Chapter One Thousand Five Hundred Forty-Six
3rd March 1963
Mitte, Berlin
There were times when Louis Ferdinand was reminded that his children were perfectly human, they could be happy, sad or in some cases, simply jealous. It had grown apparent that Friedrich was finding his situation chafing as his younger siblings seemed to have become more accomplished than him. A challenge for Louis was that he had grown up as the younger son, unexpectedly finding himself the heir to the throne when he was already an adult when his older brother had been killed in action in the Spanish War. Freddy had a different, he had been the Crown Prince since he had been a toddler and as he had grown older the sharp limitations that put on his life had become extremely clear. At Louis’ invitation, Freddy was talking with him in the billiards room that Wilhelm the 2nd and General von Wolvogle had their benders in back in the heady days after the end of the First World War.
As it turned out, both Louis and Freddy were terrible at shooting pool. So, they eventually just sat at one of the tables in the corner. Eventually, the subject of the mess that Kiki had gotten herself into had come up. It was hardly a surprise really, even though there was considerable danger involved Freddy wished that he could be out in the world doing things as opposed to studying Law at University.
“I would say that the biggest problem is that you simply do not understand your sister” Louis said to Freddy, “Right now she is in the limelight because of recent events, but you will still be in the public eye long after Kristina has found the obscurity that she is really after.”
That seemed to come as a complete surprise to Freddy, he had commented about how Kiki seemed to be everywhere these days. The investigation into the ambush of the FSR team that she had been leading was ongoing, but already word was that her quick thinking and bravery were to be lauded. Some of the investigators did quibble over her having split her forces. Others pointed out that she had taken the two trained infantrymen with her when she had begun the counterattack, leaving the two medics to guard the radio operator. That was using the abilities of the people she had to best extent possible. There was also the matter of Kiki having captured three of her attackers alive, after she and her team killed five and sent the remainder running for their lives. They had concluded that while she should be commended for the reasons stated and factoring in what Kiki herself had said were her preferences about the incident, there would be no recognition of her personally by the Military. Instead, they were throwing a group recognition to the entire team. Much to Kiki’s annoyance, and because the incident had happened in Saxony, the House of Wettin had other ideas. Her presence had been requested in Dresden by Friedrich Christian. Oddly, Kiki’s biggest complaint was about how it seemed like everything that had happened only served to push her further from what she really wanted.
“I’m starting to think that I’ve never known her” Freddy replied, “No one seems to.”
Louis did find that newfound introspective a bit amusing. That was probably having Suga rip him apart over his choice of Christmas gifts for his sister speaking. What Freddy didn’t know yet was how valuable to him having a consort who wasn’t afraid to tell him he was being an ass would become in the future.
“I think that the few people she has let get close to her know who she is” Louis replied, “Those two friends of hers from school, the way she tends to frighten that Doctor she has as a mentor, perhaps that boy who she met over the back fence when she lived with Gräfin Katherine and the Gräfin herself.”
“Ben Hirsch?” Freddy asked, “You cannot be serious. She dated him mostly out of proximity if I had to guess. He just seems… Well, ordinary.”
“That is perfectly in line with what I said” Louis replied, “Should it be a surprise to you that she wants an ordinary life?”
“But she is a part of this family” Freddy said, “No one expects that of us, all our lives we were told that a great deal was expected.”
“You were told that” Louis said, “Kiki was given a very different message. Do I need to remind you of what that was and why she has rejected it for the most part?”
“No, Poppa” Freddy replied.
It was something so obvious that Louis hardly needed to have mentioned it. All her life Kiki had people trying to fit her into a princess shaped box, told about how she would one day be a wife and mother who would have sons who would do great things. It was hardly a surprise that the first thing that Kiki did as she started to come of age was to reject that. She wanted to be the one who did great things. That was why it now wasn’t a surprise that she had found herself the target of malcontents from both the left and the right. To the left, she was too beholden to tradition, a militarist, and to the right, was entirely the result of progress they didn’t approve of. Oddly, Rea and Vicky aspired to be different things that seemed to be embodied in their older sister. For Louis, that was actually something he viewed with as a hopeful sign. He had been concerned that Ria would be a dilettante and Vicky might as well become the furniture wherever she eventually ended up. Life was not moving in ways anyone might have predicted for any of his daughters and that was a good thing.
