Early apologizes if this is hard to understand.

Feliciano Vargas craned his head towards the door, motioning for Ludwig Beilschmidt to do the same. Reluctantly, Ludwig shifted so that his ear was against the door. He watched as Feliciano strained to here what was going on the other side.

"And you have brought yourself here because?" said the voice of Ludwig's brother, Gilbert.

Feliciano opened the door just a smidge and Ludwig saw three figures standing in the middle of the throne room. He recognized them as Lars Van Dyk, Matthias Andersen and Katyusha Braginski. That's odd. Thought Ludwig. Katyusha rarely socializes with Lars and Matthias. What could she be doing here?

Katyusha stepped forward and spoke, her voice barely audible. "Your majesty, we've heard that you and Matthew Williams had gone on a mission to the continent of Asia to sign a peace treaty with the Asian empire. You have returned, but Matthew has not. There are rumours that something... odd had occurred. Just what was it?"

"I see that your brother keeps you well informed. It has nothing to do with you." Gilbert replied.

Ludwig could see Lars tense up, while Matthias' hand slowly inched towards his axe.

"Actually, it has a lot to do with us. Matthew is the commander of our unit. If there is any information regarding him, we have the right to now." Lars exclaimed.

"Matthew will return soon." Gilbert assured them, but Ludwig could hear the falseness in his brother's voice. Either Gilbert was unsure of, or knew very well, that Matthew Williams would not be returning.

Matthias had also sensed this, and withdrew his Axe. "You liar! It's been two years already! Mattie isn't coming back, and you know it!" he shouted. Lars and Matthias ushered Katyusha in between them, so she wouldn't be harmed. They were quickly surrounded by the palace guards.

"I suppose this would be an act of treason." Gilbert pronounced, as he stood up from the throne and walked towards the three, withdrawing his sword.

Feliciano's eyes widened. "They're going to kill them, and they haven't even done anything wrong." His voice trembled. "We have to do something." Feliciano grabbed Ludwig's hand and pushed through the doors. All the attention of the room was focused on the two of them. Gilbert smiled at them.

"How nice of you and your friend to join me, Ludwig. I was actually going to send for you two."

Ludwig felt Feliciano's grip tighten. Gilbert would never ask for both Ludwig and Feliciano to come to court duties. Feliciano was only Ludwig's companion, and never participated in royal duties. Gilbert motioned for Feliciano to come forward. He reluctantly obeyed, and silently walked towards the king. Gilbert placed a hand on Feliciano's shoulder.
"Today, an act of treason has been committed. And you, my dear brother, are going to choose who should die."

"Feliciano has done nothing wrong." Ludwig stated.

The albino cocked his head to the side, looking amused.

"Was he not outside the door, eavesdropping on royal affairs?"

Shit. Thought Ludwig. He knew we were there all along.

"Yes, but I was there with him."

"But you are royalty, and he is not."

Ludwig knew Feliciano was caught. What Gilbert said was true; if commoners were to eavesdrop on royalty, it would be considered treason. The punishment for treason was death.

"Brother, you can not make me choose."

"You do not have the option to choose. This is what it's like, to be king. Sometimes you must choose between what you love," he gestured a hand towards Feliciano. "And what is right." His hand shifted towards Lars, Matthias, and Katyusha.

"And what if I don't choose?"

Gilbert sighed. "If you do not choose within the next ten seconds, I will have all of them killed." Ludwig was horrified; he urged his body to stop trembling. His brother had a stoic look on his face. This wasn't a joke, it was for real.

"Ten."

Ludwig gritted his teeth, and looked towards Feliciano. Blue eyes met amber eyes, and Ludwig struggled to keep himself standing. Various memories flashed within his mind. Images of how Feliciano and Ludwig first met and Ludwig had mistaken Feliciano for a girl. A scene of how Feliciano would rush to Ludwig's side after his training, and delicately wrapping Ludwig's wounds. A memory of how Ludwig would toss and turn in his bed, dreaming about the olden days; days of when Gilbert was a benevolent ruler, but his dreams would become sour, and the present Gilbert would fill his mind. Ludwig would always awaken shaken, but Feliciano would always be by his bed side, softly humming until Ludwig went back to sleep.

