Chapter Text
One of Ludwig’s worst fears in life was being incapable or being frozen in a situation where he’d need to be level headed and the leader.
It had happened once, when he was young.
He had been ice-fishing with Prussia and his friends when, in a moment of friendly push and shove, Gilbert had fallen in.
He’d been in there for hours and when he was pulled out, Gilbert had been nauseous, shivering and paler than his usual colour. Ludwig had been inconsolable in those few hours.
It wasn’t just panic for his brother that had him inconsolable; it was also the fact that this was the first time Ludwig had come face to face with helplessness. It was also the first time he’d seen his elder brother be anything but his larger-than-life, grinning self.
Ludwig had plenty of run-in’s with Gilbert’s stupidity and rash behaviour after that but that day of ice-fishing was formative and he wasn’t about to face it unprepared if he could help it.
So he worked hard, worked diligently and trained and kept up with everything he needed to.
He wanted to be there for his brother; he wanted to be someone others could rely on.