Song of the Piper

::21:: Anton (Part 2)

Music is Dawkin's Suite from the Beyond: Two Souls OST. Play it!

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This was my past, as much as it was Anton's.

I didn't know if I should laugh or cry. I should have known sooner, from the little hints in their conversation and Lady Anya's questions. All this time, I wanted to know what my life was before the plague came to Hamelin. All this time, I kept wondering if I ever had a real family, parents who loved me. All this time, I was the girl without a past, a girl who had no real identity in the world, save that she was crippled and small and useless.

And now, I knew. It was all so sudden. That was the only way I could describe it.

With incredulous eyes, I returned my attention to the couple. Anton and Maria. My parents. My family. My father and mother.

I collapsed onto the only bed in the cramped room. No one took notice of me. Shock numbed my body. No one noticed.

Lady Anya had known. Or suspected that I was Anton's daughter. But instead of telling me directly, she let me into his memories, let me relive his life. Had she predicted this...pain constricting my chest? Had she known the emotions that would drown me alive once I knew the truth?

She probably did.

Yet I couldn't blame her. In the end, truth was truth. It didn't matter how it was presented, all that mattered was that I knew.

I recollected myself and refocused on my parents' conversation. I had a chance to truly know who they were now; I couldn't waste it.

"Tomorrow night, my love." Anton drew Maria into his chest, head buried in her hair. "Tomorrow night, we end this."

"What if – what if he turns out to be stronger than we expected? And you know Starkfurt won't grant us any assistance unless the threat is absolute. As of now, we only have clues to go upon. Even Anya doesn't believe us!"

"Then we prove to them that we were right. And when we emerge triumphant"—Anton smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners—"can you imagine the rewards that come after?"

Maria managed a weak chuckle. "Always thinking of the coin, eh?"

"It makes my life of chasing uncertainties bearable. Asides from you, of course."

Maria smacked Anton playfully on the shoulder. Something in my heart stung at the sight. It was bittersweet, watching them dance around each other like new lovers, knowing that both of them were most likely dead. My eyes wandered towards my past self in the corner. I wished that I could reach out and comfort her, tell her to be strong in the future. Make up for the weaknesses I had allowed in myself.

Unknowingly, I had approached my past self. If Anton and Maria—I still couldn't think of them as my parents—were alarmed by the fact that a random stranger who bore an impossible resemblance to their daughter suddenly appeared in front of them, they didn't react.

I crouched by the girl, not having to accommodate my bad leg at all. The sensation of being able to walk about without a constant pain jarring up my side was alien and strangely frightening.

She was still toying with the flute. Her fingers—my fingers—were so small, so delicate. Yet they handled the instrument with the deftness of an experienced flutist. Her eyes were focused upon the slim rod of wood, intently studying its curves and edges, the holes drilled down one neat line in the centre.

She then put the flute to her lips and started to play.

The tune was cautious, unsure of its footing, as though the girl wanted to pour in all her breath, but was barely holding herself back. Only after the third, fourth, fifth chord did she gain confidence. It was a simple melody—a traditional folksong. However, with the conviction behind it, it seemed to vault towards the heavens. It danced with the wind, the clouds, the sky. I had the sudden urge to laugh aloud and twirled about the room, heedless of my non-existent dancing skills.