Chapter 22: Operation Monarch VI: Confrontation

Dear Prince Wilhelm,

My mother says I should write to you to thank you for sending me to the school in the Waldstätte Confederacy and to let you know how I am doing. I am working very hard and have made lots of new friends but if I'm completely honest I'd rather be fighting with you and father.

Mother and father say I'm too young to fight though, but that can't be true. You and the Argent are only a little older than me and I want to be a soldier just like you and dad! I'm super strong I'm sure I could be lots of help to you guys, I want to be an aerial mage just like dad and I'm gonna get the silver wings even younger than the argent did!

Mother says I have to study for now though, so until I get there, I'd like you to look after father for me.

Yours sincerely

Reinhard Hausmann

– A letter found in Prince Wilhelm's office, Letzenbourg embassy, Berlun

May 5th Unified Year 1925

Letzenbourg City, Casements de Bach 04:15

Major General John-Paul Pyrion hated the leadership of his country. He hated the parliament for their disunity, he hated the prime minister for his inability to govern and most of all he hated the Royals for dragging his country into a war it had no business being in. All of these groups had contributed to the decline of Letzenbourg, once the Fortress city was considered the Gibraltar of the north, completely impregnable and capable of fending off any attacker, even with its small armed forces. Nowadays the only fortifications it had left, were officially 'shelters' for the civilians, although the 3 remaining forts were much more than that. The fortress city was no more, now it was a shadow of its former self, only able to survive by begging for the scraps of the greater powers.

The General belonged to the Independence faction of Letzenbourg. Their political group believed Letzenbourg should return to its status as the Fortress city of the continent and they should eschew all foreign interference in their politics. For too long the pro Empire and the Republican factions in the parliament had kept their country's interests held to ransom, and the Treaty of Londinium had utterly shattered its ability to defend itself without outside help. Despite the treaty's intent, it had made it all but impossible to stay out of any conflict on the continent. Their country's position was strategically and financially important for the great powers, how that importance was managed should be up to Letzenbourg, not the will of the Emperor's advisors or the Republican President Gaston Daldiere.

For the moment, he knew it was just a pipe dream, the Regent was a weak leader that had toed the line between the factions instead of forging a better path for the country. Worse still the old Duke's marriage into the Imperial royal family had made their neutrality unsustainable, there was no way they could have stayed out of this conflict without losing face. Some might think it odd for a general to preach neutrality, perhaps almost treasonous but Pyrion was sure that Letzenbourg was in danger of being swallowed up by one of the powers and now it seemed he'd been proven right. They wouldn't get the city without a fight however, he would make the powers bleed if they tried to take his country.

When the call had gone up to choose between the two princes, he'd been torn. Not due to any loyalty to either of them, he was not loyal to the royal family, he was loyal to his country and he wanted what was best for his home. If it were true that the Empire was trying to replace Ludwig with Wilhelm, then it was essentially the Empire using the boy to puppet the small country. However, in retaliation, the older prince had handed the keys to the republic instead. He'd been given the choice of which power should he hand his country to.

Of course, the Republic had claimed to respect Letzenbourg's sovereignty, but those words were empty promises, when the city was swarming with Republican troops, how much respect would they have then? They may be allies for now, would they leave once the war was over? He doubted it, they would likely just be a puppet of the Republic instead. Then there was the question of, what would happen if the Empire won? Would they take revenge for Ludwig's change of allegiance? Either way, Letzenbourg would no longer be free, perhaps it never was.

Although he had no fondness for the boy, he was quietly pleased that Prince Wilhelm had taken to the field himself and seemed to be doing what he could to protect the citizens. At least the Empire seemed to not want to punish the civilians for Ludwig's betrayal, for now at least. He hoped the boy's presence was a sign that he wasn't completely under the control of the imperials, but he wouldn't be betting on that outcome.

The boy was entirely too enamoured with the imperials, although it was hardly surprising, they had done everything to win him over since day one, he probably had more financial interests in the Empire than in Letzenbourg. He'd inherited a great deal of property and wealth from his late mother and the Emperor was known to dote on him when he visited Berlun. Then, of course, there was this ongoing feud with his older brother, nobody truly knew what it was about but most thought that Wilhelm felt stymied by his overprotective brother. The little boy was known to have a mind much older than his years, and often wanted to do things far beyond the scope of a child his age, thus he became rebellious. With the old Duke ill, it fell to Ludwig to keep the younger prince under control, but this had pushed him further towards the imperials. They would allow him to do things that Ludwig would not, and it had opened a rift in the Royal family.

