Ashes to Ashes Chapter 1 Part 2
Beta'd by TheOtaku2 - thank you for your excellent work!
Note: I have gone back and edited this chapter and removed Norway's section from part a and b of chapter 1. You won't miss anything if you've read the story before, as it was shortened, rather than lengthened.
"Thank you for your continued patronage and have a wonderful day," Mathias Køhler waved with a smile after assisting his final customer. As with the rest of the townsfolk, he began the conclusion of his daily activity. Over the horizon, the setting sun indicated as time to wrap up all commerce and return home.
Sales had been excellent today. As Mathias counted the money in his envelope, a grin stretched across his face. He had made fifty-two kronas. It was enough to purchase food for an entire week.
He loaded his merchandise back into the wagon, carefully lifting the heavier items such as tables and bed frames and planting them at the bottom. Towards the top, he stationed the lighter objects, such as the wooden figurines, and jewelry boxes. After all, his vendor sold a variety of hand crafted items ranging from furniture to children's toys.
It was mostly whatever his cousin Berwald could carve. They had began their business approximately two years ago. Berwald would work from home and utilize his woodcraft skills to construct a variety of products. It was his specialty and his craftsmanship managed hold a concurring simple and stylish design.
Despite laboring in the same vicinity, Mathias had yet to become aware of his cousin's technique. Everything Berwald created was precise - completely perpendicular with a smooth finish. His cousin at times, often resembled a robot, as he employed his expertise. It was almost as if Berwald was unable to assemble any merchandise that wasn't absolutely flawless. Finally beginning to receive the recognition it deserved, Berwald's artistry was among the preeminent in town. Although their business had a slow start, they were finally beginning to see their net profit shift to the positive side.
While Berwald crafted the products, Mathias would traverse to town and merchant the goods. Each day, he followed a routine. In the morning, Mathias would leave at sunrise with his wagon filled with merchandise. He would make the two kilometer journey up towards the town center and towards the sidewalk of a popular pathway in the center of town. There he would set up his street vendor. There he would operate until noontime, when he would pack up shop and visit the local tavern for lunch and the occasional beer. After a good hour break, he would then commence his business until closing time.
He had gotten so familiar with the schedule, he could track the day as it progressed. Mornings were generally dull, which allowed him some extra time to prepare his stand. Afternoons on the other hand, were usually busier. During that period, there would be around five or six customers at any given hour.
Mathias considered himself a great salesman. Ever since he was young, it was apparent that he held great charm, charisma, and the ability to draw attention to himself. Once he caught a person's attention, he would then utilize his persuasion skills to convince that his products were of superior quality and in style. His techniques were usually successful and around half his customers walked out after making a purchase. From what he witnessed, it was a far higher rate than most of his rivals.
In spite of all his achievements, he had yet to own a formal shop. A heated building would be pleasant, especially during the upcoming months. The outside tended to become bitter, as the combined effects of the wind and snow turned the atmosphere frigid. Mathias rather envied those who had the privilege.
Unfortunately the business wasn't flourishing enough just yet. Soon it would be there, as savings were adding up. His dreams of owning his own store could be a good possibility in the future. 'Great work!' He gave himself a brisk word of encouragement, feeling the weight of his earnings in his pocket. 'If the profit rates keep up, the store will be ours in no time!"
On rare occasions, Mathias found the chill affecting his morale. For the most part, however, he managed to ease around the inconvenience. There was no choice, in all honesty. After all, his salesman skills were the sole source of income, which he and Berwald depended, was what brought food to the table.
After securing his merchandise, Mathias turned to the other side of his wagon. There he greeted his horse, giving its mane a soft stroke. With his other hand, he unchained the horse from the post and fastened it to the wagon, before fastening a saddle to its back. Although it showed signs of old age, the horse made travelling between home and work much easier and was quite useful to keep around.
Mathias continued his stroll for a few blocks. He had one final stop before heading home.
At the market, Mathias found some fresh herring. Although he tended to have disagreements with Berwald on food, the one thing they both enjoyed was fish, which ended up as the main course on most days, when funds were sufficient. There was also sale on potatoes, so he picked up a bag full as well. They tasted fantastic, roasted along with fish.
