," the other said gently. "But it should really be no problem, I am thinking."
"How isn't this a problem?" Gilbert demanded. "France has acquired the cooperation of all of the German states and added on not only large tracks of land, but numbers for his army! How is that not a problem?"
The Slavic nation continued to smile. "If we launched a fear campaign, I'm sure we could get results."
"Pardon?" Austria frowned worriedly.
"Is simple," Ivan explained calmly, his face darkening in twisted pleasure. "We could march west, burn down the German states and attack France himself."
All the color that the albino had possessed before vanished instantly, his skin whiter than any snow the large nation had ever seen. But the initial shock quickly faded and anger panted the ashen cheeks red. "ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
Ivan was a bit surprised by Prussia's outburst. Everyone knew that the former Teutonic state was about as bloodthirsty as they came, and since he was worried about France's gain of German territory, why would he oppose the idea so quickly without even giving it a thought? This was a nation that sat waiting anxiously for a war. Why would he care so much about beating, or even killing, the little upstart nation that had killed his brother?
…unless this new little confederation was not quite what it seemed either? Ivan calmly looked the albino over. Prussia seemed firmly opposed to the idea of outright destroying the confederation, which was odd. Russia had heard that the other nation's government wanted France's confederation dissolved quickly, so why then would Gilbert care? The northern kingdom always obeyed his rulers. Could it be that, for once, the mighty Prussia had a personal interest in France's odd little confederacy?
"All ideas must be brought into light while in such meetings," Russia said serenely. "Or we may never come to a solution."
"Too true," Austria agreed too quickly.
"I am wondering, Prussiya," Ivan folded his hands again. "What interests do you have with the German states?"
"What kind of fucking question is that?" Gilbert growled, apparently fed up with the entire meeting. "My people and the people of those states are related."
"Ah, I see. So you fear hurting them…hurting your new brother, da?" Once more, the albino froze. "This new confederation is your brother, da?"
Again, both Prussia and Austria looked uncomfortable about the Russian's problem solving abilities. It was curious how the two western kingdoms thought and operated. The subject of the Holy Roman Empire and this new confederation seemed like a very touchy subject for the two of them. But what surprised Ivan more was the fact that it all seemed to be on a more personal level, especially with Prussia. If they just told him what was going on instead of trying to be secretive…
"He is…closely related," the albino nodded once. "But why should you care?" he glared suspiciously. "You knew that my people and the people of all that land are related. Why so interested?"
Ivan smiled delightedly. "I just like to get to know my allies is all. Like to know what I can expect from them, what I cannot."
"A wise objective," Austria nodded. "Perhaps now that we've all come to a little closer understanding of one another we might—"
"Da, I will help," Ivan smiled. "I will do my part to help bring down the French Empire. But I must make it clear that I expect the same amount of commitment from each of you before I launch anymore attacks."
Across the table from him, Russia watched as the albino's red eyes narrowed into slits. "And just what do you mean by that?" Gilbert's eyebrows knitted together in suspicion. "Do you honestly believe that I will not do my part to end Napoleon?"
"No, no," Ivan held up his hands quickly, feigning innocence. "I believe that you will not hesitate to strike at France…What I am concerned is how you will react when faced with Germans."
Silence stretched over the room as the three great kingdoms stared at one another. For the most part, Prussia did not take his eyes from the bigger, eastern nation while Russia focused solely upon the Germanic nation. Austria was strangely out of place, caught between the other two, glancing from one to the other without knowing what to do for once.
As he sat peacefully, Ivan made sure to watch Prussia closely. For all his pomp and haughtiness, the other kingdom seemed truly at a loss of words, which was rare. For once, Russia could see the German kingdom's emotions just as plainly as though they had been written out. But that clear window of insight was covered just as quickly as it was opened, but that did not matter to Ivan. He had seen what he needed. He knew now what to expect from the self-proclaimed "awesome" kingdom.
"While it as commendable to want to protect the new confederation, you must see that it is not practical," Ivan's smile softened in mock pity. "The amalgamation has killed your brother, and allied himself with France. Surely you realize that the only way to truly stop France will be to break up the German coalition?"
Gilbert's face went completely white as he stared into the Russian's amethyst eyes.
Shaking his head in disgusted pity, Ivan stood up. "I will do what I can to help you," he said again. "But as I do, I must have you both consider just where your true motives and alliances lay. And know that if you hesitate in anything," he pinned Gilbert under his merciless gaze, "I will not hesitate to destroy anything, anyone that may stand in my way. Dobryi vecher."
The eastern empire marched to the door with long strides, not slowing down for a moment. His classic smile slowly slipped off his face as he walked out into the cold, snowy night. As he walked into the freezing night, a scowl solidified on his features.
