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twispiteficTitle: A Tale of Two Sisters, Part Four
Author: GoneIn30Seconds
Fandom(s): Hetalia: Axis Powers
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2,939
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: Five years after leaving home, the sisters have everything they could've wanted. However, Questa once again threatens that which they love...
Queen Questa, as previously mentioned, was not popular amongst the other reigning monarchs. Víteliú and Aragón had been allied for many generations, but Questa was rather...lax, shall we say, in fulfilling Víteliú's side of the bargain. Despite Aragón willingly helping Víteliú with their money trouble, Questa was wholly unwilling to deploy Víteliúian sailors to help Aragón in its struggles against Loegrian privateers.
“I promised that there would be no more war, and there shall be no more war,” she said to the king of Aragón when he came to Víteliú for diplomatic talks.
“This is hardly a war, Questa,” the king said. “However, I fear that if these pirate attacks continue, it will become a war. Loegria refuses to call these ‘privateers’ of theirs off, and though the men in my navy are brave and loyal, they are tiring. Three of my ports have already been sacked. With Víteliú’s help, however, we can put these pirates down, and restore peace.”
Questa was unmoved. “No man shall ever command my country’s troops,” she said. And that was that, and the poor king could do nothing.
The archduchess of the Habsburg Imperium tried a different track. Seeing that Questa was eager to avoid more war and that Víteliú was low on money, she proposed that the countries become allies. The Habsburg Imperium would help Víteliú reach financial stability again and come to their aid in times of war. In exchange, Víteliú would return the region the Habsburg Imperium had lost in the war and would also come to their aid in times of war. Thinking that no war would be forthcoming, Questa agreed.
For a few years, it worked fine. However, the Habsburg Imperium had a rocky relationship with Muscova, and about four years into the arrangement with Víteliú, Muscova attacked and occupied a large eastern region of the Habsburg Imperium. The archduchess entreated Questa for the promised military support, but Questa would not provide it.
“I promised that there would be no more war, and there shall be no more war,” she said to the archduchess.
“You can’t do that! We had an arrangement, Questa,” the archduchess said. “We had a binding contract. Your kingdom is financially secure; renege on it now, and I can declare war upon you.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” said Questa. “I have an army.”
“An army of thieves and bandits,” the archduchess retorted. “Against trained Imperium knights, they are outmatched. Please, think of your country.”
But Questa would not budge from her position on the matter.
Meanwhile, things were getting better for Augustus and his granddaughters. With the financial aid of Víteliú’s allies, the need for greater taxes on the former knights lessened. Three years after he had lost everything, Augustus found that his taxes were equal to those of Víteliú’s other subjects, and that he no longer had to worry that he would be homeless and unable to buy bread after each visit from the tax collectors.
“My beloved granddaughters,” he wrote in his letters to them, “if I were to die today, I would die a happy man, for I have splendid news.” And he proceeded to relate the favorable changes in their fortune.
“It is time,” he continued, “for the two of you to stop supporting me and start your own lives. Don’t worry about me; I am an old man, and I have lived a full and happy life. My last wish is for you two to have security and happiness in your own lives. But even though you are not sending me money any more, be sure to keep writing to me, for your letters brighten your grandpa’s day.”
In Aragón, Lovina had healed fully from her encounter with the tiger, and was working in the bakery of Antonio’s friend, Emma, who also gave her a room to sleep in. Her beautiful brown hair had grown back, and she was the subject of much attention from the men, especially the precious few who were unperturbed by her foul language.
But she favored one man above all the others, and that was Antonio. He had move up in the world, as Abel had long since retired, and Antonio had joined His Majesty’s navy, becoming a cook on one of the best pirate-fighting ships in the fleet. Still as handsome as ever, he attracted much female attention. But his eyes were only for Lovina.
Every time he came into port, Lovina would be waiting for him at the docks, ready to hear all about his escapades on the open sea. Every time he set sail, Lovina would make sure he had fresh tomatoes and bread before they set out, and would stand at the pier until the ship faded from sight. When he was gone, she would go to his house to tend to his garden and chat with his aging mother. When he was home, he would take her to festivals and dance with her, drop in at the bakery to chat, and invite her to dinner at his house. Sometimes, after these dinners, Antonio and Lovina would sit up on the roof and talk, or he would pull out his guitar and they would sing sea shanties and folk songs as the sun set and the stars came up.
