Cross-posted from Hetachallenge
Nov. 15th, 2013 06:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kiramaru7Title: For Better or for Worse
Author: kira
Claim: Prussia
Character(s): Prussia, Frederick II
Table/Prompt: Angst/ Prompt #13: For better, for worse
Word Count: 895
Rating: PG13
Summary: Frederick, upon reaching marriageable age, discusses it with Prussia as part of eventually becoming king…
Author’s note: Thanks go out to my beta, Kat, for looking this over.
“For better or for worse, you should get married, Fritz,” Prussia said. “You want to be king someday, right?” He looked up from his book at the Crown Prince.
“Isn’t learning all that statecraft and kissing up to my father good enough?” Frederick said as he looked out the window.
“It is, if he drops dead tomorrow, but people like their king to be married.”
“Oh… Can I ask why you never married?”
Prussia marked his place and closed the book, setting it aside. “You can, but I’m not going to be king, so it hardly matters.”
“True… But you can’t tell me you haven’t thought about it, Gilbert.”
Prussia briefly thought it over. “Honestly, Fritz, I haven’t. I don’t think there’s a woman out there for me.” Well there is, but she never thought of me that way… he thought as images of Hungary danced in his head.
Frederick shrugged. He turned to look at his friend. “You think that’s because you don’t like women?”
“It’s possible… Does that bother you?”
“No, not at all.” Frederick smiled and gave him a knowing look.
Prussia grinned. “Okay then, is there anyone who’d make a good political match?”
“I was thinking about Maria Theresa.”
“The Austrian?” Prussia was surprised to hear that Frederick was even considering her, despite it being a good match.
“Yes, the Austrian archduchess. Her father’s the Holy Roman Emperor and when he dies, she stands to inherit a lot of territory.”
“I’m impressed, Fritz. The land she would bring would help make Prussia great.” Prussia grinned.
“Thanks.” Frederick sighed.
“What?”
“My father was thinking of someone else.”
“Who?”
“The Tsarina’s niece, Elizabeth of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, but I don’t know… but Prince Eugene wasn’t happy about it.” Frederick frowned. “That’s why I suggested Maria Theresa.”
“I can’t see why the prince would oppose it.”
“Yeah… So who knows who I’ll end up with?” The Crown Prince sighed.
“It might not be as bad as you think, Fritz.”
“Gilbert, there are times I think if my father could get away with it, he’d marry me off to a scullery maid, just so he can sit around and laugh at me at the next dinner party he throws.”
Prussia sighed. “I wish there was something I could do, Fritz. God knows I’ve certainly tried.”
“I know and I bet you have scars to prove it. I don’t think anything anyone does is going to stop it, unless they help him into an early grave.” Frederick looked sharply at Prussia. “And don’t give me that look! You know as well as do what a ‘loving’ father that bastard’s been!”
“Easy, Fritz. Keep your voice down, no use inviting trouble when you don’t have to. Maybe I can help him find someone who won’t be so objectionable to you.”
“I doubt it.”
“You never know. Besides all you need to do is produce an heir and a spare as they say and be done with her. No one says she’s got give you a whole herd of smelly brats.” Prussia’s mouth curved upwards in a wicked grin.
Frederick laughed. “Nope! And when and if I become king, I don’t have to be with her if I don’t want to, right?”
“Hell, Fritz, when you’re king, you’ll be able to do whatever you want. If that means having nothing to do with your wife and everything to do with your mistress, then so be it.”
“I don’t know if I want a mistress…” Frederick sat down in the chair by the fire.
“Yeah?” Prussia rested his chin on his upturned hand as he leaned towards the Crown Prince.
Frederick nodded. “Aside from Wilhelmine, they all seem like a bunch of simpering magpies.”
“Well, your sister is a good woman.”
“Yeah… and so is yours, although, I barely remember her. I must have been about what? Eight or nine, when she came to visit? So how is she doing?”
“Good, thanks. She’s still living over the little bookseller’s shop and is good friends with the Abbess.”
“That’s good to hear. So she never married either, hunh?”
Prussia nodded. “Nope.” His “sister” Julia Maria, who was affectionately known as Julchen, still felt the pull of the monastic life that gave birth, in a sense, to the two of them. That was not to say she did not enjoy the company of men. The monastery was full of them, and then there was Daniel who embodied the male spirit of the country, Hungary, who she was known to dally with on occasion. And while he was in love with Daniel’s “sister,” she did not feel the same way about him. Lonely, Prussia found himself drawn to the Crown Prince, back when he was just a young boy. Now a young man, Prussia’s feelings for him had deepened, but he wisely kept them to himself for better or for worse as he often told himself.
“Anyway, I don’t want to think about marriage.” Frederick said.
“So what do you want to do?”
Frederick thought it over. “It’s a nice day out, how about we go riding?”
“Sounds like fun to me, Fritz.” Prussia said. Slapping his hands on his thighs, he stood up to go.
Frederick followed suit and the two of them headed out of the Crown Prince’s rooms for the relative freedom of the stables and good ride through the countryside.
