Chapter 7 Thaw

Lili vs Ludwig. And a cameo appearance by the Epic Fail Brothers

Gilbert skyped Lili about the Great Tree Disaster early on Christmas morning , and they made a plan to fix things. Gilbert asked Thuringia to go for a walk with him and Maria later on Christmas day; as the child played in the snow, he explained what he had really meant and that his real contempt and anger had been directed towards Saxony. He emphasized that he felt it had been unfair that she had had to raise Saxony's children mostly by herself and with limited funds. Thuringia listened politely and accepted his apology, but drew a line when Gilbert began to complain about Saxony's selfishness. "Gilbert, Gisil was the father of my boys," Magda said firmly, and he shut up.

The next step was making things up to Ludwig. Many of the shattered glass balls were antiques, and therefore priceless, but Gilbert shopped the after-Christmas sales at some of Berlin's best gift shops for special, handblown glass ornaments and had Maria present a box of them to Ludwig. The other states had left Berlin, and so Maria was back to her good-natured self. Gilbert was pleased to see his brother smile and hug the little girl as he thanked them for the replacements. He even invited her to hang them up on the tree, carefully supervising her short fingers as she placed the hooks over the branches.

Lili arrived in Berlin the day before Gilbert's birthday, January 18. When she saw him and Maria amid the mortals at the train station, she was overjoyed to hear her cry "Muti!" and see her bounce up and down. Lili trotted to them and scooped her up, kissing her little nose and cheeks. Vash would have warned her to guard her heart, but she didn't care; the child's smile and surprisingly strong arms around her neck made her a willing captive.

"Ahem." She looked up and saw Gilbert smirking at them. "Ach ja, wasn't I supposed to do something with you?" She teased. He laughed and she stood up and kissed him. Maria clung to her legs, saying, "me, Muti, me!"

"You've already had your turn, minx," Gilbert growled, and Maria stuck out her lower lip and grabbed Lili's legs tighter. Lili almost lost her balance and she had to shift and break Maria's grip. The little girl had certainly gotten stronger and taller.

"So Ludwig knows I'm coming, ja?" Lili asked as they rode the bus to his house. Maria sat between them, humming and resting her feet on Lili's wheeled carry-on suitcase.

Gilbert nodded. His brother had agreed when he asked if they could spend the night at his house before leaving for Potsdam. He knew Maria would be too young to understand, but he wanted to take her to Sanssouci for his birthday. He would show her Old Fritz's grave and leave a potato upon it, then they would have lunch at one of the town's restaurants and head back on the train to Neustrelitz. It wouldn't be the most exciting celebration, he figured, but he couldn't just simply call up France and Spain and drink and prowl through Berlin's clubs anymore. Not that he really missed being surrounded by drunk, smoky mortals when he could melt into Lili's arms.

Lili checked her cell phone surreptitiously as Gilbert told her about Maria's progress in toilet training and her newfound love of potato dumplings. Her surprise was on-track; she smiled and when Gilbert asked what amused her, she shrugged it off as Vash's overprotectiveness.

Ludwig was a polite and efficient host to them, offering them a light supper. He actually asked Lili some questions and directed comments towards her, a marked improvement from previous encounters. She checked the time and reminded herself not to be anxious; if there were any problems, she would have received a text message. She watched Maria play calmly with a set of blocks Ludwig kept for her. She seems so at home here, she thought and then she froze. She remembered how Vash had warned her about Ludwig's interest in the child, and how she and even Gilbert only enjoyed her at his pleasure. Was it true? She thought as she studied the two brothers talking about German issues. She couldn't imagine Ludwig having the time to devote to a small child, nor his tidy home filled with expensive electronics and antiques being a good place for a toddler. Of course, she could hear Vash say, he'll let Gilbert do all the donkey work and he'll take her when she'll be at school most of the day. She pursed her lips and shoved the thought to the back of her mind.

