❝love is watching someone die. so who’s going to watch you die?❞
Title: Pride Goeth Before the Fall - Chapter Two
Series: Axis Powers Hetalia
Words: 1,500
Characters: Turkey-centric (appearances by Egypt, England, France, and numerous Arab OC’s)
Rating: PG
Warnings: mentions of violence, some language, human names
Summary: The gradual decline and fall of the Ottoman Empire, beginning with the Italo-Turkish War and ending with the creation of the new Turkish State.
Chapter Summary: After the Balkan Wars, Sadiq rashly enters into an alliance with the Central Powers and is dragged into a war he cannot survive. (The Balkan Wars, World War I, and the Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire)
Chapter One
Pride Goeth Before the Fall
Chapter Two
“Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Sadiq approaches Istanbul drenched in a cold sweat. A small cut under his eye bleeds steadily, so he is a ghastly figure as he approaches, crying tears of blood beneath his mask. The sleeves of his shirt are ripped nearly to tatters, and he clenches his hands to keep them from trembling. He enters the palace through a back entrance, limping to avoid aggravating a twisted knee, and makes his way to his rooms without seeing anyone, and then collapses into a heap on his bed.
For a moment, he can concentrate on nothing but his shallow breathing and the beat of his heart. He lets out a noise that is half groan, half sigh, and finally he slips into an uneasy sleep, having taken off neither his heavy coat nor his scimitar.
Gupta is leaning over him when he opens his eyes. “You did something rash again.” It is not a question. Sadiq’s vision slowly blinks into focus, and he attempts to rise, but Gupta pushes him back down, shaking his head. “Do not strain yourself further.”
The cut under his eye seems to have stopped bleeding, but there is a trail of dried blood across his face. Gupta washes it gently away with a warm cloth, but when he tries to reach up and move Sadiq’s mask away, the empire balks, grabbing the Egyptian’s wrist.
“Not even you,” Sadiq says warningly, his voice gruff, “are allowed to do that.”
Gupta shrugs and sits back. He has pulled up a chair next to Sadiq’s bed, and his face is carefully blank when he murmurs, “Albania is not coming back, is he?”
Instead of responding to the question, Sadiq grits his teeth and chokes, “I’m going to strangle them-all of them. Fucking Serbia … Bulgaria … that … damn … Greek …!”
“They knew you were in no state to fight this war.” Sometimes, Gupta’s careful rationality is refreshing. Today, however, that is not the case.
“I’m more than fit to fight them,” Sadiq spits. “Lazy, ungrateful cowards, that’s what they are! I fight their wards and run their governments for centuries, and how do they repay me? With bullets and iron and blood. Arrogant little brats…”
“But you did something rash.” Gupta repeats his words, and there is an edge to them, this time. “What were you thinking?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sadiq says thickly.
“Then what are Austria and Germany doing with a treaty with your name on it?”
He had been enraged, after losing in the Balkans. His vision had gone redder than his flag, redder than blood. He was too ashamed to go home. So he had stumbled around in Europe, ignoring his wounds and not meeting anyone’s gaze. And when he stumbled into Berlin, and heard Ludwig, Gilbert, and Roderich talking of war, so what if he had lifted a pen and signed a pact?
“It wasn’t rash. The allies are already divvying up my lands. Who’s to stop them from taking more?”
“You think the Germans will protect you?” Gupta asks ruefully.
“I need no one’s protection!” Sadiq barks back. Realizing that he’s yelling, Sadiq lowers his voice. “But if they’re busy making war with one another in Europe, they’ll leave me alone.”
“You know that’s a fool’s hope.”
“Are you calling me a fool?” Sadiq explodes, and despite his injuries he leaps up from the bed and grabs Gupta by the shoulders, shaking him roughly. “I have kept this empire alive for half a millennium. I have fought crusades and tumbled empires and made a sport of war. So think very carefully about whether you want to insult me. I killed Byzantium and Rome. You think I wouldn’t do the same to you?”
