Cross-posted from Hetachallenge
Title: Mourning Her Loss
Author: kira
Claim: Prussia
Character(s): Prussia, Frederick II
Table/Prompt: Angst/ Prompt # 6, Loss
Word Count: 1082
Rating: PG13 for the implied death of a character
Summary: Prussia and Frederick II talk about the king’s sister, Wilhelmine, as a way to ease their grief over her death…
Author’s note: My beta is unavailable, so this was looked over by myself; any errors within are my own.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Fritz,” Prussia said as he gave his beloved king’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “She was some lady.” He sighed.
“Thank you,” Frederick replied. He wiped away the tears that rolled down his cheeks. “I know. I don’t think I could have made it through my childhood without her.” A soft sob escaped his lips.
Prussia found himself crying along with Frederick. He wiped under his eyes with his fingertips. “You know, I don’t think your sister would want us crying over her like a bunch of old women.”
“Why not?” Frederick looked up at him, his brow knitted in confusion.
“She lived a good life, once your father married her off.”
“Have we forgotten her husband’s mistress?”
“No… but why should that matter? You’ve got one yourself and you don’t hear your wife complaining.”
“I do?” A puzzled frown once again settled over the king’s features.
“Yeah, me,” Prussia smirked.
Frederick laughed. “Okay, you have a point there.”
Prussia smiled. “That wasn’t my intention, Fritz, but I’m glad to hear you laughing. I think Wilhelmine would have loved to have heard it too. Just because she passed away, doesn’t mean she can’t live on in your heart.”
“I know, but it hurts, verdammt! How do you do it, Gilbert…? Prussia?”
Prussia thought it over. He shrugged. “I’ve seen people come and go, we both have on the battle field, and you know as well as I do, that isn’t a pretty way to die. “ He frowned. “I’ve also seen them die a peaceful death in their beds, hell; I’ve seen countries die too. The first I time saw it, yes, it rattled me, but…” Prussia trailed off. “I’m sorry, Fritz, I didn’t mean to sound so jaded.”
“It’s okay. You’ve been around a lot longer than I have.” Frederick smiled sadly at him. “And it is helping to put things in perspective. Nothing is permanent no matter how hard we want it and wish it so.”
“Yeah… But, Fritz?”
“Yeah?”
Prussia walked over to the window and watched the sun setting. “I would miss you terribly when you know…” he said softly.
“As would I you, Gilbert.”
Prussia nodded. “So, would you like me to get you some coffee, Fritz?” He felt compelled to change the subject, as the thought of Frederick passing away was a painful one.
“Thank you, Gilbert.”
“I told you, you can call me ‘Prussia’ when we’re alone.”
“I know, but I’ve known you as ‘Gilbert Beilschmidt’ for far longer and it feels more… I don’t know… normal? Besides, it’s hard to think of you as anything other than a man.”
“Fair enough.” Prussia turned away from the window. “So you still want me to get you some coffee?”
Frederick nodded. “Please…” He tiredly ran his hands over his face. “Verdammt! I feel so alone, Gilbert…”
“Well, if you skip the coffee, Fritz, I can stay here with you.” Prussia walked over to where the king sat as his writing desk. He half-sat on the edge of it.
“Must you?” Fritz looked pointedly at his friend and lover.
Prussia smirked. “You haven’t told me if you still want that coffee or not.”
Frederick sighed. “No, no thank you. I just… I just want to be alone with my grief.”
“Okay…” Prussia said. He felt hurt as he missed Wilhelmine almost as much as her brother did. “Alright, I’ll be in my room if you need me. I’ll have dinner sent to you as well.” Prussia slid off the desk and started to walk away.
“I’m sorry, Gilbert, that’s not what I meant.” Frederick reached out and grabbed him by the arm as Prussia tried to walk past him. “Please stay.”
Prussia looked down at the hand that was on his arm and up at his beloved. “I’ll stay.” He frowned, before a smile slowly tugged his lips upwards. “You know, I don’t think your sister would want us wallowing in our grief. You know how she used to get whenever your father was being an ass.”