As he paid the shopkeeper six kronas for the goods, Mathias couldn't help but let his eyes wander on a bottle of beer. It had been a while since he had something nice. The beer would only cost him about another six kronas, which would have been the equivalent of an entire day's worth of food. His profits were higher than usual today and it wouldn't hurt to splurge a little. He had the money to afford the indulgence.
This was too good to reject. Surely after a few drinks, even Berwald would have no complaints on the expenditure.
Mathias placed his groceries into the carriage and settled himself into the saddle. After positioning his feet into the stirrups, he adjusted the reins and gave the horse a gentle nudge. His horse immediately obeyed and began a gentle trot down the street. As he passed by the local townsfolk, Mathias greeted them with a smile and wave. A few of the locals responded and saluted back in response, but the gesture was mostly ignored and unappreciated. 'Tch, ignorant people', He mused as the gentle rhythm of the horse's movements accelerated, 'no one appreciates friendship anymore.'
He lived a small distance from town and the commute usually took a good twenty minutes. The town least had a delightful scenery. The area surrounding the main center was quite a sight, with its evergreen trees and numerous rounded slopes. It was a pleasant place for a person to relax and unwind. Despite that, Mathias found the trip rather lonely. 'I'd much rather have some human company.' he pondered absentmindedly.
The sound of screams and cheering rippled in the distance. As Mathias was jolted out of his thoughts, he noticed a rather repugnant smell. From the far stretches of his vision, he could see a dark puffs of smoke, rising as they merged with clear surroundings, polluting the atmosphere with a revolting shroud of smog. With one hand, he released his grip on the reins to pinch his nose shut, in an attempt to block out the horrid odor. He twisted his face in disgust. Mathias knew exactly what the sounds, sights, and smells were.
It was an execution. Somewhere, separated by a couple miles worth of space, an accused witch was on the stake, slowly burning to her gruesome end.
He was familiar with the scenario. The witch executions always took place in the evening. They were often the spectacle of the village. People from all over would visit on their way home from work or the market to gawk at the poor soul on the pyre. Mathias never understood the entertainment factor behind an execution. It boggled his mind how some people could enjoy it. He had gone to one in the past out of sheer curiosity. The sight was an atrocious plight of torture and agony. It left him with a nauseating feeling and witnessing it once was enough for him to avoid any future events in the same manner as if they were the bubonic plague.
To Mathias' dismay, the witch burnings have become completely periodic. It rather reflected the relentless and barbarous nature the town had evolved into.
It was three years back, if his recollection was correct. The news of the town spread abruptly over the pretense that the church had caught a young woman performing black magic right in her own backyard. She was promptly tried and executed. At that time, he had felt relieved that perhaps there was one less dangerous witch in the world. Four months later, another person had been accused of witchcraft - a married housewife this time. She too had been tried and executed under the law. From there on out, a multitude of witches were caught and sent to their fiery graves. Whilst the purges increased at an ever frequent rate, the town leaders assured that it was for the good of the citizens. It was supposed to protect them from evil and the perils of black magic. As time went on, Mathias began to doubt the validity of the claim.
Now to the point where they had become weekly spectacle, it was as if everyone in town had accepted them as a routine aspect of their lives. Mathias found that fact rather disturbing.
The witch hunts had been a combined effort by the military and the church. The clergy of the town had always emphasized the statement that vile beings were on the loose, hiding among the innocents and plotting heinous deeds. The military had a nasty habit of meddling in people's private affairs and using brute force to achieve whatever they desired. For that, Mathias disliked them equally as much. When the two sides joined forces, the predicament of the town only deteriorated until it turned into the chaotic state it was now.
The day the witch trials began, was the day the atmosphere of the town changed. Despite the occasional passing wave on the street, people grew paranoid of each other. No one stayed out after the skies darkened, in fear of their safety and raising suspicion on themselves. All the pleasures and enjoyment of daily life was sucked dry and replaced with blanket of gloom and misery. Mathias remembered the simpler times, where neighbors were friends and trust was easy to find. Instead the mentality of the town had turned into one that was cold-hearted and estranged, as backstabbing and mistrust became the norm.
Thankfully, during the time he had spent reminiscing, Mathias had reached home. Briskly, he hopped off his horse, unlocked the front gate and lead his wagon inside. After directing the horse to its rest area and chaining it to the post, he hauled the wagon full of merchandise towards the shed. This time, he remembered to grab his groceries from the back of the wagon before locking up the shed.
