Maddalina laughed, “I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her as you did. I wouldn’t speak of it or have done anything to move this process along if I weren’t sure, Klaus.”
He winced at her statement and I had to know the truth, “Klaus, what did you do to hurt me? I don’t understand any of this.” I pleaded with him to tell me, to give me some answer that would stop my head from spinning and my mind from feeling as if I were in a dream.
He sighed heavily and reached in his backpack that laid at his feet. He rifled through it a bit before he pulled out a piece of paper. “Before I tell you everything, I need you to read this first. It will explain some of it, and I will tell you the rest.”
I took it hesitantly and opened it but before I could read it, Maddalina spoke, “She may read that note but you will not be the one to tell her the story of what happened. I have found that she must regain her memories herself but a little bit of help from some witches isn’t forbidden. I have prepared an elixir that will give her every bit she is missing. I know some have come already and they have been painful. This will ensure that Lorelei doesn’t go through the physical pain like it has happened in the past.”
I felt lost and helpless, the only thing that kept me grounded was Klaus’ presence. I was terrified and he did his best to comfort me, “We’ve been through the pain of your memories coming back. I would do anything to keep that from happening again. I trust these witches to not cause you any harm.”
“Read the letter, Lorelei,” Maddalina’s voice was commanding. “Afterwards, we will bring you to a bed that is prepared, and you will take the elixir. I know you want to know the answers of your memories like your father and your sister. You know they weren’t dreams, but visions of the past. Now read, and I promise you will learn everything you need to know.”
My hands shook as I held the letter up to read. I had no idea what I was in for, but I knew I needed to learn the truth that pained Klaus so much and caused me so much misery since I met him. I took a deep breath and read.
This is the last remaining art piece that I possess, the only one that survived the fire that killed my Nixie, my soulmate. My heart broke when I realized that she didn’t make it out and cursed myself for not coming home earlier. I didn’t care that everything else I had saved over the past five decades and seven years was destroyed. I was held back from saving this painting, my one connection to my soulmate. My anger turned to shock as I watched the flames try to lick this painting and be repelled by an unknown force. Those who surrounded me cried accusations of dark magic and ran away while I cursed the Fates for not giving my Nixie the same protection. What good was a painting when compared with the flesh and blood of my one true love? I waited until the ashes stopped smoldering before entering the cottage to retrieve whatever I could salvage. Only Nixie survived, this painting that was to be a wedding present before I needed the witches of the Black Forest to save her. My siren’s soul is bound to this painting, the painting of her that I had painstakingly created.
I told the witches that I would pay any price if they would only save my love, but today as I grieve the second time I’ve lost her, I cannot bear to be reminded of the price we have both paid. I cannot die, my price becoming an immortal. I have now lived for fifty-seven years as a twenty-eight-year-old man. Of those years, I’ve only had Nixie for five of them. Her price was an early death and reincarnation. I suppose that was my price as well, since I must live decades without her, waiting until this painting, the one her soul is bound to, is ready to bring her back into my life.
I can’t bear to look at it anymore as my heart has shattered at the loss of her yet again. I know that no matter where this painting is, we will both find our way back to it. Today, I will sell it to an art dealer, and hope that whoever buys it will take good care of her until she’s ready for me.
Until we meet again my sweet Princess Nixie of the Rhine, Lorelei.
Forever yours,
K.H.
30. May 1768
I calmly folded it back up and passed it back to Klaus. My mind was working overtime processing everything that I read. K.H. stood for Klaus Hoffman, of this I was sure. I didn’t know how I didn’t see it before aside from it being something so unbelievable that there was no way it could happen. I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn’t find any words.
“I know it’s still confusing, my love. I made a mistake, one that hurt us both deeply. Once you regain all of your memories, I only hope that you can forgive me,” his voice resigned, as if he expected me to reject him. I was numb and felt nothing, the shock having taken over as soon as I processed that the man I loved was the one that painted the portrait that brought us together, and that the portrait was of me. Reincarnation and immortality had been the icing on the cake, so to speak. All logic and rational explanations went out the door and I no longer felt like myself.
“It is time, Lorelei,” Maddalina said reassuringly, as she stood and held her hand out for me. My body on autopilot stood up and took her hand before following her to a cottage across from the dais. “I know this is hard for you. I know you are strong enough to get through this last part. Just remember that Klaus did what he did in desperation to save you, his soulmate. He has suffered as much, if not more, as you have.”
Her words were confusing, and I steeled myself for whatever bad things I was about to learn about the man I fell madly in love with. I only hoped that I could be the strong woman the High Priestess thought I was. At the moment, I certainly didn’t believe it as she guided me to sit on a bed and handed me a cup of a liquid that smelled wretched. At her insistence, I guzzled it down and laid back on the bed to await whatever answers I needed to find.
