Meanwhile--back in the Meringue Clouds--nightfall was eternal. The dark sky remained constant ever since the night that Kooky had come to power. Farmers and others who relied on the sun's rays were becoming restless and demanding answers from the head of government. The guards were doing a good job of letting no one in.
Within the walls of the palace, Lodewijk waited anxiously for Kooky's return. Most of the time, when Kooky was there, he didn't want him around. He thought he was bossy, and that the system would be better without him. But now that he was gone….he felt constantly on edge. Can't live with him, can't live without him, I guess. Even though Kooky was a power-hungry, hypocritical, bossy, flighty, eccentric, violent control freak, he was confident and always knew what to do and even when he didn't, he was good at pointing (more like forcing) them all in the right direction.
Lodewijk's stomach whined and groaned. Kooky was also the best cook in the system. And the best hunter. Fritz tried, but his culinary expertise was pretty much limited to setting a plate of bread rolls and a jar of jam on the table. He tried, but a bread roll couldn't beat a juicy Hamburg steak. Before he left, Kooky had instructed how to hunt in this unfamiliar place: Choose a juicy priestess, summon her to your room, subdue her, and deliver the fatal bite.
Sigh. Killing. Lodewijk never really liked that part. He didn't like watching Kooky do it and he was sure he could never come to actually do it himself. He'd never killed anyone. Except for Pfarrer Wilhelm, but that was different. He deserved to die. Kooky said he didn't want to kill because Lodewijk didn't want to get his prissy little hands dirty. No, Lodewijk would say, my moral compass just hasn't gone completely out of whack….Yet. But he could hardly blame Kooky, he couldn't break something he never had. Then Kooky would say with that attitude he'd starve to death. But...he didn't have to be a killer...not yet anyway. He'd just wait till Kooky came back, he could hold out till then.
While Kooky was away, he was in charge. Even though he was sure Kooky wanted Fritz to be in charge, Lodewijk was growing up, he couldn't stay a helpless teen forever. Fritzchen was naive, he didn't know about suffering and the horrors of the world, and as the protector of the system, Lodewijk intended to keep it that way. Perhaps if he did a good job of keeping Fritz safe...he could maybe, someday, begin to see Lodewijk as a suitable provider...perhaps someone he could see himself spending the rest of his life with. The butterflies in his tummy began to flutter excitedly again; he needed to calm down.
He shut his eyes to calm himself once more. He fingered the silver crucifix on the blue beaded rosary around his neck, an old gift from Pfarrer Wilhelm. He usually kept it hidden away in his pockets, but this new, odd Meringue Clouds garb didn't come with pockets. He felt like he couldn't physically go anywhere without it. It followed him everywhere and he couldn't let go of the stupid thing for some reason. He put the rosary back under his garment, the time for sitting around was over. He had made two objectives for himself:
1. Protect Fritzchen
2. ….Do whatever Kooky had told them to do. Watch the priestesses? Something like that.
It didn't matter what it was, for Fritzchen would always come first. He was over by the balcony, curiously peering down at the priestesses below. He was on his hands and knees, a particularly alluring position…..To protect Fritz in this new foreign world he'd have to get him somewhere safe--a nice, quiet contained space.
"Come on Fritz, we're going."
"Going? Where?"
"Somewhere that's not here. Somewhere safe." He said, gently taking Fritz's arm to pull him away from the balcony's edge.
"But I want to play with them."
"Play?"
"Yeah...you know, tag, hide and seek. I never get to play with anyone new….I think it would be fun."
"Play with someone new? But you have me, you've always had me. Am I not good enough for you Fritzchen?" Lodewijk asked. Fritz could sense the subtle panic in his voice.
"N-no, you are, Lowie," He said, taking Lodewijk's hands in his own. He could feel his body subtly shaking. "It's just...don't you ever want a change of pace every once in a while? Something new for once?"
"No. I like the way things are now. I happen to like the way things have been in the inner world, just you and me in our own little paradise. You cannot even speak the language of this country! How will you organize a game of tag with them? And what if they make fun of you for your hearing aids? What if they try and yank them out of your ears in some sort of sick, barbaric game?"
"Lowie, I don't think that'll happen. They actually seem kinda nice...sometimes a shared language isn't necessary to enjoy a fun game! I'd find a way! It would be fun, you could even play with us!"
Fritz could sense his headmate's subtle shutter at the mention of playing with strangers. "No!" Lodewijk exclaimed firmly, "We are going now! I can't protect you if you're out running who knows where doing who knows what!"
