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twispiteficTitle: A Tale of Two Sisters, Part Three
Author: GoneIn30Seconds
Fandom(s): Hetalia: Axis Powers
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4,279
Inspiration: She was merciful to the warlike knights, but she took away their lands and castles and made them take up honest trades. From the second chapter of Feminist Fairy Tales, "Princess Questa."
Warnings: Strong language and minor amounts of violence
Summary: In a kingdom far to the north, Felice finds work - and a friend while she's at it.
Meanwhile, Felice was not idle, either. The nearest city on the northern road was in the Habsburg Imperium and much farther from the crossroads than the nearest city on the western road; even with scrupulous rationing she eventually ran out of food. But Felice had started this journey, and for her sister and grandfather's sake, she was determined to finish it. She began doing small odd jobs at the various farms she passed, asking for payment in bread. It often wasn't much, but it was enough to sustain her until she reached the city.
Once she reached the city, however, she had no idea what to do. She had been in cities before, but the language of the Habsburg Imperium was much different than the language of Víteliú, and she had no idea what anyone was saying. But she had come too far to turn back now, so she set out to try and find work.
"Excuse me, signore," she said to a man in a guard's uniform. "Do you know of anyone who might have work?"
The guard gave her a befuddled look, as though she was speaking with a snake's tongue, and continued on his way.
"Excuse me, signora," she said to a woman in front of a shop window. "Do you need anyone to help in your shop?"
The woman said something Felice couldn't understand and left.
"Excuse me, signore," she said to a man with a market stall. "Do you know anyone who has a job I could do?"
The man looked at her in annoyance and waved her away, as there were customers behind her.
By the end of the day, Felice was crying from frustration and fear. She had tried several times throughout the day to speak to people, but nobody could understand a word she said, and she couldn't understand a word that anyone else was saying.
As she was contemplating what to do, however, she saw a woman carrying a basket trip and fall onto the pavement.
"Oh goodness! Are you alright?" Felice said, running over to the woman. "Here, let me help you!"
"Thank you," said the woman as the two placed various yarns back in her basket, "that is very kind of you."
"Of course!" said Felice with a smile. "My grandpa always told me to be helpful to everyone."
The woman chuckled. "Your grandfather sounds like a marvelous man."
"He really is; once, when I was little-" Felice abruptly stopped speaking and her eyes widened. "You can understand me?"
"Yes, indeed," said the woman. "Why? Is something wrong?"
"Oh, thank heaven!" Felice cried. "You're the first person I've met in this city who can speak my language and I'm a long way from home because I need a job because otherwise Grandpa is going to lose the house, and-"
"Goodness," the woman said, "slow down! I can barely understand you."
Felice started over, explaining that Queen Questa had stripped her family of everything, that they had managed to re-make their lives only to lose all of their money, and that she and her sister had set out to find work.
"And I couldn't find any work because I couldn't understand what people were saying, and then I met you, and then everything else happened," Felice concluded.
"Oh, you poor girl," said the woman. "Tell you what. I have a friend who is looking for someone she can employ as a companion; perhaps she could take you on." She held her hand out to Felice. "Come on, I'll show you where she lives."
"Oh, thank you! Thank you, miss...?" Felice realized she hadn't asked the woman's name.
"Dear me, where are my manners? My name is Erzsébet," the woman said as they walked. "And what's your name?"
"Felice."
"It's wonderful to meet you, Felice," said Erzsébet.
"It's wonderful to meet you, too," Felice replied.
And the two women walked arm and arm towards the house of Erzsébet's friend.
Erzsébet's friend, as it happened, was a woman of noble birth named Anneliese. Anneliese was beautiful, but severe, and Felice couldn't help being a bit intimidated by her. However, as Felice discovered after she explained her situation, she was not unkind, and she agreed to take Felice on has her companion.
"As my companion," Anneliese explained to her as Felice moved into her new room, "you will be expected to help me entertain guests, to provide me with company, and to accompany me to social events. In addition, I will hire you a language tutor and I expect you to pay attention to his lessons. Am I clear?"
She was, and Felice preformed her duties to the best of her ability, despite the language barrier. It helped that Anneliese was willing to help her practice the language of the Habsburg Imperium and that she extended great kindness to Felice, giving her leave to borrow Anneliese's books and letting her listen when her mistress was playing harpsichord. The two soon reached a certain harmony with each other.
"We will be moving north soon," Anneliese told Felice one day, not long after she'd first arrived.
"Really?" Felice replied. "Why? I thought the capital's winter season didn't get underway for another month."
"The Imperium's knights are having one last tournament before winter truly sets in," Anneliese said, "and I want to see Gilbert compete."
"Gilbert? Who’s Gilbert?"
Anneliese blushed. "Gilbert is my fiancé."
"You're getting married?" cried Felice. "That's wonderful!"
"Yes, I am, and more to the point, he doesn't know I'm showing up at this tournament." A hint of mischief crept into her eyes. "And I'm not going to tell him."
Felice gave her a puzzled look. "Why not?"
"To surprise him, naturally. Keep him on his toes. Besides," she said, sounding both exasperated and amused, "I need to get back at him for last year's birthday party."
They left for the capital in the north about a week later, and managed to arrive without incident. Erzsébet came with them, for she too was interested in seeing Anneliese's fiancé compete in the tournament. They spent the few days before the tournament in quiet companionship in Anneliese's home in the capital.
