Project Charlemagne: Dream or Memory
Dearest Nephew,
Your aunt and I write to you expressing the utmost sympathy and great sorrow for the great misfortunes you have suffered and the shared anguish at the news of the recent passing of your dear brother.
Although we are disappointed that he chose to align against the Empire, we understand he must have acted as he felt was in the best. Indeed, I understand all too well how difficult such decisions can be. The continent is in a state of war and loyalties have been tested, despite his choice, we are sure you are saddened at the parting of Ludwig and offer our deepest sympathies.
We are also saddened to hear the continued deteriorating health of your father, we have sent along some flowers to the Belle-Idée Hospital in the Waldstätte Confederacy. Your Aunt Zita asks that you consider moving him to Berlun, where we are sure he will receive much better care and we could all visit him more freely.
It is heartening to hear of your continued loyalty and devotion, although I have been told that you have been perhaps a little too fervent in the execution of your duties and may have caused problems in the process. This is a concern to me, l have always supported your little adventures and have often enjoyed hearing of your latest exploits. However, if they are becoming problematic, we will have to rethink the arrangements that have been made on your behalf.
With your recent familial losses and the capture of much of our sister nation by the perfidious Republic, we understand it must be a very trying time for you. However, I must ask you to stay away from the Imperial court for the time being, unless you are summoned on official business.
Although we would very much like to see you, nephew, I have been advised it could cause some problems with our foreign relations at this time. As such, until the current political situation has been resolved, it would be better if you distance yourself from the rest of the family. I would ask you to follow the advice of my councillors in the Supreme High command, it is my belief they all have your best interests at heart.
We both dearly hope the situation will be resolved soon so that you can visit us again in time for your upcoming birthday. We are also very keen to meet the young Lady that we have heard has caught your eye.
Your loving Uncle and Aunt
Kaiser Karl Joseph Franz von Hapsburg & Zita Elisabeth von Hapsburg
– Letter found in the Letzenbourg Embassy, addressed to Prince Wilhelm von Hozollern
July 1st Unified Year 1920
Ducal Palace, Letzenbourg city
Will rubbed his eyes drowsily as he yawned and stretched in his dimly lit bedroom, he was getting tired and he was now struggling to read. Maybe I should sleep, it's pretty late he thought to himself peering over to the clock. It was nearly 2:30 in the morning, technically it was his birthday. Father wasn't feeling well again and thankfully Ludwig was going to be busy, so Christina had promised that she and Sophia could go on a boat trip to celebrate. He'd never been on a boat before, although he'd had a strangely vivid dream about being on once, he hadn't been allowed to leave the Ducal palace very often so was looking forward to it. Yes, it's definitely a good idea to try to sleep now he decided, he didn't want to be too tired when they were out on their boat trip.
He didn't particularly relish going to bed, even at such a late hour, he felt like he'd spent too much time in it already in his short life. It had only been 6 months since Dr Jung had stopped the horrible poison that Ludwig insisted was medicine, and now he didn't need to spend so much of his time groggy and confused, he was loathed to waste any more time in bed. Besides, the dreams hadn't gone away like the doctor said they would.
He stretched and carefully placed his bookmark in the slightly worn copy of Macbeth and padded across the room to put it away in the bookcase, he didn't want Christina to be upset at him for not putting his things away again. Dr Jung had said to read more cheerful stories, but Will liked his books, the Doctor seemed to think he should find them scary, but you'd have to be stupid to believe in silly things like ghosts, demons, monsters and gods. He did like the story the Doctor had given him about heroic prince though and kept it hidden under his bed so he could look at the pictures when the dreams kept him awake.
As he turned to head back toward his bed, he heard a strange noise from somewhere in the chamber. The room wasn't well lit, he didn't use the main light at night as it shone through the cracks in the door to Christina's room and kept her awake, so he usually only read with a small lamp on the table, making the rest of the room seem gloomy and shrouded in shadow. There was a sliver of moonlight shining in through a gap in the curtains providing a small amount of illumination however, so he peered around the room hoping to find some clue to the source of the noise. I hope I didn't accidentally wake Christina.
He scanned the room, his bed was in the far corner, looking inviting but undisturbed. Next to it was his desk, illuminated by the small electric table lamp, beyond that was the fireplace. It seemed huge, although maybe it was just because he was so small, and was made of intricately carved stone that swirled in mesmerising patterns. It had been a hot summer day, so no fire had been lit and even now the night was still warm, despite the late hour.
Above the fireplace, sitting unsheathed on a stand on the mantel, was a sword with a big red gem on the hilt. The blade shimmered slightly as it caught the moonlight, Will often wondered why the sword was in his room, Christina had often warned him about touching it because it was dangerous but if it was so dangerous why was it here at all? Still, he quite liked it, it reminded him of the sword the prince had in the story.
Flanking the blade on either side, were two statues of a man sitting on a rock with his hand on his chin, the figures were either thoughtful or grumpy, Will couldn't figure out which. He didn't like the statues, he sometimes felt like they were watching him and for some reason made him feel uncomfortable. They had been put there by his old governess, she'd said that they were a copy of a statue of some famous artist and that a clever boy like him should be surrounded by great works. In truth he was a little scared of them, whenever he looked at them, he felt his head begin to throb and he sometimes could smell or taste copper. He'd tried to tell people about it but hadn't been able to, not even the doctors or Christina. For some reason every time he'd tried, his mouth had gone dry and no sound would escape his lips. So the statues had stayed, watching him from their perch like gargoyles on a church roof.
