(no subject)
I finally finished reading "Das Erlkönig-Manöver" (a novel starring Goethe, Schiller, Humboldt, Arnim, Brentano, Kleist) - Kleist and Humboldt fell in love with each other and now I really wonder if there is ANY historical evidence for this. I don't think so. My yaoi-fangirl heart rejoiced, though.
I was out this week, playing group manager for a bunch of youngsters - but I'm back now. This kind of volunteer work isn't always easy, but I had fun too and I learnt a lot and gained new experience (which is my main reason for doing this).
Today I excelled in deactivating the alarm clock without waking up - I do that once in a while. The alarm clock was set at 7:30, because I have to be at the abbey (our base) at 8 o'clock for breakfast. Well, of course I didn't wake up, because I had deactivated the alarm in my sleep. But suddenly I woke with a start because I heard my mother yelling my name from upstairs. I jumped out of the bed and ran upstairs but my mother was nowhere to be seen, only my father reading the paper. I looked at the clock and was shocked because it was already 7:50. So I hurried to the bathroom to wash and change and when I came out again I saw my mother coming from her bedroom, sleepy-eyed. I had no time then to ask her if she had called for me, because I was already late. I arrived at the abbey at 8:05.
Anyway, when I came back home today, I asked my mother if she had called for me in the morning, and she said no, because she had been asleep at that time.
Okay, after the weird noises my father claims to have heard the night before yesterday when he was alone at home, it's certain now that the house is haunted.
[Fanfic] Every Day we're getting Closer (3/3)
Author: Glareola Pratincole
Characters: Prussia, Bavaria
Rating: Innocent.
Warnings: Gimcrackery (that's my new favourite word)
Words: 1502
Summary: Bavaria is a true master at showmanship. Especially when it comes to young girls.
*
Winter 1842/1843. Lake Tegernsee.
This winter saw the new crown princess' first hiking tour without her new family. The mountainous paths around Lake Tegernsee were covered in snow, but they were easy to walk on - the local maidens, who were instructed to show the princess and her maids around, had seen to that. Princess Marie and her first maid went a little ahead. She found the giggling, flippant native girls a little annoying. Their questions on her custom-made hiking dress were polite enough, but the barely veiled inquiries on a successor to the throne were, in Marie's view, simply ill-mannered.
When they rested, Marie chose a spot away from the group. She wished herself back home to Prussia where she had enjoyed the freedom of childhood. She remembered Mount Schneekoppe, where she had grown up, remembered its snow-white ridge, the dark green slopes below, and just when the homesickness caused such an emotional uproar within her that her eyes began to water, she noticed that somebody had come close. At first she thought it was one of her maids, so she quickly rubbed her eyes and turned around.
Not far behind her stood a cloaked man, idly supporting himself on a crook. This made her think of the old shepherds in her Prussian homeland, their bearing as majestic as a bishop's. She nodded at him as a greeting and hoped that he would interpret it as an invitation to come closer. It would be nice to talk to a local that was not as silly as these girls.
When he stood beside her, he pushed his hood back. She was surprised to see the face of a man in his twenties or thirties - his age was hard to guess, but he was not the ancient shepherd she had expected. Under his cloak she saw the seams of a hunter's clothes but he didn't carry a rifle.
"Good morning", she said. "It's a nice day, isn't it?"
He looked at her with grey eyes, the left one looking right at her, the right eye oddly twisted towards the bridge of his nose. "So you have come to see the countryside?"
"Ah, yes." She felt she had seen this face before, in the Residence. Hadn't he been talking to her father-in-law? She wasn't sure. "I'm looking for good hiking routes. I grew up close to the Schneekoppe. That's a mountain in Prussia. It's 1602 metres high. From its peak you can view the lands surrounding it - it's a beautiful place, in winter it looks like a white sea. I don't know if it's the same here." She looked around. "In Austria the Alps are extremely rugged, aren't they? I've been told I shouldn't go there as a lady because of the dangers."
The man frowned. "You aren't in Austria yet."
"I know that, but these mountains belong to the Alps, don't they?"
"It's called prealpine lands. I take it that you want to see from above? I'll show you." He offered her his arm.
Marie took his arm without hesitation and let him lead her down the path. She felt oddly secure with him, as if he could never take a wrong step. They were completely alone now and that nobody knew where Marie had gone, but somehow that didn't bother her.
