Sweet Silesia
Chapter Ten
Roderich couldn't help but show a look of relief and victory. He had won. Beilschmidt wouldn't be coming back for awhile, hopefully never. He tried to conceal the small smirk on his face as he knocked on Elizaveta's bedroom door, but it was nothing short of a failure.
Patrice opened the door, bowing her head subserviently as he entered.
"How is she?" his eyes falling on Elizaveta's sleeping form.
"She hasn't said a word, not since the good doctor fixed up her arm. She's asleep, yet her eyes are open. Its as of the poor girl just had heart torn out."
Slowly he approached her bed, she lay there lifeless with eyes wide open and bandaged arm laying juxtaposed to the rest of her form.
"Elizaveta?" he asked cautiously, sitting on the edge of the bed.
A breath passed through her lips, her eyes never blinking. Her eyes, wide open, stared right at him but they did not see.
"I thought I should tell you this myself, about Beil…Gilbert."
"Gil…?" the pet name fell from her lips in a shallow breath.
"He's gone Elizaveta, he won't be coming back," he tried to say as gently as possible.
A struggled breath met her quivering lips, choking back a silent sob. Finally she did blink, but only to hold back tears.
Roderich reached into his pocket, procuring a small gold piece connected to a chain. "He told me to give this to you."
He placed the object in her palm, closing her fingers over it. He then stood from the bed. "I've spoken with some people, a women in your condition and in your situation should have a husband. When I said I love you, I meant it. We'll have the wedding before the end of the month, it will be small, but official. You won't have to worry about anything from now on. I'll protect you, take care of you...and your child."
She felt a kiss placed on her cheek, she did not acknowledge it nor accept it. She waited until he had left before opening her palm. She sat up when she saw the familiar gold locket, her mother's locket. The locket that had broken when she married Gilbert and the one Gilbert fixed as a birthday present several months later.
Gilbert had brought this for her, he wanted to get her back. So he could give this to her.
She clutched it in her fist, pulling it into her chest as several tears dripped down her cheeks. Ever since she was sixteen he had been such a huge part of her life. The man that made her heart pound in her chest every time he looked her way. The man that made her blush scarlet when he kissed her. The man that made her feel like a queen whenever he held her, whispering how much he loved her.
How could she forget him? How could Roderich expect her to move on so easily? How could he suddenly be gone from her life?
She refused to believe that he was gone for good. Gilbert would never give up so easily. He crawled through a battlefield, severely wounded with a broken leg for her. He always came back. He did always come back, even if it killed him.
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The trip to the nearest doctor was a haze. The pain and fever blinded him. The bullet wounds in his thigh throbbed painfully. He could steal hear Ludwig's screams from the immense blood lose he endured.
His friends somehow managed to balance him on his horse as they made their way through the Austrian towns, looking for someone who knew how to tend to a wounded soldier.
"If these Austrians are so sophisticated then where the hell is the nearest doctor?" he could hear Francis scream at one point. He could sense desperation in the voices around him. Yet he was certain Francis and Tony yelling at the villagers in their native tongues didn't help their case.
"Can somebody please help my brother? He needs a doctor!" He heard Ludwig plead through his haze. A bystander finally muttered a destination. It was as if the townspeople would only listen to the desperation of a child.
The next thing he remembered was his friends pulling him down from his horse, dragging him into a house, laying him on an operation table. He felt as if he was engulfed in darkness, still and silent. Then lightening shot up and down his leg, strong arms holding him down on the table as he tried to punch the bastard that was hurting him.
Sweat poured down his face, his teeth grinding together painfully trying to ride out the searing pain. He wasn't sure if he cried out or not. A white cloth was pressed to his nose and mouth. Instinctively he tried to shake it away but its hold was firm, forcing him to breath in the disgusting narcotic. It only took a single breath for him to slip away into darkness.