The doorbell rang and Ludwig's three dogs sprang up and ran to the front door. Ludwig got up and commanded the dogs to quiet and sit. She could hear happy male voices and she smiled knowingly as Gilbert raised an eyebrow at her.

"Bruder, I have a couple of visitors who want to borrow you for the evening!" Ludwig came back into the parlor, followed by Denmark and England. Gilbert started laughing and got up to shake their hands.

"Epic Fail Bros!" He shouted. Maria looked up at the noise of the new arrivals. She got up and padded over to Lili, who held her. Matthias Køhler and Arthur Kirkland turned to look at the child.

"She's adorable." Matthias squatted down and tried to whistle her over. Maria shook her head and burrowed it in Lili's lap.

"She's not a dog, you silly git," Arthur said. He looked sympathetically at Lili. "She's probably overwhelmed and ready for bed." He walked over and studied the child, who looked up and seemed less intimidated by the shorter, slighter man. "Good night, little love," he said gently in German, "we're taking your father out for fun and we'll bring him back safe and sound."

"Come on, you," Denmark said to Gilbert as he grabbed his coat. "Let's go! There's a meter of beer calling your name!"

England walked over to Ludwig. "Don't worry about us. We've got a hotel room and he can crash there. We'll bring him back in shipshape condition tomorrow morning so they can get to Potsdam at a decent hour." Ludwig looked relieved. "Go on then, enjoy yourselves," he said.

Gilbert came over to kiss Lili and Maria goodbye. "Are you okay with this, Lili?" He whispered. "I won't go if you aren't."

Lili started laughing. "This is my birthday gift to you, Schatz." She was pleased to see his expression shift from concern to surprise to joy. "You deserve a night off with friends. Go have fun."

Gilbert's smile reminded her of all the times she had managed to please him. "You are awesome," he murmured as he kissed her. "I'll be back tomorrow morning. Sleep well, and danke, Liebling." He stood up, rumpled Maria's hair and strode over to his friends. Lili noted his old swagger had returned. "Let's go get wrecked!" He declared, and the Epic Fail Brothers sauntered into the cold Berlin night.

Ludwig came back into the parlor after closing the door behind them. He sat down and coolly appraised Lili. Suddenly she became aware of the room's silence; only an antique grandfather clock and the snuffling of dogs broke the stillness.

"So did you know about those fellows showing up at my door and whisking my brother away?" Ludwig finally said. His voice sounded amused, but his pale blue eyes were unreadable.

Lili suddenly felt very small and as if she had done something wrong. "I wanted to surprise Gilbert. He's been unable to get out and socialize since he's found Maria, and I thought it would be a nice break for him." When they skyped and talked in bed, she heard how frustrated and lonely he had felt, even as he protested that he loved Maria. She knew he had been used to going out with his friends and the child's sudden arrival had changed all that.

Ludwig smiled, but it was still hard for her to tell if it were a kind one or not. His eyes never changed. "Ja, you like surprising people, don't you, Liechtenstein." Lili knew exactly what he meant; she had had to lie and hide the plan she and Gilbert had crafted in order for him to regain an official existence as a personification of Brandenburg and Eastern Germany. She had apologized and been patient. Now she started to feel that her gift of a night out for Gilbert had set things back between her and Ludwig.

"I just wanted to do something nice for him. If I had told him, he would have refused," she mumbled. Maria had crawled into her lap and rested against her, sucking her braid. Lili rocked her. "I'm sorry if you don't like it, Ludwig." I'm sorry for everything, she thought and she felt the tears come to her eyes.

Ludwig shrugged. She looked up and saw the smile had reached his eyes, but it didn't make them any warmer or kinder. He's enjoying this, she realized, he wants to see me cry. For a second, she imagined throwing herself at his feet, weeping and begging for his forgiveness, promising anything as long as he ended his terrible coldness and allowed her to be a part of Maria's life. But when the picture came into her head, it repelled her. She could even hear Gilbert's voice: Mein Gott, Lili, get up! You're a principality, not some conquered state.

