Day 52 – Embarrassment
Another long chapter, but it's some much-needed fluff. Ludwig shows up!
The next morning, Gilbert worked on a breakfast tray for Lili. Vash was nowhere to be found; Gilbert figured that he had gone out to train or maybe he had taken up Lili's offer to stay elsewhere in Vaduz. Frankly, he didn't care what the angry Swiss nation did; he was more concerned about his mistress, the exhausted Liechtenstein. That's why he had brewed coffee, made pancakes and was now decorating them with sliced strawberries. He had always been good with a knife and he realized with some trimming, that strawberry slices resembled hearts.
He found a bed tray stashed in a kitchen cupboard and arranged a little coffee service, a pot of honey, a bowl of sweetened yogurt, and the decorated pancakes on a plate for her. Just as he started upstairs, he heard the door creak open and saw Vash stride in with Bruno. The smaller man glared at him. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm getting Lili breakfast." Gilbert retorted. He wasn't going to waste common courtesies on someone who couldn't remember his own. Vash sniffed and stalked into the kitchen to feed the dog and rummage up his own meal.
When Gilbert entered the bedroom, he saw Lili curled on her side, where he had left her thirty minutes ago. He sat down next to her with the tray. "Liebling," he whispered, "Mausi. It's time to eat." He had checked the distances between München and Vaduz on the internet and he figured that Ludwig would be here before lunch.
Lili slowly shifted and opened her eyes. Gilbert was happy to see that her black eye was now more of a pale green and tan; it was still unappetizing, but not what it had been. She blinked and smiled at him, still sleepy. "See what I made for you?" He smiled, and she slowly sat up against the pillows and headboard. He was happy to see her looking well-rested; last night she had looked so drained and tired.
Lili studied the breakfast tray. "Oh, Gilbert, it's beautiful!" When she looked up at him with such joy and gratitude, he felt the nightmare of the past twenty-four hours recede from them. 1 They kissed and he settled on the bed to watch her. He had already eaten, but when she offered him a bite of pancake with one of the strawberry hearts, he was happy to take it.
"These are delicious," she said. "I didn't know you were so accomplished in the kitchen."
"I'm not, really," Gilbert shrugged. "I can make pancakes, fry eggs and bake them in ashes, boil potatoes or bake them in their jackets, roast a chicken or rabbit over an open fire, and make Königsberger Klopse.2 Oh, and boil vegetables. That's it."
"I'd like you to make those Königsberger things someday," Lili said as she sipped her coffee. "Have you seen Vash?"
Gilbert felt as if a large ugly bird had plopped into the room. Fortunately, only Gilbird was fluttering about, pecking at pancake crumbs Lili had left for him. "He's downstairs, I guess," he said coolly, "he had just come in from walking Bruno."
"Gut." Lili fed Gilbert another pancake and heart. "Ich liebe dich, Gilbert." She looked directly at him. "Last night, I realized that if Vash had shot you, you could have died without me telling you that."
"I would have known," Gilbert said simply. "I just hoped I would have lasted long enough to tell you that Ich liebe dich." He had always imagined that Ludwig would have been the last nation to hear those words from him; indeed, in 1947 when they had met for what was supposed to be their final meeting before Gilbert's execution, he had told him that. But Ivan had saved his life, like a deus ex machina bearing mixed blessings, and he had lived to say those words to at least two other nations before they had broken his heart.3
Lili swirled the remains of honey and pancake on her plate. "Why is it so hard for our family to say 'Ich leibe dich' ?" She stared at the random design she made. "Nations like Italy, France, Spain, even the United States love everything. They love their families, their friends, their pets, their favorite foods, television shows, Jesus." She and Gilbert smirked mischievously at each other; she had told him about the rambling, embarrassingly intimate prayer the United States had said over the disastrous dinner at Vash's house.4 "And yet we have to wait for disaster to strike to say it."
"That's because it means so much to us," Gilbert said softly. "We want to make sure that we mean it, that we're saying it at the right time and for the right reasons. But if we're too careful, then it can be too late." He put an arm around her and drew her to him. "We will find a middle way, Lili. We won't cheapen it, but we won't save it for a day that never arrives." They kissed and he tasted honey's sweetness and coffee's bitterness in her mouth; how appropriate for us, he thought.
