Be a Man
Brandenburg Palace - March 4, 2018, 9:00 PM
Wilhelm Karl noticed Elias’ glass was empty and reached for the wine bottle.
“Another glass?” he said.
“I think I’ve had enough,” Elias said, “Won’t be able to drive home afterward.”
“I was thinking Frau Anhorn could help you,” Wilhelm Karl said.
“Problem is, she’s probably more drunk then I am,” Elias said.
“I haven’t drunk a single glass!” Gertrude shouted from another room, clearly inebriated.
“Your loss,” Wilhelm Karl said, “This bottle was probably sealed away before Prince Maximilian was even born.”
“Yeah, you’ve told me plenty of times,” Elias said.
“Oh, my apologies,” Wilhelm Karl said, “Anyways, I guess I’ll put it away then.”
He put the bottle back in a cabinet.
“Oh, I just remembered,” Wilhelm Karl said, “Did you receive the donation Francesca and I made to the Shepherds’ Brotherhood?”
“Uh, yeah, but we’re not sure how to accept it,” Elias said, “With our connections with Christenheit Bewegung, we may be running into campaign finance laws.”
“Don’t kid me, we both know the Brotherhood is an extension of Christenheit Bewegung,” Wilhelm Karl said, “I’m not stupid. Also, don’t worry about the laws. I’ve read up and we’re not breaking any of them.”
“I just want to know, why?” Elias said.
“Christenheit Bewegung aligns with many of my own views,” Wilhelm Karl said, “We’re all after the same thing. Peace, order, and control. This Reich is in chaos. Has been since the Sentinel leaks. The world is on fire. The Diet is full of idiots. What we need is to get our morals in order, so we can save this planet from cooking us all, while keeping our Reich and our people united. We must take back control.”
“You didn’t need to tell me all that,” Elias said, “I would’ve accepted just the first sentence. But a crown prince openly endorsing a party? Isn’t the royal family supposed to be impartial?”
“The role of the Hohenzollerns is not to be neutral but to provide balance, as my father said many years ago,” Wilhelm Karl said, “Why is why he has always picked sides in politics, to balance out the civilian government’s excesses. He’s openly endorsed certain individuals and groups before. He unilaterally passed pieces of legislation which have been the cornerstones of these entities, sometimes when the Diet voted against them already. My sister continued that tradition as the crown princess. I think I’m well within my rights to do the same. To say otherwise would be hypocritical.”
“Fair enough,” Elias said, “Why haven’t you done it sooner, though?”
“I made some regrettable mistakes in the last fifteen years,” Wilhelm Karl said, “I didn’t like my sister and mother very much, but when they up and died, I could’ve at least shown some grief for the cameras. Or at least said things in a way the media can’t take out of context. You are aware of my comments after Mother’s death, right?”
“Yeah, the ‘no comment’ incident,” Elias said, “Set off a firestorm within the left.”
“A prime example,” Wilhelm Karl said, “What I fully said was, ‘This is not a good time for me to comment on my mother’s death. I loved my mother dearly, and I must spend some time to privately grieve. Until that is done, I must provide no comment on the matter. Right now is too soon to share my thoughts with the press’. They cut out everything except ‘no comment’ and focused on my perceived coldness. The coldness I admit is my fault, but the rest is the left overreacting to out of context words.”
“What about the reports that you were overjoyed to learn you were the new heir after your sister’s death?” Elias said.
“Exaggerated,” Wilhelm Karl said, “My sister and I had our fair share of disagreements, but I would never wish death upon her. I would never want her dead so I could take the throne.”
“And the incident at the Great War commemoration four years ago?” Elias said.
“That was my fault,” Wilhelm Karl said, “My intention was that I didn’t want our country to bow to every single demand for political correctness, because then we’d bend over backwards to appease everyone for everything, no matter how trivial. That’s no way to behave. But I was a little drunk and…lost control. I apologized afterward. And my niece presiding over the ceremonies was just a coincidence the media latched onto. I don’t have anything against Little Willie. Although I feel like she’s a little naive sometimes. There's a reason everyone still thinks she's a video game-obsessed nerd, even at 36 and with a kid of her own.”
