The gardens of the Achilleon

Themis: veritas

"What do you mean by that?" Asked Montgomery as he looked at Manfred. He took a second to blow out the smoke of his cigarette.

"I-... I always thought that the central powers had it all right, but my autobiography is not mine anymore Monty... it is what they want to make of me... I've just been questioning everything". He said and Montgomery looked at him.

They stayed quiet for a while, Montgomery took a drag from his cigarette as he let everything sink in. "It's a strange conflict, Manfred". Said Montgomery. "Normally a war is faught because you stand for the cause... but this isn't about Franz Ferdinand anymore...I mean- I'm not fighting this war because I stand behind the assassin that killed him". Finished Montgomery.

Another silence went on between them.

"Then why are you fighting this war, Montgomery Armstrong?" Manfred asked him as he held his cigarette between his fingers... Montgomery looked at Manfred, he looked to the side... "I don't want the German empire to take over Belgium and France, because when will it stop? Where do we draw the line of what the German empire can or cannot conquer?" He said and Manfred sighed.

"Mein Gott, I thought your response would make this easier for me, but you-... you make sense... you always come with an argument I can't possibly not agree with". Said Manfred and it made Montgomery chuckle softly. He looked at his old friend as he finished his cigarette, knowing that this mutual smoke was the only reason they ever got talking and once he threw the butt on the ground and killed the flame, so would this conversation die.

  As he took his final drag, smoking the cigarette up to the filter Montgomery wanted to ask one more question... "why are you fighting the war, Manfred?" He asked as he flicked the cigarette butt on the ground.

"It's all I've ever done Montgomery... all I've ever known-... military school, hunting-... the cavalry, the airforce... I haven't done anything else, I follow in my father's footsteps and my brother follows mine... I never thought about what, why or how-". He said and he almost sounded scared... Montgomery blew out the smoke of his cigarette, it was now that it hit him how much Manfred struggled with this.

"I hope you figure it out, Manfred... I really do". Said Montgomery as he looked at him, thinking that this was the end of their talk but Manfred looked at him. "What if we meet in the sky?" He asked and it made Montgomery think

"When that happens, may the best of us win... and may he do it with honour". He said and Manfred smiled. "Wise words... a quote of your father?" He asked and Montgomery smiled and he nodded "Oh you better know it". He responded.

They said their goodbyes and shook hands, knowing this might just be the last time they meet in a civil manner.

Montgomery let out a soft sigh as he walked to the train station. The medals and ribbons on his uniform looked up at him as a reminder of what he'd done... it wasn't a good reminder. He remembered each of his victories, their names... their faces, it was almost an obsession for Montgomery.

One haunted him above all others... Otto Baumgartner, his last victory before he had to go on medical leave. Baumgartner was young for a pilot... too young, Montgomery had heard him scream as he plummeted to the earth... that wasn't the scream of a man, but of a child that screamed for his mother to come and pick him up in her arms. For Baumgartner, his mother never came... he was dead when Montgomery flew down to confirm his kill. He remembered there were still wet tears around his glassy eyes that looked up at the sky.

Montgomery had to shake off the thought... he stepped onto the train and found himself a place to sit, he looked as the scenery changed from the Scottish countryside back to the big cities of England. He stepped off the train and walked out of London station...

"I need some air-". He mumbled to himself, being his own rather idiotic voice of reason. He was already outside, but still, Montgomery decided to walk into a small park... there he sat down for a second.

Here,  all was quiet. No more sounds of machine guns, no more yelling and screaming at one another to get the plane outside as fast and efficiently as possible. There were only the sounds of birds chirping and the distant sound of some cars passing by. Montgomery finally felt like he could breathe again. He finally felt a little at peace again.

No more Captain Ogilvie, no more Otto Baumgartner, no more Red Baron.

For the first time in a very long time, Montgomery had all his thoughts under control again and they weren't rolling in anymore like a panicked steam train on a Friday morning during rush hour.

He stayed in that park for only God knows how long until he stood back up and walked out through a small gravel path, he looked at the trees, trees which had branches and leaves that slowly started to grow... not those mangled stumps he'd fly past in Ypres, these were well fairly average trees.

He found himself quite sad, to be amazed by trees was a new type of low Montgomery had yet to discover, but now he found himself comparing everything to the war... normal civilians were walking around London and they were safe. At least for now. Who knows, maybe the front will shift?

Montgomery could barely think about it, about the whole of London ending up in ruins like he saw happen to Ypres, Passendale and Zonnebeke, the city of Paris had been bombed before. Why not London next?

As he left the park and walked home, his thoughts were back to that petrified steam train pace they had been at before he entered the park.

He was welcomed into his home by a maid and he hung his coat and hat up by the door before entering the home. "Good evening, Father, mother". He greeted his father who, to Montgomery's surprise, was sitting downstairs reading the Newspaper instead of being God knows where to do business. His mother sat next to her husband holding a book.

His father simply glanced at him, he adjusted his reading glasses before continuing to read. His mother smiled as she looked up from the book. "Good evening Montgomery, you're home rather late, did the funeral last long?" She asked in her soft voice. Montgomery shook his head.

"No, Mother. I made a detour on the way back home and walked through that nice small park on Windsor". He responded and his mother nodded, "How nice". She said softly.

"What are you reading?" Montgomery asked and his mother couldn't help but crack a small smile. "Pride and Prejudice, a woman in my painting class heard that I had never read it so now we are reading it together, she'll be coming over for tea tomorrow too". She responded and Montgomery had a hard time not laughing.

"Oh, what do you think of it?" He asked her and his mother frowned, "Honestly? I find it, rather scandalous, but if it is the 'old Victorian classic' she made it out to be I guess I'll have to finish it". She said and Montgomery nodded.

He hadn't read Pride and Prejudice himself, he'd rather read the entire English dictionary than read Pride and Prejudice but he heard plenty about it. He prayed to the Lord his mother would finish the book before he left so he could see her reaction with his own eyes.