[h3] Berlin, Germany May 26th, 1960 [/h3] Berlin. A beautiful city, especially once you can see it from the air. None of the common folk would even be able to begin to comprehend the beauty that those in the upper echelons get to experience. It is truly a gift bestowed by God to those who stand tall, validating their right to rule. As the loud hum of the Royal Zeppelin Fischadler filled the night air of Berlin, people stopped what they were doing to stare in awe. The Royal Family rarely brought out the Fischadler, usually traveling by car, or one of their smaller, faster aircraft. So actually seeing it was usually a public spectacle that the local police department would have to be warned about before hand so they could properly deal with the crowds that tried to follow the zeppelin. Meanwhile, inside of the gargantuan dirigible, the hum had become background noise to the sound of children laughing, screaming, and playing. Birthday decorations lined the walls, replacing the usual flags and tapestry's that would be present any other occasion. In the back-center of the room, in his personal armchair, sat Kaiser Wilhelm, watching the children with a smile. Around him, either on couches or portable chairs, sat his wife, children, and their spouses. To his left, his beautiful wife, Kira Kirillovna, a Russian Grand Duchess who spent most of her life before marrying Wilhelm in exile in France. She sat with a soft smile as she watched the children, occasionally leaning over and saying something to the Kaiser that would manage to make him smile, every time. It was her special power. Nobody else could make him smile like she could. Beside her sat her younger children, Heinrich and Katrina. Heinrich is a pale, gangly boy with curly hair cut short, but not short enough to keep him from having little spiraled flyaways all over his head. Usually, he would wear a hat, but since it was just family, he went without one. The expression on his face was one of unease. He always hated flying, but couldn't refuse the night's party. His nephew would be disappointed if he didn't come. So, instead, he sat down on a couch, away from the windows, started biting his nails, and tried his hardest to focus on anything but where he was. Katrina, on the other hand, is the perfect mix of her parents. With her mother's looks, her father's stern face, and a height to dwarf all in her family but her second-oldest brother, her heritage was clear. Her hair done up as it always is, a high ponytail, with bangs curving around the left side of her face, giving her the proper look for her line of work in the chemical branch of the Deutsch Verfahrenstechnik. She always says that they're just working on harmless solutions, but when she whisper's to her father, he get's a look on his face that he only get's when listening to military advisers. Meanwhile, to the Kaiser's left sat the more awkward pair. His first and second oldest, Princes Wilhelm and Friederich Wilhelm. The former sat directly beside his father, black hair slicked back, pale skin, and dark eyes making him look sickly. To make it worse, he wore a slimming white naval uniform, as he was also there to speak to his father on official business, making him look like the spectre of Death has shown up to a children's party. Every once in a while, he would speak to his parents and siblings, but never to Friederich, who was essentially his polar opposite. Both the tallest and largest-built member of his family, Friederich was essentially the prime example of the Ideal German Man. Biceps that might well be larger than both of his brother's waists, a strong jaw, hidden away behind a large blonde beard, with a large, slightly curled mustache to match. His hair, too, was slicked back, but not in the same way as his older brother's. Where his brother's head looked like the carapace of a beetle, Friederich's was done quickly, leaving it fairly unruly. He, in comparison, wore the black outfit of the German Army. Whenever he spoke, it could be heard across the blimp, even over the playing children. “Karl! Klaus! Come over here!” shouted Friederich, beckoning a pair of children over. As they came running, Friederich smiled, and leaned in to hug them both, as they came slamming into him, laughing. Upon letting go and giving them a look, he couldn't help but laugh at how much his twin boys looked like him. In comparison, all of his brother's children looked more like their mother. 'Yet the rat is the heir to the throne?' Friederich caught himself thinking all too often. The thought always made him a little bit sick. His brother preferred much more unscrupulous ways of going about his business. He would always choose a knife in the back over a fist to the face. 'The only thing he's fit to rule is a gang.' “Papa!” shouted Karl, snapping Friederich out of it. “Can we take Franz and Wilhelm, and go see the engine room? Please?” “Please?” echoed Klaus. “Oh, and Timo, too!” “As long as your grandfather doesn't have a problem with it, I don't see why not.” Friederich said, looking towards his Father, who was getting up out of his chair. “I can take them, so you just relax, Freddy. I want to stretch my legs, anyways.” said the Kaiser with a smile, making his way over to the children. “Come along, now! Let's go see how this titan works, shall we?” As he watched his father walk away with the children, Freddy's view was blocked by his wife, Johanna, her green eyes and brown hair, and bright smile making him forget what he was doing. “I just love the way your father interacts with the children, Freddy.” she said, giving him a look only she could. “Say, since they're away, why don't we walk out onto the observation deck? I love looking at the city at night.” Without a word, Freddy rose to his feet, wrapped his arm around his wife, and walked out of the room. “Johanna.” He said once they were on the observation deck. “Tell me. Do you really think my brother will be a good ruler? Every time I look at our children, I can't help but worry about their future with him in charge.” “Oh, love.” She said, placing her hands upon his cheeks. “I don't think you need to worry. I'm sure that, when it comes time, Wilhelm will do what he needs to do. Remember. He will also have advisors to whisper in his ears, telling him exactly why he shouldn't act the way you're worried he will.” “Yes, but...” interjected Freddy. “What if he get's snakes, who do nothing but encourage him? You know as well as I do that many Germans feel the same way he does. They think, oh, we can't go to war! But we are Germans! We still must earn our honor, our glory, our rightful place to rule!” Sighing, he looked out over the city nightscape. “I just worry he will make things worse for our country. I worry that he will cause another civil war, and we might end up like the Russians.” Without words, Johanna approached Friederich, and embraced him from behind, as best she could, and just sat there with him for a good, long while, until they heard footsteps coming from behind them, and turned to see who it was. “Mama! Papa!” he heard before he saw his sons running at him and his wife. “It was so cool down there! There were big things turning, and that was making other things go and...” Klaus rambled, making Friederich smile, but sending him back to his worries once more. 'If my brother doesn't improve, I will do whatever it takes to secure your future's, Karl, Klaus. I'll make sure you grow up in a Germany that is great. I'll make sure you grow up in a Germany you can be proud of.'