Table challenge: Prussia, Angst/#17: Isolation
Title: Looking Out For Fritz
Author: kira
Claim: Prussia
Character(s): Prussia, Frederick II
Table/Prompt: Angst/ Prompt # 17: Isolation
Word Count: 398
Rating: M
Summary: Prussia is concerned about the young Crown Prince’s wellbeing…
Author’s note: Thanks go out to my beta, Jen, for looking this over.
Prussia, after about a week of being in the young Crown Prince’s presence, noticed that Frederick seemed to be isolated from everyone, except for time spent with him and the young Crown Prince’s sister Wilhelmine. He could understand part of it, as Frederick William was a real bastard in Prussia’s humble opinion, who took a perverse delight in being extremely abusive to the heir to his thrown, not that the king treated anyone else any better. Prussia, deeming Frederick’s younger brothers too young to be playmates, and fearing his sisters would just bolster his father’s opinion that he was effeminate, tried getting Frederick to be friends with some of the children of the nobles at court, with disastrous results.
“Monsieur Beilschmidt, why does everyone hate me?” Frederick wailed in French.
Prussia, who only spoke German, had no idea what the Crown Prince had said beyond thinking he had heard his name. “Please, Fritzchen,” he said softly as he tried to comfort him. “In German, I can’t understand you if you speak French.”
“Herr Beilschmidt, why does everyone hate me?”
“No one hates you, Fritzchen,” Prussia soothed.
“Yes, they do! My father’s always hitting me and yelling at me and making me do things I don’t want to do! I hate my little army! And the guns and the canons and the noise and the smell and I-I-” Frederick drew in a ragged breath as he choked back a sob. “I HATE IT!”
“What if I schedule your lessons then? Then you won’t have to be around it, cuz you’ll be busy?” Prussia offered. He hated seeing Frederick cry, especially after he had witnessed one of the king’s tirades.
Frederick’s eyes went wide as he shook his head. “No! Then my father will be mad at you too!”
“So let him be mad at me, Fritz. I’m not afraid of him.” Prussia smiled.
“You should be,” Frederick said softly. “My father hits hard.”
Sighing softly, Prussia gave his young charge a hug. He had no doubt that Frederick William could hit hard, what sickened him was that the king would strike his children as hard as he would his adult ministers whenever they displeased him. Prussia wondered if would be better just to keep the Crown Prince isolated for the time being, until he figured out a way to keep him safe from the brunt of the king’s outbursts.
Author: kira
Claim: Prussia
Character(s): Prussia, Frederick II
Table/Prompt: Angst/ Prompt # 17: Isolation
Word Count: 398
Rating: M
Summary: Prussia is concerned about the young Crown Prince’s wellbeing…
Author’s note: Thanks go out to my beta, Jen, for looking this over.
Prussia, after about a week of being in the young Crown Prince’s presence, noticed that Frederick seemed to be isolated from everyone, except for time spent with him and the young Crown Prince’s sister Wilhelmine. He could understand part of it, as Frederick William was a real bastard in Prussia’s humble opinion, who took a perverse delight in being extremely abusive to the heir to his thrown, not that the king treated anyone else any better. Prussia, deeming Frederick’s younger brothers too young to be playmates, and fearing his sisters would just bolster his father’s opinion that he was effeminate, tried getting Frederick to be friends with some of the children of the nobles at court, with disastrous results.
“Monsieur Beilschmidt, why does everyone hate me?” Frederick wailed in French.
Prussia, who only spoke German, had no idea what the Crown Prince had said beyond thinking he had heard his name. “Please, Fritzchen,” he said softly as he tried to comfort him. “In German, I can’t understand you if you speak French.”
“Herr Beilschmidt, why does everyone hate me?”
“No one hates you, Fritzchen,” Prussia soothed.
“Yes, they do! My father’s always hitting me and yelling at me and making me do things I don’t want to do! I hate my little army! And the guns and the canons and the noise and the smell and I-I-” Frederick drew in a ragged breath as he choked back a sob. “I HATE IT!”
“What if I schedule your lessons then? Then you won’t have to be around it, cuz you’ll be busy?” Prussia offered. He hated seeing Frederick cry, especially after he had witnessed one of the king’s tirades.
Frederick’s eyes went wide as he shook his head. “No! Then my father will be mad at you too!”
“So let him be mad at me, Fritz. I’m not afraid of him.” Prussia smiled.
“You should be,” Frederick said softly. “My father hits hard.”
Sighing softly, Prussia gave his young charge a hug. He had no doubt that Frederick William could hit hard, what sickened him was that the king would strike his children as hard as he would his adult ministers whenever they displeased him. Prussia wondered if would be better just to keep the Crown Prince isolated for the time being, until he figured out a way to keep him safe from the brunt of the king’s outbursts.