Mathias gave a loud sigh, as his duty was completed for the day. Approaching the door of his cabin he gave it a hard knock. A few seconds later, the tall figure of his cousin appeared.
"Good evening, Waldy." he greeted as he let himself inside their home, ignoring the scowl directed his way. Mathias was well aware of the fact his cousin detested that nickname. However, he wasn't bound to let it falter his habit. "How's everything going around here?"
"Good Ev'ning," came the grunted response. "Good s' far. Mostly just got m're wood for craft'ng." The evidence of his cousin's activities were indicated by the pile of fresh logs next to the workbench.
Berwald had a particular way of speaking, with his usage of shortened sentences and the occasional dropping of vowels. It tended to be unintelligible to anyone who wasn't familiar with his voice.
Growing up with Berwald, Mathias was familiar with the story behind his cousin's unique speech. At the age of five, Berwald had came down with a serious case of scarlet fever. THe consequences left him bed-ridden for over two months, as his body became far too weak to handle the stress of standing for a prolonged periods and the stress from everyday duties. During that period, his skin swelled and turned bright red, as it became covered with small, circular spots. Every night, his temperature ran high and his throat swelled to the point where ingesting solid food was near impossible. His entire family had given up hope, assuming the disease had become lethal and eventually suspected it to take Berwald's life. Miraculously however, he not only survived but also made a substantial recovery.
After the illness receded, his skin returned back to its normal, pale and peachy pigment. As his health got recovered, he was able to gain full stamina and return to the life of an average child. Despite the victories, the one thing Berwald could not restore was his voice. It seemed that the disease had caused permanent damage upon his vocal chords. Although Berwald wasn't the talkative type, in the few times he did speak, his dialogue was somewhat bizarre and hard to comprehend.
Mathias removed his shoes, and hung his coat up on the rack, before pulling a chair from the dining table and settling down. Since it was Berwald's turn to make dinner, he had some extra time to utilize for leisure.
"Guess what Waldy? You're gonna love this. Subtracting out the cost of food, we made a grand total of forty kronas!" he beamed setting the groceries and their daily earnings on the table. "I even got us something extra to celebrate!"
Berwald nodded as he took the money, placing it into the savings jar. Now nearly packed to the top, it was filling up well.
"Hey, how much do you reckon we have now?" Mathias asked, trying to form a rough estimate in his head.
"W'th today's earnings, 'bout twelve tho'sand kronas." responded Berwald, as he secured the jar back into the safe.
"That's fantastic! We're in luck then!" Their saving were adding up better than he expected. "We might finally be having that big move!" Mathias reminded himself to start looking for any lofts in town. Perhaps his goal of owning an actual store would come faster than he envisioned.
He thought of the various types of shops he'd seen. There were many that would function well, but a two storied residence building would be perfect and would be ideal. It could serve a dual purpose as a store and house, with the bottom floor as the shop and the top as the much needed new living space for Berwald and himself.
As his current home had been crudely built, it was starting to show the signs of decay and laceration, due to it's decrepit age. The walls were filled with weak spots, which had began to crumble in and the roof occasionally leaked at the first signs of precipitation.
Mathias always desired a space more vast. After residing in the paltry cabin for the entire twenty years of his life, he felt as if he had outgrown his childhood home.
However, they could still make good use of the old cabin. Berwald possessed the proper skills to patch up the holes and renovate the place slightly, making it more aesthetically pleasing. Then he would sell it. Mathias reckoned he could make another eight hundred kronas off of it. The deed had been in his name for the past six years. After all, he had automatically inherited it after his father's impetuous abandonment.
"Mm'. That's nice," Berwald mumbled as he scanned the the contents of the bag. Gathering the fish and potatoes, he placed them them on the kitchen counter for preparation later. His lips formed a tight frown as he eyed the large bottle of beer. "Wh't did I tell ya 'bout wast'n money on alcohol?"
"Aww, come on Waldy," Mathias cooed. He'd expected his cousin to be displeased. Berwald needed to loosen up a bit from time to time. "It's been forever since we've had anything to drink! You gotta let a guy live from time to time!"
"Y' had a glass last week. 'Nd the week b'fore y' downed 'n entire bottle 'f aquavit" Berwald's voice held an irate tone as he corrected. "Last month y' bought a whole -"
"Alright, alright!" Mathias injected. He poured a glassful and offered Berwald the first drink . "So I enjoy having some good liquor on occasion."
