Post by Lorpius Prime on Aug 14, 2009 16:22:21 GMT -5
It was more difficult to escape the dungeon than either of them had anticipated. The window was large enough for a person to squeeze through, but just barely. And without any convenient steps or handholds, it was almost impossible to reach. Theodore went first, and his wide shoulders meant that he had to twist awkwardly to fit through the opening. After his first failed attempt, he drew out his dagger again and sank it into the ground outside the window to use for a handhold. Even with Reg pushing against his feet, it still took several minutes before he was finally able to wriggle his way through to the other side.
Reg had a slightly easier time. Theodore was able to brace his feet against the outer wall and reach down to help haul her up to the window. Even so, Reg felt like she was being squeezed out of a tube of toothpaste as she twisted and slithered through the window and onto the damp ground.
Clear of the prison at last, the two of them took a minute to lean against the stone outer wall and catch their breaths. Reg's glasses had been smeared with mud and grass, and she wiped them vigorously on her shirt. Theodore muttered as he fiddled with his own clothes: the collar of his shirt had been stretched large by the climb.
Theodore gave up on the shirt, and looked back down at the window by their feet. "Hmmm," he said, "in hindsight I suppose that we should have taken the bars up with us. If we replaced them, it might have taken the guards longer to realize how we escaped."
Reg bent down to look at the window bars lying on the floor of the cell below them.
"I really don't want to climb back down there," she said.
"No," Theodore shook his head, "once through was enough. We will just live with the mistake."
"Oh good," Reg sighed with relief.
Theodore turned back around and rotated his arms to stretch out his shoulders.
"Now," he said, "I do believe northeast is this way." He pointed at the forest which began several yards away beyond the clearing in which the prison stood.
"Um," Reg said, looking up at the high stone wall behind them, "they can't see us, can they?"
"I do not believe that there are any guards posted along the walls. Still, perhaps we should hurry in case they are more alert than I think."
"Okay," Reg held out her arms, "lead the way, Mr. Eremitas."
Theodore smiled, and gestured for her to follow him. He turned and headed towards the tree line. Reg took a deep breath, and then jogged after him.
They made it to the edge of the forest a few seconds later without anything untoward happening. Once under the cover of the trees, their pace slowed considerably. The ground was covered in several inches of fallen twigs and pine needles which crunched loudly at each step. Reg was annoyed to see that Theodore seemed to be less bothered than her by the uneven and prickly ground, despite the fact that he was wearing sandals and she sturdy walking shoes.
"So," Reg said after she'd crunched along in Theodore's wake for several minutes, "do you want to tell me what's going on now?"
"Um," Theodore said. He ducked under a low pine branch, then paused to hold it up for Reg.
"I suppose I can try to begin," he said after they'd cleared the obstacle, "although I am not sure how long it will take before you truly understand."
Reg couldn't think of a response to this, so she just stayed silent. After a few moments, Theodore sighed.
"Very well…" he said, but trailed off. They walked for another minute or so and Reg was about to say something when he finally spoke up again. "About 120 years ago this country was ruled by King Ludwig, who was more often called the Swan King because of his crest."
"Yeah," Reg said, "he's the one who built Neuschwanstein."
"I am afraid—" Theodore started to say, but cut himself off and shook his head. "I am sorry, it is best if I just continue."
Reg frowned, but kept her mouth shut.
Theodore went on, "The Swan King was by far the greatest leader we had ever known. He alone was able to reconcile the German princes and reform the Holy Roman Empire. He united Germany, made it prosperous and great. We were probably the most powerful nation in the world, and it was because of his leadership."
"Ludwig did that?" Reg asked. She wasn't much of a history student, but that didn't sound quite right to her. "I thought he was just, um, King of Bavaria."
"At first," Theodore nodded before hopping over a fallen pine tree. "But it was only a few years before the Swan King ruled all of Germany from the Herrenchiemsee."
"That's another one of his palaces," Reg said. She hadn't planned on visiting it, since she didn't have all that much time to spend in Germany and it was mostly a copy of Versailles. Neuschwanstein, on the other hand, was one-of-a-kind.
"Yes," Theodore agreed, "the one you were just in. This island, the Herreninsel, was the Swan King's capital."
"I thought Berlin was the capital of—"
"Please, Miss Odette," Theodore sounded a little exasperated. "I know this is likely to sound very strange to you, but I think it is best if you just allow me to tell my story uninterrupted. I think it will be less confusing that way."
Reg was doubtful, but she shrugged, "Okay… go on."