The day of the tournament, the three ladies arrived at the grounds early in the morning, so as to make sure they missed nothing. They obtained their seats (apparently Anneliese had told Gilbert's grandfather to expect them, even if she hadn't told Gilbert himself), and then Anneliese asked Felice for a favor.
"I want you," she said, unfastening her necklace, "to take this to Gilbert, tell him that your lady sends it with her regards, and to inform him that I want it back afterwards. Don't worry; he speaks your native language."
"Why me? Why don't you want to go?" Felice asked.
"Because, meine Freundin, this is how we always unexpectedly announce ourselves. I'll give it to him myself when he goes off to war," Anneliese said.
With some directions from a helpful knight, Felice found Gilbert's tent, where the man himself was getting kitted up in his armor. She squinted. The lighting is strange in here, she thought, his hair looks white from this angle.
"Are you Gilbert Beilshmidt?" she asked.
The man turned around. "Yeah! Yeah, that's me." He grinned at her. "How can the awesome me help you?"
Felice held up Anneliese's necklace. "My lady told me to give this to you, with her regards, and that she'd like it back after the tournament, please and thank you."
"Well, look, that's really nice of your mistress and all, but I'm-" Gilbert stopped abruptly when he got a better look at the pendant at the end of the necklace. His eyes went wide and his mouth fell open for a moment, and then he threw his head back, laughing heartily and merrily.
When he finally recovered, Gilbert gently took the necklace from her. A softer smile had replaced his grin. "Tell your mistress," he said, "that I hope she enjoys the tournament."
"I will, signore," said Felice, and with a curtsy, she left the tent.
Just as she entered the sunshine again, however, she saw the glint of something out of the corner of her eye. She had a feeling that it was just the armor of one of the knights; however, curiosity overtook her and she looked to see what it was.
As expected, it was the armor of a knight; it was, in fact, the armor of the knight in the tent just next to Gilbert's, who was looking over his sword in preparation for the one-on-one melee. However, as ordinary a sight as knights were at these tournaments, Felice caught herself staring. The knight in question was blond, tall, and very, very handsome, and Felice was overcome with both shyness and a strange urge to talk to him.
If only I had something to talk about...
Then Felice had an idea. She untied her hair ribbon and walked up to him, hoping that she wasn't about to make a fool of herself.
Now, what’s “Hello” in this language again?
"Hallo," she said.
The man looked up from his sword. His face was set in a stern expression, but his eyes widened a bit upon seeing Felice.
"Ha...hallo," he said. Felice noticed that his eyes were very, very blue, and her face felt slightly warm.
"I wanted to give this to you," she said, holding out her ribbon. "For luck." She hoped to heaven she'd said that correctly.
Thankfully, he got the meaning, as he took the ribbon from her. "Ich fühle mich geehrt, fräulein," he said. "Thank you."
Felice only understood the 'thank you' part, but regardless a wide, silly smile spread across her face, and with one last 'good luck,' she curtseyed to the knight and wound her way back to the stands.
"Dear me," said Anneliese when Felice finally returned to the stands, "are you all right? Your face is quite red."
"Yes, yes," Felice said, "I'm fine."
"And what happened to your ribbon?" asked Erzsébet.
Felice blushed even harder. "I, ah...I gave it away."
Anneliese and Erzsébet shared a knowing look, but didn't comment. Erzsébet gave Felice her spare hair ribbon to tie her hair back, and soon enough Gilbert's grandfather, Aldrich, joined the three of them. The tournament proper started not long after.
The knights all had their helmets on, so she couldn't see their faces, but Felice could recognize Gilbert's armor. When he was up for the tilting competition, he raised his lance towards their seats as he rode up to his starting position. Anneliese waved at him, looking pleased.
"How well did he take it?" Anneliese asked Felice.
"He said that he hoped you enjoyed the tournament," Felice replied.
Anneliese smiled. "I'm sure I will."
Gilbert won his match, and then the field was turned over to two more knights. One of them - the one who was taking Gilbert's spot on the field - lifted his lance towards their seats, as Gilbert had done, and Felice recognized his armor as the armor the knight she had spoken to. She smiled at him and waved.
"Do you know him?" Erzsébet asked.
"Ah...not really," Felice admitted. "I met him on my way back to the stands, and we talked a little bit."
Anneliese quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing.
The tournament was interesting, but long, and by the end of it Felice was rather fatigued. It was a relief when it was over and Aldrich invited the three of them to dinner at his home. Anneliese accepted, but told him that they needed to go home and freshen up a bit beforehand. Plus, Erzsébet had developed an ungodly headache and wasn’t up to any social events. After seeing her safely home, Anneliese and Felice returned to Anneliese’s manor, straightened their hair, changed into more suitable attire, and left.
When they arrived at Herr Beilshmidt’s manor, they were greeted by Gilbert and his grandfather.
“So,” Gilbert said, grinning at Anneliese, “how did you enjoy the tournament?”
“Hmm…not bad. Not bad at all,” Anneliese replied, taking his arm. “Though that tilting match against that one fellow – von Liechtenstein, was it? – ended very poorly. Are you alright?”
“Okay, to be fair, literally nobody has won against that guy,” Gilbert said as they walked to the dining room. “He’s fucking brutal. His herald is a riot, though, you have to admit.”
“He was…something,” Anneliese said. “And you haven’t answered my question. Are you alright?”
