December 24th, 1913

5 hours before Christmas

Chaumont, France

German Side

[3rd POV]

"Writing to your wife Frank?" Drake said, as Drake glanced at Frank's Handwriting and a very beautiful picture of a woman in her mid 20s with Curly Blond hair and a petite figure.

"Yeah. I was thinking of writing about what wedding anniversary I should gift her this time." Frank replied, smiling as he recalled the past, before the war happened.

"How many kids do you have?" 

"Just 2. My daughter Sophie, who is 9 and my Boy, Gedard who is 7. Here I'll show you a picture." Frank shuffled around his front pocket and pulled out another picture, this time with his family and her wife, enjoying an amusement park, all smiles and cheering.

"Must be nice…for me I'm thinking of what to write about for my parents since I volunteered without telling them…" Drake said, clearly sad but didn't regret volunteering one bit since he could serve his country like his grandfather did in the Franco-Prussian War.

"Just tell them the truth." Frank pushed his friend to tell the truth since if he didn't, he would regret it.

"Do you think I should? My father wasn't exactly happy about me volunteering, neither was my mother who was livid. My sister, though, accepted my decision, but wasn't too happy either since I could die anytime."

"Yes you should, don't regret not writing any sooner since if you do die, how would your parents feel? Just write what comes to your mind or just share what you feel about everything here." 

"In this hellhole?" Drake scoffed, but ultimately did what Frank advised him to do and started to write.

After a few moments of silence another soldier, a Sergeant arrived and handed both of them coffee. 

"Here you go, keeps you warm and alert."

""Thanks"" Drake and Frank both replied as they took a brief moment to take a sip of their coffee before setting it down and continuing to write.

"Sending a letter to your family I see?" The sergeant asked.

"Yeah, what about you?" Drake replied and asked the sergeant.

"Well, my family died when I was young, and all I have is my 2 sons that I am both raising. Wife left me for another man and all that, been trying to survive here and there just to feed both my son's back home." The sergeant replied.

"How old are you? You could've retired at your age." Frank looked up and stared at the sergeant.

The sergeant who was in his late 40s scoffed and replied. "I'm still young enough to fight and move if that's what you wanna know. As for my son's, they're both young adults by now, but finding a job currently that helps both of their families is hard so to speak. So as a grandfather, I'm trying to do my part. Just call me Davidson." He replied, as stood up and took a glimpse of the Frontline, which was filled with snow, artillery holes, bodies and many more and sat back down and took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it, huffing and exhaling a puff of smoke to relieve some stress.

"Can't say I'm surprised since the army is the best way to earn money at this time since we are on a full on war time economy." Frank replied, still focusing on writing his letter.

"The Kaiser did say that the economy will take a hit for a brief moment before stabilizing. Don't know if I trust that to be honest. Davidson, said, a little skeptical on how long the war would last, and how long would the country function in full on wartime economy if the war didn't end in a year.

"Well, at least as long as I get my pay, feed my family, I won't complain much. Except well, the smell and the constant barrage of artillery. Drake joked a bit, which made Frank and Davidson chuckle before looking at the dark-white snowy sky that is raining snowflakes around the battlefield.

"It's almost Christmas…" Drake checked his watch, it was 9:12 P.M 

"All of this fighting, why can't we just celebrate Christmas like we used to before the war." Drake then complained to Frank and Davidson. To which they replied.

"It's war. And if our Kaiser says we go to war, we follow it." Davidson sighed for a moment as Frank also replied.

"I hate war to be honest" Frank said. "I detest it, but I'm fighting for the Fatherland, for my home, for my family to live. And I know killing is a sin, and we have already done lots of it that will make the people condemn us or even worse, hate us for what we've done here. Same with our enemies." Frank looked up once again and continued. 

"I just hope once this is all done, I hope my son and daughter won't have to experience another war like I have in the future."

"I mean, some of the people I've bumped into, said this is the war to end all wars as quoted by the ones I've talked to. Hell, the radio is even propagandizing it." Davidson said, as the silence of the battlefield was eerie to say the least. 

"What do you expect?" Drake stated. "The entire western front is already a hellhole. There's even tons of nicknames for it, 'Purgatory' 'Hells Butthole' 'No Man's Land' 'A Shithole' and many other things. So it doesn't surprise me that both sides are using propaganda to boost morale."

"I didn't take you for an expert Drake, color me surprised here." Frank was surprised at the knowledge that Drake showed.

"I worked with propaganda officers before in the music industry when I volunteered." Drake said. "I have to say though, it's amazing, yet scary knowing music can affect morale in some ways."

"Were you a musician?" Davidson asked Drake. To which Drake replied, "Sort of, I knew how to play Piano and a Violin when I was young. My father kept pestering me to learn classical music. My father hired a pianist teacher and a violinist."

Drake reminisced about the past before continuing on his short story. "And I attended some classical tournaments for children. Didn't win, but I impressed my father enough that I got daily allowances from him to buy anything I wanted. So the first thing I bought was a bike. Always wanted one, but my father said we couldn't afford it. But with my own allowance, I was able to and had fun with it, made friends, and heck, even found my job because of it."

"So yeah, the story of my life there."

Davidson and Frank were stunned for a moment before speaking

"Man, you had such an awesome childhood. I had to grow up in the slums and work my ass off to get where I am." Frank frowned for a bit while Davidson also shared his short life story.

