Beginning Anew

Habanera

As Walter approached Nomura's cave, he was surprised to hear the angry tones of the Carmen Overture blasting from within. He stepped inside.

Nomura sulked, leaning against the wall, arms crossed in a pout.

The overture ended, only to be followed by Votre Toast from the same opera. Its aggressive tones hit Walter like a cement slab.

"Nomura," Walter shouted over the music.

The other troll didn't reply, her eyes on anything but Walter.

"Nomura, could you turn the music down?" Walter asked. When she didn't respond he bellowed, "Nomura!"

She turned up the volume.

With a groan Walter went over to the speaker and turned it off, earning him an angry glare from Nomura.

Walter lifted an eyebrow. "I see you're angry with me," he said. "May I at least ask why?"

"Why? WHY?!" Nomura roared, shooting to her hooved feet. "Is being a changeling not good enough for you anymore?" she growled. "You're going to just turn yourself into a human and leave – pretend all this never happened?"

Walter met Nomura's furious gaze.

"You're going to go play Mom and Dad with that woman? Oh, how sweet," Nomura said condescendingly. "You seal off the headquarters, get rid of the familiars, and then leave troll-kind behind. Just erase it all, why don't you?" she hissed.

"Nomura, it's not like that," Walter began.

"Then what is it like?!" Nomura demanded. "You can't be human. You're not one of them! We're changelings – not trolls – not humans, and we... we're two of the last three..." she swallowed hard, her voice faltering. "So, you're just going to leave me with all of this, you idiot?!" she roared in Walter's face and thrust her beloved MP3 player at him.

Walter grabbed it, giving Nomura a stern look. "I don't believe this is your decision to make. It's mine."

"And just how is your opinion the only one that matters?!" Nomura demanded. "You turn into a human and you – You..." she took a deep, shaky breath. "Are you really so keen on dying too?!" she wailed.

Walter stared at her. "Nomura, it isn't as though I'll die that quickly."

"You would have fifty years at the most, and you know it!" Nomura accused. "Fifty years is nothing! You're giving yourself a death sentence! And then I – I –" She sat back down, overwhelmed. "You're leaving me alone, you selfish coward!" She covered her face with her hands.

Walter took a hesitant step toward her. "Nomura," he said softly.

She avoided his gaze.

"Nomura, look." With a sigh, Walter sat down beside her. "When I'm with Barbara, I'm happy," he said. "Have you ever known a single changeling who could say they were happy?"

Nomura kept her eyes on the floor. "No," she muttered.

"I'm sorry about this." Walter joined Nomura in staring at the floor. "Nomura... I – I hope one day, you'll get the same chance I have now – the chance to be happy. Once that day comes, I want you to grab that chance and hold on to it."

"Pfff! I don't believe for a second that'll actually happen." Nomura pulled her legs up, tucking her knees against her chest. "That ship sailed a long time ago."

"Don't be so sure," Walter countered. "I didn't believe I could ever be happy. I just hoped someday some changeling somewhere would be. And..." he hesitated. "There's... something else I need to tell you."

"What?" Nomura asked.

"I... I found another. Another changeling, I mean," Walter confessed.

Nomura's shocked eyes met Walter's.

"I found him in Prague – a lesser ranking changeling by the name of Alberto Daumier. He stayed behind when Gunmar summoned us. That's how he escaped the purge."

Nomura gaped. "Daumier? I think I remember him. He's blue, right?" she asked. "And his human form looks Latino. Where is he?!" she asked eagerly, only to be taken aback by Walter's serious face.

"I don't know; I don't even know if he's still alive," said Walter.

"What?" Nomura asked. "What do you mean?"

"He attacked me," Walter explained. "He blamed me for the deaths of the changelings and he wanted to kill me. We fought. I tried to fly away, but he grabbed me. Up in the air I finally managed to get him off... I dropped him. And I didn't go back to check on him. If I had and he was alive, he would just have attacked me again. He was rather keen on killing me."

Shocked, Nomura stared at Walter for a moment, then turned away. "I see... That makes sense."

Walter gave her a questioning look.

"If I hadn't seen Gunmar's cruelty for myself, I would probably have blamed you too," she said.

Walter nodded. "He seemed intent on avenging one particular changeling, a Ponderosa Pendersøn. Her human name was Rosa Peterson. Does that sound familiar?"

"Yes, it does." Nomura nodded. "We were stationed together once. She was a pretty, quiet type, usually keeping her head down and following orders without asking questions," Nomura mused. "Seemed pretty weak-minded to me. It's a wonder she didn't die a hundred years ago, but, then again... I mean she was a changeling. She was bound to have secrets."

"Like a relationship with another changeling," Walter surmised.

"So, she died, and he lived," Nomura commented. "Now that's a plot for an opera."

"I suppose you'd better start writing then," Walter quipped.

Nomura rolled her eyes. She leaned back against the wall with a sigh. "So... You really intend to go through with it – become human, get married, and live a normal human life?" she asked.

Walter nodded. "Yes. That's what I intend to do."

"Then just answer me one question," Nomura held up a long, clawed finger. "Will doing this be staying true to yourself?"

Walter smirked, recognizing the question the mountain king asked Peer in the play Nomura liked about the boy.

"It's a complicated question. It certainly isn't who I have been for a long time – all my life even," Walter said as he leaned against the wall too. He took a deep breath and went on, "But... It is who I want to be. I want it, Nomura. I desire it more than anything."

"I see." Nomura nodded. "Then... I guess the mountain king will be satisfied."

"You're still angry with me, aren't you?" Walter asked.

"Yes," came Nomura's short answer.

"Well, I suppose that's fair," Walter accepted. "We're going to hold a small ceremony down here in New Trollmarket in six days. Blinkous will be saying a few words. I would be pleased for you to attend."

Nomura snorted. "Weddings aren't really my thing." Then she said more quietly, "Thanks though. I'll... consider it."

"That's all I can ask." Walter handed Nomura back her MP3 player.

She reconnected the speaker and chose another song, this one less assertive than the last. Both changelings sat quietly, allowing the music to touch their souls as Carmen's Habanera filled the cave with its alluring words of love and freedom – freedom over your own life; freedom to love whoever you chose. It truly was a tempting song.