Frederick nodded. “When I was little, she was very sympathetic, but you right; the older I got, the more she expected me to just deal with it.”
“Yeah… And I think it helped make you a better soldier.”
Frederick stared at him. “You know, if I had to do it all over again, Gilbert, I’d rather not have been subjected to my father’s violent outbursts.”
“Agreed, but still, I’ve seen you take things in battle that would have had a lesser man crying for his mommy.”
Frederick snorted. “I could say the same about you too.”
“We’re a fine pair, aren’t we?” Prussia smirked as his grief lightened a bit.
“Yeah…”
“Feeling better now, Fritz?”
“A little bit, thanks.”
“Good.”
“But I don’t think I’ll ever get over missing her, Gilbert.”
Prussia nodded. “I know, but it will get easier with time to the point where you’ll remember her fondly without the tears.” Reaching out, he gave Frederick’s shoulder another gentle squeeze.
“I hope so.”
“I know so.”
A companionable silence fell between them again. Unwilling to break it with idle conversation, Frederick got up and walked over to where he had left his flute. Picking it up and placing it at his lips, he played a few notes. “That’s her favorite song. You remember I wrote it for her when I was little?” He played on.
“Yeah…”
Frederick gave him a slight nod as he continued to play. Prussia listened raptly. It had been decades since he had heard that song. He remembered the young princess’s twelfth birthday and Fritz, playing the song he had written especially for her and how delighted she was with her gift. He also recalled how Wilhelmine encouraged her younger brother’s love of music, despite their father’s hatred of his son’s “feminine” pastime.
When the song finished, Prussia clapped his hands. “Bravo!” he said. “She would have loved that.”
“Thank you…” Frederick smiled sadly. “I know.” He played another song, this time something Wilhelmine had written.
Prussia walked over to a chair and sat down for the impromptu concert. Frederick stood before him, playing various pieces that he had written along with a few his sister had. Far from being sad, the music was comforting. Looking up at Frederick, he was pleased to see it was helping ease his pain at losing his sister as the king seemed lost in the music. Sighing softly, Prussia became lost in it too.
Author: kira
Claim: Prussia
Character(s): Prussia, Frederick II
Table/Prompt: Angst/ Prompt # 6, Loss
Word Count: 1082
Rating: PG13 for the implied death of a character
Summary: Prussia and Frederick II talk about the king’s sister, Wilhelmine, as a way to ease their grief over her death…
Author’s note: My beta is unavailable, so this was looked over by myself; any errors within are my own.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Fritz,” Prussia said as he gave his beloved king’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “She was some lady.” He sighed.
“Thank you,” Frederick replied. He wiped away the tears that rolled down his cheeks. “I know. I don’t think I could have made it through my childhood without her.” A soft sob escaped his lips.
Prussia found himself crying along with Frederick. He wiped under his eyes with his fingertips. “You know, I don’t think your sister would want us crying over her like a bunch of old women.”
“Why not?” Frederick looked up at him, his brow knitted in confusion.
“She lived a good life, once your father married her off.”
“Have we forgotten her husband’s mistress?”
“No… but why should that matter? You’ve got one yourself and you don’t hear your wife complaining.”
“I do?” A puzzled frown once again settled over the king’s features.
“Yeah, me,” Prussia smirked.
Frederick laughed. “Okay, you have a point there.”
Prussia smiled. “That wasn’t my intention, Fritz, but I’m glad to hear you laughing. I think Wilhelmine would have loved to have heard it too. Just because she passed away, doesn’t mean she can’t live on in your heart.”
“I know, but it hurts, verdammt! How do you do it, Gilbert…? Prussia?”
Prussia thought it over. He shrugged. “I’ve seen people come and go, we both have on the battle field, and you know as well as I do, that isn’t a pretty way to die. “ He frowned. “I’ve also seen them die a peaceful death in their beds, hell; I’ve seen countries die too. The first I time saw it, yes, it rattled me, but…” Prussia trailed off. “I’m sorry, Fritz, I didn’t mean to sound so jaded.”
