Tyranny of Steel

Klaudia Haselrieder was a young princess of the Kingdom of Italy. Her lineage was a complicated matter. Her father was an Austrian soldier from South Tyrol who had been chosen by Kaiser Berengar von Kufstein to rule over the Kingdom of Lombardy, and later Italy as a whole.

While her mother was a native Italian from a rather minor, but notable, noble family known as the Da Vinci's. The Da Vinci bloodline had nearly been wiped out during Berengar's war for independence, but one young woman remained, who won the heart of King Bruno Haselrieder.

Klaudia was a kind and gentle girl, no older than ten. She had olive skin like her mother, dark hair, and matching eyes. In fact, one might mistake her for a full blood Italian at first glance, something she shared in common with her siblings.

Out of all of Bruno's daughters, Berengar found Klaudia to be the most fit for his eldest son to marry when the two of them came of age. For starters, her intellect was superior to her sisters, and her appearance was adorable, as if she were a living doll. The Kaiser knew that when Klaudia grew older, she would be a beauty to rival any of Hans' current women.

Hans had been given the day off from University at the orders of the Kaiser to visit Klaudia in her home within the city of Milan. He sat in Bruno's palace in full uniform as he sipped on a cup of tea, and awkwardly spoke with a girl four years younger than himself, who he was meeting with for the first time in his life.

It became immediately apparent that the girl was shy, or perhaps this was just around Hans himself. As she struggled to give voice to her thoughts and silently ate her sweets while drinking her tea like a refined young princess.

Hans was well experienced with the opposite sex, well beyond what a boy his age should have. Thus, he could only smile, and be charming as he spoke to the young girl about his future career as a pilot in the German Air Force, a topic which seemed to garner Klaudia's interest.

"Well, you see, Klaudia, in Germany we have these machines that are capalbe of flying high in the sky. We call them airplanes or planes for short. These planes can be used as a means to transer goods and personnel, or as dedicated attack craft.

I'm personally certified to fly several types of aircraft, and when I graduate from university, I will join the ranks of the Luftwaffe. Erm... that basically means Air Force, which is a branch of our military that deals with airplanes."

The young princess gradually began to come out of her shell as she looked upon her prince charming with wide eyes while he spoke about technological wonders she could only dream of. Naturally, she had her own questions regarding air travel and was quick to give voice to them.

"Really? You mean you have flown in the sky before? That's amazing!"

To most of the people Hans usually associated with, that was par for the course. He associated mostly with other pilots, or those who would become a pilot after graduating from the Aerial Warfare Academy.

However, in this little girl's eyes, what was a basic function of his job was the most amazing thing she could think of. It sort of caused the boy to have an over-inflated sense of pride, as he further talked about his career.

"There's a war coming Klaudia, it's not something you have to worry about, as Italy won't be involved. But I will soon be flying over the Pacific, fighting against the Japanese pilots in the air. Far above the ocean. I hope to make my family proud when I am finally let loose on the enemy."

Klaudia had a hint of worry in her dark brown eyes. She had just met this boy, but she already enjoyed spending time with him, and the idea of him marching off to war not only filled her little heart with fear, but confusion as well.

"Why must you go to war? Aren't you a little young for that? Father says that only men eighteen and older are allowed to join the Italian army!"

Hans simply chuckled and petted the girl's wavy hair as he explained his exemption to this rule.

"In Germany, when a man turns eighteen, he is required to join the Armed Forces. However, I am a little smarter than most boys, and am already about to graduate from College at the age of fourteen.

My father has decided to make an exception, and allow me to join the Luftwaffe four years early. I already have my flight certification. All I need to do now is graduate from the Aerial Warfare Academy and officially enter the ranks of the Luftwaffe.

You see, my father believes that this war with Japan will be the last war that Germany faces for a very long time. Thus, he has decided that as his future successor; I need actual combat experience to effectively lead the German Military when I finally become the next Kaiser.

From the moment I saw my father take flight as the first pilot in this world's history, I knew that I wanted to spend my years of service as a pilot, and as the Imperial Prince, my father has made sure that my dreams come true. Even if it means sending me to the battlefield at a young age."

The young girl's eyes sparkled as she heard how impressive her fiance was. She blushed and looked away as she complimented the boy for his courage.

"You must be very brave, facing such dangers at such a young age. I doubt even father would have the courage to do so when he was your age."

Unbeknownst to the young couple, the King of Italy was closely listening to their conversation from the other side of the door. He immediately grasped hold of his wounded heart when he heard his precious daughter insult him in such a manner. There was a look of unimaginable agony on his face, as if he had just had his heart thrust through by a lance.

Naturally, neither Hans nor Klaudia saw this, and thus they continued their conversation, with Hans blushing the slightest bit before responding to the girl's question.

"Well, I wouldn't call myself brave, more so confident. I know my own abilities, and I am certain that they can't be matched in the air. Thus, I have no fear of being able to return home safely, no matter what difficulties I may face in Asia."

Klaudia smiled when she thought of how much of a war hero her future husband would be, and nodded her head before coming to a decision, she leaned over and kissed Hans on the cheek before saying something that he would remember while he was at war.

"Well, I'll be waiting here for your safe return. I don't know how long wars last, but when you next visit me, I hope we are old enough to get married!"

Hans's face was fully flushed upon hearing this comment. Compared to his other fiancees, Klaudia was just too young, pure, and naïve for him to properly respond to. If Noemi or Veronika had said such a thing, he would have been able to respond with a stoic facade, but the innocence in Klaudia's words had forced him to look away in embarassment.

Thus, with this first meeting, Hans could definitely say that he looked forward to visiting Klaudia often, and see what kind of women she eventually grew into becoming. As for whether he would be able to do that, only time would tell.

After all, war with Japan was not far away, and the moment he graduated from university, Hans would be assigned to a unit, before being shipped off to some airbase, or carrier across the globe. For now, he just enjoyed the time spent with the girl. Because tomorrow he would be back in Kufstein finishing up his classes.