He pried his eyes from the sword and statues and eventually his gaze reached the open doorway, strange, I can't see anything that could have made the noise he thought beginning to feel a little uneasy. He moved to close the door, considering whether he should go and wake Christina to check the room for him. No, I'm not a baby, I'm brave like the prince in the story he told himself as he began to close the door. He stopped himself and paused while staring at the open portal for a moment. Had the door always been open?
"Is it you?" A voice whispered to his right as a tall dishevelled man appeared from the shadows by the doorway.
Will leapt back in confusion and fear as the tall man began slowly approaching him. Who is this? What is he doing here? Will thought in a panic, unable to call for help as terror robbed him of his voice. He backed away, he didn't recognise this man, he was huge and undoubtedly much stronger than him. He wore a plain brown suit, with a red badge in the lapel and he was staring at him in a strange and desperate manner.
"Is it you? Have I finally found you?" the man said in a strange accent as he approached him, staring at him with wide and frenzied eyes.
Will still couldn't speak, he couldn't understand what this man was asking, and the way the man's eyes bore into him was terrifying. The man rushed at him with his huge ape-like hands outstretched, Will tried to dodge out of the way but was grasped by the man as he was shoved bodily into the fireplace.
Will's head smashed into the stone hearth and he screamed in pain as his head struck the stonework, while his vision filled with white for an instant due to the blow to his head. There was another loud crash as the objects on the mantel fell, but Will was too dazed to notice. Either the falling clutter hit him, or the scream surprised his attacker as Will felt the man release his grip and back away as the boy fell to his knees with a painful thud. He wants to hurt me, but why? Will thought with fearful tears forming in his eyes as the man cursed and mumbled something.
His vision began to return, and the man was approaching once more. Will was shaking in terror and looked around for something to fend his attacker off with. His hand fell upon the sword that had fallen from the mantel, he glanced around and saw the blade lying across one of the statues, that stared at him critically. He grasped the sword with both hands, it was heavy, and he could barely lift it, but the adrenaline had given him a boost of strength.
He was scared, he just wanted the man to leave and never come back if he could just keep this guy away until Christina or one of the guards came, he'd be safe. Nervously he waved the sword at the man, hoping it would make him keep his distance. The man slowed, but he continued approaching, trying to persuade him to put the sword down in a low voice.
The man reached the end of his blade and began pushing the sword out of the way. Will was engulfed by a wave of panic, a hundred different possibilities of what the man might want with him rushed through his thoughts and none of them were good. He closed his eyes and pulled the hilt of the sword close and pointed the blade upwards towards the man, before charging. I have to get him away from me, he thought as he felt a surge of strength and the sword suddenly felt lighter as he thrust it at his assailant.
He thought the man had dodged, until he felt the hilt of the weapon collide with his attacker's chest. He was surprised that there had been so little resistance and found himself opening his eyes to make sure he really had hit the man, he slowly rose his head up and saw the shocked look on the man's face. He looked hurt, not physically, but emotionally, like someone had just told him the worst news anyone could ever hear. He reached out a hand towards him and Will drew back reflexively pulling the sword out as he went, earning a pain-filled grunt from the man as he fell backwards.
The sword was glowing faintly as blood dribbled down its length, but it quickly began to fade and once again it began feeling heavy and cumbersome. Will felt his strength disappear and fell to his knees as he stared at the now unmoving man. Will was horrified at the scene in front of him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," Will sobbed while shaking "you just kept coming, why wouldn't you leave me alone?"
He hadn't meant to kill the man, he was only trying to keep the man away, but even when he pointed the sword at him, the man kept closing on him. Now he was dead, Will didn't understand how he had found the strength, but somehow, he had killed the man. He saw the blood on his hands, it was just like in the story he'd been reading. Did this make him a murderer too? But I didn't mean to! He was attacking me!
He looked down on the bloody blade and a small symbol glowed on the blade, it was a stylised I but somehow Will knew it was the Roman numeral one. Time had slowed to a standstill and he found his attention drawn to one of the fallen statues lying on its side by the stone fireplace.
What do you deserve? A voice boomed in his mind causing a blinding pain to shoot through his body. It felt familiar, but he didn't know why he recognised it.
"I've always worked so hard, I'm better than all of them! I deserve more!" He found himself yelling. He wasn't in control of himself and the voice didn't seem to match his own as the words escaped his lips.
You blame me for your birth? I see you really have fallen, it seems I have no choice but to punish you. The voice roared once more and once again Will's entire being filled with pain.
He felt the horror begin to reassert itself, he knew why he recognised all this. It was from the very worst nightmare, the one even Dr Jung couldn't dismiss, except now he knew with complete certainty that it was more than a dream. He had been wrong, monsters and gods do exist and they were one and the same.
There is a price if you don't want to be cast into the Abyss The voice bellowed accompanied by the agonising blinding pain.