He sighed. “That’s my weakness, you see? I say things before I think them through. And now everyone thinks of me as this spoiled brat who’s glad to have his siblings out of the way so he can ascend to the throne. That’s far from it. I never wanted the throne. I never wanted this public reputation. But since we can’t change the past, I might as well try to move on.”
“You’ll be a good Kaiser,” Elias said, “Don’t worry about the bad press. We’ll handle it. Focus on ruling. Step into your destiny. Be a man.”
“Yes, yes,” Wilhelm Karl said, “I have to be a man. I have to be in control.”
He stood up.
“Well, you should be on your way now,” he said, “There’s a party conference tomorrow, if I’m not mistaken.”
Elias checked his phone.
“Right,” he said, “Well, thank you for inviting me and Gertrude over. We’ll be on our way.”
They shook hands.
“Look forward to our next meeting,” Elias said.
“As do I,” Wilhelm Karl said.
Brandenburg Palace - March 5, 2018, 1:00 PM
Otto coughed and gripped his cane again. He shuffled down the hallway as fast as he could, which was not fast at all. His legs begged him to go back to his room and rest, but he refused. He remembered what the doctors told him. There was no other option but to continue.
With all of his strength, he pushed a heavy door open and entered the August Chamber. The long hallway before him stretched across the length of the palace, lined by statues and portraits of his ancestors and those who had sat on the throne before them, all the way back to Augustus in a modern interpretation of translatio imperii. Otto walked past the statues of the First Empire’s rulers and most of the Second Empire’s statues, briefly stopping at Justinian’s. Had Justinian and Belisarius succeeded, maybe the Restoration could’ve happened centuries earlier…but then the Reich would’ve been much different, if not completely unrecognizable. Translatio imperii would’ve taken a different course, like a river of time flowing somewhere else.
Otto continued walking, and the Second Empire gave way to Friedrich the Great and Friedrich the Glorious, bridging the gap between Second and Third. He stopped at Friedrich the Great’s magnificent statue, which towered over Anna Doukas’ before it and Friedrich the Glorious’ and Saint Gunhilda von Schweinfurt’s joint statue after it. Of course, the designer took some artistic liberties based on the few paintings and descriptions of him from his time. And yet it looked nothing like the statue in the original August Chamber, which was destroyed with the original palace by the Soviets. Otto remembered running through that August Chamber as a kid and hiding from Louise behind the statue of “Friedrich the Giant.” He knew better a century later. Friedrich was no giant. Otherwise he would’ve been called that instead of “the Great.”
In front of the statue was a airtight display case guarded by several state of the art cameras. Inside, an ancient sword rested on soft fabric. Its blade, which didn’t seem to have rusted over the many centuries, was covered in a distinct pattern reminiscent of flowing water. However. unlike most Damascus steel swords of the era and region, it was straight and double-edged, like a German sword. Otto could barely make out the Greek inscription engraved on its blade: Enonon. Fitting a German sword made with Damascus steel would be called the Uniter, symbolizing the different peoples and ideas that came together in the Restoration. Naturally, the reality of the Restoration was much harsher and bloodier than that, but Enonon remained. It was the one of the few things his family managed to save from the old Brandenburg Palace. Enonon was as much a symbol of the Reich as the Hohenzollerns were. Over the centuries, the sword had acquired a mythical reputation. It was wielded in battle by many Kaisers before him, a symbol of their imperial legitimacy as successors of Frierich the Great.
While Wilhelm III was taken away in chains by Ocuil Acatl at Altmark, his legions fought with all of their remaining strength to recover Enonon, giving their lives to ensure it stayed out of the Triple Alliance’s hands much like the legions of the First Empire sacrificed everything to protect their eagle standards. Enonon was bestowed upon Siegfried I with the expectation he use it to avenge his father, and Sigismund I used it in battle against the Mongols and Mexica. It was in Martin I’s hands when he drove back Shah Rukh’s host at Persepolis. It was smuggled out of Berlin to Princess Sophia and her sole surviving relative Friedrich during the Anarchy, giving legitimacy to their rebellion against the Bethunist usurpers. It was in Victoria III’s hands when the Nahua-slayer, flanked by the "modern Scipios" Niketas Dalassenos and Florentina Gregorios, personally led the Sunrise Invasion and conquered Tenochtitlan, recovering Wilhelm III's body. It was controversially granted to Prince Nikephoros during his many wars across Eurasia and passed down to Siegfried II, which legitimized the Siegfriedist branch as the main dynastic line. Both the Maximists and Angeloi sought the sword and its legitimacy. Konrad von Habsburg wanted to invest his puppet, Prince Maximilian, with Enonon, but Sigismund II took it with him to Constantinople. Angelos wanted to do the same with Duke Franz Ferdinand. But with her father’s covert help, Louise smuggled it out when they escaped to Vienna. Otto remembered smiling when he heard how Angelos threw a giant fit upon learning Enonon was gone.