The young prince had at least proven himself to be a gentleman on the battlefield, showing honour and compassion to his fellow soldiers, whether they be friend or foe. This just showed his youth and naivety, the days for that sort of honourable fighting were long gone, if he'd been around in the old days, before the treaty, maybe he could have forged a name for himself. Now it was a sign that he would be too soft as a leader, both the Empire and the Republic had shown that this war was not an honourable endeavour, it was Industrial slaughter.

The boy was too young and impressionable, he'd met the young prince on a few ceremonial occasions, at first he had thought the boy a brat but when he listened to the boy talk he began to see some of the intelligence that the prince was known for. Pyrion had been reluctantly impressed with his inquisitive nature and ability to understand things far beyond the comprehension of a child his age. He also seemed to be able to recall every detail about anyone he met, which combined with his childlike behaviour made him difficult to dislike, he might have made a decent representative for their country one day. It was too late for that now, the boy was a tool for the Empire even if he didn't realize it, and that made him an enemy of Letzenbourg.

The poor boy was probably being fooled into this action by the Devil of the Rhine, the rumour was that she already had her hooks in him. She too might have only been young, but her reputation amongst both friend and foe made Pyrion feel uncomfortable. There had already been concerns that the prince idolized the girl, and he'd clearly been trying to emulate her when he formed his own mage wing. From what he'd heard recently, it was now rare for the prince not to be by her side, it was almost like she was leading him around on a leash.

Then there was the way the young prince had acted at the ball, he had all but been declaring himself for the Empire and fawning all over this 'white silver'. The imperials were obviously using his fondness of the girl to manipulate Wilhelm but if half of what he'd heard about the Devil was true, she was doubtless using the boy for her own gains. She was a devious one, he couldn't trust Wilhelm while he was a thrall to the Devil and her Empire.

That left the Regent, Prince Ludwig, he wasn't a much better choice, he was a weak leader whose compromising nature had compounded the decline of their country. Pyrion could at least see that he had tried to keep the country out of this mess while regent, even if he didn't agree with his decisions. With the factionalism within the country, the regent had been forced to take more direct control over the country's affairs. Technically the prime minister and parliament should run things while the Grand Duke or Regent takes more of a ceremonial role. However, the factionalism had gotten so bad, Ludwig had been forced to interject almost daily just to get anything done. This had left him increasingly unpopular with both the parliament and the people, as any side he overruled felt he was abusing his power.

He dearly wished that there was another option, he would have taken over himself and taken them out of the war if he could, but he knew he wouldn't be able to gather the popular support of the people. With the old Duke unfit to rule, the two brothers had left their country with a deeply polarising decision, there was no longer any choice to stay neutral. He had to make a choice between them.

Pyrion judged Ludwig to be the lesser of the 2 evils for the country, even though he was an unpopular ruler, he was still their leader and had done his best in a very difficult position and with terrible advisors. Perhaps with Pyrion's support, they could maintain the sovereignty of the Grand Duchy, or at least minimize the inevitable fallout of this situation. If necessary, he would simply use Ludwig as a figurehead while he took control to free the country from its foreign shackles. Until then, he and his men had joined the Regent's cause and vowed to hold the Bach as though it were the city itself.

Unfortunately, there had been defections, Wilhelm's pleas had been moving and many soldiers had chosen to support him instead. Pyrion's convictions had held firm however, the boy may have been smart, but he was too young to rule the country, Pyrion would not kneel to the Empire's marionette. They had been forced to capture and kill their own countrymen and he had cracked down on any sign of dissent, ordering that anyone who questioned orders was to be shot. They had chosen the wrong side, it was an unfortunate necessity that they had to purge their ranks. It was a tragedy that would go down as the darkest day for their country, but they had chosen to side with foreign powers, they had chosen to be his enemy.

He suspected there were still a great many soldiers whose allegiances were far from certain, he had been keeping an eye on the other officers. There had been more than a few incidences where some of the others had made suggestions that ran counter to their strategy. He had been forced to implement even stricter discipline, they couldn't be sure there weren't any sympathizers in the fortress.

They had heard that the other forts hadn't been faring so well, with Fort Lamberd falling almost without a fight. That would not happen to his fortress however, Pyrion firmly believed the Casements de Bach was impregnable to all but complete overwhelming force. Its outer defences were impressive enough, it was the most modern of the Letzenbourg fortifications, with enough overlapping firepower to repel or at least seriously wound an attacker from any direction, even the air. Being built into the cliff face itself meant it did not suffer many of the structural weaknesses conventional fortifications did and although large openings had been carved into the rock for the field guns and machine-gun nests, the only way for an enemy to take advantage of this was a suicidal charge at the weapons.

