Table challenge: Prussia, Angst/#12: Distress
Title: On the road to Voltaire
Author: kira
Claim: Prussia
Character(s): Prussia, Frederick II, Voltaire
Table/Prompt: Angst/ Prompt # 12: Distress
Word Count: 878
Rating: PG
Summary: Frederick gets ill on the way to meet Voltaire, which Prussia thinks is good, until Voltaire travels out to meet them instead…
Author’s note: Thanks go out to my beta, Kat, for looking this over.
Frederick closed his eyes and shivered. “I can’t…” he said softly. Drawing his cloak around him, he leaned against the side of the coach. “Tell the driver to stop…”
“Hmmm…?” Prussia said. He looked out the coach’s window, his mood dark and pensive. He was being dragged all the way to France by the young king to meet some idiot Frenchman he kept referring to as Voltaire and he was not happy. He turned to Frederick. “Fritz? Your Majesty?” He reached over and gently shook him.
Frederick moaned softly. He ached all over and one minute he felt like he had been plunged into an icy river, the next he felt like he was thrown into a fire. As much as he was dying to meet his pen pal, Voltaire, he wished he was at home in his nice comfortable bed, his favorite dog curled up on the bed with him.
“Verdammt, Fritz! You’re burning up!!” Prussia took the young king’s walking stick and banged on the roof of the coach. “We need to stop and find some place to stay!!” An hour later, they had found themselves at Moyland Castle in Cleaves, a hundred and fifty miles short of their destination. Prussia, with the help of the some of the servants managed to get Frederick upstairs to their room. The young king sat in a chair, while Prussia fussed about, getting their luggage and paying off the coachman.
“Gilbert? Are there any writing materials on the desk?”
Prussia stopped what he was doing and went to go look. “Yes, Fritz. Why?”
“I need to write to Voltaire and tell him where I am and to come here instead,” Frederick said, his distress at not meeting with his new friend clearly heard in his voice.
Prussia sighed. “You want me to write it for you?”
“No…” Frederick slowly got to his feet and shuffled over to the desk. He sat, his head swimming, while he tried to compose his thoughts.
“You sure you don’t want to go lie down, Fritz?” Prussia could not help hovering over his beloved. While he hated to see him sick, he looked at it as divine intervention.
“Very sure.” Frederick picked up the pen and dashed off a quick note. Folding it, he stuffed it in an envelope and addressed it. Handing it to Prussia, he said, “Gilbert, see if you can find someone to deliver it.”
“Okay,” Prussia said as he took the proffered missive. He was sorely tempted to destroy it as he did not care for Voltaire, but he knew waiting around for someone, who would never arrive, would only add to the young king’s distress and make him sicker. “I’ll be right back, Fritz.”
“Thanks…” Frederick started shivering again and he slowly dragged himself up from the chair and over to the bed. He flopped down on it and somehow managed to kick his shoes off, before crawling under the blankets. Frederick was asleep by the time Prussia had returned.
He checked on the young king, not liking the way his fever was spiking, but was at a loss for what to do. He tended to him as best he could and by the time Voltaire finally did arrive, Frederick was able to sit up and hold court in his bedroom. Prussia rolled his eyes at the French philosopher’s courtly bow, although, he was not happy that Frederick was still sick and shivering when the young king returned the greeting.
Voltaire fussed over the young king like a mother hen and Frederick, who was starved for attention, eagerly ate it up. After Voltaire went to far as to take Frederick’s pulse, he felt so much better that he was able to get up and dress for the day. Prussia could only sigh, when the king decided they would dine together in the dining room. They all trooped downstairs and amid a five course meal, they sat and discussed man’s free will and his immortal soul.
For the next three days, Frederick and Voltaire spent the time, discussing everything and anything of philosophical nature. Prussia followed along silently. He was bored by their discussions and he was annoyed at how quickly the young king recovered in Voltaire’s presence, not to mention jealous over the fact that he was not the one to make him feel better.
When the day arrived for them to go their separate ways, Prussia could not have been happier. He got into the coach with the young king, impatient to be home. “I’m glad you got to meet your friend, Fritz,” he said after listening to Frederick relate a story that knew by heart, having been there when it happened.
“Yeah,” the young king smiled. “Wasn’t it wonderful how he flew to my side when he found out I was ill? Only a true friend would do that, you know!” Frederick gushed.
Prussia nodded, a tight smile plastered on his lips.
“You should have heard him go on about the idea of free will! It was incredible and so insightful!”
“I was there, Fritz.”
Frederick laughed. “Oh yes! Of course you were!”
“Yeah…” Prussia turned his head to look out the window. He had the feeling it was going to be a very long ride home.