Next came Friedrich the Glorious and Gunhilda von Schweinfurt, who worked to expand the Reich across Europe and establish a new administration which could rule Europe and its many peoples for centuries. After that was Saint Wilhelmina, who forged a new path for the Reich, away from the centralized power of the Catholic Church and the decentralized influence of regional nobility. Down the line stood Siegfried I and Sigismund I, who led the country through the Thirteenth Century Crisis, but he didn’t stop. After that came the Friedrich Augustins and their reforms which created the Augustinian Code. There was also one for Kaiser Reinhard, but nobody talked about him other than the fact that he established a still very popular Danish tavern (now a popular tourist attraction on the Scandinavian border). Approaching the modern era, he passed the long line of Kaiserins from the Anarchy to the Nikephoran Wars. While they all had their own achievements, he was here to pay his respects to a certain few.
He walked past the statues of his more recent predecessors, Sigismund II and Franz Joseph, flanked by their imposing official portraits. They looked nothing like the statues of Augustus or even Friedrich the Great far down the line, but they were still Kaisers all the same.
“Yes indeed,” Franz Joseph said, appearing next to Otto.
“Hello,” Otto said.
“We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?” Franz Joseph said.
“Yes we have,” Otto said.
“I see you didn’t burn down the nation after I left,” Franz Joseph said.
“It came very close to that a few times, but we pulled through,” Otto said.
“Evidently,” Franz Joseph said, “Looks like you’ve done well. Not often do I get to talk with someone older than myself.”
“I’m just really lucky,” Otto said.
“Doesn’t look like it,” Franz Joseph said, “If anything, you did much better than I did, in my opinion.”
“Did I really?” Otto said.
“That’s not for either of us to answer, Otto,” Franz Joseph said.
Otto was alone again. He continued to the next statue, which was one he remembered very well. Karl waited for him there, inspecting his own statue.
“The architect did pretty well,” Karl said, “Then again, he had plenty of references. If only we hired that Schikelgruber sooner, he could’ve done my portrait as well. It’s unflattering.”
Otto turned and hugged his father, crying into his shoulder.
“Hi, Dad,” Otto said, “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Otto boy,” Karl said, “How long has it been?”
“Far too long,” Otto said, “Over a hundred years. A hundred reminders of your death.”
Karl looked around and patted Otto on the head.
“You’ve done fine without me, my son,” Karl said, “This place is still standing.”
“It wasn’t for maybe fifty years,” Otto said.
“That’s beside the point,” Karl said, “It’s still around. You are still around. And if you are still here in front of me, then this country is still here. I only wish I got to do more as Kaiser. I’m really sorry, Otto boy, for leaving you and your mother too soon. That was my greatest failure as Kaiser. I remember what was happening in those last weeks. I can only imagine how much worse it got.”
“It got very bad,” Otto said, “Really bad.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you,” Karl said, “Although you’ve done fine.”
“Things turned out for the better,” Otto said, “Thanks to all of us.”
“That’s my boy,” Karl said, “Not giving up when all is lost.”
“To be fair, there were times when I was considering it,” Otto said, “Many times.”
“We’ve all had our fair share of suffering,” Karl said, “I did, even though my reign was short. All of our ancestors did. But what mattered is how we respond to it. And we responded to it by pushing forward.”
“That is how we’ve lasted so long, I guess,” Otto said, “How long’s it been, almost a thousand years since Friedrich the Great lived? Nine centuries since the Restoration? Sometimes, I’m surprised I’ve lasted this long with such a legacy to live up to.”
“Don’t worry about legacy, Otto boy,” Karl said, “You’ve done your part. You did what you thought was right.”
