1/24/11

AN: I'll try to keep this brief, my more extensive notes will be at the bottom of the chapter for those interested. So: Happy Birthday Old Fritz! In honor of his birthday, I begin this fic. I hope you all enjoy.

For Love of His Nation

Part I: The Child

Chapter 1

"So you must carry this light into the darkness,

You shall be a star unto the night.

You will find hope alive among the hopeless,

That is your purpose to this life."

-The Cruxshadows, "Sophia"

January 24th, 1712

Marie cupped her hands, breathing warm air across her chilled fingers. She rubbed her palms together, trying to coax feeling back into numbed skin.

"It is chilly today, isn't it?"

"Oh, Milady!" Marie exclaimed, turning to face the crown princess and giving a hasty curtsy. "Please excuse me, I'm sorry for my tardiness."

Crown Princess Sophia Dorothea waved a negligent hand as she settled herself more comfortably on her couch. "Go warm your hands by the fire," she instructed. "You won't keep up your chores with frozen fingers."

"Thank you, Milady," said Marie, gratefully obeying the injunction. "It will be lunchtime soon," Marie commented after a few moments of silence. "Will you require assistance to the dining hall, or shall I have your meal brought up to you?"

Princess Sophia looked at her Chambermaid for a moment with confusion clear in her features. Then she smiled, draping her arm loosely across her swollen stomach.

"Neither, Marie. But if your hands are sufficiently warmed I would request that you fetch me the physician."

"Milady, are you feeling ill?" Marie asked, alarmed. She darted from the hearth to her mistress's side as the Crown Princess laughed.

"No, not ill," Sophia said. Then she winced, wrapping her free arm around her stomach as well. "One would think, having been through this three times, the pain would not be much of a surprise," she remarked. "Do be a good girl, Marie, and fetch that physician for me?"

Comprehension dawned across the Chambermaid's face and she grinned. "At once, Milady! I shall bring him straight here!"

"And while you're at it," Sophia shouted at Marie's fast retreating back. "Send someone to tell that wretched husband of mine that his child is on the way!"

Gilbert Beilschmidt was resisting the urge to plug his ears up with his fingers. It would be a childish move to make for one thing, completely not awesome, and it probably wouldn't help much. The tension thickening the air between his Crown Prince and King would be pressing down on his shoulders whether or not he could hear their conversation. Instead he turned his attention to the lunch being spread out in front of them. It consisted of some kind of pasta covered in a cheese sauce. It tasted good. He would probably enjoy it if the stress in the air wasn't tying his stomach in knots. Gilbert couldn't remember the last time he had honestly enjoyed eating a meal with his current and soon-to-be ruler in the same room.

Crown Prince Friedrich William frowned as he studied his food. "All imported. An expensive meal this is."

Gilbert somehow, through sheer force of will, resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"When you rule my boy, you may dine on soldier's fare if that is your desire," King Friedrich retorted. "But you will allow an old man his indulgences. It is quite a good meal, don't you think, Prussia?"

Gilbert forced himself to swallow and nodded. "The cheese is imported from France, unless I am mistaken."

"Yes," the old king agreed with an indulgent smile. "And the pasta is from Italy. Quite a remarkable combination if I do say so."1

The Crown Prince frowned, but said nothing. It looked like he was thinking of something polite but argumentative to say. It was with relief that Gilbert noticed the man who stepped quietly into the room.

"Yes, Von Besser?" he called the court Master of Ceremonies over, neatly cutting off the Crown Prince before he could speak. The man approached, bowing low as he reached the table.

"I came to inform his majesty and his highness that the Crown Princess has gone into labor." He straightened then, and there was a smile hovering on his lips. "The Lady Sophia's physician says that the child may well be born within the hour!"

"Have my chair brought round at once!" the King demanded, excitement lighting his features. "We shall attend the princess immediately."

"At once, my King." Von Besser bowed, then strode quickly from the room to summon a few servants.

"Really, father," Friedrich William said, his tone disapproving. "There is no need to rush off so fast, it is undignified. Let us at least finish our meal. The child has not even been born yet."

