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[Ostmark]

ALTAR OF THE FATHERLAND, VOLKSREPUBLIKPLATZ, WIEN

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Thousands of people have gathered infront of the Altar of the Fatherland, the monument built in 1892 that serves as a crypt for the House of Wien. The crypt has been neglected since 1957, and only the swift intervention by Volkskanzler Horst Grasser allowed to restore the building and repair the damages of time and weather. It is unclear why Horst Grasser did not destroy the monument after his efforts to erase the historical symbols of Ostmark which pre-dated the National-Syndicalist revolution, but the move seems to have been appreciated by the population and the political elite of the country. The initial support of the House of Wien for the National-Syndicalist People's Party is not a mistery, after all. The former royal family naively believed the nationalist agenda of the NSVP could be exploited to restore the monarchy and put an end to the republican experience.

As expected, Horst Grasser did not only prevent and block such plans, but also abolished the old red-white-red tricolour that served as the national flag of Ostmark throught most of its history. Surprisingly, Grasser did not order the exile of the remaining members of the House of Wien, and allowed bedridden and infirm King Ludwig IV to return to his native land and die in peace, as a stateman. The decision came after a moving letter written by Ludwig IV to People's Chancellor Grasser, who according to witnesses was deeply touched by the health conditions of the former monarch, and immediatly signed a decree to allow his return to Ostmark without giving too many explanations.

People's Chancellor Horst Grasser is attending the ceremony, and so is his Vice-Chancellor Ludwig Bohmer and all the members of the government, the youth organizations, and representatives of all the armed forces. In this particular event, members of the Elbener royal family have been allowed to travel to Ostmark, an historical event which sees no precedent in Ostmark's recent history. It is the first time in over one decade the representatives of a foreign nation visit the small south-eastern nation, and the first ones to visit Ostmark after the National-Syndicalist Revolution.

Hundreds of soldiers of the Volkswehr, Ostmark's People's Defense, are goose-stepping infront of the mausoleum. The Honor Guard of the Volksarmee, dressed in the historical uniforms of the Reichswehr, is carrying the coffin of King Ludwig IV which is wrapped around the flag of the Ostmarkische Reich, the forbidden tricolour with the black double-headed eagle emblem in the center.

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The Musikkorps der Volksmarine, the Music Corps of the People's Navy, are playing the notes of the

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. It is the first time since 1957 the song is played in public. The anthem is followed by

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, a wide array of military marches preserved since the days of line infantry warfare and still used today by the modern People's Defense, which defined Ostmark's militarism during its history, despite the country has never took part to an armed conflict.

 

[Elben]

Prince Leopold and his wife Princess Mireille watched the parade from the review stand. Both were dressed in full mourning for the occasion. The princess' pregnancy was just starting to show; there were still many months to go before the child's arrival. The pair watched the proceedings with all due attention. Earlier, at the Altar of the Fatherland, the Elbeners had placed a wreath at the crypt of the Wien family. It had been brought from their home country, bearing many native flowers from the area of Elben where the Wien family had first sprung.

The couple waited then for the chancellor to speak to his country. Before leaving home, they had been fully briefed on what was known of Ostmark's recent history and both were curious as to what Grasser would say about this deposed and now dead monarch, a relic from another time.

 

[Ostmark]

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After the ceremony, during which the surviving members of the Haus Von Wien, foreign dignitaries and all government representatives paid homage to the coffin placed in the center of the Altar of the Fatherland, People's Chancellor Horst Grasser stepped outside the building to address the crowd and the Honor Guard of the People's Army gathered in Volksrepublikplatz. The People's Chancellor clears his throat, adjusts his glasses, and pulls a paper out of his coat's left pocket.

"Dear Citizens of the People's Republic of Ostmark,
Kameraden,

If you could walk up to the sky and look down, the people's lives seem small and insignificant. Ostmark seems tiny. It is a very little country. We know our country is not perfect. But what we believe in, inspired a lot of people. Maybe we have drifted off course from time to time. But we collected ourselves. National-Syndicalism doesn't mean denying one's history or heritage. National-Syndicalism means honouring the historical figures who contributed to make this country a great, little country that proudly stands on the border between the West and the East. Ostmark, the ancient Eastern Border of Germania, survived many challenges and fend off many threats during its six hundreds years old history. Among the many men and women who contributed to the defense of our fatherland, we must also remember the heroic deeds of Ludwig IV, the last King of the Ostmarkische Reich. King Ludwig IV was ousted at gunpoint by the social democratic uprising of 1957. The were same people who later betrayed the working class and willingly swore allegiance to the dominant global capitalist elites, thus ending centuries of Ostmarkian integrity and self-pride.

In early October i've received a handwritten dispatch from Ludwig IV. In this dispatch, he humbly requested my permission to return to Ostmark, and to be granted the honor of living his last days in his native land. As People's Chancellor and therefor voice of the men, women and all working citizens of Ostmark who dedicate their daily efforts to contribute to the moral and material progress of the People's Republic, i could not deny such right to a man who equally dedicated his existence to our Fatherland.

Today we are gathered here to mourn the death of a statesman, and remember a great man who spent his entire life to defend the independence of our Fatherland, and preserve its sovereignty amid wars and continental upheavals. The life of a man is characterized both by merit and sin, and while my opinion on the monarchy is fairly well known, i cannot deny or hide the historical merits of King Ludwig IV during his rule, or the commitment of the House of Wien to protect our nation's integrity and existence during its centuries old history. Universal healthcare, the right to education, the Workers' Chart which defines rights and duties of the working citizens, social security, insurance in case of illness or disability, provision of food or subsides to large families, institutions to protect infancy and maternity and social security are only a fraction of the reforms introduced by Ludwig IV, and before him, his father Ludwig III. Such concepts, after almost a century, still serve as the foundations of our society and our welfare system.

