CHAPTER 8 FRITZ
Lying in our freshly made bed, our dinner trays, filled with the half eaten dishes from our evening meal, that were now cast aside and resting haphazardly on the bedcovers; we lay bathed in the warming glow from the bedside lanterns. As my head reclined on his torso, my fingers tracing the patterns his sparse, black tufts of hair scattered on his sun kissed chest; I waited for him to speak.
Inhaling deeply on his cigarette, his voice low and gravely, he began.
"It weren' more 'an a couple o' hours after ya left me, Jas, that my's relaxin' were interrupted by another bangin' at the door. Naturally I told 'em ta 'Fuck off'. After all, I'd earned some rest after all that I'd seen the night before. But the voice were a persistent little shit head an' claimed to be sent from the Council, with orders ta bring me ta 'em immediately. So's o' course I told the voice ta 'Fuck off' , again, an' that 'He could tell the Council that they could shove their orders up their ass'. Polite as could be. An' I lit me another smoke an' continued my's relaxin'.
Ten minutes later the door were unlocked an' there musta been 'bout ten o' 'em armed Military Police rushin' in here with that 'chubby guy' from the Council.
Ya know the one, Jas. Sorta short, fat, slicked down black hair, always prancin' around in his finery an' even more o' a selfish pig than the rest o' 'em?" he asked, turning his head to look at me.
I shook my head. " The Council doesn't dirty its hands with mere underlings, such as myself. We're just the help", I answered scornfully.
"Well, I were amazed that he could even walk this far", Kenny grinned. "An' I figured that the Council mus' have a perdy big bug up its ass, I mean apart from it not havin' no more Royal family ta leach onta! 'Specially if they's was goin' ta all this trouble ta get my attention. So's I jus' lay back an' enjoyed the show; watchin' 'Councillor Chubby ' puff an' pant, goin' all red in the face as he screamed orders at the Military Police ta get my clothes, put 'em on the bed, an' confiscate my weapons. While the rest o' 'em jus' stood 'round the bed, their rifles cocked an' aimed straight at me."
" Ackerman! Get your lazy-God -forsaken -ass out of that bed right now!" He bellowed, his piggy face furious that I showed no fear," Even if you are just an interloper that has wormed his way into the Council, you should know by now that any order given by the Council holds the same weight as one given by the Royal Monarch. And is to be obeyed, immediately!" He finished, his beady eyes looking at me with both malice and desperation.
"Well, ain't that sorta the problem here?" I asked disdainfully, my face darin' him ta jus' try an' make a move! " That we ain't got NO Monarch, no more?! So therefore ya orders mean diddly squat!" I laughed.
Immediately the energy in the room changed, as the Military Police searched each other's faces for confirmation o' what I'd said. Mouthin' ta each other, 'Is that true?' 'Whaaatt?!' Until Councillor Chubby, his face reddenin', panic in his eyes as he looked at the soldiers questionin' faces, finally regained control.
Raisin' his voice 'bove the din o' the murmuring an' flappin' his arms in front o' him, as if he could squash their doubts jus' by wavin' ' his arms he yelled," Insubordination to the Council will not be tolerated, Ackerman. I don't know where you've gotten your information from, but you are severely mistaken about Paradise having no Monarch. And, last time I checked, it was YOUR duty to guard and serve that Monarch. You have five minutes to dress and appear before the Council. If you do not, consider yourself a traitor to the Crown. To be arrested and executed."
Guess they all knew that if'n I really wanted ta, I coulda sliced 'em open in less 'an a minute. Guns or no guns!"Kenny smiled, arrogance written all over his face. "That were jus' for show, an' ta make Councillor Chubby feel betta. But it were apparent ta me; that ONLY me an' the Council knew that the Queen were dead an' the Royal family gone. An' I didn' know if it were a lie or not, 'bout there still bein' a Monarch ta serve. So's I dressed. The Police carried my guns an' Silver Lady and we's all walked back up ta the Palace, the long way 'round; the sun shinin', the birds singin'. An' me with a gun in my back.
Once inside the ornate pale blue an' white Council Room, sunlight streamin' through the immense sparklin' windows, draped with pale blue velvet curtains; where all the members were seated at the white marble conference table, save Chubby an' me, the Military Police were dismissed.