It was during one of these rooftop visits that Lovina told him about her grandfather’s letter.
“Hey, Antonio,” she said.
“Hmmm?”
“Grandpa wrote to me, and he said that the taxes have gone down. So our money problems are over.”
Antonio gasped. “Really?” He took her hands, a wide smile on his face. “Oh Lovi, that’s fantastic! I’m so happy for you!”
Lovina smiled too. “Yeah, and he said that he doesn’t want my sister and me to send him our money anymore. I am as free as a bird.” Her expression became more serious. “So…”
“So…?” Antonio said.
“You, ah,” she said, her face going pink, “know that chance I said I’d give you?”
“Yes, Lovi,” he said. “Why?”
Lovina smacked her palm against her forehead. “Why are you choosing now of all times to be clueless?! Don’t you remember?”
Antonio looked confused for a moment, and then the memory clicked and his eyes went wide. “Am I getting that chance, then?”
Lovina nodded. “Yeah, yeah you are.”
Antonio whooped with joy, danced in a circle, and pulled her into a warm hug. “¡Fantástico! Lovi, I am so happy right now, I could sing!”
“For fuck’s sake, Antonio, not in front of the entire city!” But she was laughing as she said it, and hugged him back.
Later, he walked her back to the bakery, and they hugged goodnight. However, as Antonio pulled away, he paused, and Lovina waited for him to do something. Nothing happened, and Lovina had some idea of what he wanted, and she wanted it too, but he wasn’t doing anything.
Finally, after a few more awkward seconds, Lovina blurted it out. “¿Vas a besarme o no?"
Antonio raised an eyebrow. “Do you want me to?”
“Yes,” she said.
Antonio didn’t need any more encouragement. He cupped Lovina’s face in his hands and, still smiling, kissed her. It was sweet and gentle, and it lasted for all of ten seconds. When they pulled apart, Antonio grinned at her.
“Good night, Lovina.”
“’Night, Antonio.”
As she watched Antonio walk away, Lovina ran her fingers over her lips, remembering what Antonio’s had felt like against them. A wide grin came to her face, and she went inside the bakery, her heart feeling light.
In the Habsburg Imperium, Felice had made a full recovery with her encounter with the wolf. She still served as Anneliese's companion, even though Anneliese and Gilbert had long since married. At the social events her mistress went to, she caught the eyes of many young men.
But there was only one young man for her, and that was Ludwig. His skill as a warrior and tactician was growing, allowing him to easily climb the ranks of Her Grace's army. He caught the eyes of many young ladies. But he reserved his heart for Felice.
Every time he was deployed, Ludwig always brought her ribbon with him. Every time he returned, Felice would rush over to Aldrich's manor to see him. While he was away, she would go over to take care of Ludwig's dogs and have coffee with his grandfather. While he was home, he would dance with her at society events, take her to the park with his dogs, and ask Anneliese if Felice could join him and his grandfather for dinner (Anneliese usually said yes, and would even help her find a suitable dress.) Sometimes, when dinner was over, Felice and Ludwig would walk through the garden, talking until the sun had gone down and Ludwig had to take her home.
It was right before one of these dinners that Felice received her grandfather's letter, and she couldn't wait to tell Ludwig.
"Ludwig! Ludwig!" she said when he came to pick her up that night. "I have exciting news!"
"Is this the kind of news that can't wait?"
"Yes, it is! Grandpa said that his taxes have gone down, and we don't have worry about money anymore!"
Ludwig smiled as he led her down the street. "That is very good news. I know how much you worry about your grandfather."
"It feels really good not to have to worry about him so much." Felice's smile faded, and her expression became serious. "So, Ludwig."
"Yes?"
"Do you...still want to be with me?" She was feeling very nervous, and she didn't know why.
"More than anything," he said. He stopped, eyes widening in realization. "Can we now?"
"I think so," said Felice. "I mean, I don't have to worry so much about my family now, and-"
Before she could finish, Ludwig picked her up and spun her in a circle. Felice grabbed onto his shoulders, laughing as the world went by in a blur around her. Ludwig set her down.