"I wish to be there for my grandchild's first moments," the king retorted, disapproval clear in his voice. His son flushed, sitting up even straighter than he had been already as four servants scurried into the room with the king's carry chair. "In this situation, dignity can well be sacrificed for speed. Now come along, the both of you. There is no time to waste."

The king settled in his chair and was carried from the room. His Nation stood to walk beside him. With a grudging sigh the Crown Prince rose and trailed behind.

They were not allowed inside Lady Sophia's room which, though it frustrated the king, came as no surprise to the three men. They had been through this before. Friedrich William suggested moving on to a more comfortable room. The king scoffed at the suggestion and had himself parked quite firmly in the hallway beside Lady Sophia's doors. Scowling slightly his son stood across from him at military parade rest. Gilbert leaned against the wall, arms crossed loosely over his chest.

"It will be a boy," the king said decidedly after a while of silence.

"There is no certainty." the prince objected.

"No, the child will be a boy. A strong boy," the king asserted.

His son sighed. "The last two did not survive long. I will waste no hopes on this one until this strength you predict is proven."

The king frowned at his son, but did not argue. Instead he addressed his Nation.

"The child will be your king, Prussia. I can feel it. He will be great, he will be everything those before him couldn't be."

Friedrich William stiffened at the comment, features pulled tight. Gilbert almost didn't notice, attention focused almost solely on his ruler and the quiet confidence in his tone.

"How can you be so sure?" he asked, and couldn't quite manage to quell the spark that had flared to life in his chest.

"Call it an old man's intuition." The aged king turned a smile on his nation. "I can sense it. Everything we tried to be, he will be. You wait and see." For a single spellbound moment Gilbert felt himself caught up in the old man's confidence, his eyes locked with his king's. He drew in a deep breath, and the doors swung open.

The Crown Princess's chambermaid scurried out, eyes shining, and brought herself up short at the sight of the three men standing just outside the door.

"Oh, my lords, pardon me!" she exclaimed as she sank into a hasty bow. "I was just on my way to find you!"

"May we see Sophie now?" the king asked, excitement and affection warring in his tone.

Marie raised her head and tentatively offered her king a smile. "She is resting now, but she asked me to bring you to her before she falls asleep."

"The child?" asked the Crown Prince, sounding interested in spite of himself.

"A boy, my lord!" Marie exclaimed. "As hearty a child as can be. Hasn't stopped moving for a single moment."

The king's smile was exultant, triumphant. His eye's met his Nation's for a brief second, as if to say See? I told you so. Then he stood from his chair and, completely unaided, walked through the doors. After a moment, Gilbert scrambled to follow, taking the old man's arm. Friedrich William stepped up on his father's left and helped support the aged king into the bedroom. Marie, who had scuttled in ahead of them, placed a chair by the Crown Princess's bedside, which the two men helped their king into. Sophia, propped up on a small pile of stacked pillows, smiled, her eyes half lidded with exhaustion. In her arms she cradled a small, wrapped, and wriggling bundle.

"That is the child, I take it?" her husband asked, stepping up to the bedside. Sophia's smile dimmed as she turned her gaze to her husband.

"Yes. This is our son," she replied, putting a careful emphasis on the last word. She tilted her arms and a tiny, wrinkled face was revealed to the room. The small lips scrunched and the baby gave a small whine of protest at the movement. Sophia bent her head to plant a kiss among the mop of blond locks that already adorned the baby's head.

Gilbert crossed his arms, head tilted as he studied the baby. He certainly seemed energetic enough, but whatever it was that the king had predicted he couldn't find. He saw a healthy baby, but that was all he could see.

"He looks healthy enough," Friedrich William noted guardedly. His father scoffed.

"Really, boy. Hold your son."

Arms stiff and awkward, the Crown Prince slowly picked the baby up from his mother's protective arms. Almost immediately the tiny face scrunched up and turned beat red as the infant began to wail.