.
It was as if the world spun before blackness overtook me. I was still aware of my consciousness, yet, I knew I was in some sort of a dreamlike state. Images swirled so quickly through my mind that I couldn’t recognize any single thing. It reminded me of a movie rewinding on a VCR from long ago at lightning fast speed. It just kept going for what seemed like hours, but I knew it couldn’t have been that long. My stomach churned and I felt like I would be sick from the motion and speed of the images swirling through my mind. I felt nothing but relief when they stopped, and I was able to focus on the image of Klaus sitting on a beach. My mind seemed to zoom in on that moment, and I knew it was a memory.
I felt the water slide over my body as I quietly swam to see the man that was standing on the beach with some sort of a contraption in front of him that I’d never seen before. I was curious to find out what it was, and as I approached, the thing he used no longer held my attention. Instead, the man himself caught my eye. He was dazzling with his dark hair and eyes the color of the sky. As he moved his arms, his muscles rippled on his bare chest that had splotches of various colors all over it.
I’d seen a lot of humans, lured them to their deaths, but I’d never seen one that had those colors on their skin. It was as if he were decorated with flowers and I wanted to find out more. Diving under the water, I pushed my tail as I swam to find another spot with a better view. When I surfaced, only the top of my head from my eyes up peeked out from the water.
I watched in fascination as the man used some sort of tool to add color to a white rectangular object. It seemed to be taking shape, a replica of the water and my island, if I were to guess. I was engrossed in watching him add color to the board and didn’t notice the blonde-haired woman until she tapped me on the shoulder. “Sister, what a handsome human you found for us. Does he have any treasures?” she asked, her voice soft and alluring.
“You scared me half to death,” I admonished her. “I don’t know what that thing is that he is working on. There’s so much color that I want it for myself.”
“You know father would never allow you to keep it for yourself,” she giggled softly, as she rolled her eyes. “It’s time to go. Father spotted a ship coming in.”
I took one last look at the man before dipping under the water and following my
sister. Her tail was beautiful, even in the dark waters of the river. I raced with her and my own tail was strong as it pushed me to pass her and beat her to the rock.
My vision swirled again and the next picture that came was me watching the same man, this time closer than I was the last time. I felt something stir inside of me, a desire for this strange human that, again, had colors dotting his skin. I knew that I had been to this spot many times before to watch him, as I seemed to know how his arms would move as he used his tools to make more pictures. This one was of the beach and the flowers in the distance.
I was so close that I felt my fins turn into legs and I slowly approached the man. He didn’t notice me until I was close enough to touch him and my hand reached out to touch the picture. I wanted to know if it felt like the sand between my feet. The man turned around, his eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to say something before closing it quickly. Instead, he moved his body so that my outstretched hand touched him instead of the picture.
His skin was not like that of the nix, the hard planes of his skin softer than it looked. I moved my hand down and it touched the colors causing them to streak down his chest. It felt oily and slimy, like an oyster that we feasted on most nights. “What is that?” I asked in awe, pointing to the wooden structure that held the beautiful scene.
“It’s an easel and that’s my painting,” he said cautiously. “Have you never seen art before?”
“Art?” I let the word roll off my tongue. “No, we don’t have art. We have gold and jewels. And a lot of pearls from the oysters that we use to make our clothing.”
He looked me over and took in my outfit, the chains of pearls that I carefully put together to make circles and swoops on my top that hid my most intimate parts from the men in the river that were falling over themselves to be my mate. I added a mixture of jewels and pearls to chains that hung down from my top in a beautiful pattern that shone in the light that peeked through the waters as I swam through them.
“What’s your name?” he asked me, not showing any of the normal dazed expressions that I received from every other human when I was near them. “Where are you from?”
“Lorelei,” I responded before my brain caught up and I realized I wasn’t supposed to say my name to humans. Something about him seemed safe and I kept talking, “I live in the river Rhine with my people.”
“In the river?” he questioned with disbelief. “On a ship?”
I giggled, “No, silly. In the river. My home is under the water. I’m a nixie.”
His expression showed shock, but he didn’t say any more about it. “I’m Klaus Hoffman. I live on a farm not too far from here. I’m studying to be an artist. The beauty here gives me much inspiration for my work.” I eyed his tools curiously and wondered how they worked. Noticing my interest, he asked, “Do you want to try it?”
I nodded and he put a tool in my hand. I stroked the end and felt the softness of hair on one end and the hardness of wood on the other. “Let’s put some paint on it and I’ll help you put it on the canvas,” he offered. When his hand touched mine, I felt a spark that traveled all the way through my body. It was warm like the sun on a hot summer day, and butterflies fluttered beneath my skin. We stared at each other’s eyes, and I knew he felt it too.