"So, do you want me to draw you a bath, baby, or would meine Dame prefer a shower?" He winked.
Lili sat up regally. "I would like a shower." She slid out of bed and grabbed her robe. She looked over her shoulder. "I'll need help washing my back." Gilbert happily followed her.
By the time they came downstairs, dressed and laughing, Vash had also changed his clothes and was putting away the cleaned dishes. He nodded at them. "I got a call from Ludwig," he said tersely. "I gave him directions to the house and he should be here within a half hour." Lili thanked him. "He said he was having a hard time reaching you," Vash added pointedly. Gilbert was about to say something about Lili not having her phone handy while whipping him, but she gave him a warning look. He bit his lip and sat down to check what was on television. Vash sat in the formal parlor, while Lili checked her email.
Bruno suddenly leapt up and barked, running toward the door. Lili got it before Gilbert could get up, and to his relief and a trace of anxiety, there stood his younger brother, golden, handsome, and serious-looking. Ludwig carried a bouquet of flowers (what a good German! Gilbert thought proudly) and leaned over to kiss Lili on the cheek and rumple Bruno's ears. "So, where are our crazy Brüder, Lilichen?" She laughed and led him through the foyer, where Gilbert grabbed his brother and gave him a hug.
"Bruderchen, wie geht's?"5 Gilbert made sure his voice was loud enough to reach the parlor. "Look at these shoulders, holding up the burden of Europe! You are getting enough rest, ja?"
"Ja, I'm fine, Gilbert." Ludwig awkwardly patted his back. He leaned in and whispered, "Stop rubbing it in Vash's face that we're related. I'm trying to be fair here." Gilbert sighed and nodded. They headed into the parlor, where Vash sprang up and shook Ludwig's hand. "Germany, I'm glad you're here. You are the perfect nation to sift through the lies these two have been telling about this completely inappropriate relationship." Ludwig growled at him and Vash realized he had gone too far. "Well, you can at least keep me from avenging my sister's honor." He mumbled. Gilbert smiled coldly at seeing the Swiss nation humble himself.
"Ja, well since you have been so eager to get to business, Vash, then so shall I." Ludwig sat down and took out his tablet and eyeglasses.
"We should at least have some coffee and something to eat!" Lili cried. She was about to leave for the kitchen, when Gilbert laid his hand on her arm. "Liebling, let me," he said. "I'll get something together while you and your brother catch up with Ludwig, ja?" She smiled and nodded. As he left, Gilbert shot a look at Vash. This is one way I show I love her, he thought.
He brewed coffee—he couldn't wait for when they could switch to beer—got out a tray with cups, creamer and sugar, and a plate of cookies. Who knew he could be so domestic? He mused as he brought the tray out to the parlor. Ludwig smiled curiously at him, and Gilbert sat next to Lili as she poured and passed cups and plates.
"So," Ludwig said as he scrolled down his tablet. "I want us to have a nice talk to get down the basic facts and the pros and cons of this relationship. Then I'll speak to each of you individually and give you my take on the situation. How long have you been seeing each other?"
Lili and Gilbert looked at each other. "I'd say since Soundcity in May," Lili said.6 Gilbert nodded. "Although we made out at Poland's party earlier in the year." He loved watching Vash squirm. "But ja, Soundcity was where we knew we wanted to see more of each other."
Vash turned to Lili. "So when you saved his life from Belarus, that wasn't just a random act of mercy?" She shook her head. "And when you went to Prague, you didn't just accidentally run into him?" Lili shook her head again. "And when you humiliated me in front of the United States with that horrible act, when you couldn't meet with me in England…?"
"Ja, Bruder, it was because I was with Gilbert." Lili blushed.
Vash turned to Ludwig. "If someone has to lie about a relationship, doesn't it say something about that relationship? At the very least, doesn't it imply they are ashamed of it?" His nostrils twitched.
"Maybe they're afraid of what others with their own agendas will say about it," Gilbert added. "You know, someone with some crazy idea of controlling every aspect of a sovereign nation's life even when—"
"—Bruder," Ludwig growled. Gilbert shut up. "Maybe, " Ludwig said coolly, "they want to see if it is serious enough before they make it public. Now, how did you find out about the relationship, Vash?"
