Work Text:
Winter was on edge. As a young aspiring officer in the German army and eldest child of a wealthy family she had a promising career ahead of her. If it weren’t for the fact that it was 1914. She was just in her twenties, but she had seen more horrible things than people three times her age, the bloodshed, bodies of her own men ripped to shreds,… Winter wasn’t sure if she would ever recover from this.
When this had started she had seen so many young ‘patriots’ eager to join and fight for their country’s cause, some of them not even old enough yet to grow real beards. Some still sounded like boys. Military training made sure to beat every single thought of patriotism and idealism right out of them. Winter would know.
It was cold today, the men were shivering in the trenches, the food was bad, many were sick and needed medical attention. They wouldn’t get any, not from the people who were in their own homes in front of warm and cozy fireplaces.
It was Christmas, and for the first time since Winter had been deployed to the front all canons and rifles were silent. Nobody was shooting and while her men needed the moment, as an officer Winter couldn’t allow herself to enjoy this. She moved from trench to trench, crawled through snow and frozen mud that still managed to cling to her heavy coat.
Tired and cold she let herself fall into the next trench to rest and catch her breath, but this one wasn’t empty.
A hurt soldier. Based on the uniform a British soldier. Winter was ready to kill, but the enemy just opened her tired eyes and smiled.
“It sure is quiet today, huh…” She started speaking and Winter halted all movements, apparently she hadn’t noticed that Winter was a German. Thanks to her education she was actually able to understand that woman, though her own English was far from perfect. It was frowned upon for a German to know the enemy’s tongue in times of war.
“Am I dead yet? Is it silent because I’m dead?” She asked again and the young officer wasn’t sure how to react at first. Instead of using her bayonet to end it, she dropped down next to the wounded soldier. “No. You’re not dead yet.” Her accent was thick and the blonde would know immediately that Winter was not one of her own men.
“There’s a truce going on. We’re not enemies right now.”
“Huh… you’re from the other side.” The German officer didn’t reply.
It was quiet, far too quiet for either soldier to handle.
“Never met a German speaking English.”
“My grandfather educated my siblings and myself from a young age. He always dreamed of an united world. He loved travelling.” It was moments like this that made Winter really miss her grandfather. A man like this would’ve done everything he could to stop the world from ending up in a pointless war. He was a real man, not like those cozy, rich jerks sitting at home while sending their children off to war. People like her father, a Frenchman who had married into German aristocracy years ago.
“Heh, when all of this is over, maybe you could visit me in Nottingham?” The blonde said suddenly before coughing up blood and bile. Winter gave her a concerned look, this soldier’s life was ending right before her eyes.
“I’m afraid I don’t know where that is?”
“England. Quiet place, you’d like it.” Robyn coughed again and a thin line of blood ran down her chin. “What’s your home like?”
“It’s… not a place I like visiting.” Winter had no idea why she was admitting something so intimate like this to a complete stranger. “I miss my siblings, they’re both younger than I am, but luckily not old enough to be drafted or enlist yet. My mother is a beautiful woman and my father… men like my father are the reason we are dying here.” She said with a voice so bitter that even Robyn shivered.
“But…”, Winter’s tone changed slightly and she almost got a soft, fond look in her eyes. “I’m from Koblenz. When you visit Fortress Ehrenbreitstein you can see where the rivers Rhine and Mosel meet. I’m sure you’d love the view.”
“Co…blents?” Robyn’s pronunciation got pretty close and Winter nodded. “Yes, Koblenz. The view is incredible, I’ve taken my siblings there several times when we were younger.”
The blonde soldier was silent and for a second Winter worried, that she was already gone. But Robyn was still breathing and Winter relaxed.
“It’s Christmas”, Robyn finally spoke up again after a few scary moments of silence. “Do you celebrate Christmas in Germany?”
“We do. Often family’s go to church and on the evening of the 24th we get good food. Then the next two days are spent with eating leftovers and family members.”
“I don’t think we’re so different.”
“No, we aren’t.”
“Then why do we have to kill each other?”
Winter had no satisfying answer,after all she had wondered about the exact same question before.
“I’m dying here, snowflake.” The officer didn’t disagree, it was obvious that Robyn was in a bad shape. “Well, at least I will if Marigold won’t find me.”
“Marigold. I know that family name.” Winter said softly. Her father had tried to arrange something between both families, but neither heir had been interested in marriage for… 'reasons'.
“Good officer… will get me out of here… will get me home…” Robyn was tired, and it was just so cold here. She wanted to sleep so badly. Winter panicked.
“Soldier, don’t you dare to sleep!” She raised her voice but the blonde closed her eyes anyway. “Stay the fuck awake! You are not dying during a damn truce!” If only her father could hear her curse like that, but the battlefield had taught her many colorful words which were deemed inappropriate for someone of her social standing.
“Fuck… stay awake, I’ll get you out of here!” Winter cursed again and tried to lift the soldier up. The blonde was taller than her, but scarily thin. Winter glanced at her tags, if she didn’t make it then she wanted at least to know this woman’s name.
Robyn Hill.
And she was from Nottingham. Winter made sure to never forget that no matter what happened. “Stay awake, I will get you back!”
It was completely silent while Winter dragged the barely alive British soldier through the still falling snow.
Even if it was for just one night, today they weren’t enemies.