Theodore did, "As I said, Germany was probably the greatest nation of the world, but there were other great nations, and many of them resented our power. Both Britain and Russia went to war against us, hoping to weaken the Swan King. We won easily, of course."
Reg's frown grew deeper, none of this sounded even vaguely familiar to her. Still, she kept silent.
"But in 1886, even as our victorious armies were marching through the Low Countries and the Ukraine, Ludwig disappeared. The government tried to keep his absence hidden, but everyone knew anyway, and it was a worse blow than all the cannon our enemies could shoot at us. Our soldiers routed and the armies crumbled. We were defeated in a matter of weeks."
Theodore sighed deeply, as if he took the history personally.
"Our enemies saw to it that Germany was destroyed. The British see to it that we remain weak and divided against ourselves. Bavaria is subject to a permanent occupation, the Swan King was our greatest ruler, and also our last. Now we are little better than London's slaves." For a moment, Theodore looked like he might be at a funeral. But then an odd smile spread across his face. "Still," he said, "I would have to admit that it is better than what was done to Russia and Japan."
This seemed to be an attempt at humor, but it was lost on Reg. She was still trying to figure out what Theodore was talking about.
"What?" she asked.
"They call it a 'blockade'," Theodore said, "but it is really an extermination."
"What?" Reg asked again, then shook her head. "No—I mean, what are you talking about? None of that happened!"
"I am afraid that it did, Miss Odette." Theodore gave her a sad smile, "this will simply be the first time that you've heard about it."
Reg had stopped walking and was staring at him. "Is this like a conspiracy theory? Everything they tell you about world history is a lie?"
Theodore chuckled, "No, Miss Odette. I am sure that whatever history you learned is also true. But this is a different world, and it seems that we have different pasts."
"A different world?"
"Yes."
"So…" Reg waved a hand around her, "this is supposed to be some sort of alternate dimension… thing?"
"I suppose you might call it that."
"No."
"Miss Odette, I know you must be—"
"No," Reg cut him off, "Theo, just stop. It's a cool story, all right? But it's not real."
He gave her a pitying expression. "And yet here we are."
"Ugh," Reg rubbed her forehead, "this is not an alternate dimension, that stuff doesn't happen. We just—I don't even—" she shook her head, trying to collect her thoughts. "Look, I just need to get back to my hotel, okay?"
"I'm afraid that's not possible."
He held out a hand and stepped forward, but Reg backed away from him. What had she been thinking, following this guy? He was clearly some sort of lunatic, even if he seemed to be friendly. Plus, he had that big knife. Reg started sweating, she did not want to be alone in a forest with this person.
"Listen, Theo, thanks and everything. But I really ought to go." She kept backing away slowly.
"Go where?" He still had that look on his face, like she was just a confused child.
Reg started to turn, looking back the way they'd come. "I should go, find the tour group. I'm sure the bus is—"
"Miss Odette!"
Reg bolted. She was truly terrified now. She didn't really know where she was, but she needed to get away from Theodore and back to other people. If she could just get back into open land, she should be able to find her way back to the trail.
She ran as fast as she could, given the crowded trees and uneven ground beneath her feet. The two of them had entered the forest a while ago, but they'd been walking then. Surely it couldn't be that far back to the clearing. It took several minutes crashing through branches and skinning her palms on pine bark before Reg realized she was crying.
The sane, rational part of Reg's mind was telling her that she was doing the right thing. Theodore's story was fantastic, but quite insane. Nice as he seemed to be, she really wasn't safe walking around alone with someone insisting that they were in another reality. Getting away was the smart thing to do.
Yet, at the same time, another part of Reg's mind wasn't ready to dismiss the man's tale just yet. And much to Reg's dismay, that part also felt sane and rational. Theo was far from the first person she'd met today who acted strangely. Hadn't there been about a dozen men before him dressed up like old-timey soldiers and acting like they'd never even heard of the United States?
For a moment, she considered the idea that she'd walked into some sort of historical re-enactment village, like a renaissance faire. One with dedicated actors who stubbornly pretended to have no idea of modern times. She quickly dismissed that idea, however. Not even the most hardcore ren-faire confiscated all your possessions and locked you in literal iron shackles for hours on end.
The tree line ended, and the little debate in Reg's head was brought to a swift and brutal end. She had not emerged back by the little stone bunker from where she and Theodore had escaped. Instead, Reg found herself looking out at a vast body of pristine blue water, stretching all the way out to the horizon. Reg stared, her breath coming in shuddering bursts. There were a couple of lakes down near Hohenschwangau, but even if she had managed to travel that far without noticing, they weren't anywhere close to the size of the lake Reg could see. Without visible land on the other side, it might even have been the ocean.