()()()()()()()()()()
He liked watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful, so pure. Her dark eyelashes spread out over the apples of her cheeks. The long locks of her soft golden hair cascading in elegant curls around her face, down across her soft neck to her chest, barely covering her breasts.
He could stare at her for hours, but as the morning sunlight made its way through their bedroom window she began to stir, her refreshed limbs stretching in the sheets while emitting a small moan from her pink lips. It didn't take long for her emeralds to flutter open to find his crimson ones staring down at her.
"Do you always watch me when I sleep?" she said, still drowsy but nevertheless with a smile on her face.
"Of course! Why would I waste my time snoring?" he said chuckling.
She smiled, rolling over to stand up from the bed. An arm encircled her waist. "Where are you going?" he snickered.
"To get dressed," she said giggling.
"But I like you like this. I can see everything!" he snickered, kissing her neck and shoulders in-between words. "Every…single…beautiful…detail…"
"But Gilbert I'm cold," she replied, his grip around her waist relentless.
"Close your eyes Ellie, I got something for you."
"Nice try Gil, you said the very same thing last night. Frankly my hips still hurt."
"No Ellie, this is another present and I really need you to close your eyes."
She sighed, placing her palm over her eyes.
She felt a heavy pendant being placed on her chest and a chain encircle her neck.
"Gil! Did you get me a necklace?"
"In a way," he said, securing the clasp. "Open your eyes."
She opened her eyes and found her mother's locket around her neck. The clasp felt secure around her neck and it shone in the morning sunlight like a brand new penny.
She turned around to face him. "You fixed it!" A large smile on her face.
"Happy Birthday Ellie!"
She threw her arms around him, kissing him. "Thanks Gilbert."
Her legs climbed back on top of the sheets, still kissing him.
Gilbert chuckled, "And here I thought I wore you out last night."
"That was before you gave me my birthday present," she said straddling him.
"I love you Gilbert!" Thank you!"
"I love you too Ellie!"
()()()()()()()()()()
"Is he waking up?"
"I don't know. Why don't you ask him?"
"But he's asleep!"
"Shouldn't that answer your question?"
Gilbert stirred, hearing voices coming from across the room. The pain still radiated through his leg, but too a lesser degree. He tried moving the damaged muscle that was his left leg and he let out a painful groan from the simple movement. Yet he could tell that the bullets where gone and for that he was grateful.
"Gilbert?" came a voice.
"Ellie?" he answered, flickering his eyes open to a dimly lit room.
"I'm sorry mi amigo, but I am not your señorita," came the familiar voice of a Spaniard.
"Tony?" he said, making out his friend's form, standing next to him from where he lay.
"Si! Your finally waking up!"
Gilbert groaned, rubbing his eyes. "How long was I out?"
"About two days. The doctor overdosed the narcotic since you where incredibly restless when we first brought you in." Tony sighed, pouring some wine into a tin cup.
"Where's Ludwig?" he said, his senses clouded and groggy as he sat up, taking the cup from Antonio.
"It's late at night so he's fast asleep. I think the operation scared him."
"He's never liked blood," said Gilbert sipping the wine, flinching at its taste. "This wine tastes like sewage!"
"Thats because it's medicinal," said Tony sitting down in a chair. "The doctor said to give it you when you woke up."
Gilbert glared at him. "I think he meant on the wound, Tony!" Gilbert said, slightly disgruntled.
"How was I supposed to know that? Francis went on and on about why we shouldn't waste good wine on flesh wounds. I just thought it was extremely cheap," Tony explained innocently.
"Believed me, cheap wine tastes better then this crap!" Gilbert exclaimed, trying to spit the taste out of his mouth. "I need a beer," he muttered to himself.
"I think Francis went out to get some."
"You won't find any good beer here in Austria."
"That explains why he's been gone for so long."
"I'd prefer to wait until we're back in Germany," he said, readjusting himself on the table so he could sit up comfortably. Fingering the bandages on his leg, he set the tin cup aside as he undid the bandage. Tossing the bloody bandage aside he eyed the careful stitching in his swollen flesh.
