Chapter 1: A Discovery

Chapter 1: A Terrible Discovery

Prussia wandered his way onto the vast field, his gear weighed heavily at his side. It wasn't that he had been taking his time. He just wanted to make sure he stayed as awesome as he had been when he first started the long trek to aid his younger sibling.
But something didn't seem right.
He was supposed to meet his brother and help him defeat France, but it was so calm and tranquil. There was no way there where people fighting here.
His Crimson eyes scanned the field in its entirety. It was very beautiful, there were many plants and flowers scattered across everything. It looked like a painting he had seen somewhere, but he couldn't place it exactly. Art really wasn't his thing.
The young man started to walk into the first section of tall grass, wading through it like a deep trench of water. Prussia removed his belt with his sword and threw it over the shoulder of his dark blue coat.
"I must have gotten here before the fighting started! Fuck I'm awe-" he stopped.
A gust of sudden wind had blown something closer to him. He squinted in its direction, casually walking across a small swatch of blue flowers.
"My hat…" Prussia picked it up and looked at it.
Truth be known, he didn't want to be a Teutonic Knight. He had been sent after his grandfather's death to join them. Austria had taken Holy Roman Empire, since he was too young to take care of himself. Prussia had given his brother the hat, so that he wouldn't forget him. They hadn't seen each other since then.
That was all behind him now. He was his own nation, with an awesome new leader.
"Has it really been that long?" Prussia felt the rim of the hat. It was smaller than he remembered.
Prussia smiled quietly. He felt so much cooler, knowing his brother had kept his hat all this time. The older nation was secretly excited to see him again. Even if it was going to entail some fighting, but then again fighting was his thing.
"Found my hat, now I just have to find my brother," He laughed triumphantly, with renewed drive.
The silver haired man took his sword, raised it into the air, and paraded in the general direction of where the hat had come from. Marching his way across the vast expanse, passing patches of yellow flowers, pink flowers and a few oddly patterned orange and brown orchids.
Prussia's foot steps slowed.
Large footprints mixed with much smaller ones. Large sections of grass, moss, and earth looked shifted or smashed in a struggle. The passing trees had slash marks in them, and one or two looked as though they had been skinned in sections.
Prussia's stomach twisted. Maybe he wasn't as early as he had thought…
Still he tread on.
Blood speckled the trees and clashed with their green and browns. It almost made it look more vivid. Some places have a few splashes of blood; others were almost blanketed in it.
It was nothing he hadn't seen before. Most of his life was spent fighting in some war or battle, but it was still unsettling.
Prussia began to follow the damage. Like breadcrumbs leading him to his brother. The more trees he passed the worse the damage seemed to get. Entire limbs separated from the trees.
His dark leather boots took a quick turn and nearly walked face first into a sword lodged deep in a young oak tree. It was a French sword, the handle was obscenely ornate and the blade was not as wide as the swords most other countries fought with. There were small smudges of blood all over the blade. A small trickle of blood, mixed with tree sap, had started where the weapon had come to rest in the tree.
His feet continued on for a few more steps and saw another sword. This one was much smaller than the one so rudely lodged in the tree. It looked like it was made for someone of small stature, or maybe even…
Prussia shook his head, almost violently.
"There is nothing to worry about! Holy Roman Empire can hold his own in a fight! I bet he's waiting for me right now to celebrate!" he forced a smirk onto his face and began his marching yet again.
The foot prints grew more frequent. Some blurred due to swift movement, while others where blatant. This must have been where the real action happened.
Prussia stopped.
"Holy Roman Empire?" He could only manage to whisper.
He wasn't sure who was lying at the bottom of that tree, soaked in blood. It was hard to tell from the distance. All his eyes could tell was that the figure was small.
Prussia hesitated. Taking each step cautiously, in case this was a setup. At least that's what he told himself at the time.
When he finally made it to the body, he looked it over.
"Oh my god….Hol-" It was what his mind dreaded, it was his brother.
The small body was so pale and still, his flaxen hair drifted in the breeze. Blood had scabbed on his forehead from a small gash, but Prussia could tell there was more to his injuries.
Prussia knelt down next to his brother. He felt so defeated, so lost. What was he going to do now? This was supposed to be their big triumph, their awesome victory.
"God da-," was all his lips could manage as he lifted his younger sibling's limp body.
Gloved fingers pushed the renegade hairs back into place and Prussia just looked at him. The Holy Roman Empire had really changed since his brother had seen him last. His younger sibling had grown since their grandfather had passed all those years ago. Even so, the younger nation was quiet small compared to the other nations. Still a nation in its childhood.
"God DAMMIT! I'm so sorry!" Prussia rested his head on his brother's chest.
He wasn't crying. He didn't cry. Crying was not something he would ever do ever. His eyes were just… fuck it. He was crying. Full-on sobbing, blinded by tears, crying.
Ba bump…
Prussia's entire being halted instinctively…
He waited, holding his breath in an effort to stop the pounding in his ears and clamped his eyes shut to block out ever other sense. The older buy pushed his ear completely against his brother's chest and covered his exposed ear with his hand. Prussia did everything possible to ensure that his right ear wouldn't be distracted by anything that might make it miss that sound. The wind died down and everything in the entire meadow stood completely still. Every flower and blade of grass. Every leaf on the trees around them halted all movements, as if they too were listening for that same…
Ba bump…
Prussia lifted his brother's head close to his ear. He could hear it: short laborious breaths, but just barely.
He put his hands under Holy Roman Empires legs and cradled his brothers head and shoulders, and lifted the fragile body from where it had laid.
"Shi-!"
There was blood. So much blood.  It had begun to pool under his brother's body. A cold wet sensation began to creep through the thick coat and onto his skin.
Once he was able to stand, Prussia flew through the trees, past the sword that had caused his brother such injury. Through the multi-colored flowers and the tall grass he had waded in earlier.
Prussia knew exactly where he was going; there was a sanctuary near by. It was the order he was sent to all those years ago.
He would have allowed himself to drift off into memories of his past, but he didn't have the luxury at that particular moment. Instead he focused more of his energy into running. Trying to get his legs to move faster, until every muscle burned and still pushed them to work harder.
Then finally he saw it.
The looming grey bell tower, with the black tiled roof. The tired youth had never happier to see that stupid tower in his life. Doubling his pace and quickly reached the door, slamming into it backwards.
The old wooden door flew open as he whirled around. A wave of dust rose floated across the entry. The door echoed against the stone walls as it slammed closed.
After a moment the sound ceased and the shock was able to wear off and several knights rushed to him.
"What's wrong?" A young knight with blonde hair took the limp body from his arms.
"It's my brother…he's hurt," Prussia was exhausted; it was hard for him to speak.
The man looked at Prussia's blood stained clothes, then to the small figure in his arms.
"Someone fetch the medic! You go get Bernard! MOVE!" the knight shouted, the room instantly turned into a tumult of white, grey and red.
And just like that he was alone; his brother was rushed into one of the few bedrooms, to be taken care of by the same people who had once cared for him.
Prussia's legs gave out and he collapsed onto the floor, he pulled himself across the frigid stone floor, leaving odd imprints and smears of blood as he went. He managed to reach the alter and threw himself over the back of a pew. He maneuvered his legs so that the kneeling bar fell and he boosted himself onto it.  
And he prayed. Well, it wasn't so much praying as begging and pleading with God.
Prussia remained there as the sun made its way through the sky; he kept his eyes closed and his hands clasped tightly together. Whispering all the prayers he could manage to remember and then began to make up his own.
Please god. Save my brother…