Reg stumbled back a step, then sat down on a tree trunk which warped out at the base to function as a stool. She spent another few seconds staring at the impossible lake, before letting her head fall into her hands.
"I will not cry," she said to her lap, but tears were already running down her cheeks.
Reg had a slightly easier time. Theodore was able to brace his feet against the outer wall and reach down to help haul her up to the window. Even so, Reg felt like she was being squeezed out of a tube of toothpaste as she twisted and slithered through the window and onto the damp ground.
Clear of the prison at last, the two of them took a minute to lean against the stone outer wall and catch their breaths. Reg's glasses had been smeared with mud and grass, and she wiped them vigorously on her shirt. Theodore muttered as he fiddled with his own clothes: the collar of his shirt had been stretched large by the climb.
Theodore gave up on the shirt, and looked back down at the window by their feet. "Hmmm," he said, "in hindsight I suppose that we should have taken the bars up with us. If we replaced them, it might have taken the guards longer to realize how we escaped."
Reg bent down to look at the window bars lying on the floor of the cell below them.
"I really don't want to climb back down there," she said.
"No," Theodore shook his head, "once through was enough. We will just live with the mistake."
"Oh good," Reg sighed with relief.
Theodore turned back around and rotated his arms to stretch out his shoulders.
"Now," he said, "I do believe northeast is this way." He pointed at the forest which began several yards away beyond the clearing in which the prison stood.
"Um," Reg said, looking up at the high stone wall behind them, "they can't see us, can they?"
"I do not believe that there are any guards posted along the walls. Still, perhaps we should hurry in case they are more alert than I think."
"Okay," Reg held out her arms, "lead the way, Mr. Eremitas."
Theodore smiled, and gestured for her to follow him. He turned and headed towards the tree line. Reg took a deep breath, and then jogged after him.
They made it to the edge of the forest a few seconds later without anything untoward happening. Once under the cover of the trees, their pace slowed considerably. The ground was covered in several inches of fallen twigs and pine needles which crunched loudly at each step. Reg was annoyed to see that Theodore seemed to be less bothered than her by the uneven and prickly ground, despite the fact that he was wearing sandals and she sturdy walking shoes.
"So," Reg said after she'd crunched along in Theodore's wake for several minutes, "do you want to tell me what's going on now?"
"Um," Theodore said. He ducked under a low pine branch, then paused to hold it up for Reg.
"I suppose I can try to begin," he said after they'd cleared the obstacle, "although I am not sure how long it will take before you truly understand."
Reg couldn't think of a response to this, so she just stayed silent. After a few moments, Theodore sighed.
"Very well…" he said, but trailed off. They walked for another minute or so and Reg was about to say something when he finally spoke up again. "About 120 years ago this country was ruled by King Ludwig, who was more often called the Swan King because of his crest."
"Yeah," Reg said, "he's the one who built Neuschwanstein."
"I am afraid—" Theodore started to say, but cut himself off and shook his head. "I am sorry, it is best if I just continue."
Reg frowned, but kept her mouth shut.
Theodore went on, "The Swan King was by far the greatest leader we had ever known. He alone was able to reconcile the German princes and reform the Holy Roman Empire. He united Germany, made it prosperous and great. We were probably the most powerful nation in the world, and it was because of his leadership."
"Ludwig did that?" Reg asked. She wasn't much of a history student, but that didn't sound quite right to her. "I thought he was just, um, King of Bavaria."
"At first," Theodore nodded before hopping over a fallen pine tree. "But it was only a few years before the Swan King ruled all of Germany from the Herrenchiemsee."
"That's another one of his palaces," Reg said. She hadn't planned on visiting it, since she didn't have all that much time to spend in Germany and it was mostly a copy of Versailles. Neuschwanstein, on the other hand, was one-of-a-kind.
"Yes," Theodore agreed, "the one you were just in. This island, the Herreninsel, was the Swan King's capital."
"I thought Berlin was the capital of—"
"Please, Miss Odette," Theodore sounded a little exasperated. "I know this is likely to sound very strange to you, but I think it is best if you just allow me to tell my story uninterrupted. I think it will be less confusing that way."
Reg was doubtful, but she shrugged, "Okay… go on."
Theodore did, "As I said, Germany was probably the greatest nation of the world, but there were other great nations, and many of them resented our power. Both Britain and Russia went to war against us, hoping to weaken the Swan King. We won easily, of course."
Reg's frown grew deeper, none of this sounded even vaguely familiar to her. Still, she kept silent.
