Gilbert couldn't help but laugh while he watched his bruder look out the carriage in wonder, his first time off the castle grounds. Wide blue eyes looked at the trees as they passes, and deer playing about on the edge of the road.

"Oi, West," the boy turned to his brother, sitting back down. "You're 16, not 6. Do you even know where we're going?"

Ludwig's ears turned red from his blush, straightening his back and making himself seem mature. He shook his head in response to the question.

"Seriously?" Gilbert sighed, smoothing out his dark blue tunic over his legs. "We are on our way to the Eastern Kingdom, for you and the King's daughter to meet."

"Why do I have to meet her?" Gilbert's face fell, the question catching him off guard.

"…So you can court her, of course."

"Huh?"

Dark leather came into contact with the pale skin of Gilbert's forehead. "Our dear grandfather wants you to get along with the maiden, so that when you two are older, you two will marry and a permanent bond will be formed between our two countries."

Ludwig's blush returned. "What? Why do I have to do this? I don't want to marry…" his voice trailed off, looking back to the nature outside the carriage. "…is she pretty?"

Gilbert shrugged, making himself comfortable. "I dunno," he said nonchalantly. He saw his bruder's shoulders drop and a frown form on his face. He sighed. "But I've heard she is very beautiful, some say she is like a goddess, the combined beauty of her late-mother and her father. I've met them, before you were born, and they were indeed beautiful." He paused to let out a low chuckle. "I remember I had a little crush on their queen, because she was so nice and pretty. I didn't like the king for it."

Ludwig laughed a little, but he shifted uncomfortably, intimidated by the rumors of the family's beauty. Gilbert noticed this, and brought up a completely different subject of conversation.

It was dark by the time the dirt under the wheels of the horse drawn carriage was replaced with the sound of cobblestone. Gilbert was awoken from his light slumber at the new sound, leaning to look out the small window. When he saw the darkness around them littered with lights from large houses, screaming of wealth, he didn't hesitate to kick his brother's shin, rousing him awake with a shout of pain.

They watched the buildings go by, the richness of the city was clear; far different then their own. Both could see why their Grandfather wanted this bond so badly.

Ludwig gasped when the carriage jerked to a stop suddenly, holding his hands to the seat tightly. Gilbert held a finger to his lips, the signal clear. The blonde took a deep breath, closing his eyes and straightening his back. They waited until the carriage door opened by their driver. Gilbert left first, jumping to the ground without any assistance. He turned to his brother, grabbing his hand and helping him down to the ground. He signaled the driver to go put it somewhere, which he complied.

The pair looked over the building they were in front of, a large mansion like building, its walls white and seemingly perfect in the moonlight. Only a few lights where in some of the many windows. Ludwig held in his shock at the difference between their homes, while his other sibling looked in recognition.

A tall blonde man revealed himself after opening the large doors of the mansion and the albino recognized him immediately, as the man seemed to not have aged a day. He nudged the teen next to him, grabbing his attention, and they made their way up the steps.

"Is that you, Gilbert?" the man said in a merry tenor, his accent thick. "You have grown so much since you last came."

He nodded in agreement. "And strangely enough, old man, you haven't changed at all," was his snarky remark.

The man's smile twitched, and he turned to the other. "And this would be young Ludwig, I presume."

Ludwig jerked his posture into the perfect line before bowing to the Frenchman. "It is a pleasure to meet you." He said with his voice deepened slightly. Gilbert rolled his eyes.

The man laughed. "No need to be so polite, Ludwig." He waited for the boy to straighten back before he extended his hand. "I am Francis Bonnefoy, the King of the eastern Kingdom. Now please, let us get out of the night, and I will show you to your rooms." He motioned with an elegant flick of his wrist for them to follow, and they made their way into the mansion.

The German pair removed their hats as the door closed and took in the sight of the large foyer, with two sets of curved stairs in front of them. The room was bright, candles high above them in a golden chandelier, lighting the marble walls and floors. The walls were high and covered with paintings, many of them of women or of nature. Or both. Large arches on each side of the room, leading to other large rooms.

Gilbert pulled his culture shocked brother behind them as they where lead to the upstairs while Francis went on about… something, the history of the house, maybe? It did have this old feeling to it. But it unnerved the German, because it was so quiet.

They walked past a room, and Gilbert stopped in his tracks. The two blonde looked at him in question. Now that the king had stopped talking, they were able to hear what had caught the silverette's attention.

"Give me a reason, I gotta know.

Do you feel it too?

Can't you see me here on the overload?

And this time I blame you"

Francis smiled in a prideful way. "That would be mon ange," he said simply. "Madeline loves to sing, it's a shame she only does it when she thinks no one can hear."

Gilbert starred at the closed door the beautiful voice came from, the soft melodies seeming to sink into his soul.

"Mm, looking out for you to hold my hand

It feels like I could fall.

Now love me right like I know you can.

We could lose it all."

"Has she ever taken lessons?" Ludwig asked curiously. Francis shook his head.

"Non. She's always had a love for music, and when she was little she would sing to every song she heard." He laughed lightly. "I suppose when she sang so much, it just came naturally to her."

Gilbert took one last look at the door before forcing himself away from the enchanting voice, and their way to their temporary rooms continued.

Francis stopped in front of two closed doors at the end of the long hallway and turned to the brothers. "These are your rooms, it's up to you boys to which ones you would like." He bowed his head to them. "Dormez bien, les jeunes princes."

They bowed to him, in return. "Schlaf gut, Eure Hoheit."