"I don't need protection right now!"
"You know, I would've loved to have someone looking out for me when I was your age."
Fritz sighed quietly. There was virtually no use arguing with Lodewijk when he was like this. He was in his "triggered" state of mind, as if things were how they were when he was younger, and that they would never change; He was stuck. He could tell that Lodewijk was only saying this because he really did want to protect him. Kooky often used similar tactics, though Fritz could tell he was only trying to manipulate him. But he could tell that Lowie was actually afraid.
Fritz glanced back at the priestesses down there, giggling and having fun. Reluctantly, he let Lodewijk lead him away from there.
The two alters wandered down the darkened halls of the palace. However, because of their superior night vision provided by their tapeta lucida, this wasn't an issue. Lodewijk kept his eyes and nose open, searching for a safe, empty room. He stopped at an inconspicuous door. He sniffed at the crack in the door, making sure it was unoccupied. After making sure that it was, he and Fritz entered the room. It looked as if it was some sort of bedroom, with a window, a desk, a dresser, and a bed.
"How are we supposed to keep an eye on the priestesses in here?" Fritz asked.
"They'll be fine. There are guards to keep an eye on them. Besides, I really doubt Kooky will even notice if one or two of them disappeared. I don't even think it would matter."
"But Kooky said--"
"Get in the bed and go to sleep." Lodewijk commanded as he closed the heavy door behind him.
"But I'm not tired..." Fritz whined.
"Sleep will come if you invite it. You have to lie down, so it'll know you're ready."
"I…don't think that's how it works."
"Just get in the bed and lie down!" Lodewijk hissed.
"Fine, fine." Fritz replied, jumping on the bed. The bed was nice and cold and soft, Fritz wondered if there was some of that clotton stuff in the mattress and pillow as well.
As Fritz made himself cozy, Lodewijk kneeled by the bed, made the Sign of the Cross and proceeded to pray quietly to himself. Fritz watched silently, knowing better than to disturb his nightly ritual. He usually held onto his little cross necklace thing, but Fritz guessed he was changing it up a little.
Eventually, Lodewijk climbed into bed next to him so that he was spooning him; Fritz the little spoon and Lowie the big one. He inhaled the calming scent of Fritz's blue hair that tickled his nose. His natural scent reminded him of the fresh smells of the trees of the innerworld. Lodewijk wrapped his arms around Fritz's waist, pulling him closer. He nuzzled his head into the crook of Fritz's neck, rubbing his cheek on his cheek.
Fritz giggled. "Lowie, stop that! I can't sleep if you keep moving around." And so Lowie stopped after finding a comfortable position.
The steady rhythm of Fritz's breathing was lulling Lodewijk to sleep. His body had stopped shaking, and his breathing slowed as he relaxed. This feeling...it was hard for him to explain. He never felt the type of feelings he felt when he was close to Fritzchen. Very intense, unexplainable feelings. They were all consuming yet, in times like these, the only way he could fall asleep.
He could feel Fritz's soft butt in his crotch. Because of this new fabric, it hardly felt like there was anything separating Fritz's buttocks from his eager privates. He did not wish for a boner, but he already knew it would grow anyway so he learned not to fear it so much. Suddenly, Fritz shifted his body so that he could take his hearing aid out of the right ear he was laying on, and put the device on the nightstand. His butt, of course, nudged his crotch and there was no use fighting the boner. As Fritz shifted around more, Lodewijk stifled his moans, feeling very ashamed of himself.
"Lowie, your privates are poking me!"
"Sorry." He apologized, upset. He tried not to think of the sexual thoughts, but they were all consuming as well. Thankfully, Fritz never really asked for Lodewijk to explain and he would never feel comfortable doing so. He wouldn't understand; Kooky didn't, so why would he? If Fritzchen was lucky, he'd end up an asexual. He seemed that way anyway.
Miraculously, Lodewijk was eventually able to drift off to sleep, Fritz held protectively in his arms.
*************
Later in the night (or perhaps it was technically day at this point), Lodewijk's brown eyelids fluttered open. He immediately noticed that something was wrong.
"Fritzchen?" He spoke into the darkness, though he already knew his companion was not there.
"Fritz?" He tried again. "Friedrich?" He slid out of bed, heart already pounding quickly in his chest. Even though he tried to keep a level head, it was impossible not to panic. As he began to shake again, he told himself that all he had to do was find Fritz. He hoped Fritz was right about not needing any protection.