If by some miracle, they did get past the outer defences, there were miles of tunnels for them to contend with. Once again, the unique location of the fortress in the cliff itself meant it would be difficult for any opposing side to simply collapse the tunnels, and if they did the command centre would likely still be able to operate as many of its phone lines extended underground. The Enemy would be forced to take the tunnels by force, with traps and chokepoints whittling down their numbers while they advanced. He would see to it his soldiers would not give an inch of ground and ensure that any attack would be incredibly costly.

Until recently, the weakest point in the defence had been from the air, but the Regent's recent change of allegiance and secret negotiations with the republic had meant they received some impressive new anti-air weaponry. He had immediately deployed these to cover the outer defences and placed several on the ageing towers atop the fortress.

It was from one of these towers that the General glared down at the small figure holding a flag of truce illuminated by one of the searchlights. He had not been surprised that the young prince and his imperial sponsors had asked for a temporary cease-fire to negotiate, in fact, he had been more than happy to allow it. He couldn't help smiling slightly, if they were offering terms it meant the Republican reinforcements were closer than the Imperial ones, they were worried and wanted control of the city before the François arrived. Pyrion didn't like the idea of working with the Republicans but was pragmatic enough to realize that it was another unfortunate necessity for now.

He had no intention of surrendering, all he needed to do was stall for time, and what better way than to let them waste it with a pointless negotiation? When they realized it was a pointless endeavour, he could watch the traitors charge at his guns. He just wished those mages the Regent had bribed would hurry up, with a little more firepower, they could start driving them out for good.

"Report!" he barked at a nearby Major as he jumped and saluted nervously.

"The Prince has been waiting there for a few minutes, requesting to speak to you sir" The man replied looking uncomfortable.

"Has he said anything else?" Pyrion asked trying to ignore his subordinate's jitters, he knew firing on their own men had made the troop's morale plummet, it was all the more reason to enforce strong discipline.

"Erm well… he said we are doing an admirable job, sir, before asking how long you'd be," The man replied uncomfortably. Acting as friendly as ever eh Wilhelm? He thought of the boy scornfully, although he had to admit the boy was either brave or stupid, acting so cocky with so many guns pointed at his head.

Perhaps his imperial masters thought sending the prince in might sway the defenders or maybe that they wouldn't fire on him if things went badly. It was almost insultingly foolish, he would respect the truce but if he saw any sign of treachery the prince would be the first to die. To Hell with the Regent's orders to spare him if possible, no one would get into his fortress! Do you think you can still control us without your puppet? He thought at the lurking imperial Devil hiding in the shadows.

Pyrion grabbed his binoculars and took a moment to study the young prince as he stood staring towards the fortress under the bright artificial light. He had come unarmed and without any of his mage equipment, although he likely still wore his computation orb that mages habitually hang from their necks. He'd also eschewed his sword, Pyrion had been a little surprised by this, Wilhelm was infamous for refusing to be parted with the weapon, rumour had it that he hadn't been separated from it since the assassination attempt when he was 6. Instead, he was grasping a white flag of truce that he had managed to put together somewhere.

He almost laughed out loud when he saw the uniform the boy had donned, he had obviously decided to dress up for the occasion. Although it was the black, red and silver of Letzenbourg, it was clearly of the Imperial style complete with peaked cap and greatcoat. If Pyrion ever had any doubts about where the boy's loyalty lay, they had now been put to rest. It was as he feared the boy was under Imperial control, it seemed he'd made the right choice by aligning with the Regent.

He knew he shouldn't underestimate the boy though, he was a named mage and even an unarmed mage could be dangerous, especially with a computation orb. Rumour had it that his fondness for the Argent had driven him to work hard to compete with the Devil's kill score. If you counted his ground kills, he might even outnumber her, but as he understood it, only killing other mages counted in mage circles. He glances around instinctively, despite not being able to see anything outside the illuminated area. The Devil of the Rhine was lurking out there somewhere, pulling the prince's strings, he would have to be wary.

"Good morning General" The young prince greeted projecting his voice so he could be heard while saluting and Pyrion returned it quickly. It seemed despite their current circumstances young Wilhelm was sticking to normal military conventions.

"Prince Wilhelm, are you here to surrender?" He sneered down at the boy, if the imperials thought they would roll over for the little prince they were gravely mistaken. He peered through the binoculars trying to make out the look on the child's face, but the boy's cap shadowed his expression. He must have been realizing the predicament the imperials had put him in by now and regretting his choices. Too late to back out now little Wilhelm, He chuckled to himself.

