Re: Blood and Iron

To say that the world was stunned by what they had witnessed two days straight, whether during the opening ceremony on the first day, or the games and final exhibition the following was perhaps the understatement of a lifetime.

The world, especially those who had access to near instant communication methods went absolutely insane after hearing what Germany had pulled off. This was no longer the heralded “army with a state.”

No, they had proven a refinement of culture and athletics in a way that was overwhelming. And to top this all off, it was later revealed the Habsburgs played an enormous role in the opening ceremony, and the artistic choices of the overall events.

To put it simply, Germany had emerged from the ashes of the Great War not a broken and humiliated nation but a prouder, stronger, and more refined than ever before. And its unification with Austria had seemed to play a part in this.

How pragmatic was it for the Osttereich to make such grand contributions in such a short time frame? Nobody really knew Bruno had pulled off greater miracles in the past. But at the very least, it was advertised as such for diplomatic purposes.

And the Kaiser was more than willing to share the credit in this regard. To simply put, Germany had been divided into two spheres of influence. The Hohenzollerns, the Prussian Kings represented Germany’s militaristic, political, and economic strength.

While the lands of the Habsburg crown had become those known for the arts, the pursuits of scientific grandeur, and high culture on a magnitude that now exceeded and expanded beyond what they had proven to the world in the preceding century.

This was a new Germany, a better Germany one which Bruno had been the architect of, and one which the world could only watch as is blazed a path forward where they could only watch from behind, gazing on in its trail with pure unbridled envy.

The following events proved this to be true. Germany emerged as the primary victor of these games, with the Russian Empire only gaining a handful of bronze medals to claim their own. And even then, it was theorized by those who witnessed that these may have been purposely sacrificed by third string German athletes for diplomatic reasons.

A sentiment only further stoked by the comaraderie Nicholas and Kaiser seemed to have forged over the course of the next few weeks in Berlin. The Tsar vowing to emulate Germany’s model for success and to become a dark horse in the next games which were only two years away.

Eventually, the Olympic Games came to an end of totality, and every visitor had left the borders of the German Reich once and for all, allowing the capital of an empire that had been up constantly on edge to finally gain some much needed sleep.

Bruno returned home to Tirol with his family, only his son Erwin and his bride Alya staying behind in the city where they continued to live together as a newlywed couple. After finally collapsing on his bed, Bruno felt like he could sleep a thousand years.

But Heidi would not allow the man to rest just yet, as she laid down by his side and reminded him of something important.

“You do remember that you have an appointment to negotiate a peace between Romania and Hungary tomorrow morning here in our home, right? Both of them have been warring over the region since you renounced your claim over it, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire fell apart.

And how better to negotiate this peace than the man who gave it up under the condition they could peacefully solve the dispute themselves… A promise they failed to live up to…”

Bruno could only groan as if he had been dealt a lethal blow before turning over on his side and hugging his wife tightly, reverting to an almost infantile state as he slammed his head into her bosom, as if trying to run and hide from his responsibilities, all while begging for her help like a child.

“Heidi, please save me! I have no patience to deal with such monumental stupidity. I just want to sleep like a vampire until the next era begins, and awaken from my coffin confused, and surprised by the world around me!”

Heidi simply laughed at Bruno’s sudden “attack” clinging him tight to her chest as she mocked him for his deliberately foolish behavior.

“What are you, my child? Stop being so stupid, and put on your big boy pants, or perhaps would you like me to nurse you like the infant you’re pretending to be?”

Bruno finally pulled his head out of where they were hidden and smirked at his wife with a devious grin, as he responded to her question with one of his own.

“You know if I answer that honestly you’re going to get angry, right?”

The woman was enraged enough by the implication as she flicked her husband in the nose, and began scolding him for his current deliberately obtuse behavior.

“Behave yourself mister, we might be home and in the comfort of our own room, but there is a time and a place for everything, and it’s not now! So go get washed up and ready for bed.

You have to be up bright and early tomorrow. You have a duty to those people, to see this matter resolved properly. It doesn’t matter how briefly you were their prince, you owe it to them to make this work!”

Bruno could only act sullen and resigned as he got off the bed and did as he was told, knowing full well Heidi had a point, even if he didn’t want to admit it. All he could express was his own left to walk the path he had chosen.

“Apparently there is no rest for a martyr, now is there?”

Heidi simply smirked with victory at her husband’s futile and exaggerated display of “misery” and responded in kind to it.

“You wish!”

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