God Save The Queen (AAR Contest)

[Zalman]

This is the first installment of my entry for Tokarev's contest. Enjoy.
On this chilly December day a man took a stroll on the Elbe River and thought about the water therein. This water was the same water that would eventually flow to the far away lands of Scotland and Eire and then, into the unknown. He wondered where the current would take this water after it left into the unknown. Then, he thought about where his current, the current of change, would carry him and his people. This man was the Johann Cicero, King of Prussia. He did not know that he would be the one that would carry his country on his shoulders in its hardest times. A young man now, he had only been king for 2 years and had no real challenges during this time. Soon he would become one of the wisest men in all of Europe from his experiences as dedicated King of a country that he loved. In its hardest times, he would not let it give up. This is his tale, translated from a notebook in which he wrote all his experiences in. Enjoy.


December 30, 1491:

The New Year approaches and I hope for another quiet, prosperous year in our lands. The Brandenburg Castle is buried under large layers of snow and will be the venue for a tremendous New Year’s ball tomorrow night. I bought my wife, Queen Anne, a charming new ring that I think she will enjoy receiving tomorrow. It will be quite a splendid ball, I’m sure.

December 31, 1491:

I don’t have time to write much now but let me say that disaster has struck. My wife was kidnapped before the ball and my servants tell me they saw the Lion of Bohemia on the coach that carried her away. If this was the swine of Bohemia’s doing then I swear that they will feel the wrath of Prussia’s anger. Now I must go and speak with my advisors.

January 1, 1492:

I have found out that our neighbors, Bohemia, have my beloved wife in their filthy hands. For many hours I have thought of what I should do. I know that I must put the good of my country before my own needs and desires. I have decided that Bohemia, being our rival and enemy for many years, have committed their last hostile act towards Prussia. We will grow our armies in Brandenburg for many years and we will not fight soon but we will take our revenge on Bohemia and their Austrian friends for the pain they have caused my people.

January 2, 1492:

We have learned that Saxony supports the hideous act committed by the Bohemian scoundrels. Just three days ago, all was peaceful in our lands, now; we have enemies on several borders. We have not enough strength to fight any wars yet but we will take revenge on all of Northern Germany if necessary to protect our country’s dignity and honor. Today, we continued our quest to become a powerful enough country to protect our lands and our dignity. Along with these many sorrows, the New Year brought a strange new budget which I dealt with today, bringing investments in Land and Naval Technology as well as Trade up. Having no diplomats or merchants to spare I went to sleep content with our work today but devastated with the loss of my wonderful wife and my people’s wonderful queen.

January 3, 1492:

My sleep was littered with dreams of war and glory. When I awoke I immediately ordered that five thousand fresh new infantry be recruited to fight for the glory of Prussia and its people.

February 14, 1492:

My advisors tell me of large expansions all around us in Poland, Hessen, and Pommerania. These countries are not enemies and we have nothing to fear from them and I tell this to the people who may be disturbed by this news and they are calmed. Our people trust me and it is a truly great feeling.

March 1, 1492:

The wintry winds and snows have gone away for the year but still there is no sign of my beloved Anne, or Bohemia giving her up out of honor, and I realize that we will not find any honor or compassion in the stone heart of Vladislas II. I fear the worst, but I know she is not dead. They will use her as a tool to manipulate us. It will not work. We will not be swayed from our task of revenge.

March 3, 1492:

The Castle was a beautiful site today while five thousand silver coats flashed in the young spring sunlight. My troops had been recruited and have joined their twenty-six thousand comrades to create a rather strong opposition to many of Germany’s top armies.

March 11, 1492:

My military advisor came to my private chamber today. I asked him what the emergency was. He had been in the northern town of Memel and only now had he found out about our military plans. He reminded me that our great country was split in two by Poland and there was no way of getting to the other part of our country unless you smuggle yourself through Polish lands and we couldn’t smuggle an army of thirty thousand men unnoticeably through Polish lands. I, of course, already knew this but only now realized the importance of this geographical problem. We were like two separate countries under a common ruler. We can only hope our friends, the Teutonic Knights in the north, would help us some kind of disaster struck there because other than our pitiful army of ten thousand we were defenseless against an onslaught from the Polish or any other country.

April 1, 1492:

I meet two young men from Magdeburg who wish to become diplomats and merchants for our beloved country. I tell them they will not be seeing their families again for a long time and maybe they will never return home again. They shake this off and continue begging to show their Patriotism. I congratulate them on becoming the year’s first merchant and diplomat.

April 3, 1492:

I send our young merchant to the great city of Mecklenburg with best wishes and a gift for his family whom he can visit on the way. I expect news from him in a month.

May 3, 1492:

I send our young diplomat with my niece to the lands of the Teutonic Order. He will offer her to them as a gift for their undying friendship towards us. Our young merchant is successful in placing himself in the great city of Mecklenburg to represent our great country. I will soon send another merchant to try our luck once more.

June 13, 1492:

I send a new diplomat to Hannover with a distant relation of mine who will be married to Hannover royalty. Hannover is slowly turning into an enemy and we can only hope this act of friendship swayed their feelings towards us. We need no more enemies.

June 24, 1492:

I hear news of a colossal war in the West between the French alliance and our English friends. We pray for our friend Henry VII but we see that he is greatly outnumbered. This war has been brewing for many years. After the death and destruction the Hundred Years War caused to all of Europe we guessed that there would be another war close to follow. The end of the Hundred Years War far from brought the end of hostilities between these two colossuses. The French are fighting this war for several reasons. One of these reasons is that England has property on their land. Our situation is similar. Poland has property on what should be our land, but they rightfully own that land and we will not fight them for it yet. We have other things to worry about.

July 1, 1492:

I send another Merchant to Mecklenburg and decide that I will continue this process until we have reached the highest level possible there.

July 28, 1492:

Today is my wedding anniversary with Anne. She is not here to celebrate with us. I order that everyone in Berlin Castle take a moment of silence and pray for her on this special day. We have a feast in the evening, which I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed thanks to the delicious cooking and jovial banter of my advisors and guards. Yet, it was not quite the same without Anne’s charming remarks about fashion and rumors about people’s love lives. It feels as if part of me is missing with her gone. Remembering her renewed my anger. I will get her back and protect the honor of this great country.