He peaked out the doorway of the room. The coast was clear, so he ventured out of the safety of the room to follow Fritz's scent down the corridor. What if he was hurt? Caught in a trap? Dead? Fritz might be an agile escaper, but Lowie was sure hand-to-hand combat wasn't his forte. He'd much rather talk it out. But there was no talking, not in this new foreign place. No one could be trusted. If it came to it, Lodewijk would have to fight but this wasn't a problem, Lowie would always fight for Fritzchen. Perhaps if he saw how brilliant, strong, and brave he was, Fritz would fall head-over-heals for him.
He followed the timber spruce trail back to the balcony area where they'd been prior. "Fritzchen?" He whispered as he stepped out onto the floor, though he doubted the quiet call would be picked up by Fritz's hearing aids. He tightly clutched the railing, peering down at the gynaikonitis below.
And there Fritz was, safe and sound and playing with the priestesses. Exactly what Lodewijk told him not to do. They were running around as if they had no cares in the world; Must be nice, Lowie thought. Fritz looked happy, as if he wasn't guilty at all for disobeying. Why did he want to play with these priestesses so much? Wasn't Lodewijk's company enough for him? Why did he insist on leaving?
So much uncertainty and Lodewijk didn't like uncertainty. If there was uncertainty he couldn't maintain control, things couldn't be sure to go to plan. More importantly, Fritz had never...done anything like this before. Lodewijk thought he was happy being with him. He couldn't possibly want for anything. What was this sudden interest in complete strangers?
He suddenly felt consumed with unexplainable rage and hurt. Why did he feel this way? Why did he care so much about someone who did not care about him? He wondered if Fritz would even care if he was gone….
He scoffed and charged out of that place, back into the quiet corridor. What now? Fritz obviously thought he knew everything. Much more than Lodewijk of course. If he didn't appreciate what he tried to do then so be it. When he hurt or injured himself, he'd come crawling back to Lodewijk of course. And Lodewijk would gloat about how he told him so. Yes, that'd teach 'im…..but no. That sounded like something Kooky would do, and Lodewijk wasn't like him, or so he liked to tell himself he supposed.
He marched through the halls trying to make use of his emotions to no avail. These emotions...they'd be the death of him. And perhaps that would be a good thing.
His stomach groaned hungrily and his thoughts remained jumbled. He was feeling…helpless again. He walked and walked and walked and walked until he picked up a new scent. His hunger compelled him to follow it without question. It led him to a heavy, wooden door in a dark, lonely hall. You and me, both, you and me both, he whispered to it. Through the thin crevice between the door and it's frame, he located the source of the alluring smell. But what was it? He wasn't sure, so he had to proceed with vigilance. If he were in his right mind, he would avoid this room all together but his hunger was too strong.
Tentatively, he pushed open the door slowly. He was greeted by moonlight seeping in the dark room through an open window, the soft curtains blowing in the light breeze. It was so...beautiful and serene. It made him feel like breaking out in spontaneous song, but he did not. He proceeded closer to the window, the welcomed breeze cooling his dark skin. He noticed his shaking had mostly ceased.
Unexpectedly, Lodewijk was violently struck from the side. He shouted as his body was forced onto the cold floor. He panted quietly in fear and looked to face his attacker. Her soft, wavy celeste blue hair resembled the clouds the country was named after. She had a soft face like Fritz, full lips, freckles, and...her eyes. Her cold, angry, fierce eyes: one blue and one brown. Her tan hand forced his head to the side. She said something to him in her foreign tongue. Even though he had no idea what the hell she said, he found her voice alluring.
When he didn't answer, she tried again in a different language. He recognized it as Fruitish (English), though he still didn't know what she said. No, he thought, it can't end like this.
He found the strength to twist and launch the girl off of him with his legs. She landed a little ways away and he used this opportunity to get back up on his feet. He wasn't sure whether to fight her or run, he didn't know what to do. She quickly recovered, a sharp sword in her mits. She was blocking the way to the exit, so he couldn't really run. The girl was so tall, even though he liked to think he could he probably wouldn't be able to just ram into her and knock her down and subdue her like Kooky would. If it were him, he probably wouldn't have been knocked down in the first place.