Author: kira
Claim: Prussia
Character(s): Prussia, Frederick II, Voltaire
Table/Prompt: Angst/ Prompt # 12: Distress
Word Count: 878
Rating: PG
Summary: Frederick gets ill on the way to meet Voltaire, which Prussia thinks is good, until Voltaire travels out to meet them instead…
Author’s note: Thanks go out to my beta, Kat, for looking this over.
Frederick closed his eyes and shivered. “I can’t…” he said softly. Drawing his cloak around him, he leaned against the side of the coach. “Tell the driver to stop…”
“Hmmm…?” Prussia said. He looked out the coach’s window, his mood dark and pensive. He was being dragged all the way to France by the young king to meet some idiot Frenchman he kept referring to as Voltaire and he was not happy. He turned to Frederick. “Fritz? Your Majesty?” He reached over and gently shook him.
Frederick moaned softly. He ached all over and one minute he felt like he had been plunged into an icy river, the next he felt like he was thrown into a fire. As much as he was dying to meet his pen pal, Voltaire, he wished he was at home in his nice comfortable bed, his favorite dog curled up on the bed with him.
“Verdammt, Fritz! You’re burning up!!” Prussia took the young king’s walking stick and banged on the roof of the coach. “We need to stop and find some place to stay!!” An hour later, they had found themselves at Moyland Castle in Cleaves, a hundred and fifty miles short of their destination. Prussia, with the help of the some of the servants managed to get Frederick upstairs to their room. The young king sat in a chair, while Prussia fussed about, getting their luggage and paying off the coachman.
“Gilbert? Are there any writing materials on the desk?”
Prussia stopped what he was doing and went to go look. “Yes, Fritz. Why?”
“I need to write to Voltaire and tell him where I am and to come here instead,” Frederick said, his distress at not meeting with his new friend clearly heard in his voice.
Prussia sighed. “You want me to write it for you?”
“No…” Frederick slowly got to his feet and shuffled over to the desk. He sat, his head swimming, while he tried to compose his thoughts.
“You sure you don’t want to go lie down, Fritz?” Prussia could not help hovering over his beloved. While he hated to see him sick, he looked at it as divine intervention.
“Very sure.” Frederick picked up the pen and dashed off a quick note. Folding it, he stuffed it in an envelope and addressed it. Handing it to Prussia, he said, “Gilbert, see if you can find someone to deliver it.”
“Okay,” Prussia said as he took the proffered missive. He was sorely tempted to destroy it as he did not care for Voltaire, but he knew waiting around for someone, who would never arrive, would only add to the young king’s distress and make him sicker. “I’ll be right back, Fritz.”
“Thanks…” Frederick started shivering again and he slowly dragged himself up from the chair and over to the bed. He flopped down on it and somehow managed to kick his shoes off, before crawling under the blankets. Frederick was asleep by the time Prussia had returned.
He checked on the young king, not liking the way his fever was spiking, but was at a loss for what to do. He tended to him as best he could and by the time Voltaire finally did arrive, Frederick was able to sit up and hold court in his bedroom. Prussia rolled his eyes at the French philosopher’s courtly bow, although, he was not happy that Frederick was still sick and shivering when the young king returned the greeting.
Voltaire fussed over the young king like a mother hen and Frederick, who was starved for attention, eagerly ate it up. After Voltaire went to far as to take Frederick’s pulse, he felt so much better that he was able to get up and dress for the day. Prussia could only sigh, when the king decided they would dine together in the dining room. They all trooped downstairs and amid a five course meal, they sat and discussed man’s free will and his immortal soul.
For the next three days, Frederick and Voltaire spent the time, discussing everything and anything of philosophical nature. Prussia followed along silently. He was bored by their discussions and he was annoyed at how quickly the young king recovered in Voltaire’s presence, not to mention jealous over the fact that he was not the one to make him feel better.
When the day arrived for them to go their separate ways, Prussia could not have been happier. He got into the coach with the young king, impatient to be home. “I’m glad you got to meet your friend, Fritz,” he said after listening to Frederick relate a story that knew by heart, having been there when it happened.
“Yeah,” the young king smiled. “Wasn’t it wonderful how he flew to my side when he found out I was ill? Only a true friend would do that, you know!” Frederick gushed.
Prussia nodded, a tight smile plastered on his lips.
“You should have heard him go on about the idea of free will! It was incredible and so insightful!”
“I was there, Fritz.”
Frederick laughed. “Oh yes! Of course you were!”
“Yeah…” Prussia turned his head to look out the window. He had the feeling it was going to be a very long ride home.