“Yes, Anneliese, I’m fine. Just a bit bruised. Which reminds me.” He reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out Anneliese’s necklace. “You wanted this back?”
“Thank you,” Anneliese said, taking her necklace. “What about Ludwig? He wasn’t hurt too much in the melee, I hope.”
Ludwig? Felice wondered. Who’s Ludwig?
“Lutz is fine. He has a twisted foot, that’s all. In fact,” Gilbert said as rapid footsteps approached from a nearby hallway, “that should be him now.”
Sure enough, a man emerged from one of the doorways, limping slightly and with a flustered look on his face. He was tall, blond, and-
Felice’s eyes widened and she just barely held in a gasp. He’s the knight I gave my hair ribbon to!
“Sorry I’m so late, Großvater,” he said. “I had a devil of a time splinting this foot of mine, and I can’t…” He trailed off as his eyes came to rest on Felice. His eyes went wide, his mouth hung open, and his skin became ever so slightly pink. “I, ah, I can’t, ah, walk very fast with my foot like, uh, like this. Twisted, that is.”
“You are forgiven,” Aldrich said. “It is not easy to walk on an injured foot. Though that doesn’t explain why you sound so nervous, young man.”
“Ah…”
“Ludwig,” Anneliese interrupted, walking over to him and smiling, “it’s lovely to see you. Have I written to you about my new companion? Felice, come here, would you please?”
Felice took one look at the knight’s bright blue eyes and she again wanted both to speak to him and to shy away. Nevertheless, she went up to the two of them as Anneliese had bid.
“Ludwig, this is my companion, Felice,” she said. “Felice, this is Gilbert’s brother, Ludwig.”
The knight – Ludwig - had managed to get his expression under control, but nevertheless he was still blushing. “I am very pleased to meet you, Felice,” he said.
Felice smiled at him nervously. “I’m really happy to meet you too, Ludwig.”
He smiled back at her, and even though he looked very, very nervous Felice felt a small flutter in her stomach, and she wasn’t sure that was a good thing but Ludwig just looked so handsome when he smiled…
“Well, now that that is out of the way,” Anneliese said, “it is time for dinner. Ludwig, perhaps you could lead Felice to the table?”
“Uhm, yes, of course,” Ludwig said.
“Good.” And with that, Anneliese took Gilbert’s arm and the two continued their way to the dining room, with Aldrich close behind.
Ludwig and Felice looked at each other in awkward silence for a moment. Neither was quite sure what to do.
“I, ah,” Ludwig said finally. “I still have your ribbon with me, if you would like it back.”
“No, you can keep it,” Felice said. “I mean, if you want to; if it’s weird for you to keep it I can take it back and I’m really sorry if I made you uncomfortable…” Felice stopped, realizing that she’d slipped into her native language. She spoke again, making sure she was speaking in the Habsburg language. “I’m sorry, I don’t speak this language very well.”
“I could understand you,” Ludwig said, switching to her native tongue. “And you didn’t make me uncomfortable. In fact, I rather…liked your gesture.” He smiled at her again, much less nervously. “I liked it a great deal. I’m just not used to this.”
Felice smiled back at him, the anxiety she’d been feeling fading into relief. “I’m not used to this, either,” she said warmly, taking his arm. “But that’s okay, Ludwig. We can be new at this together!”
Ludwig chuckled. “That would bring me great pleasure, Felice.”
And with that, the two of them walked to the dining room and joined the others for dinner.
Time passed, as time does, and Felice found her days passing in a blur, helping Anneliese entertain guests, learning the Habsburg language, and writing to Augustus. She grew to love the Habsburg Imperium, with its cold winter winds and its rocky landscape, and its stern, but kind, people. Sometimes she would go out and chat with the people in the market, learn little songs from the children, and greet foreigners passing through the city.
And, of course, there was Ludwig. The two of them became close quickly, as Ludwig showed her the capital, regaled her with tales about other knights, and helped her practice his mother tongue. A few times, at his brother's urging, he took her into the back garden of his grandfather's manor and showed her how to make forts in the snow. He also delighted in playing with his dogs, an activity he was more than happy to invite Felice to join. True, he could be a massive worrier, but Felice loved nothing more than to get him smiling, distracting herself from her fears for her grandfather and Lovina, even if only a little while.
Midway through winter, however, a massive blizzard hit the city, covering everything in more snow than anybody knew how to deal with. The wind rattled the windows, and it was so cold that the chill was impossible to dispel no matter how much the fire was built up. Anneliese took ill three days later, and Gilbert insisted on being over to look after her, storm or no storm. Ludwig came with him. Felice was just letting the two brothers into her mistress' room when she remembered the lyre-string the woman had given her, and got an idea. She grabbed her warmest coat and left a note saying that she would be back in a few minutes.
Felice ran as fast as she could to the nearest cathedral, ignoring the insane cold and the piercing wind. Once she was there, she hurried inside and up the steps of the bell tower. She stepped onto the balcony just as a certain knight came into the square.
"Felice!" Ludwig shouted once he saw where she was. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"It's going to be okay, Ludwig!" Felice replied. "I have an idea!"
"This idea can't be worth your life!" he protested. "Get down from there!"
There was no time for that, however. Felice looked straight up from her spot on the balcony.
