I shrugged him off; there was no way I would allow him to make himself look like a fool by helping his own servant. A master would never do such a low-level thing unless he wanted to make a scene in front of people. My hands gripped the mop tightly as I tried cleaning up the mess by myself as quickly as possible so I wouldn't be behind in my chores. His condescending presence gave me chills for the dead silence made the moment creepier than it should be. Knowing too well he wasn't leaving, I tried to lift my spirits by thinking about the day old Master Austria took me outside for the first time and led me on a beautiful nature path through the surrounding forest. Yeah…I can do this! Master Prussia couldn't bring me down because I was a strong, willing servant.
Finally I could smile for the first time since I've been in this hellhole. This new attitude was different, and…I felt good about myself and my mood improved. Was this pride? Am I taking pride in my job? Absolutely! New energy shot through me and now I mopped with enthusiasm in front of my own master, something I would never have done in front of old Master Austria.
"Dearest, I order you to hand me the mop."
That's what brought me back into reality, the way his egotism was obvious in his voice. Using his superiority against me made me so irritated because old Master Austria would never demand of her to stop working so he could take her place. Anyways, I heard that Master Prussia was a lazy ass who drank beer all the time; he was likely most here to mock me. Hearing him laugh to himself as I held out the broom shot anger through my veins like blood.
And then I did something he didn't expect.
Spinning the mop, I cleaned his face with the end of it without regret. He stared down at me in disbelief and I returned his gaze with a glare that he should take seriously. Maybe my defiance will send me straight back home to old Master Austria for Master Prussia wouldn't be able to tolerate it for long. So I jabbed him in "the nuts" with the wooden end of the mop, when he bent over, I whacked it upwards against his chin. These moves were supposed to be used whenever I was in danger and this was definitely self-defense against someone who wants to hurt my pride.
Hesitantly, I held up the mop, "I gave you three chances to take the mop; I guess you really don't want it."
"Hand it over, Dearest."
With a smile, I held out the mop. He reached out for it but I moved it aside and smacked the wood against his knuckles. Master flinched before trying to snatch it from me with his other hand; easily I spun around so I could rap his ribcage. My master wasn't pleased so he quickly turned, lunged at the wooden end I held out at him, but I pulled it back. Swiftly, Master Prussia, still kneeling near the floor on his heels, swiped his leg around and tripped me. I was taken by surprise when he suddenly stood up to catch me while having a firm grip on the handle. Hitting the staff of the mop against his forehead before I shoved him away was all I could do before giving up.
Master Prussia held up the mop, "Kesesesese, such a stubborn girl." Grinning, he began mopping the floor while I stood; stunned that he hasn't punished me. My master seemed to have forgotten everything that just happened till the point I pretended to hand over the mop. "I suppose you can have a break," he wrung out the mop in the bucket.
"No."
"No?" His red eyes moved from the bucket to me, "Don't tell me no."
"Make me," I snapped.
"The Awesome Me can make you do many things. Would you like to find out?" My jaw tightened in frustration. "Good girl."
I started walking away, but then I realized that I've never had a break before. What do people do during breaks? Normally when I wasn't working, I was with old Master Austria being taught the piano or reviewing his sheet music. From what I've heard, women knitted, tended to their gardens, cooked treats, or had "paradise" with their husbands. Both of my knees weakened for I didn't know what my master would allow me to do during a break. Maybe break meant sitting around doing nothing until he came back with a list of chores for me to do.
"Master?"
He turned his head slightly, his back remained facing me, "Yes?"
"What should I do?"
"Anything you want, Dearest."
Eye twitching from that horrid nickname, quickly I left the hall in hopes that I could find something. Of course I would never bake anything for that monster of a nation just to please him or have "paradise" in that matter. Master didn't want me leaving his house so gardening was definitely out of the question unless I wanted to make him mad. Knitting was just plain stupid; I was too impatient for that sort of thing, especially since I never liked it when I was little. Hopefully he had an instrument of some sort that I could play although he said I could do anything I wanted during my break. Maybe I would go outside just to see how mad he'd react if I put my face against the window in the hall he was mopping and call him names.