"You have no idea," he said, smiling wider than she'd ever seen him, "how happy I am to hear you say that."
"If it's anything like how I feel now," Felice replied, smiling back at him, "then I think I have a fairly good idea."
Later that night, after they had eaten dinner and told Aldrich they were officially courting, Ludwig walked her home. At the door of Anneliese's manor, Felice made to go, but Ludwig hadn't let go of her hand.
"Wait," he said. "There's...there's something..." He was really quite pink.
Felice smiled. "Was it this?" And she stood on her toes and kissed him. It was warm and chaste, and short. As she pulled back, Felice noticed that Ludwig was smiling.
"Yes, yes it was," he replied. "Guten nacht, Felice."
"Goodnight, Ludwig."
As he walked into the night, Felice brushed her fingers over her lips, thinking of how Ludwig's had felt when she'd kissed him. A small giggle escaped her, and she walked into the manor, a warm glow in her heart.
But alas! the two sisters had not yet left their troubles behind. The Habsburg Imperium managed to drive out the Muscovans, but at great cost: many men were killed, and many of the ones that lived were ill or gravely injured (including Ludwig's brother Gilbert). Aragón, meanwhile, had suffered heavily from Loegria and its privateers; the king was forced to admit defeat in the conflict and sign away valuable territory to the Loegrians to prevent further sackings and save his sailors. And no matter how much the king and the archduchess begged for help from Víteliú, Questa would not send aid.
Tensions within her own country were building as well. The former knights resented the queen for what she had done to them. Some of them had lost family members because of lack of food or medicine. And they wanted vengeance. They began meeting together in secret to discuss plans of rebellion.
Finally, five years after Lovina and Felice left Víteliú, the Habsburg Imperium, the former knights and Aragón had had enough. With the financial backing of Gallia - their mutual ally - the three came together to bring war to Questa's doorstep. The plan was simple. The best ships from Aragón's navy would sail into and take over the capital's harbor, cutting off trade and preventing the queen from escaping into the sea. Meanwhile, the former knights would lead the Habsburg troops along the fastest route to the capital city. The combined forces of the three factions would be more than enough to overwhelm Questa's meager defenses.
This meant, however, that Antonio and Ludwig were called to war.
"Lo siento, mi corazón," Antonio said to Lovina when he told her, "but it is the way things are."
Lovina sighed. "No, I get it. It was a long time coming anyway. But promise me something, Antonio."
"Anything."
"Promise me you won't be a jerk bastard and die on me," Lovina said. "If you did..." Her voice trailed off, and she looked like she might cry.
Antonio embraced her. "I will come back to you, Lovi. I promise."
Lovina said nothing, but hugged him tighter.
The scene was no happier with Felice and Ludwig.
"You-you're going to war?!" Felice cried out when Ludwig told her.
"Someone needs to fight, Feli," Ludwig said, "and Gilbert can't right now, and fighting is what I was born to do."
"I know, I know! I just...when Gilbert when off he got so hurt and-and he nearly died." Tears rolled down her cheeks as she hugged him. "I don't want to lose you, Ludwig."
"You won't lose me, herzchen," he said, stroking her hair. "I'll be home soon. I swear on my grandfather's sword."
And so Lovina and Felice could do nothing but watch as Antonio and Ludwig left on the long journey to the capital of Víteliú.
All they could do was wait.
What happened next can only be attributed to some very bad luck.
As Aragón's ships were approaching Víteliú’s coast, they were surprised one night by a Víteliúian naval convoy who hadn’t quite gotten rid of its cannons yet. Said convoy proceeded to open fire on the closest ship. Though the brave men of Aragón gave as good as they got from their attackers, badly damaging the convoy’s ships, everyone on the ships from Aragón were so startled by the sudden appearance of this convoy that by the time all of the sailors had been roused from their sleep and gotten to their stations, the convoy had done considerable damage to them. In the end, the only thing they could do was flee back to Aragón for repairs. Only one ship was left behind, and only because it was too damaged to move, and it was quickly captured by the Víteliúian naval convoy. Unfortunately, this was the ship Antonio served on.