"Do the right thing." He whispered.

"Nine."

Ludwig looked back to Lars, Katyusha, and Matthias. All three of them had a look of bereavement on their faces, as if they were already mourning each other's deaths. Ludwig had nothing against them. In fact, Lars and Matthias were knights revered throughout the kingdom, and were known for their kindness. If they were to be killed for treason, it would definitely cause an uproar; possibly a civil war.

"Eight."

Ludwig surveyed his surroundings. Even if he had some how managed to make it to Feliciano in time, he had left his sword in his room, and he couldn't use his magic without harming Feliciano.

"Seven."

His eyes trailed back towards Feliciano. "Please." He mouthed to Ludwig.

"Six."

Ludwig looked directly at Gilbert, avoiding direct eye content. He felt his entire body tremble and tried in vain to hold back his tears. He choked on his words.

"I choose Feliciano."

Lars, Matthias, and Katyusha all held looks of astonishment. They had never anticipated for those words to be spoken. Ludwig hadn't either. Feliciano swiftly moved towards Ludwig. He grabbed Ludwig's hand and whispered into his ear.

"I love you."

Ludwig felt Feliciano's hand slip from his, and had immediately missed the presence of Feliciano's hand in his. He watched as the soldiers pulled Feliciano away, and marched him out of the room. Ludwig watched as Feliciano's back slowly faded out of sight. A hand gently patted his shoulder, and he heard a small, "thank you", as Lars, Matthias, and Katyusha walked past him. Ludwig turned towards his brother, with contentment filling up every single part of him.

"I will never forgive you." He spat out. He pivoted and briskly trudged as far away as he could get from his brother as he could manage. As he rounded the corner, he encountered Roderich Edelstein, who solemnly leaned against the wall. Roderich knowingly nodded to him.

"We leave tonight."

"Where are we going?" asked Ludwig.

Roderich and Ludwig had been running through several alleys for a while, constantly turning the bend or hopping over a gate. They had packed light, and only carried some food and water. It was pretty unusual, since Ludwig had deemed his keeper as the aristocrat type, and assumed that he would pack much more.

"We're heading to the resistance."

"The resistance? I thought they were in England. " Ludwig had only heard of the resistance. He had heard that they were currently acting as pirates to stop the Spanish ships from bringing raw materials to Germany.

"That is only a part of the resistance. They are scattered all across of Europe; in Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Austria, and Ukraine. Even the Americas are sending their support. But they all follow under one leader, who you will get to meet very soon."

The leader must be pretty strong and impressive. I wonder who it may be? Ludwig pondered to himself. Perhaps it was Alfred F. Jones, or Arthur Kirkland; two of the most renown people for the resistance. He clutched at the sword at his side. I will join the resistance and take down Gilbert myself.

Roderich stopped running, and Ludwig had only a few moments to stop before he would collide into his mentor. Roderich was no fighter, but he academically tutored Ludwig. Roderich rhythmatically knocked on the door. He quickly turned towards Ludwig, and even in the dark, Ludwig could tell that Roderich was trying to determine what he wanted to tell Ludwig.

"Please do not be surprised when you see the leader. I'll admit, even if I was shocked." He stated, as a familiar man with blond hair that went up to his shoulders opened the door.

"Why, if it isn't the babysitter and his prince. I'm happy you two could finally join us. Quickly, come inside, it's not safe to just dawdle out on the streets." He beckoned for them to come inside, and bolted the door shut after they entered. He turned towards Ludwig. "Bonjour my prince, I am Francis Bonnefoy." He bowed. Ludwig shook his head. "No need for the introductions, I've seen you before. I thought you were a close friend of Gilbert's." Ludwig could have sworn Francis' smile had faltered for a second.

"We were, until a little incident occurred between him and my cousin."

Ludwig remembered that Francis' cousin was Matthew Williams, and decided it was better to not press the matters any further.