He saw Tony flinch out of the corner of his eye. "That looks like it hurts," he commented.
"I'm used to it," he said, pouring the wine over the wound. The alcohol seeped into the wound in a stinging sensation as it purified the wound. A shiver ran up and down his spine as he drained the cup onto his skin, before re-fastening the bandage around his thigh.
"It never matters what bastard I'm against with a gun, they always shoot me in the leg," He grunted, adjusting the sheets around him.
"How many times?" Tony asked, his curiosity peeked.
"Three," he said pushing the sheet aside, revealing a scarred leg.
He pointed to a bullet wound above his left knee. "This one was when I met Ellie. I couldn't walk and she found me in the woods."
His hand moved to a larger scar that decorated the lower part of his knee and calf. "This one nearly made her a widow two months after I married her."
"And your newest was earned trying to get her back from the Austrian that stole her away," Antonio finished.
"Whenever you need her, something always happens cutting off your way to her. She's your support and the universe seems to enjoy watching as you struggle back to her," Francis's voice suddenly came from the entrance of the room.
"What's thats supposed to mean Francis?" Gilbert nearly snapped.
"You may say that it's me being a hopeless romantic Frenchman, but if you want my opinion just ask," he replied, a shadow falling over his face.
"I'm afraid to ask but only fools are afraid of the truth."
"Theres a difference between honesty and truth. Honesty is subjective to the opinion of the beholder. Truth is the law of the universe and God," Tony muttered, unaware that the others could hear him.
The two stared at the Spaniard, unaware he could be so profound and philosophical. Which was in great contrast to his usual carefree self. "Never thought you could sound so intelligent Tony."
Tony paused. "I'm not sure what your implying but I'll take that as a compliment," he smiled.
Francis kicked open a small crate he had brought in. Glass bottles clinking inside. As the wooden lid fell away he procured several bottles of German beer. Gilbert didn't ask where he found it, he just took the bottle Francis handed him, opened it and took a hearty gulp.
"What where you saying earlier Francis?"
Francis sighed, opening up his own bottle before saying, "You know that I've always been happy for you and Elizaveta. In fact I've envied both of you and how devoted you where to one another. I've never had that, not since Bella."
Gilbert saw Tony twitch in his seat at the mention of Bella. It was still a sensitive subject that was often best avoided. But Francis continued, "You and Elizaveta where inseparable. Even before you where married whenever I saw you your thoughts where of nothing but her. Then one day you stop by my estate with her attached to your waist to tell me you married her six months ago!"
"Where are you going with this Francis?" Gilbert questioned, eyeing his friend darkly.
"Did you guys ever think that you rushed into things? Did you seriously think that there wouldn't be repercussions to your actions? You assisted a servant girl in fleeing her master! You eloped with her even though she was promised to another man, you even impregnated her! Then when you pursue her your leg nearly gets shot off! Have you ever thought that maybe the universe, God, or whatever it is you believe in, is trying to tell you something?"
"I don't believe in any sort of higher power that takes pleasure in depriving us men of our happiness, no matter how pure or sinful it may be. I don't even believe in fate, destiny, or luck for that matter. I do believe in life and it comes as it does. It was my life, my choices, that brought me to Ellie. It never steered my grandfather wrong and it never steered me wrong! How is it suddenly wrong? The only thing I see wrong here is Roderich's selfishness…and your attitude," Gilbert replied darkly.
Francis took a swig of his own beer. "Then how exactly do you intend to get her back? You stick a gun in Edelstein's face and he nearly had you shot dead. You steal her away in the dead of night again and he'll find you, especially since he knows where you live now. You and Elizaveta can run, but as long as Edelstein wants her he'll pursue her, and you will always be running, running and hiding. Is that the life you want for her? For your child? Always on the run, constantly having to look over your shoulders, never knowing a real home and friends. Never being able to sleep free of worry. Tell me Gilbert! Is that the life you really want for them?"