“It’s okay. You’ve been around a lot longer than I have.” Frederick smiled sadly at him. “And it is helping to put things in perspective. Nothing is permanent no matter how hard we want it and wish it so.”
“Yeah… But, Fritz?”
“Yeah?”
Prussia walked over to the window and watched the sun setting. “I would miss you terribly when you know…” he said softly.
“As would I you, Gilbert.”
Prussia nodded. “So, would you like me to get you some coffee, Fritz?” He felt compelled to change the subject, as the thought of Frederick passing away was a painful one.
“Thank you, Gilbert.”
“I told you, you can call me ‘Prussia’ when we’re alone.”
“I know, but I’ve known you as ‘Gilbert Beilschmidt’ for far longer and it feels more… I don’t know… normal? Besides, it’s hard to think of you as anything other than a man.”
“Fair enough.” Prussia turned away from the window. “So you still want me to get you some coffee?”
Frederick nodded. “Please…” He tiredly ran his hands over his face. “Verdammt! I feel so alone, Gilbert…”
“Well, if you skip the coffee, Fritz, I can stay here with you.” Prussia walked over to where the king sat as his writing desk. He half-sat on the edge of it.
“Must you?” Fritz looked pointedly at his friend and lover.
Prussia smirked. “You haven’t told me if you still want that coffee or not.”
Frederick sighed. “No, no thank you. I just… I just want to be alone with my grief.”
“Okay…” Prussia said. He felt hurt as he missed Wilhelmine almost as much as her brother did. “Alright, I’ll be in my room if you need me. I’ll have dinner sent to you as well.” Prussia slid off the desk and started to walk away.
“I’m sorry, Gilbert, that’s not what I meant.” Frederick reached out and grabbed him by the arm as Prussia tried to walk past him. “Please stay.”
Prussia looked down at the hand that was on his arm and up at his beloved. “I’ll stay.” He frowned, before a smile slowly tugged his lips upwards. “You know, I don’t think your sister would want us wallowing in our grief. You know how she used to get whenever your father was being an ass.”
Frederick nodded. “When I was little, she was very sympathetic, but you right; the older I got, the more she expected me to just deal with it.”
“Yeah… And I think it helped make you a better soldier.”
Frederick stared at him. “You know, if I had to do it all over again, Gilbert, I’d rather not have been subjected to my father’s violent outbursts.”
“Agreed, but still, I’ve seen you take things in battle that would have had a lesser man crying for his mommy.”
Frederick snorted. “I could say the same about you too.”
“We’re a fine pair, aren’t we?” Prussia smirked as his grief lightened a bit.
“Yeah…”
“Feeling better now, Fritz?”
“A little bit, thanks.”
“Good.”
“But I don’t think I’ll ever get over missing her, Gilbert.”
Prussia nodded. “I know, but it will get easier with time to the point where you’ll remember her fondly without the tears.” Reaching out, he gave Frederick’s shoulder another gentle squeeze.
“I hope so.”
“I know so.”
A companionable silence fell between them again. Unwilling to break it with idle conversation, Frederick got up and walked over to where he had left his flute. Picking it up and placing it at his lips, he played a few notes. “That’s her favorite song. You remember I wrote it for her when I was little?” He played on.
“Yeah…”
Frederick gave him a slight nod as he continued to play. Prussia listened raptly. It had been decades since he had heard that song. He remembered the young princess’s twelfth birthday and Fritz, playing the song he had written especially for her and how delighted she was with her gift. He also recalled how Wilhelmine encouraged her younger brother’s love of music, despite their father’s hatred of his son’s “feminine” pastime.
When the song finished, Prussia clapped his hands. “Bravo!” he said. “She would have loved that.”
“Thank you…” Frederick smiled sadly. “I know.” He played another song, this time something Wilhelmine had written.
Prussia walked over to a chair and sat down for the impromptu concert. Frederick stood before him, playing various pieces that he had written along with a few his sister had. Far from being sad, the music was comforting. Looking up at Frederick, he was pleased to see it was helping ease his pain at losing his sister as the king seemed lost in the music. Sighing softly, Prussia became lost in it too.