RE: BLOOD AND IRON

Days passed, and soon too did the weeks that followed. Eventually, Bruno began returning to his normal self. He would never forget the cost of his arrogance, and the ultimate price that had been paid by Erich, one that may very well not have been needed.

And while the realization that he was entirely at fault for the death of his best friend after all may have been enough to break a lesser man, it only further tempered Bruno’s resolve to become the master of not only his fate, but the destiny of the world.

This was a tragic misstep, a mistake, as all men were prone to making. And perhaps the most costly mistake Bruno had ever made in his life. But, despite having the overwhelming advantage of future knowledge, and a high intellect to actively analyze and predict the effects of the butterfly effect in most cases.

At the end of the day, Bruno was still a mortal man, and this was a limitation he must accept if he were to move forward. It wasn’t that he was disregarding this grand tragedy as merely the result of his own mortality, rather a recognition of his own weakness that had led to this result. And a need for him to do better in the future to prevent such another disaster from befalling him and the people he loved.

As with all forms of grief, all one could do was take each day one step at a time. And in the end, after putting one foot in front of the other, Bruno was surprised how soon he was walking out that door, back to a normal life.

The pain would remain, maybe forever, or perhaps it would pass in time. Regardless, Bruno was not a man who had the luxury of shutting down and hiding in his office all day. There were things to do, and events to plan for, and if Erich were here to tell him words of wisdom, he would condemn Bruno for having wasted so much time already wallowing in grief.

This was ultimately the mentality that Bruno needed to more forward and forge ahead in life. Because at the end of the day, that was what life truly was, enduring pain, and evolving from it. A never-ending struggle that one would continue to fight until the day they died.

—

Soon enough Erwin’s wedding day arrived, to be held in the most beautiful and holy of Berlin’s many cathedrals. The guest list was massive and highly exclusive, with family, friends, and important figures that Bruno had established personal ties with over the years.

All of which came to see the eldest son of Bruno and Heidi married. The celebration itself was extremely traditional for German culture, and was an affair that Bruno would never forget in his life. When he witnessed his son kiss his beautiful bride, even Bruno had to admit he was holding back a single manly tear.

Heidi, of course, was a mess, crying in joy as she witnessed her eldest son on his wedding day, hugging and kissing the boy’s forehead the first chance she got while expressing her thoughts incoherently between her tears.

“My… Boy…. Beautiful… Boy… My beautiful boy is now a man!”

Erwin seemed rather embarrassed by his mother’s pitiful display, and felt the need to chastise her to properly compose herself, but his father placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, cutting him off before he could make a mistake.

“Just let her have this one, Erwin… You know how your mother gets when she’s emotional….”

Heidi continued to cry, while also mixing in a bit of pouting, the idea that her own husband would betray her like this and assert she was being overly sensitive when she believed she was being the perfectly normal amount while witnessing her eldest son’s wedding.

But she ultimately remained silent, not wanting to have a fight with her husband over something so petty, and on her son’s wedding day no less. As for the bride in question, she seemed quite happy. Sure, their marriage was a little unusual in this day and age, what with the age gap between them, and the fact that her husband was still a teenager.

However, at the end of the day, it was nothing so far removed from the norm that it was taboo, and she had grown to care deeply for Erwin over the years. Especially after their engagement was announced.

The little brother she never truly had, who she had spent so time around during her initial years in the German Reich had finally matured into a proper man, and one that she was now married to.

It was a bizarre thing, or perhaps one might think so if they were from the 21st century. But European aristocratic marriages were often far more absurd than this. Thus, in the end, Alya was quite happy with the arrangement.

Any other woman would be too, because Erwin was the heir to a grand fortune, and the son of one of the world’s most powerful figures. The status it represented to be his wife was enormous, and that was despite his young age.

But such senseless materialism was something Alya cared very little for. She was, after all an orphan from the lowest class of Russian citizens. She had lost her family at a young age, and witnessed her country ravaged by war.

The idea of pursuing such materialistic possessions, and such useless things like status as the be all and end all in life was a notion that she had never developed as a result of her troubled childhood. No… What she wanted was a family… A true, loving family like the one she had lost all those years ago.

Over the years Alya had grown to envy the relationship that Bruno and Heidi had… And now she could finally have one of her own, as she knew Erwin was such a man to provide that love, warmth, and support to her. While also being strong and capable enough to protect their place in this world.

And that was all that really mattered to Alya. Because of this, Erwin and she would have a long and happy marriage. However, what history would truly remember this day for had yet to be revealed, and would only do so later in the night at the reception being held in Bruno’s own estate.

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