Chapter Eighteen: Fishing
1833
Gilbert scowled as he looked at the clock. Damn, it was nearly time for him to leave but he still wasn't done with his meeting. Why did Friedrich Wilhelm have the ability to talk so long? This had been going on for hours now, and nothing important had even been said! Damn! Why did Prussia even have to be here when the nobles were just talking about things that Gilbert didn't really care much about? Was this some sort of conspiracy to keep him here longer? Shit, and I still have to pack! Gilbert lamented silently.
Half of Gilbert's mind told him to just get up and leave when it was eleven o'clock and get on his way just like planned. He had told them all he was planning to go…But then again, that would look terrible, not to mention how disrespectful it was! Prussia was a disciplined state, one that took great pride in its military and order. Despite how wild and oftentimes rude he could be with other nations and their leaders, Gilbert always listened to his own. They were just about the only ones that could control him.
Grumbling under his breath, Gilbert resigned to stay where he was and wait until the meeting concluded. West would be disappointed that he'd be late, but at the same time it could not be helped. Nationality before humanity, that's just how it went. It would be too selfish, even for Prussia, to just do whatever he wanted all the time. His leader needed him, even if it was just to talk about trade agreements, because the nation's first duty was to his or her people.
But that did not mean that the albino did not get distracted. While Gilbert was trying to pay attention, he found that the more he looked at the others in the room he just got angry that he would not be able to leave on times since it looked like all the windbags weren't going to be done anytime soon. Not wanting to have to look at them, the nation found his gaze drifting from King Friedrich and Chief Minister von Wylich to outside the window.
The sun was shining brightly and the sky looked wonderfully blue and clear. It was the sort of day that made Gilbert just want to run outside and keep on running until he felt like he had gone back in time to the days when he did not have all of this responsibility. Back to a time when he was just a territory of Germania, when Vater looked after him and he did not have to worry much about politics. Back to a time when he could do pretty much anything he wanted, go anywhere and answer to no one except Germania and his king. And even then neither Germania and the kings never asked much, just that he stay quiet and not get too rowdy, though to destroy his enemies should they attack. Those were the good old days…
The daydreaming Prussian could still remember years ago, when King Friedrich's two youngest children, Louise and Albrecht, would playing outside on a day like this. The two children would run out by the old apple tree, always laughing about something. The sunlight would gleam off of their hair and they would giggle and play with one another for hours. They had both looked and acted much differently than Ludwig. The two Prussian children had always looked so carefree and happy. It pained the albino to recognize that his brother never looked, or would, look like that. The little confederation always seemed overwhelmed or sad; in a way, looking much older than his physical age of a seven-year-old boy.
The thought of his brother sent another stab of panic and restlessness in the nation's heart. What would Ludwig think if he were late? The child was waiting for him, Gilbert couldn't just let him wait in such uncertainty. Surely the boy would think that his big brother had forgotten him. Gilbert couldn't let that happen! But he still had his duty to stay with his king.
Scheiβe, scheiβe, scheiβe! Gilbert let his head fall into his hand as he inwardly struggled with himself. He would have started banging his head on the table, but that would not only have looked completely un-awesome, but it would have made everyone stare.
Grinding his teeth, the nation was forced to sit and wait for the meeting to get through. Hopefully everything would go smoothly—
"Preuβen!"
"Huh?" Gilbert snapped out of his daydreaming and pity party to find the king and von Wylich frowning at him. "I-I'm sorry, what were you saying?"
The two humans seemed put-out by their nation's lack of attention, but said nothing. "I asked you what you thought about the Austrian control over the other German states," Wylich repeated steadily. He had long ago gotten used to his nation's strange habits and sometimes short attention span.
Hearing his rival's name did nothing to soothe over the albino's already fraying nerves. "You know how I feel about Austria," Gilbert crossed his arms. "Bastard thinks that he owns the whole damn span of Europe!"
"Language, please," Friedrich mumbled, not even bothering to reprehend the nation further. He had learned long ago that no one could rightly control Prussia's mouth, especially when he was angry.