"Ne razocharovivay menya," he muttered darkly as he walked home, guided by General Winter.
oOoOoOo
It took several days to reach France, and Francis had never been so glad to be back at his home in his life! While it had snowed everyday on the journey, the roads had not been terrible, and the pace had been rather brisk considering the ice. But it wasn't the weather that worried the empire, no, it was the tiny confederation that he rode with.
It was true that France had not heard one sound from the child the entire trip, nor had the boy caused any trouble, but that did not mean that Francis wasn't frightened of the little creep. There was just something about that tiny blonde that scared the shit out of him! The apparent angelic face had an underlining of hatred and the empire just knew that he was evil. Pure evil. Like, almost Russia evil. There was this time when Francis was sure the kid was going to slit his throat in his sleep with that little sword he wore at his side.
But Francis was home now, he had finally accomplished his emperor's orders and now he could sit and relax for a time while Napoléon had his new toy to play with. And I'll be free of this little brat for a time, he added silently to himself.
"Come, come, mon petit chou," the rising empire stepped out of the carriage. He smiled affectionately when the little boy's eyes widened into the size of saucers when he stepped out to see the palace. "We are going to meet Empereur Napoléon Bonaparte."
The older nation led the way into the massive palace where the renowned French emperor inhabited. As he walked, Francis pushed his little confederation in front of him to make sure the child did not fall behind or be an easy target for others. France walked tall and proud, trying his best to ignore the secret police that trailed them as they entered through the gates.
Walking into the main entrance, Francis waited for the servants to announce him. Peeking down at the child before him, whose blue eyes were sparkling with wonder, France couldn't help but smile. Perhaps the child is not so very bad after all…
The servants came and told him that the emperor would see them in his study immediately. Pleased, he did not hesitate and pushed his new charge in front of him. "Je suis de retour, mon Empereur!" Francis bowed low to the man across the room.
"Ah! France!" the ruler of France smiled and rushed over to his beloved country. "Comment allez-vous?"
"Trés bien, merci," the country bowed once more.
"C'est excellent!" the ruler clasped arms with his nation happily before he noticed that the blonde was not alone. "Et qui est cette personne la'?" he frowned down at the tiny child that was now desperately trying to hide behind Francis's leg.
The empire gave a nervous laugh before he pushed the child forward to face Napoléon. "This, my lord, is Confédération du Rhin," he introduced proudly, relishing the look of utter adoration in the emperor's eyes.
"Magnifique!" Bonaparte whispered in awe, staring down at the tiny boy that symbolized his greatest achievement. "Parlez-vous français?" he asked the tiny blonde.
"No," Francis spoke up quickly. "I am afraid that he only speaks German to my knowledge."
"Ah! What a pity," the shorter man sighed. "He is a handsome child though, is he not, France?"
"Oui," the nation nodded eagerly. "A very handsome little one. Can you believe I found him straying into Prussien territory?"
"It does not surprise me," Napoléon shook his head before walking back to his desk to sit down. "Take le garçon to Joséphine. I am sure she will like to look at him. Have her give him a room. Once that is done, you come back here. We have things to discuss."
Bowing low to the man, Francis pushed down his charge, making sure the boy bowed as well. "Comme vous voulez."
With that, France grabbed a hold of the little confederation's hand and briskly left the office. The first meeting had gone rather well, he thought. It seemed that the child had been too overwhelmed to give any death glares and Napoléon too caught up in the wonder of controlling another nation to have realized the boy had still been holding his little stuffed dog, or the fact that the boy's clothes looked like they could have very well come off of a German commoner. Thank God for small favors!
It was lucky that Francis did not look down at that moment to notice the very real hatred that suddenly flashed in the icy blue eyes of the child beside him. It would have simply ruined the whole encounter!
oOoOoOo
For days now Ludwig had refused to speak to the man that had taken him away from his brother. He hated seeing France. Just looking at the face of the arrogant looking long-haired nation gave the little German a stomachache. He hated everything about France, from the way he spoke to the way he dressed.
It had been quite a shock, however, when Ludwig had finally made it to France's home. It was so large and grand, much richer than anything the boy had ever seen. He had been so shocked that when the older nation had pushed him along, the tiny blonde could think of nothing to do but obey.
The encounter with the infamous Napoléon Bonaparte had been terrifying as well. Germany had been reading up on the French emperor and everything that he had read about the man suggested that he was great and powerful. He had even managed to overrun Gilbert! So when the encounter had been scheduled to take place, the boy had found himself hiding behind the one who had taken him away from everything he had known and loved in order to protect himself.
But the surprises for the day seemed never ending. The great Napoléon, the terror of Europe, had been nothing more than a short, little man. From all of the stories that Ludwig had heard about the Frenchmen, he had expected the man to at least be six feet tall, more actually, but from just that brief encounter, he would guess that the great emperor was only five feet six inches tall. His nation was about three inches taller than him! Gilbert was much taller than Napoléon that was for sure!
