Be Well, My Darling (Fruk)

Chapter 4: Munich

1938

"On March 12, 1938, German troops invaded Austria. Hitler was received with great enthusiasm by the Austrian people, and he immediately announced that Austria had become part of the German Reich. The laws of Germany, including anti-Semitic acts, were swiftly applied in Austria.

I sat in my seat, anxiously waiting for his arrival. My foot kept tapping against the floor, and I didn't know what to do with myself. Then, the door suddenly opened, and I stood up quickly. "God! You are finally here!"

"I'm sorry! I had to arrange last-minute things!" Francis spoke. He immediately came to me, giving me a pat on my shoulder. "Thank goodness you are here; I hate this part," I spoke. He nodded at me, and we began to leave the room together. Once again, I was in a position to meet Mr. Germany, but this time, with Francis. "This isn't exactly how I picture us reuniting, but I suppose I can't complain," Francis joked.

"Now is not the time for jokes," I spoke. We continued to walk down the hall, and as we arrived closer to the room, people were stumbling everywhere. This, like many situations in the past, has always made my stomach turn the wrong way. The confrontational part.

I urged Francis to step back so I'd go in first, and I would not let him fight me on it. I only opened the door and went in first. "Ah! The two I wanted to see! No hard feelings for the other war, yeah?" Mr. Germany spoke. He seemed to be in a better mood than I remembered.

The reason we all came together...

It was because he invaded Austria...and Mr. Austria didn't put up a fight.

Not one bit...

"We all don't want anything bad to happen..." I started.

Now he wanted part of Ms.Czechia.

"So, according to my boss, we don't mind setting up a deal!" He cheered. Germany came toward Francis, placing a hand on his shoulder. Now, I really couldn't tell if he was doing it for himself or his boss. He was too into his role as a nation. There was no voice of reason. "What do you want?" I asked. I pulled Francis away from him and stared keenly.

Germany looked both of us up and down and brushed off my sudden gesture. I didn't want him touching Francis. There was no hidden motive. I did not want him to think he could be nice all of a sudden. "Well, I promise, and I mean really promise! That if you let me have part of Czechia, not only will I not invade the rest of her, but I will ensure war doesn't break out. I'd say those are easy terms," he shrugged.

He was serious.

"Ah, and I won't invade Poland," he added. My eyes widened, and I took a step back. Francis stopped me from nearly falling over and held me straight. We had already made negotiations, but no one could afford another war. He had doubtlessly disobeyed the treaty, but my leaders didn't want another war. They told me we should do anything to prevent it...including giving away allies like Ms. Czechia.

"We have no other choice, do we?" Francis asked. Mr. Germany looked him up and down, shaking his head. "No, not really..." he spoke. Francis and I looked at each other, and I'm sure he knew everything I was possibly thinking. Once again, I was put in a terrible position—a position where I had no other choice.

In times like this, I really wish I could die already. I was too old and didn't have much reason to live.

"Don't invade Poland and the rest of Czech...but if you do...you will be breaking our deal, and you know what will happen next," I spoke. Germany smiled at me, nodding. "Of course! I am a man of my word...for the most part..." he chuckled.

"Fine...you can have the territory," I spoke. I felt so defeated and useless. I felt like I would be the cause of the deaths of thousands. Being responsible for innocent deaths wasn't new...but now it affected me in more ways than I could explain.

This was good, though. We were avoiding war by doing this. This was the only option, right? "I'm really glad you picked the smart decision. I am different this time, and I am not easily fooled, be prepared," he spoke. Mr. Germany fixed his hat and coat and began to walk toward the door. He had a smile on his face, which told me enough that I had made the wrong decision.

He stopped in his tracks, suddenly turning to Francis and me. He looked Francis up and down, then looked at me. "Enjoy each other's company while you can; you two are close...too close...I will be seeing the two of you very soon," he spoke. What? Why would he say it like that? Was it a threat? What was he planning?

Francis and I stood beside each other, watching him leave. Once he was gone, we were silent. "We are screwed, aren't we?" He asked. I nodded my head slowly, grabbing his hand. "Yes...but as long as we stay together, we won't be easily beaten. I still have my commonwealth, and you have plenty of territories and money that could help," I explained.

"We still need to do something," he spoke.

"I agree..." I spoke.

We both turned to each other, nodding in agreement. "We need to tell Mr. Poland. It could give him some time to prepare for a possible invasion," he spoke. I'm so glad we were on the same page. I nodded in acceptance, walking toward the door. "Wait, one more thing," he spoke.

"What is it? We should tell him right away!"

"Yes, I know...but...can we stay together tonight? I think what Germany said may have gotten to me. Please, just one night, and in the morning, we will go straight to Poland," he spoke. I felt nervous hearing his request. I felt now wasn't the time to goof around; serious issues existed. However, the way he looked at me, I could tell it really did get to him. "Fine...where would you like to stay? At your private home?" I asked.

"Yes, actually...everyone will be gone...so thankfully, it will be just us..." he smiled. I nodded at him nervously. It was almost as if he had been hoping for this the whole time. Well—I am no idiot! I won't let him get to me, either. My feelings for him are locked away in the past. Now! We are only friends! I will make sure that tonight will stay that way! I will be the least attractive person tonight! Just wait and see!