A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter One

Wilhelmina Zwick sat in the rye field just outside of town. Her nose was buried down in her journal. She didn't have many thoughts to write down. Things hadn't changed too much. The rumor that Germany, her home, was going to be diving even further into war, was nothing new. The thoughts had buzzed around enough to make the idea more of a distant thought rather then a current worry.

Warm hands linked their way over her eyes. "Guess who?" A hot breath whispered into her ear, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

Mina pulled her face out of the grasp of the hands. She couldn't contain her excitement as she jumped to her feet and embraced the body next to her. "Rolly!"

Her fiancé returned the hug. "I love you so much."

Mina couldn't help but notice his hug lingered longer and tighter than usual. "I love you, too. What are you doing sneaking up on me? I thought we were meeting up later."

Roland Sauer pulled away from her. He looked longingly in her eyes and pushed a strand of her unruly blonde hair out of her face. He backed up a few steps and turned around, eying up something in the distance. "I needed to see you now."

Mina closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head on his back. "I am glad you did come to see me."

Rolly reached down after only a few moments and grabbed her wrists. He unwrapped her arms from his waist and turned to face her. "Mina..." His eyes were misted over. He looked above her head and blinked away the dampness filling his eyes, swallowing the lump forming in his throat.

"Rolly? What is it?" Mina put a gap between them, allowing herself to fully take in his stance. She held her breath in anticipation.

He streaked a hand through his hair. A sigh escaped his mouth. "Mina, we are attacking Poland."

Mina's mouth fell open as she gaped, wide-eyed, at him. She forced her mouth shut and swallowed. "Are you sure?"

He nodded, avoiding eye contact. He couldn't look at her. Their future went from being stable to being unstable with the chance of him not surviving. Invading a country meant they'd have a real war on their hands. It meant many casualties for a greater good.

Mina looked down at the ground. She couldn't fight the disappointment falling upon her face. She fought the tears threatening to fall. She was strong; she couldn't cry in front of him.

Roland snuck a finger under her chin and pulled her face up to look at him.

Mina couldn't stop a tear from sliding down her face. Her bright blue eyes echoed her pain of hearing the news.

"Oh, Mina. Do not cry, meine Geliebte." My love. A tear dripped down his face, echoing her tear.

"I am trying not to." Her voice quivered as she swallowed the lump that kept trying to form in her throat. "Why do they need you?"

"Mina, do not ask me questions that you know I do not know the answer to." He released her chin and turned around again, shielding her from seeing his face. "All men sixteen and older are required to go."

Her eyes widened, realizing why he wasn't looking at her. "No! They cannot take both of you!"

He turned at the sharpness of her voice. "Mina!"

She didn't back down. "Papa is not young anymore. They cannot take him too. Momma will not be able to stay strong like me. She is struggling with not being able to work anymore. They cannot just take him."