"What about Österreich?" Gilbert went on, not really bothering to acknowledge his king's complaint at the moment. He heard that "Watch Your Language" speech frequently from the aging man.
The king and Chief Minister shared a look, one that told the nation instantly that something was going to happen soon. Judging from the mood, the albino was sure that it was going to be something that he would like and not like at the same time. It had been a little over twenty years since everyone had last gotten along, and since those years, tensions between Austria and Prussia had become more and more evident.
"We believe that it's time for something to happen, Preuβen," Friedrich said seriously. "I believe it's time that the Austro-Hungarian Empire knows that it can't rule over Europe."
Gilbert's eyes widened and a grin of excitement found its way onto his lips. "But," Wylich said before the nation could get too eager. "We cannot rush into this. We have to figure out a way to show the empire that it is not at all liked or welcome, but at the same time, not propel ourselves into a fight."
"I'm sure I would come out on top if—" Gilbert began.
"Preuβen," the king silenced the personification. "A fight is not something we need at the moment. We just want some way to show Austria that we're not happy with him while also continuing on our own economic growth."
"Insult him without starting a fight," the albino nodded. He understood that plan. He'd done it plenty of times in the past with several different nations. "So, what's the plan?"
Again, the two men shared a look. "We're not sure yet," Wylich admitted. "We were hoping you might have some sort of idea."
"Me?" Gilbert laughed. It was nice that they were trying to directly involve their nation, but at the same time, Prussia was not known for his benevolent acts in politics. "If it were just up to me I'd kick my boot all the way up that bastard's ass, he wouldn't be able to sit of months!"
"Please try and be serious about this," Friedrich rubbed his temples tiredly.
"We need to do something," Wylich continued. "Austria's been interfering with our trading with the other states and it's costing us."
"Perhaps you can do something about it, Preuβen," Friedrich's eyes suddenly brightened. "You are going to see the confederation today, aren't you? To bring him here for several days?"
"Yes." Gilbert always hated to get his brother in the middle of these sorts of discussions. But then again, it was nearly impossible not too. The life of a nation was never private and it was with almost frightening frequency that they were used, often times, badly. But that did not stop Gilbert from wanting to shield his little brother as best as he could whenever he could.
"When you bring him here we can talk with him, perhaps fish around, see how his kings and princes feel about the Austrian Empire. Perhaps he can give us the inspiration we need to come up with something brilliant," the king smiled.
"Surely he'd be willing to talk with you here," Wylich nodded encouragingly to his nation. "And he must be getting rather frustrated with Austria ruling over him. After all, wasn't there a movement a while back for a 'Deutschland'? Surely we could come up with something that will benefit us, get him to throw out Austrian rule."
The albino frowned at this. "I don't think encouraging West to throw out rulers is such a good idea," Prussia shook his head. "Remember the Hambach Festival?"
"That had been easily taken care of," Wylich waved off.
"Ja, but I wouldn't test the Germans anymore," Gilbert warned. "Our people are tenacious, stubborn and strong. Promoting too much rebellion would be unwise. There are already moments out there that express the dissatisfaction with the monarchs, do you really want to inspire that sort of unrest when there is great rick of you losing control?"
It was not often that their Prussia presented his wisdom in such a light. Usually the nation would sarcastically lay out the situation or demand one thing or another. It was rare for the German nation present facts logically and without any sort of bite in his tone. Whenever Prussia used this particular attitude it was a clear warning for his rulers, or anyone, that he was deadly serious. It was in these times when his people were truly in awe of him, for the nation spoke with such conviction that there was nothing to do but respect him. It was in these times when everyone realized that their personification was old; had lived through events, seen things that they could only imagine now. It was in these rare moments that Prussia seemed truly otherworldly.
"You are right, of course," Friedrich consented. "But as we said, something must be done. Perhaps we shall think of something later. For now, is it not time for you to be going to retrieve the little confederation?"
Gilbert glanced back over to look at the clock and cursed under his breath. "I'm running late," he scowled. Standing up, he bowed to both men. "Excuse me. We'll talk more about this another time."
