From the moment he opened that tomato box, I knew.
My Holy Rome had come back for me.
At first, I had thought that I was hallucinating again—Holy Rome was dead, or at least that's what they had told Mr. Roderich and Miss Elizaveta.
But no, it was my Holy Rome. Even after all these years, I recognized him.
The only drawback was that Holy Rome had forgotten me.
Holy Rome went by a different name now—'Ludwig.' His sky blue eyes, once childishly round, had sparkled with affection every time he looked at me. Now, they were a colder shade of blue, and looked at me with unfamiliarity. Holy Rome had used to blush a light shade of pink whenever he saw me, but that too had been lost.
Holy Rome's hair had darkened slightly, but it was still styled similarly the day that I had last seen him. I could still remember with precise accuracy the details of that day… The words we had exchanged… I've loved you since the 900s… The brush that I had given him… And the sweet promises of seeing each other again, soon.
I remember the feeling of discovering that Holy Rome had disappeared, supposedly died, in war.
But now, Holy Rome had made a renaissance appearance; he had kept his promise after all.
I was now the one who had to help him; I finally have to return all the favors that Holy Rome had done for me as a child.
That is why day by day, I stay with Holy Rome, obeying him, training with him—but I do so acting childishly. I whine for pasta, I keep my eyes squinted shut most of the time, and I cry constantly, just like I had when I was little. Perhaps if I act naïve, Holy Rome would remember; his memory would return…
And then, someday, someday, my Holy Rome will finally come back to me, after an eternity of waiting.