He only had one, true option: put up his dukes. She was just a girl, it would be easy, right? She thrusted her shortsword at him. He barely dodged her attack. She stepped forward and quickly attacked once more, grazing his brown cheek with her sword. His new injury added a new level of fear, but he couldn't let her see his weakness or she would feed off of it and destroy him. While he was preoccupied with his thoughts, she sweep kicked him and he collapsed onto the floor. The girl wondered if he'd ever fought anyone before, for he was very terrible at it.
She kicked him again. He yelled, trying to protect himself with his arms. She aggressively struck him with her sword more times, leaving fresh gashes on his arms. He tried crawling away from her as fast as he could, but he soon ran out of room to run away. The girl cornered him with her pointy sword as his back met the wall. She looked into his dark eyes full of fear. She hissed something Fruitish, a language he still couldn't really understand.
"Please...no…" He managed to string together. She yelled something again and he flinched. This is not how things were supposed to go. He was not supposed to be the one helplessly begging for his life, yet here he was pathetically lying on the floor like an idiot. Just sitting there. Unable to do anything for himself. It was happening all over again. For a split second, he saw Pfarrer Wilhelm's in hers, grinning that slimy, evil grin. The racing of his heart felt as though it could pound right out of his chest. He often thought about wanting to die, but he didn't want to die like this. He wasn't going to die a victim. If she killed him, no one would be left to protect Fritz from this crazy bitch.
He grabbed her sword, not caring about the cuts on his hands. He threw it--and her along with it--across the room. She shrieked. She tried to come back at him. Lodewijk shot a magic blast at her but he missed, blasting a gaping hole in the wall of the room. He tried to make a run for it, but she grabbed him from behind and pulled him down. They began to roll around on the floor, fighting each other tooth and nail. Without either of them noticing, they rolled near the hole in the wall. The girl was on top now, and he used his legs to launch her off once more...launching her right out of the makeshift window.
They both screamed. He quickly proceeded after her, making it to the ledge in time to grab the girl by her arm. Lodewijk may have disliked her, but he couldn't kill her. He wasn't a killer. He took these moments to catch his breath. Perhaps she was just afraid of him, as he was of her. The girl glanced down at the ground and back up at him. She exclaimed something to him, though he could tell by the look on her face she probably wasn't angry.
He shook his head and managed to say between pants, "I can'd...speak Fruidish." He was slowly losing his grip on her. He managed to pull her up back into the room. The two paused for a few moments before the girl popped back up to her feet, her sword now in hand. He wondered how she had such endless energy when he was exhausted, out of breath, and just about ready to call it quits and just let her kill him. His feelings of uselessness and helplessness returned as he laid there. Why was she still attacking if he'd just saved her life? Did she want him to grovel and beg to be let go? What was this sick game? Why was she determined to hurt him and humiliate him and make him suffer? He was glad Fritz wasn't there to see him getting his ass effortlessly kicked by some stupid girl. Why couldn't he just be a good fighter? Like one of those people who just wins every battle they've ever fought? That would be cool, that person always had a love interest that they always seemed to get in the end. And they were always getting their way. But he wasn't that person, it seemed. He supposed he was more of a supporting character that gets killed and no one cares because no one cared about the supporting character.
That anger began to set in again. The annoying girl poked him in the cheek with her stupid sword. Angered and annoyed at her triumph, he blasted her with all the power he could muster. Her body crashed into the ceiling. His beam hit her at an odd angle, so she ended up landing in her bed at the other end of the room, dropping her sword in the process. He quickly picked it up. Ha, now he had the upper edge!
The girl did not move. He tentatively moved over to her, weapon gripped tightly in his bleeding hand. He poked her with it and she did not move.
"Hey!" He yelled at her, but she did not respond. He forcibly lifted her eyelid but she did not move. Panic began to set in. Did he kill her? He hadn't meant to. He wasn't a killer. He quickly made the Sign of the Cross before pressing his ear against the warm skin of her chest. He could hear her heart beating, quickly but beating. He let out the breath he'd been holding.
"I did it." He whispered into the darkness. Even though he was the victor, as he looked at her lying there he began to feel that same rage all over again. How dare this girl think she could overpower him? This ought to be her punishment for her arrogance. Just throwing her sword around and expecting him to bend to her will. Well look at her now! He was the one having the last laugh! Now it was her turn to suffer and feel powerless.
This would be an event that he wouldn't forget, and neither would she.
***************
Kooky eventually returned to the Meringue Palace. He was hungry and bored so he had planned to summon a priestess, kill and butcher her and use his culinary expertise to make a nice, fulfilling meal. Perhaps it could even serve as a reward for Fritz and Lewdwig, for obediently keeping the Palace in order while he was away on royal business. He could make some juicy bacon, Fritz's favorite (as long as he didn't know what it was made out of) and a sizzling, savory Hamburg steak for Lewdwig.