"But in 1886, even as our victorious armies were marching through the Low Countries and the Ukraine, Ludwig disappeared. The government tried to keep his absence hidden, but everyone knew anyway, and it was a worse blow than all the cannon our enemies could shoot at us. Our soldiers routed and the armies crumbled. We were defeated in a matter of weeks."
Theodore sighed deeply, as if he took the history personally.
"Our enemies saw to it that Germany was destroyed. The British see to it that we remain weak and divided against ourselves. Bavaria is subject to a permanent occupation, the Swan King was our greatest ruler, and also our last. Now we are little better than London's slaves." For a moment, Theodore looked like he might be at a funeral. But then an odd smile spread across his face. "Still," he said, "I would have to admit that it is better than what was done to Russia and Japan."
This seemed to be an attempt at humor, but it was lost on Reg. She was still trying to figure out what Theodore was talking about.
"What?" she asked.
"They call it a 'blockade'," Theodore said, "but it is really an extermination."
"What?" Reg asked again, then shook her head. "No—I mean, what are you talking about? None of that happened!"
"I am afraid that it did, Miss Odette." Theodore gave her a sad smile, "this will simply be the first time that you've heard about it."
Reg had stopped walking and was staring at him. "Is this like a conspiracy theory? Everything they tell you about world history is a lie?"
Theodore chuckled, "No, Miss Odette. I am sure that whatever history you learned is also true. But this is a different world, and it seems that we have different pasts."
"A different world?"
"Yes."
"So…" Reg waved a hand around her, "this is supposed to be some sort of alternate dimension… thing?"
"I suppose you might call it that."
"No."
"Miss Odette, I know you must be—"
"No," Reg cut him off, "Theo, just stop. It's a cool story, all right? But it's not real."
He gave her a pitying expression. "And yet here we are."
"Ugh," Reg rubbed her forehead, "this is not an alternate dimension, that stuff doesn't happen. We just—I don't even—" she shook her head, trying to collect her thoughts. "Look, I just need to get back to my hotel, okay?"
"I'm afraid that's not possible."
He held out a hand and stepped forward, but Reg backed away from him. What had she been thinking, following this guy? He was clearly some sort of lunatic, even if he seemed to be friendly. Plus, he had that big knife. Reg started sweating, she did not want to be alone in a forest with this person.
"Listen, Theo, thanks and everything. But I really ought to go." She kept backing away slowly.
"Go where?" He still had that look on his face, like she was just a confused child.
Reg started to turn, looking back the way they'd come. "I should go, find the tour group. I'm sure the bus is—"
"Miss Odette!"
Reg bolted. She was truly terrified now. She didn't really know where she was, but she needed to get away from Theodore and back to other people. If she could just get back into open land, she should be able to find her way back to the trail.
She ran as fast as she could, given the crowded trees and uneven ground beneath her feet. The two of them had entered the forest a while ago, but they'd been walking then. Surely it couldn't be that far back to the clearing. It took several minutes crashing through branches and skinning her palms on pine bark before Reg realized she was crying.
The sane, rational part of Reg's mind was telling her that she was doing the right thing. Theodore's story was fantastic, but quite insane. Nice as he seemed to be, she really wasn't safe walking around alone with someone insisting that they were in another reality. Getting away was the smart thing to do.
Yet, at the same time, another part of Reg's mind wasn't ready to dismiss the man's tale just yet. And much to Reg's dismay, that part also felt sane and rational. Theo was far from the first person she'd met today who acted strangely. Hadn't there been about a dozen men before him dressed up like old-timey soldiers and acting like they'd never even heard of the United States?
For a moment, she considered the idea that she'd walked into some sort of historical re-enactment village, like a renaissance faire. One with dedicated actors who stubbornly pretended to have no idea of modern times. She quickly dismissed that idea, however. Not even the most hardcore ren-faire confiscated all your possessions and locked you in literal iron shackles for hours on end.
The tree line ended, and the little debate in Reg's head was brought to a swift and brutal end. She had not emerged back by the little stone bunker from where she and Theodore had escaped. Instead, Reg found herself looking out at a vast body of pristine blue water, stretching all the way out to the horizon. Reg stared, her breath coming in shuddering bursts. There were a couple of lakes down near Hohenschwangau, but even if she had managed to travel that far without noticing, they weren't anywhere close to the size of the lake Reg could see. Without visible land on the other side, it might even have been the ocean.
Reg stumbled back a step, then sat down on a tree trunk which warped out at the base to function as a stool. She spent another few seconds staring at the impossible lake, before letting her head fall into her hands.
"I will not cry," she said to her lap, but tears were already running down her cheeks.