"Please no! I don't want to do it, please don't make me disappear!" Will sobbed as the memory of the deal appeared clearly in his mind.
Deliver unto me, one thousand faithful souls
May 18th Unified Year 1925
Berlun
Will jerked awake sweating and breathing heavily as his heart pounded rapidly in his chest. His hand shot out instinctively, grasping the handle of his pistol as his eyes darted around the room wildly looking for a target. Another nightmare, he thought trying to calm himself as he shook slightly, trying to get his bearings once more. Waking up from such vivid dreams often left him feeling momentarily confused and it usually took him a few moments re-orientate himself to his surroundings.
He was sat at a wide oak desk in an office in the Letzenbourg embassy in Berlun, he'd obviously fallen asleep while working he realised as he glanced around the room. He grimaced, annoyed at himself, he didn't have time to be napping like this, there was far too much to do, although he supposed it was hardly surprising he'd fallen asleep under the circumstances. A combination of pain from his injuries and the increased stress and workload from having to deal with the fallout of Letzenbourg meant he'd barely slept since reaching the Imperial capital. At least that was the excuse he gave Christina, in truth the nightmares had gotten worse again and he struggled to sleep even when he did have the time.
He'd always had trouble sleeping, it was part of the reason they medicated him when he was younger. He'd had strange and uncomfortable dreams for as long as he could remember in his current life and it wasn't unusual for him to wake up feeling panicked and anxious because of them.
They'd started as, what he could only assume were the distorted and confused memories of his past life, or at least the end of it. Most of the memories from his previous incarnation had always been little more than the occasional confused thought or feeling, more often than not, they seemed to manifest themselves as knowledge about something he shouldn't really know about or understand. He would never have reached the conclusion that he'd ever lived a past life, if not for the only memory that he remembered clearly and plagued his sleep. His death.
The smell of the blood, the feeling of disappearing into nothingness and the accursed statue that he'd made the deal with were all regular features of his unconscious imaginings.
Later, other unpleasant memories would join the terrible images burned into his subconscious, this time from his new life. He often dreamed of a tall dark figure standing over his bed, sometimes it was Ludwig standing over him glaring at him hatefully and menacingly. At other times he was forced to relive the botched attempt on his life by the communist intruder when he was six if that's what he really was, and the first time he'd seen the number appear on the sword. Soon they would be joined by the horrible scenes he'd seen on the battlefield. He seemed to see at least one of these, every time he closed his eyes.
It was a sad fact that he couldn't really remember what a good night's sleep felt like, the closest he'd experienced was when the dreams were less vivid, he told himself he could almost get used to them when they were like that. He'd secretly hoped that he'd sleep better with Ludwig and the threat of assassination gone, after all, one of his major fears was now no more. But if anything, his rest seemed to have been even more disturbed these few days since his brothers' demise.
He sighed heavily and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, trying to arrange his thoughts back into some semblance of order. He looked up and suddenly felt a sudden stab of anxiety once again as something attracted his attention at the edge of his vision. He thought he sensed movement from the corner of the room and he quickly swung his pistol around, acting completely on instinct before freezing in horror at what he saw. For the briefest of moments, he saw the bloody lifeless form of Dietrich Hausmann staring at him accusingly. He gave a quiet yelp and dropped the pistol in terror, but then blinked and the man disappeared, replaced by a tall cabinet full of various books and files.
I'm seeing things, he realised releasing a shaky breath, I must not have woken up properly, he tried to console himself as he shook slightly.
He rose and picked up the weapon and placed it back in its holster, before walking over to a low table at the other side of the room to pour himself a drink of water from a jug that sat atop it. He closed his eyes as he took a few sips and concentrated on controlling his breathing and shaking hands. Get a hold of yourself, there's no time for this he thought to himself with annoyance. This was just the stress of his current situation manifesting itself he reasoned, once he'd sorted this mess out, he'd be fine again.
Feeling a little calmer, he returned to his desk and stared down at the half-written letter in front of him. That explains seeing Hausmann, he thought sadly, noticing his latest attempt at a message to the captain's family that he'd been trying to write for several days with little success. An official death notification had been sent of course, but he thought he owed it to the man to send his family something more personal. In truth he'd spent far more time on it than he should have, there were far more pressing matters to address if he were to deal with the mess the Fall of Letzenbourg and that traitor Canaris had left him in.
He'd been left in a difficult situation, he was being blamed for the fall of the city and the Supreme high command was putting pressure on him to resign his commission. He was also being forced to essentially cede Letzenbourg to the Empire, he was to be Grand Duke in name only from now on, although he'd always planned on keeping the title prince instead.
If the situation were different, he'd have happily resigned and lived comfortably somewhere, he was more than wealthy enough to do more or less anything he liked, and he didn't have any particular interest in running the small state. Unfortunately, I can't do that, he thought sullenly, staring across the room at the sword sat on a chair in the far corner.
Deliver unto me, one thousand faithful souls
The voice echoed through his mind and he felt the familiar sense of dread as he remembered the feeling of slowly evaporating into nothingness. If I don't get back to the front lines, I'll have no way to do it, I'll disappear again, he shivered.