"No need to be rude General, you're the one that's surrounded," The boy's voice echoed with mild reproach as he took off his cap revealing a slight smile. "I'm here to…"

"You want to offer us terms?" The General interrupted, "well let me save you time Prince Wilhelm, we will fight to the last man." The nearby troops shuffled uneasily but Pyrion ignored them, they would obey, or they would be shot for cowardice, it was their choice. The boy was quiet and still for a moment before he piped up again once more.

"I'd like to do this officially if you don't mind?'" He began clearing his throat, "Major General John-Paul Pyrion, the people of Letzenbourg request you surrender the Casements de Bach to them." He stated officiously.

"Your troops will be allowed to evacuate safely and unmolested by my forces as they leave the combat area unless they wish to surrender. In which case, I personally guarantee that all enlisted soldiers under your command will be given amnesty and the officers will not be charged with treason. They will, however, be required to hand themselves over and will be treated as prisoners of war. Their rights will be protected according to chapter 2 articles 4 to 20 of the war on Land treaty."

Pyrion found himself sneering at the boy, why was he so confident? Nothing could breach his fortress. Well if the boy wanted to be official, he would give him an official reply.

"Thank you, Prince Wilhelm, but I must decline, I will not be handing my fort over to you. You'll have to waste your men charging at my guns if you want it. If I were you I'd withdraw your forces before Republican troops arrive," He replied curtly peering through his binoculars to search the boy's face for a reaction. The boy frowned slightly but the determined look remained on the boy's face, it seemed he wasn't happy with the answer.

"I believe you have misinterpreted my words, General, it isn't my troops that are surrounding you, this shelter is the property of the people of Letzenbourg. It is supposed to provide safety and refuge for them in times of dire need." He began explaining calmly. "It isn't me you are surrendering to, I am asking you to surrender the fortress to the people of our great country."

"What gives you the right to claim to be the representative of the people you brat?" Pyrion spat unable to contain the anger he felt at the prince and his brother for starting this civil war.

"Not what General, who? I if you'll shine a light behind me, you'll see" The boy said and Pyrion could almost hear a grin in his voice. He turned to a subordinate and gestured him to move another searchlight behind the boy, making sure to keep an eye on the little mage, if this was a trick, he'd open fire. To his shock and slight horror, the searchlight illuminated a group of civilians, including women and children, as the light moved along it showed more and more of them. There must have been hundreds of them may be over a thousand!

"That's my neighbour Mrs Lentz!" He heard one of the nearby soldiers exclaim and was joined in by similar murmuring from his fellows before the General barked at them to be quiet.

"The forces Loyal to Wilhelm von Hozollern have withdrawn General, these are the people of Letzenbourg. Under Article 1 of the war on Land treaty, they are not counted as belligerents and cannot lawfully be fired upon, additionally, they are to be protected." The boy projected as Pyrion felt the colour drain from his face. "This is why I am leading them to the safety of the Casements de Bach, the fortress is designed to double as a shelter in times of crisis."

"You're using civilians as human shields?" The General asked in disbelief, the boy had a reputation as an honourable soldier, yet he was using the citizens, it was monstrous! Was this the Devil of the Rhine's influence?

"Not at all General, I'm leading them to the safety of the tunnels. As I said my troops have withdrawn, I have declared the Bach is a non-combat zone used to keep the civilians safe. As it was designed to be," He stated matter-of-factly.

The boy was being serious he realized, he was applying the war treaty and the reasoning they had used to keep the fort completely literally. Surely, he must realize it had never really been meant that way? Some of the men were now murmuring in agreement with the young prince, although it was technically true the fort was supposed to be somewhere for the civilians to escape to, the reality was it was a military installation. They couldn't just let anyone in.

The prince had taken great pains to be official, which meant to refuse could be seen as contravening international treaties. They must be up to something but what? They must have hidden some sympathizers inside the group, they were trying to bring them down from the inside. Well he wouldn't let them, but he couldn't be seen to be refusing outright, he'd test the water a little first.

"There are too many, we cannot take them all, especially if we are to keep them safe from your attacks" The general shouted down.

"The tunnels go for miles General and I have already declared this a non-combat zone, there will be no attacks from my troops. You should at least take the women and children." The young prince replied.

I haven't agreed to a non-combat zone, this is my fortress! The General raged internally. Still, it seemed he must have hidden his spies amongst the women, most would assume sheltering women and children acceptable, he was clearly trying to trick him.