With that, the albino left his rulers to quickly get ready for his journey to see his brother. The meeting with the two men had left Gilbert feeling conflicted and a little confused. A part of him wanted to jump on the chance to cause some damage to Austria, insult him the way he had been insulting Gilbert for years with his attitude and arrogant manner. He also liked the idea of West throwing out Austria rule and becoming a stronger nation…but at the same time, that was something he was not all that ready for yet. Ludwig was still young, his people too strong for him to handle on his own. If he were to stir up some of West's people, inspire some sort of rebellion, where would that leave him?
Shaking his head, Gilbert decided that he should let the meeting rest for the time being. He did not want to think about such things at the moment. He did not want it to sour his mood for his brother. After all, he didn't get to see his brother every day and he wanted to be in good spirits when he saw him.
"Stupid meeting," he muttered under his breath as he packed. Once finished, he hastily made his way outside when his horse had been waiting for him with the groomsmen. As he mounted and began riding out of the gate, Gilbert couldn't help but reflect on everything that had been said.
oOoOoOo
Ludwig was pacing up and down the length of the room, scowling impressively for a child looking seven-years-old. He knew he should not be so impatient, but Lord help him, he was impatient at the moment. No matter how many times he looked at the clock on the wall, the useless thing never seemed to move. It was unbearable! Was the silly thing broken or something? Why was it moving so slow?
"Ludwig?" The boy turned to find Lilie watching him, her soft face creased with concern. "Maybe you should sit down for a while."
He nearly snapped at her, wanting to tell her to mind her own business, but he didn't. Not only would that be entirely rude, but it would be unfair. Lilie hadn't done anything to him. She was only concerned for his wellbeing at the moment. It was nice to know that someone cared about him like that, even if, it was annoying as well.
"I don't want to sit down now," Ludwig said instead. "He'll be here soon."
And with that, he resumed his pacing. What could be taking Gilbert so long? What if something terrible had happened and he had been hurt on the way over? What if he fell of his horse and broke his back without anyone around to help? What if he was out there now, trying desperately to crawl the rest of the way here? Ludwig had to help him!
Just when the boy had resolved to go and get his coat from the rack, the door slammed open, hitting the wall hard enough that it almost bounced back to hit the guest in the face. "It's windy out there!" was the first thing that left the intruders mouth.
"Gilbert!" Ludwig rushed over to his brother and promptly attached himself to the older nation's leg.
"Hallo, West!" the albino grinned, kneeling down as best as he could with his little brother still grabbing a hold of his calf. "What have you been up to today?"
The little blonde detached himself almost immediately and scowled at his brother as fiercely as a child his size could. "You're late," Ludwig stated, allowing his displeasure to show. Even though he was thrilled to see his brother, the child couldn't help but still be angry that his brother made him worry so much.
Prussia rolled his eyes playfully, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah, I figured I'd get an ear full from you once I got here."
The teasing did nothing to dissuade the child's annoyance. Instead of lightening up, Ludwig continued to frown up at his brother, crossing his arms over his chest, pouting ever so slightly. "Well, you deserve it," the blonde growled. "You're almost an hour late!"
It seemed that the other was not at all in the mood for a lecture, especially from someone less than half his size, and so Gilbert stood up and smiled over his huffy brother. "Guten Tag, Fräulein," the albino nodded over to Liechtenstein. "How are you today?"
Lilie looked like a strange mix between amused and apprehensive, but she curtsied to Prussia prettily, managing a small smile. "Guten Tag, mein Herr. I am doing well, and yourself?"
Still ignoring the boy, Gilbert flashed a smirk at the girl, frustrating his brother all the more. "Well enough. Though I seem to have gotten myself in trouble with my brother. You'll have to excuse us. I think Ludwig and I need to have a talk."
Before the little confederation could have said anything, his brother scooted him along to the study, while at the same time nodding to Liechtenstein, who looked concerned. "We'll only be a bit," Prussia promised the girl with a grin. "We'll be ready for dinner in a moment."
