Chapter Text
The air was full of the smell of blood and gunpowder. Only the noise of the screams was louder than the sound of the burning houses. It was a massacre, but Hungary didn't care. Now she just wanted to escape from the fortress that had kept her locked up for years. She had to admit that when she was taken over by the Ottoman Empire, it had been her weakness, but now she was ready to fight again. She was no longer the girl she once was, but she was a well-formed and strong woman. She had waited just for that moment to escape without being noticed. As soon as she saw that the gates were wide open, she broke through her door and ran to the exit.
Now she was running through the streets looking only ahead. Out of the corner of her eye she saw people being massacred and fleeing inland. But she didn't care, she ran towards the outside, towards the doors, towards freedom. For years she hadn't seen those meadows and woods where she ran free with that young Teutonic knight she played with. She wondered what had happened to him and if he was still alive. She knew that many nations had died and been born over time, but now she was sure of one thing: she would not be one of those who would die. The wind ran through her long hair, her heart was racing wildly and her lungs seemed to explode. But she couldn't stop, not now.
“Anschläge!”. Austrian soldiers appeared in front of her to block the road. They only had swords. Perfect, Hungary thought. She took a sword from a dead body on the ground and continued to run towards them. They would not stop her; she was still able to hold a sword in her hand and she was also skilled. There was nothing they could do against her. They all fell under her blows after a few strokes of his sword.
Then she kept running. His bare feet seemed to gallop on the streets of that city in panic. Then she finally saw it; the door. It was completely open and nobody was there. A few strides were enough and she was free. When she was out by then, she heard a burst and then severe shoulder pain. She fell to the ground. She stopped a cry of pain at feeling his shoulder burn and the blood rushing through him. She tried to get up, but his arm was no longer responding because of the pain. She could not stay there on the ground. She tried to get up on his knees and succeeded. There was so little to be free, she could not give up. Her breathing became even more laboured because of the pain and fatigue, everything around her was spinning. She could not give up.
She heard a noise, but could not understand what it was until she saw the source of the sound: they were the hooves of a horse.
She looked up. Her vision was clouded, but she could make out a figure who was getting off that horse. It was tall and very thin. He looked at her from above and then raised his head with two fingers. He said something, she didn't understand what, and then looked at her with sorry eyes. She collapsed, but she had time to see the colour of those eyes: they were purple.
She awoke with a start, sitting up. Shoulder pain was still there, but it was more bearable. By now it had become like a stiff neck, and all this with regeneration. She had discovered it when she was still young, and it was very useful as a skill. She looked around: she was inside a field tent, very lighted by candles, while outside it was completely dark. She had slept late into the night. She was on a field bed, while another guy was sitting next to her on a chair who had fallen asleep with a book in his hand.
Perfect. Now that she was healed and had regained enough strength, she could leave without anyone noticing her. She got out of bed and went to the exit. She was barefoot and felt very cold on her skin. This was a problem, in fact she realized only now that she was completely naked, if not for a small petticoat. He had to find her clothes. She looked around but didn't see them, so she started looking deeper. Under the bed, inside the trunks and crates, but they seemed to have disappeared.
"If you are looking for your clothes, we've thrown them away." She turned abruptly to the quiet voice. The man, who had fallen asleep in the chair, was awake, with his legs crossed and his hands on his knees. “We had to: they were tattered and stained with blood. And in addition, they are not suitable for a high-ranking young lady like you".
Hungary looked at him and began to inspect him from head to toe. Even though the clothes were very swollen, she could see that the man was very thin. His skin was white and soft. Surely, he had never been in battle or at least he had never fought. "Who are you?". She asked authoritatively, after pondering the situation a little.
"True, I didn't introduce myself." He stood up and made a small bow. "I am the representation of Austria." He got up.
"You?"
"Hungary". She answered directly. She didn't trust him, he looked like a treacherous person with a stench under his nose.
"Interesting".
"Anyway, what do you want from me?". She crossed his arms and looked him straight in the eye. She tried to make herself look as intimidating as possible, but the other didn’t seem to be affected.
"I want to help you". He approached her slowly. Hungary did not demote, if she wanted to be respected, she had to keep her position. "It's been two or three years since I tried it the first time, but now I've managed to free you". By now he was in front of her. He took her chin with his hand and turned her face from side to side. "You are really beautiful, do you know?"
Reflex Hungary spat in his eye. This was the typical attitude of men that Ottoman Empire presented to her. They examined her with their greasy and greasy hands and treated her as an object. She wasn't anyone's doll. Austria moved slightly away and cleaned himself of the spit. He said something between his teeth, Hungary did not hear well what he had said, but she seemed to have heard "uncivilized".
"I'm sorry". He composed himself smiling at her. It was an almost sly smile. “I was really uneducated, forgive me. Oh, but are you still in the petticoat? Let me bring you clean clothes, for now keep my jacket. " He put his jacket on her shoulders and went out of the tent. Hungary stood there with the jacket she wore. It was very harm and heavy, but above all it smelled of clean and apricots. It was very strange for anyone in a camp to have that smell.