"Where is everyone?" Roderich asked, as he placed his and Ludwig's bags on the floor.

"They have already left. The only people remaining are our leader and I. You've come at a good time actually; we were going to depart for England tomorrow." Francis replied.

"Will I get to meet the leader?" Ludwig eagerly asked.

Francis looked uncertainly at Roderich.

"Would that be wise?" he asked.

"He would find out eventually."

"Then I will go get him. It won't take long."

When Francis re-entered the room, Ludwig's hand immediately went to his sword. Standing beside Francis was a young man with white hair and vivid red eyes. It could be no one else but Gilbert Beilschmidt.

"Hey, it's west – WHAT THE HELL!" Gilbert had shouted, as he barely managed to avoid Ludwig's sword.

"You scum." He growled, positioning himself in a fighting stance. Roderich had suddenly teleported between the two.

"Ludwig, calm down. It wouldn't do you any good to kill the leader of the resistance. This isn't entirely what it seems like." Ludwig relaxed, but didn't lower his sword.

"Are you saying that this isn't Gilbert Beilschmidt?"

"This is Gilbert Beilschmidt, but not the one you know."

Ludwig sneered at Gilbert. "How can it not be the one I know? There's only one Gilbert Beilschmidt, and he killed Feliciano Vargas."

Gilbert's face contorted into utter shock. "Wait, what? The me of this world killed Feliciano? I sound like a douche. Not awesome."

Ludwig lowered his sword.

"What does he mean by, 'the me of this world'?"

Roderich sighed. "It's a long explanation, but in short terms, he's from a universe that is alternate to our own."

"Yeah, one that has electricity" Gilbert muttered, as he eyed the candles that kept the room lit. Ludwig dropped his sword and slowly lowered himself to the ground. "I really don't understand." He murmured.

"Well, you really don't have to. All you have to know is that I'm not the same 'Gilbert' that you know."

Gilbert offered a hand towards Ludwig. Ludwig glanced up towards the man. It was just this morning that someone with the very same face as the one he was seeing right now killed Feliciano. He reluctantly took Gilbert's hand.

"I don't trust you, but there's no other explanation for what's going on. You can't be in two places at once."

Gilbert smiled.

"Well, I guess that's a good place to start."

Gilbert had noticed Ludwig's dismay, and gave him a look of concern.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Ludwig smiled at the irony of that statement. Feliciano was dead, he had just run away from home, and now there was an exact look a like of his brother claiming to be from an alternative universe.

"Nothing of actual importance. I was just wondering if there is any other name I can call you by; it would seem odd for me to call you Gilbert after such circumstances."

"Just call me Prussia." He blissfully replied.

"You want me to call you the name of an extinct country?"

Gilbert affectionately ruffled Ludwig's hair. "It was the most awesome country ever, so don't you forget it."

This Gilbert had reminded Ludwig of how his brother was, before he went off to Asia.

"Well, I'm going to go get some food for the trip." Prussia announced, as he put on a robe and pulled the hood over his head, to conceal his white hair. Ludwig followed Prussia out the door. "Tell me more about where you come from." He asked. Prussia pondered for a moment, and then said, "Well first of all, all of this magic stuff going on is definitely not normal – but it's still pretty awesome."

Francis and Roderich could hear the laughter of the two men become more distant. Roderich let out a sigh of relief.

"That had gone better than I expected." He said.

"Oui. This time no one had to go to the healer's house." Francis picked up the sword Ludwig had left behind, and examined it, tracing his fingers over the Beilschmidt crest.

"What do you think will happen to them, when this is all over?" Roderich asked.

Francis sheathed the sword. "Mon ami, you are thinking too far ahead. This war has barely even begun."

sorry if this chapter makes no sense. i felt as if i needed to write this first. If anyone's wondering, for some reason prussia is in an alternate universe filled with magic. youll find out why he's here later.

Preview for next chapter:

America suddenly finds himself in an alternate universe filled with magic. But the weird part about it is that the Prussia of his universe has apparently been there for a year. How could that be, when five minutes earlier, America had been eating lunch with Prussia and Canada?