This time, Prussia really did clap his hands over his ears, fighting back a smirk at the indignant expression on his prince's face. 'Kid's got taste,' he thought approvingly. Then he winced as a rather piercing wail struck right through his hands to make his ears ring in pain. 'And lungs. Kid's got good freaking lungs.'

The Crown Prince surrendered the baby as soon as his father held up his arms expectantly. The king's hold was much more natural, cradling the boy in the crook of one arm and whispering soothingly while two fingers from his free hand trailed delicate patterns across his tiny head. The child continued to cry, though the volume toned down and Prussia cautiously pulled his hands away from his ears. A head of curly, dark-blond hair suddenly popped up by his elbow and he felt his heart leap in his chest.

"Wilhelmina!" he exclaimed.

The little princess turned a face still pudgy with baby fat up to look at him, standing up on her tiptoes. She pointed at her grandfather.

"Von Besser says I have a brother," she said bluntly. Prussia turned to glare at the man mentioned as he entered his peripheral vision. The man shrugged.

"Mr. Prussia," Wilhelmina called Gilbert's attention back to her, her arms stretched up in a clear demand. "I can't see. Pick me up?"

With a sigh born half of exasperation, half helpless affection, Gilbert swung the little girl up into his arms so she could look down at her baby brother. She tilted her head, wonder on her features.

"He's tiny," she said quietly. "He's even littler than me."

"He was just born, dear," her mother said from the bed, sounding as though she were on the verge of sleep.

"I wanna' hold him," Wilhelmina said, turning a pleading expression on her mother. Gilbert was just glad it wasn't turned on him. He never could resist the little girl in puppy eyed pleading mode.

"Later," Sophia said firmly. "You can hold him later, Mina. Mother is really tired right now. I need to sleep."

"Later," Wilhelmina said, after a moment of consideration. "Remember you promised." She allowed Gilbert to put her back on the ground and only gave him half a glare when he ruffled her hair before following Marie out of the room, probably to go play somewhere.

"You'll forgive me, gentlemen," Sophia murmured, settling herself more comfortably among her pillows. "I cannot seem to keep my eyes open."

"It is quite alright, Sophie. You rest yourself," the king murmured. Gilbert didn't think she'd stayed awake long enough to even hear that.

"The boy will need a name," the king said after a moment, still gazing adoringly at the crying bundle in his arms.

Friedrich William blinked, as if he'd been startled out of some inner thoughts. "I had not given any thought to it," he admitted with a shrug. "Perhaps you would care to name him, father," he added respectfully.

"Hmmm." The king pursed his lips in contemplation.

"My lord." Von Besser took a step nearer to the bed. "If I might make a suggestion?"

The king nodded.

"Well, it occurred to me that this is the Crown Prince's third son. And his majesty was also the third son of his own father." He let the sentence dangle in the open air, head bowed respectfully but his eyes sparkled with quiet amusement and a small smile played across his lips. When the contemplative silence had stretched on for a few seconds he continued. "In light of this coincidence, if it is such, I thought it might be appropriate if his majesty were to name the child after himself."

The king's eyebrows knitted in thought for a moment before he smiled, wide and exultant. "Friedrich. Yes, I think that suits you well," he said to the still crying bundle. Then he turned to face Gilbert. "Meet your future king, Prussia," he said and deposited the infant into the startled Gilbert's arms.

The Nation clutched the crying infant close, shifting his hold into an imitation of the one his king had used, cradling the baby in one arm, the other wrapped around as an extra support. Quite suddenly, the infant's sobs quieted and he shifted, curling into Gilbert's chest and waving his arms about until they connected with Gilbert's jacket, his tiny fingers gripped at it feebly. Wide eyes locked on the baby's face, Gilbert didn't see his king's triumphant grin.

"The boy is healthy. I'm going to let my wife rest now," Friedrich William said as he turned on his heel. "I shall have the servants come in to assist you back to the dining room, father," he added, respectfully ducking his head before walking swiftly from the room.

"I would prefer my own chambers," the king ruefully informed the servants who rushed in, in his son's wake. "Excitement seems to exhaust me in my old age."

