Colors and Life / Soviet x Reich

Chapter 12

I am a little bit nervous. "You will wait behind the gate because I have to get some things. I want to find out how good you are at painting.", Afghanistan informs me before she opens the gate and goes inside. So will I first draw a picture to show how good I am and only then will she decide what should happen to me? I follow her inside. She closes the gate and walks along the gravel path to the castle while I stand here. On her way to the castle, she keeps looking back at me. At some point she disappears into the castle while I look at the surroundings. I see oaks, walnut trees, hazelnut bushes, beech trees, ginkgo trees and other plants in the area.

I look at the castle. At some point I feel that someone is watching me. I'm looking for that one. I see someone standing on the balcony that I landed on yesterday. The person on the balcony looks over at me. The person has their hair tied to a ponytail and he looks pretty big. Unfortunately I cannot see the color or other details because he is too far away from me. Is that Soviet? Only the royal family lives on the top floor. Yes, then it has to be Soviet. Someone shorter than him runs to him. Is that one of his children? Soviet bends over to the little child and wraps a wing around the child.

Soviet Union has wings? Then he must have big golden wings that have no white spots or white tips that will only get you into trouble. I like my wings, but they still only get me into trouble. Soviet picks up the child and goes down from the balcony. I hear footsteps and look at Afghanistan, which is just coming towards me. She has paints, brushes and other things with her. "Come with me, Nick.", she said as she walks off the gravel path and disappears behind a few trees. I run to her and see that she is putting something up in front of a raspberry bush. She gives me the order: "You will paint the raspberry bush and the flowers around it."

I nod to show her that I understood it. Then she says: "If you need something or if you are ready, go to the guard at the entrance of the castle." "Thank you so much for everything, Afghanistan.", I thank her and bow to her. I hate bowing to others, it always makes me feel so worthless. But I still want to show her my gratitude. "You're welcome.", she says before going back to the castle. I draw the outline of the plants and the background before I realize I get a headache. I just have to hold out for a few more hours. I start painting. As I suspected, it took me several hours to complete the picture.

My head is hurting more and more and the sun is just about to set, which I don't like at all because I'm a little afraid of the dark. Fortunately, I finished the picture. I'm taking it to the guards in front of the castle. "Can you please tell Afghanistan that I'm done with the picture?", I asked. Then one of them went inside while I was putting all the things together. At some point she comes to me and helps me with the transport. Afghanistan is really a lot nicer than I expected. When I showed her the picture, she was incredibly excited about it. "The picture is unbelievably beautiful! How did you manage to make the picture in just four hours? That is unbelievable!", she says, "I will immediately show it to my husband!"

It hurts inside when she calls Soviet Union her husband. "But first I'll show you your room.", she added. Afghanistan takes me by the hand and goes with me to a large room where were the stairs. We walk up one floor and she leads me down a long hallway. When we got to the room, there was a bed, a window, a chest of drawers, a desk and a cupboard in the room, with another room, which was probably the bathroom. "You're staying here for a few minutes because I have to talk to my husband, then I'll show you around if he agrees," she informs me.

"See you in a minute.", I say. She says back: "See you then!" I take a look at the room before I get a stronger headache. That stupid stuff! Because of my wings I need a strong transformation potion and this leads to a strong headache after a certain time. But if I transform back, someone will find out who I am and I think that would only be worse. I take another sip of the strong transformation potion I have with me. I am not allowed to change back, no matter how much my head hurts. Wait a minute! I look at the door and see a key there. I could just lock the door while I need a break from the potion.

Why didn't I check before I had a drink. I lock the door and drink the reconversion potion. My skin turns red again and my wings come back. Fortunately, I always wear something on the top that is way too tall for me and underneath that I wear extra clothes for Countryhumans who have wings. I can tailor clothes so that my wings don't have a problem. I lie down on the bed. It's so incredibly bouncy and cozy. I finally don't have to sleep on stones anymore. I have real luxury now. No more cold and hard bed made of stones! No simple fruits, but again cooked and prepared vegetables for me!

After years of living with other people again. I did all of this with stealing, rescuing, getting captured and draw a picture. Suddenly I am torn from my thoughts when I hear a knock on the door. "I'll be right there!", I shout and quickly drink the transformation potion. I wait a moment until I look like a human again and then open the door. My heart almost stops before it starts racing like mad when I see who is standing in front of the door and looks down at me. "So you are Nick, the one who is supposed to be the new artist in the palace?", asks Soviet in his beautiful deep and melodic voice. His voice sounds so incredibly beautiful. I'm so excited and my stomach feels so weird again.

That stupid feeling will probably never go away! "Y-yes, t-that's me!", I stutter. Why am I stuttering again?! Can't I just be normal! "Your picture is really very good, much better than I expected when Afghanistan first told me about you.", he says. My body is getting warmer again. I hate this feeling! Why can't it just go away after six years?! "T-Thank you!", I stutter. Has he noticed that something is going on? What if he just saw me and knows who I am? What if he knows I'm still in love with him? Can this stupid emotional chaos finally stop?!