They left the trodden path, climbed up to were the snow-covered ground was more stony. There were no other footprints, the glitter of the snow was unscathed and pure. When the snow-covered path became narrower, she had to let go of his arm to find her own balance. He walked at a brisk pace, climbing up slopes and jumping over cracks. Marie found it a little difficult to keep up with him on this rough terrain. She wished she had a walking staff like the one he used, or the body of a man. Several times she would slide on the slippery ground, stumble over a hidden obstacle or even fall down on her knees. Then he would turn around and offer a helpful hand. Every time she got up on her own, because she knew she could.
When they stopped, Marie took a deep breath, and then a look around. During the climbing she had barely had time to take in her surroundings. It was magnificent.
Below them was Lake Tegernsee, not completely frozen over - the icy water sparkled in the sunlight, just like the snow on the shore, on the scattered houses, on the ancient trees that covered the slopes. There wasn't the slightest breath of wind, and yet the soft mist that hung around the mountain tops surrounding the valley, seemed to move like wraiths.
The man beside Marie sighed. His breath turned into a little cloud as soon as it left his mouth.
Suddenly she realized, in some twisted way she couldn't grasp, let alone describe, that this man resembled the lands stretching out below. It reminded her of somebody else. She thought of Gilbert Beilschmidt and the tears from before welled up in her eyes again. Yet she didn't know who the stranger beside her really was, because she was human, and no human ever expected to find a country in a person, no matter how many other impersonifications she had met before.
Quickly, she regained her composure and said: "This is a beautiful piece of land", while facing the lakeside.
"So surprised? I'm sure you've seen pictures."
"Maybe I did. Queen Elisabeth showed me many."
"Elise, how is she?"
"You know her? Well, I think she is fine. She misses Bavaria still, I think. Funny to think that I am here now, only to miss Prussia." Although it was true that she missed her homecountry, but ever since she had started talking to this man she had forgotten about the deep sadness. She had forgotten that she didn't belong here and felt welcome all of a sudden.
"May I ask for your full name?", she inquired.
"Quirin Brandtner."
"Oh, like the little church down there? I heard it has the relics of a saint."
"They sent the relics of St. Quirinius because of my name, yes. All the way here from Rome. Over a thousand years ago."
She nodded. It was so odd what he said. "But you do live in the Residence in Munich, am I right?"
"You recognized me?"
"I saw you talking to the king. Are you a secretary?"
"I'm a representative."
Before she could ask him whom or what he represented, she heard a faint echo down in the valley. It sounded like her name. "I really need to go soon", she said and looked around for the way back. "My first maid must be worried sick. She's so afraid ever since I told her in the morning. She almost refused to let me go for the walk. It's irrational, though!"
"What was it that you told her?"
Marie realized that she wouldn't find the safe way down on her own, so she stopped and looked back at him. He looked like someone who could keep a secret, at least for a while. "I told her that there will soon be a little prince", she finally answered.
He looked genuinely surprised, and his right eye seemed to slip towards the sky. "Why didn't Maximilian tell me?"
"My husband doesn't know yet. I wanted to be sure before I told him." She watched Quirin's face. The perplexed look made her smile. Suddenly she felt some kind of attachment to him.
Of course she had no idea what was really going on inside his head. A heir... a grandson for the king. A heir to the throne - to his throne. Bavaria felt a sudden rush of excitement, so strong as if he himself was the father of the child (he wasn't, of course, because a country reproducing with a human was not within the bounds of possibility).
To Marie, however, he just looked a little bit guilty now, as if regretting that he had dragged her up here. She assumed that he pondered on a safer route to get her back down on.
"Please hurry", she said.
"Oh. Yes." With that, he moved forward and kissed her. She tried to pull back, fearing that this might count as adultery, but found that she couldn't. Instead she felt that she had hit upon something, as if she had digged up the root of a plant. The image was so vivid that her hands felt clammy from digging in wet soil. Foreign soil... was she dreaming?
Quirin stepped back. Marie, who didn't expect this, swayed a little. Although she wasn't about to fall over, Quirin caught her gloved hands.
"There, there", he said in a low voice and smiled at her.
"I digged you up", she said, aware that she must sound incoherent. "You were in the earth... in this earth." She stomped her foot in a seemingly hopeless attempt to indicate what she meant.
"It's not 'I were'. I am."
