A Roman Holiday
Chapter 7
"You are hindering my investigation." Bethstein was on a warpath.
"This is a private family matter and it doesn't concern you."
"Doesn't it? If either the princess or the prince get hurt because of this, I will personally hold you responsible and don't think I won't report you to the Maltovian authorities for withholding information or persuade them to charge you as an accessory to the kidnapping."
"Are you threatening me?"
"Oh yes…"
"Do you know who I am? I could make things very difficult for you when you return to the country."
"I know who you are, Baron, which is why I'm talking to you. But right now I'm investigating a crime in the hope of preventing another, I am determined to get some answers and you can be sure I won't rest until I do. And really, I doubt very much I'd be returning if the princess dies."
The voice on the other side of the line went quiet, obviously considering what his next move should be. Bethstein decided to take a different tack.
"Baron, this is not the time to hold back." Bethstein's voice turned urgent, pleading almost. "No one else needs to know. But if you don't give me all the facts now, I'm afraid we'll probably see a scandal bigger than Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles rock the Maltovian royal family. Not to mention your own reputation being dragged through the mud.
"I had nothing to do with that decision."
"Then tell me, maybe I can do something to stop the rot from spreading."
"It was done with the best intentions…"
Isn't it always? Bethstein thought. Hell is paved with good intentions.
"We all thought it was a harmless flirtation at first. Or rather hoped it was. The truth was… Clarisse never really showed much interest in any man before Steinhausen. She didn't lack suitors but she just wasn't attracted to any of them. But then they started to talk about marriage. That's when it all started to go awry. Father ranted and raved… mother did what she usually did and oscillated between crying and going hysterical."
"So the family objected to it."
"We knew Steinhausen had a reputation with the ladies and tried our hardest to dissuade Clarisse from making any rash decisions. However, once her mind was made up there was no changing it. Steinhausen swore he was a changed man and that seemed good enough for her. I saw them together a few times and he did seem to genuinely care for her. But it wasn't good enough for my parents. Even though he was the prince's cousin and came from a good family, his wild ways didn't sit well with my family."
"So what happened…"
"Father hired a private investigator to dig up whatever dirt he could on Steinhausen to prove to Clarisse he was an unworthy contender for the role of husband."
"Did they find anything?"
"Nothing that Clarisse nor anybody else didn't already know."
"So he had really changed?"
"It seemed like it or else he was covering his tracks extremely well."
"Why didn't they ever marry?"
"It wasn't enough for my parents just to have Steinhausen investigated. You have to understand, they thought they were protecting their daughter. At the time I was in Australia so the decision was made without their consulting me. When I returned, the damage had been done and everyone was more than relieved when Clarisse ended up engaged to Prince Max." There was a long pause. "Several years later, Clarisse found out the truth… she didn't speak to my parents for a very long time.
"What exactly did they do?"
The princess and Nodame were lying uncomfortably on their backs for a brief respite. It seemed like hours since they started and they had no idea how far they had to go or how much longer. Their hands and knees attested to the fact that they had made their journey the hard way. Staring meditatively at the ceiling, the only scenery they had to enjoy was limited to cracks, arachnids and concrete, with no end in sight.
"If only my parents could see me now…" The princess sighed. " I don't think I look much like a princess."
"Would they be shocked?"
"Probably." Princess Marina gave a snigger. "But mother would have approved, I think. She was always challenging me to better myself and to take risks."
"Good advice." Nodame chuckled. "You miss her a lot, don't you?"
"She was my hero… a model royal… Everyone loved her." The princess declared. There was just a tinge of sadness in her voice. "She always knew just what to say to make me feel better."
"I'm sure you'll be as great a princess as she was."
"If I survive this…"
"Of course you will… You're with me."
Despite sounding confident, Nodame was more frazzled than she let on. It was a hard road and in her naivete had underestimated the difficulty of the undertaking. Her motivation was high but the flesh was beginning to tire. She kept telling herself that the end had to be just around the corner if the water channel was in fact used on a regular basis by runaway Jews during the war. But the end was eluding them, wearing down their resolve. Their captors could also be gaining on them, each time they stopped and rested. But they had to rest… Nodame could barely lift her legs and arms and soon her capacity to concentrate gradually diminished. It wasn't long before she succumbed to the weariness and dreamt of happy things.
Nodame woke up with a start. And it was some moments before she remembered where she was. She berated herself for falling asleep and wondered how long she had been out for. It took a while for the fog to lift and then she realized that she had forgotten about the princess.