Standing in the center of the storm was a great wolf, whose howls froze and produced the snow that covered the ground. Felice knew what she had to do, and reached into her coat. As with her sister, she had to fumble for a bit, but she soon had her cameo locket open and the piece of lyre-string in her hand. She spun it over her head three times and as with Lovina, it became something else - in her case, a net. She held it in front of her and sang:
Snow, snow, blow this way,
Break the storm before
The close of day.
Don't let the wolf run awry
Or he'll destroy the city
From the sky.
(I apologize, once again, for the poetry.)
The net immediately began to draw the wolf and his freezing breaths into its confines. The wolf would not take this lying down, however. Just before he was sucked into the net, he lunged forward and bit Felice's shoulder with his great jaws. She screamed from the pain of it.
"Felice! What happened?" Ludwig shouted. "Don't worry; I'll be right there!"
The wolf would have returned to his storm, had Felice not thrown herself onto his back, knocking him off-balance and forcing him to the ground. He pushed her off, but Felice found a brick on the floor and hit him in the head with it, which left him dazed enough that she could push him into her net and tie it closed. Less than a second later, the snow stopped and the winds died down, so much so that people across the city could once again hear the clock-tower. Dizzily, Felice leaned against the balcony's railing, holding her bleeding shoulder. She tried to push herself upright, but she only been stood for a few seconds before she stumbled backwards. Dimly, she heard someone shout, and her eyes closed just as she saw Ludwig's horrified face.
Felice woke up some time later in her room, shoulder bandaged and Anneliese's physician at her side.
"I was wondering when you would wake up, fräulein," the doctor said.
Felice tried to shift her arm into a more comfortable position and winced. "How bad is it?"
"There are several deep puncture wounds and some torn muscles. Nothing that won't heal; however, you also lost a great deal of blood." He gave her an accusatory look. "You gave everyone here quite a scare with that stunt of yours."
"I can imagine, and I'm sorry," Felice said. "But it needed to be done."
"Yes, well," the doctor said, "tell that to the young man who brought you home."
Felice winced again. "About Ludwig," she said. "Can I speak to him?"
The doctor nodded, gave Felice some medication for the pain, and left the room, leaving Felice alone to think. He must be so angry, she thought. Grandpa and Lovina would be, if they had been here. She heard someone running, and barely had time to prepare herself before the door opened and Ludwig came in.
There was silence between them. For a moment.
"Ludwig, I'm so-"
But Ludwig didn't give her time to finish. "Oh, thank God," he said. And he rushed over to her and hugged her to him.
Felice was stunned. She wasn't expecting this kind of reaction. "L-Ludwig?"
"You're alive. You're really alive. I thought..." Ludwig was shaking a great deal and tears were streaming down his face. "I thought I'd lost you."
"Ludwig, shh. Don't cry." Felice reached over to her bedside table and grabbed a handkerchief, which she used to daub at Ludwig's eyes. "Please don't cry, Ludwig. I'm right here; the doctor says I'm going to be fine."
"I know, I know," he replied. "But even so..." Ludwig looked at her gravely. "Promise me something, Felice."
"Yes?"
"Promise me you will never do anything like that again. I couldn't..." Ludwig's voice trailed off.
"What? What is it, Ludwig?" Felice asked.
Ludwig looked at her for a long moment, a look of confliction on his face. Then, slowly and gently, he brushed her bangs aside and pressed his lips against her forehead. "If something happened to you," he finally said, "and I could have done something about it, I could never forgive myself."
If Felice was stunned before, she was speechless now. She'd always been very attracted to Ludwig, and had even begun to feel more than just friendship for him recently. Hearing that he felt the same way made her feel such joy that it warmed her heart.
But then she remembered Lovina, and her grandfather, and she knew that they were counting on her. The money she and Lovina had sent Augustus had saved the house, but only barely, and right now she couldn't afford to quit her job and settle down. But like her sister, she knew that their current financial problems wouldn't last forever, and she knew that once they were in the clear, she could afford to think about the future beyond her family. And she wanted a future with her brave, shy, sweet Ludwig.
She would just have to wait.
Ludwig was beginning to look a bit uncomfortable. "But, ah, it's perfectly fine if you don't think of me...that is, I hope I wasn't-"
Felice leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Ludwig went completely still, as if unable to process what had just happened.
"I feel the same way, Ludwig," Felice said.
Ludwig's eyes went wide. "You do?"
"Yes, yes I do. But I can't go any further than where we are now; not until my family isn't so poor that we lose everything to the tax collector every season."
Ludwig nodded. "I understand."
"But all three of us are working now, so someday, our money problems will get better, and then you and me can be together." She placed her hands on top of Ludwig's hands. "It might take a while, though."
Ludwig took her hands in his. "For you, I will wait as long as it takes. If there is any way I can help you, tell me. Even if I am not your lover, I am still your friend."
Felice smiled. "Oh, Ludwig." Her eyes began to feel heavy. "Can we talk later? I'm really sleepy."
"Of course," he said, standing up. "I'll see you in the morning. Before I forget, though." He reached into a pocket and pulled out her locket, now hanging from a silver chain. "Your coat is beyond repair, but there is still this." He fastened the chain around her neck. "There we are. I'll leave you be now. Sleep well." Ludwig blew out the candle and walked to the door.
"Hey, Ludwig," Felice said.
"Yes, Felice?"
"Thank you," she said. "For everything."
Ludwig smiled. "I would do it again in a heartbeat." And then he left her room and shut the door.