He closed his eyes again and took another deep breath and pushed the memory away. Now wasn't the time to be fearful, now was the time to be angry.
"Canaris," he growled to himself. The imperial spymaster had betrayed him and left him to take the blame for the loss of Letzenbourg.
Although Will had been left to deal with the details of the plot, it had been Vice-Admiral Canaris that had urged him to start a revolt against his brother and assured him that he would make sure the Imperial General staff would send reinforcements. The spymaster had even gone so far as to leak information to the Allied kingdom for him, in order to encourage Ludwig to switch sides so that they wouldn't appear to be the aggressors in the conflict. It was as much the Admiral's plan as his, yet he was the one taking the blame for failure.
He'd now learned that the Admiral had done the reverse of his promise and had convinced the General staff to call off the support, much to his chagrin. On top of that, he'd been turning the high command against him, the finance and industrial ministers were especially keen to join the admiral's cause, using it as an excuse to write off the Empire's debts to the Letzenbourg banks and loot what resources that were still under friendly control. He'd even managed to get the Emperor to distance himself from him, leaving Will with precious few political allies aside from the foreign ministry. Sophia had been right, he never should have trusted the spymaster.
For the moment there was little he could do fight back against the scheming admiral accept bide his time and wait for an opportunity to arise. True he could reveal the spymaster's involvement in the Letzenbourg operation, but that brought its own dangers, the man could easily turn it back on him and in the worst-case scenario he could be branded a traitor. So for the moment, he settled on being as problematic as possible for his enemies in the high command.
Despite his injuries, he'd moved quickly once he reached Berlun and had insisted on meeting the General staff and High Command. He'd been furious with them at the time but knew that his childlike and innocent persona would serve him better than demanding an explanation from them, especially when combined with his injuries. He was all too aware that looking like a child put people off balance and when he acted innocent people wanted to protect him like he was their own child. It was a manipulation he used regularly and part of him was dreading when puberty would hit and remove that trump card from his deck.
So with his skills as a practised dissembler, he kneeled and sobbed sorrowfully in front of the Empire's most powerful, as they stared at his broken little body in shock. He lamented being too weak to save the city and apologised for forcing them to pull the front lines back, never meaning a single word of it. He no doubt made a pathetic looking specimen, but it meant he could study their reactions to see exactly who his enemies were.
He'd learned two very important facts from the exchange. First was that surprisingly, that although they weren't necessarily on his side, the general staff were not his enemy. True the order to withdraw had come from them, but the look that Zettour gave him suggested he was somewhat sympathetic to his situation and Rudersdorf had fumed when Will had asked if he'd lost them the war. The second was that the Generals had something big up their sleeve, something not only big enough that they were willing to allow Letzenbourg city to fall but so big not even the High command had been briefed.
It was probable that the operation in Letzenbourg had put whatever the General staff had planned at risk, hence why the Generals had withheld reinforcements. It was unthinkable that Canaris as head of the Abwher would not know about it however, the Admiral had deliberately set him up to fail. He could forgive the Generals, but he couldn't forgive the spymaster.
Will had made a mistake, he'd been so fixated on his own goals he'd forgotten to keep an eye on what everyone else was up to. He should have kept his own informant in the General staff, instead of relying on Canaris. He wouldn't make that mistake again, and he would make the Admiral pay for the betrayal that cost him Hausmann.
Officially, Will had been recalled to Berlun to set up a government in exile, ultimately, he was setting up the future puppet state that would eventually be swallowed up by the Empire. A treaty had been written up that would begin to make Letzenbourg a semi-autonomous state under the Empire, under the moniker Project Charlemagne. Although it would be technically self-governing, the Kaiser would become the new head of state and the Empire would deal with all its defence and foreign affairs. It would officially be considered Imperial territory. All that was required was his signature as the new Grand Duke as well as assent from the Letzenbourg government, which he was supposed to be appointing.
Had his own goals been met, he would have happily complied with these demands, all he wanted a safe and comfortable life, he wasn't concerned about gaining more power. However, he had the curse to consider, until he rid himself of it, he would never be safe and to escape it he had to kill. He couldn't exactly stalk the streets like a murderer, he needed to be at the front lines, where he could kill without blame or remorse, but he had to persuade the imperials to let him carry on fighting.
Control of Letzenbourg was currently his only bargaining chip, so he was being deliberately obstinate about the treaty. Part of him felt bad about using the future of his home and its people in such a way, but what else could he do? He doubted he'd ever return to the city anyway, no doubt the populace hated him now that the city had fallen to the Republic.
Technically he was too young to be allowed to take the throne of the little country, despite writing several political treatises and the fact he had led soldiers into battle. By law, he was still a minor and therefore considered too immature to be running a country on his own, even in a ceremonial manner. He would need to have a Regent, however, the only suitable candidates were the Kaiser and his sons, to appoint any of them was considered risky by the foreign ministry as it already looked like the Empire was seizing the territory through dubious means. With the Commonwealth supporting a different government led by Ludwig's wife and the Ilodoan kingdom and Magna Rumeli all looking at the situation critically, the Empire risked alienating itself further from the other nearby powers.