"Please, he's right General, we have a duty to protect them" The nearby Major pleaded, the idiot had clearly fallen for the act hook line and sinker. Why was he surrounded by such incompetent officers? You won't fool me!

"Just the children" The General replied with a nasty grin. No doubt you'll change your mind now you can't get your spy inside.

"Very well," The prince replied with a heavy sigh before turning to the refugees behind him. "Follow behind me and you'll be safe, don't be scared let's sing a song" He called as the children began shuffling nervously forward and he began to sing.

Where the Alzette slowly flows,

The Sura plays wild pranks,

It was the national anthem, Pyrion realized as the prince began marching forward towards the fortress as the other children followed and the crowd began joining in.

Where fragrant vineyards amply grow

On the Mosella's banks;

There lies the land for which we would

Dare everything down here,

Our own, our native land which ranks

Deeply in our hearts.

What was happening? The prince was marching towards Pyrion's impenetrable fortress with an army of children! Could one of those kids be a spy to take the fort? And why the national Anthem? They were all traitors to Letzenbourg, how dare they sing that!

O Thou above whose powerful hand

Makes States or lays them low,

Protect this Letzenbourger land

From foreign yoke and woe.

How could he speak of foreign woe? He was the invader, he was the one enslaving their country!

"Open fire! Kill them all!" The General ordered. He could not allow them into the fortress.

"But General they're children!" The major protested.

Your spirit of liberty bestow

On us now as of yore.

Let Freedom's sun in glory glow

For now and evermore.

Pyrion ignored his subordinate and drew his pistol, firing into the approaching group of youngsters. The world seemed to slow down and fall into silence as the shot echoed in the dark.

Xxxxx

Far above Wilhelm smirked to himself, the soldiers in the fort were now mutinying against their officers. It was no longer an immediate threat and there was no need to take it themselves anymore. It didn't really matter who they eventually declared for, by the time they had sorted themselves out they would be too depleted to put up a fight.

Originally his plan had been to flood the fort with civilians, they wouldn't need to take the fort if the enemy were too busy looking after non-combatants. But the General was clearly a paranoid and unstable maniac, to think that he would fire on unarmed civilians and children at that! It painted a sad picture of the world which they found themselves in.

Still, they'd effectively neutralized the fortress without a fight, if that wasn't a miracle then he didn't know what was. If he hadn't had spent the last few months with the 203rd he'd never have thought of a plan like this, Degurechaff's influence was obviously rubbing off on him. It was all entirely legal and worked within the framework of the treaty of Londinium and the war on land treaty. Letzenbourg officially had no fortresses, only shelters for the civilians, as soldiers, they were obligated by these treaties to escort the civilians to these shelters. The fact that these shelters were in actuality heavily defended military facilities didn't matter if you were upholding the moral obligations of international law. Tanya was very good at taking advantage of that sort of thing, so it had given him the idea.

Tanya was also very skilled with decoy formulas, the doppelganger she made of him on the ground was very lifelike, it was almost creepy. He'd never quite got the hang of decoys, he resolved to practice them more often, he could see how they could come in handy. He had originally planned on going down in person but once again Tanya seemed to be over-concerned about his safety, the decoy had been a compromise to save another argument. He had just had broadcast from above hoping that the darkness of the night would hide the direction of his voice. Fortunately, it had worked perfectly.

It did mean Tanya had to mingle in with the crowd to be close enough to make the fake Wilhelm however, she hadn't been happy about that. She was probably less happy thatthe General's shot had coincidentally managed to hit her barrier. She'd probably try to blame him for it. Still, at least it had stopped the general killing any of the children, it wouldn't have looked good for his reputation if any of them had been hurt.

Gunshots echoed out into the darkness, Ludwig's forces were still putting up a fight in the city, he'd have to find Tanya and organize a counterattack. It was almost over, he'd almost won, but he needed one more thing, he needed to hear some assurances from Tanya, he needed to know that she wouldn't ruin him.

Xxxxx

Letzenbourg city rooftop, 04:45

Wilhelm was a cruel and cunning little bastard Tanya decided, that he had achieved so much in this operation without committing troops truly was miraculous. Although he had technically endangered civilians, everything he had done was completely within international law and any blame was safely levelled at the enemy. She had her reservations about leaving the mutinous soldiers in the fort to their own devices but attacking them now would only unite them, it was probably better to leave them for now.

