Requiem

Chapter III: De Tranquillitas ante Tempestatem

  Assorted memories flow like the waters of a grand river. A boy. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. The image of the young  suckling flashes before him. Immediately, it's replaced by the face of the boy. That same river carries a host of emotions alongside it, all threatening to drown him in their wake. Pity, camaraderie, mutuality, empathy, separation, anguish, all garnered from one face, a face of someone he hadn't recalled ever meeting before.

The river eventually dries up, and he's left standing in the snow, yet somehow as warm and dry as he had been upon falling asleep. He sees himself and that boy right outside of the Zitadelle. They're saying something, but he can't quite hear it, soon he sees Theodora step outside to greet them, "Ah so this is the great... I've heard so much about?" she asks. The blonde boy then bows and says something inaudibly. Whatever he's said has displeased Theodora, as she meets him with a glare containing a putrid mix of horror, hatred, and disgust. However, she's quick to conceal it as she always does, switching back to her friendly facade in the blink of an eye. Then, blackness.

Next, he's sitting with the boy looking out at the sunset. They're discussing something, but he's only able to understand brief snippets of the exchange. Water-clogged land, forests of never-ending rain, and snowy fields of sand. The blonde speaks of a vast world beyond the sea. He can't hear the rest, but he can feel their sense of longing to experience the sights the blonde speaks of. They talk over a thick brown beverage. Tea? Coffee perhaps? Surely not, where would one even find such a luxury hundreds of miles from any seaport?

Having been allowed to view the conversation from behind, he's able to see the two being watched by Theodora from the shadows. He sees himself say something that garners a warm smile from the blonde, and an ugly grimace from Theodora. Darkness washes over the scene yet again. He finds himself sitting in a chair in Theodora's room being told something. Judging by her face, it's of great importance. This doesn't change the fact that the conversation remains inaudible to him. Despite not hearing the words, he's still faced with a whole new assortment of emotions. Questioning, disagreement, betrayal, mistrust. Blackness washes over him again. However, this time it is soon replaced with the light of the dawn.

Fredrick awakens in a cold sweat, the world shrouded in the twilight that precedes the dawn. What had just transpired before him? Who was that boy? What had the pig to do with any of this? He elects to cast such thoughts to the side, it was only a dream, was it not? Thus, he attempts to return to his slumber. His attempts are in vain and he is left to stare at an unlit candle for 2 hours. In time, the dawn arrives and he washes up in an adjacent room. Upon returning, he sees Theodora, up and awake. Should he tell her about the dream? Surely not, he wasn't a child in search of his mother's aid after a nightmare. Thus, he elects to keep his experiences to himself.

The rest of the morning is a mimicry of all those for the past half week. They eat and set off in the carriage. They ascend into the mountains and Fredrick once again makes a point to not look towards the several-meter-deep chasm the road lies adjacent to. Eventually, the mountains turn to hills turn to plains. When the sun reaches its apex, they stop to eat and set off once again in half an hour. As planned, they reach Karlsruhe by the arrival of dusk. They eat and change into their nightwear as darkness washes over the sky. Fredrick snuffs out the candle and retires to the bed. Closing his eyes, he allows the darkness of sleep to wash over him.

Another river rises from a bed of bone-dry cracked earth. From it, yet more memories flow in water's stead. Boy, blonde hair, blue eyes. Yet, there was something different about this one. Whereas the last could almost be mistaken for a girl, this one bears a far more masculine appearance. While the last gave off an aura of weakness and dependency, this one shows great confidence and pride like that of a lion. He stands assuredly, looking as if he's in the middle of saying something to a group of three people. Two of which he recognizes, the first being himself and the second being the other blonde from last night. After the more masculine of the blondes finishes speaking, the three boys nod and set off as if they were soldiers given orders. Was he some sort of leader or commander of the group?