Ludwig looked behind him to see Lilie watching them before she turned and walked back to the kitchen. Peering up at Gilbert, the boy noticed that the usually cheerful smile was vacant from his brother's lips. It had not occurred to the blonde before that moment that perhaps he had gone too far in scolding his brother. After all, Gilbert was the mighty Prussia and did not have to take any back sass from the likes of him. What if his brother was going to yell at him now? What if Gilbert really was angry at him for being so demanding?
Gulping, all Ludwig could do was hope that his brother was just unusually pensive toady and was not really angry with him. The albino could be lots of fun, but he could turn off that part of himself as quickly as he could down a measure of beer. At the moment the older nation looked serious and determined, signaling to the younger that whatever it was on Gilbert's mind, Ludwig was probably not going to like it very much. Hopefully it wasn't going to be too bad…
The albino pushed them into the study, and once they were in, he shut the door behind him forcefully. Looking up, worried blue eyes met steely red. "Sit down," Gilbert commanded.
The boy didn't need to be told twice. Almost instantly Ludwig jumped up on a chair and sat down, waiting for his brother to speak again, but Gilbert didn't. Instead, the albino walked past his brother without a second glance in favor of standing near the window, looking out into the afternoon. Prussia was not generally known for being stoic and it worried the blonde considerable. Surely Gilbert wasn't that mad at him! After all, the little confederation had only been worried. True, that didn't mean that it gave the blonde the right to scold his older, stronger brother, but surely the Prussian understood by now that whenever the German was concerned he tended to snap a little…right?
Ludwig sat still for several excruciating minutes, waiting for his brother to say something, but when the other remained quiet, the boy found himself blurting out, "I'm sorry, Bruder!"
The albino turned around to stare at the boy, confusion flicked across the pale face even as the fair brow creased. "Was? What are you talking about, West?"
So Gilbert wasn't angry? While that was a relief, one that Ludwig felt keenly, it did not stop the embarrassed blush that spread across the boy's round cheeks. "I…I, um, said I was…sorry," he tried to explain, all the while wanting to die from the mortification.
"I know that, West, I have ears," the Prussian frowned. The albino suddenly looked very tall, very imposing as he stood with the sunlight shining in around him, making the pale skin almost glow. Gilbert looked almost god-like, and it did nothing but make Ludwig feel all the more wretched. "What are you sorry for?"
The calm tone did not ease the boy's humiliation. Squirming in his seat, the confederation peeked up at his brother through golden fringes, feeling very small. "I-I'm sorry for scolding you," he said at last. "I-it was wrong of me to do so. I should have remembered my place."
A snowy brow went up, but the usually stern action was softened by the smile that crept onto Gilbert's face. "I wasn't mad at you for that, West," he said gently. "Why would you think I was?" The older man walked over to kneel before his little brother.
"You ignored my questions and you pushed me in here to talk," Ludwig explained. "I thought you were angry with me for being impertinent."
"Keseses! Since when does a little kid like you know the meaning of 'impertinent'?" Gilbert suddenly looked like his usual self, crimson eyes flickering with amusement. "Only you would over think everything."
"If you aren't mad at me, then why did we have to come in here to talk?" the blonde asked. "I-I thought you were going to scold me."
Again, the older nation laughed lightly. "No, I'm not going to scold you, Ludwig. I really just needed to talk to you…though you are right. Normally you shouldn't talk to your elders like that. Not everyone is as awesome as I am and knows that you didn't really mean any disrespect."
"I know. I'm sorry." The boy looked down, staring at his shoes interestedly.
"It's all right," Gilbert reassured. "But we have to talk. It's been a while since you moved in here with Liechtenstein and Luxembourg and I think that it's time that you start looking to strengthen yourself."
Ludwig frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Come on, West, you know what I'm talking about!" Prussia rolled his eyes. "You've stabilized yourself as a confederation; that's good, but it won't be enough. Now that you're a little older and you understand the way the system works and have met all of the rulers that make up your little states, it's time that you start looking to building yourself up, turn yourself into something great!"
