RMSE Reveal: The Boy Who Lived
When luring 
mildred_of_midgard into participating in ficathons over a year ago, I used the bribe of indicating this might be the occasion for fanfiction starring Peter (von) Keith to happen. Peter usually, if he shows up at all in historical fiction, plays a minor supporting role in the big 1730 tragedy of Frederick the Great's youth, the escape attempt plus ensuing bff (and probable lover) execution and prison stint, as the other friend and possible lover who did make it out of Prussia alive. Since for understandable reasons most 1730 dealing fiction is focused on Frederick and Katte (the tragically executed (boy)friend), having to deal with this other guy involved is something probably deemed as just too confusing and/ior disrupting the OTP intensity, and thus Peter ends up either being confused with his younger brother (who was physically present during the disaster of an escape attempt and 'fessed up about it), or left out altogether. (I've even seen a tv series where Peter, his brother and Katte are made into the same character.)
However, as it turns out - and as
mildred_of_midgard found out and chronicled in this post - there is actually a lot to learn about Peter (and his relationships) if you care to look, and I have always had a soft spot for those characters who survive a tragedy and then have to rebuild their lives from scratch, who know they might not have the great central starring role in the drama they're caught up in but do the best with the part they're given regardless, forging their own happiness. So it was my pleasure to (finally!) write the promised Peter (von) Keith story for her, for which there could only be one title:
The Boy Who Lived (5993 words) by Selena
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 18th Century Frederician RPF, 18th Century CE RPF
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Friedrich II von Preußen | Frederick the Great/Peter Karl Christoph von Keith, Hans Hermann von Katte & Peter Karl Christoph von Keith, Francesco Algarotti/Peter Karl Christoph von Keith, Friedrich II von Preußen | Frederick the Great/Hans Hermann von Katte
Characters: Peter Karl Christoph von Keith, Friedrich II von Preußen | Frederick the Great, Hans Hermann von Katte, Caroline von Ansbach Queen of England, Petronella von der Schulenburg Lady Chesterfield, Francesco Algarotti, George II of Great Britain
Additional Tags: Character Study, Survivor Guilt, Angst with a Happy Ending, Exile, Escape, Jealousy
Summary:
In 1730, three young men try to escape Prussia: Crown Prince Friedrich, Hans Herrmann von Katte - and Peter von Keith. Only one of them succeeds. As Peter finds himself free (unlike Friedrich) and alive (unlike Katte), he also finds himself haunted by love and guilt while searching for a way to make his own future.
Now I had planned to write a lighthearted treat in the same fandom as well, around an idea I nicknamed in my head "Two sugar daddies, no waiting", but this year I really did not find the time. Otoh, I was spoiled as a reader both with the wonderful Voltaire and Frederick as BNFs in modern fandom AU which
cahn wrote for me, and by the just as hilarious "Challenge yourrself to relax", a Corporate AU Mildred wrote for
cahn in which Frederick as a CEO is only slightly less driven and dysfunctional than he was as King...but at least there are coffee mugs for his long suffering supporting cast. :) This entry was originally posted at https://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1454874.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.
mildred_of_midgard into participating in ficathons over a year ago, I used the bribe of indicating this might be the occasion for fanfiction starring Peter (von) Keith to happen. Peter usually, if he shows up at all in historical fiction, plays a minor supporting role in the big 1730 tragedy of Frederick the Great's youth, the escape attempt plus ensuing bff (and probable lover) execution and prison stint, as the other friend and possible lover who did make it out of Prussia alive. Since for understandable reasons most 1730 dealing fiction is focused on Frederick and Katte (the tragically executed (boy)friend), having to deal with this other guy involved is something probably deemed as just too confusing and/ior disrupting the OTP intensity, and thus Peter ends up either being confused with his younger brother (who was physically present during the disaster of an escape attempt and 'fessed up about it), or left out altogether. (I've even seen a tv series where Peter, his brother and Katte are made into the same character.)
However, as it turns out - and as
mildred_of_midgard found out and chronicled in this post - there is actually a lot to learn about Peter (and his relationships) if you care to look, and I have always had a soft spot for those characters who survive a tragedy and then have to rebuild their lives from scratch, who know they might not have the great central starring role in the drama they're caught up in but do the best with the part they're given regardless, forging their own happiness. So it was my pleasure to (finally!) write the promised Peter (von) Keith story for her, for which there could only be one title:
The Boy Who Lived (5993 words) by Selena
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 18th Century Frederician RPF, 18th Century CE RPF
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Friedrich II von Preußen | Frederick the Great/Peter Karl Christoph von Keith, Hans Hermann von Katte & Peter Karl Christoph von Keith, Francesco Algarotti/Peter Karl Christoph von Keith, Friedrich II von Preußen | Frederick the Great/Hans Hermann von Katte
Characters: Peter Karl Christoph von Keith, Friedrich II von Preußen | Frederick the Great, Hans Hermann von Katte, Caroline von Ansbach Queen of England, Petronella von der Schulenburg Lady Chesterfield, Francesco Algarotti, George II of Great Britain
Additional Tags: Character Study, Survivor Guilt, Angst with a Happy Ending, Exile, Escape, Jealousy
Summary:
In 1730, three young men try to escape Prussia: Crown Prince Friedrich, Hans Herrmann von Katte - and Peter von Keith. Only one of them succeeds. As Peter finds himself free (unlike Friedrich) and alive (unlike Katte), he also finds himself haunted by love and guilt while searching for a way to make his own future.
Now I had planned to write a lighthearted treat in the same fandom as well, around an idea I nicknamed in my head "Two sugar daddies, no waiting", but this year I really did not find the time. Otoh, I was spoiled as a reader both with the wonderful Voltaire and Frederick as BNFs in modern fandom AU which
cahn wrote for me, and by the just as hilarious "Challenge yourrself to relax", a Corporate AU Mildred wrote for
cahn in which Frederick as a CEO is only slightly less driven and dysfunctional than he was as King...but at least there are coffee mugs for his long suffering supporting cast. :) This entry was originally posted at https://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1454874.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.