At the same time, Questa’s outlaw friend detected the small force of Habsburg and Víteliúian knights approaching the capital, and he called together several more groups of outlaws and bandits to attack them. They struck just as the sun had gone down for the evening, catching the knights by surprise. The knights fought bravely and honorably, and even took many of the outlaws down. But they also took many casualties, and eventually the survivors were forced to retreat. Unfortunately, the few remaining outlaws managed to knock out some of the knights, and Ludwig was one of them.
Questa was furious when she learned her former allies were attacking her, and was even more furious when she learned that some of the combatants were former Víteliúian knights.
“I show the treacherous curs mercy and this is how they repay me?!” she cried. “I will show them! Arrest them all!”
Poor Augustus, who was completely uninvolved in the plot against the queen, was arrested, stripped of all of his worldly possessions, and dragged to the capital on charges of treason. He pleaded with the queen, saying that he had known nothing of this plot against her and to at least hear him and the rest of the knights out. But Questa was deaf to his pleas, and so he, Ludwig and Antonio were thrown into the palace dungeons with their companions. And the queen decided that in a fortnight, all of them would die.
When Lovina and Felice heard the news, they both shut themselves in their rooms, completely heartbroken, and no-one they knew could blame them.
“God fucking DAMNIT!” Lovina screamed, tears streaming down her face. “You said you wouldn’t die on me! You promised me!” She grabbed her pillow and threw it with as much force as she could muster. It hit the wall with a satisfying smack, but it would do nothing to save Augustus or Antonio, and she knew it. Lovina sunk down to the floor, sobbing.
Felice didn’t scream. She sat on her bed, quiet at first. Then, as the reality of what was going on kicked in, the tears came. “Grandpa…” she said. “Ludwig…” She began to rock back and forth, trying and failing to hold in her sobs.
They both thought about their lives since they had lost their money, and about the plans they’d had for the future, and they thought, Can’t one single thing go right?
Then they both got an idea. A crazy idea. Lovina and Felice both got a wonderful, crazy idea.
Questa, the queen of Víteliú, could take their home. She could take their birthright. She could take their money. But now she was threatening to take the people they loved most, and Lovina and Felice Vargas were not going to let her.
Author: GoneIn30Seconds
Fandom(s): Hetalia: Axis Powers
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2,939
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: Five years after leaving home, the sisters have everything they could've wanted. However, Questa once again threatens that which they love...
Queen Questa, as previously mentioned, was not popular amongst the other reigning monarchs. Víteliú and Aragón had been allied for many generations, but Questa was rather...lax, shall we say, in fulfilling Víteliú's side of the bargain. Despite Aragón willingly helping Víteliú with their money trouble, Questa was wholly unwilling to deploy Víteliúian sailors to help Aragón in its struggles against Loegrian privateers.
“I promised that there would be no more war, and there shall be no more war,” she said to the king of Aragón when he came to Víteliú for diplomatic talks.
“This is hardly a war, Questa,” the king said. “However, I fear that if these pirate attacks continue, it will become a war. Loegria refuses to call these ‘privateers’ of theirs off, and though the men in my navy are brave and loyal, they are tiring. Three of my ports have already been sacked. With Víteliú’s help, however, we can put these pirates down, and restore peace.”
Questa was unmoved. “No man shall ever command my country’s troops,” she said. And that was that, and the poor king could do nothing.
The archduchess of the Habsburg Imperium tried a different track. Seeing that Questa was eager to avoid more war and that Víteliú was low on money, she proposed that the countries become allies. The Habsburg Imperium would help Víteliú reach financial stability again and come to their aid in times of war. In exchange, Víteliú would return the region the Habsburg Imperium had lost in the war and would also come to their aid in times of war. Thinking that no war would be forthcoming, Questa agreed.
For a few years, it worked fine. However, the Habsburg Imperium had a rocky relationship with Muscova, and about four years into the arrangement with Víteliú, Muscova attacked and occupied a large eastern region of the Habsburg Imperium. The archduchess entreated Questa for the promised military support, but Questa would not provide it.
“I promised that there would be no more war, and there shall be no more war,” she said to the archduchess.
“You can’t do that! We had an arrangement, Questa,” the archduchess said. “We had a binding contract. Your kingdom is financially secure; renege on it now, and I can declare war upon you.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” said Questa. “I have an army.”