The blonde frowned. "But how can I do that?" he asked. "I'm not even a country. I'm just a confederation. I don't have any real power…you and Austria tell me what to do most of the time."
"Austria tells you what to do mostly, remember? I have no control over you." An almost bitter expression passed over the Prussian's face. "Österreich has his president over you."
"J-ja," the boy squirmed, feeling a little uncomfortable when his brother's continence changed like this. Anymore, when Prussia thought of Austria for too long his usually playful, happy mood could turn quite dark. Whenever Ludwig asked his brother in the past why he and Roderich did not get along so well, Gilbert would tell him, quite bluntly, that "Austria's a no good, power-hungry sneak that I'm sure is just waiting to stab me in the back!" Not something the child liked to hear, but then again, he knew none of the particulars of the Prussian-Austrian relations.
The albino stood once more and started pacing, looking very much like an animal trap in a cage. "You can't always be under someone else's control, West," Gilbert went on, almost as though he hadn't heard Ludwig speak at all. "Especially not Österreich's control. He's been lording over your lands for too long now."
Azuline eyes followed the pacing Prussia steadily. Gilbert did not seem like himself today for some reason. Maybe he had been told something before he left? Maybe that's why he had been late? Ludwig felt all the worse for snapping at his brother almost the moment he had arrived.
"Something really should be done about him," the albino went on, almost talking to himself now. "He's been in charge for way too long…" he trailed off.
The silence unnerved Ludwig, why he did not know. There was something in the way his brother stood there, pensive, eyes glittering with thought, that made the younger nation fidget. What was his brother thinking about? Gilbert had always been great at planning and coming up with some of the wildest, yet brilliant ideas the little blonde had ever seen. Usually Gilbert used that talent to do fun things, like build a fort out of stone or carve wonderful designs into wood, but there were times that Ludwig had noticed that his brother could use his intelligence in much more cunning and harmful fashion.
"That's it!" Gilbert cried, a fiendish smirk splitting his face. "I'm a genius!"
"B-Bruder?" Ludwig stuttered while his brother laughed.
Snapping glimmering cinnabar eyes back onto the little confederation, the albino continued to grin, but it was not a necessarily pleasant sight. "Don't you worry, West," the Prussian walked over to pat his brother on the head, making the boy feel more like a dog than a person. "Groβer Bruder is going to take care of everything."
Staring up into the impossibly crimson eyes, Ludwig felt a shiver run down his spine. He did not like how his brother was acting at all. Something seemed very off about Prussia today, his eyes looked feral and his movements were unsteady. What happened to Gilbert, the blonde didn't know, but it caused him to worry. He wondered if he should ask what was wrong, but then again, he didn't want to pry into his brother's business either.
"Gilbert," Ludwig began.
"I said don't worry about it," Gilbert smiled, suddenly looking much calmer and much more like himself. "Now, why don't we go sit down to dinner? I'm sure Lilie and Jean have been waiting for us."
The fast transformation from one mood to the other left Ludwig feeling wary. What was wrong with Gilbert? Maybe it was nothing. Perhaps he had just had a stressful day and had needed to let off some steam. Whatever it was, he was sure he'd find out later, perhaps even when they road back to Gilbert's house tomorrow. For the time being, the boy decided that he'd wait and see how everything transpired.
oOoOoOo
The next day, when the two brothers made it back to Prussia's house, Gilbert decided that he and his brother should have some quality time together. "It seems like forever since we last had a day devoted only to fun!"
And it had been. Ludwig had been so busy the last several years trying to keep up with all of his many states and their rulers while also trying to keep in the loop with Austria and his rulers. While the boy was not yet a proper country, he certainly felt like it some days. Not only was he having to keep up with his own people's needs and complains— from over thirty different states, mind you— but he was constantly having to double check everything with Austria and the president that resided over the German states. Gilbert was always there, of course, but because his government had no direct control over Ludwig, there was little Prussia could do most of the time but watch what the Austria Empire did.