And then it made sense. "So this is you."
*
Even I think this chapter came out too kitschy, but I had so much fun writing it! Naturally. Ah well. At least this fic is finished.
I was out this week, playing group manager for a bunch of youngsters - but I'm back now. This kind of volunteer work isn't always easy, but I had fun too and I learnt a lot and gained new experience (which is my main reason for doing this).
Today I excelled in deactivating the alarm clock without waking up - I do that once in a while. The alarm clock was set at 7:30, because I have to be at the abbey (our base) at 8 o'clock for breakfast. Well, of course I didn't wake up, because I had deactivated the alarm in my sleep. But suddenly I woke with a start because I heard my mother yelling my name from upstairs. I jumped out of the bed and ran upstairs but my mother was nowhere to be seen, only my father reading the paper. I looked at the clock and was shocked because it was already 7:50. So I hurried to the bathroom to wash and change and when I came out again I saw my mother coming from her bedroom, sleepy-eyed. I had no time then to ask her if she had called for me, because I was already late. I arrived at the abbey at 8:05.
Anyway, when I came back home today, I asked my mother if she had called for me in the morning, and she said no, because she had been asleep at that time.
Okay, after the weird noises my father claims to have heard the night before yesterday when he was alone at home, it's certain now that the house is haunted.
[Fanfic] Every Day we're getting Closer (3/3)
Author: Glareola Pratincole
Characters: Prussia, Bavaria
Rating: Innocent.
Warnings: Gimcrackery (that's my new favourite word)
Words: 1502
Summary: Bavaria is a true master at showmanship. Especially when it comes to young girls.
*
Winter 1842/1843. Lake Tegernsee.
This winter saw the new crown princess' first hiking tour without her new family. The mountainous paths around Lake Tegernsee were covered in snow, but they were easy to walk on - the local maidens, who were instructed to show the princess and her maids around, had seen to that. Princess Marie and her first maid went a little ahead. She found the giggling, flippant native girls a little annoying. Their questions on her custom-made hiking dress were polite enough, but the barely veiled inquiries on a successor to the throne were, in Marie's view, simply ill-mannered.
When they rested, Marie chose a spot away from the group. She wished herself back home to Prussia where she had enjoyed the freedom of childhood. She remembered Mount Schneekoppe, where she had grown up, remembered its snow-white ridge, the dark green slopes below, and just when the homesickness caused such an emotional uproar within her that her eyes began to water, she noticed that somebody had come close. At first she thought it was one of her maids, so she quickly rubbed her eyes and turned around.
Not far behind her stood a cloaked man, idly supporting himself on a crook. This made her think of the old shepherds in her Prussian homeland, their bearing as majestic as a bishop's. She nodded at him as a greeting and hoped that he would interpret it as an invitation to come closer. It would be nice to talk to a local that was not as silly as these girls.
When he stood beside her, he pushed his hood back. She was surprised to see the face of a man in his twenties or thirties - his age was hard to guess, but he was not the ancient shepherd she had expected. Under his cloak she saw the seams of a hunter's clothes but he didn't carry a rifle.
"Good morning", she said. "It's a nice day, isn't it?"
He looked at her with grey eyes, the left one looking right at her, the right eye oddly twisted towards the bridge of his nose. "So you have come to see the countryside?"
"Ah, yes." She felt she had seen this face before, in the Residence. Hadn't he been talking to her father-in-law? She wasn't sure. "I'm looking for good hiking routes. I grew up close to the Schneekoppe. That's a mountain in Prussia. It's 1602 metres high. From its peak you can view the lands surrounding it - it's a beautiful place, in winter it looks like a white sea. I don't know if it's the same here." She looked around. "In Austria the Alps are extremely rugged, aren't they? I've been told I shouldn't go there as a lady because of the dangers."
The man frowned. "You aren't in Austria yet."
"I know that, but these mountains belong to the Alps, don't they?"
"It's called prealpine lands. I take it that you want to see from above? I'll show you." He offered her his arm.
Marie took his arm without hesitation and let him lead her down the path. She felt oddly secure with him, as if he could never take a wrong step. They were completely alone now and that nobody knew where Marie had gone, but somehow that didn't bother her.
