Disclaimer: The Hetalia characters and their personifications belong to Hidekaz Himaruya. 日丸屋 秀和

What Not to do if You are a Knight by Gilbert Beilschmidt:

20.) Do not join an order of assassins.

21.) Do not secretly pee your pants when hearing bad news.

FLASHBACK - A Test of Strength

"A tournament?" The pale-skinned 14-year-old cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"Yes," replied their master profoundly, "a tournament arranged by the Landmeister himself! It will determine which young knights are worthy prodigy of becoming part of his... private sector of warriors."

The three young men had been in study when their master informed them of the upcoming event that was to be held in the kingdom. Eli was not present. He had other matters to attend to. Sir Frederick never questioned these excuses.

"Personal guards of the Landmeister?" Francis pondered.

"And the king. It would be a great honor if you were selected to serve in that position."

"But aren't those guys... assassins?" Francis persisted hesitantly.

"I heard they undergo the most ruthless training in the entire Teutonic Order; by the time you finish your initiation, you're barely human anymore," Antonio added.

"I heard that they make you do unspeakable things, like cannibalism, just for the king and the Landmeister's sick pleas-"

"That is enough," Frederick cut Gilbert off. "It is a prestigious position. You become part of an elite faction of the Order, the faction that is entrusted with the king and Landmeister's sacred tasks AND their lives. Yes, it entails harder training than you've known in your life, but it comes with certain privileges as well." He sighed, "Well, I was trying to build you boys up to it... because you, Gilbert, along with Eli, are required to compete in this tournament."

"Ha-ha what? Me and Eli get to kick butt together while the nobles watch?"

"Yes. There have been higher-ups who have witnessed your astounding skill at such a young age. They see promise in both of you. And rightfully so." The aged knight took several slow steps toward the young trio. "As your master, I want all of you to know I am very proud. I am always proud. I believe each of you have what it takes to win." He paused as blue, green, and red eyes beamed up at their revered teacher. Sir Frederick's features morphed into a somewhat pained expression. So subtle was the contortion, however, that only the boy who had been under Frederick's liege the longest caught it. "...Further about this tournament," he continued, "at the end, the victor is not only dubbed an honorary member of the Holy of Holy Knights, he is then taken on a laudatory tour across the realm of Europe before he begins his training."

The boys became rather excited. It sounded pretty cool, displaying their strength in a sort of Battle Royale to be congratulated by the higher-ups. If they were chosen, sure they'd have to leave their friends for a short time and endure some heavy training, but the Landmeister traveled all over the region, so they'd get to visit often.

They were up for it!

Sir Frederick pitied his young apprentices' blissful naivety. It made everything he was about to say all the harder.

"Yes, both you and Eli are mandatory contestants, although not all of them are as young as you... In fact, you two will probably be the youngest in the tournament. Each round will consist of a one-on-one sword fight. The duel will last until one of the challengers surrenders or is unable to continue fighting. Finally, at the end of this tournament, there is only one winner."

"This actually sounds pretty epic," the Spaniard commented, "can Francis and I enter the-"

"And the losers will all be executed."

.

Silence. Deathly silence. So much so that one could hear a pin drop throughout the whole monastery.

The elder man continued. "They want to ensure that only the most loyal, the most fearless contestants compete, so they may be assured that the victor has what it takes to be one of the Holy of Holy Knights. You must be unafraid to face death to prove your worthiness."

"But... if there's only one winner... and the losers are ALL executed... me and Eli... m-me and Eli..."

"One of you will die," came the solemn answer.

There was a heavy shadow cast upon the room. "I do not want you two boys to enter," the master warned, pointing at Francis and Antonio. "No need for our sector to lose three of its best God-damned knights in one day." He sighed heavily. "That's enough scripture for today, boys. You may be dismissed when you are ready. I'll leave you to your own musings. I'll be in my chambers." With that, he walked with weighty footsteps out of the great scroll room.

"Oh, our poor petite Elizaveta!" Francis erupted with genuine tears in his eyes.

"What are we going to do?" Antonio questioned darkly.

"I... I'm going to go talk to her... but no matter what happens, I don't want anybody mentioning the execution rule to her. Agreed?"

"Agreed," the other knights-in-training nodded to their albino friend.

And he scampered off to go find a certain Hungarian.

Translations

* Petite = French for little/small

Historical Notes

* The children's mentor, Sir Frederick, is inspired by Frederick the Great, King of Prussia from 1740 to 1786. There were goods and bads to this historical figure... he was an excellent strategist and an advocate for Enlightenment, but he was also kind of a racist. And once he forced his subjects to eat vegetables by threatening to cut off their ears and noses if they didn't plant potatoes. Talk about strict parenting! Eat your vegetables, kids!

* Landmeister: The Order was divided in three national chapters, Prussia, Livland and the territory of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. The highest officer of each chapter was the Landmeister (country master). They were elected by the regional chapters. The Grandmaster was the highest ranking individual in the Teutonic Order, but eventually the Landmeister was given the ability to create a power of their own.

* I am morally obligated to inform any history enthusiasts out there that the circumstances of this tournament are fictional! There are a plethora of instances exemplifying how people in the Middle Ages found creative ways to kill kids, but luckily this is not one of them!