"I came back from the United Arab Emirates and wanted to visit Lili," Vash began, "so when I came to her house, I saw she wasn't inside and I went out to the garden and saw this twisted—"
"—why were you here three days before your trip was supposed to be over, Vash?" Lili asked in a quiet, cold voice. "And why wouldn't you go home to Switzerland first to take care of your dogs before calling me to set up a visit, like you usually do? And why did you have a rifle with a night vision sight with you?" Gilbert looked at Lili; of course, in the anxiety and emotional mess of last night, they had forgotten that Vash's sudden arrival with a loaded rifle wasn't his usual way of visiting his sister. Scheiße, my girl is smart, he thought proudly as he squeezed her hand.
Vash looked unnerved. Ludwig stared at him with his inscrutable pale blue eyes. The Swiss nation finally looked at his hands. "I received a call from an anonymous source telling me that Liechtenstein was involved with an unsuitable ex-nation and that I should do something about it," he said softly. "I cut my business trip short and came to Vaduz, fully prepared to end it." Lili gasped and she leaned towards her brother.
Ludwig continued to stare at him. "Was this source an unknown caller or are you protecting its identity?"
Vash looked up, resolved. "I prefer not to say."
Ludwig pinched the bridge of his nose, a sure sign he was trying to control himself. "When your source said 'ex-nation,'" he said slowly, "how many possibilities ran through your head?"
Vash said nothing, but he shot a glance at Gilbert.
Ludwig sighed deeply. "So based on an anonymous source or a source whom you know and are protecting, you were prepared to enter a sovereign nation's territory—"
"—She's my sister!" Vash growled.
"A sovereign nation's territory," Ludwig's voice rose, "with intent to shoot an ex-nation specifically forbidden to bear arms, with no clear cause for doing so beyond a rumor." He stopped and stared at a red-faced Vash. "I'm not even mentioning that that ex-nation is my older brother."
"Why was he there?" Vash asked shrilly. "What was his business with her?"
Ludwig turned to Lili. "Well, how did Gilbert get there, Lili? Did you invite him? Did he just show up?"
"I invited him," Lili said. "When I found out when Vash was leaving him, I called Gilbert and we made arrangements for him to come over." She gave Ludwig the date. He turned to Gilbert and said, "That's the day you left Berlin for your 'walkabout', ja?" Gilbert nodded emphatically.
"Look at their faces!" Vash pointed at both of them. "They're healing now, but yesterday when I saw them, they looked like they had just been brawling!" He looked desparately at Ludwig. "Your brother was tied up. Tell me, if you had a sister and you saw her face black and blue and she had a male tied up in her garden, what would you think? That they were just taking a break from a round of skat?"7 He looked indignant. "Even if I came just to surprise them, when I saw that, would you blame me for assuming the worst?"
Ludwig turned to Lili and Gilbert. "What were you two doing?" Lili briefly recounted how their relationship had taken on a dominant-submissive dynamic. She admitted how their experiment in role-reversal had failed, and how she had disciplined Gilbert. When it came to the garden scene, she simply stated, "Gilbert asked me to bind him so we could talk in the garden. So I agreed to it." Gilbert squeezed her hand in gratitude at her discretion.
He studied his brother's reaction to their story. Ludwig looked at Lili with renewed interest and respect as she stated she was the domina; Gilbert wasn't too surprised, considering his own brother's collection of BDSM porn. But he didn't like the look in his handsome brother's face; it reminded him of a younger, more innocent Ludwig staring at Liechtenstein in admiration as she politely refused to join the German Confederation.8 She's mine, my mistress, he wanted to cry, don't take her from me!
Ludwig finished tapping his notes on his tablet. "Now I'm going to talk to each of you privately. First Vash, then Gilbert, then Lili. Lili, where is a good room for you and Gilbert to wait so Vash and I may have some privacy?" Lili suggested the TV room and she and Gilbert left.
"We can play a videogame while they talk," she said, picking out a driving game. Gilbert shrugged; he actually wanted to eavesdrop, but he knew Lili would disapprove. The game's sound effects drowned out any possible conversation, but it failed to divert Gilbert; he knew his turn with his brother was coming up and while he was confident, he also knew overconfidence had always been the cause of his downfalls.
