A/N: Please please review!
Ch. 10: Realization
Elsa sat on the doc by Georg while she rinsed her harmonica out. She had not wanted to go for a walk so Gerog suggested just sitting on the doc. She agreed and they sat there not knowing what to say.
"That was quite a rescue Maria made this afternoon." Elsa stated. "She saved your life you know."
"Yes she did." Georg replied to her. He did not know how to break it to Elsa that he really did not love her anymore. He never had really loved her he realized. As Max said though they were a wonderful pair. Both wealthy, and single and both searching for something. Yet his relationship with Elsa lacked the one thing he craved most, love. He knew that Maria might not agree to be with him, but he had to at least try. Trying to win Maria meant breaking Elsa's heart. He knew he was not being fair to her at all. He had done everything in his power not to fall in love with Maria, but it was inevitable. He reasoned it must be the will of God for him and Maria to be together. He said a quick prayer for the strength to tell Elsa in a calm and nice way.
While he was talking Elsa began talking loudly to him about what they would do as soon as Maria left. Georg suddenly remembered being hit by the oar and Maria dragging him out of the water to rescue him. He could have died right there and then.
"She saved my life…twice." He muttered to himself.
"I beg your pardon. What did you say?" Elsa asked.
"Elsa have you ever had feelings that you didn't know how to express to someone?" He asked. Elsa perked up a bit.
"Not really why?" She asked. Georg instantly realized his mistake. Now Elsa was expecting him to ask her to marry him. He groaned.
"Never mind." He told her. "I just feel Elsa that…well…I suppose I should just say it…I don't think it is the will of God that you and I be together." He told her. Elsa's smile quickly vanished.
"Oh. I thought you loved me." She replied.
"I thought I did too, Elsa and I am sorry. Now I realize I never did. You are a wonderful person and a wonderful friend. I just can't marry you." He stated.
"Why?" She asked. He knew he would have to tell her.
"Because I am in love with Maria." He told her plainly.
"I knew it." Elsa told him sadly.
"Are you angry with me?" He asked.
"For being in love with her?" Elsa said bitterly. "Well I guess I am just disappointed and jealous. I am angry with you and the children for dragging me out her just to pull all these horrible pranks on me."
"Pranks? This isn't a prank Elsa I am…" He began.
"Oh I know, but they have been pulling pranks for the last few days. Anyways I suppose I should go to my tent and get packed up. Then you can drop me off at the train station tomorrow morning." Georg nodded at her. "Thank you Georg for all the time we had together. Hopefully I will find something like you have someday. I thought I found it with you, but apparently the feeling wasn't mutual. Goodbye darling." Elsa told him as she walked up to her tent. Georg watched as she covered her eyes. He could tell she was in tears. To his surprise he had never felt better. He did not like making Elsa upset, but now he was really free to try to get Maria to marry him.
He walked up to his sleeping bag and gazed down at Maria sleeping soundly. As he lay down he tried to go to sleep, but found himself unable to stop gazing and her. He saw Maria's eyes pop open and she stared into his peering eyes and quickly rolled over. Gerog decided that there was no time like the present so he softly put his arm on her shoulder and nudged her softly.
"Maria are you still awake?" He asked quietly. She turned back and faced him, whipping her eyes.
"Yes, well I suppose I am." She replied. Suddenly Georg had a wonderful idea.
"Good because if you are not to tired I have something I want to show you." He told her smiling.
"Can't you show me in the morning?" She asked.
"Nope they will be all gone then. Anyways this is my last night with you since you will be leavening for the Abbey tomorrow night. Shouldn't we spend one last night talking to each other?" He asked. Maria was instantly up after he mentioned it was her last night. It made her very sad to think she would never see him again after tomorrow.
"How late is it?" Maria asked.
"Oh it is around eight thirty. Not late at all. So I am assuming you are coming with me?" Maria nodded. Georg took her hand and led her down to the doc. She didn't read too much in to him taking her hand. It was after all very dark and all they had was a small lamp. When Georg started to prepare the canoe, however Maria declined.