"You're lucky I didn't plan anything special for my Bruderherz's birthday," Ludwig's voice sounded amused. "What if I had had a surprise for him?"

"Then I would have called Denmark and England and fixed things," Lili said. "I would have managed it. Your surprise would have outranked mine, Germany." It was easier to say than do, she realized, but the thought reassured her and allowed her to lift her chin and return Ludwig's gaze.

The two nations stared at each other as the clock ticked and Maria wiggled in Lili's lap to get more comfortable. Lili changed her hold on the child and arose from her chair. "I'm going to get Maria ready for bed and then I'll bring her down to say 'Gute Nacht' to you," she announced. Ludwig nodded, and she went upstairs.

Maria fidgeted and mumbled sleepily until she saw Lili take the wrapped box out of her luggage. Her eyes sparkled and she reached out for it. "Mine?" She asked, but Lili shook her head.

"This is for Onkel Ludi. You and I are going to give him a present. It will make him happy. You want to see Onkel Ludi happy, ja?" To her relief, Maria nodded. "Come with me." Lili held her hand out to the child and she took it. They walked carefully down the stairs, Lili watching Maria's slippered feet and balancing her so she wouldn't slip or fall.

Ludwig looked up and Lili noted that when his gaze fell upon the child, his smile was pure delight. "Mein kleiner Engel1!" He said, and Lili felt a stab of jealousy. She managed to smile politely as he held out his arms to Maria. Lili squatted down and whispered into the child's ear. "I give you the box, but you give it to Onkel Ludi. Can you give Onkel Ludi the box?" Maria nodded and Lili handed her the wrapped box she had kept behind her back. She found herself willing the child not to open it or make a scene as she walked her over to a curious Ludwig.

"Onkel Ludi," Maria said and froze, clinging to the package. Lili kneeled down again and reminded the child to give the box to Ludwig. To her relief, Maria held the box to Ludwig, who seemed touched. When Lili saw the warmth in his eyes, she remembered how he had once looked at her kindly in the past when he had confided that she had been his favorite cousin and the best thing to happen to Gilbert. And then it was all gone, she lamented.

"For me?" Ludwig pretended to be surprised, but Lili could see it was genuine under the exaggerated voice and gesture. He took the package and opened it. When he undid the wrappings and tissue paper, she saw him hesitate. Carefully, he drew out the antique tree angel that Lili and Austria had hunted down in Vienna. He studied it, turning it around in his large hands. Lili held her breath; she knew that Ludwig knew his antiques and even with Roderich's bargaining, it had been expensive.

"This is lovely. Exquisite." He looked up and Lili smiled hopefully. He smiled and she felt as if a gust of warm wind had blown into the room, raising the temperature by a few degrees. Ludwig put the angel back into the box and pulled Maria in for a hug and kiss on her head. Lili was startled at how his gestures reminded her of Gilbert. "Ein Engel von einem Engel. Danke."2 He glanced over at Lili, and she nodded. Ludwig gently steered Maria back to her arms. "Gute Nacht, Maria," he whispered. Maria waved as she stuck her braid back into her mouth and took Lili's hand. As Lili turned to lead her back up the stairs, she heard Ludwig clear his throat. She turned and saw him. The terrible cold eyes were warm and bright. "Danke, Lili. It was a lovely surprise."

"I'm so glad you like it, Ludwig," Lili said. She felt the warmth rise to her cheeks and she breathed deeply to control herself. "Thank you for letting us stay here. Gute Nacht!"

"Gute Nacht, Lili." His deep voice sounded soft and dark, like a blanket placed over her. Lili nodded and hurried Maria up the stairs. Later, when the child was in her travel bed and her breathing indicated she was fast asleep, Lili allowed herself to sob in relief, all the past years' stress running down her cheeks and soaking the pillow.

Phew! I'm feeling a little bit better; how about you? Let me know in a review-was Ludwig too easily bought or will these two have more trouble down the road?

1 German: my little angel

2 German: an angel from an angel. Thank you.