Almost all their objectives had now been taken, destroyed or neutralized and the little colonel had asked Tanya to start ordering the ground troops to advance on the supply depot and Ducal Palace. They had yet to hear back from Lt. Tenkubashi but judging from the plume of smoke in the distance from the Ispagnan Turret it was a fairly safe bet it had been destroyed. Soon it would just be a case of mopping up and waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Wilhelm had obviously had the same thought as they stood on a rooftop staring out at the early dawn with a grin on his face.

He drew his sword and studied it for a moment before putting it back in its scabbard, Tanya tensed instinctively as she always did when he started waving that thing around. Just because she thought the weapon was obsolete didn't mean she liked the idea of someone like Wilhelm waving it around. He sighed and a hint of disappointment crossed his face for a few moments.

"The only time I didn't want to see the number go up" He lamented, and she looked over at him with a questioning eyebrow.

"Too many, I didn't want these people to pay, even if they did side with Ludwig," He said in answer to her unsaid question.

"Still, it looks like we're almost done" He commented cheering slightly and forcing a friendly smile, before frowning again and muttering "no thanks to our reinforcements, what's taking them so long?"

She ignored him as she continued to relay orders to nearby units, although the objectives had been taken, there was still plenty of resistance and they'd yet to encounter the enemy mages. On top of that, the communication problems had seemed to have gotten worse, they'd yet to receive word about their reinforcements and they hadn't heard from Neumann and Koenig for some time either. She was getting a bad feeling, she trusted her veterans to get the job done but they couldn't hold forever, without the reinforcements this was all a wasted exercise.

"I want to thank you for all your hard work Major, I'm sure command will be impressed too," He continued giving her a strange look again. She sighed, here it comes again She thought, just as she'd started to grant him a measure of begrudged respect he started pulling this nonsense again. He was going to try and rope her into something again, why couldn't he just accept that she wasn't going to accept his bribes?

"I'm glad I can count on you" He finished sincerely.

She blinked in confusion, that hadn't been what she was expecting, that had actually sounded genuine, she didn't really know how to reply. He continued to stare at her strangely and she saw his smile gradually begin to fade again into a veil of worry.

"I can count on you, can't I? I can trust you?" He finished looking slightly nervous and desperate again as he had in the planning room earlier. It seemed his professional persona had fled him as quickly as it had appeared, the act must have been as much for him as it was the troops. This is a new tactic she thought to herself feeling slightly insulted, she'd been expecting him to try and offer some ludicrous reward again but obviously, even he had learned that that was a dead-end by now. Instead, it seemed he was questioning her loyalty, it wasn't her that had been plotting coups and keeping secrets, why exactly should she need to prove anything to him?

"I was following orders colonel" She replied struggling to keep the annoyance from her voice. "You can trust me to do that" She finished with a hint of reproach and he stared at her again for a few moments looking disappointed.

"I see, but what if..." he began but Tanya cut him off, she wasn't going to allow him to play these stupid games with her anymore.

"I wouldn't disobey orders for you or your promises, I just want to be rid of you colonel" She spat unable to keep her frustration contained any longer, it was a foolish thing to say she realized but she was tired and irritable. It had been too long since they had time to rest and she was more than ready for a decent cup of coffee, it wasn't as if they were being paid overtime for the prince's plot. The boy stared at her with wide-eyed horror and he began turning white, it wasn't quite the reaction she expected but perhaps he had finally gotten the message.

"Then you are going to turn on me?" He said quietly with a look of almost physical pain in his eyes.

What does he mean turn on him? She thought, she didn't have long to wonder however as the radio spat back into life once again and Captain Hausmann's voice filled the headset.

"Sir's, incoming mana signature, we're moving to intercept" The Letzenbourg captain reported, it seemed the enemy mages had finally shown their faces. She was about to order the other companies to rendezvous with him but froze as she heard the familiar click of a pistol by her ear. Slowly she turned her head and saw a miserable looking Wilhelm pointing his gun at her head shaking slightly.

"I don't want to have to do this! The box is gone, it'll be destroyed by now! You've no more proof, this is your last chance to make a deal" The boy pleaded desperately as she stared at him in dumbfounded shock.

What the hell?…. Oh crap! She thought as the realization dawned on her, this wasn't about one of his plots, it was about his secret. He'd been acting strange since the news about Letzenbourg had arrived, she'd assumed it was about Arene or nerves about this mission, but what if it was more than that? He'd been using the high command telegram to keep her in check, but after this operation, she'd be free of him. He must have been worried she'd reveal his illegitimate origins, she wondered how she missed it, this whole mission was built upon him ridding himself of his enemies.

