✧Trill✧

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*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

She was thinking about pushing him away. Being disturbed from her sweet slumber by an uninvited guest, while her baby still slept in her tummy, was not a pleasant experience.

Why?

 How dare you touch it?

   She was very angry that Bastian would think it was okay to touch her without asking and impulsively grabbed his hand. As a mother, she vowed to not let her children learn submission’s stance. Although her resolve was strong, she felt helpless under Bastian’s hands. 

He could subdue her with nothing more than a single hand, but still let her choose, a silent whisperS tha he’d back off if she said no.

   Odette stared out into the dark room with vacant eyes. His strong hand still rested on her belly. She could feel his heartbeat through his chest and oddly enough, it beat in time with hers. It was soothing.

   She should turn away from him, she knew that, she couldn’t sleep next to a man that had given her so much hurt, but she had given him just as much. Their animosity for each other had gone too far, how could they ever be happy with each other? It was a foolish dream she needed to let go of.

   Still, it all felt like the echo that stuck even after the piano was no longer being played. It rang in her ears and unlike the piano, it didn’t feel like it was ever going to fade.

   The warmth of his hand gently resting against her belly felt so comforting and warm. It wasn’t that she didn’t have the strength to push it away, to reject his touch, but more that she didn’t want to, she wanted that comfort.

   With her eyes closed, Odette slowly guided Bastian’s hand to the right side of her belly, where the baby was currently laying. She wanted to consider him as being unrelated to the child and her determination remained unchanged. No matter how much she tried to deny it, the fact still remained, this man was the fathers child.

Like the Da capo, back to the beginning.  She accepted that limitation and entrusted her heart to the illusion. And again, Trill. Just a little longer and it will reveal itself to be futile, no doubt. The moment will fade away and things will go back to the nightmare she was living.

   The child stirred, as if it felt the presence of its father. At the same time, a tremor ran through Bastian’s fingers. Odette guided his hand closer to the child. Nothing might have gone right, but it was still a birthday to remember. The first snow of winter, twenty four Iris’ and chocolates that made their child dance.

   In the future, should the child ever ask about their father, Odette would tell them of this day. Even though they rarely saw eye to eye, there were still a number of beautiful days like this. ‘You were born in that light’ ~She’d protect her child’s heart, even if it meant being a dishonest mother.

As the baby stilled and the New Year’s first bell tolled, fireworks danced over the distant ocean, setting alight a grand manor’s celebration.

In this final act, Odette, accepting the ending, gently unwound her grasp on Bastian.  As her fingers slipped away, the second firework blossomed, bathing the Ardennes’ night canvas in a kaleidoscope of sparks.

Beneath the beautiful dance of the spectral bloom her eyes welled up by the sweet sorrow of silent tears. Bastian’s warmth enveloped her hand, gently led hers back to their sleeping child. In the midst of the scintillating  fireworks illuminating the sky, their fingers wove an intimate tapestry, held close to their sleeping child, until the poetic chime of the twelfth bell.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

“Hey Major Klauswitz,” a friendly voice called out.

   Bastian stopped and looked over his shoulder to see Erich Faber walking fast down the hall to catch him up. The eyes of the other officers turned to see who had disturbed the peaceful trek into work.

   “How about we walk together for the first time in a long time?” Erich said.

   Bastian waited patiently for Erich to catch up, there was still thirty minutes until the work day started, so he considered there was no reason to deny the young officer.

   They walked together through the main building of the Navy base and out onto the snow covered water garden. The paths had been completely cleared, but was still a little slippery in places.

   “You know, I found them,” Erich started as they reached the center of the garden. “Mr and Mrs Becker. They were pretty easy to track down because they had moved to a big city. The strange thing is, they were planning on opening a lumber mill, does that sound like the Becker’s to you?”

   “Yes, it sure does,” Bastian said calmly.

   Erich Faber had a lot of family and distant relatives who had immigrated to the overseas and he was the best source of information. It also helped that he had sources in the local government, so finding people was better than hiring any private detective.

‘A woman who stabbed you in the back to protect her younger sister.’

Bastian recalled Franz’s cries during the fight. It made no sense to take responsibility for her sister’s sins and sacrifice everything to keep a secret. Bastian knew Odette was the kind of woman to conduct rash actions. 

There had to be something else going on. Bastian decided to trust his gut and contacted Erich right away.

   He was right to do so. The address Tira had given to Odette did not match her current residence. It might be that they are moving about, looking for the right place to settle down, to find that perfect home, but Bastian felt like it was something more.

   “Thanks, Erich,” Bastian said, pulling out a cigarette case.

   Erich helped himself to a cigarette. “She said that it was for your sister-in-law, right?”

   “Exactly,” Bastian said as he casually lit his own cigarette.

   What if Odette was some sort of scape goat? Bastian stared out at the snow covered landscape of the naval base and reflected on his memories.

   Odette’s wish was only to protect the meagre pension she got in return for acting as the princess’ shield. She would probably never have accepted the marriage proposal if it hadn’t been for Duke Dyssen’s accident. Bastian was able to consummate the marriage by exploiting her weakness and knew that fact better than any one else.

   What if Tira had caused the accident? Forcing Odette to get married against her will. If she betrayed Odette like that, then ran off to the far side of the world, then what would happen to that woman’s life?

   As he began to hope it was all Franz’s misconception, the clock tower chimed fifteen minutes to the hour. Bastian looked up at the clock and billowed smoke into the air. His fingers trembled as he put the cigarette back into his mouth.

The child, once merely a means will born, and become a real human being. He was going to be a father.

   Understanding the significance of Odette’s pregnancy left him feeling powerless. He resolved to put an end to the muddled feelings as quickly as possible, for fear of losing control.

   Bastian flicked the cigarette away and turned to make his way to Admiral Demel’s officer to offer new years greetings. Then it was off to the new years ceremony. With his perfect uniform and uptight gait, there was no evidence of the injuries he had suffered.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

“Hello, I’ve come for the maid position.”

   A woman approached the gate cautiously and tapped on the glass of the guard hut. Dressed in tattered clothes and wrapped in a moth eaten scarf, the woman looked like a scarecrow.

   “Please wait a moment,” the guard said through a yawn. He fetched a clip board from under the desk and eyed it sleepily. “You’re here for the kitchen position, right?”

   “Yes, that’s right.”

   “Its not until noon, you’re early.” The guard narrowed his eyes as he looked at the clock on the wall.

   “I know. I thought I would be on time if I walked, but I guess I was faster than I thought. I don’t mean to be an inconvenience.” The young woman lowered her head in embarrassment.

   The guard clicked his tongue as he left the guard hut. The young woman held herself close against the cold and clutched her hand bag like it was a lifeline. She looked like any other country girl that had come to the city, with dreams of a fanciful life. It was most likely that the head housekeeper would reject her without further thought.

   “Well, try not to be too much of a problem, head straight for the interview, you’ll just have to wait for an hour,” the guard said, opening the gate.

   “Thank you sir, thank you very much.” The girl bowed deeply and made for the mansion.

   The guard let out a long yawn as he closed the gate again.