Roderich and the German remembered Gilbert's words to Elizabeta. 'He's decided to kill himself and everybody with him if don't marry him.' She had until eleven o'clock to decide. Gilbert had chosen his time well. The Opera House would be full of people then.

A terrible thought came into the German's mind. How long had they been imprisoned in the torture chamber? Terrified, they climbed back to the chamber, calling out to Elizabeta.

"What time is it?" they asked.

At last, she answered them. "Five minutes to eleven," she replied, sobbing with relief. She hadn't expected to find Roderich alive, with his weak body. "Gilbert's given me the key from his bag, it opens two boxes. On has a bird, if I take that one, I'll have to marry him. The other has a wolf. That means no, and he'll blow us up. He's left me five minutes to decide."

"Elizabeta," the German cried. "Where are you?"

"Standing by the bird," she replied.

"Don't touch it!" he shouted. "Gilbert might have deceived you again. Perhaps it's the bird that'll blow us to pieces. He might have escaped and left us to die."

But soon they heard Gilbert's footsteps.

"Brother!" the German called out. "You know who I am, don't you?"

"You're not dead, little brother?" Gilbert replied. "Not a word from you or the awesome me will blow everything up. Now listen, Lizzy! If you take the wolf, we'll die, but if you just take the bird, I'll release water to soak the gunpowder, I give you my awesome promise. You have two minutes to decide."

A terrible silence fell. Roderich knelt down and began to pray.

"Gil!" Elizabeta said at last. "I've taken the bird!"

Roderich and the German felt a rumble beneath their feet. Then they heard the hiss of water. They looked down. The barrels were covered with water, and they both drank deeply. But to their horror, the water continued to rise.

"Turn off the water now, Gilbert!" they shouted. "That's enough to soak the gunpowder!"

But there was no reply from the next room. They were alone in the swirling water, hanging onto the iron tree. And the water rose higher. "Gilbert!" the German cried out. "Remember, I'm your brother!"

They began to swim to find a way out, but they quickly lost their strength. First Roderich, then the German, they swirled round and round, until they sank under the dark water…

When the German opened his eyes again a few days later, he was in his own house. He learned from Lilli that Roderich had not been seen in Paris. An even greater tragedy had happened. Her brother, and Roderich's friend, had been found on the bank of the lake under the Opera House.

"There's no doubt that he'd been trying to find his friend," he thought. "He was the visitor who rang the bell that day we were in the torture chamber."

His servant announced the arrival of a stranger who would not give his name. A man, hidden by a large cloak and hat, was shown into his room. He looked very weak and leaned against the wall. Taking off his hat, he revealed his blood red eyes.

It was Gilbert.

"You've murdered Basch Zwingli!" the German cried. "What have you done with Roderich and Elizabeta?"

Gilbert sighed. "It was an accident, little brother," he gasped. "Basch Zwingli was already dead by the time I left my house…he fell into the water…I've come here…to tell you…that I'm going…to die…I'm dying of love."

"Is she dead?" the German asked, shaking Gilbert's arm.

"No, no, Ludwig, she's not dead," Gilbert replied "She saved your life. You were drowning and she came to me with her beautiful green eyes and begged me to stop the water. Half a minute later, it was all back in the lake."

"What about Roderich Edelstein?" Ludwig cried.

"He was my hostage for a while," Gilbert replied. "I locked him in the fifth cellar where nobody ever goes. Lizzy was waiting for me. A real and living bride…and I kissed her…mother and father never kissed me! They used to ignore me and hate me. No woman has ever kissed me…I fell at Elizabeta's feet…she cried! She never cries!" Gilbert sobbed out aloud. "I felt her tears on my face. She didn't run away. We cried together. I've tasted happiness at last!" Gilbert fell onto a chair, choking for breath. "She took my hand…I gave her a golden ring as a wedding present for her…and Roderich." Gilbert stopped. "I'm choking. Don't look at me."

Ludwig went to look through the window, his heart full of pity for his brother.

"I released the young man," Gilbert continued, "and told him to come with me to Lizzy. I made Lizzy promise to come back when I was dead and bury me in secret…I told her where to find my body. Then, she kissed me for the first time, here on the forehead…no, don't look! Then they left together, to find a priest in some lonely place to marry them."

Ludwig asked him no more questions. No one could have doubted the word of the crying 'Prussian' that night. He simply put on his mask back on again.

"Just before I die," he said. "I'll send you the belongings that Lizzy left behind. When you receive them, please put an announcement of death in the newspaper for her to read."

That was all. Gilbert left and went out to his car. Back to the Opera House.

Three weeks later, the Paris newspaper carried this announcement: THE AWESOME GILBERT BEILSCHMIDT, THE LAST PRUSSIAN, IS DEAD.

During building work at the Opera House thirty years later, a skeleton was found. It was in the place where Gilbert had once held a crying Elizabeta in his arms before he carried her down to his house on the lake.

On it's finger was a gold wedding ring.

A/N: It only took me three years to complete this fanfic. What a great sense of time (!).