"Captain there is no way I am going back into one of those things. I always seem to end up in the water." Georg laughed at Maria. Her comment reminded him of when she first fell with all the children. He remembered how funny it had been, to look back on that moment. There she was fighting with him while she was dripping wet.
"That doesn't sound like the Maria I know. The Maria I know loves adventure. Besides this might be the last time you are ever allowed on one of these things again. Unless you plan on escaping from the Abbey. Anyways the only way you can see what I am going to show you is to get on here." Maria cringed as he got in and offered his hand. "I promise Maria, I would never let anything bad happen to you." He said passionately.
"I know." Maria told him while taking his hand. He smiled at her and she sat down, which made the boat rock.
"Captain…"
"Maria it is alright. It is just rocking. Don't you trust me?" He asked her. "I did keep much larger boats than this afloat, you know." Maria laughed as Georg took hold of the oars and began to move toward the center of the lake. When he got to the middle he stopped and dropped an anchor.
"Okay Maria now look up." He told her. Maria instantly looked up. She saw millions of beautiful brightly glowing stars in the heavens.
"Oh it is beautiful Captain!" Maria told him excitedly.
"Yes the sea or the mountains is the very best place to view stars. They are one of my favorite things to look at. When I used to be at sea they would always comfort me when I was down. They always make me feel closer to God…and heaven." He finished.
"Really?" Maria asked surprised. "That's what they make me feel too. Thank you for showing me Captain. You can't see them very well under the trees." Maria smiled sweetly at him. He met her smile and she happily turned her attention back towards the sky. "Was the sea always just as beautiful as this?"
"Well it was always pretty…until we had to fight. The second we started to fight it seemed to loose its beauty. I never liked fighting. I don't think I agree with it, but if I didn't fight our whole ship would have been sunk." He told her.
"Was that one of the reasons you retired?" She asked. He nodded his head.
"I wanted to see my family more often as well. I saw them a lot, but I wanted to be with them everyday. That of course changed when Agathe died."
"Now though you want to be with them right?" Maria asked. He nodded. "That's all that matters then." He smiled.
"Yes…" He began. He didn't know how to tell her that he wanted to be with her for every moment for the rest of his life.
"Are you excited about going back to the Abbey Maria?" He asked her.
"No." Was the first word that popped out of her mouth. She quickly rephrased her answer. "I mean I am very excited to go back and become a nun. It's just that…well I am going to miss everyone."
"Who is everyone?" He asked eagerly. He had caught the first thing that came to her mind was she was not excited to go.
"Well the children of course. They are such little dears." She replied.
"Anyone else?"
"Well everyone!" Maria told him uncomfortably. "Why do you ask?"
"Not any really great reason. I just still can't imagine you as a nun." She looked at him angrily. "I don't mean it like that and you know it. It just seems that you would be much better off being somewhere you are truly happy to be, instead of a place you runaway to." He finished.
"Okay Captain suppose I did leave the Abbey for good. Where would I go? What would I do? Go and be a teacher at a school? Take care of more children as a governess? I can do those type of things when I am a nun." She told him adamantly.
"No, but if you decided not to return you could stay here."
"Here?" She asked.
"Yes here with me." Maria's eyes grew large and she immediately responded.
"No I have to go back. Anyways the Baroness will be just fine for you."
"The Baroness?" He asked.
"Yes. Well aren't you marrying her?" Maria asked. Georg laughed.
"No I am not. She is leaving for Vienna in the morning after we leave here. Where did you hear I was marrying her?"
"The children." Maria replied honestly. "I thought you were in love with her." Maria spoke and instantly realized that he was available.
"Nope, I am in love with someone else." Maria looked up surprised.
"Oh really?" She asked as she felt he heart skip a beat. He nodded sadly.
"Yes. Maria I just have to tell you. Even though you are going back to the Abbey, just know that someone loves you and wants to be with you." Her eyes sparked up as Georg sat down closer to her. "I love you Maria. I wish you would stay with me forever." He turned around not wanting to be tempted to kiss her. To his utter joy she turned around to face his back.