Gupta has never heard Sadiq make reference to the wars of so long ago, before. But now that he thinks about it, didn’t the Ottoman Empire conquer Constantinople, and rebuild it in their own image? Didn’t the Turks make it as far as Hungary and Spain, conquering the lands of Africa and Europe? Sadiq has not merely seen war; Sadiq is war.
“You may not be a fool,” Gupta replies carefully, in his calm, staid way, “but your hopes were misplaced. The Allies are not going to ignore you.”
“And how do you know that?” Sadiq demands with deadly quiet.
“Because I came to fetch him this morning.”
Arthur enters the room, Sudan following solemnly behind him. The Englishman’s arm is clenched like a vice around the shoulder of a very young, very frightened looking nation.
“Cyprus-!” Sadiq’s voice twists in fury. “Take your hands off of him, you bastard, or I’ll-”
“Or you’ll what?” Arthur laughs with pity. “Not much of the empire you used to be, are you? And foolish enough to go against us.” He shakes his head slowly, incredulously.
“The Allies will not tolerate war. We won’t have the balance of power destroyed by you. And so these three will be coming with me until you see sense.”
Sadiq turns to Gupta slowly, and the truth is evident on the other man’s face. His mouth is drawn into a tight line, and his eyes are sad. “I tried to tell you,” he whispers.
Arthur beckons Gupta with one hand, still holding onto Cyprus with the other. Without a word of farewell, the Egyptian follows Arthur and Sudan out of the room.
“What-no!” Sadiq roars, and tries to run after them. His injured knee freezes, however, sending him tumbling to the ground. Before he can rise to his feet, Arthur sticks his head back into the room and scoffs.
“Forging alliances doesn’t avert war,” he says, “it only amplifies it.”
“Fuck you. I’ll win this stupid war, and then we’ll see!” Sadiq scrambles to his feet and attempts to stand straight, imposing, but his legs quiver with the effort.
“Yes, we’ll see,” Arthur drolls sarcastically. And then he is gone.
“I’ll win the war!” Sadiq yells to no one, his voice echoing off the empty wars. “I don’t lose!”
†††
The Central Powers lose the war.
“You know, cher, there’s certainly a lot of territory out there,” Francis murmurs to Arthur with a smirk.
“We could just divvy it up now, and not tell the others?” Arthur asks, his eyes alight with the prospect.
“And why not? It’s not as if they’re here to claim a piece of the pie for themselves.”
“This may be the first good idea you’ve ever had, wine bastard.”
Francis smiles slowly, licking his lips. “It’s almost too easy, rosbif.”
Decided, the two former enemies raise their glasses to one another in a toast before draining the wine.
†††
He is falling apart. Every day, more and more of his wards come to him with blank expressions and empty eyes, waving silent farewells. Some don’t have the decency to hide their obvious pleasure at being rid of him; others know the future holds nothing bright for them and are merely resigned to their fate. None of them struggle to stay.
He is bed-ridden, one of his legs broken and two of his ribs snapped over his still-beating heart. No one is sure if he will heal, if he is even alive now, but Sadiq’s mind is still awake, and he can see everything going on around him through the narrow slits in his mask. So he is perfectly aware when his great general enters the room with two other men. The trio look down at their empire with pity, with disdain, and with regret.
“Such a disgrace,” one scoffs. “the heart of the Muslim world reduced to this.”
“Corruption. It was all corruption.”
“We need a fresh start.”
“We need a new plan.”
“We need to save ourselves.” On that, they all agree.
“Istanbul is tainted, now.”
“A new capital?” One asks, doubtfully.
“No.” The general shakes his head. “A whole new nation. We’ll cut off the corrupt parts in order to save the core. Are we Ottomans, first, or Turks? We need to decide. And then we need to save what we can.”
“A new nation,” his companion murmurs dreamily.