"You've forgotten that I will soon be a general. Running will not be necessary! I'll be able to protect them!" Gilbert snapped back.
"Do you really think that that life will be any better? After so long they will want to breathe, even you will eventually. Plus the higher in the ranks you are the more people talk. Rumors can destroy your reputation and deplete your chances of promotion, maybe even end your career!"
"What are you trying to do here Francis?" Gilbert exclaimed in frustration, nearly shouting. "Are you trying to end my marriage and forsake my wife and child? What kind of man do you take me for?"
"I'm trying to be the voice of reason, Gilbert!" Francis responded through gritted teeth.
From his sitting place Antonio watched the two friends quarrel. He had never seen such expressions of rage exchanged between the two. Both made valid points, while his own opinion formed in his head.
"What do you think Tony?" Gilbert suddenly asked him, his two closest companions glaring at him. He could tell by their expressions that they hoped his voice would be the voice of reason for their own arguments. He nervously swallowed a lump in his throat.
"Well?" Francis asked impatiently.
Slowly Antonio opened his mouth as he wrung his hands in his lap. "Gilbert…I know how much it hurts to know that you can't be with the one you love."
He stared up to find Gilbert's jaw clenched, his eyebrows furrowed angrily. He swallowed another lump as he continued. "You nearly died out there. I could hear Elizaveta scream after the guns fired. I've seen how much she loves you, many times over. Imagine the grief she would be feeling right now knowing that you where dead. "
"What are you saying?"
"I… I think its best to forget about her. For now at least. Even though she's stuck with Roderich, I think she'll at least have some sense of hope, or find some happiness knowing that your alive. If God in heaven wants you to be together He will find that path for you, but until then…it's best to just wait. Wait and pray!" Tony finished, trying to meet Gilbert's gaze.
"Why would I pray to something to I can't even see? Besides…I don't like anything that can bring a grown man to his knees," Gilbert nearly growled at the Spaniard. Tony lowered his head. He knew Gilbert wouldn't like what he had to say.
Francis couldn't help but nod his head in a silent form of agreement.
Gilbert drained his beer and threw the bottle across the room, shattering on the wall between his two friends. Gilbert lay back down on the operation table in a huff, turning away from the other men in the room. Francis and Tony exchanged looks before departing the room. He needed time to face the truth on his own.
"If its meant to be its meant to be. Who knows? You just might find each other someday."
A/N: Yeah I couldn't leave you guys with that sort of cliffhanger! I actually started writing this chapter right after I uploaded the last one. Even as the writer cliff hangers get to me, believe it or not. Plus ten is a good number to stop at right before I bury myself in exams, finals, essays, and study sessions.
I was pretty amazed at how much of this chapter seemed to write itself, I had a small ideas in my head and the rest just filled itself in. Then again me and my two friends seemed to resemble the BTT in a very uncanny way. Seriously, that is how we act around each other!
I never intended to define the characters philosophically and theologically, that just happened. For Antonio I pretty much went off the stereotype and history of Spain, since from what I've read there seems to be long history of devout Catholicism. Francis seems to be a natural designer of sorts, believes in greater power but is scientific/logical about it. And Gilbert, despite the Teutonic Knighthood and everything, he comes off to me as a sort of atheist. I could be wrong about this with these characters but it fit the story and the situation. Also, this is a work of fiction, no insult was intended if there where any within this chapter. And if there was I'm sincerely sorry.
Anyway...unfortunately you shouldn't expect an update until the end of May or beginning of June. As I said early I will be extremely busy. Please review lemme know what you think about this chapter, what you think will happen, where I could improve, etc etc.
Also check out my Tumblr, Fandomistas For Hetalia. Its a bunch of fan art I find on the internet, but hey give it a shot ;)
Thanks you all so much for the wonderful reviews last time. Keep it up! Hope you all enjoyed! Can't wait to hear from you! Love ya!