It had taken some time for her to grow accustomed to being known as Petra, simply because she had been born with one name, took on a relatively common name when she joined the military, and had taken up Nikolaus when Alaric had decided to make her his most important pawn. She was kept cloistered for a while, until such time Alaric felt she could blend in effectively. They moved from Italy to Alaric’s birth nation of Germany after he decided she should change, and new life had begun.
The nineteenth century was one of learning for Petra, certainly. But the more she learned about a woman’s role, the more she began to appreciate being a woman. While it was true they weren’t considered as important as men, there was still a certain power that they held, and it was one she made effort to study. She would use “woman studies” as an excuse to be out of Alaric’s presence early in the century, most especially after the fall of the Holy Roman Empire and his lamentations about its fall, then later his rants about the cessation of Prussian territory.
For her own purposes, she took to reading as much as she could get away with, enjoying the occasional book on philosophy, but also finding herself enjoying the stories published by the Brothers Grimm. She understood that, while largely embellished and meant to hold moral truths, there may be certain facts behind them, and it encouraged her to strengthen her personal faith. While publicly she needed to be Christian, she quietly paid what homage she could manage to the Olympian deities she believed in. Privately, she appreciated music as well, and had for some time, and felt a bit of sadness when she learned of the passing of Schubert, Beethoven, Brahms, and Wagner.
She resided with him in Germany until just after the first World War, and surmised that the reason for his sudden desire to relocate was due to Germany’s surrender, something that caused a blow to his pride and ego. Alaric made the choice to relocate to England, settling down in London and focusing on making a name for himself. His excitement at Germany’s rise to dominance not long after the relocation remained subdued in public, though in the privacy of his own home he was delighted, though Petra herself was sickened, and took every opportunity possible to point out the poor decisions and tactics being used, though frequently refused to give out her ideas on how to do better, feeling he might find a way to make sure they were used.
Germany’s defeat was a beginning, of sorts. Alaric became unhinged. Nearly the entirety of his life, he was used to winning. Coupled with a huge case of nationalism, it was as though each blow to Germany was a blow to him directly. When news came that Germany has been split into East and West, it was the final straw. That night was a hell seared into her memory, as he frenzied violently. It didn’t help matters in the slightest that he had been in the Elysium at the time. She had accompanied him, and at the first sign of his snap, she tried to usher out as many of the other ghouls as she could. The Kindred, she figured, could conceivably heal.
Petra didn’t stick around, however. She hurried back to his haven, fighting the pull of the blood bond the entire time. There were no guarantees she would be allowed to survive as well, so she found a place to lie low for the remainder of the night. By sunrise, she was doubled over, biting into her sleeve as pain wracked through her body; intense, but only lasting a few moments. The bond was broken; her master dead.
After taking time to recover, she made her way back to the house. Her first order of business was to go through his papers, and take them to the bank. They knew her there, and though nothing was entirely official, there was enough that, legally, she could effectively take over his holdings. The bank manager was bribed to move things along as quickly as possible, and much of the other assets were promptly liquidated, as well as the house and nearly all it contained. Very little was kept, and even then the only items she kept for herself were those of value to her alone. She debated even spreading the wealth, but reasoned it was appropriate back pay for the years of humiliation and abuse Alaric had put her though.
Having taken care of as much as she could have before evening, she booked the first flight possible out of London, spending time in Europe until about the mid-sixties when she headed to the United States, finally starting to feel freer – like she could be her own person. True independence would be challenging, she knew. But she had already made strides to adapt. She would rise, and overcome.