“A land for the Turks,” the third says, savoring every word. The general mutters something to them, and Sadiq sees the two other men leave the room. When they are gone, Mustafa Kemal approaches Sadiq’s bedside and places his hand on the empire’s shoulder.
“You probably can’t hear me, but I thought I’d say this, anyway-I’m sorry. Had I been able to save the Ottoman Empire, I would have. But there is no hope for it now.”
He leans down and kisses Sadiq once on each cheek-a typical greeting, a typical farewell. And then he leaves the room.
Suddenly, the world goes very, very dark. Sadiq’s heart begins to hammer in his chest, and his blood quickens. He wonders if he’s getting better, but then he realizes these are not the signs of vitality; they are the signs of panic.
With great effort, he opens his mouth and forces words through his lips.
“I don’t want to die.”
†††
footnotes;;
* The Fall of the Ottoman Empire is a difficult decline to map. Internally, the Empire began its decline as early as the 18th century, and the Greek War of Independence in the 1800’s definitely played a roll, as well. However, for this fic I am choosing to focus on the external causes of the Empire’s decline.
* The Balkan Wars lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League (Serbia, Greece, and Bulgaria) against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies, and achieved rapid success. As a result of the war, almost all remaining European territories of the Ottoman Empire were captured and partitioned among the allies. Ensuing events also led to the creation of an independent Albanian state. Despite its success, Bulgaria was unsatisfied with the peace settlement and with the Ottoman threat gone, soon would start a Second Balkan War, this time against its First Balkan War allies.
* The Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers in the war, the secret Ottoman-German Alliance having been signed in August 1914. In retaliation, the United Kingdom seized control of Cyprus, Egypt, and Sudan.
* The Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire was a political event that occurred after World War I. The huge conglomeration of territories and peoples formerly ruled by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire was divided into several new nations.
* Mustafa Kemal Atatürk became known as an extremely capable military officer by being the only undefeated Ottoman commander during World War I. Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, he led the Turkish national movement in the Turkish War of Independence.
The third and last chapter will deal with the creation of the new Turkish state.
Series: Axis Powers Hetalia
Words: 1,500
Characters: Turkey-centric (appearances by Egypt, England, France, and numerous Arab OC’s)
Rating: PG
Warnings: mentions of violence, some language, human names
Summary: The gradual decline and fall of the Ottoman Empire, beginning with the Italo-Turkish War and ending with the creation of the new Turkish State.
Chapter Summary: After the Balkan Wars, Sadiq rashly enters into an alliance with the Central Powers and is dragged into a war he cannot survive. (The Balkan Wars, World War I, and the Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire)
Chapter One
Pride Goeth Before the Fall
Chapter Two
“Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Sadiq approaches Istanbul drenched in a cold sweat. A small cut under his eye bleeds steadily, so he is a ghastly figure as he approaches, crying tears of blood beneath his mask. The sleeves of his shirt are ripped nearly to tatters, and he clenches his hands to keep them from trembling. He enters the palace through a back entrance, limping to avoid aggravating a twisted knee, and makes his way to his rooms without seeing anyone, and then collapses into a heap on his bed.
For a moment, he can concentrate on nothing but his shallow breathing and the beat of his heart. He lets out a noise that is half groan, half sigh, and finally he slips into an uneasy sleep, having taken off neither his heavy coat nor his scimitar.
Gupta is leaning over him when he opens his eyes. “You did something rash again.” It is not a question. Sadiq’s vision slowly blinks into focus, and he attempts to rise, but Gupta pushes him back down, shaking his head. “Do not strain yourself further.”
The cut under his eye seems to have stopped bleeding, but there is a trail of dried blood across his face. Gupta washes it gently away with a warm cloth, but when he tries to reach up and move Sadiq’s mask away, the empire balks, grabbing the Egyptian’s wrist.
“Not even you,” Sadiq says warningly, his voice gruff, “are allowed to do that.”