This meant that that the prime minister of Letzenbourg had to lead a regency council in the absence of any other candidate. However, the current prime minister was in republican custody and a replacement would have to be appointed by himself before being approved by parliament, or at least those that had escaped the city. This created a paradoxical situation where legally nobody could take control, Will had to appoint a prime minister but wasn't legally allowed to do so because the prime minister hadn't approved a regent.
The High command argued he had emergency powers and it was doubtful anyone would complain if he appointed someone under the circumstances. Will refused however, citing in his innocent persona that to do so would be illegal and he was scared everyone would think he was a tyrant. In truth, he didn't much care about the legal difficulties and it was doubtful anyone would really argue at any choice he made, but he knew could use this situation to play for time and make it seem like the High command was pressuring him. It bought him a few extra days, and it proved almost fun to see his enemies in the high command get increasingly frustrated as he innocently asked them, "But wouldn't that break the law?"
He had to acquiesce eventually, however, if he waited too long other nations might not legitimise his government. So, he appointed the former ambassador with instructions to be as careful as possible with any decision he was forced to make and to put Letzenbourg's interests first. The man was a career civil servant, so he knew enough about the bureaucracy of the Empire to slow any decision making down to a crawl if he needed to. He'd already argued that no treaty could be signed until a cabinet had been appointed and he showed every sign of 'agonising' over those decisions for the foreseeable future.
He would have preferred to appoint Sophia as prime minister, allowing her to fulfil her potential and prosper. But she had refused, telling him in no uncertain terms that he would need her to act against Canaris. Soon after she'd left to reconnect with some contacts she had in the Abwehr, they had heard very little from her since then. He was disappointed, but ultimately, he knew she was right.
While this was going on, he'd started putting his positive public image to good use, he was still considered a popular war hero in the Empire and he could use that to his advantage. He made sure that the press found out about some of his actions in Letzenbourg and reminded them of some of his other past exploits. Most of the mainstream press was censored by the government, of course, so he couldn't have anything printed that disparaged the High command, but they wouldn't hesitate to print stories of the heroic actions of Imperial soldiers and their allies, it was imperative to keep up public support for the war.
The Fall of Letzenbourg had begun to evolve from a terrible loss to a heroic last stand in the minds of the people, earning him a great deal of support with the public and the elected members of the Diet. His vow not to return to the city until the war was over and his promise to the high command that he would do anything to make sure they won the war had also made it into the news and had gone down particularly well. In some of the less regulated press and union publications, some had even begun asking why the city had been allowed to fall at all and were claiming the government was covering something up.
Unfortunately, the High command was old fashioned in its attitude to popular opinion, they were appointed by either the Emperor or the Chancellor, and although technically answerable to the Diet, they rarely needed to fear removal. This meant they remained fairly apathetic to the views of the people unless they were rioting in the streets.
The General Staff were more attuned to the will of the people however, the Generals knew all too well if the morale of the people at home fell the troops at the front would begin to crumble. This was ideal for Will, as the war had dragged on, the General staff's political power had increased, and as they were more concerned with the current war rather than the geopolitical situation in the years to come. They looked at the public opinion of him with a mixture of interest and concern and didn't seem to like the way the High Command were ignoring the potential risks of ignoring his popularity with the common man. This meant they were looking like powerful potential allies.
Unfortunately, all these things had left him either confined to his office or in what seemed like an endless stream of meetings with various diplomats and dignitaries, as well as some less reputable individuals. Although it had given him time to largely recover from his injuries, with the help of a great deal of magical medical treatment from Christina, he was becoming more and more frustrated that he was doing nothing to free himself from the sword. It felt like it was eating away at him and the more time he sat back here in the capital, the worse he felt, he was practically tearing his hair out.
He wished he could swap with Tanya, he'd heard rumours that there was a major redeployment going on the Rhine, although he was being kept out of any official loop for the moment, so couldn't be certain. Regardless he knew it was a safe bet that she'd be deployed into the thick of the fighting at some point, it wasn't fair, she wanted a desk job, why couldn't she sit here and sign endless paperwork recognising the rights of expatiated and duel citizens instead of him?
He found himself rubbing his freshly healed wrist unconsciously, thinking about Tanya bought a mixture of feelings that made him feel strangely uncomfortable. Despite everything that had happened, he felt strangely attached to her, he'd learned to like having someone around who saw through his fronts, not even Christina and Sophia had been able to do that as easily as Tanya could. It was also oddly liberating having someone around who knew about his false lineage, not to mention the comfort of knowing that someone else had seen the monstrous god she called Being X. He had never found out what her relationship was with the evil deity and was still more than a little curious.
He supposed he'd become used to being around her these past two months, even if they were usually squabbling. He wasn't even especially bitter about the broken arm, in hindsight he'd probably deserved it, but he was now much more wary of her. It was strange, he was still fond of her, but he was now also slightly intimidated by her, although he would rather die than let her know that. He hadn't decided if she would have really shot him or not, but he didn't want to put it to the test in the future.