Gilbert opened his mouth to respond but froze before he could utter a single syllable. The infant had opened his eyes, eyes a brilliant and clear, crystal blue, and looked up at him. Gilbert remembered hearing something somewhere about how newborns were not supposed to be able to see, but bright blue met crimson unblinking, as if the child could see right through him. The baby cooed softly, happily, and seemed to almost smile.

"Prussia."

Startled out of his daze, Gilbert snapped his head up to look at his king. The old man was seated back in his carry chair, the servants ready to carry him out. "I seem to remember our lunch being interrupted. You should get something to eat."

"I," Gilbert started, then trailed off as the infant in his arms sighed contentedly, pressing his face into Gilbert's jacket and falling asleep. Instinctively, Gilbert tightened his hold protectively around the infant. "I'd prefer to stay here, Sir, if it's all the same to you. Besides," he added under his king's growing, knowing smile. "He's asleep now. If I dislodge him he'll just wake up wailing, and Sophia just fell to sleep." Gilbert quickly turned his head to make sure the Crown Princess really had fallen asleep.

"As you wish, Prussia," the king said, nodding to his Nation and not bothering to hide his wide smile. Gilbert grumbled as the king was carried out. He walked closer to the fire, sinking carefully into the winged armchair placed there. He gazed down at the sleeping bundle in his arms.

'The child will be a boy,' his king had said. 'A strong boy.' Well, there were no doubts there. The lad was certainly feisty enough that his strength wasn't in question. Gilbert quirked a rueful grin, then felt his brow tighten as he recalled his king's later words. 'The child will be your king, Prussia. I can feel it. He will be great, be everything those before him couldn't be.' Gilbert couldn't pretend to predict the future, and his king certainly had no mystical powers. And yet, something in him had stirred when the infant's eyes met his. Something confidant and unwavering. Something that said his king was right.

"Well, mostly right," Gilbert corrected out loud, a wild grin splashed across his face. "Friedrich my boy," he addressed the peacefully slumbering infant, crimson eyes glowing with excitement. "You are going to be a hell of a lot more than great. You are going to be awesome."

Ending Notes:

1: Macaroni and Cheese used to be a meal that only the upper class could afford. As mentioned the pasta had to be imported from Italy, where it was hand made, and the cheese had to be imported from France. We can thank my college roommate and Beta Reader for that little bit of interesting, but potentially useless, information.

2: I'm getting the majority of my historical information for this story from "Frederick the Great" by Giles MacDonogh. According to the book Friedrich II was born with black hair, though it did eventually turn blond. However, most babies are born with blonde hair and blue eyes and I felt it was a small enough detail to overlook.

AN: I am doing a lot of research to try and make this story as accurate as I possibly can. That being said, I am not a historian, for me historical research has become something of a hobby. If there are historians, or potential historians, reading this story please feel free to tell me of any inaccuracies that you find. They may be genuine mistakes, which I will correct, or they may be on purpose, in which case I will try to address them in the Ending Notes of each chapter. For anyone super nit picky about details and dates I'd just like to say that while I am doing research I am also writing a story, so there will quite likely be times that I am relaying real events out of order because story wise they flow better that way, or overlooking small details altogether. Or hell, adding scenes. I'm writing the story to fit the Hetalia universe after all. Ultimately, I'm writing this to have fun. Constructive criticism I welcome with open arms. Flames will be ignored.

I started working on this fic sometime last year at the request of my then college roommate, now penpal, Skype buddy, and this story's Beta Reader. It's the first foray I have ever made into writing from research and I was quite surprised to find that I had a field day with it. I'm trying to keep several chapters ahead of myself. Chapter 5 was betaed earlier this evening, actually. The next update should occur in roughly two weeks or so, and hopefully all following updates will progress along that schedule. So long as Beta can keep beating me into churning out chapters on a decent time frame...

So seeing as this is the only the first chapter, I'll end my notes here. Starting from next chapter I'll use this space at the end to address questions and comments, and leave Reviewer Responses. So I hope you all enjoy, and I'll see you in two weeks! Don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you think.