Now, after his rushed meeting with Bonaparte and blur of French words, the tiny blonde found himself being drug somewhere else by France. The nation would stop and ask a random servant something and they would point and bow, and the taller blonde did not eve seem to thank them as he rushed on.
Ludwig suddenly felt very worried. What was going to happen to him? Where was France taking him? Had the emperor ordered his new confederation to be put into a prison cell? Or were they just going to lock him in a room somewhere and forget about him? The child found himself tightening his grip on Otto, and he hugged his puppy closer to his chest. Although tears rose into his vision, he refused to cry. He had to stay strong. That's what Gilbert would do.
At last, they can to another room and a servant went in and it seemed that he was announcing their presence. Ludwig found himself drug in through the doors before France forced him to bow again. Peeking up, the child found himself face to face with a rather pristine looking woman. Her gown was exquisite and she held herself as royalty as she sat dripping with jewels.
The moment she saw him, she gasp. France said something that the boy supposed was an introduction before the woman exclaimed, "Comme il est beau!" It was not the first time Ludwig had heard that said, and he wondered what it meant.
France laughed at it though, and released his hand. The little confederation watched silently as the woman and France talked quickly about something before the nation turned to look down at him. "This is Lady Joséphine, the Emperor's wife. You will stay with her for a time and she will give you a room later," the man spoke quickly. "Now I must be off. Behave yourself," he said seriously, before he stood up straight, bowed to the woman, and walked away, leaving Ludwig alone with the strange woman.
"Venir ici, mon petit," Lady Joséphine spoke softly once France was gone. Ludwig did not know what the woman wanted and remained standing where he had been left. What was he supposed to do? He didn't understand what she was saying. The only words that he had picked up so far in French were "yes", "no", and "little one"; everything else might as well have been Chinese.
When he did not move, the woman giggled delicately. Ludwig found himself blushing. He did not like being laughed at and he felt stupid not being able to understand what was going on. But at the same time, he was relieved that she had not gotten angry with him. "Venir ici," she repeated and held out her arms to him.
Suspiciously, the boy inched himself forward, still clinging tightly to Otto. For a fleeting moment, Ludwig wished Otto was a real puppy. If he were a real dog then the little boy wouldn't have to worry about anyone attacking him because his puppy would bite anyone who tried to hurt him. Mentally, the boy made note of looking into getting real dogs later so that he could protect himself.
Lady Joséphine giggled at him again, apparently finding something about him funny. Feeling self-conscious, Ludwig came to a halt and refused to move another inch. She beckoned him again, but the stubborn German did not budge. The woman smiled at him softly before calling out to someone.
Waiting tensely, the little boy wondered if he was going to be punished for disobeying. It was always good to obey others, wasn't it? Gilbert had told him that as a nation you were to always respect and obey your leaders…but Ludwig just did not think of the Bonapartes, the French, or France himself as his leader. Although he knew he probably should not, the small blonde found himself looking inward more so, he had a strange rebellious tendency that wept for independence from the situation entirely. But as things were at the moment, he could do nothing but accept that he was not his own nation and that another would rule over him.
Just a second later, a young woman walked in, her head was low, her eyes downcast. The queen said something very rapidly, discouraging Ludwig from trying to figure out what she wanted. The girl nodded several times before apparently acknowledging that she understood the other woman. The girl stepped forward, towards Ludwig, and stopped so that she was directly between the queen and the nation.
"Guten Tag," the girl said gently, startling the confederation. "Her majesty, Empress Joséphine, would like to welcome you to France."
It had been days since he had last spoken, and although he felt a bit intimidated being in France and not knowing the French language, Ludwig was getting tired of not being able to express himself in words. But now that there was someone who had a surprisingly good German accent and seemed to speak his language fluently, the child found himself still unwilling to speak. He had not spoken to France and he did not want to speak to anyone else either. So, to acknowledge that he could at least hear, he nodded once for the girl.
Behind the girl, Lady Joséphine quickly said something for the other to interpret. "My lady wishes you no harm Rheinbund. She would like it know that she will not harm you."
Again, Ludwig nodded, but he did not speak.
Once more, the lady spoke to her interpreter, and the girl turned back to the nation. "My lady wishes to know why you do not speak. Are you mute?"
Staring resolutely at Otto, the boy shook his head negative. He could not lie to the Empress of France, but at the same time he did not feel much like giving her the pleasure of hearing him. Wasn't it enough that he was there? If he couldn't be with Gilbert or even Roderich, he at least wished he could be back among the Germans, his people. Why did he have to be here?
Lady Joséphine said something and laughed at her own wit, before she rapidly gave orders to her servant girl. The young woman nodded and then bowed deeply to the monarch before she turned and walked towards the boy. Ludwig stiffened as the servant came towards him, but she had such a soft look of pity and understanding that he calmed slightly.