They watched the blonde man walk back down the hallway before taking deep breaths and relaxing. Gilbert waved to Ludwig and bade him goodnight.

"Mon dieu, you cannot be still asleep!" Gilbert ignored the rude awakening, groaning and rolling so his back faced the voice. "You're acting just like my daughter, now wake up! She has made us breakfast!" More ignoring. "Alright, c'est vous qui l'avez chercher."

Cold air suddenly hit his body like a boulder, resulting in a loud shout. It wasn't a shriek; Gilbert is too manly to shriek like a girl. He definitely did not shriek.

Gilbert narrowed his red eyes at the bastard who dared…

The blonde king stood next to the bed, blanket in his arms and a smirk adorning his face. "Bonjour, mon petit lapin." He said, his voice dripping with amusement. "There is breakfast ma fille made in the private dining room, I'm sure you remember where it is from your last visit." And with that final note, the Frenchman left the room.

With a groan, the tired young adult sat up and swung his legs off the side of the bed. He stood, stretching his arms up high above his head, exposing his naked body to anyone who might have walked in, or chose to look in the open window at that time. Sluggishly, he put on clothes and his boots and gloves. With one last stretch, he deemed himself awake enough to face the Eastern Kingdom.

On his way to the staircase, he paused at the same door as the night before. He was disappointed to find that the voice was no longer singing, but he continued on his trek none the less.

He paused yet again when he saw his brother, in casual clothing, starring at a large painting. "Whatcha looking at?" he called, his voice coming back to him off the walls. Just brother didn't even turn.

"Who is she?" he muttered. Gilbert looked at the picture, a tall thin woman with short blonde hair. Her dark blue eyes seemed to shine right out of the paint, and her long elegant indigo dress flowed around her.

The German smiled in recognition, standing next to his little brother. "That would be Jeanne, Francis' late wife." He informed.

"She's beautiful."

"Makes you think about what your future bride looks like, huh?" Gilbert let out a short chuckle, amused by his brother's blush.

"Knowing my luck," he muttered "she'll be the one stuck with all the ugly genes." At that, Gilbert burst out laughing.

"I hope you aren't laughing at my expense," a smooth voice came from behind them. They turned to see their host, giving them a kind smile. "Have you seen my daughter, by any chance? I haven't seen her since this morning." The two shook their heads. "She couldn't be off the property, within the walls in the very least. Ludwig," the blonde straightened up at his name. "Would you go look for her? We're the only ones who should be here, so a young woman wearing red shouldn't be too hard to identify." The teen nodded and left the older men.

Gilbert waited until he saw his brother step outside. "So, what did you want to talk about?" he asked nonchalantly, turning his gaze back to the large portrait.

The king chuckled lightly. "Well, it's simple really." He moved to stand next to the albino. "I was sent notice you two would be coming, but what was not mentioned was the reason."

Gilbert whipped his gaze to the man. "Was?" Getting a look from the corner of the royal's eyes, he calmed himself. "I thought you knew of our reasons."

The cheerful façade was suddenly dropped from the blonde's face. "If it has anything to do with my daughter, I refuse."

"Wha-"

Francis' eyes narrowed, but otherwise his serious expression did not change. "I know full well that my daughter is in the sights of many other kingdoms with princes, since there have been so few maidens born. Also, my kingdom is one of the richest, after your cousin Roderich's. If one's prince where to marry my precious daughter, since I have no other kin, once I pass, they will have power over my lands. But I refuse to let my daughter wed."

Moments passed in silence in the large entry way, Francis just starring at his wife.

Gilbert decided to take a risk and break the silence. "Why, if I may ask."

Francis didn't respond right away, first taking a deep breath. He turned suddenly, another smile that now seemed so forced onto his face. "Why don't you assist your brother in finding Madeline? She can be quite a handful, even at her age." And with that final comment that dripped with impatience, he left the same way he came.

The Germanic prince just starred the way the king left. "What the hell…?" he muttered. Sighing, he decided he would have to talk to the princess herself in order to convince the stubborn father. He took a brief look around the room before exiting the same way his brother did minutes ago.

Lucky for him, it was overcast in the eastern kingdom, which meant for him he could be outside longer than usual. He rubbed subconsciously as the remnants of the sunburn he had from his training with Ludwig. He looked around the large yard, neatly trimmed trees and bushes everywhere. They sure liked the artificial look of plants, didn't they?

Slowly running his sensitive eyes over the garden, he noticed a tree that was out of place. It was very tall, towering above everything else, and it was left to grow wildly. Curious, he made his way towards it.

As he got closer, Gilbert was able to see the strange shape of the leaves. They seemed to split off into three sections, divided once again thrice per part. They looked off, but natural at once.

He took a couple steps into the shade of the thick foliage, feeling the cool air crawl across his skin. He wasn't under the tree for more than a couple seconds before he heard a loud snap and a shout.

"L-Look out!"

He looked up, to see a flash of red, and a branch falling straight for his face.

Translations:

"Dormez bien, les jeunes princes." Sleep well, young princes.

"Schlaf gut, Eure Hoheit." Sleep well, your highness.

"C'est vous qui l'avez chercher." You asked for it. (Thank you very much, Meyurei 13 for fixing the french. 8D )

"Bonjour, mon petit lapin." Good morning, my little rabbit.

ma fille – my daughter.

I got lazy with France's French… If anything is off in the French/German, please tell me. The only thing I have is a translator and two failed classes of French.

And the song Madeline was singing was bits from the song When Love Takes Over by David Guetta Feat. Kelly Rowland, the song the title it from.