Vash came into the TV room, looking subdued. He sat next to Lili and Gilbert went in to talk to his brother. His first impulse was to give Ludwig a hug and make some joke about Vash's sour expression, but when he saw his brother's thoughtful stare, he realized that would be too much familiarity. He sat down and tapped his fingers upon his thighs.
"So, were Vash and Lili telling the truth?" Ludwig asked.
"Lili was, and Vash was telling what he saw; I can't vouch for him."
"Who initiated the kinky part of the relationship?" When Ludwig asked this, Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Bitte, Ludwig, I'm trying to respect Lili here!"
"I just want to know whose idea it was! Did she suggest it? Did you? Did there have to be a lot of convincing or pressuring done?"
"Lili told me that she had posted some erotic fiction on the web and I found it. And it was all about females dominating males, and training them, and kinky stuff, and I thought, wouldn't it be nice to make one of her fantasies come true? And when we were in England, I started to think it would be worth a try, and it was.9 And we talked about it and I offered to serve her and she accepted."10 Gilbert smiled at the memory of the hotel room in Bristol, how he had knelt before her and how sweetly she had said "I do." How happy he had felt, knowing he could be near the power within her.
He looked back at his brother and he saw the concern and kindness in his normally unreadable eyes. "Is that what you want, Gilbert? Are you happy?"
"Ja, I am." That was all he needed to say.
"Do you love Lili?" Ludwig tilted his head.
"Ja, very much." Gilbert blinked and blushed. He thought a good night's sleep and distance from yesterday's events would make him stronger. Verdammt tears, he thought, why was he prone to weeping so much since he had left the Soviet Union? He blamed Ivan and his experiments.
"We're done." Ludwig stood up and walked with Gilbert to the parlor's French doors. Just before he left, Ludwig wrapped his arms around him. "I just want you to be happy, Gilbert. Genuinely happy," he whispered. "You deserve happiness, Bruderherz."
"Is making me cry part of your plan, Ludwig? I go out there, and Vash thinks—"
"—just tell Lili I'm ready to see her." Ludwig smiled.
Vash and Gilbert studiously ignored each other as a football match played on the television. Vash rubbed Bruno's ears and rump, and Gilbert fed cookie crumbs to Gilbird. Maybe it was just the agony of waiting in the same room with some one he didn't like, but Gilbert thought it was taking an awfully long time for Ludwig to interview Lili. He finally grew suspicious.
"I'm getting a beer," he announced. "Do you want one?" Vash shook his head. Fine, Gilbert thought as he sauntered to the kitchen, people were always saying he had terrible manners; all they had to do was spend a few hours with Switzerland. He looked back at the television room and saw Vash was engrossed in the game. He slipped through the kitchen to the foyer and stairs. Here he could listen to whatever might come through the parlor's French doors.
He was astonished to hear laughter. There was his brother's deep chuckle and Lili's laugh like sleighbells. Wat zum Teufel!He thought irritably. Were they laughing about Vash? About him? He wanted to get closer, but realized that they could see any movement. He slunk up the stairs to get a little closer to the parlor. He heard laughter, murmuring, exclamations of delight. He couldn't hear words, but he recognized the animated tone Ludwig used when recounting a funny story. Lili laughed and he heard her saying something in a very earnest voice. He was dying inside to know what they were enjoying so much.
Gilbert heard them more clearly as they apparently approached the doors. He hid behind the wall higher up the stairs.
"I could see tease and denial working very well, coming from you." Ludwig sounded quite impressed.
"Ja, that's the kind of stuff I like. I don't get much from the pain, I'm more into the control!" Lili spoke animatedly.
"Ah, but he likes pain! A good beating makes him as sweet as a kitten for at least a few days."
"I know! He gets the cutest smile!" Lili's voice gushed. The two laughed affectionately and then he heard them move past the stairs and to the TV room.
"Gilbert! Where are you?" Lili called. He breathed deeply and then came down the stair sand sauntered into the room where they all congregated. "I was upstairs in the bathroom," he said casually.
"You said you went to get a beer," Vash said coldly.
"I got a beer, I drank it and I needed to pee. You have a problem with that?" Gilbert was happy to take some of his embarrassment out on Vash. The Swiss nation was about to say something, but Ludwig cleared his throat. He sat down in one of the wingback chairs, and Gilbert joined Lili on the sofa.
