Song of the Piper

::22:: Talks of the Past

Music is What Came Before from the Assassin's Creed 3 OST. Play it!

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I didn't know how long we stayed like that: me sobbing into Lady Anya's robes, her arms wrapped around my thin, broken body. It was rather hard to believe that Lady Anya, frosty and steely and untouchable, was actually hugging me, offering me comfort in what words couldn't. What was more surprising though, was that I didn't mind her touch. The last time I had allowed someone to embrace me like this was when I was saying goodbye to Papa Gunter, the day I'd moved out of his house and into the Mayor's castle back in Hamelin.

Eventually, I had my sobs under control, and Lady Anya pulled back slowly, placing a finger under my chin and tipping it upwards. Her silver eyes were unusually bright. "I imagine that you know who Anton was," she said softly.

I took a step backwards, breaking contact with her. "Yes," I replied after a few seconds. My voice was hoarse, cracked. No matter how hard I tried to, I just couldn't completely rein in all my emotions.

"Come," she said, walking out of the room, not elaborating any further on the matter. The pain in my left leg was back, a jarring sensation compared to the freedom I had experienced in the memory. I started to wonder about my past self, and her non-existent disability. She was also called Elise.

Was there a connection between her and the Elise I knew?

And why had Maria looked so much like my former trainer?

If only Josef were here. He would probably be able to make sense of the memory.

Josef...the name was mentioned briefly in the memory too. By me. "I want to play with Josef," she had said.

But Josef wasn't an uncommon name. I could count at least three Josef-s off my head who were in Hamelin, not counting the Tinker: one of the regular guards, the Mayor's butler, and a drunkard who practically lived in the tavern.

He was from Hamelin though. And the flute...

I gnashed my teeth in frustration. I felt like I was trying to unravel yards and yards of tangled wool, and I had no idea on where to unsnarl the knots.

I allowed an exasperated huff to escape from between my lips.

Lady Anya, who was walking in front of me, threw me a look over her shoulder and raised a brow. I shrugged my shoulders, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible. She promptly returned her attention to the hallway in front of her.

The layout of the Council headquarters was simple compared to Lord Himmel's castle, but since I had only been here for two days, it was no easier to navigate. We turned left, down a path diverging from the main hallway, but after that I couldn't remember the various twists and turns Lady Anya took. So I just followed.

In the end, we came to a stop in front of an unassuming, low door. When Lady Anya fished out a key from her sleeve—I still couldn't figure out how she managed to store so many things in there—and opened the door, I noted that the hinges didn't creak at all.

The room inside was, in a word, austere. Bookshelves lined the walls, and a large window to the side allowed plenty of sunlight to stream in. A large mahogany desk was placed on one end, whereas there was a fireplace on the other. It was unlit, and there were two comfortable-looking armchairs in front of it, with a delicate, round table in between. Decorations were simple but tasteful; everything was marched into perfect order.

Austere. Very austere.

Lady Anya's office, I presumed.

"Have a seat." She gestured towards the armchairs; I hobbled over and plopped myself onto one of them without hesitation, massaging my left leg. Small spasms of pain tingled my limbs.