Tyranny of Steel

Roughly a year and five months had passed since the first Victory Day Celebration had taken place. At the young age of ten, Prince Hans von Kufstein had graduated from High School and despite his mother's many concerns he immediately enrolled in the Military Academy. However, this was not the War Academy in Vienna, which housed the many potential officers of the Army.

Instead, this was the newly established Aerial-Warfare Academy in Kufstein. Five months ago, Hans' father, Kaiser Berengar von Kufstein, had taken part in the first manned flight of a heavier-than air object. It was a monumental achievement for the reich, and what followed afterward was the establishment of the Luftwaffe.

Naturally, with a new branch of service dedicated to aerial-warfare, there needed to be a specialty university for cadets to learn the necessary skills at. Thus, it was established in Kufstein, where the first major Air Base of the Reich was located. Young men from around the country who had just finished high school, and were intending on a military career, all gathered at this university to learn the new style of warfare.

After Berengar had introduced the rigid airship during the first victory day celebration, the people of Germany became obsessed with flight. Even more so after the Kaiser flew with the first prototype plane. However, the aerial-warfare academy was not just going to take in every kid who wanted to learn how to fly. Nor was everyone who entered going to be a pilot. As a military branch, there were plenty of positions to be had, and most of these cadets would never earn their wings.

Hans currently sat in his seat, in a specialty tailored cadet uniform. It was loosely modelled after those that would be worn by the Luftwaffe in the coming years. Most of the members of his class were between the ages of seventeen and nineteen, and naturally, as a military academy, it was filled with young men.

However, as a departure from standard protocol, the German military had, for the first time, opened its ranks to women. In a bid to get more men into combat positions, Berengar had allowed women entry into the three military academies so that they could fulfill roles in administration and medicine.

One of these girls was in his class, and she immediately caught Hans's interest. The young woman had long blonde hair which flowed from her hair like a river of gold. In many ways, this girl was remarkably similar to the boy's aunt in terms of appearance. In fact, at first glance, Hans thought this woman was indeed Henrietta.

Upon further inspection, the woman had deep sapphire eyes, like Berengar and Adela. In fact, the more Hans looked at her, the more he thought she resembled his father, as if she were a gender bent version of the man. The notable exception being that she lacked an eyepatch.

Despite this uncanny resemblance to both Berengar and Henrietta, or perhaps because of it, she was a beauty among beauties, and because of this, the men of the class had gathered around her, attempting to woo the young woman over with their charm. Despite acting friendly, it was clear from the girl's eyes that she had no interest in any of the guys who approached her.

It was only after the instructor came to the head of the class did the men disperse and jump to attention. Causing the beautiful blonde girl to sigh in relief. Hans was likewise at attention, where the instructor quickly followed up with the words "At ease" after staring at the young boy in the cadet uniform for several seconds. Obviously, he was curious why such a young child was among the ranks of his cadets and quickly asked Hans to introduce himself.

"You there, boy, introduce yourself, and explain the reason why a child such as yourself is in my class!"

The instructor had not been informed that Hans was in his class, nor that a boy as young as him would be. He did not immediately recognize the Prince, which was not at all unusual as outside of the Cadet Corps, Hans mostly spent time in the palace with his family and fiancees. This did not surprise Hans, and he quickly announced his identity.

"Hans von Kufstein, I have already graduated from High School and have elected to spend my years of higher learning here at the aerial-warfare academy. Is that a problem, sir?"

The moment the words "von Kufstein" escaped the boy's lips, the entire class stared at him in awe. None of them expected to be in the same class as a member of the imperial family. Primarily because Berengar's kids were all so young, but the boy had clearly stated he had already graduated from high school, and he had obviously been admitted into the aerial-warfare academy.

The instructor immediately began sweating bullets upon realizing that an Imperial Prince was a member of his class. Having one of the young Princesses of Bavaria present in his class was shocking enough, but to have the Imperial Prince, the boy who most people suspected would one day succeed his father, in his class, the honor was simply too much. He immediately broke his strict facade as he spoke to Hans as if he was his superior.

"My apologies your highness, I was not alerted that you would be in my class."F

Hans cocked a brow when he heard this response before politely reminding the instructor of his duties.

"Sir, might I remind you that in section two, paragraph four of the student handbook, it clearly states: All cadets are to be treated as equals, regardless of noble heritage. Therefor it is of my opinion that it is simply unacceptable for you to refer to my by my royal title. Please refer to me by my cadet rank!"

Anne von Wittelsbach immediately gazed over at Hans with curiosity in her sapphire eyes as she heard him reject the preferred treatment. She had never thought the Kaiser's son of all people would consider himself just another cadet.

This unusual behavior caught the girl's interest. As she was certain that any other man in this room would need no excuse to flaunt their privilege, as many of them had done when they introduced themselves to her.

Anne was sixteen years of age this year, and had graduated early from high school just like Hans had. Despite her father's resistance, Anne had enrolled in the aerial-warfare academy. What were her reasons for doing so? To put it simply, her reason for joining the military was so that she could avoid an unfavorable marriage.

Not long after the victory day celebration, where she rejected the Scottish Prince's advances, Anne found herself engaged to the third Prince of Saxony. There was just one major problem with that: the man was a morbidly obese glutton, and a sadistic asshole. If rumors were to be believed, the third Prince of Saxony treated his wives rather cruelly, and from her few encounters with him, Anne was convinced they were true.

So long as she was in a military academy and saw active service in the armed forces, she had the right to refuse any potential marriage candidates that her family might set her up with. This was a stipulation acted into law for a single purpose, to install an additional sense of loyalty into Berengar's officers.

In other words, "So long as you are part of my armed forces, you are not beholden to the whims and wishes of your family, no matter how powerful they might be." Thus, there were many young men who sought to enter a military academy in the hopes of avoiding an unfavorable betrothal. Anne just so happened to be a woman with the same goal.

However, after witnessing Hans and his respectable behavior, Anne immediately reconsidered her previous plans. Though she knew that the boy had four fiancees, Hans was allowed up to five wives, and despite his young age, he was certainly a better choice than that fat bastard.

She would rather buy herself a permanent escape from her father's wishes, then temporary freedom. After all, the moment she concluded her mandatory military service after graduation, her father could easily pull the strings to have her discharged.

Thus, after some careful thought, the girl shot Hans a smile and a wink, an action which immediately drew the ire of the rest of the men in the class. Hans had a stoic facade as he saw the beautiful Bavarian princess show her interest. However, internally, his heart was racing. It was only now that he realized the same rules that applied to Anne applied to him as well.

Ingrid had been a massive pain in the ass to the boy ever since she first arrived in Kufstein. Though she was beautiful and had an ideal body. The woman was constantly feuding with his other fiancees. Causing Hans nothing but headaches over the past year and a half.

If he really desired, Hans could use his military service as a means to marry his other three girls when he came of age, but refuse the engagement to Ingrid. All while marrying another two women of his choice.

Of course, he could simply tell either his father or his mother that he was unhappy with Ingrid, and they would easily void the betrothal. However, Hans did not know this, and was deeply afraid of disappointing his father. Because of that, he had soldiered through the last year and a half to the best of his ability.

It was with this in mind that Hans eventually smiled back at Anne and waved. Thinking that perhaps he should get to know such a beautiful young woman, in case he could not get rid of Ingrid's strict monogamous notions that fueled her incessant bitching. Thus, Hans's first day at the aerial warfare academy had gone quite well.