Outside…
The sun was warm against my skin and I finally felt free for the first time I came here to be a servant. Surrounding the mansion was mainly talented gardening and flat lawn of green that stretched out for a while. Many fountains and statues were placed around the property, mostly of my master and Fritz, a man Master looked up to. Lilac bushes marked the edge of the giant property while two rows of waist-high hedges marked either side of the driveway. Far into the backyard was the military base where many of my master's men did drills and whatever else the military requires them to do. I wasn't very impressed with what I've seen; old Master Austria had a much better lawn.
Walking to the west side where Master Prussia would be mopping, I stopped by a window. Easily I found my master swabbing the tile floor over and over so he could see his "awesome" reflection perfectly. Such an egotistic man…I tried to suck my courage to annoy him and that took a few minutes. I saw a puddle of mud, so I dipped my hands in the wet dirt before wiping them on every window I could reach, occasionally going back to get more mud. After coating them well, I went to the window where I was directly opposite of Master Prussia and rapped my knuckles on it loudly.
His back straightened up, and then he whipped around with wide eyes. Seeing his mouth drop with the mop made me laugh while I drew a smiley face on the muddied window. Immediately, my master dashed down the hall, a sign that I had to run somewhere before he managed to catch me. Running in a dress and flats wasn't very easy while I kept a hold my bandana so it wouldn't fall and be evidence of where I went. The summer heat made me tired easily while I had to deal with the nagging thought that Master Prussia was going to get me. I took deep breaths as I searched the maze of hedges for somewhere to rest for a little bit.
"_! WHEN I FIND YOU, YOU'RE GOING TO WISH I HADN'T!"
Hearing him say my name than "Dearest" meant that he was more pissed than God when his people rebelled again him. Then there was the fact that Master was nearby and I was in no good state to dash around his house to stay opposite of him. My feet hurt from the flats, so I tore them off to toss them into a fountain along with those ridiculously high socks. Sure the sound would be a sign of where I was, but who said I would be staying for long? Feeling better, I ran as fast as I could to the eastern side of the property where there was a small lake and a boat.
My arms were shaking from excitement as I pushed off from shore to row towards the center of the lake. It was beautiful to see the sky reflected upon the lake's surface with small ripples distorting the image from my rowing. The water became deep quickly, and from what I've heard from old Master Austria, Master Prussia can't swim. Whenever he tried, he had to use a floatie with a rope for someone to hold on to pull him back to shore. This was the best way to avoid my master; hopefully he won't be too determined and try swimming after me. Slowing the boat down, I centered it on the lake and waited to be found by basking in the sun.
Eventually Master Prussia found me, and he didn't look very happy one bit. "_! ROW YOUR ASS OVER HERE THIS ISNTANT!" When I showed no sign of moving, he paced on the bank a few times before coming to a decision. Master put his hands on his hips, "I'LL JUST SWIM IN AFTER YOU!"
I grabbed the oars, "DON'T! MASTER, YOU CAN'T SWIM!" I shouted.
"I CAN TOO!"
And then he jumped in.
My hands were frozen as I watched my master do the most pathetic breast strokes I've ever seen. He looked like an idiot with determination. I knew Master Prussia would grow tired soon by wasting so much energy on horrible swimming but I couldn't will myself to row. Gilbird flew over him in circles, like a sign that if his master started drowning, anyone would know where to swim to.
Then, of course, my master went below water before he made it halfway to the rowboat. I started rowing towards the spot and jumped off to save him, hoping he wasn't a fast sinker. The water was surprisingly clear, enough for me to spot Master Prussia falling towards the bottom unconscious. Wearing a dress while swimming wasn't the best match but I tried as hard as I could to reach my master.
By the time I reached him, he was lying on the sandy floor of the lake. Both of my legs were tired and yet I had the strength to pick him up and start heading towards the surface. My lungs were burning as if on fire, for I've never held my breath this long before. I wasn't made for saving a grown man from drowning, I was only sixteen! He better be thankful for this once he wakes up or I'll leave him stranded in the middle of the lake and he can learn to swim from there.