Yes, there have been changes in Ostmark. Such changes are undeniably marked by political differences and different views alike. But changes and political differences do not necessarily imply that we should forget who we are and where we come from. This is what convinced me to extend invitations for this ceremony to the royal family of the Kingdom of Elben, which is undeniably linked to our national identity by strong historical and cultural ties, and i would like to thank Prince Leopold and his wife, Princess Mireille, who are honouring Ostmark with their presence here today, aswell as His Majesty the King Friedrich Maria IX for the positive response, on behalf of the People's Republic of Ostmark and its people.

The commitment of the National-Syndicalist People's Party to continue on the path of independence and sovereignty which Ludwig IV pursued out of genuine love and comradely loyalty to Ostmark, imposes to mourn him as a stateman and father of the nation, so that the future generations will remember his deeds and his commitment to protect Ostmark, and make such deeds their own.

May the soul of kamerad Ludwig IV rest in peace."

The speech if followed by a round of applause. The military band plays the

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, marking the end of the ceremony and dismissing the soldiers and the bystanders. As per schedule, Volkskanzler Grasser and the Elbener dignitaries will move in one of the meeting rooms of the Palace of the People's Republic, seat of the People's Assembly and the Chancellorship.

 

[Elben]

With the ceremonies concluded, the prince and princess retired for a time to an antechamber of the Palace where they could compose themselves. When they were ready, they were escorted to a room where they were to meet the chancellor.

Greetings were once more exchanged in this formal setting and the pair from Elben sat down, making themselves comfortable. Comfortable, but still erect and poised, both having been long trained in the manners and posture of their class.

Prince Leopold spoke, his Elbener accent not too different from that of Ostmark, another sign of the kinship of the two peoples despite the split centuries ago, "Herr Chancellor, once again I thank you on behalf of my grandfather the king for inviting us to take part in these ceremonies to honor King Ludwig. Your hospitality has been most impressive."

 

[Ostmark]

Horst worked for over three decades as a production line technician in the factory of Ostmarkische Motoren Werke, Ostmark's car manufacturer, and they didn't teach him manners and posture during those years, but he knows how to weld a chassis togheter. Nonetheless, the People's Chancellor knows how to greet his guests, specially if they are dignitaries of a foreign monarchy. In the room there is no sign of liquors of any sort. On the table between Grasser's chair and Leopold's there is a bottle of water and a bottle of soda, and three glasses. It is rumored that years ago Horst had slipped into alcoholism but managed to win his addiction. In return, he categorically prohibited any alcoholic beverage in the building of the People's Assembly, with the excuse that members of the Volksrat and functionaries must stay lucid as they peform their fundamental duties and tasks.

"I appreciate that, Prince Leopold. I'm sure the citizenry aswell appreciated your presence here today. Life here is simple after all, and we mostly carry out a humble life. We work, we look after our own, we try to make things a little bit less harder by reaching out to each other. This hospitality, i think, is a natural reflection of such simplicity. We aren't a 'high-maintenance breed', so to speak. I used to be a factory worker after all. I appreciate small acts of charity, or grief, and i respect death. Even though religion is not publicly endorsed, and i personally do not adhere to any religious practice, i know that many of our citizens find comfort in it."

 

[Elben]

Mireille took the opportunity to pour water in all three glasses and then taking a sip from her own. She and her husband listened to Grasser speak with smiles and nods as he spoke of hospitality. As he concluded, the princess replied, "As a newcomer to Elben, I think you would find that country to be much the same as yours. They too value hospitality and simplicity. The welcome given to me, a foreigner from Eiffelland, was and continues to be quite wonderful. From His Majesty himself to the lowliest village widow, all have opened their homes and their hearts."

The princess looked over at her husband Leopold who began speaking, "Herr Grasser, I hope that this occasion can serve as a beginning for better relations between Elben and Ostmark."

 

[Ostmark]

"Perhaps despite our profound political and social differences, this occasion can serve as a bridge to aknowledge and renew the ancient ties that bond our peoples to a common cultural nucleus." said Horst while he takes a sip of water from his glass "As a pragmatic politician i cannot deny that anything beyond that is ideologically conflicting, but a chance to sit around the same table to discuss subjects of common interest should always be considered as a viable option.". The people's chancellor pauses for a moment and unveils a small closed envelope from his jacket's inner pocket "Please take this to to His Majesty Friedrich Maria IX. It is an official diplomatic dispatch signed by myself to thank His Majesty's positive response. Eventually, i would support His Majesty's decision to nominate both of you as key intermediaries of the future diplomatic contacts between the Kingdom of Elben and the People's Republic of Ostmark, for you are the only ones who had the chance to see a glimpse of our society and didn't immediatly jump to conclusions over the system we believe in, and the values we seek to implement. In other words, i am deeply touched by the respect you have shown for my country despite our differences."

 

[Elben]

Leopold accepted the letter and gave it to his wife, who slipped it into her purse for safekeeping. The pair looked quite gratified by the chancellor's warm words as the prince spoke again. "Hopefully in the future we in Elben can reciprocate by hosting a member of your government. It would be a pleasure to show off our homeland and all it has to offer."

The trio continued this small talk for awhile. Mireille was especially interested in listening to the chancellor speak, noting the Ostmark accent was quite pleasant to her ear. Eventually, it was time for them to retire and they once more thanked their host before departing for their lodgings.