Felice held her locket and thought of Lovina as she fell asleep.
Author: GoneIn30Seconds
Fandom(s): Hetalia: Axis Powers
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4,279
Inspiration: She was merciful to the warlike knights, but she took away their lands and castles and made them take up honest trades. From the second chapter of Feminist Fairy Tales, "Princess Questa."
Warnings: Strong language and minor amounts of violence
Summary: In a kingdom far to the north, Felice finds work - and a friend while she's at it.
Meanwhile, Felice was not idle, either. The nearest city on the northern road was in the Habsburg Imperium and much farther from the crossroads than the nearest city on the western road; even with scrupulous rationing she eventually ran out of food. But Felice had started this journey, and for her sister and grandfather's sake, she was determined to finish it. She began doing small odd jobs at the various farms she passed, asking for payment in bread. It often wasn't much, but it was enough to sustain her until she reached the city.
Once she reached the city, however, she had no idea what to do. She had been in cities before, but the language of the Habsburg Imperium was much different than the language of Víteliú, and she had no idea what anyone was saying. But she had come too far to turn back now, so she set out to try and find work.
"Excuse me, signore," she said to a man in a guard's uniform. "Do you know of anyone who might have work?"
The guard gave her a befuddled look, as though she was speaking with a snake's tongue, and continued on his way.
"Excuse me, signora," she said to a woman in front of a shop window. "Do you need anyone to help in your shop?"
The woman said something Felice couldn't understand and left.
"Excuse me, signore," she said to a man with a market stall. "Do you know anyone who has a job I could do?"
The man looked at her in annoyance and waved her away, as there were customers behind her.
By the end of the day, Felice was crying from frustration and fear. She had tried several times throughout the day to speak to people, but nobody could understand a word she said, and she couldn't understand a word that anyone else was saying.
As she was contemplating what to do, however, she saw a woman carrying a basket trip and fall onto the pavement.
"Oh goodness! Are you alright?" Felice said, running over to the woman. "Here, let me help you!"
"Thank you," said the woman as the two placed various yarns back in her basket, "that is very kind of you."
"Of course!" said Felice with a smile. "My grandpa always told me to be helpful to everyone."
The woman chuckled. "Your grandfather sounds like a marvelous man."
"He really is; once, when I was little-" Felice abruptly stopped speaking and her eyes widened. "You can understand me?"
"Yes, indeed," said the woman. "Why? Is something wrong?"
"Oh, thank heaven!" Felice cried. "You're the first person I've met in this city who can speak my language and I'm a long way from home because I need a job because otherwise Grandpa is going to lose the house, and-"
"Goodness," the woman said, "slow down! I can barely understand you."
Felice started over, explaining that Queen Questa had stripped her family of everything, that they had managed to re-make their lives only to lose all of their money, and that she and her sister had set out to find work.
"And I couldn't find any work because I couldn't understand what people were saying, and then I met you, and then everything else happened," Felice concluded.
"Oh, you poor girl," said the woman. "Tell you what. I have a friend who is looking for someone she can employ as a companion; perhaps she could take you on." She held her hand out to Felice. "Come on, I'll show you where she lives."
"Oh, thank you! Thank you, miss...?" Felice realized she hadn't asked the woman's name.
"Dear me, where are my manners? My name is Erzsébet," the woman said as they walked. "And what's your name?"
"Felice."
"It's wonderful to meet you, Felice," said Erzsébet.
"It's wonderful to meet you, too," Felice replied.
And the two women walked arm and arm towards the house of Erzsébet's friend.
Erzsébet's friend, as it happened, was a woman of noble birth named Anneliese. Anneliese was beautiful, but severe, and Felice couldn't help being a bit intimidated by her. However, as Felice discovered after she explained her situation, she was not unkind, and she agreed to take Felice on has her companion.
"As my companion," Anneliese explained to her as Felice moved into her new room, "you will be expected to help me entertain guests, to provide me with company, and to accompany me to social events. In addition, I will hire you a language tutor and I expect you to pay attention to his lessons. Am I clear?"
She was, and Felice preformed her duties to the best of her ability, despite the language barrier. It helped that Anneliese was willing to help her practice the language of the Habsburg Imperium and that she extended great kindness to Felice, giving her leave to borrow Anneliese's books and letting her listen when her mistress was playing harpsichord. The two soon reached a certain harmony with each other.
"We will be moving north soon," Anneliese told Felice one day, not long after she'd first arrived.
"Really?" Felice replied. "Why? I thought the capital's winter season didn't get underway for another month."
"The Imperium's knights are having one last tournament before winter truly sets in," Anneliese said, "and I want to see Gilbert compete."
"Gilbert? Who’s Gilbert?"
Anneliese blushed. "Gilbert is my fiancé."
"You're getting married?" cried Felice. "That's wonderful!"
"Yes, I am, and more to the point, he doesn't know I'm showing up at this tournament." A hint of mischief crept into her eyes. "And I'm not going to tell him."
Felice gave her a puzzled look. "Why not?"
"To surprise him, naturally. Keep him on his toes. Besides," she said, sounding both exasperated and amused, "I need to get back at him for last year's birthday party."
They left for the capital in the north about a week later, and managed to arrive without incident. Erzsébet came with them, for she too was interested in seeing Anneliese's fiancé compete in the tournament. They spent the few days before the tournament in quiet companionship in Anneliese's home in the capital.
