XXIV

Justice

October 25th, 1839

Altstadt, Königsberg, East Prussia.

"I repaired the watch."

I looked up from my notes to see Gabriel standing by the door, the chain of Herbert's pocket-watch wrapped around his hand and the object itself gleaming in his hand. The surface had been cleaned and polished; it looked even better than before. I smirked as I stood, closing my notebook.

"It's got quite the gleam."

Gabriel nodded. "I've taken good care of it, ever since you put it in my hands. You wanted it fixed, here you go."

I raised a hand and he stopped at midway. "Keep it. Consider it a way of saying 'thank you' for your services, though… I do think I could pay you with more than just a watch."

Despite my modesty (because I meant that), Gabriel shook his head. "No need for that; this payment is enough, Danke. Though I've always wondered: whose name is this?"

The outrider showed me the watch with 'Herbert' engraved upon the lid, and I chuckled. "It's the name of its original owner. He was a good friend and an excellent man. Unfortunately, he passed away before I came here, so I had it on me before it broke and I gave it to you. What, was there some confusion as to the names?"

Gabriel cocked an eyebrow. "Somewhat," he replied after a short silence. "Now, Wenn Sie meine Wißbegierde nicht merken, I'll ask you a few questions. Come with me and we shall be away from unwanted attention."

Confused but silent, I followed Gabriel to the front door, where he advised me to fetch my coat, scarf and hat, as we were going outside. We took a road that led away from the village and into a dense forest, one that I hadn't been to before. It was similar to those that surrounded Altstadt, but it seemed somehow different to me. It was damnably cold, and the weak but chilly breeze did nothing against the feeling.

We trekked for a while and eventually Gabriel stopped at a certain spot by the river, silently looked around for whatever had crossed his mind, and then sat upon a large rock. "I suggest you do the same; this may take a bit."

I did as told, took a seat on the lowest part of the rock, facing the river. "Why come all the way out here?"

"Because there are some things that, even though everybody at Altstadt knows about the Baron, should stay between us," Gabriel replied. I stiffened, my heart speeding up. "Nicht sorgen: since it's not my place to prod, I will not ask for details you may want to keep to yourself."

"But why?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from trembling. "Why do you want to know what happened there? It's a story better left alone!"

"I told you about the prisoner I took in, remember? That should be your answer." As I looked up at Gabriel, to whom I had my back turned, I saw him discard his hat. "Still, I can tell you that you're not the only who has suffered at the hands of the Baron."

I understood what he meant immediately, and the realization hit me hard when Gabriel's gaze met mine. "You, too?" I asked tentatively. Gabriel chuckled.

"Indirectly, but I have. I was just a boy when I saw one of those things; the Gatherers or so the called them," Gabriel explained. "My father was the outrider of the village at that time. The last time he saw that monster was the last time I saw him. He never came back from his expedition. The next night after his departure, I ventured into the woods myself, looking for him desperately. When I saw that monster, I was so afraid I ran without looking back. The next time I saw it was the night I brought you here."

"Really?" I was dumbstruck. "Nothing happened, did it?"

"Well, poor Jakob was hurt by that thing but it ran away without causing trouble. It eventually burned to death when my lantern fell upon it and the oil was set on fire." Again, Gabriel looked at me with a message I interpreted as 'I told you so' in his green eyes. "So you see, you couldn't have ended up with a more proper person than me. Most of the people who frequent the inn at night know where you came from, all bloodied and rambling, but nothing more."

I sighed. "I still can't believe everything that I did. I deserve to die, and I'm not afraid to say that."

"Well, we all deserve to die; that's one of the reasons we were born for!" Gabriel exclaimed, picking up a stone and tossing it in his hand. "When, ah! That's something we will never know. Things happen for a reason."

"Yeah, like that blasted Orb in the first place…" I mumbled to myself, looking at the river.

"Hm?"

"Just… thinking out loud." I paused for a moment. "I'm a murderer, Gabriel. I've done horrible things to this village and they did not deserve it."

Gabriel seemed to muse upon this, for he took his time to reply. "There's two kinds of punishment for murderers, then: one that is imposed by law, another that is imposed by justice." I watched him fish out a pipe from his coat and bite on its end. How could he be so calm?

"Why are you so calm?" I asked, echoing my thoughts. Gabriel looked at me, arching an eyebrow.

"Why shouldn't I be?"

That was the last straw: I climbed off the rock and stood a distance away from it, angrily staring at Gabriel. "Gabriel, I've killed dozens! Prisoners- no, innocents that were locked up in Alexander's dungeon, and in just ten bloody days! I-I even killed a young girl!" The rage with which I was speaking flowed through my veins, reminding me of all I'd tried so hard to forget. "They cried for mercy, but I did not listen! There's no punishment big enough for the things I have done!"

Gabriel's features had paled as he heard the short version of my story. "Ein Kind? Das Blut eines Kindes beschmutzt Ihre Hände?" I heard him ask, yet I didn't understand it entirely. Gabriel sighed, lowered his head. "Dann sind wir dieselbe Art des Sünders, Herr Daniel… We're the same kind of sinner."

My heart sank. "What do you mean?"

"Some years ago, I found a child lost in the woods, very near Brennenburg Castle. Coincidentally, the Baron had just returned from a stroll and, since it was almost night, he offered to keep the girl until the next day." A pause, then, "I myself found her corpse in a cave."

"My God…"

"So you see, the blood of an innocent also stains my hands; we've sinned the same way. Whether it be directly or indirectly, it doesn't change the fact that we killed those poor souls," Gabriel said with a bitter smile. "The 'thank you, Mister' that she said to me that day still echoes in my head. That is justice."

"You don't deserve it, though," I said, bitter, looking away. After a few seconds I looked back at Gabriel, whom I found staring at me with that same bitter smile.

"We all deserve justice. The way we call Her is just a matter of our own choosing."

Translations:

Danke - Thank you.

Wenn Sie meine Wißbegierde nicht merken - If you don't mind my curiosity.

Nicht sorgen - Don't worry.

Ein Kind? Das Blut eines Kindes beschmutzt Ihre Hände? - A child? The blood of a child stains your hands?

Dann sind wir dieselbe Art des Sünders - Then we're the same kind of sinner.

Translations aside, I've had more than fun writing this piece. It's a bit longer, yes, but it's good to change once in a while. I'm also very interested in Gabriel's character, especially after reading "Remember", the collection of short stories that came with the updated version of the game (which also included the DLC Justine). I suggest you look it up; that's where I also got the references for the location of Altstadt (there are many "Old Towns" in German, and Königsberg doesn't look too rural, so I take it this Altstadt is a rural area surrounded by forest).

Reviews are appreciated!^^