Nothing had been mentioned about that incident on the rooftop, but they seemed to have fallen into an unspoken agreement that they wouldn't talk about it. Those last few hours in Letzenbourg had been a mess and for him a blur of pain. One way or another they had each saved each other during the battle, although he had definitely fared worse, and she had carried him out, so he could assume she didn't mean him an ill will. Meanwhile, he'd kept his promise and made sure she suffered no culpability for the failure, and after all, they'd been through, he believed her when she said she wouldn't disclose his secret. He knew now he couldn't bring himself to act against her even if she did.
She's mine too! You won't take her, His past words flashed through his mind and he felt an awful cringe of embarrassment. She hadn't said anything about that either, privately he hoped she hadn't heard it.
Still, the situation had ended more with an armistice than a peace treaty, and it made him feel strangely uneasy. And although Tanya had made it abundantly clear she didn't want anything more to do with him, he still wanted to see her succeed. Besides, just because she didn't want him as a friend, didn't mean they had to be enemies. He couldn't do much for her in his current situation, but he thought it best to send some sort of a peace offering, as a way of apology for his actions if nothing else.
He'd sent a selection of gifts to her and the battalion as a thank you for their hard work whilst serving together, as well as recommending everyone for commendations. True the mission had effectively failed but it wasn't the fault of those on the ground and they all had done an exemplary job, so they deserved some recognition, at least in his opinion. The Battalion was easy enough to buy for, extra rations and some booze would see them through nicely, although at this rate he wondered if the 203rd would manage to deplete the Empire's supply of alcohol before the end of the war. He also sent along some Waldstätte chocolate and cocoa for Visha, who he knew did not drink but was particularly fond of sweets.
He'd sent Tanya some of the chocolate too and coffee beans from South America, as well as an ornately engraved grinder for them. He knew these would be unlikely to endear her to him all that much, but she was always complaining about the ersatz coffee so it couldn't hurt. He hoped it would at least soften her enough so that she'd accept the second gift, that he'd sent with a handwritten letter.
He'd considered carefully what he should get the Major as a peace offering, and the only time he'd been able to look for any inspiration had been on a short trip to a department store after a dreary meeting with the ambassador of the Unified States. That had been disastrous, as soon as the saleswoman heard he was buying for 'a lady friend', she bombarded him with suggestions that were guaranteed to get him killed if he ever gave them to Tanya. Even Christina had been snickering quietly as the saleswoman had insisted showing him a selection of stuffed animals that were apparently popular with girls of all ages.
After a little thought, he decided it should be something functional that she would make use of, or she would likely reject it outright as unnecessary. This made things a little tricky, the obvious solution would be to send her a new sidearm but giving her weaponry sent the wrong message for a gesture of peace. Eventually settled on something that he hoped would do the trick.
It was a silver hair clip with a deep crimson ruby cross and the sigil of the Imperial knights engraved on it. It had long been a tradition in the military college for those that were made Imperial knights to wear some sort of accessory to show off their achievement, often a ring or a badge of some sort. It was usually bought by the recipient's family as a gift upon graduating but Tanya had been brought up in an orphanage, she had nobody to gift it to her so had probably ignored the tradition.
Tanya generally eschewed anything remotely feminine but he had noted that she habitually kept her hair tied at the back with a plain but battered old hair clip, so he hoped she could make some sort of use out of it. It also wouldn't harm her position to show off her achievements a little more, even if it was just in the form of a subtle hairpin that would only be seen from the back. It showed she was one of the top graduates of the war college, Will believed people should be reminded of that.
He just hoped word didn't get about that he was sending her presents, it wouldn't do anything to help smother the rumours about them being a couple and Will dreaded the reaction Tanya would have if she knew. Besides, it was getting embarrassing, apparently, after the story of Tanya carrying him out of the Ducal Palace had leaked, someone had given him the ignominious nickname of Princess von Hozollern. Still, it was worth a little embarrassment if it could help smooth things over between them.
A knock at the door snapped him from his thoughts and back to the spacious office in the embassy. He called for the visitor to enter and Christina filed in soon afterwards with a tray of tea, refreshments and a few newspapers, as well as a fresh uniform for him over her arm, followed by one of the embassy staff carrying a large bowl of warm water and a washcloth. They carefully deposited their cargo onto one of the tables before bowing, Christina nodded for the other servant to leave before turning to pour him a drink.
"I came to help you prepare for your meeting with the Generals Zettour and Rudersdorf, my prince," She began as she delivered the cup of warm milky tea. "I'd hoped you would still be resting, you still haven't fully recovered from your wounds," She chided with concern.
"I've not long woken up," He explained hoping she wouldn't press the issue further. He didn't want to tell her about the nightmares, it would only worry her, besides it would raise too many questions. He trusted the sisters completely, but even so, he couldn't tell them about his reincarnation and the curse, even they would think he was mad. Only Tanya knew she was the only one who could possibly understand.
"Is your arm still bothering you?" Christina asked and Will found himself staring at her with confusion until he realised he had still been rubbing his wrist subconsciously. He forced himself to stop and assured her with a forced smile that he was fine before crossing over to the table to begin getting ready for the meeting. He glanced at the copy of the Londinium times on the table, noting a story about the Empire readying a 'desperate' offensive in the north, the paper was bias of course so he knew to treat its contents critically. Security must have gotten sloppy if the foreign press is reporting it before it's even happened, he thought sarcastically, he was fairly sure the General staff wasn't running its plans through Londinium.