Author: kira
Claim: Prussia
Character(s): Prussia, Frederick II
Table/Prompt: Angst/ Prompt #13: For better, for worse
Word Count: 895
Rating: PG13
Summary: Frederick, upon reaching marriageable age, discusses it with Prussia as part of eventually becoming king…
Author’s note: Thanks go out to my beta, Kat, for looking this over.
“For better or for worse, you should get married, Fritz,” Prussia said. “You want to be king someday, right?” He looked up from his book at the Crown Prince.
“Isn’t learning all that statecraft and kissing up to my father good enough?” Frederick said as he looked out the window.
“It is, if he drops dead tomorrow, but people like their king to be married.”
“Oh… Can I ask why you never married?”
Prussia marked his place and closed the book, setting it aside. “You can, but I’m not going to be king, so it hardly matters.”
“True… But you can’t tell me you haven’t thought about it, Gilbert.”
Prussia briefly thought it over. “Honestly, Fritz, I haven’t. I don’t think there’s a woman out there for me.” Well there is, but she never thought of me that way… he thought as images of Hungary danced in his head.
Frederick shrugged. He turned to look at his friend. “You think that’s because you don’t like women?”
“It’s possible… Does that bother you?”
“No, not at all.” Frederick smiled and gave him a knowing look.
Prussia grinned. “Okay then, is there anyone who’d make a good political match?”
“I was thinking about Maria Theresa.”
“The Austrian?” Prussia was surprised to hear that Frederick was even considering her, despite it being a good match.
“Yes, the Austrian archduchess. Her father’s the Holy Roman Emperor and when he dies, she stands to inherit a lot of territory.”
“I’m impressed, Fritz. The land she would bring would help make Prussia great.” Prussia grinned.
“Thanks.” Frederick sighed.
“What?”
“My father was thinking of someone else.”
“Who?”
“The Tsarina’s niece, Elizabeth of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, but I don’t know… but Prince Eugene wasn’t happy about it.” Frederick frowned. “That’s why I suggested Maria Theresa.”
“I can’t see why the prince would oppose it.”
“Yeah… So who knows who I’ll end up with?” The Crown Prince sighed.
“It might not be as bad as you think, Fritz.”
“Gilbert, there are times I think if my father could get away with it, he’d marry me off to a scullery maid, just so he can sit around and laugh at me at the next dinner party he throws.”
Prussia sighed. “I wish there was something I could do, Fritz. God knows I’ve certainly tried.”
“I know and I bet you have scars to prove it. I don’t think anything anyone does is going to stop it, unless they help him into an early grave.” Frederick looked sharply at Prussia. “And don’t give me that look! You know as well as do what a ‘loving’ father that bastard’s been!”
“Easy, Fritz. Keep your voice down, no use inviting trouble when you don’t have to. Maybe I can help him find someone who won’t be so objectionable to you.”
“I doubt it.”
“You never know. Besides all you need to do is produce an heir and a spare as they say and be done with her. No one says she’s got give you a whole herd of smelly brats.” Prussia’s mouth curved upwards in a wicked grin.
Frederick laughed. “Nope! And when and if I become king, I don’t have to be with her if I don’t want to, right?”
“Hell, Fritz, when you’re king, you’ll be able to do whatever you want. If that means having nothing to do with your wife and everything to do with your mistress, then so be it.”
“I don’t know if I want a mistress…” Frederick sat down in the chair by the fire.
“Yeah?” Prussia rested his chin on his upturned hand as he leaned towards the Crown Prince.
Frederick nodded. “Aside from Wilhelmine, they all seem like a bunch of simpering magpies.”
“Well, your sister is a good woman.”
“Yeah… and so is yours, although, I barely remember her. I must have been about what? Eight or nine, when she came to visit? So how is she doing?”
“Good, thanks. She’s still living over the little bookseller’s shop and is good friends with the Abbess.”
“That’s good to hear. So she never married either, hunh?”
Prussia nodded. “Nope.” His “sister” Julia Maria, who was affectionately known as Julchen, still felt the pull of the monastic life that gave birth, in a sense, to the two of them. That was not to say she did not enjoy the company of men. The monastery was full of them, and then there was Daniel who embodied the male spirit of the country, Hungary, who she was known to dally with on occasion. And while he was in love with Daniel’s “sister,” she did not feel the same way about him. Lonely, Prussia found himself drawn to the Crown Prince, back when he was just a young boy. Now a young man, Prussia’s feelings for him had deepened, but he wisely kept them to himself for better or for worse as he often told himself.
“Anyway, I don’t want to think about marriage.” Frederick said.
“So what do you want to do?”
Frederick thought it over. “It’s a nice day out, how about we go riding?”
“Sounds like fun to me, Fritz.” Prussia said. Slapping his hands on his thighs, he stood up to go.
Frederick followed suit and the two of them headed out of the Crown Prince’s rooms for the relative freedom of the stables and good ride through the countryside.