"So's what's all this crap 'bout me havin' a Monarch that I need ta be protectin'?" I challenged, lookin' at their faces one by one. Their expressions grim, their mouths set in determined lines an' their eyes full o' fear. Their expensive gowns an' protected lifestyles, unable to mask the dread that last night's news had brought 'em.
"I told ya all last night, or were it very early this mornin', when I came back from the Chapel; what had happened. The Queen is dead. All the Reiss's are dead. There AIN'T no more Monarchy.
An' by the looks o' it, ya'll ain't made no announcement ta the people 'bout their Queen. Instead ya've assembled ya selves here, scratchin' ya own asses, pretendin' ya know what the Hell your doin' while Paradise goes ta shit! So's ya tell me! What the fuck am I doin' here?" I asked as I took the seat closest ta me and rested my legs on the polished marble table, leaning back in the plush blue an' gold velvet chair.
Chubby seated himself at the head o' the table an' after glancin' at the other members an' receivin' some kind o' silent communication, began his explanation.
" We're aware of the details you relayed to the Council last night, Ackerman. But we think that it's time that YOU were made aware of some facts regarding the Royal family that even your 'close friend' and shall we say, 'benefactor' ; King Uri, was unaware of." He paused, holdin' up his hand ta stifle the snickers that had erupted 'round the table, as the Councillors met each other's eyes with knowin' looks. All o' 'em rememberin' Uri's love o' the abandoned, the downtrodden, the strays.
When all were quiet again, he continued, " There has always been a contingency plan, for this kind of emergency. Only a select few who of those that served on the Council knew of this contingency. So secret was it, that the Royal family itself, was unaware of its existence. This was to protect them, so that their knowledge of this plan could never be shared. Or taken.
Last night was NOT the event that eradicated the last of the Reiss family. An obscure ancestor, living in anonymity under an assumed name; resides in the country-side, north of Mitras, near Wall Sina. Like the first King, his name is Fritz. He is old now. But he WILL replace the Queen. And keep order in Paradise. You are tasked with the job of finding him, protecting him and bringing him here, where there will be a secret coronation and he will be crowned King Fritz of Paradise.
Meanwhile, we will announce to the people that the Queen is ill, and after Fritz is crowned, we will tell Paradise that our beloved Queen has succumbed to her illness and that Paradise has a new King. One that will lead them out of the devastation of the events from yesterday. And WE will form the Royal Government. Hope and order will be restored!" Chubby finished, his shiny face smilin', his eyes bright, as he raised himself from his chair; standin' triumphantly.
He stood there as if'n he were waitin' for a round o' applause or somethin'. So impressed with himself. I remained seated. An' jus' looked at him. A blank expression on my face. I still couldn' figure out if this were bullshit or the real deal. But either way I knew I'd do it. Not 'cause I were a feared not ta. O' bein' a traitor. But 'cause I had ta know... was Uri alive in someone else? Did it not matter that a titan had eaten the Uri I saw reflected in Frieda's eyes? I had ta know. An' I had ta see if this new king would be injected with that same blue serum an' become Uri.
Seein' me unmovin' on my chair, Chubby must've decided that I were simple, an' needed my orders spelt out ta me. So's he sat down an' like I were a child, he lowered his voice an' lookin' in my eyes as he spoke slowly an' clearly, he said, "You will choose two men to take with you from your squad, Ackerman. They've all been assembled and are by the Palace's rear entrance, awaiting your decision as to which members will accompany you. There is an old, insignificant, rather unremarkable carriage that you will take, in order to transport the King back to the Palace. So unremarkable, it should attract no unwanted attention either from civilians or bandits. None of your squad have been informed as to why they have been summoned, or what mission it is that they are accompanying you on. I leave the explanation to your discretion, once you have selected the two soldiers that will assist you with this task.
All are good soldiers," he sniffed, brushing his nose as if an unpleasant odour had appeared. "And all are devoted to the Royal family and the order of Paradise. You may leave."
So's I did. I picked up my guns an' Silver Lady from the Military Police Officer stationed outside the Council Room door, an' made my way ta the rear entrance o' the Palace an'....
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hang on a minute there, Kenny", I interrupted, untangling myself from his arms and sitting up to look into his eyes.
" What are you talking about? Since when did you have a 'squad'? What squad? You're the bodyguard to the Monarch, not the 'squad' to the Monarch!" I interrogated.
