The Waves Don't Forget

The Man Who Would Have Been...

"Ahh~...here we are, sat together once more hm?"

Kurfürst was sat in the front of the room again, looking at the girls who all came to listen to her stories once more. Unlike yesterday however, there was far more people attending, seeing as the audio of her stories was already sent out for them to hear.

Apparently they were going to edit it for an audiobook that will, after completion, be sent out to the world to recount the life of the oldest living person. The name? By Steel and Flesh.

Kurfürst heard that name, and almost had to double take as she heard it. 'So eerily close to Otto's own moniker of Iron and Blood.'

She closed her eyes and took a breath, remembering that it was time to start telling of the 1900s. She didn't know where to start, since from what she heard from her kids, the early 1900s were exactly the same as her own...other than one major detail...

"Alright, since I know most of you have knowledge on the early years of the twentieth century, I won't bore you with the details. Instead, today I'll focus on the details of a man who, in your memories, could be called one of the most vile and monstrous individuals in history."

It took a few moments, but she could see the anger and disgust present on everyone's faces. Even the German ships in the audience were disgruntled, probably more than anyone else.

Bismarck took a breath, before speaking through grit teeth. "Mother...do you mean him?"

"Indeed I do Bismarck, and for all of you, I have something to show you that will probably shake you up something fierce." She reaches into a small purse she brought along, looking quite comical on a woman her size.

She pulled a small photo from her pocket, and put it under a projector that sat on the desk. She turned it on, and looked towards the crowd that slowly grew more and more shocked and surprised at the photo, a dawning realization on their faces.

"WHAT?!"

Kurfürst chuckled, knowing why they were like that. "Girls, you all know a version of this man that is vile and cruel to many, but in our world, the world that you were all made in, that isn't the case...not fully."

The picture had Kurfürst wearing a dress, chatting happily with a man at some sort of party with other military officers. The man she was chatting with was none other than Gefreiter, or Lance Corporal, Adolf Hitler.

"Why...how...?!" Hood was speechless, much like the others of the Royal Navy and Eagle Union.

"I understand how apprehensive you are about it, for I heard much about his deeds in this other world you all draw memories from. I assure you, he is quite a bit different in our world...now I'll tell you about him so you can hear these differences."
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It was a cold night in December when we first met, and that day alone solidified what the man thought of people in the Upper Class such as I...

Mathilde Hering, now known as Großer Kurfürst across the world, was traveling through the city of Vienna on a vacation trip, after handling and assisting the constant needs of an ever growing country. She never felt bothered by the cold, but wore a coat nonetheless to settle the worried voices of the workers who came with her.

She didn't want them to come, but they refused to leave her without someone to assist her. 'Such considerate young kids, only aiming to be helpful in my time of relaxation.'

The street had a thin layer of snow on it, and she let out a breath to see her fog drift into the sky. Even as old as she was, she always loved the serenity of a cold winter night.