"Your highness?" She whispered into the grey, deserted darkness. There was no response.
The princess was no where in sight. Gyabo! Why did she allow herself to doze off? Now she had managed to lose track of the princess too. Where had the princess got to? She reasoned that there was no other way the princess could have gone except straight ahead forward or back to where they came from.
Nodame decided to go forward, believing that princess had probably gone exploring and was expecting her to catch up when she awoke. She felt guilty… it had been her idea to do this… to escape through the water channels and now the princess was alone, probably struggling to stay awake.
The enormousness of what they were attempting finally sank in. Of all the crazy ideas that she had in her lifetime, this was the worst. Crawling through a tunnel with no preparation or idea of how long it would take was utter foolishness. Madness. At the rate they were going, the princess may be proven right… they would probably die in this godforsaken place and never see the light of day ever again. The task had seemed easy enough at first but now… alone, tired and growing increasingly hungry, the molehill had turned into a mountain.
For a several meters Nodame crawled on with a groggy head, her entire person in a state of flux. It had been blind luck that brought them to this place and if their luck held, it would get them out of here. Still, she had no peace of mind. The princess had disappeared and she, Nodame, was black and blue all over.
Pacing herself… Nodame made pit stops at regular intervals. She leaned against the side at one stage and wondered how long it was since she had water. Her throat was parched and her empty stomach was beginning to hint with familiar desperation. The palms of her hand were spotting cuts and her legs were in more pain than she was willing to concede. Mostly, her confidence was beginning to wan… If I died here… would Senpai miss me? I wouldn't mind dying so much if I thought that he would miss me and pine for me for the rest of his life.
Nodame fingered her engagement ring for inspiration and kissed it lightly. I can't die now. I don't want to. Not like this.
Her thoughts flew to the escaping Jewish refugees and wondered how they made it out of that place. Sheer determination, perhaps and the strong will to survive. I need to survive, I'm getting married in the fall. Now, if only her overstretched body would cooperate.
"Nodame…" She could hear her name echoing from a distance.
Is someone calling out to me or am I just imagining things?
"Nodame… is that you?" It was a familiar voice, sounding louder as it got closer.
"Your highness?" She managed weakly. "I'm so glad… I was so worried that you…"
"I'm sorry for going off like that but I thought I would move on to see what was ahead and let you get a bit sleep. You looked so tired. Anyway, I thought I could hear the sound of birds some where close by."
"Really?" Nodame became alert. "Did you…"
"Oh yes… it leads right to a lake…"
"So what are we going to do now?"
"We are not going to do anything. You are going back to your orchestra and I am going back to the embassy to have a talk with Mr Gunther Weiler about his involvement with Steinhausen."
"You know, I almost feel sorry for the man…" Chiaki said regretfully. "Steinhausen, I mean."
"I know what you mean… but kidnapping is a serious offence in any civilized society. Don't forget, too, he dragged your fiancée into the fray." reminded Bethstein
"I haven't… but to be denied the great love of your life… that must be torture…" Chiaki speculated.
"Don't tell me that you're a hopeless romantic." Bethstein eyed Chiaki with mocking alacrity.
"I'm no romantic… hopeless or otherwise." Chiaki appeared a little embarrassed.
"Tell me another one. I don't believe the man that I saw conducting that intermezzo earlier today hasn't got a romantic bone in his body." Bethstein teased.
"It's a beautiful piece." Chiaki protested.
"It is that… " Bethstein relented. "So… 'If music be the food of love, play on.'"
Chiaki stared at Bethstein half surprised, half amused.
"What? I'm not a complete philistine, you know." Bethstein snapped back with feigned indignance.
Nodame thought it was the most wonderful thing on earth… floating on the water and basking in the afternoon sunlight after being taken captive and held in a long forgotten cellar, and nearly suffocating of claustrophobia in that crawlspace. It was not an experience she wanted to revisit. I was that close to giving up.
"So what now…" The princess asked.
Nodame came back down to earth. "Soon, we will try and find our way back to the city."
"How? We have no phones, no money… We don't even know where we are."
"We'll have to get a ride somehow. How do you feel about hitchhiking?"
Lingering a for a few more moments, she allowed herself the luxury of watching the water envelop her and weaving its magic. It was exactly what the doctor ordered… as she felt revived and refreshed by its loving caresses. Nonetheless, the princesses' questions reminded her that they were still in a precarious situation, hardly in any position to dilly dally. Reluctantly and looking longingly at the water, she got out of the lake and put on her dry clothes.