"I've heard each of you, your concerns, your feelings and beliefs about what is going on, and now I'll give you my opinion." Ludwig looked at each of them. "Before I say anything, I want to make it perfectly clear this is not a decision made as Germany in a World meeting. This is me, Ludwig, speaking as a relative. I can't legislate or dictate or force any of you to do anything you don't want, although I will certainly let you know my disapproval of any inappropriate behavior." Vash darted a smug look at Gilbert. "Furthermore, I will protect anyone who feels as if he or she is being unfairly treated and can make a good objective case demonstrating mistreatment. But I can't control the personal actions or desires of any nation or ex-nation."
Ludwig turned to Vash. "I know you love Lili and you feel it is your duty to protect her from the outside world, but she is an independent, sovereign nation. She may be your closest ally, but she is not a protectorate, a property, a colony or a client state of yours. You cannot interfere in her internal matters of state without her permission and you certainly cannot interfere in her personal life. You don't have to like it, but you have to accept it." Vash exhaled and looked tired and defeated for one second. Then the old fire returned to his green eyes. "Germany, I want some kind of assurance that if that—"
"We're done, Vash." Ludwig said coldly. "As to you, Lili," and here he thawed into a smile, "you are free to pursue whatever friendships or personal relationships you desire as long as they create no international issues for your boss or your people. At any time that you feel you are being oppressed or restrained in some way, come up with the evidence and present it to me. If it's a family matter, we'll hash it out among ourselves, and if it gets into international relations, bring your case to the World Meeting. The same for you two ," he nodded at Gilbert and Vash. "But a string of complaints about why you don't think the former East Germany is good enough for your sister doesn't fit either category, Vash."
"And finally, Gilbert." Ludwig turned to his brother and his eyes were serious but warm. "As an ex-nation, you're in a slightly different category here. You do have to report to me and I do have some say in your decisions." Gilbert felt the old shame and frustration of his current status rise in his throat; it tasted like bile. "But I don't see any suspicious motives in your pursuit of this relationship. And as an entity under my care, all I want is your happiness. That's why I give you my support in your relationship with das Fürstentum Liechtenstein.11" He stood up, cracked his knuckles, and smiled at the couple. "So you crazy kids enjoy yourselves, but don't startle the horses, ja?" He picked up his tablet and headed towards the door. Lili ran after him.
"Won't you stay for lunch, Ludwig?" She asked, and he looked down and smiled at her. "That is very kind of you, but I need to get back to München. Maybe another time." Gilbert walked over and shook his brother's hand. "Danke, Ludwig." His younger brother shrugged. "It just seemed the right thing. Behave, you." He winked. Then he turned to Lili. "I know your brother is not very happy right now. Be patient and he should come around." Then he suddenly hugged her. Gilbert felt a flicker of jealousy—two doms laughing over how to manage him!—until he heard Ludwig's whisper in Lili's ear. "You have his heart, cousin. Treasure it." Then he straightened up, his blue eyes unnaturally bright, nodded and left.
So we can all sigh deeply now. Let me know what you think!
1 See PruLiech 100 Day Challenge: Maiden and Unicorn, Chapters 49-51, "Don't Hit Me!" "Sacrifice" and "Enemy"
2 See PruLiech 100 Day Challenge: Maiden and Unicorn, Chapter 18, "World Peace?"
3 Latin: God out of a machine. A reference to the arrival of a god or goddess at the end of a Greek tragedy to set things right. Now commonly understood as some kind of plot turn that creates a last-minute rescue.
4 See PruLiech 100 Day Challenge: Maiden and Unicorn, Chapt. 29, "Courtship"
5 German: Little brother, how's it going?
6 See PruLiech 100 Day Challenge: Maiden and Unicorn, Chpt. 14, "Kidnapped"
7 Skat: national card game of Germany
8 See PruLiech 100 Day Challenge: Maiden and Unicorn, Chpt 17,"How Did We Meet?"
9 See PruLiech 100 Day Challenge: Maiden and Unicorn, Chpt 38, "What's Weird in my World"
10 See PruLiech 100 Day Challenge: Maiden and Unicorn, Chpt 39, "Why Change Anything About Yourself?"
11 Lili's official name in German
