In France Ludwig should make some beautiful photos of Paris, increase the friendship with local government and persuade Francis, hidden in his Vichy shelter on a south, that it wouldn't be bad for him, if he tighten conditions for the french jewish population. He certainly shouldn't end up fighting somewhere in Benelux and watching, how his easily gained empire is falling apart.
"She's not pregnant."
Ludwig heard and recognized this voice without difficulties, despite the fact he's knee-deep in a slushy mud and grenades are exploding above his head. He was just walking through his own units and the voice completely confused his senses. Quickly he went back to examine all soldiers in a row, who were already prepared for attack and his doing threw them off a balance. He was grabbing their arms, exploring their faces, taking their helmets off. He wasn't sure what kind of a man he's exactly looking for, but he knew it's not one of them. He miss the feel of discomfort, uneasiness and strange pushy cold. He didn't find him until he reached the end of the row.
"Here, Ludwig," said unnamed soldier.
Ludwig slowly approached to a small, wooden canopy, built simply in the middle of the forrest. Under a few boards, carelessly nailed on a unstable frame, stood a small table with pair of chairs, all shabby and frayed as if someone stole it from a nearest ruin. A small candle laid on the table and it's flickering light colored the space to brown and gold. Only one thing was in permanent shadow - the man's face. He wasn't that blurry like before, actually, Ludwig clearly saw his full shape, just the face was somehow missing.
Man waved his hand toward the second chair. "Take a seat, commander."
Ludwig did as he was told. He tried to look through the darkness, but like he was blind, he was unable to do so. "Can I know your name?"
"Not yet."
Soldiers were running all around them, nearby they could hear shouting of orders. But that all Ludwig sensed as something too far, like he was in a totally different world.
"Isn't it desperate?" said the soldier with a slight taunt in his tone. "Is not that beautiful as conquest itself, when you are already the occupier, whose only effort is to keep his new property."
Ludwig frowned. "Go to the subject - what are you trying to suggest me now?"
The man threw back his head, laughing. "Oh, Ludwig... Still so impatient! Come on, you cannot win this war without the patience..."
"How can you know about Czech?" asked Ludwig.
"In the same way I know about you." The man chuckled a bit, but then he immediately turned serious. "You can also sense it, don't play you don't. Of course, it's not such a big deal, it somply didn't work. But about your wish to save the lady, I don't really know..."
"What do you mean?"
Unknown soldier leaned a little bit forward. Ludwig noticed the shape of his german's officer uniform, marks of SS on the collar and swastika. But many other signs were strange and Ludwig couldn't recognize them.
"You probably don't know about Daluege's second heart attack. From those health reasons Führer removed him from office of Reich's protector and his place should assume -..."
"Karl Frank," Ludwig predicted.
"The Bloody Dog Frank - that's how Czechs call him, did you know that?" The man chuckled again, which made Ludwig starts to feel offended.
"I'm the Reich, I know about them all..."
"Right, right... Anyway, let me narrate a story of this man in shell. As you as well know, he was born in Bohemia, in the family of Germans, who committed their lives to ideology of German Sudetenland. That's why he's not like anyone else of his predecessors. He doesn't consider Czech as his property or part of your Reich, but as an enemy. Frank was growing up in the hatred towards her and her people. And now, when he finally gained enough power to deal with Czech..."
He let the end of the sentence untold, but it has already formed in Ludwig's own mind. "What should I do?" Germany whispered.
"How can I know?" man sighed and looked up to the dark sky, full of stars and smoke clouds of hand grenades. "You can stay here, with your troops, as the good officer you really are. Or you can run back to save your lady, as a knight you were. It's all your choice."
They remained in silence for a moment, before Ludwig came to a sudden reminiscence, how unnatural and weird this meeting actually is. He frowned at the man and he longed to grab his collar and pull him into the light. "You have the uniform of the Reich, access to the Reich, you speak as the man of the Reich... Why do you care about Czech? Is she that important?"
Darkness made his moves invisible, but Ludwig felt the man's gaze upon himself. "She's the vicious stone on your path to power. You have to decide now, how to go across."
"And you?" Ludwig leaned forward, focused on his darkened face. "What's your intention in this?"
Ludwig heard the deep breathe in, but then the man just relaxed. "As I said, I can't tell you yet."
Ludwig wanted to respond, but at the same moment another soldier interrupted them. It was actually a boy, just about a seventeen, thin, nervous and also little bit scared, when he run to Ludwig's place. "Herr Kommandant! Sir!"
Ludwig rose up. "What? What happened?"
Young soldier needed a while to catch his breath. "I... I -... We -... They're edging us out... We need to retreat now... I was looking for you. Hurry."
Ludwig turned at his companion, but the second chair was already empty and candle blown out. "Where is he?" Ludwig sight.
"Who, sir?"
"An officer, he sat right there just a few seconds ago."
"Really?"
Ludwig frowned at the boy.
Young soldier fastly straightened. "I swear, no one was sitting here when I arrived. Nor when I was running to you..."
Young soldier, carrying Ludwig's luggage through the main hall of Paris train station, couldn't hide his fear behind his commander's back. Ludwig was, on the other hand, walking straightly forward and and his attitude was utterly calm. Maybe it was against all orders, but after all, he was just the personification of the Reich and his troops can exist even without his presence. He would soon come back here anyway.
When they had found the right train, Ludwig quickened. Soldiers and officers nearby were giving him a confused gazes and the one nearest to the train door even tried to stop him: "Sir? You cannot..."
"Stop suggesting and open!" ordered Ludwig and let his young assistant to enter as first. "I have very important task, which needs to be fulfilled as soon as is possible."
"In Berlin, sir?"
"In Prague."