"Sigh, I could have done that forever… That felt so good." Nodame commented as she took her place beside the princess.
"It's lovely here… so peaceful…" The princess agreed. "That dip in the lake certainly did you some good. You look like a different person already."
"Yeah, I certainly feel it." Nodame took in a breath of fresh air and felt the gentle breeze brush against her skin.
A rustling of leaves in the nearby bushes… some movement and two men in a tussle tumbled out onto the grass, only a meter or two beside them, startling them out of their wits. All this happened in a matter of seconds.
"Who are you?" Nodame demanded, looking at the new arrivals.
"We're sorry, we didn't mean to scare you."
"Were you watching us?" Nodame gave them her most fearsome look.
The tall blonde one nodded sheepishly.
"Perverts!" She walked over to them and gave each an impressive kick in the shin.
"We didn't mean any harm." They protested unconvincingly, rubbing their rather sore limbs.
"What are you doing here?"
"We came here to… er… relieve ourselves when we heard some noises. Thought it was strange that two young ladies would… er… be all alone here by themselves in a rather deserted spot."
"Are you British?" The princess asked… recognizing the accents…
Again they nodded.
"Where are you going?"
"To the city… to watch a match between AS Roma and Manchester United tomorrow."
"You're soccer fans?" Nodame looked at them curiously.
"Yeah, you?"
"Not really… I'm more a baseball fan, being from Japan and all that."
"You're from Japan? You like anime?" The weedy blonde asked eagerly.
"I love anime…"
"Really? What's your favourite?"
"Puri Gorota…"
"I love Puri Gorota…" The British soccer fan interjected. "I have the entire series on DVD." He said excitedly.
"Wow… I have the early ones on VHS and some on DVD… Whose your favourite….?"
The princess thought it was time to intervene and coughed politely.
Nodame fell silent and remembered that this was no time and place for such chatter… they were still on the run from kidnappers and had to be on the move.
"How did you fellows get here?" The princess put on her most authoritative voice.
"We have a Kombi van…"
"You do?" Nodame exclaimed. "Can we get a ride?"
"How did you get here?" The slightly shorter, bi-spectacled British man queried suspiciously.
"We're tourists…" Nodame said quickly. Well, it's not a complete lie.
"We got left behind." The princess continued their tale of woe.
"We wandered slightly… and lost track of time." Nodame added innocently. "Everything we had was on the coach."
"So please…" The princess put on her most pathetic voice. "Help us… " She said pleadingly.
The British soccer fans were at a loss. "Can you ladies excuse us for a minute?"
The two men looked at each other and debated amongst themselves.
"They don't look like homicidal maniacs to me…" The tall blonde whispered.
"I'm sure that's what those men said about Aileen Wuornos…"
"That was different… she was a hooker…"
"I don't know… they could be hookers too."
"A fan of Puri Gorota? I don't think so."
"You and your Puri Gorota… it will be death of me…"
"Come on… live a little… How much trouble can two women be?"
Bethstein dropped Chiaki off at the Parco della Musica complex. "You still have my card, don't you? Call me if you need to talk about anything."
Chiaki nodded.
"And don't worry about Miss Noda. I'll bring her back to you myself." Bethstein added reassuringly.
"I'm holding you to that, Bethstein."
Chiaki waved to the moving vehicle and moved toward the Sala Santa Cecilia, the largest of the three concert halls situated there. As he approached the building, a man in a dark suit and sunglasses gesturing wildly for him to stop. It didn't seem to be anyone he knew.
"Autografo…" So the man was an autograph hunter.
As Chiaki approached him, the man pulled out an automatic and spoke in excellent English. "Mr Chiaki, if you would like to make it to your next performance, I suggest you come with me… slowly…"
Another man came from behind and prodded Chiaki's back with the muzzle of his pistol. "Don't get any ideas." He spoke in a calm menacing tone of voice.
"Don't worry, I won't." Chiaki shivered slightly. "What's this all about?"
"I'm sure you have some idea."
"So you're not just satisfied with kidnapping women now…" Chiaki mumbled sarcastically.
"The Count will explain everything."
"I'm sure he will." Chiaki muttered grimly. And then send me to an early grave.
"So where are you ladies headed?" The blonde one called Jack asked.
"To the CBD…"
"The CBD is a big area… do you have any particular place in mind?" The one wearing spectacles demanded, not without a hint of irony. He had said his name was Nigel.
"To the Mal… the hotel." Nodame replied
"Which hotel?" Nigel probed impatiently.
"I don't remember actually…" Nodame was racking her brains. "I know what it looks like though."