This was crazy. What was he talking about? Why hadn't he told me? What else didn't I know?
He looked at me, as a parent looks at a child that doesn't understand how the world works, laughed, and pulled me back down into my previous position on his chest, wrapping his arms around me.
"Well I guess ya right on that one, Owl", he answered, kissing the top of my head. " It jus' sorta happened. Wasn' like it were some promotion or somethin'!
It were close ta the end o' Uri's reign. Afore we was married. He were worried 'bout my future once he were gone, an' 'bout the persecution o' the Ackermans resuming once he were no longer King. So's he set up a secret branch o' the Military Police, called The First Interior Squad, an' I were appointed as their head. They was totally independent, answerin' ta no one. Carryin' out the orders o' the Monarch an' the Council only. Hell, even Nile Dok didn' know what we did!
Mostly it were jus' the same ol' same ol'. But Uri knew that if I were leader o' a government branch, answerin' ta no one, that the Council would keep me around. Jus' in case they needed my services one day, for somethin' they didn' want gettin' out ta the general population. Like this! That's why I've kept my seat on the Council all these years."
"And your men? Who are they? How big is this 'squad'?" I asked, drinking in this new information.
"It's only small, 'bout twenty o' us", he continued mechanically,as if he were giving a briefing to his superiors. Makes it easier ta make sure there's no leaks, no rumours that could 'educate' the masses 'bout who we are an' what we do. More people that are involved, the messier it gets. An' we don' want mess. An' neither do the people we work for.
I hand picked all my men. All from the Military Police. All skilled. All ruthless. All crazy Wallists. And all fanatics. Devoted ta Uri, the Monarchy an' ta keepin' order in Paradise.
There's a couple ya might know, Ralph an' Djel Sannes. Stick tagether like theys was joined at the hip", he said glancing at me.
I shook my head.
"Well, anyways they was the two that I chose ta accompany me on my trip ta find ol' king Fritz.
It's funny ta think that the very men that had hunted me for so long, imprisoned ol' Grandpa an' drove my family down inta the Underground; now take their orders from me!
I remember when I first joined Uri, he were givin' a speech ta the Church of the Walls. We was all there; the nobles, the Council, the fanatics from the Military Police. An' seein' Sannes there beside me I joked 'bout bein' sorry for killin' so many o' his comrades when I were Kenny the Ripper.
I could see the fanaticism in his eyes as he watched Uri speak", l watched him recall, his eyes dreamy.
"He loved that man. Uri were God incarnate ta him, an' some o' the others. An' I guess he saw somethin' similar in my eyes, 'cause he jus' waved away my apology an' said somethin' 'bout all bein' on the right side now. An' it were from them that loved Uri, I picked my squad", Kenny finished, lighting up another cigarette.
It made sense. Looking back at our life together, I remember being amazed at how regular, how ordered it was. Most days when I'd finished work, Kenny wasn't far behind me, or even sometimes he was at home before me. We spent most evenings together. Rarely did he have an overnight trip, or was held back late by the Council. There was rarely a night where I didn't lay in his arms as I drifted off to sleep. We breakfasted together most mornings, though it was usually me who left for work first; often leaving him lying in bed, smoking a cigarette.
I had put it down to Uri's death; that now Uri no longer lived, Kenny had lost his obsession and need to be with him. Even though Uri lived in Frieda, I knew that she held only a pale imitation of the Uri Kenny loved. Never did I dream that our increased time together was due to Kenny's changed job description!
"So, it was you and your men that found this mysterious heir, Fritz. And that's why Paradise has a new Reiss on the throne", I muttered to myself. " So they weren't lying! He really is a long lost descendant, a Reiss."
" Well now, I wouldn' go gettin' yaself too excited there", Kenny replied, exhaling a puff of smoke. " See, as soon as I seen him, in that dilapidated ol' shack o' his, an' looked in his eyes I knew he weren' no Reiss. The empty liquor bottles piled up 'round his house told me he were nothin' but a drunk. Kept well supplied in booze an' necessities by someone with money ta waste. A Council Member, prob'ly .
An' lookin' at him, I understood what the Council was tryin' ta do. Install a fake King, a puppet king, on the throne, an' seize power for themselves.
An' that belief, only became stronger when I returned with Fritz ta the Council Room in the Palace an' they told me 'bout my next job.
Ta kill Rod's whore an' his bastard child."