They left the trodden path, climbed up to were the snow-covered ground was more stony. There were no other footprints, the glitter of the snow was unscathed and pure. When the snow-covered path became narrower, she had to let go of his arm to find her own balance. He walked at a brisk pace, climbing up slopes and jumping over cracks. Marie found it a little difficult to keep up with him on this rough terrain. She wished she had a walking staff like the one he used, or the body of a man. Several times she would slide on the slippery ground, stumble over a hidden obstacle or even fall down on her knees. Then he would turn around and offer a helpful hand. Every time she got up on her own, because she knew she could.
When they stopped, Marie took a deep breath, and then a look around. During the climbing she had barely had time to take in her surroundings. It was magnificent.
Below them was Lake Tegernsee, not completely frozen over - the icy water sparkled in the sunlight, just like the snow on the shore, on the scattered houses, on the ancient trees that covered the slopes. There wasn't the slightest breath of wind, and yet the soft mist that hung around the mountain tops surrounding the valley, seemed to move like wraiths.
The man beside Marie sighed. His breath turned into a little cloud as soon as it left his mouth.
Suddenly she realized, in some twisted way she couldn't grasp, let alone describe, that this man resembled the lands stretching out below. It reminded her of somebody else. She thought of Gilbert Beilschmidt and the tears from before welled up in her eyes again. Yet she didn't know who the stranger beside her really was, because she was human, and no human ever expected to find a country in a person, no matter how many other impersonifications she had met before.
Quickly, she regained her composure and said: "This is a beautiful piece of land", while facing the lakeside.
"So surprised? I'm sure you've seen pictures."
"Maybe I did. Queen Elisabeth showed me many."
"Elise, how is she?"
"You know her? Well, I think she is fine. She misses Bavaria still, I think. Funny to think that I am here now, only to miss Prussia." Although it was true that she missed her homecountry, but ever since she had started talking to this man she had forgotten about the deep sadness. She had forgotten that she didn't belong here and felt welcome all of a sudden.
"May I ask for your full name?", she inquired.
"Quirin Brandtner."
"Oh, like the little church down there? I heard it has the relics of a saint."
"They sent the relics of St. Quirinius because of my name, yes. All the way here from Rome. Over a thousand years ago."
She nodded. It was so odd what he said. "But you do live in the Residence in Munich, am I right?"
"You recognized me?"
"I saw you talking to the king. Are you a secretary?"
"I'm a representative."
Before she could ask him whom or what he represented, she heard a faint echo down in the valley. It sounded like her name. "I really need to go soon", she said and looked around for the way back. "My first maid must be worried sick. She's so afraid ever since I told her in the morning. She almost refused to let me go for the walk. It's irrational, though!"
"What was it that you told her?"
Marie realized that she wouldn't find the safe way down on her own, so she stopped and looked back at him. He looked like someone who could keep a secret, at least for a while. "I told her that there will soon be a little prince", she finally answered.
He looked genuinely surprised, and his right eye seemed to slip towards the sky. "Why didn't Maximilian tell me?"
"My husband doesn't know yet. I wanted to be sure before I told him." She watched Quirin's face. The perplexed look made her smile. Suddenly she felt some kind of attachment to him.
Of course she had no idea what was really going on inside his head. A heir... a grandson for the king. A heir to the throne - to his throne. Bavaria felt a sudden rush of excitement, so strong as if he himself was the father of the child (he wasn't, of course, because a country reproducing with a human was not within the bounds of possibility).
To Marie, however, he just looked a little bit guilty now, as if regretting that he had dragged her up here. She assumed that he pondered on a safer route to get her back down on.
"Please hurry", she said.
"Oh. Yes." With that, he moved forward and kissed her. She tried to pull back, fearing that this might count as adultery, but found that she couldn't. Instead she felt that she had hit upon something, as if she had digged up the root of a plant. The image was so vivid that her hands felt clammy from digging in wet soil. Foreign soil... was she dreaming?
Quirin stepped back. Marie, who didn't expect this, swayed a little. Although she wasn't about to fall over, Quirin caught her gloved hands.
"There, there", he said in a low voice and smiled at her.
"I digged you up", she said, aware that she must sound incoherent. "You were in the earth... in this earth." She stomped her foot in a seemingly hopeless attempt to indicate what she meant.
"It's not 'I were'. I am."
And then it made sense. "So this is you."
*
Even I think this chapter came out too kitschy, but I had so much fun writing it! Naturally. Ah well. At least this fic is finished.