"Is there anything specific you can tell us?"
"Why don't you drop us off at the Trevi Fountain?" Nodame suggested. "I remember the tour guide mentioning that there's one of the places that tour was going to cover."
"OK… if that's where you're really headed."
Jack pulled Nigel to one side and reprimanded him quietly. "Why are you being so hard on them?"
"Something here doesn't quite add up…"
"Does it matter? They're chicks, mate…"
"Jack, mate… when will you start thinking with the right part of your anatomy…"
"They could be telling the truth… We can't just leave them here…"
"Alright… alright." Nigel capitulated. "But if we get murdered on the way, it'll be on your head."
"If we get murdered, my head will be last thing I'll be worrying about."
Bethstein went straight to the Maltovian embassy after dropping Chiaki off. Unable to find Weiler, he went to look for the prince.
"Albert… where have you been? Everything's been chaotic around here." The tired prince approached Bethstein eagerly as he entered the embassy offices. "It's already 2 o'clock and we don't have long to get ready."
"Your highness, I don't think it's such a good idea for you to make the drop-off…"
"But it's one of the kidnapper's stipulations."
"Let me take your place."
"No, absolutely not… I'm not taking any chances with their lives, especially now that we're so close."
"I have reason to believe that your life is at risk as well."
"I can't back out at the last minute…"
"Your highness, I've been digging around and I don't think it's just a simple case of kidnapping and extortion. I have reason to believe that someone is exacting their revenge on you."
Prince Maximillian was stupefied. "Revenge? For what?"
"For something that happened over twenty-three years ago. It concerns the late Princess."
"Clarisse?"
Bethstein nodded. "It seems like the Count has been holding a grudge against you all these years for stealing the princess away from him."
"Boris and Clarisse were…?" The prince gasped.
"Your highness… you didn't know?" It was Bethstein's turn to be surprised.
The prince shook his head and collapsed into the nearest chair. "I knew that she was always awkward around him but I thought it was just his reputation with the women that she didn't care for. I didn't even know that they had known each other before our engagement."
"Where is the Count?" Bethstein's voice took a sterner tone.
"He said he was going hunting with some friends." The prince was still in a daze. "Are you sure of your facts, Albert?"
"I spoke to the Baron… he confirmed my suspicions and offered some other bits of information that I didn't know."
"Why… why is he doing this… now…"
"Because he's dying… She's gone… and he has nothing else to live for."
"Dying…?"
"Inoperable brain tumour…"
"You should let the local authorities take charge of the entire operation… your highness…"
"No, Albert… we've been through this already. It's me he wants. You know that I'm the only who can stop him… reason with him…"
"I don't think he can be reasoned with at all."
"Whatever it is… you and I know that this can't end well if the local gendarmerie storm in there."
"But you're not…"
"I was a trained soldier… I can look after myself. It's the women I'm worried about. " The prince said gently. "If anything happens to me, I know you will take good care of Marina." He looked at Bethstein meaningfully.
"Your highness… I..." Albert shifted his gaze awkwardly. He was at a loss for words.
"It's alright… I've known for some time now. You're a good man, Albert. So was your father. He was a proud man and the divorce tore him apart. Don't make the same mistakes we all did. Life's too short… it's cliché but it's so true." He clapped Bethstein on the shoulder.
"You're not going to die, your highness." Bethstein could feel the knots in his stomach tightening. "Not while I'm there to watch your back." He assured the prince.
"I know…" The prince looked at his head of security affectionately.
The familiar sight of the Teatro dell'Opera reminded Chiaki that it was only a few days ago when he and Nodame had been to see The Marriage of Figaro and were strolling along, hand in hand, on the streets of Rome. An assignment for him and a simple holiday for her… it wasn't supposed to turn into this mindless fiasco. It was I who brought her here… I'm responsible… He heaved a loud sigh. How did we get embroiled in some tragic love affair played out twenty-three years later?
Chiaki wondered what part he was meant to play in this farce. Did the Count plan this from the beginning? Had he been part of this dramatis personae from the beginning? Why was he being taken captive now? It didn't make any sense unless of course, it involved Nodame. He wondered if he would see Nodame again… Would this be their reunion… and their end? The possibility of losing his life had obviously occurred to him but it wasn't foremost in his thoughts The very idea of never sharing a lifetime of intimacy with her was the source of his turmoil. If she had been there that moment, he would have told her how much he loved her and how sorry he was that he had never dared to say it before. For a single, brief moment, he tried to imagine life without her and was flooded with a feeling of unassailable emptiness. He did love her… but he spent the early years trying not to love her that he didn't know when exactly it was that he did. For them, there was no single moment… just the culmination of many moments.
