T/N: I'm so excited that I actually got reviews for this translation fic! I couldn't believe my eyes when I checked my email! Anyways, here is the first chapter, which is not really very eventful, but all the same, rather beautiful in my opinion. And thank you all who reviewed, it was amazing to hear from you! Expect chapter two soon, I'm working furiously on it despite having exams next week, because my love for hetalia outweighs my love for my grades, haha.

And on with the story!

:: One ::

"You've finally come!" The young woman, sitting straight, raised her head, and her expression of agitated worry was worn openly on her fair, round face. She was only twenty-three years old, with a high forehead, a straight nose, and her golden blonde hair was gathered behind her head in the latest fashion. Her eyes, usually clear with wisdom and fearlessness, was clouded with despondency.

"Please take a look at these, my dear Roderich…" She held up a stack of letters on the small round table, waving them around, and as she did so in an exaggerated manner, the letter-opener fell to the floor with a dull, resounding thonk. The young woman could not help a cry of surprise, and at the same time, the baby that had been sleeping peacefully in the maidservant's arms also began to cry because of the sudden din.

"Poor Carolina, she'd just fallen asleep…" The young woman sighed, and took the child from the maid's arms. She couldn't spend much time with her own daughter, but still she held the child in a practised way, humming lullabies softly, and pressing her cheek against the baby's wan face. She was a wife, the mother of two children, but at the same time she was also the daughter of the recently deceased Austrian Emperor Charles the VI, the heir to the throne, the Duchess of Lorraine.

"Her condition is getting worse," the young mother muttered. "The weather's turning colder as well, and I'm worried about her. Oh, please sit down, and don't mind my nagging - I must be getting old. First, have a look at these, Roderich. This is from Paris, that's from München, that's from Dresden and we've even got one from Naples…"

Whether it was her sickly daughter, or her 'lovely neighbours', they all made the Queen uneasy. Roderich Edelstein graced her with one of his rare smiles, intending to comfort and condole. "Do not fret, my child." He said softly. "It will come to pass, believe me. Compared to these matters, you should take better care of yourself." His gaze swept over the loose dress and the swollen abdomen of the young woman. It was apparent that in less than half a year, this mother would welcome a new life into the world once more.

"Perhaps I should take your advice, Mr. Roderich." Maria smiled. "Soon I will not be able to fit in this dress any longer. Here, this is for you." She pressed something into Roderich's hand.

"...we do not acknowledge the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713…" Roderich glanced through the contents of the letters briefly. "What your father worried about for twenty years still happened, despite his concerns, but at this point, there's nothing we can do but to continue to forge our way forward with determination." He brought his eyes up and stared into the girl who he had watched grow up. Time flew by too quickly. The little girl who would hold his hand and dash and scamper in the garden with him, and secretly wear her father's crown in front of the mirror, was only a memory from yesterday.

A flash of memory struck him at that moment.

"Roderich, is it pretty?" The girl from his memory said. In the reflection on the mirror, she had to clutch the crown with one hand, and even then, she could barely support its heavy, burdensome weight. "It's so heavy that my neck feels like it's going to snap." Her bright eyes sought out Roderich. "When I grow up, will it become lighter?"

"When you grow up," said Roderich, "it will become even heavier, my dear Maria."

He did not know whether the child understood his reply, but now, the full weight of the crown had already been placed on that blithe girl who had once been beatific and carefree.

Whether she chose to lower her head and let other people take this weight from her, or to raise her chin and bear the burden of her destiny, Roderich wanted to seek out the answer from that pair of steely grey eyes. Many decades ago, her father had already considered the future of his daughter, and hoped that by his edict, she could obtain her legal right to inherit the throne, but in reality, right now, everything still depended and rested upon those delicate shoulders.

Roderich blinked, returning to the present. "I am only slightly sad, Roderich," said Maria Theresa. "I remember that I had once danced with my brother in law, Charles. He was a rather interesting fellow, and even though he was slightly weak-willed, we all liked him. Oh, there might never be another chance like that anymore..."

"With their own interests in mind, no one is willing to remain silent. Everyone is the same. It is not them who are changing, rather, it is the world forcing them to choose their paths." Roderich said. "At least memories are beautiful; don't shatter them with reality. Let the past slumber on noiselessly, undisturbed, at peace."

"But it will wake up, and show me days I have spent. I know, we will have to fight in a war. That is why the past is haunting me so clearly right now. I am certainly not afraid of war, Roderich, I am not…" Maria's eyes were rimmed with red. "But I am also a woman, a wife and a mother. From the very core of my being, I despise battle and bloodshed with a passion. Men see the battlefield as a stage, but women see it as the grave of happiness. I would rather maintain this moderated peace then win a glorious war!"

"Yes, child, I know that as well." Roderich put down the things in his hands, and went before the monarch once again. Carolina, the young child, had relapsed into blissful sleep, and her mother handed her to the maidservant, freeing her hands.

"Let me kiss your forehead, my sun," said Roderich, and he clasped Maria's shoulders as he did so. "Although you are filled with worry, your eyes are still clear; although you are filled with grief, your heart is still brave. You are not frightened, you are not in despair. Look at me, and let me tell you truly and solemnly, my child: Austria will only acknowledge you as his queen, and he will serve you forever."

Maria chuckled. "Having you come here was a correct decision, my Roderich. I believe I already feel much better. However, I would want to know, what of your memories? You have lived so much longer than I have, and you must have many memories of the past that you cannot forget. Do you mean to tell me that you leave them to slumber undisturbed as well?"

Maria felt the hands on her shoulders tremble, and when she tried to meet Roderich's violet eyes, his line of sight had already shifted beyond the window. His gaze had no destination, that crystal clear gaze wandering.

"That is impossible, my child." Roderich replied lightly. "Of course I wish them to be silent, but they always awaken…"

There was a series of knocks on the door. "Your Majesty, there is a letter from Berlin, just received, that requires your personal attention."

"Thank you, please come in," said Maria, but Roderich had already seized the moment of distraction when she was speaking to dart towards the open door where the servant was already striding through. The Empress realised with shock that Austria's cheeks were dreadfully, frightfully pale.

From that pale face, it was as if she saw dusty memories buried deep inside his heart flutter and awaken.