Shaking his head, Berwald rejected the offer. "I wouldn't call 'yer drinkin' occasional."
"Fine, maybe I do drink a lot. But this stuff's good! What's the harm in doing something nice for yourself? Oh well. Your loss." Mathias shrugged, taking a gulp. "Guess that makes more for me!"
Berwald had gone in the kitchen to prepare dinner. In the cupboard he pulled out a paring knife to gut and de-scale the fish. "If y' want that new store, y' bett'r cut back 'n yer habit."
Mathias scowled at the comment, but continued to drink. He knew Berwald had a valid point, but Mathias would never admit it. Rather than listening to reason, he'd probably just treat himself to another bottle next week. That was the major difference between his cousin and himself.
Even though they were related and bore a fairly similar appearance, with their well-built physiques, light eyes, and golden hair, they couldn't be more discordant in personality.
While Mathias was outgoing, social, brash and had a habit of acting without thinking, Berwald in contrary, was the type that listened more than talked. He was considerably more level-headed and tended to be spend his days indoors, keeping his social contact minimal. Berwald's reclusiveness extended to the point where he rarely ever left home, only exposing himself to the outside world in the case of an emergency. In fact, the only contact he had with the townsfolk and the open-air was through Mathias.
When Berwald wasn't busy crafting and carving new merchandise for Mathias to deliver into town and sell, he surrounded himself with books. Mathias was the reckless one, as this was one act he would never consider enjoyable. Instead, he'd rather be at the local bar, enjoying the food and spirits.
In addition to indulging in the various forms of literature, Berwald only bothered with practical books that aided in the increase of his knowledge. He enjoyed a variety of topics in his readings, ranging anywhere from ancient history to mechanical physics. Mathias knew that aspect of his cousin quite well. After all, he was the one that replenished Berwald's supply with material from the library. This week, he had brought an oddly book titled "Political Relations Between Mankind and Other Living Beings". While Mathias never understood why Berwald enjoyed those strange topics so much, he did have a rough idea of why Berwald spent all his leisure time on reading.
It was because Berwald no longer attended school. Perhaps his habit of reading was his way of compromising for the loss.
Unlike Berwald, Mathias had never reveled in the act of attending classes. He found the pursuit of academia quite boresome. Instead he preferred working outdoors and around other people, rather than being isolated around exorbitant amounts of mental work. For that, he had first considered Berwald the most fortunate person he'd ever known. It would be a few years afterwards that Mathias was finally allowed to halt his education, in order to work full time.
However, leaving school had not been Berwald's choice. Instead of rejoicing as Mathias had, he was distraught. It would seem odd that a studious child like Berwald would suddenly quit, but too much social pressure could cause the most aspiring to terminate their goal.
As their behavior suggested, the townsfolk were closed-minded and not accepting of those who were different. Berwald was among those who had an appearance considered an abomination.
While Mathias was considerably tall, Berwald's physique completely towered the room. Standing at an astounding 6'8, the tip of Berwald's head just under a foot lower than the ceiling.
Height was something Berwald was troubled with since youth. Ever since his childhood, Berwald had been noted for his remarkable stature. As he continued to grow at the same alarming rate, always found himself the tallest among other children his age. Now sixteen, his growth spurt seemed to finally stall, much to Berwald's own relief. He however, there was still the likely possibility that he was the largest person in the entire town, other than the infamous Lieutenant Braginski. There was still an uncanny difference, nonetheless. Lieutenant Braginski was an adult man, somewhere in his thirties and Berwald was only a teenager.
Supplementary to his height, Berwald had a tendency to glare. In actuality, he wasn't glaring. Berwald simply had to squint his eyes in order to focus better. While the gesture itself was innocent, it was often interpreted as a sign of hostility.
Berwald also had poor eyesight, which was indicated by the pair of wire-framed glasses on his nose. It had seemed that over the years, his vision declined further and the glasses were no longer strong enough. He might possibly plan a trip to the eye doctor in the future. For now, his sight wasn't bad enough to make it a priority and Berwald could resort to the squinting to get through his daily activities.
