Chapter 13: The Reunion

Ragnar and Flora made it to Izmit later that night. They had not talked much on their way there since Flora was very upset. She was soaking wet, caked in mud, and humiliated. Ragnar could understand it if she did not want to talk. In fact, the only thing she had said to him was not to bring up her behavior in the tunnel. Ragnar gave a Royal Soldier's oath to do so.

Once they got to Izmit, Ragnar started to head over to the inn to check on Garn and Denuve. However, Flora grabbed him and said, "I want to see Alex."

"It's late, Flora," Ragnar sighed. "We can go in the morning."

"Now!" she firmly insisted. Ragnar realized there would be no way he would be able to argue with her, so he brought her to the underground jail.

The jail was lit by a single torch at the entrance so was darker inside than the last time he was here. Ragnar entered first, trying to listen for Alex. He heard a bit of mumbling but that was all.

Flora bolted past Ragnar and went from cell to cell, calling out, "Alex! Alex!" Eventually, she came across Alex's cell and looked in, seeing Alex huddled in the same fetal position Ragnar had seen him in when he first came here. "Alex?" Flora asked timidly.

The crazy man looked up and ran up to the door. "Hi! I'm Alex but the kids call me Al! Would you like to play with me?"

Flora studied him for a moment, and then suddenly cried out, "It is you!" She began to cry. "Oh, thank the Zenithians, it is you!"

Alex looked confused. "Do I know you, ma'am?"

Flora looked at him intently, her tears spilling down her face. "Alex!" she cried. "Don't you even recognize me?" He stared blankly. "I'm Flora! Your wife!"

"Oh!" Alex said and, for a second, Flora and Ragnar breathed a sigh of relief. But then Alex said, "We're playing house! You're the wife and I'm the husband! Am I right?"

"No!" Flora cried, starting to get frustrated. "I really am your wife! Don't you remember this?" She roughly grabbed Alex through the bars and gave him a long, passionate kiss.

When she finished, Alex looked at her, blinking. "Um, ma'am," he said, "we're only pretending, aren't we?" Alex began to blush like a little boy.

Flora was about to cry, giving up all hope to regaining Alex's sanity, when a sudden thought occurred to her. "Alex! Do you remember anything at all?"

"Like what?" he asked, beginning to toss rocks at the water bowl.

"Our stars?" Flora pushed. "The ones that you named after us? Do you remember that?"

Alex made a scoffing sound and said, "Of course I remember that! Who could ever forget mushy stuff like..."

His voice trailed off, as he suddenly recalled something. Alex began to look around the cell, then at Flora. "Flora?" he asked timidly.

Flora's eyes lit up. "Yes!" she cried. "Yes, it's me! Do you remember me?"

Alex slowly stood up, looking confused. He looked over his hands, noticing they were filthy. He then looked back at Flora. He looked at her for a very long time, as if he was taking in all of her features one by one.

Finally, Alex ran up to the bars. "By the Master!" he cried. "Flora! W...what happened to me? What came over me?"

"It doesn't matter!" Flora cried out. "All that matters is that you are all right!" Flora then kissed Alex repeatedly, crying with so much joy that she had never felt before.

Ragnar, who had been watching all along, stepped up to the two. "Ahem," he muttered to Flora, "I...don't wish to be nagging but I really must talk with Alex for a moment."

"Yes," she whispered between kisses. She took a step back from Alex so Ragnar could talk with him. "Yes, of course."

"Thank you," Ragnar said, and he turned to Alex. He looked so much calmer now compared to when the soldier had last seen him.

Ragnar rubbed his mustache, trying to decide how to proceed. He didn't want to accuse Alex of anything but in order to find his secret playground he would have to be forceful. Finally, he asked, "How much do you remember?"

"Bits and parts, I think," Alex replied, rubbing his temples. "I remember I was coming home after running some errands here in Izmit when I was attacked by little green blobs by the road."

"Babbles," Ragnar muttered to himself, remember the one that had latched onto Harald.

"They swarmed all around me and started to stick to me," Alex shuddered as recalled the terrifying event. "I fell on the ground and started to roll, trying to shake them off but...but...there were so many of them! I...I ran back to Izmit, my mind going insane with fear. The last thing I remember clearly was a group of farmers' kids taking a hold of me, then everything is a blur."

"You're lucky that you are alive," Ragnar said. He paused for a moment, thinking. "Do you remember seeing me?" he asked, taking his helmet off so Alex could get a better look.

"Vaguely," Alex said, straining his eyes. "You were here the other day, am I right?"

"That's right," Ragnar said calmly. "Then do you remember telling me about the secret playground?"

"Somewhat," Alex replied, rubbing his chin, "but I don't remember why."

"That's all right," Ragnar said. The soldier figured he was going to have to start from the beginning anyway. "Children have been disappearing from this village lately. Now, I realize that you were..." Ragnar paused, trying to choose the right words without offending Alex and Flora.

"Crazy?" Alex suggested. Ragnar looked at him with surprise.

"More or less," Ragnar said, shrugging. "I realize that you were 'crazy', but do you at all recall taking the children to this secret playground?"

Alex shook his head. "More like the other way around," he explained. "When I befriended them, they took me there."

"So you never did kidnap them," Ragnar said, a little disappointed. His entire theory had just collapsed around him. He was back to square one.

"Good heavens, no!" Alex exclaimed. He paused for a moment, and then asked, "What ever possessed you to think such a thing?"

"It was my only lead in this silly investigation," Ragnar explained half-heartedly.

"It still is a good one, though," Alex said. "It could be these children are just getting lost on their way there."

Ragnar shook his head. "They have been disappearing here in the village and under strange circumstances."

"How so?"

"They've been vanishing into thin air," Ragnar replied, snapping his fingers. "Their mother's see them, then they don't."

"Oh, yes!" Alex exclaimed. "I remember now! The children were telling me that Pocos was playing with some shoes he found at the secret playground when he flew in the sky."

"Pocos?" Ragnar asked, confused.

"Yeah, the kid who's parents owns the Seaside Breeze," Alex replied, rubbing his chin as he tried to remember more.

Ragnar rubbed his mustache. There had to be some sort of connection. It was right in front of him but he couldn't see it. Whatever the answer was, it would probably be at the secret playground since that was where Pocos had found the shoes. "Do you remember where the secret playground is?"

Alex thought for a moment, then replied, "Here, I'll draw you a map in the ground." Alex and Ragnar knelt down and Alex began tracing lines in the dirt. "Here's Izmit," he said, placing a small stone near the top of his map, "and this large area here is the forest. Right about here" - he pointed to the closest point the forest came to Izmit - "is an old sign saying 'Do Not Play in the Woods'. From that sign you take four giant steps forward and then four giant steps left into the forest. You should come across an old path which will lead you to the children's playground."

Ragnar studied the map. The directions were simple enough, something that children could memorize easily. This was his last gambit. If he came across this place and found nothing, Ragnar couldn't think of anything more he could contribute in this investigation.

"Thank you very much," Ragnar said, shaking Alex's hand. "I should be able to clear up your little crime here and you and Flora will be able to be on your way home in no time."

"Thank you, Sir Ragnar," Flora said, giving him a tender kiss on the cheek. Ragnar smiled, nodded, and left the two alone to each other.