When you, Ludwig, and Gilbert finally arrived back at the German base, the site was in complete chaos. The base sat on a small grass flatland. It was surrounded by natural barriers such as forests, rivers, and mountains. This made the area an ideal place for a main headquarters. Although the base was surrounded by the peaceful countryside, hundreds of men were running around the base in a scrambled manner.
Mud splashed around the soldiers as they ran from one place to another. Some were carrying papers, others ammunition, but they all had a face of worry and panic. The worst part of it all was the wounded soldiers that cried out in pain. They seemed to attract everyone's attention. Dozens of soldiers with broken limbs, bloodied heads, and amputated figures surrounded the base. You dared not to think about where they held the dead bodies.
Ludwig forcefully pushed himself past you and Gilbert taking his jacket from you and placing it on his shoulders. His shoulders were broad as the jacket laid on his back. He loomed over the circus of soldiers as he filled his lungs with air.
"ACHTUUUUUUUUNG!" Ludwig forcefully shouted at the top of his lungs.
Immediately, all the soldiers ran into a straight line at attention facing Ludwig. Gilbert rolled his eyes but joined his brother in the center of the men. You decided to stay back, shadowed by Gilbert and Ludwig.
"This is uncalled for," Ludwig shouted in German. "I have been gone for a single day and the base has already gone to shit." He paused allowing his piercing blue eyes to intimidate all of the men on the grounds. "I want a status report on the Eastern front. Units under Gilbert's patrol report to him, everyone else will report to me. I want this place to be completely organized immediately!"
Ludwig's words shook the bones in your body. A slight shiver went up your spine as Ludwig's voiced boomed over the men. You peaked over his side to see the men organizing themselves into different places in the base. Ludwig only had to speak for a little but he could already get a whole army to focus. Although it looked very intimidating, you were amazed that Ludwig was able to keep his composure during any situation. He was always so calm, even during the toughest situations.
A short silver haired man ran up to Ludwig in a hurry. "Sir, there is someone here that arrived last night. They would like to meet with you immediately."
Ludwig nodded and followed the man to what seemed to be some kind of strategy or planning room. You and Gilbert followed close behind, but Gilbert's attitude had completely changed. Instead of his usual mischievous grin, he was walking up straight with a serious glare. He probably changed his attitude to mimic Ludwig's stern and intimidating presence.
When seeing the room from the small entrance, you could hear a soft melody of a violin. The sound was quiet compared to the chaos outside, but the sweet tune easy filled up the room. The small room was covered with maps and papers. There was a door in the back right corner that had the label 'General Ludwig and Gilbert Beilschmidt'. There were also a few boxes and books scattered around the floor.
"I know zhat playing from anywhere!" Gilbert announced as he ran through the small opening in the room. You and Ludwig joined Gilbert in the room.
A man in a long navy blue coat with a white jabot was playing the violin in the back corner. For some reason you felt as is you knew him from something because he had a distinct strand of hair that popped out from the front of his scalp. Gilbert immediately lost his serious composure and drew the man into a long embrace. His violet eyes darted between you, Gilbert, and Ludwig as he struggled to escape Gilbert's grip.
"Gilbert let me go or I swear I will crack your head open!" The man said in a thick Austrian accent.
"Awww but come on! I haven't seen you in months! Kesesese!" Gilbert laughed as he tightened his hold on the man. Their German seemed to be completely different yet you were able to understand what they were saying fairly well.
"Absolutely not. I do not care how long we have been apart. I was only able to bring one violin with me from my house so you will let me go immediately before something happens to her!"
"Gilbert let Roderich go," Ludwig said sternly.
Gilbert scoffed at Ludwig but released Roderich from his grip. Roderich took in a massive breath and scurried over to put his violin away in the case. He placed the case behind his belongings where it would be easy for him to retrieve if something were to happen, but hidden enough from others. You noticed that he treated his violin much like a living person, almost intimately.
"Good to see you Ludwig," Roderich said moving back tot he center of the room. "At least one of you here is rational." Roderich and Ludwig seem to share similar behaviors and mannerism, though Roderich also seemed more of a drama queen than Ludwig.
"I'm glad you made it over the Austrian border safely," Ludwig replied with sincerity. "Oh! I almost forgot. Roderich this is , _ this is my Austrian cousin Roderich Edelstein. She saved us out in the field from a Russian unit." Ludwig seemed like he was about to make another remark but he bit his lip to stop himself from continuing.