Mathias had known his cousin long enough to understand that Berwald had developed this method to keep his eyes from blurring. He couldn't blame others for feeling a bit intimidated however. As Berwald fixated a particular object or person, it seemed almost as if dark shadows were forming under his eyes. It could be quite menacing to someone unfamiliar with the mannerism.
Regardless of their constant bickering, they could be considered childhood friends. Mathias had grown up with Berwald. Thus, he knew that his cousin wasn't initially recluse. Life had been significantly smoother for Berwald when he was younger. Once, he was no different than the average child, visiting ice cream parlors, window shopping at toy stores, and attending mass with his parents on Sundays. Berwald even had his own group of friends. When the weather was pleasant, he would be outside, playing their childhood games.
Nonetheless, the situation took a shift for the worse as the town grew more conservative with the increasing influence of the Vatican church. There were some great ideas that came with the Vatican and others not so great. Among the negative impact, came the emphasis on expelling all persons deemed abnormal. With his tremendous height, unusual speech, and freakish glare, Berwald was at the top of the list.
The frenzy spread through the heart of the town and Berwald began to notice it from his neighbors, classmates, and people he once considered friends. Even his own parents weren't immune. Their treatment of Berwald worsened along with the town's repulsion of those who did not fit the norm. Everyone he knew began excluding him. His former friends and classmates had come to evade his presence and sever their ties. His parents considered him a burden to the family, and at times refused to be seen with him in public. Strangers stared, pointed and accused him of being ridiculous creatures - anywhere from a troll, all the way to a demon.
It wasn't long after, Berwald started to withdraw. Burdened by the mockery and afraid to shame his family, he lessened the time he spent outside and around other people, until he virtually ceased to leave the house all together. Mathias had witnessed the regression of his cousin, and it could only be described as troubling. Within a short amount of time, Berwald had transformed from a happy child, to a complete hermit.
In spite of all his hardships, the same series of unfortunate circumstances led to their current living arrangement.
Three years ago, Berwald's father had received a job promotion and needed to relocate to another town. At that time, Berwald was eager of the prospect of a new beginning, at an unfamiliar place. However, he was also uncertain. Leaving his hometown was a major change and he was not convinced if it would be a positive one. Turns out, that wasn't necessary.
On their moving day, Berwald's parents had sent him to a candy shop with two kronas, allowing him to purchase whatever sweets he desired. The gesture had been surprising from his normally overbearing parents. Berwald was delighted by their sudden kindness. However, after returning home with the bag of candy, his parents along with their belongings and wagon had vanished. After a while, Berwald's suspicions were confirmed. Rather than dealing with the mockery and gossip that came with their strange looking son, his parents decided to not go through such hassel. They had already left and he was abandoned. Afterwards, Berwald had no choice but to seek the help of his only relatives in town. Consequently he ended up living with Mathias, in their cramped, aged cabin.
Mathias found himself reminiscing again as he finished up this third glass of beer. Berwald poked his head from out the kitchen, signalling that dinner was ready. As Mathias predicted, Berwald had roasted both the fish and potatoes. even though it was a typical meal and a bland combination, at least the taste was decent and tolerable between the two of them.
As soon as the food was set on the table, Mathias dug in. He had exerted much energy today and it showed in his need for nourishment. "What?" he asked, upon seeing the look of abhorrence on Berwald's face. "I'm hungry."
"Y' can least give m' a chance to pl'ce the dining plates." Berwald remarked, taking the seat on the opposite side of the table. " 'Nd don't talk with yer mouth full. It's disgust'ng."
"Well I've been out and about all day." he shrugged, with disregard to anything Berwald had said. In fact, his mouth was most likely full of food as he spoke the last sentence. "My amazing charm and appearance need their fuel to sustain."
"Mm' y' should see the look on y' face right now." Berwald carefully poked his food, finally helping himself to his first serving. By then, Mathias had already gobbled down a good portion of the fish. Pieces of their dinner stuck to his cheeks as he ate. "Would h'rdly call th't amazing."
"That's cause you wouldn't know amazing if it pissed on top of your head." Mathias laughed. His mouth had been full of food during his few seconds of amusement, which resulted in a few pieces falling on the table.
"Why d' I even both'r" Berwald shook his head at the mess. His side was significantly more cleanly. "Well y' gonna clean that up 'cause 'm not touch'ng it."