But if he considered her an enemy, why hadn't he used his influence or dealt with her later when it was safe? Shit! She thought realizing, she'd just told him she wanted to be rid of him! He'd seemed fine until then, even going so far as to be genuinely civil. She'd chastised him for trying to drag her into something and he'd somehow taken it as a threat and panicked!

"Why are you so desperate to ruin me? I offered you anything you wanted! All you had to do is pick a reward and stay quiet! Why would you rather see my life destroyed? What did I ever do to you?" He wailed obviously taking her silence as a sign she wasn't going to give in to him.

Fortunately for her, he'd hesitated, if he'd fired it would have been all over but obviously what passed for a conscience in his paranoid little mind had held him back. If the situation had been reversed, she would have no such qualms, scruples were something you could ill afford when it comes to self-preservation, even if you were a pacifist like Tanya.

With one swift movement, she ducked under his fire and grabbed his wrist, before moving behind him and wrenching his arm behind his back. He didn't have time to react as she shoved him bodily to the ground, using her weight to keep him pinned while she yanked on his arm once more. He yelped in pain as she felt his wrist snap in her grip, forcing him to drop the pistol.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you Wilhelm" She threatened, squeezing his broken arm to make her point. She could actually think of a few herself, it still might not the best move to get rid of him, but he was always easier to deal with when he was on the back foot.

"Wouldn't you prefer to see me rot in the gutter after the Imperial family disown me?" He spat back venomously. She'd been right, he thought she was going to expose him. She cursed her luck, this mess had been a huge misunderstanding but now she might be forced to deal with the idiot after all.

She picked up the boy, spun him around and grabbed him by the collar before slamming him into a nearby chimney, pinning him to the brickwork. He winced in pain before fixing her with a hateful look, it seemed he really did feel betrayed.

"As much as I'd love to see that, I never had any intention of revealing your secret, you cretin!" She growled, "you're not the only one who would cause me trouble if I did. Besides, I was going to trade you the damned box to keep you as far away from me as possible" She growled at him.

"You were going to give me the box?" he replied confused as his eyes searched her face for deception, "like Hell! I've been trying to negotiate with you half of the night and you shot me down every time, I only thought you were coming around because you seemed to worry about me" He finished with doubtful confusion.

Tanya sighed annoyed with herself, it seemed she would have to admit that she'd been misinterpreting his actions. That she'd made a mistake at all irritated her almost as much as the little brat did, even though it was as much his fault as hers. She wouldn't hide it, however, after all, accidents happen when small mistakes are repeatedly made, an organization will be completely undone if your mistakes don't come to light. If you don't admit your mistakes, those mistakes will crush you, that was an iron rule she lived by, she wondered what other mistakes must have been missed for this situation to occur.

Ideally, she'd prefer to get through this mess without having to shoot the little colonel, the higher-ups wouldn't be too pleased if he 'died in battle,' there'd be paperwork and an investigation for starters. She and the battalion had only been sent back to the Rhine as a way to make up for accidentally damaging a commonwealth submarine in the north. She'd barely escaped court-martial then, failing to protect a VIP, even in a situation like this could be incredibly damaging for her career.

This had all happened because they'd got their wires crossed, now she fully understood the situation and had safely disarmed him perhaps they could still sort this out. He had clearly been reluctant to fire, perhaps he really had been starting to trust her, it had only been her last comment that had triggered a response. If that were the case, even someone like Wilhelm could be talked round, he wasn't that stupid. It still might be easier to beat some sense into him however, her orders allowed for her to get a little rough with him. The only problem could be with how much trouble he could cause later, she'd have to be careful.

"I thought you were trying to drag me into whatever the next part of your stupid plan is" She retorted through gritted teeth. She hated admitting she'd made a blunder at the best of times but admitting it to him somehow felt like a personal defeat. He studied her expression for a few moments before his face softened a little.

"You…really were going to give me the box? You were going to stay quiet?" He began, Tanya opted to stay silent as his green orbs searched her face. He'd just pulled a gun on her, she reserved the right to rethink whether she would expose him now, he, of course, didn't need to know that. "You expect me to believe this is just a misunderstanding?" He finished in complete disbelief before bursting into relieved laughter.

"That's great!" He exclaimed immediately cheering up, "It must be true, only you would admit to breaking someone's arm due to a misunderstanding," He laughed in relief. She kept hold of his collar, not ready to release him just yet. She felt her face redden slightly as he laughed at her and her frustration at him built up once again.

"You did point a gun at me" She reminded him threateningly.

"I'll have to make it up to you" he replied clearly missing all hint of threat in her voice. Even now it's like he's trying to provoke me She thought, the idiot mustn't even realize he's doing it.