The day of the tournament, the three ladies arrived at the grounds early in the morning, so as to make sure they missed nothing. They obtained their seats (apparently Anneliese had told Gilbert's grandfather to expect them, even if she hadn't told Gilbert himself), and then Anneliese asked Felice for a favor.
"I want you," she said, unfastening her necklace, "to take this to Gilbert, tell him that your lady sends it with her regards, and to inform him that I want it back afterwards. Don't worry; he speaks your native language."
"Why me? Why don't you want to go?" Felice asked.
"Because, meine Freundin, this is how we always unexpectedly announce ourselves. I'll give it to him myself when he goes off to war," Anneliese said.
With some directions from a helpful knight, Felice found Gilbert's tent, where the man himself was getting kitted up in his armor. She squinted. The lighting is strange in here, she thought, his hair looks white from this angle.
"Are you Gilbert Beilshmidt?" she asked.
The man turned around. "Yeah! Yeah, that's me." He grinned at her. "How can the awesome me help you?"
Felice held up Anneliese's necklace. "My lady told me to give this to you, with her regards, and that she'd like it back after the tournament, please and thank you."
"Well, look, that's really nice of your mistress and all, but I'm-" Gilbert stopped abruptly when he got a better look at the pendant at the end of the necklace. His eyes went wide and his mouth fell open for a moment, and then he threw his head back, laughing heartily and merrily.
When he finally recovered, Gilbert gently took the necklace from her. A softer smile had replaced his grin. "Tell your mistress," he said, "that I hope she enjoys the tournament."
"I will, signore," said Felice, and with a curtsy, she left the tent.
Just as she entered the sunshine again, however, she saw the glint of something out of the corner of her eye. She had a feeling that it was just the armor of one of the knights; however, curiosity overtook her and she looked to see what it was.
As expected, it was the armor of a knight; it was, in fact, the armor of the knight in the tent just next to Gilbert's, who was looking over his sword in preparation for the one-on-one melee. However, as ordinary a sight as knights were at these tournaments, Felice caught herself staring. The knight in question was blond, tall, and very, very handsome, and Felice was overcome with both shyness and a strange urge to talk to him.
If only I had something to talk about...
Then Felice had an idea. She untied her hair ribbon and walked up to him, hoping that she wasn't about to make a fool of herself.
Now, what’s “Hello” in this language again?
"Hallo," she said.
The man looked up from his sword. His face was set in a stern expression, but his eyes widened a bit upon seeing Felice.
"Ha...hallo," he said. Felice noticed that his eyes were very, very blue, and her face felt slightly warm.
"I wanted to give this to you," she said, holding out her ribbon. "For luck." She hoped to heaven she'd said that correctly.
Thankfully, he got the meaning, as he took the ribbon from her. "Ich fühle mich geehrt, fräulein," he said. "Thank you."
Felice only understood the 'thank you' part, but regardless a wide, silly smile spread across her face, and with one last 'good luck,' she curtseyed to the knight and wound her way back to the stands.
"Dear me," said Anneliese when Felice finally returned to the stands, "are you all right? Your face is quite red."
"Yes, yes," Felice said, "I'm fine."
"And what happened to your ribbon?" asked Erzsébet.
Felice blushed even harder. "I, ah...I gave it away."
Anneliese and Erzsébet shared a knowing look, but didn't comment. Erzsébet gave Felice her spare hair ribbon to tie her hair back, and soon enough Gilbert's grandfather, Aldrich, joined the three of them. The tournament proper started not long after.
The knights all had their helmets on, so she couldn't see their faces, but Felice could recognize Gilbert's armor. When he was up for the tilting competition, he raised his lance towards their seats as he rode up to his starting position. Anneliese waved at him, looking pleased.
"How well did he take it?" Anneliese asked Felice.
"He said that he hoped you enjoyed the tournament," Felice replied.
Anneliese smiled. "I'm sure I will."
Gilbert won his match, and then the field was turned over to two more knights. One of them - the one who was taking Gilbert's spot on the field - lifted his lance towards their seats, as Gilbert had done, and Felice recognized his armor as the armor the knight she had spoken to. She smiled at him and waved.
"Do you know him?" Erzsébet asked.
"Ah...not really," Felice admitted. "I met him on my way back to the stands, and we talked a little bit."
Anneliese quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing.
The tournament was interesting, but long, and by the end of it Felice was rather fatigued. It was a relief when it was over and Aldrich invited the three of them to dinner at his home. Anneliese accepted, but told him that they needed to go home and freshen up a bit beforehand. Plus, Erzsébet had developed an ungodly headache and wasn’t up to any social events. After seeing her safely home, Anneliese and Felice returned to Anneliese’s manor, straightened their hair, changed into more suitable attire, and left.
When they arrived at Herr Beilshmidt’s manor, they were greeted by Gilbert and his grandfather.
“So,” Gilbert said, grinning at Anneliese, “how did you enjoy the tournament?”
“Hmm…not bad. Not bad at all,” Anneliese replied, taking his arm. “Though that tilting match against that one fellow – von Liechtenstein, was it? – ended very poorly. Are you alright?”
“Okay, to be fair, literally nobody has won against that guy,” Gilbert said as they walked to the dining room. “He’s fucking brutal. His herald is a riot, though, you have to admit.”
“He was…something,” Anneliese said. “And you haven’t answered my question. Are you alright?”
