Not While I'm Around

It's been a few months since the night terror incident, and Lutz has been calling me 'Große Bruder' ever since. He's so adorable! But, he still has night terrors at least once a week. I always hear him crying and I go rushing in just like the first time. I rock him back and forth until mein Kleiner Bruder calms down and falls back asleep in my arms. I usually fall asleep right next to him in his bed in case he has another terror.

But, I've learned to deal with these well, and now… Lutz has a new fear.

Lightning. It's not the thunder he's scared of, no, loud noises don't bother him. Sudden flashes of light that can actually hurt people and set things on fire… well, when you think about it, that is pretty scary, especially to a little kid. It was strange, though. I found him on that battlefield a little over a year ago, and it was only recently that he started freaking out (just like the night terrors—those took a while to kick in too) over lightning. But then I realized—we'd had a really bad drought this year. It lasted months, and we were just now recovering.

I was lying in bed that night, sleepless, when I heard the storm begin. Thunder was crashing, rain was pounding, and the lightning was striking just outside the palace windows. It was very annoying. Typically, I love the rain, but I needed to get up very early the next morning to help train new troops. I buried my face further into my pillow, pulling my blanket over my head in a rather futile attempt to block out the sound of the squall. I had just begun to ignore it when I heard my door creak open. I stuck my head out from underneath the covers, my hand shifting under my pillow to grip the blade stashed there. I looked behind me towards the entrance to my room to look at the intruder. I relinquished my grasp on my weapon immediately.

"Lutz? Bruder, what are you still doing up?" My eyes were blurry from tiredness as I looked at my cute little baby brother. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the little blanket he was grasping so hard his knuckles were white. I also faintly saw the tears of fear in his blue eyes.

The little blonde boy said nothing as he suddenly performed a running tackle onto my bed, landing beside me with a whimper and bouncing slightly on the springs, never letting go of that little blanket that matched his eyes.

The tears began to fall down his chubby cheeks as he buried his face into my blanketed shoulder.

'Bruder! Make the flashy light go away! Bitte!" My heart melted and I wrapped my arm around his middle and lifted him up so I could move the blanket back. I placed him against my chest, hugging him tightly, yet gently, as I moved the feather comforter back over us. He pulled himself as close as physically possible, trying to escape the "flashy light." Poor thing. I caressed his hair softly, muttering comforting words to him in German.

"Mein Bruderlein, haven't I told that no harm will ever come to you, so long as I'm around? I'll protect you from everything that might hurt you, even the lightning. If something or someone ever scares you, or tries to hurt you, and I dare them to, just come to me. Your awesome große Bruder will handle it. I swear. So shh, Kleiner bruder. Sleep. You can stay here with me, and the lightning won't hurt you, I promise." I began to hum a lullaby softly in his ear, his frightened tears quickly drying. "Nothin's gonna harm you, not while I'm around. Nothin's gonna harm you, darling, not while I'm around…" I kept singing and eventually his breathe evened out and he fell asleep in my arms as I hugged him close. I kissed his forehead and wished him sweet dreams. The storm was beginning to die down and my eyelids started to droop. My red eyes fell closed as I too slipped into my dreams, following mein kleiner Bruder as I held him to my chest protectively.

I've kept my promise so far, and I will continue to keep it. No harm will come to this beautiful blonde child. Not while I'm around.

Hello my lovelies! So, I got a few requests for an extra chapter and a few more implied ones through story alerts to a story labeled as "completed," so I figured "Why the hell not?" I had strayed from the original idea somewhat in the first chapter, as that one was originally supposed to be lightning and not night terrors, but it still worked, I think. Oh, and for those poor, deprived people of the world, the "lullaby" Prussia was singing was a song from Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I had to include the whole title because that is the version everyone should watch. The Tale of Sweeney Todd made back in the 90's was terrible, but this one has Johnny Depp.

*~{ ~CoMa~DoSe~ }~*