"I'll speak to some contacts in the high command and….." He began continuing before the wind was knocked out of him.

Tanya had always considered herself as a pacifist, she didn't particularly enjoy violence or inflicting pain, so she avoided it wherever possible. She did have to admit however, she took an almost perverse pleasure at seeing Wilhelm's eyes bulge in agony as her knee connected with his groin. She kept him upright and pinned to the wall however, she hadn't decided what to do with him yet.

"I told you I don't want anything to do with your schemes Wilhelm!" She hissed at him seeing his expression contort into profound discomfort.

"What schemes? I don't have any other plans" He breathed through the pain, still laughing slightly Is this idiot a masochist or something? It's like he's enjoying this! She thought as her face darkened further. Wilhelm's expression changed to one of fear as he realized she didn't find the situation as funny as he did.

"This was supposed to be the end of it all, if it weren't for the damned sword, I'd leave the army for good. You have to believe me!" He pleaded through fearfully, it appeared he'd finally figured out how much trouble he'd landed himself in.

Her grip on him loosened slightly, to her surprise he seemed to be telling the truth, he really had just been trying to reward her in his strange and twisted way. But something else was bothering her, he had said that the box would be destroyed by now, but how? He couldn't know where she had stashed the box and its contents.

"What did you mean the box is gone?" She questioned shoving him back against the chimney. He averted his eyes from her nervously, she got the impression that she wasn't going to like his answer.

"I…I had the house bombed, there's nothing left of the HQ" He stuttered and Tanya felt her rage boil over. She delivered another blow to the boy's groin and let him crumple to the ground. Before drawing her pistol and placing the gun against his head.

"Everyone should have been evacuated! And I arranged for another HQ! A better one! I never thought you'd part with the box, I had to get it away from you!" He babbled in a panic. Tanya smashed her pistol against his face, leaving a cut against his forehead.

"Exactly what did you think would happen once I found out? How could I possibly trust you after you pulled this stunt?" She yelled at him as he winced in pain below her.

"I'm sorry," He began to murmur in reply but she cut him off by hitting him again. The extremes this idiot will go to are ridiculous! She thought. She had to decide what to do with him, she wondered if she should arrange for an accident for him as he looked up at her with a pitiful expression.

She did have another option however, she was fortunate, the boy may have destroyed the box but he didn't seem to know she'd moved the contents. She had sent it to the orphanage where she had grown up, Sister Mary would have kept it safe for her. She wasn't sure if should reveal that to Wilhelm though, he might be easier to deal with if he didn't feel blackmailed.

"Engaging enemy mages" Hausmann's voice cut through the radio "What the?... Major please confirm the prince is with you"

"I'll do anything you want, I promise! I won't act against you ever again!" The boy pleaded.

"He's here Captain Hausmann, it seems he's had a little accident that's all" She replied to the captain without lowering her weapon before turning back to the boy. "What guarantees can you give me of that Wilhelm? How can I trust you?"

The little colonel stared up at her open-mouthed and afraid, he'd clearly realized what a mess he'd made for himself. He began stuttering a reply but was silenced as the sky erupted in light.

Far above them an explosion detonated in the night sky and Tanya looked round instinctively seeing the city suddenly illuminated behind her. Hausmann screamed down the radio as his body fell from the sky and smashed into the street below.

"Hausmann... Dietrich!" Yelled Wilhelm rising, forgetting the gun against his head, the man was still and silent. Tanya was sure the captain was already dead, but Wilhelm stared at the body with disbelief before looking up to the sky.

"Get down!" Wilhelm yelled shoving her off the rooftop into the air moments before flames engulfed the building in another explosion. The building where she had just been standing had disappeared, along with Wilhelm.

Authors notes

RIP Captain Dietrich Hausmann

Sorry it's been a while since I updated, long story short is that my laptop had a little accident, so writing has been a little difficult. I'm back on it now though.

I'm not 100% sure if I'm happy with this chapter, I had originally had a different idea of how the fort would be dealt with, but I didn't really like it. I did like the idea of Wilhelm singing the national anthem with all its talk of freedom and liberty when he is essentially selling the county out to the Empire though. I used the Luxembourg national anthem seeing as Letzenbourg is the AU version of the place, and it seemed to fit pretty well.

I also liked having Tanya beat the crap out of him a bit, he deserved it. He's going to have to do something big to get back on Tanya's good side though, if it's even possible.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, hopefully, I'll be back to regular updates. As always thank you for reading.

Xanen