He made his way to the gynaikonitis, where he'd left the boys when he left. He found Fritz there, leading the other priestesses in making flower crowns out of the flowers in the palace gardens. A girl was sitting behind him, playing with his hair. The priestesses looked to each other, concerned that they were seeing double. They asked each other if the other were seeing this, and if this was some sort of game or illusion.
"Oh! Kooky, welcome back! How was the funeral?" Fritz asked him in German.
"Fine. It ended up being a memorial service, 'cause there was no body. Apple went to jail for abusing and killing Roy, and I threw a rock at Iggy, which was pretty fun."
"I'm...glad you enjoyed yourself."
"Are you hungry? I'm considering cooking tonight."
"Can you make some bacon?"
"Of course….where's Lewdwig?"
"He….was acting very triggered. He was afraid and paranoid and whatnot, and he forced me to go to some room and go to sleep. I thought he just wanted me to be there so he could fall asleep like in the inner world, so when he fell asleep, I left. You told us to keep an eye on the priestesses, and I couldn't do that from that room. I'd guess he's still in there sleeping like a little baby." Fritz cooed.
Kooky let his nose lead him to Lewdwig's location (since Fritz had forgotten) and Fritz decided to go with him. When they made it to the bedroom where he'd been, he wasn't there.
"Oh." Fritz said, "Maybe...he went to go to the toilet or...get a snack?"
Kooky ignored Fritz's meaningless speculation. He followed where his smell led them away from that room till they eventually found themselves on the corridor where the Royal Apartments were located. The smell led him to Matera Shariee's bedroom door.
"Stay here, Fritz." He ordered. This made Fritz a little concerned. He wanted to know why, but he knew better than to ask.
Kooky dramatically busted the door open. He heard Lewdwig give a startled scream. He was sitting in Matera's bed, where her limp, bruised body lay. Her peplos had been pushed up, so that her long legs were exposed.
Kooky swiftly ran at him, Lewdwig not even attempting to dodge. Kooky rammed into him with such a force that caused them both to fly off the bed and crash through the wall. Everything happened so fast, Lewdwig felt like it was some sort of dream, like he wasn't really there and this wasn't really happening. Kooky was so strong….where had he been when Lewdwig needed him?
The two inevitably crashed to the ground below the hole, leaving a large crater in the stone ground outside the palace. Lewdwig's whole body felt sore and he didn't really have the energy nor the will to keep fighting for his life anymore. Still, he instinctively held his arms up to protect him as Kooky clawed at him.
"W-welcome back!" He exclaimed while he was being attacked.
Miraculously, Kooky stopped. "Don't you dare, 'wELcOmE bAcK' me." He hissed.
There was nowhere for Lewdwig to run, for Kooky was sitting on his body and he was heavier than he anticipated. "W-well...how was your trip?" He tried again. He didn't know if it was something he said, but Kooky began choking him.
"What were you doing to her?"
"I can't...really…..talk….while you're choking me…"
"What were you doing to her?" He asked again, tightening his grip as if he hadn't even heard what Lewdwig just said.
Back up in Matera Shariee's room, Fritz had been waiting outside but his curiosity to find out what all the commotion was got the best of him. He noticed the two holes in the wall and the girl sleeping on the bed. He rushed over to one of the holes and peered through it to see Kooky attacking Lodewijk. Quickly, he jumped through the hole and landed near them.
He ran over and yanked Kooky's arm but it wouldn't budge.
"Stop!" He cried, tears pricking his eyes as he tugged harder. "Stop it! You're killing him!"
"THAT'S THE IDEA!" Kooky angrily shouted back, violently shoving Fritz off of him. He was thrown into the nearby palace wall, losing consciousness upon impact.
Suddenly, Kooky began to feel as if his brain was on fire, the kind of fire that would actually hurt him. He let go of Lewdwig's thin neck to clutch his head as he screamed and groaned in pain. Lewdwig was doing the same so he must've felt it too, and if Fritz wasn't unconscious he would've felt it as well. As Kooky's brain felt as if it was literally being torn apart, Lewdwig and Fritz's limp bodies began to slowly vanish into thin air.
As the pain was too much for his body to bear, he found himself a victim of unconsciousness as well.
Finally, all was quiet in the Meringue Clouds once more.