“Yes, Anneliese, I’m fine. Just a bit bruised. Which reminds me.” He reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out Anneliese’s necklace. “You wanted this back?”
“Thank you,” Anneliese said, taking her necklace. “What about Ludwig? He wasn’t hurt too much in the melee, I hope.”
Ludwig? Felice wondered. Who’s Ludwig?
“Lutz is fine. He has a twisted foot, that’s all. In fact,” Gilbert said as rapid footsteps approached from a nearby hallway, “that should be him now.”
Sure enough, a man emerged from one of the doorways, limping slightly and with a flustered look on his face. He was tall, blond, and-
Felice’s eyes widened and she just barely held in a gasp. He’s the knight I gave my hair ribbon to!
“Sorry I’m so late, Großvater,” he said. “I had a devil of a time splinting this foot of mine, and I can’t…” He trailed off as his eyes came to rest on Felice. His eyes went wide, his mouth hung open, and his skin became ever so slightly pink. “I, ah, I can’t, ah, walk very fast with my foot like, uh, like this. Twisted, that is.”
“You are forgiven,” Aldrich said. “It is not easy to walk on an injured foot. Though that doesn’t explain why you sound so nervous, young man.”
“Ah…”
“Ludwig,” Anneliese interrupted, walking over to him and smiling, “it’s lovely to see you. Have I written to you about my new companion? Felice, come here, would you please?”
Felice took one look at the knight’s bright blue eyes and she again wanted both to speak to him and to shy away. Nevertheless, she went up to the two of them as Anneliese had bid.
“Ludwig, this is my companion, Felice,” she said. “Felice, this is Gilbert’s brother, Ludwig.”
The knight – Ludwig - had managed to get his expression under control, but nevertheless he was still blushing. “I am very pleased to meet you, Felice,” he said.
Felice smiled at him nervously. “I’m really happy to meet you too, Ludwig.”
He smiled back at her, and even though he looked very, very nervous Felice felt a small flutter in her stomach, and she wasn’t sure that was a good thing but Ludwig just looked so handsome when he smiled…
“Well, now that that is out of the way,” Anneliese said, “it is time for dinner. Ludwig, perhaps you could lead Felice to the table?”
“Uhm, yes, of course,” Ludwig said.
“Good.” And with that, Anneliese took Gilbert’s arm and the two continued their way to the dining room, with Aldrich close behind.
Ludwig and Felice looked at each other in awkward silence for a moment. Neither was quite sure what to do.
“I, ah,” Ludwig said finally. “I still have your ribbon with me, if you would like it back.”
“No, you can keep it,” Felice said. “I mean, if you want to; if it’s weird for you to keep it I can take it back and I’m really sorry if I made you uncomfortable…” Felice stopped, realizing that she’d slipped into her native language. She spoke again, making sure she was speaking in the Habsburg language. “I’m sorry, I don’t speak this language very well.”
“I could understand you,” Ludwig said, switching to her native tongue. “And you didn’t make me uncomfortable. In fact, I rather…liked your gesture.” He smiled at her again, much less nervously. “I liked it a great deal. I’m just not used to this.”
Felice smiled back at him, the anxiety she’d been feeling fading into relief. “I’m not used to this, either,” she said warmly, taking his arm. “But that’s okay, Ludwig. We can be new at this together!”
Ludwig chuckled. “That would bring me great pleasure, Felice.”
And with that, the two of them walked to the dining room and joined the others for dinner.
Time passed, as time does, and Felice found her days passing in a blur, helping Anneliese entertain guests, learning the Habsburg language, and writing to Augustus. She grew to love the Habsburg Imperium, with its cold winter winds and its rocky landscape, and its stern, but kind, people. Sometimes she would go out and chat with the people in the market, learn little songs from the children, and greet foreigners passing through the city.
And, of course, there was Ludwig. The two of them became close quickly, as Ludwig showed her the capital, regaled her with tales about other knights, and helped her practice his mother tongue. A few times, at his brother's urging, he took her into the back garden of his grandfather's manor and showed her how to make forts in the snow. He also delighted in playing with his dogs, an activity he was more than happy to invite Felice to join. True, he could be a massive worrier, but Felice loved nothing more than to get him smiling, distracting herself from her fears for her grandfather and Lovina, even if only a little while.
Midway through winter, however, a massive blizzard hit the city, covering everything in more snow than anybody knew how to deal with. The wind rattled the windows, and it was so cold that the chill was impossible to dispel no matter how much the fire was built up. Anneliese took ill three days later, and Gilbert insisted on being over to look after her, storm or no storm. Ludwig came with him. Felice was just letting the two brothers into her mistress' room when she remembered the lyre-string the woman had given her, and got an idea. She grabbed her warmest coat and left a note saying that she would be back in a few minutes.
Felice ran as fast as she could to the nearest cathedral, ignoring the insane cold and the piercing wind. Once she was there, she hurried inside and up the steps of the bell tower. She stepped onto the balcony just as a certain knight came into the square.
"Felice!" Ludwig shouted once he saw where she was. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"It's going to be okay, Ludwig!" Felice replied. "I have an idea!"
"This idea can't be worth your life!" he protested. "Get down from there!"
There was no time for that, however. Felice looked straight up from her spot on the balcony.