“But I’m still worried,” Otto said, “About the future.”
“We all are, my son,” Karl said, “I was too.”
“You didn’t have to worry about me turning out bad,” Otto said, “My own son…”
He broke down again and cried some more.
“I miss my daughter so much,” Otto said, “So, so much…she would’ve made the perfect Kaiserin after me…and Little Willie...that's...that's my own greatest failure as a Kaiser...all this...”
“I can’t tell the future for you,” Karl said, “I’m sorry if I can’t give you the answer you seek. But the river of time will carve out a new history for the Reich, and you’ve done your part. I hope your people do theirs after you. And remember, I was never supposed to be Kaiser. It was supposed to be my uncle Rudolf.”
“I hope so,” Otto said, “I hope you’re right, Father.”
“You should get some rest,” Karl said, “You don’t look so well.”
“I wanted to see you…one last time,” Otto said.
“I know,” Karl said, “But please, get some rest, Otto boy.”
“Of course, Dad,” Otto said, “Thank you.”
He was alone again. Otto resumed walking and reached the end of the hallway. As he opened the door, he turned to look at the line of statues one more time, before focusing on his own statue and portrait. They had been commissioned maybe twenty years ago, he didn’t know, and they depicted a slightly younger version of him. The accompanying plaques listed the accomplishments of his century on the throne. He hoped it got the basics right. He wondered how future generations would remember him. What would he be known for? The wars he led the country through? The speeches he gave? His love for Louise? How he raised his family? What charities he supported and founded? The leaders he met with? The crises he solved? The people he helped or didn’t? And what kind of nickname would they give him? Previous Kaisers and Kaiserins had names like “the Hammer,” “the Wise,” or “the Holy.” He doubted he was any of those. It would probably be something simple or expected like “the Phoenix” or “the Liberator.” He’d heard those names thrown around for a while now. Oh well, only the future would tell, and he’d probably never know.
He reached his room, climbed into bed, and relaxed. He knew he didn’t have long left, but he didn’t care. He had nothing else to do. He had done all he could.
2:00 PM
Wilhelm Karl quietly walked into Otto’s living quarters. His father lay in his bed, resting. He heard his father sigh, as if a little annoyed.
“You’re here, my son,” Otto said, “I haven’t seen you in months.”
“Well, I was busy…
father,” Wilhelm Karl said, contempt in that last word, “And I wouldn’t want to disturb you, in your current condition.”
“What are you doing?” Otto said.
Wilhelm Karl locked the door. Justin and the Varangians had long been dismissed.
“What I should’ve done long ago,” Wilhelm Karl said, “Step into my destiny and be a man.”
Otto sighed again, knowing exactly what Wilhelm Karl was getting at.
“I knew this would happen,” he said, “You know, it doesn’t have to end like this, Karl boy.”
“But it does,” Wilhelm Karl said, “This nation needs to be renewed, like a phoenix. We must pass the torch to the next generation. We will carve a new history for the Reich.”
“I tried to help you get ready, but you refused,” Otto said.
“No, you didn’t help me at all,” Wilhelm Karl said, “You loved my sister way more than me. You gave her everything. I was just an afterthought. You didn’t care about me.”
“I did, my son,” Otto said, “I loved all of my children equally. I tried my best to help you, Karl boy. I didn’t want you to be like this. I wanted you to end up as a better man, to be the man you always could be.”
“I AM a better man,” Wilhelm Karl said, “And even if you’re not around to see it, the rest of the country will. We will pick up after you.”
Otto sighed again and weakly shook his head.
“I did my best,” he said, “I failed, obviously. My greatest failure is not on the battlefield or in the realm of politics, but in my own family. I failed to help you. And now the country will pay the price for my mistake.”
“You didn’t even try,” Wilhelm Karl said, “Otherwise we wouldn’t be here.”
“I did as much as I could, Karl boy,” Otto said, “You didn’t see it. I gave you a choice, but you never took it. I wish things went differently. I wished we could’ve still been happy. But I guess that’s how the world works, doesn’t it? Otherwise how did Kohl end up the way he did?”