Roderich held out his hand and you shook it. Compared to Ludwig's firm grip Roderich had a light and delicate touch that proved his skills as a fine arts musician. "Nice to meet you Roderich! I've heard a lot of great things about you!" You hoped your American accent didn't shine through in your German. You weren't in the mood of explaining your recent history or how you ended up in Germany.
"It is great to meet you too ," Roderich said as he lightly shook my hand. He replied in English but had a rich Austrian accent.
'Damn it! He knows I'm American now!' You thought to yourself. He definitely was aware that you spoke English but refrained from asking you any questions about your history. He simply walked over to Gilbert to give him a normal greeting.
After they all had a short conversation, a German soldier ran into the meeting room at attention. "Sir, since you have arrived back we have some important information to discuss with you!" The soldier looked over to you and Roderich. "Confidential information..." Ludwig looked over to me with a worried look and a tint of pink on his face.
"Ludwig it's ok I'll go with her," Roderich said to Ludwig. Ludwig eased up a bit and motioned for a few other men to enter the room. You and Roderich walked outside where sunshine greeted you with a warm smile.
"Hey I know a really great place we can go. I know I've only been here fur a few hours but there is zhis really pretty field down at the south side of zhe base." Roderich and you walked past all the chaos, bloodshed, and tears. Roderich seemed almost immune to it as he didn't express any type of reaction to the lingering war; however, you tried to shield your thoughts away from the atrocities by looking toward the ground. Even during the sunniest day of summer, the war continued to drain the morale of everyone.
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After an incredibly slow stroll through the base to the Southern side, Roderich was an incredibly slow walker, you found yourself frozen on the edge of a golden field.
The field stretched all the way to the Bavarian Alps that rested on the horizon. The yellow flowers covered up to your knees while you walked through them. A few bees flew by the flowers collecting nectar for a nearby hive. The scene reminded you of Ludwig's golden hair. The slight breeze made the flowers sway back and forth just how it made Ludwig's hair flow.
"Wow... this is amazing," you said to Roderich mesmerized by the beautiful sight.
"Ja Ja... you should see zhe Austrian country side it's much prettier," Roderich said with a small smile. You weren't sure if he was just making a joke or he was actually that prideful about his country.
"Oh that's right, Ludwig told me you lived in Austria before the war. He said you were a very dear cousin to him."
Roderich looked shocked at your remark. "He actually talked to you about normal things... let alone his family?"
"Huh? Oh yeah we talked a lot that night. I personally think he needed it cause of everything that's been going on," you said as a blush appeared on your cheeks. "Oh but don't worry he didn't say anything bad about you."
"Huh... zhat's very unlike him," Roderich replied watching two blue birds fly above the flowers. "He doesn't even talk to me or Gilbert about his emotions, family, or any of his issues. I guess he felt safe enough to share them vith you."
Your cheeks started to turn red and your heart began to pound loudly. 'Ludwig wanted to talk to me about his life,' you thought to yourself. You smiled at this small bit of information, happy you could make someone in this awful mess a little more content. Even though you had only known Ludwig for a short time, you wanted to get to know him better.
"Are you hungry?" Roderich asked breaking the silence.
"Oh yes! I just realized I haven't eaten in a while, I've been so... busy." The last meal you had was a pasta dish Elena and you shared. It was in that small Bavarian village where everyone was still filled with hope. Elena mocked you for not eating the pasta the 'Italian way'. You just laughed at her and cut her pasta until she tackled you down for doing something so 'sacrilegious'. The memory was brighter than ever, burning into your thoughts and fears.
"," Roderich said snapping his fingers in front of your melancholy face. "Listen... you don't have to tell anyone about vhat you're feeling now... or what happened, but you eventually do have to tell someone. Find someone zhat you feel comfortable enough to share it vith. I know it's wartime and the battlefield isn't the place to let your emotions spill. However, if you bottle them up for too long, you'll only be drowned avay by them."
He was very intuitive. From the moment you met he knew something was up, but he respected your wishes to not talk about your situation immediately. Compared to the somewhat brooding brothers, Roderich was patient and spoke a lot more elegantly.
"Thank you," you replied with a nod. "Your nothing like your cousins."
"Of course not!" Roderich almost shouted. "Those two are like wolves, beasts even. I'm much more sophisticated than them!" Roderich and you chuckled.
He handed you a small canteen filled with a beef stew. You were extremely hungry and the smell of the stew grew your hunger, but you decided to eat slowly and watch the rest of the day pass by the innocent golden field. For a second you allowed your emotions to drain away and your sorrows to escape your mind.