"Please come with me, kleiner bund," she said gently.
Looking at the girl's face, Ludwig realized that this servant did not appear to be very French, making him believe that her accent was genuine and that she truly was German. Knowing that his allies here in France would be very limited, he took the girl's hand. She seemed a little surprised at his willingness and quick obedience, but she did not comment. Instead she walked him out of the room and made her way through the confusing labyrinths of hallways.
As they twisted down the corridors together, Ludwig could not help the tears the suddenly sprang into his eyes. He was not so scared anymore, not that he had found another German, but he was finding himself becoming depressed. How was he ever going to get out of this? How was he going to find his brother again?
They came to a stop outside of a large looking room. The girl opened the door and called for several servants that looked like they didn't know what they were doing to come over. The child realized that they were carrying his belongings and at the girl's orders, they took them inside the room she had opened.
It did not take long for them to dispose of the bag that Gilbert had packed for the tiny blonde. The servants nodded towards both the girl and the nation before they left. Once they were gone, the girl lead Ludwig in. "These will be your chambers now," her voice was very tender, but it sounded almost sad. "If you wish to unpack and get situated, then you may."
Taking in the finery of the room was nearly impossible the first time around. Ludwig was certain that he had been given the room of the emperor himself! But while the room was everything lavish and beautiful, the boy could not help but miss the transformed fort that was always clean, but seemed a little too full. He missed Gilbert.
"I will leave you alone, if you wish," the girl startled him out of his thoughts. "You look tired," she smiled compassionately. "Why not rest? I will call for you in several hours for dinner."
Ludwig nodded and graced his guide with just a hint of a smile. She had been very kind to him, and she was German after all. If he was going to survive this place, he would need allies, right? Maybe this girl could prove to be that important ally?
She also blessed him with a lovely smile before she bowed to him. As she turned to leave, Ludwig turned his attention to the bag that had been left of on the floor. He did not watch her leave, but he traced her soft footfalls and heard the door open, insuring him that she was really going.
"Rest well, Deutschland."
Ludwig spun around quickly, surprised at the name she had called him, but the girl was gone. And just like that, he was alone again.
He was alone in a foreign land without his brother. And yet, as he crawled onto the large bed that was for his use, Ludwig could not help the small smile that came to his lips. He might be trapped under the control of France, he might not see his brother again for a long time, but he was still him, he was still Deutschland. It pleased him to know that someone else knew that too.
Author's Note: So…I spilled water all over my computer about a week ago. . Sorry for the slight delay in update…I'm rather clumsy, you see…but I hope you all liked this newest chapter. As you can see, France already knows that it might be a good idea to keep an extra eye on Ludwig, while Ludwig is already trying to gain a firmer foothold in France by making friends with the German servant girl who does not quite seem him as France's confederation *gasp!* But wasn't sad France thought Ludwig's new clothes looked poor? :(
Gilbert, on the other hand, is working hard to organize a campaign that will kick France's ass. Hope you all enjoyed our first glimpse into Russia. And for those of you wondering why Russia lost the smile at the end, I believe that the Russia that's constantly smiling, even to himself and completely and irrevocably insane would be Soviet Union Russia. During WWI is when I believe he started slipping down the steep road to total insanity and then with the Civil War and then the rise of Communism…yeah, that's when you'll see Ivan changing a bit more in this…
History: Russia and the Ottoman Empire also began a war in 1806. (It was a good year for war apparently…) Russia was late in aiding Prussia in October of 1806 and lead to Prussia being overrun by the French for a time. Napoléon Bonaparte really was 5'6". Because of an old French measuring system, he was recorded around 5'2", which does not correlate with our measuring system today, so while he was rather small, he was really not hobbit.
Russian: Dobryi vecher: Добрый вечер: Good evening. Ne razocharovivay menya:Не разочаровывай меня: Do not disappoint me. Prussiya: Пруссия: Prussia.
*BIG thanks to DoktorZeirmit for some help with the Russian! THANKS!
French: Confédération du Rhin- Confederation of the Rhine. Mon petit- my little one. mon petit chou- my little cabbage (a French endearment). Je suis de retour, mon Empereur!- I have returned, my emperor! Comment allez-vous?- How are you? Trés bien, merci - Very well, thank you. C'est excellent- Excellent! (like very excellent). Et qui est cette personne la'?- And who is this? (a more polite way of saying it). Magnifique! - Magnificent! Parlez-vous français?- do you speak French? Prussien- Prussian. Le garcon- the boy. Comme vous voulez- As you wish. Comme il est beau!- he is so handsome! Venir ici, mon petit- come here, my little one.
*Thanks to EhCanuck who caught a French error! Thanks so much!
German: Guten Tag- formal Hello. kleiner bund- little alliance.
Thanks again everyone who has been reviewing this! Reviews are very much appreciated! Thanks to everyone who does! :)