Christina began helping him wash and change for his meeting while listing off the rest of his appointments for the week. It was mostly just more conferences with the foreign office and diplomats, he'd probably fob them off on his new prime minister, that was what he was for after all. The only ones of any note were a meeting with his financial advisor Patryk Kulig, who was probably trying to persuade him to change his investments again, and an invitation to tour the Elenium Arms company's facility in Berlun, who probably wanted more money. At least it gave him an excuse to get out.
He felt more refreshed after a wash and a clean uniform, and he began to feel his confidence return as he sipped on his Tea. Once dressed he began considering his plan of attack for the upcoming meeting with the Generals, he hadn't had much contact with them since his return to Berlun, aside from his interruption in the High command. Although he had made a point of surrendering overall command to the General staff rather than the High command as protocol would usually dictate and had sent the occasional message reminding them that he was willing to serve the war effort in any way he could.
It seemed his combined efforts to sway the Generals and cause them concern about the public mood had started bearing fruit. He had been invited to a meeting with the two senior generals over dinner at the General staff office to discuss how he could continue to make a contribution to the war. Will was quite looking forward to it, he hadn't had a decent meal in what seemed like forever, Christina had been strict about what he should eat while he was recovering from his injuries, but now he was mostly recovered and with Ludwig gone he could afford to be a little less suspicious about what he ate. The dining room in the General Staff office was obscenely opulent, even by royal standards, it stood to reason that the food would be equally as luxurious.
He glanced out the window and saw an Imperial staff car pull up in front of the embassy and saw Colonel von Rerugen exit the vehicle in a smoky haze. He gestured for Christina to carry on and strode down to meet the colonel, normally he would wait in his office while his visitors went through all the tedious protocol of being shown to a reception room, but Wilhelm was keen to show he was interested. So, he donned his naïve but determined childlike persona and rushed down ready to throw up a brisk salute.
"Prince Wilhelm," the man blinked slightly surprised as he returned the salute out of habit. "I'm glad to see that your injuries have healed quickly."
Will thanked him and went through the near automated practised motions of polite greetings that now came so easily he didn't need to think about them while hiding his impatience to get going. He studied the colonel for any hints as to the coming meeting, but his body language was betraying very little, so he suggested they make a move, Will was starting to feel hungry and was looking forward to a good meal regardless of what the Generals had to say.
"I've been authorised to give you this" Rerugen stated as the car pulled away from the embassy, before producing a file from his briefcase. "It's a report on the current disposition of our forces on the Rhine as well as a summary of our recent troop movements, we'd like to hear your assessment."
Will felt his eyes widen in surprise, this was better than he could have hoped for, for nearly two weeks he'd been kept in the dark about the situation at the front and suddenly he was being shown everything. There had to be a reason for them showing him this, but what could it be? He quickly began studying the file, not needing to exaggerate his eagerness this time, but soon he found enthusiasm begin to wane and it was replaced by a feeling of foreboding.
"You've been pulling the front lines even further back?" He questioned with a lump forming in his throat, what was this? Letzenbourg wasn't so much of a loss that they'd pull the lines back to risk the lowland industrial areas, was it? Was this a fake? Another attempt to get him to resign? Rerugen was staring at him intently as he nodded his confirmation, something wasn't right, the man was testing him he realised.
His mind raced as he tried to put together what he knew, the Londinium times had said the Empire was readying an offensive in the north but this report said the opposite was true. The lines had been drawn back and it looked like forces were massing further south.
"This is part of the operation General Zettour was talking about isn't it?" He questioned, "You want them to think we're attacking in the north but we're hitting from the south of the Rhineland instead" He finished studying the man's reaction.
Rerugen's expression remained impassive and Will realised there must be more to it than that. He glanced over the maps once again, somehow all troop positions looked oddly familiar, he could almost see where the troops should advance. Were they trying to draw the Republicans in? But why? There was a flash of realisation in his mind, surely they couldn't pull off something like this on such a scale, could they?
"An encirclement? But how?" Will asked uncertainly as he mentally added the arrows to the map that would make up the plan. There was no way the Republicans would be sloppy enough not to react to an encirclement 400km in length, but somehow, he knew with increasing certainty that they intended to completely surround and destroy the Republic's main army. Rerugen's expression cracked and Will knew he must have hit the mark.
"The Generals will explain further when we arrive," He assured him, surprise showing on his face for a moment before it returned to its usual impassive state.
Will couldn't help feeling a little smug, it seems he'd puzzled out part of their plan much quicker than the other colonel had expected and on an empty stomach no less. More importantly, if they were showing him this and asking for his opinion could only mean they wanted him to have something to do with the operation, it seemed he was finally being sent a life raft.
They soon pulled up to the General staff offices and he was shepherded to the extravagant dining room that the meeting would take place in. He was surprised to see how empty the room was, he assumed they must have reserved the whole dining area for the meeting. The Generals were already there waiting, and both rose to greet him, they exchanged the usual pleasantries as a waiter took both his and Rerugen's caps and coats before finding him a chair and a menu, disappearing out of earshot soon afterwards. Obviously, the server was used to staying out of the way when important matters were being discussed.