“An army of thieves and bandits,” the archduchess retorted. “Against trained Imperium knights, they are outmatched. Please, think of your country.”
But Questa would not budge from her position on the matter.
Meanwhile, things were getting better for Augustus and his granddaughters. With the financial aid of Víteliú’s allies, the need for greater taxes on the former knights lessened. Three years after he had lost everything, Augustus found that his taxes were equal to those of Víteliú’s other subjects, and that he no longer had to worry that he would be homeless and unable to buy bread after each visit from the tax collectors.
“My beloved granddaughters,” he wrote in his letters to them, “if I were to die today, I would die a happy man, for I have splendid news.” And he proceeded to relate the favorable changes in their fortune.
“It is time,” he continued, “for the two of you to stop supporting me and start your own lives. Don’t worry about me; I am an old man, and I have lived a full and happy life. My last wish is for you two to have security and happiness in your own lives. But even though you are not sending me money any more, be sure to keep writing to me, for your letters brighten your grandpa’s day.”
In Aragón, Lovina had healed fully from her encounter with the tiger, and was working in the bakery of Antonio’s friend, Emma, who also gave her a room to sleep in. Her beautiful brown hair had grown back, and she was the subject of much attention from the men, especially the precious few who were unperturbed by her foul language.
But she favored one man above all the others, and that was Antonio. He had move up in the world, as Abel had long since retired, and Antonio had joined His Majesty’s navy, becoming a cook on one of the best pirate-fighting ships in the fleet. Still as handsome as ever, he attracted much female attention. But his eyes were only for Lovina.
Every time he came into port, Lovina would be waiting for him at the docks, ready to hear all about his escapades on the open sea. Every time he set sail, Lovina would make sure he had fresh tomatoes and bread before they set out, and would stand at the pier until the ship faded from sight. When he was gone, she would go to his house to tend to his garden and chat with his aging mother. When he was home, he would take her to festivals and dance with her, drop in at the bakery to chat, and invite her to dinner at his house. Sometimes, after these dinners, Antonio and Lovina would sit up on the roof and talk, or he would pull out his guitar and they would sing sea shanties and folk songs as the sun set and the stars came up.
It was during one of these rooftop visits that Lovina told him about her grandfather’s letter.
“Hey, Antonio,” she said.
“Hmmm?”
“Grandpa wrote to me, and he said that the taxes have gone down. So our money problems are over.”
Antonio gasped. “Really?” He took her hands, a wide smile on his face. “Oh Lovi, that’s fantastic! I’m so happy for you!”
Lovina smiled too. “Yeah, and he said that he doesn’t want my sister and me to send him our money anymore. I am as free as a bird.” Her expression became more serious. “So…”
“So…?” Antonio said.
“You, ah,” she said, her face going pink, “know that chance I said I’d give you?”
“Yes, Lovi,” he said. “Why?”
Lovina smacked her palm against her forehead. “Why are you choosing now of all times to be clueless?! Don’t you remember?”
Antonio looked confused for a moment, and then the memory clicked and his eyes went wide. “Am I getting that chance, then?”
Lovina nodded. “Yeah, yeah you are.”
Antonio whooped with joy, danced in a circle, and pulled her into a warm hug. “¡Fantástico! Lovi, I am so happy right now, I could sing!”
“For fuck’s sake, Antonio, not in front of the entire city!” But she was laughing as she said it, and hugged him back.
Later, he walked her back to the bakery, and they hugged goodnight. However, as Antonio pulled away, he paused, and Lovina waited for him to do something. Nothing happened, and Lovina had some idea of what he wanted, and she wanted it too, but he wasn’t doing anything.
Finally, after a few more awkward seconds, Lovina blurted it out. “¿Vas a besarme o no?"
Antonio raised an eyebrow. “Do you want me to?”
“Yes,” she said.
Antonio didn’t need any more encouragement. He cupped Lovina’s face in his hands and, still smiling, kissed her. It was sweet and gentle, and it lasted for all of ten seconds. When they pulled apart, Antonio grinned at her.
“Good night, Lovina.”
“’Night, Antonio.”