But that was not what was important at the moment. What was of great importance was that Gilbert wanted to go fishing. Ludwig had only been fishing one time before that he could remember, so he was eager to try it again. He'd read a book about the proper way to fish a while back, so he was confident that he would be able to do much better than last time. Last time he had gone, the ground had been soft and the bank had given way while an impressive Kalis—Gilbert swore to this day it had been at least a meter long!— had pulled at that moment as well, causing the poor, confused child to fall right into the water. (Though, how his brother had been able to tell how big the fish had been while he was panicking trying to get his brother out of the water, Ludwig did not know.)
So, with the plan of fishing all day happily in place, the two Germans decided that it was time to get going and go to Gilberts "secret fishing hole". As they went, Ludwig couldn't help but hum the tune of Die Forelle as they rode. Gilbert, despite his dislike of Austria, was also inspired by the piece and actually started to sing the words as Ludwig hummed. By the time the two had gotten to stream, they were both singing and laughing.
Gilbert flopped down on the grass, smiling up at the sky while Ludwig decided to spread the blanket out and set their basket of food down. The boy smiled over at his brother and giggled. He liked it when it was just him and his brother, especially when the Prussian didn't seem worried about anything in particular. The boy had almost forgotten about his brother's strange behavior the day before.
"Ah, this is the life, eh, West?" the albino closed his eyes. "Nothing to do today except eat, fish, and maybe take a nap later. Just like the good old day."
Ludwig almost rolled his eyes, though he still wore a soft smile. "We've only gone fishing once before, Bruder."
"Right, of course," Gilbert sat up. For a moment, the blonde thought he brother looked uncomfortable, but he couldn't be too sure, because Prussia turned away from him. "You ready to fish now, West?"
His brother's smile was enough to make the boy forget everything else, and he nodded earnestly. "Ja, just give me a moment to finish setting up the—"
"Oh, forget that!" the other laughed. "Let's fish!"
Being pulled away, Ludwig yelped, but otherwise did not protest. He tried to scowl, not liking being forced from finishing his work, but at the same time Gilbert's enthusiasm was catching, and secretly the blonde did not mind that the little camp was not set up all the way. Whenever he was with Prussia, Ludwig didn't feel quite so nervous when things weren't organized because he knew that Gilbert wouldn't let anything else bad happen.
The older German set up the poles and baited them before passing it to his brother. Just as Ludwig was about to take it, the albino jerked his hand back, smirking down at his brother. "Don't fall in this time." He winked.
Ludwig blushed furiously before snatching the pole out of his brother's hand, grumbling under his breath. "Wasn't my fault. The bank gave way."
Gilbert just laughed as he allowed the pole to be ripped from his hands. "Whatever you say, West. Whatever you say."
Choosing to ignore his wicked brother, the blonde turned his attention to the water and cast out his line as best as he could. It wasn't easy, but he did it like the book he had found told him to do, and began the tedious waiting game with the fish. He was so busy concentrating on doing everything right, Ludwig didn't notice how amused his brother was with his technicality.
As the two of them waited for the fish to bite, they talked about anything and everything that came to their mind as long as it was light. They tried to stay away from business subjects and Austria as much as possible, and whenever the name of a king or prince was brought up, it was quickly abandoned in favor of a safer topic. Today was their day, and neither one wanted to spoil it with talk about work.
It was almost twenty minutes later when Ludwig had his first bite. At first he thought that the wind had just blown his line as he was distracted talking to his brother, but after a moment, he noticed his whole rod moved. Grabbing it quickly, the boy began his fight.
"Start reeling him in, West!" Gilbert encouraged. "You've got him!"
While the process of reeling in a fish sounded fairly simple when reading, now faced with the reality of the situation—and the memory of what happened last time—Ludwig felt suddenly very nervous. While his brother's cheers were supposed to be encouraging, it just made the boy's heart beat that much faster. He didn't want to fall in again, but he found himself also not wanting to let the fish go either. So, digging in his heels, the blonde worked to stay calm and reel in his catch.
