Song of the Piper

::29:: Blood Oath (Part 1)

Music is Tears of War by Colossal Trailer Music. Play it!

******

When I woke up, I was overcome with a sense of disorientation. The bed was too soft; the air too clean; and the blankets too thick.

I slowly sat up, scanning my surroundings. Then it hit me why this place felt different.

I was no longer in Starkfurt. This was Heidelberg. This was Lord Himmel's castle.

The memory of me talking to Elise played in my head. I massaged my temples, wondering if everything had been a delirious dream. Elise was Maria, and Maria was my mother. The woman I'd spoken to yesterday was a stranger. The strangest thing was though, I felt like I had known this stranger for all my life.

No. It wasn't a dream. The sharing of what had happened in Hamelin one decade ago couldn't be a product of my imagination. It was too vivid-too real.

I moved my bad leg, wincing as pain lanced throughout it. This was real too. But this was a result of the fight between the Pied Piper and my parents. In an odd way, there was a purpose to my disability-I know it must had pained him to do so, but Anton had broken my leg out of his love for me.

Tentatively, I pulled up my skirts and stared at the leg. I usually hated to see it; it reminded me of Hamelin, of the people who always pushed me aside, of my own limitations. I traced its misshapen outline, feeling every curve of its ugliness.

Yet strangely enough, I no longer felt ashamed of it. Yes, it was inconvenient. Yes, I could never move around freely. But not ashamed. It was an injury I'd earned the night the plague came to Hamelin, and it was proof that I had survived. I had fought to stay alive, and I would continue to fight.

It was the mark of a survivor.

Despite my current situation, I smiled. No matter what, I had to stay strong. For Josef's sake. For my mother's.

And for mine.

Slowly, I moved till I was seated on the edge of the bed. I closed my eyes, taking in deep breaths. I was in Heidelberg again. I had delivered myself straight into Lord Himmel's hands. But I wasn't going to give up fighting. Who knows? There could be a way to defeat the Pied Piper from inside his own castle.

A knocking sounded from my door. "Who is it?" I called out, although I had a good guess to the incomer's identity.

"May I enter?" the voice I'd expected rang from outside.

"Yes," I replied. I stood up and sang a little song to myself, instantly scrubbing myself clean of any tear stains and leftover dirt. The dress that replaced my filthy day gown was dark green, embroidered with gold. It reminded me of the day I'd first escaped Lord Himmel in Starkfurt. I pushed the memories away.

The door swung open to reveal Elise standing in the doorway. Elise-or Maria? Maria or Elise? Both were part of her, but Maria had been gone for a long time now. Elise was the persona she'd been showing to the world for the past ten years.

She walked in and closed the door behind her. "Are you all right?" She searched my face, and I saw concern in her eyes.

"As all right as I can be."

"Good." She gave me an encouraging smile. Just before yesterday, I might have been frightened of her smile. Now though, I welcomed it, as though it were a long lost friend. "Lord Himmel wants to see you."

"Of course he does." I checked my side. My pouch was already tied to my belt. I felt the comforting slimness of my flute pressing against my thigh.