He took a moment to observe the Generals, Rudersdorf was smoking a thick cigar and regarded him with his usual taciturn expression and Zettour wore a half-smile of someone who knows something you don't. While Rerugen whispered something quietly to the Generals.
"We've finished going over the reports of what happened in Letzenbourg," Zettour began. "It seems you and Major Degurechaff performed admirably under the circumstances, I understand you recommended the Major for a commendation."
We would have performed more than just admirably if you hadn't pulled my reinforcements! He complained inwardly, stopping the frustration from reaching his expression. He needed to keep up the act of the contrite and determined young soldier for the two generals if he were to secure their goodwill.
"The Major did everything she could to make the mission a success, she should still be rewarded for her efforts. It's my fault it failed, I should have contacted you for permission first," He answered giving the impression of being sorrowful by bowing his head and injecting sadness into his voice, while inwardly wondering how good the Sauerbraten was.
"We don't spend time and money educating officers in the War College just for them to ask permission over every little thing! We need soldiers that can use their judgment," Rudersdorf growled irritably. "You acted on the information you had and reacted accordingly, if anyone is to blame it's the intelligence branch for not seeing that Ludwig would turn traitor!"
I doubt you'd be saying that if you knew the truth thought Will. Still, he was pleased that he had gotten the desired response from the usually stoic general, and it was gratifying to know that there was a rift between the Army and the Intelligence branch. They were likely already wary after Canaris and his spies had failed to warn against the Republican sneak attack, they were no doubt more annoyed at this failure.
"Just so" joined Zettour, "unfortunately, there are those in the Supreme High command who feel it is important to attribute some blame, there's even talk of a hearing."
"I can't resign! I promised I would do everything to free Letzenbourg and end the war!" Exclaimed Will, not needing to fake the slight panic that made its way into his voice and expression. This was the first he'd heard of a hearing, surely they wouldn't risk the diplomatic repercussions by actually charging him with something, would they? He'd have to get Sophia to investigate later.
"It's not something we in the General Staff agree with, it would be problematic at this time" Zettour continued. "However, we have a major operation underway that we hope will bring a swift end to the war, we would like you to be a part of it. If it succeeds, you could redeem yourself in the eyes of the high command and leave the military without a hearing."
To the Generals this must seem like an ideal way to deal with the situation, Will would be part of the great victory against the Republic and would liberate his homeland so the public would be satisfied. On top of that, the war would be over, at least in theory, there would no longer be any reason for him to serve in the military. This would mean no hearing and it would be doubtful the High command would be interested anyway while they were celebrating their victory.
Will wasn't so enthusiastic, however, but he made sure to keep the feeling from his expression. If this operation truly did end the war, he would have no way the pay his debt to the monster, this could be his last chance to be free. It seemed he didn't have a choice.
But there was still a lot of unanswered questions, the only way they could pull off an encirclement this big was to neutralise the Republic command, it was impossible to get a unit powerful enough to take them out that far behind enemy lines without alerting them. Wasn't it?
"What do you want me to do?" Will asked as the waiter placed down his food in front of him. Hopefully, the Generals would answer these questions if he appeared eager and pressed for details.
"We want you in the vanguard for Operation Lock pick," Zettour began, "You're going to help us trap the Republicans in a revolving door."
Authors notes
Hi everyone and thank you for reading. It's been a little while since the last update (for me at least), I had a little break over Xmas and new year and has taken a little while to get back into the swing of things.
Sorry this chapter is all a bit Wilhelm- centric, it was kinda unavoidable as we already know what Tanya is doing. I felt I had to explain some things from his perspective and lay some foundations for later events. I've also wanted to tell the story of the attack on Wilhelm when he was younger from his perspective for a while now and this felt like the perfect place to put it.
I'm also sorry if some of this chapter comes across as a bit of a recap in places, it is partially on purpose so those carrying on reading from the start of part 2 get a refresher (also helped me lol) but I understand it could be a bit annoying if your reading all this in one sitting.
I tried to write young Wilhelm and older Wilhelm subtly different, since he doesn't have all his memories, he isn't as mature as Tanya and I wanted to make him a bit less mature in the past too. I'm not sure how noticeable it is from an outside perspective, you'll have to let me know.
Other notes
The Empire is now ruled by the Hapsburgs (Legally distinct from the Habsburgs *shifty eyes*) as I'd already used Wilhelm Hozollern who would have been the obvious choice for the name of Emperor (legally distinct from Hohenzollern *shifty eyes). As far as I'm aware, the Emperor/Kaiser hasn't been named in the canon, so I took the liberty of giving him one.
Letzenbourg would technically be a rump state in this case rather than a Government in Exile as part of the country is still under friendly control, I decided to leave it as is because it was more self-explanatory.
Anyone who has read the books will be all too aware the Wilhelm is going to be very disappointed with the food in general staff dining room.
Shameless self-promotion: I am also working on my own fantasy story that I have just started posting on fanfiction's sister site Fictionpress. It's called Knight of the Veiland I would like to know any opinions on it. Sorry if you're not interested, I understand that's not why you are here.
Thank you again for reading, please feel free to review if you have any opinions or criticisms.
Xanen