After an eternity—really only after less than a minute—Ludwig had reeled in a handsome brown trout. The boy's azure eyes widened even as a smile split his face. "I did it!" he cried. "Look, Gilbert, I caught it!"
"Keseseses! You sure did, West! Awesome!" the albino praised, ruffling his brother feathery hair. "Now we've got our dinner!"
Ludwig beamed, loving the praise, but when he turned back to his catch, his smile wore off of his face slowly, replaced with a frown.
"What's wrong, Ludwig?" Gilbert asked, not understanding his brother's sudden loss of delight.
While it was stupid, there was really no reason why he should feel like this, Ludwig found himself feeling sad for the poor trout. All he could think about now was the song and how the trout had been swimming all happily before the fisherman had come and caught it. He didn't want to be that fisherman!
"D-do we have to eat him?" the boy asked, blue eyes pleading.
Understanding seemed to dawn on the older nation, and he smiled warmly down at his little brother. "No, we can let him go. He looks a little too young yet, don't you think? Too small?"
"Yeah," Ludwig nodded earnestly, before unhooking his catch and quickly returning it to its home in the water.
"We'll just see what other kind of fish we can get." The boy felt better when his brother patted him on the back.
"Ja, okay." He looked up at his brother. "Thanks, East."
The albino's smile was still warm as he leaned over and kissed the top of his brother's soft hair. "No problem. Now let's see what kind of fish I catch first!"
As the two fished, Ludwig couldn't help but think of what a wonderful brother he had, one that took him seriously and listened to him, but still teased him just enough. The day was perfect as far as the boy was concerned, and he loved being with his brother. But while Gilbert was also enjoying the day, Ludwig did not notice the shadow that seemed to cross over the albino's face every now and then.
Author's Note: Okay, sorry for not posting in forever. Last several weeks have been crazy with finals and papers and moving back home for the summer. But I'm home now and should be able to update a little quicker…unless the job I'm still trying to find gets in the way. .
History: Friedrich Wilhelm III is still the king of Prussia at this time, and Count Karl Friedrich Heinrich von Wylich as the Chief Minister. Friedrich fathered ten children, while only seven lived to adulthood. The youngest two were Louise (1808-1870) who married Prince Fredrick of the Netherlands, and Albrecht (1809-1872) who married Marianne, the princess of the Netherlands and sister to Prince Fredrick. (I find that a little disturbing for some reason…)
The whole, Friedrich and von Wylich bit being all epic and "things need to change" probably didn't happen quite like that, but I couldn't find out the particulars in history for 1833, so please bare with me. This is just my way of sort of giving you some back story for the next chapter.
The Hambach Festival 1832, was basically the first protest by the Germans wanting liberty, civil rights, and national unity. They also complained about high taxes. (This is but a prelude into the future, fyi. It is the backbone of events later on.) It ended up being a violent affair, but it was soon squashed and nothing much came from it.
At this time, Austria had a president that oversaw the affairs that went on in the German Confederation. Austria was basically still the boss over all of the German speaking states but Prussia and Switzerland. **Prussia's big epiphany in the middle of this will be explained next chapter.
Name: I honestly had no idea what to name Luxembourg, but I looked up some of the leaders, and there was a big mix of names since it's between France and Germany and Belgium…so I saw Jean and stuck with it. If anyone has any other suggestions, I'd be more than happy to hear them, but at the moment, he's Jean.
Song: Die Forelle or The Trout, was a poem by Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart that was later arranged with music by Franz Shubert in 1817. It was popular in its time and is an adorable song. So, if you've never heard of it, go listen, because I love it~ ^^
Fish: The Kalis is a native German fish which is also known as a Wels Catfish and they are HUGE. The largest catfish recorded was a Wels. They can get up to 10 ft long. That weird River Monsters guy caught one for a show. And of course a forelle is a trout.
'Nother Author's Note: Okay, so next chapter some of the weirdness in Gilbert's behavior will be explained and we'll get to see more of Austria's side of things. Thanks everyone who has been reading and/or review! I appreciate it! :D