“Kohl died because he was weak,” Wilhelm Karl said, “He didn’t have what it takes to do what must be done. That’s why Richter took advantage of him, let him waste away like that. She understands the realities of the world. That’s how she bent the great chancellor who won the war against equalism and liberated the Occupied Territories to her will. If you want something, you have to take it by force, before someone knocks you down. History is written by the winners, and that's a fact. You should know that, as Kohl found out. Idealists never end well.”
He picked up a pillow and approached Otto.
“I’m only taking what’s mine,” he said, “Taking my God-given birthright. I have only to send you to join him.”
“I can’t stop you, my son, and I won’t,” Otto said, “But know this, Wilhelm Karl. If you continue on this path, I know you will not find what you are looking for. You will only find misery. You will not be a good Kaiser. You will never be a man like me. You will drag the rest of our nation and our people down with you, doing what none of our enemies have succeeded at. Nothing you do will change that.”
Wilhelm Karl raised the pillow.
“You’re assuming I have to become you,” he said, “But that’s not the case. I will be Kaiser. I will rule as I see fit. Your time is over, old man, and I don’t want to be like you, Father. Far from it.”
The pillow fell.
“I will be myself.”
In his last moments, Otto did not resist.
Somewhere in rural Loango - March 5, 2018
Georg drew a line across a map.
“Okay, we want to repave the Autobahn stretch here,” he explained, “That way we can expand travel and commerce throughout the Congo basin. Then we could probably formalize the river ferries over here and set up a service to take people up and down the river.”
“And what about us then?” a villager asked.
“Right, I’m getting to that,” Georg said, “So I was just talking to the state governor and convinced him to support an infrastructure bill. I’ve also pitched in to help. We’re going to send people to inspect the building codes and make sure you’re living in safe houses. I’ll also pay for renovations and a complete overhaul of the electrical grid.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” a villager said, “When Berlin forgets about us, it’s nice to know you haven’t. Hermes be praised!”
“I’m just doing what I can,” Georg said.
One of his Varangians entered the building.
“Sir,” he said.
“What is it?” Georg said.
“Something urgent from Berlin,” the Varangian said.
“Well, what is it?” Georg said.
“Best you step outside,” the Varangian said.
“Uh, sure,” Georg said.
He walked outside. The other Varangians had gathered around Georg’s car. Their heads were bowed and gazes averted.
“Well?” Georg said. “What is it?”
“Sir, I’m sorry to inform you...” the Varangian said. “It’s your father, he...”
“No,” Georg said, “It can’t be. Not today.”
“I’m sorry,” the Varangian said.
Georg fell to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks. He couldn’t believe it. The day he had been dreading for so long finally arrived. But soon his grief turned to dread when he realized what would happen next.
“Father...” he said. “Please...I’m sorry...I wasn’t strong enough...I...”
Kyrillos High School - March 5, 2018, 3:05 PM
Alex opened his locker and put his things in his backpack, which he put on his back. As he headed for the door to take the bus home, he noticed the hallway was quieter than usual. People were all reading their phones and talking in hush tones. All except Josh, who talked to his friends like nothing had happened.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Alex said.
Nobody answered him. Some of the teachers appeared to be…crying?
Alex checked his phone. His news apps had gone crazy, showing at least fifty notifications for new major stories. He looked inside a classroom, where the smartboard was showing a documentary about the Kaiser’s life. Another TV showed another documentary. Five teachers watched both screens intently, some of them sobbing like he had not seen before. Something was really wrong. He finally opened one of the apps, and there it was, right in the headline, the words he had been expecting for so long yet never wanted to happen.
“KAISER OTTO DEAD AT 107”
He couldn’t believe it. He really couldn’t.
It was the end of an era.
---
RIP to a legend. We've known him for so long, and it hurt to actually write and post this update. He was first mentioned on August 31, 2016 in
Chapter 261, took the throne
three chapters later, gained his first viewpoint update in
Chapter 283, and was crowned another
three chapters later. He's been here for almost five years and 200 numbered chapters, basically the entirety of this AAR in real life time (since NWO has been taking so long). I will miss him a lot. I'm having trouble pushing the "post reply" button as part of me doesn't want him to canonically die, like with Anne.
I will hold off on posting Chapter 455 for a little bit as some of you may have had plans to post your own remembrances for Otto.