Finally I reached the surface where I could breathe in the welcoming fresh air. With weakened arms, I pushed my master into the rowboat, not caring what position he landed in. I climbed aboard and started rowing while he lied in an awkward way with his face smashed against the floor. God have mercy on me for saving this son of a bastard when I could've enjoyed a peaceful break like my master wanted me to.
Reaching shore didn't improve my mood when I noticed that my master wasn't breathing. Immediately I flung him onto the ground and nearly gagged at what I had to do next. His face was turning a weird color, a sign that I had to make a choice that very instant or he'll certainly die. I pinched his nose, opened his mouth a bit, and blew. Dear Lord I did not like the feel of my master's lips against mine or the fact that he might kiss me if he awakened. Inhaling deeply, I repeated this procedure until I heard a weird sound come from within him.
I sat back on my heels just in time; he sat up coughing out water. His body shivered from the act and he looked as if he hadn't slept well in a thousand years. Master Prussia rubbed his eyes a bit before looking at me with those strange red eyes of his. Cautiously I backed up, just in case he was going to tackle me for ruining his windows, but he just sat there. Then my legs felt too weak to move anymore and so I sat there staring back at him.
"Why do you have to be so difficult?" he asked.
"I don't know, sir."
Master Prussia stood up, "Kesesesese, such an unladylike girl you are." He held out his hand and I grabbed it so he could help me up, but of course, he didn't let go. "You're going to take a bath, you smell of lake water."
"You do too," I muttered.
Smiling, he put an arm around my shoulder and we made our way back to the mansion. Lucky for me, he completely forgot about the dirty windows.
In the bathtub…
Such a greedy man. Everything in his house had to be over expensive or rare just to make himself feel better. His bathroom consisted of anything pricy that was either black or white, to represent his flag that hung on one wall. Above the bathroom was a glass dome that showed the beautiful blue sky and lazy clouds drifting by. Exotic flowers were placed in black vases wherever a spot seemed too empty. Master kept a barrel of beer off to one side with a fine glass goblet beside it, a luxury he was proud of. The bathtub was circular, it was big enough to fit five grown men inside it and still be comfortable. Even old Master Austria would be irritated if he saw this bathroom, for the whole thing was ridiculous.
I wasn't in the mood to bathe quickly, so I played with the mass of foamy bubbles floating on the surface of the bathwater. Just being in this room made me feel lonely and only priceless items would kept me satisfied. This emotion seemed to have taken all my happiness away as my mind drifted through memories of my youth. My master had a toy boat named the "Awesome Me" that floated about whenever I moved; I stared at it with distain. Maybe I-
The door burst open and was slammed shut. Echoes of the sound bounced around the room until it vanished into nothing but the tiniest whisper. Footsteps brought new echoes until they stopped right beside me, I let out an annoyed sigh as I hid my chest with the foam. Irritated Master Prussia sat down and put his arms around his legs as if he were a pouting child. He made agitated sounds with his throat to catch the attention I was already giving him, such a five year old.
"Yes, Master?"
He fidgeted, "Mmf."
I gave him his toy boat and he started moving it around in the water. With a sigh, I leaned back, "You came in for a reason, no?"
"I'm not happy."
"I can see that."
"I can see that," he mocked. Agitated more than ever, my master pursed his lips and pretended the "Awesome Me" was sinking in the bath.
"Don't you want to talk about it?"
"…Alright…" Master Prussia grabbed my chin with one hand and leaned in really close, ready to "talk" about it.
He was drunk.
Why the heck would he be? That question wouldn't be answered until he was sober, and I'd rather knock some sense into him now. Anger boiled inside of me to a point that I had the strength to grab the lapels of his jacket and pull him into the tub. Maybe he'd drown in here, but I wasn't going to stick around long enough to see. I grabbed a towel and left the tub, and then I left the bathroom wrapped up without another word.