"Whatever. It's not like you make me every night" Mathias snorted in response. "And it's not if I care for your opinion."
In all honesty, Berwald could condone his cousin's lack of table manners as long as Mathias understood that such odious behavior had its consequences. In the worst case scenario, Mathias would sulk for a good hour before realizing he had no choice but to fix his mess. Thus Berwald decided to let the issue slide. "H'w are things 'n town?"
"Eh, you know, same old. The old hag Ania stopped by and bought out all the toy dolls, which was where all that extra cash came from." Mathias paused to take a final drink of beer. He had gone through the bottle much faster than he'd expected. Now that he thought about it, the price of six kronas was a bit of a swindle. At least he enjoyed it while it lasted. "Oh yeah and there's a huge demand for those little religious wall crosses right now. We can probably squeeze some good cash out of this hype if we hurry."
"Ye'h I figured. Some pe'ple will believe an'thing the church tells th'm." It was likely from an mettlesome sermon from the past couple weeks, but the townsfolk had gotten the strange notion that nailing a cross to their doors would warrant some type of protection. "As if a p'ece of wood can defend y' from a bad w'tch."
If his cousin and he could agree on one thing, it was the ridiculous hysteria among the most superstitious townsfolk. Mathias gave a chuckle before changing to a more serious tone. "Now that you mentioned witches, I just remembered something I saw on my way home. There was another one of those executions today." he felt a chill run down his spine, as he recalled the sounds and smells. "Looks like they just keep getting worse and worse."
"Mm' th'ts not shock'ng." Berwald paused for a moment, poking at his food. "Y' would be surpr'sed t' think th't magic users were onc' 'n integr'ted part of society."
Mathias raised an eyebrow. "Well if that was the case, then things have really taken a full turn."
"Things we're peac'ful 'nd then the religon bec'me more influent'al. Th'ts when they started gett'ng suspicious 'f each other. It was j'st someth'ng I read earlier. Interest'ng t' ponder 'bout though," Berwald explained, summarizing the details from his readings this week. "But I'd be more careful when y' outs'de. Anyth'ng strange y' do can make pe'ple think y' into the dark arts."
"Ah, good for you and your bookworm-ness," Mathias found himself nodding absentmindedly. As the combined effect of beer, along with a hearty meal had kicked in and he felt drowsy, ready to turn in for the night. "I should be fine though." he stifled a yawn in the middle of his sentence. "I bet the townsfolk couldn't do without my stunning presence anyway."
He saw Berwald rolling his eyes at the arrogant comment. However, it seemed that the desire of ending the day's activities was mutual between the two of them. After another ten minutes of relatively eating in silence, they finished up their dinner. As promised, Mathias cleared the table and swept the mess on the floor. Berwald took care of the dishes, and after their nightly chores were complete, they took turns washing up at the designated bath space in the yard.
When all was done, Mathias snuggled into his bed. He saw Berwald turning off the lamp, before climbing the ladder towards his own berth. They had a bunk bed, as it was the only way to fit two in their small cabin. Tomorrow required an early commencement for the same routinely activities. It would be yet another day full of duties.
Hello all and thank you for all your kind support the first chapter. Boy, I was nervous posting for the first time and your kind reviews really made me feel better.
Also I would like to thank the nice anon who pointed out my formatting error. It helped quite a bit, and I probably would have never noticed till much later.
Ehh, I don't like this chapter at all. It was all a big block of text before I went back and added in some dialogue. Hopefully it flows alright. I read through it once and fixed some parts, but this is probably the extent of my editing skills. I must say, Mathias and Berwald were harder to write than Tino. Hopefully they were in character and I didn't butcher them up too much. The reason for Berwald's love of books is because in my head canon, Sweden is probably the smartest out of the Nordic countries (not that the others aren't smart or anything ^^;) and his bookwormness may prove useful every once in a while.
Unfortunately not much happened this chapter. Boy, things are really moving slug pace, I just realized. Sorry about that. Next chapter will hopefully be more exciting as real things start to happen. This has mostly been an intro/prologue thingy.
Anyway. I'm mostly just glad I managed to get this chapter out within a week. Regular updates will probably be like once every two weeks though, since these chapters are fairly long - but don't hold me to any promises and things may change as I get busy with school work. Feel free to drop a message and tell me what you think. I'm a friendly person, I promise ^_^