Yeah. :/ And I think it's easy to get caught up in "Katte died for him, ergo romantic hero sans reproche" and miss the "Just suck up the abuse for the next however many years or decades" message that an abused teenager, little more than an abused child, was getting on all sides.
However sound everyone's reasons, and however much they might have been willing to help out if presented with a better plan, and however much Katte went along with it against his better judgment, Fritz resenting being on his own is not something I will hold against him. Besides, realizing that other people were wrong and he was right to try to get out of there saved him from a whole host of other problems he could have had. (There are trade-offs: this personality trait of his led directly to failed escape attempts, Hochkirch, and Kunersdorf, as well as playing music in secret until FW died, and holding out long enough to win a three-front war. Miracles or no, Fritz earned his miracles.)
And while I do think if Katte--or *someone*--had taken more initiative with rescuing Fritz, it might have worked out much better for Fritz, and also Katte, do I think it's reasonable to expect anyone to do that? Not any more than I think it's reasonable for an abused teenager to come up with a better escape plan than Fritz did, although if he had, obviously it could have turned out much better for him and Katte.
And of course, if they had a better plan and it still failed, and Katte was the one driving it, we could be looking at Katte being torn with those red-hot pincers FW threatened him with, and at Fritz having to live with *that*. And Fritz still coming away with the idea that if you let other people take the initiative, they screw it up, and so you have to do everything yourself.
...Do you wonder why I have so many AUs for these two? Katte's lack of initiative is at the core of at least three of them, which is why I had an answer ready at my fingertips as to what Fritz might be resenting Katte for.
Re: Happy Birthday, Fritz! You bastard. (Even towards Katte?)
However sound everyone's reasons, and however much they might have been willing to help out if presented with a better plan, and however much Katte went along with it against his better judgment, Fritz resenting being on his own is not something I will hold against him. Besides, realizing that other people were wrong and he was right to try to get out of there saved him from a whole host of other problems he could have had. (There are trade-offs: this personality trait of his led directly to failed escape attempts, Hochkirch, and Kunersdorf, as well as playing music in secret until FW died, and holding out long enough to win a three-front war. Miracles or no, Fritz earned his miracles.)
And while I do think if Katte--or *someone*--had taken more initiative with rescuing Fritz, it might have worked out much better for Fritz, and also Katte, do I think it's reasonable to expect anyone to do that? Not any more than I think it's reasonable for an abused teenager to come up with a better escape plan than Fritz did, although if he had, obviously it could have turned out much better for him and Katte.
And of course, if they had a better plan and it still failed, and Katte was the one driving it, we could be looking at Katte being torn with those red-hot pincers FW threatened him with, and at Fritz having to live with *that*. And Fritz still coming away with the idea that if you let other people take the initiative, they screw it up, and so you have to do everything yourself.
...Do you wonder why I have so many AUs for these two? Katte's lack of initiative is at the core of at least three of them, which is why I had an answer ready at my fingertips as to what Fritz might be resenting Katte for.
HUGS FOR EVERYONE.