Standing in the center of the storm was a great wolf, whose howls froze and produced the snow that covered the ground. Felice knew what she had to do, and reached into her coat. As with her sister, she had to fumble for a bit, but she soon had her cameo locket open and the piece of lyre-string in her hand. She spun it over her head three times and as with Lovina, it became something else - in her case, a net. She held it in front of her and sang:
Snow, snow, blow this way,
Break the storm before
The close of day.
Don't let the wolf run awry
Or he'll destroy the city
From the sky.
(I apologize, once again, for the poetry.)
The net immediately began to draw the wolf and his freezing breaths into its confines. The wolf would not take this lying down, however. Just before he was sucked into the net, he lunged forward and bit Felice's shoulder with his great jaws. She screamed from the pain of it.
"Felice! What happened?" Ludwig shouted. "Don't worry; I'll be right there!"
The wolf would have returned to his storm, had Felice not thrown herself onto his back, knocking him off-balance and forcing him to the ground. He pushed her off, but Felice found a brick on the floor and hit him in the head with it, which left him dazed enough that she could push him into her net and tie it closed. Less than a second later, the snow stopped and the winds died down, so much so that people across the city could once again hear the clock-tower. Dizzily, Felice leaned against the balcony's railing, holding her bleeding shoulder. She tried to push herself upright, but she only been stood for a few seconds before she stumbled backwards. Dimly, she heard someone shout, and her eyes closed just as she saw Ludwig's horrified face.
Felice woke up some time later in her room, shoulder bandaged and Anneliese's physician at her side.
"I was wondering when you would wake up, fräulein," the doctor said.
Felice tried to shift her arm into a more comfortable position and winced. "How bad is it?"
"There are several deep puncture wounds and some torn muscles. Nothing that won't heal; however, you also lost a great deal of blood." He gave her an accusatory look. "You gave everyone here quite a scare with that stunt of yours."
"I can imagine, and I'm sorry," Felice said. "But it needed to be done."
"Yes, well," the doctor said, "tell that to the young man who brought you home."
Felice winced again. "About Ludwig," she said. "Can I speak to him?"
The doctor nodded, gave Felice some medication for the pain, and left the room, leaving Felice alone to think. He must be so angry, she thought. Grandpa and Lovina would be, if they had been here. She heard someone running, and barely had time to prepare herself before the door opened and Ludwig came in.
There was silence between them. For a moment.
"Ludwig, I'm so-"
But Ludwig didn't give her time to finish. "Oh, thank God," he said. And he rushed over to her and hugged her to him.
Felice was stunned. She wasn't expecting this kind of reaction. "L-Ludwig?"
"You're alive. You're really alive. I thought..." Ludwig was shaking a great deal and tears were streaming down his face. "I thought I'd lost you."
"Ludwig, shh. Don't cry." Felice reached over to her bedside table and grabbed a handkerchief, which she used to daub at Ludwig's eyes. "Please don't cry, Ludwig. I'm right here; the doctor says I'm going to be fine."
"I know, I know," he replied. "But even so..." Ludwig looked at her gravely. "Promise me something, Felice."
"Yes?"
"Promise me you will never do anything like that again. I couldn't..." Ludwig's voice trailed off.
"What? What is it, Ludwig?" Felice asked.
Ludwig looked at her for a long moment, a look of confliction on his face. Then, slowly and gently, he brushed her bangs aside and pressed his lips against her forehead. "If something happened to you," he finally said, "and I could have done something about it, I could never forgive myself."
If Felice was stunned before, she was speechless now. She'd always been very attracted to Ludwig, and had even begun to feel more than just friendship for him recently. Hearing that he felt the same way made her feel such joy that it warmed her heart.
But then she remembered Lovina, and her grandfather, and she knew that they were counting on her. The money she and Lovina had sent Augustus had saved the house, but only barely, and right now she couldn't afford to quit her job and settle down. But like her sister, she knew that their current financial problems wouldn't last forever, and she knew that once they were in the clear, she could afford to think about the future beyond her family. And she wanted a future with her brave, shy, sweet Ludwig.
She would just have to wait.
Ludwig was beginning to look a bit uncomfortable. "But, ah, it's perfectly fine if you don't think of me...that is, I hope I wasn't-"
Felice leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Ludwig went completely still, as if unable to process what had just happened.
"I feel the same way, Ludwig," Felice said.
Ludwig's eyes went wide. "You do?"
"Yes, yes I do. But I can't go any further than where we are now; not until my family isn't so poor that we lose everything to the tax collector every season."
Ludwig nodded. "I understand."
"But all three of us are working now, so someday, our money problems will get better, and then you and me can be together." She placed her hands on top of Ludwig's hands. "It might take a while, though."
Ludwig took her hands in his. "For you, I will wait as long as it takes. If there is any way I can help you, tell me. Even if I am not your lover, I am still your friend."
Felice smiled. "Oh, Ludwig." Her eyes began to feel heavy. "Can we talk later? I'm really sleepy."
"Of course," he said, standing up. "I'll see you in the morning. Before I forget, though." He reached into a pocket and pulled out her locket, now hanging from a silver chain. "Your coat is beyond repair, but there is still this." He fastened the chain around her neck. "There we are. I'll leave you be now. Sleep well." Ludwig blew out the candle and walked to the door.
"Hey, Ludwig," Felice said.
"Yes, Felice?"
"Thank you," she said. "For everything."
Ludwig smiled. "I would do it again in a heartbeat." And then he left her room and shut the door.
Felice held her locket and thought of Lovina as she fell asleep.