Gupta shrugs and sits back. He has pulled up a chair next to Sadiq’s bed, and his face is carefully blank when he murmurs, “Albania is not coming back, is he?”
Instead of responding to the question, Sadiq grits his teeth and chokes, “I’m going to strangle them-all of them. Fucking Serbia … Bulgaria … that … damn … Greek …!”
“They knew you were in no state to fight this war.” Sometimes, Gupta’s careful rationality is refreshing. Today, however, that is not the case.
“I’m more than fit to fight them,” Sadiq spits. “Lazy, ungrateful cowards, that’s what they are! I fight their wards and run their governments for centuries, and how do they repay me? With bullets and iron and blood. Arrogant little brats…”
“But you did something rash.” Gupta repeats his words, and there is an edge to them, this time. “What were you thinking?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sadiq says thickly.
“Then what are Austria and Germany doing with a treaty with your name on it?”
He had been enraged, after losing in the Balkans. His vision had gone redder than his flag, redder than blood. He was too ashamed to go home. So he had stumbled around in Europe, ignoring his wounds and not meeting anyone’s gaze. And when he stumbled into Berlin, and heard Ludwig, Gilbert, and Roderich talking of war, so what if he had lifted a pen and signed a pact?
“It wasn’t rash. The allies are already divvying up my lands. Who’s to stop them from taking more?”
“You think the Germans will protect you?” Gupta asks ruefully.
“I need no one’s protection!” Sadiq barks back. Realizing that he’s yelling, Sadiq lowers his voice. “But if they’re busy making war with one another in Europe, they’ll leave me alone.”
“You know that’s a fool’s hope.”
“Are you calling me a fool?” Sadiq explodes, and despite his injuries he leaps up from the bed and grabs Gupta by the shoulders, shaking him roughly. “I have kept this empire alive for half a millennium. I have fought crusades and tumbled empires and made a sport of war. So think very carefully about whether you want to insult me. I killed Byzantium and Rome. You think I wouldn’t do the same to you?”
Gupta has never heard Sadiq make reference to the wars of so long ago, before. But now that he thinks about it, didn’t the Ottoman Empire conquer Constantinople, and rebuild it in their own image? Didn’t the Turks make it as far as Hungary and Spain, conquering the lands of Africa and Europe? Sadiq has not merely seen war; Sadiq is war.
“You may not be a fool,” Gupta replies carefully, in his calm, staid way, “but your hopes were misplaced. The Allies are not going to ignore you.”
“And how do you know that?” Sadiq demands with deadly quiet.
“Because I came to fetch him this morning.”
Arthur enters the room, Sudan following solemnly behind him. The Englishman’s arm is clenched like a vice around the shoulder of a very young, very frightened looking nation.
“Cyprus-!” Sadiq’s voice twists in fury. “Take your hands off of him, you bastard, or I’ll-”
“Or you’ll what?” Arthur laughs with pity. “Not much of the empire you used to be, are you? And foolish enough to go against us.” He shakes his head slowly, incredulously.
“The Allies will not tolerate war. We won’t have the balance of power destroyed by you. And so these three will be coming with me until you see sense.”
Sadiq turns to Gupta slowly, and the truth is evident on the other man’s face. His mouth is drawn into a tight line, and his eyes are sad. “I tried to tell you,” he whispers.
Arthur beckons Gupta with one hand, still holding onto Cyprus with the other. Without a word of farewell, the Egyptian follows Arthur and Sudan out of the room.
“What-no!” Sadiq roars, and tries to run after them. His injured knee freezes, however, sending him tumbling to the ground. Before he can rise to his feet, Arthur sticks his head back into the room and scoffs.
“Forging alliances doesn’t avert war,” he says, “it only amplifies it.”
“Fuck you. I’ll win this stupid war, and then we’ll see!” Sadiq scrambles to his feet and attempts to stand straight, imposing, but his legs quiver with the effort.
“Yes, we’ll see,” Arthur drolls sarcastically. And then he is gone.
