Confidential [Netherlands/Denmark]
Nov. 24th, 2018 03:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
roesslyngTitle: Confidential
Fandom: Hetalia
Characters/Pairing: Netherlands/Denmark
Rating: 0+
Length: ~600 words
Summary: Netherlands has a conversation with admiral de Ruyter shortly before heading to Funen to aid Denmark. He and Denmark might be more than friends, but personal matters like this are best kept private.
Other: Set in autumn of 1659, some time before the Battle of Nyborg. Written for NedDen week; prompt was "historical".
Confidential
The fleet bristled, ready for war.
Netherlands looked out at the water and frowned.
What's taking so long? he thought. They could have left port earlier. Should have. But something was holding things up, and he found himself on deck, waiting and on-edge.
He stuffed the thoughts down and tried to be patient. There was no point in getting pissy about it. They'd leave soon enough. And he would leave with them, sailing aboard Admiral de Ruyter's flagship, heading toward Denmark for the second time in a handful of months.
Sweden didn't take a hint, did he?
Netherlands told himself that he was only protecting his own interests, told himself that it was for the sake of keeping the Sound open, told himself that the alliance only meant something to him so long as Denmark was useful to him.
He told himself this all through the unfurling of the sails, all through the shoving off. Maybe, Netherlands thought, repeating it enough times would make it true.
When they were under way, de Ruyter came to him. His breath fogged in the chilled autumn air.
"I understand that you weren't required to accompany us," de Ruyter said, looking at him in the way that humans did when they knew exactly who he was. "I'm glad you decided to come along."
Netherlands took in a long breath. "It's important business," he said with a shrug, as if that explained everything. But it was more than that, even if he didn't want to admit to it.
"Of course it is." Admiral de Ruyter looked out across the water, in the direction of Denmark, of Funen, of Nyborg. "And the sooner we get this cleared up, the sooner our friends can rest a little."
There was something in his voice that suggested he wasn't only talking about the alliance. Netherlands stared at him, trying to keep his expression neutral. Did he know just how attached Netherlands had become to Denmark? To this ally, who, though an absolute pain in the ass, Netherlands had somehow taken a liking to? And if de Ruyter knew, then who else...?
It took only a moment for him to realize that he was mistaken. Admiral de Ruyter really was talking about more than the alliance – but when he said 'friends', that was all he meant. Netherlands recalled the way that the admiral and Denmark's king had taken a liking to each other the last time they'd met. That's it, Netherlands thought. He must have been talking about that, not whatever might be between the Nations themselves.
The long, deep breath that Netherlands let out did not, he hoped, sound like the sigh of relief that it was. The secret – or whatever it was, whatever the hell you could call this personal business – was safe for now. "Right," he said. Then he thought about it a moment longer, and repeated himself. "Sounds good."
A nod. "Come on, then. I have some tactical matters to discuss with you. Your expertise will be helpful in planning the approach to Nyborg."
As he followed the admiral inside, Netherlands rolled the thought over in his head again, digesting de Ruyter's words.
Friends, he'd said.
Well. You could call it that, Netherlands thought. And even if it wasn't quite that – he and Denmark had become far more than that – it was a better way to describe it than anything Netherlands would admit to, anyway.
His insides felt tight.
They were going there for the sake of the Sound, it was true. But it was also true that there was something else at stake.
If Sweden planned to wipe Denmark off the map, he'd have to deal with Netherlands first.
Fandom: Hetalia
Characters/Pairing: Netherlands/Denmark
Rating: 0+
Length: ~600 words
Summary: Netherlands has a conversation with admiral de Ruyter shortly before heading to Funen to aid Denmark. He and Denmark might be more than friends, but personal matters like this are best kept private.
Other: Set in autumn of 1659, some time before the Battle of Nyborg. Written for NedDen week; prompt was "historical".
Confidential
The fleet bristled, ready for war.
Netherlands looked out at the water and frowned.
What's taking so long? he thought. They could have left port earlier. Should have. But something was holding things up, and he found himself on deck, waiting and on-edge.
He stuffed the thoughts down and tried to be patient. There was no point in getting pissy about it. They'd leave soon enough. And he would leave with them, sailing aboard Admiral de Ruyter's flagship, heading toward Denmark for the second time in a handful of months.
Sweden didn't take a hint, did he?
Netherlands told himself that he was only protecting his own interests, told himself that it was for the sake of keeping the Sound open, told himself that the alliance only meant something to him so long as Denmark was useful to him.
He told himself this all through the unfurling of the sails, all through the shoving off. Maybe, Netherlands thought, repeating it enough times would make it true.
When they were under way, de Ruyter came to him. His breath fogged in the chilled autumn air.
"I understand that you weren't required to accompany us," de Ruyter said, looking at him in the way that humans did when they knew exactly who he was. "I'm glad you decided to come along."
Netherlands took in a long breath. "It's important business," he said with a shrug, as if that explained everything. But it was more than that, even if he didn't want to admit to it.
"Of course it is." Admiral de Ruyter looked out across the water, in the direction of Denmark, of Funen, of Nyborg. "And the sooner we get this cleared up, the sooner our friends can rest a little."
There was something in his voice that suggested he wasn't only talking about the alliance. Netherlands stared at him, trying to keep his expression neutral. Did he know just how attached Netherlands had become to Denmark? To this ally, who, though an absolute pain in the ass, Netherlands had somehow taken a liking to? And if de Ruyter knew, then who else...?
It took only a moment for him to realize that he was mistaken. Admiral de Ruyter really was talking about more than the alliance – but when he said 'friends', that was all he meant. Netherlands recalled the way that the admiral and Denmark's king had taken a liking to each other the last time they'd met. That's it, Netherlands thought. He must have been talking about that, not whatever might be between the Nations themselves.
The long, deep breath that Netherlands let out did not, he hoped, sound like the sigh of relief that it was. The secret – or whatever it was, whatever the hell you could call this personal business – was safe for now. "Right," he said. Then he thought about it a moment longer, and repeated himself. "Sounds good."
A nod. "Come on, then. I have some tactical matters to discuss with you. Your expertise will be helpful in planning the approach to Nyborg."
As he followed the admiral inside, Netherlands rolled the thought over in his head again, digesting de Ruyter's words.
Friends, he'd said.
Well. You could call it that, Netherlands thought. And even if it wasn't quite that – he and Denmark had become far more than that – it was a better way to describe it than anything Netherlands would admit to, anyway.
His insides felt tight.
They were going there for the sake of the Sound, it was true. But it was also true that there was something else at stake.
If Sweden planned to wipe Denmark off the map, he'd have to deal with Netherlands first.