"For me I had a rough childhood, beaten by my father for the little mistakes I've made, loved my mother to death, and showed my father that I could do better things without him. Many years later, I showed him. And he's sort of proud of it."

"Well I guess our life story isn't all sunshines and rainbows aren't they?" Drake said.

"No it isn't." Davidson replied while taking a peek outside of the trench once again and stopped for a moment. He rubbed his eyes again and again to see if he's not hallucinating or his eyes playing tricks before saying.

"Uhh. Is it me, or is the French bringing up a white flag and heading towards our trench with food in tow?"

Drake and Frank were stunned for a moment before standing up and looking outside the trench they were in to see if Davidson was joking or not. He was not joking.

The sight they were seeing was amazing to say the least where at least 10 french men were heading towards their line with 4 of them holding food, while the others were holding a football that is meant to be played.

"I guess miracles do happen." As numerous German soldiers along with them exited their trenches, still apprehensive and alert that this was all a trap before finally meeting up with the French that offered a truce.

The highest officer of the German side said "I am Major Erich Gedard. May I ask why you have asked for a truce?"

The French highest officer along with numerous French soldiers who also exited the trenches answered. "I am Major Antonio Pierre. We have come here to ask for a truce. A 24 hour ceasefire to so speak to celebrate Christmas."

"Both sides stared for a moment before Major Erich replied in a slightly shocked tone. "That is…quite shocking Major Antonio…but it's welcomed at least. The ceasefire will be in effect once our command agrees to it…but in all honesty, let's just have fun before we try to kill each other again." Major Erich said, while shaking Major Antonio's hand before going back to his soldiers and telling them that a ceasefire will be in effect starting now. The cease fire will end At the same time as we declared it.

For the French, Major Antonio said the same thing before relaxing for a good long while as he saw a sight that will be forever etched into his mind.

Both French and German soldiers having fun, drinking, eating outside of their trenches and wishing for a better tomorrow.

"Here, have a drink." Antonio saw Major Erich walking towards him and stopped to offer a beer for him and accepted it.

Erich sat down beside him and looked at the amazing scene as well.

"It's amazing, you know. If war didn't happen, we would've all been friends." Erich said.

"Yes. It is indeed a shame. Sadly we are destined to be enemies." Antonio said, to which Erich agreed.

"Major Erich!!! There you are!"

Drake, Frank, and Davidson approached them in a weird way that made Erich cringed a bit before replying back.

"You three need some discipline to do when this is all over." He said, smiling as he was glad to see his fellow friends that he'd met just a few months ago gathered to meet him again.

"You jest, Major Erich, and Hello Major Antonio. Hope you understand us since we mostly speak German. "Drake said, to which Antonio replied that shocked him a bit.

"Don't worry, I can understand German well since when I was a young, my mother used to teach me the German language enough for me to understand the basic words and slangs at least." Antonio said, eating his bread as he felt tired and weary after just a few months into the war.

"Tomorrow we will go back to killing each other again." Antonio stated the obvious. While Erika and the others nodded and just accepted it if they lived or died on the battlefield.

"I wish we would have met in better circumstances." Antonio said tiredly.

"Yes, but sadly fate has other plans for us." Erika answered Antonio's hypocrisy in a way that even if they're friends now, they'll be enemies later.

"Well why don't we make a promise to each other?" Drake suggested.

"A child's promise? Pft. But somehow it's appealing to say the least. "Davidson replied.

"Meh, no harm no foul. If we do ever survive, let's all have a drink eh?" Frank announced to the group.

"Well, goodluck surviving my newly found friends. If you'll excuse me, I have to get to my soldiers seeing that a fight is gonna break out at any moment."  And with that, Antonio stood up and left to discipline a soldier that's drunk too much beer and straightened him out while the 4 people just stared for a brief moment before having their own fun.

And so the ceasefire began with relative ease. Although the eastern front, the Christmas miracle didn't happen, there was at least a miracle in the western front.

While the miracle was happening, a plot was beginning to take shape that would change the course of Italy's direction and would betray its newfound allies for greed.

As for the Americans, nothing has changed much since the war erupted in Europe, except that multiple parties such as the capitalists, republicans, and growing isolationism within the country as well.

It also didn't help Germany that America had been openly supplying ammunition and food to the French at a loan, which in turn, pissed off most of the nobles along with the Kaiser as well.

The situation in the north also didn't help as relations between Norway and Sweden are getting hostile due to the scandal between the prince of Norway and the princess of Sweden.

In the coming months, war might break out due to this or an accidental border dispute might happen at any time.

And as Christmas time passes for the western front, the war resumes, and so is the soldiers duty to fight and defend in whatever they believe in, whatever they're ordered to, and survive this hellhole.

[Total Casualties -Counting Wounded- of the Great War]

[Russian Empire - 271,102 Dead/Wounded]

[France - 72,911 Dead/Wounded]

[British Empire - 19,721 Dead/Wounded]

[German Empire - 62,816 Dead/Wounded]

[Ottoman Empire - 27,719 Dead/Wounded]

[Netherlands - 8,021 Dead/Wounded]

[Spain - 2,812 Dead/Wounded]

[India - 5,812 Dead/Wounded]

[Australia/New Zealand - 3,812 Dead/Wounded]