As she watched Antonio walk away, Lovina ran her fingers over her lips, remembering what Antonio’s had felt like against them. A wide grin came to her face, and she went inside the bakery, her heart feeling light.
In the Habsburg Imperium, Felice had made a full recovery with her encounter with the wolf. She still served as Anneliese's companion, even though Anneliese and Gilbert had long since married. At the social events her mistress went to, she caught the eyes of many young men.
But there was only one young man for her, and that was Ludwig. His skill as a warrior and tactician was growing, allowing him to easily climb the ranks of Her Grace's army. He caught the eyes of many young ladies. But he reserved his heart for Felice.
Every time he was deployed, Ludwig always brought her ribbon with him. Every time he returned, Felice would rush over to Aldrich's manor to see him. While he was away, she would go over to take care of Ludwig's dogs and have coffee with his grandfather. While he was home, he would dance with her at society events, take her to the park with his dogs, and ask Anneliese if Felice could join him and his grandfather for dinner (Anneliese usually said yes, and would even help her find a suitable dress.) Sometimes, when dinner was over, Felice and Ludwig would walk through the garden, talking until the sun had gone down and Ludwig had to take her home.
It was right before one of these dinners that Felice received her grandfather's letter, and she couldn't wait to tell Ludwig.
"Ludwig! Ludwig!" she said when he came to pick her up that night. "I have exciting news!"
"Is this the kind of news that can't wait?"
"Yes, it is! Grandpa said that his taxes have gone down, and we don't have worry about money anymore!"
Ludwig smiled as he led her down the street. "That is very good news. I know how much you worry about your grandfather."
"It feels really good not to have to worry about him so much." Felice's smile faded, and her expression became serious. "So, Ludwig."
"Yes?"
"Do you...still want to be with me?" She was feeling very nervous, and she didn't know why.
"More than anything," he said. He stopped, eyes widening in realization. "Can we now?"
"I think so," said Felice. "I mean, I don't have to worry so much about my family now, and-"
Before she could finish, Ludwig picked her up and spun her in a circle. Felice grabbed onto his shoulders, laughing as the world went by in a blur around her. Ludwig set her down.
"You have no idea," he said, smiling wider than she'd ever seen him, "how happy I am to hear you say that."
"If it's anything like how I feel now," Felice replied, smiling back at him, "then I think I have a fairly good idea."
Later that night, after they had eaten dinner and told Aldrich they were officially courting, Ludwig walked her home. At the door of Anneliese's manor, Felice made to go, but Ludwig hadn't let go of her hand.
"Wait," he said. "There's...there's something..." He was really quite pink.
Felice smiled. "Was it this?" And she stood on her toes and kissed him. It was warm and chaste, and short. As she pulled back, Felice noticed that Ludwig was smiling.
"Yes, yes it was," he replied. "Guten nacht, Felice."
"Goodnight, Ludwig."
As he walked into the night, Felice brushed her fingers over her lips, thinking of how Ludwig's had felt when she'd kissed him. A small giggle escaped her, and she walked into the manor, a warm glow in her heart.
But alas! the two sisters had not yet left their troubles behind. The Habsburg Imperium managed to drive out the Muscovans, but at great cost: many men were killed, and many of the ones that lived were ill or gravely injured (including Ludwig's brother Gilbert). Aragón, meanwhile, had suffered heavily from Loegria and its privateers; the king was forced to admit defeat in the conflict and sign away valuable territory to the Loegrians to prevent further sackings and save his sailors. And no matter how much the king and the archduchess begged for help from Víteliú, Questa would not send aid.
Tensions within her own country were building as well. The former knights resented the queen for what she had done to them. Some of them had lost family members because of lack of food or medicine. And they wanted vengeance. They began meeting together in secret to discuss plans of rebellion.
Finally, five years after Lovina and Felice left Víteliú, the Habsburg Imperium, the former knights and Aragón had had enough. With the financial backing of Gallia - their mutual ally - the three came together to bring war to Questa's doorstep. The plan was simple. The best ships from Aragón's navy would sail into and take over the capital's harbor, cutting off trade and preventing the queen from escaping into the sea. Meanwhile, the former knights would lead the Habsburg troops along the fastest route to the capital city. The combined forces of the three factions would be more than enough to overwhelm Questa's meager defenses.