“I’ll win the war!” Sadiq yells to no one, his voice echoing off the empty wars. “I don’t lose!”
†††
The Central Powers lose the war.
“You know, cher, there’s certainly a lot of territory out there,” Francis murmurs to Arthur with a smirk.
“We could just divvy it up now, and not tell the others?” Arthur asks, his eyes alight with the prospect.
“And why not? It’s not as if they’re here to claim a piece of the pie for themselves.”
“This may be the first good idea you’ve ever had, wine bastard.”
Francis smiles slowly, licking his lips. “It’s almost too easy, rosbif.”
Decided, the two former enemies raise their glasses to one another in a toast before draining the wine.
†††
He is falling apart. Every day, more and more of his wards come to him with blank expressions and empty eyes, waving silent farewells. Some don’t have the decency to hide their obvious pleasure at being rid of him; others know the future holds nothing bright for them and are merely resigned to their fate. None of them struggle to stay.
He is bed-ridden, one of his legs broken and two of his ribs snapped over his still-beating heart. No one is sure if he will heal, if he is even alive now, but Sadiq’s mind is still awake, and he can see everything going on around him through the narrow slits in his mask. So he is perfectly aware when his great general enters the room with two other men. The trio look down at their empire with pity, with disdain, and with regret.
“Such a disgrace,” one scoffs. “the heart of the Muslim world reduced to this.”
“Corruption. It was all corruption.”
“We need a fresh start.”
“We need a new plan.”
“We need to save ourselves.” On that, they all agree.
“Istanbul is tainted, now.”
“A new capital?” One asks, doubtfully.
“No.” The general shakes his head. “A whole new nation. We’ll cut off the corrupt parts in order to save the core. Are we Ottomans, first, or Turks? We need to decide. And then we need to save what we can.”
“A new nation,” his companion murmurs dreamily.
“A land for the Turks,” the third says, savoring every word. The general mutters something to them, and Sadiq sees the two other men leave the room. When they are gone, Mustafa Kemal approaches Sadiq’s bedside and places his hand on the empire’s shoulder.
“You probably can’t hear me, but I thought I’d say this, anyway-I’m sorry. Had I been able to save the Ottoman Empire, I would have. But there is no hope for it now.”
He leans down and kisses Sadiq once on each cheek-a typical greeting, a typical farewell. And then he leaves the room.
Suddenly, the world goes very, very dark. Sadiq’s heart begins to hammer in his chest, and his blood quickens. He wonders if he’s getting better, but then he realizes these are not the signs of vitality; they are the signs of panic.
With great effort, he opens his mouth and forces words through his lips.
“I don’t want to die.”
†††
footnotes;;
* The Fall of the Ottoman Empire is a difficult decline to map. Internally, the Empire began its decline as early as the 18th century, and the Greek War of Independence in the 1800’s definitely played a roll, as well. However, for this fic I am choosing to focus on the external causes of the Empire’s decline.
* The Balkan Wars lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League (Serbia, Greece, and Bulgaria) against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies, and achieved rapid success. As a result of the war, almost all remaining European territories of the Ottoman Empire were captured and partitioned among the allies. Ensuing events also led to the creation of an independent Albanian state. Despite its success, Bulgaria was unsatisfied with the peace settlement and with the Ottoman threat gone, soon would start a Second Balkan War, this time against its First Balkan War allies.
* The Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers in the war, the secret Ottoman-German Alliance having been signed in August 1914. In retaliation, the United Kingdom seized control of Cyprus, Egypt, and Sudan.
* The Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire was a political event that occurred after World War I. The huge conglomeration of territories and peoples formerly ruled by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire was divided into several new nations.
* Mustafa Kemal Atatürk became known as an extremely capable military officer by being the only undefeated Ottoman commander during World War I. Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, he led the Turkish national movement in the Turkish War of Independence.
The third and last chapter will deal with the creation of the new Turkish state.