Chiaki saw the irony of the situation. It took a mad man to remind him how precious love and life was. At the rate that things were happening… he was not about to forget it in a hurry.
"What's wrong Nigel?"
"There's a black sedan behind us… it's been following us for the last 2 km."
"Really? I wonder why."
"Could it be the cargo that we're carrying?"
"Are you thinking 'angry boyfriend' here?"
"Or they could be spies and they're being hunted by the CIA."
"Please… Nigel… and you say I have an overactive imagination." Jack groaned.
"We are not spies…" Nodame objected. "And we can hear you, you know."
"Do you know who those people are?" Nigel questioned.
"No… but we can guess…"
"Well, guess then…"
"Probably our kidnappers…" The princess said calmly.
"You were kidnapped? Why?"
"For a necklace… called the Fire of Maltovia."
"You are the princess of Maltovia?" Nigel looked at Princess Marina incredulously.
"You've heard of Maltovia?" The princess was astonished.
"The kidnapping has been reported on RNN."
The Kombi was quiet for some minutes except for the hum of the engine.
"How do we know that you're the real deal?" quizzed the ever suspicious Nigel.
Nodame had an idea. "Do you have a cell phone?"
"Why?"
"There's someone the princess can ring…"
"I've seen this movie before too… " Nigel muttered sarcastically. "It's all a set up… you have your guy on the other end saying that she's the princess… and we, being suckers, fall for it."
"Do you have a phone or not?" Nodame was losing patience and an angry Nodame was not to be crossed. She leaned over and her eyes bored into his.
"Yes… " Nigel looking a tad intimidated. "Here… take it and don't kill me." He opened the glove compartment and scrambled around for the phone before handing it over to Nodame.
"I am not going to kill you… baka…" Nodame snatched the phone and gave it to the princess, who promptly dialed a number.
"So if you're the princess, is she your bodyguard?" Nigel addressed Marina nervously.
"No… I'm just a concert pianist…" Nodame shot him a terrifying look which almost sent him driving off the road.
The princess tried for some minutes to dial a couple of numbers but to no avail.
"I can't get Albert, Nodame… I can't get father either…" She was becoming very frustrated. "Their phones seemed to be switched off."
"Let me try calling senpai, he'll know what to do…" Nodame offered, relieving the princess of the phone. Dialing his number, she waited for it to connect...
Chiaki looked at his phone as it rang… "I should probably get this…"
"Put it on speaker…"
"Hello…" Chiaki was flustered. "Chiaki here."
"Senpai, it's me."
"Nodame? Where are you?" Chiaki never felt more relieved in all his life. She's alive and well.
"I'm on the road… somewhere… We escaped and we found two peeping toms and got them to drive us into the city." There was a murmur of a protest at the use of the term peeping toms in the background.
"Ah… it's Miss Noda… I hear. You're just in time." Another voice had made itself heard.
"Who is this?"
"I'm sad that you've already forgotten me after our tête-à-tête the other night at the embassy reception…"
"Cousin Boris?" The princess was dumbfounded.
"Marina… you're there too. Good, good…"
"What's going on?" Nodame pleaded.
"You'll find out soon but you'll have to come to me this time."
"Why do we have to come to you? It was you who kidnapped us, wasn't it? I thought I recognized that voice, when you came to see us in the cellar." Nodame was at her antagonistic best.
"You do have a good ear, Miss Noda… You really are a brilliant musician. What a pity." The Count praised effusively. But then his tone of voice changed to something slightly more sinister. "If you value the life of Mr Chiaki here, I am sure you will want to be here before I blow the place up."
Author's Note:
Too cheesy maybe? Unfortunately, I have such a weakness for cheesy...
Thanks to all the regular reviewers… you're my carrot to keep going…
ChalakChalak: See… lots of fluff… Hope you like it.
Thanks for all those messages of support but a member of my family is quite ill and it is very distressing. But this story keeps hanging around me like a bad smell, so like it or not, I am compelled to snatch every spare moment I have to write it. And oddly enough, it's keeping my mind from moping about the bad stuff.
I wonder if any of you reading make fanvids because I have a great idea of a Nodame/Chiaki one using Cole Porter's "You Do Something to Me". There are a bajillion versions out there of the song and I'm sure one of you with the right software can do something good. Just let me know when you do, okay? I would love to see it.