Austria returned shortly thereafter, saying that he had asked an apprenticeship to give him clean clothes. "But come on, while we wait, let's sit down and chat for a moment." He sat down on the chair again and motioned her to sit on the bed. She, although reluctant, sat on the bed. "So, do you have any questions for me?" Hungary only realized now that, until now, she had remained completely uninformed about what was going on outside the Ottoman kingdom.
"What year are we in?"
“I forgot, you have had another calendar so far. We are in the 1686 ". She nodded. "Are you done?".
"N-no, I'm thinking." She wanted to be careful about asking questions, but she was also curious. “I have heard that other nations have been discovered. It's true?".
"If you talk about the new colonies of Spain, France, England and Holland, yes".
"Holland?".
"Ah, you don't know. Holland lived at home with Spain, then left. Unfortunately for Spain he has become a great commercial power, second to England”.
"And the little Italy?".
“All right, he lives in my house”.
“Really?”.
“Yes, together with Holy Roman Empire”.
“Surely now he will be an adult man”. Hungary said grinning to herself.
“In truth, he’s still a little boy left. He hasn't grown much, perhaps because he’s so fragmented”. He replied keeping a detached tone.
“What?”.
“Yes, he is no longer the united empire you remembered”.
She could not understand how such a thing had happened. He had heard something, but he thought it was just nonsense, instead... Now she had a great doubt. She was about to say something, when the page came, carrying clothes. Austria, after dismissing the boy, handed the clothes to Hungary.
It was a simple yellowed soldier's outfit, but it could be fit. She took off the jacket and was about to take off his petticoat, when she realized that Austria was looking at her. He didn't blink to watch her undress; he didn't seem attracted to her or disgusted. He was simply uninterested. She turned away, so that him could see this back. She noticed only now that she was flushed. Since when have she had been embarrassed for so little? The only time such a thing happened was with the Teutonic knight...
She took off his petticoat and started dressing. “I have another question”.
“Sure”.
“Once upon a time”. She star continuing to undress. The cold of the night made her skin crawl, but it wasn’t the only thing. His gaze was also very penetrating. “I was friends with a guy with white hair and red eyes, who believed he was better than everyone. Do you know what happened to it?”. Austria did not answer immediately, but left the question suspended. Then she heard him get up from his chair.
“I know him. He has changed. He is no longer a white-armoured knight, he is now a general in command of his sovereign. He is no longer in the service of the Holy Roman Empire, he is now independent and is becoming stronger day by day”. Hungary, who was listening to him, turned to him as soon as he finished changing. He was no longer looking at her, but staring at an indeterminate point outside. The moonlight illuminated his pale face, showing his violet eyes that glowed with a hatred light. “Now he also calls himself by another name”. He smiled with hatred, looking back on this. “Prussia, here is your knight's new name”.
Hungary said nothing. She didn't know what to say: she was happy, frightened and curious at the same time. All these emotions mixed together did not make her understand what to think of the situation. She was happy that he was still alive, but she was worried that he was no longer what he once was and at the time she was curious to see him in this new form. She didn't have time to ask another question or say something that Austria turned to her and kept talking.
“Anyway, now that I have answered your questions, we must speak seriously”. He began to approach her with a firm and decisive step. He looked like a real commander. “It is now clear that your nobles will ally with us and you will be annexed to my nation. Now, I'm not sure how it will work, but from what I understand, it seems we should get married. As you well know, neither of us can change it and we would be forced in any case”. Austria continued to speak, but Hungary could no longer understand a word. Annexation... Getting married... Forced... All those words had been like pangs for her. This was not why she had survived, she had fought, she had run away. She didn't want this, she wanted to be free. She had dreamed many times of being able to run barefoot on the meadows again, as the wind passed through her hair and her and her knight's laughter filled the air. How many times had she awakened with his smile in mind and his red eyes full of fire, passion, life.
“In a way, I'm sorry. I didn't want to force you into a probable marriage, I just did what I thought was right. Let's do this”. He caught the attention of Hungary who looked him in the eye. They were so unnaturally purple that they creepy and all that determination frightened her. “I will accept your any request and make it real, it’s-”.
“I want to see Prussia!”. She said it without thinking for a moment. She was fed up. It was so long and many times she had thought that he was dead, that he had forgotten her and that she could never see him again. How many times had she woken up with tears in her eyes to think back on those happy moments with him. He wanted to see him again, he had to see him again.
Austria seems surprised at first, but then he composed himself. “Okay”. He nodded, then went to the exit of the tent. “Get ready. It's almost dawn and we have to settle down to make you appear at least presentable”. He said it in a detached tone and without turning to her.
She was alone in the tent and she sat down on the bed. She realized it only now: she had just made a pact that would bind her forever to another. She could have asked for anything, yet... No, she didn't regret that desire. Even if she could have asked for her freedom back, she realized that, in truth, her freedom was just that little Teutonic knight who always wanted to attack and wanted to play with her. Now she had to do as she had done so far: resist to realize that little hope that was now a few steps away from her.