This meant, however, that Antonio and Ludwig were called to war.
"Lo siento, mi corazón," Antonio said to Lovina when he told her, "but it is the way things are."
Lovina sighed. "No, I get it. It was a long time coming anyway. But promise me something, Antonio."
"Anything."
"Promise me you won't be a jerk bastard and die on me," Lovina said. "If you did..." Her voice trailed off, and she looked like she might cry.
Antonio embraced her. "I will come back to you, Lovi. I promise."
Lovina said nothing, but hugged him tighter.
The scene was no happier with Felice and Ludwig.
"You-you're going to war?!" Felice cried out when Ludwig told her.
"Someone needs to fight, Feli," Ludwig said, "and Gilbert can't right now, and fighting is what I was born to do."
"I know, I know! I just...when Gilbert when off he got so hurt and-and he nearly died." Tears rolled down her cheeks as she hugged him. "I don't want to lose you, Ludwig."
"You won't lose me, herzchen," he said, stroking her hair. "I'll be home soon. I swear on my grandfather's sword."
And so Lovina and Felice could do nothing but watch as Antonio and Ludwig left on the long journey to the capital of Víteliú.
All they could do was wait.
What happened next can only be attributed to some very bad luck.
As Aragón's ships were approaching Víteliú’s coast, they were surprised one night by a Víteliúian naval convoy who hadn’t quite gotten rid of its cannons yet. Said convoy proceeded to open fire on the closest ship. Though the brave men of Aragón gave as good as they got from their attackers, badly damaging the convoy’s ships, everyone on the ships from Aragón were so startled by the sudden appearance of this convoy that by the time all of the sailors had been roused from their sleep and gotten to their stations, the convoy had done considerable damage to them. In the end, the only thing they could do was flee back to Aragón for repairs. Only one ship was left behind, and only because it was too damaged to move, and it was quickly captured by the Víteliúian naval convoy. Unfortunately, this was the ship Antonio served on.
At the same time, Questa’s outlaw friend detected the small force of Habsburg and Víteliúian knights approaching the capital, and he called together several more groups of outlaws and bandits to attack them. They struck just as the sun had gone down for the evening, catching the knights by surprise. The knights fought bravely and honorably, and even took many of the outlaws down. But they also took many casualties, and eventually the survivors were forced to retreat. Unfortunately, the few remaining outlaws managed to knock out some of the knights, and Ludwig was one of them.
Questa was furious when she learned her former allies were attacking her, and was even more furious when she learned that some of the combatants were former Víteliúian knights.
“I show the treacherous curs mercy and this is how they repay me?!” she cried. “I will show them! Arrest them all!”
Poor Augustus, who was completely uninvolved in the plot against the queen, was arrested, stripped of all of his worldly possessions, and dragged to the capital on charges of treason. He pleaded with the queen, saying that he had known nothing of this plot against her and to at least hear him and the rest of the knights out. But Questa was deaf to his pleas, and so he, Ludwig and Antonio were thrown into the palace dungeons with their companions. And the queen decided that in a fortnight, all of them would die.
When Lovina and Felice heard the news, they both shut themselves in their rooms, completely heartbroken, and no-one they knew could blame them.
“God fucking DAMNIT!” Lovina screamed, tears streaming down her face. “You said you wouldn’t die on me! You promised me!” She grabbed her pillow and threw it with as much force as she could muster. It hit the wall with a satisfying smack, but it would do nothing to save Augustus or Antonio, and she knew it. Lovina sunk down to the floor, sobbing.
Felice didn’t scream. She sat on her bed, quiet at first. Then, as the reality of what was going on kicked in, the tears came. “Grandpa…” she said. “Ludwig…” She began to rock back and forth, trying and failing to hold in her sobs.
They both thought about their lives since they had lost their money, and about the plans they’d had for the future, and they thought, Can’t one single thing go right?
Then they both got an idea. A crazy idea. Lovina and Felice both got a wonderful, crazy idea.
Questa, the queen of Víteliú, could take their home. She could take their birthright. She could take their money. But now she was threatening to take the people they loved most, and Lovina and Felice Vargas were not going to let her.