The vision blurred and it was as if I raced to another time, as the images twisted and swirled again. The next one I remembered from my own dreams, one where I laid with Klaus in a field of flowers and he asked me to marry him. I relished every detail that I was shown, the scents of the flowers filling my nostrils and the feel of his body against mine. It was a perfect moment of our life in the past that I was saddened to leave behind when the picture zoomed to another time.
I faced down the man that was my father, King Nix, as he yelled at Klaus to stay away from his daughter. He was angry that I was with a human and ordered me to go back to my island where I belonged. I refused and he held his trident up and pointed it at Klaus. I knew he would be killed and jumped in front of him. The pain as his magic hit me in the chest, right above my heart, was so intense that I fell to the ground in agony.
My sight went in and out and I wasn’t aware of anything except Klaus’ body cradling mine as he ran through the fields and forest, crying for me to please make it. I couldn’t open my eyes for some reason, but I felt, heard, and smelled everything around us. The scent of fresh manure filled my nose and I knew we were at Klaus’ farm.
I knew I was dying as I felt my essence leaving me. I wanted to stay with Klaus, and I heard him begging me to hold on. He argued with a woman, telling her that he didn’t care what the price was to just save me. I wanted to live, to be with my one true love and relief filled me that he made the decision to save me. My heart broke at the thought of him being alone and not being able to share everything we dreamed of. I could hear many voices, those of women, chanting in language I recognized. I could make out most of the words and I realized that they were doing a spell, one to heal me and keep me in this realm. They were binding my soul to the painting and I felt my essence float from my body like a cloud and travel to the piece that Klaus had painted of me. I felt the pain as my soul attached to it, a feeling of my heart being ripped in two.
I fell into blackness before waking up to Klaus sitting by my side. When I opened my eyes, I felt his joy and love for me more than I had ever before. My own happiness was overwhelming, and I was thankful for the gift of life I had been given. “I love you with all of my heart and soul, Klaus,” I whispered, my voice still hoarse from the time I spent unconscious.
He helped me to drink and sit up. “As soon as you are well enough, we need to leave. I don’t know if your father knows that you’re alive and I won’t take any more chances with your life. We can go to the city and I’ll find work, just as we planned.”
“I would love nothing more than that,” I responded, my love for him wanting to burst from my body. I needed to feel his love, but I felt the presence of his aunt watching over us. We would have plenty of time when we started the long journey that would take us to another life. “I’ll be ready by tomorrow if you can get everything we need by then. I’m already feeling stronger from the water. My father’s reach is only so far from the water. As long as we stay away from rivers, he will never know that I lived.”
“Good. We’ll still make our plans of moving far from his reach, a place where the river Rhine doesn’t flow,” he assured me. I felt his lips brush gently over mine, so quickly that I wanted to pull him back for more. “You rest up and eat some food my aunt has prepared for you. I’m going to go pack and make sure we have everything we need to set out tomorrow.”
The image went blank and more went by, slower this time. Ones of Klaus and I in the forest, ones of the city that I recognized as Nuremberg from many years ago, before it became the mix of modern and old as it was today. I saw us outside the apartment that he now lived in, the building looking not much different than it did today and Klaus handing a man some coins. I saw myself cooking at an old fire stove as smoke rose out of it as I pulled out something burnt. There was a woman I didn’t recognize that seemed to be teaching me to cook. I smiled to myself at the image of dancing with Klaus in what, I guessed, was our home.
The images continued to come like this, and I thought the worst was over. I remembered all the love that I felt for Klaus and knew that he was meant for me. Snippets of our life together in the past were wonderful to see this time, now that I knew it was rea,l and I wasn’t crazy. I thought that the worst was over with and couldn’t understand why everyone was so worried about how I would react, other than me being such a logical person. I thought to myself that they were wrong about the pain I would endure, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
.
More memories flew by and I saw our wedding day, recalled the love and happiness we both felt. My heart squeezed with all the love I felt for Klaus at that moment. I cried as the image left and more flew by. I sighed with relief as it stopped, and I saw my cr
own of flowers from our wedding day dried out and hung on the wall, as I drifted into the memory.
I sprawled out on a couch, in what I remembered as our first home together, and stared at the painting propped up on Klaus’ easel by the window. It was a beautiful painting of the river Rhine that he worked on to help my homesickness. I felt bone tired and as if I were dried out deep inside my body. I knew it was time to head to the market to pick up supplies for dinner, but I just couldn’t seem to make my body move.
I sipped on water and felt a small amount of energy return, enough for me to make the trip to the butcher across the street. I could make a simple meal of meat and use the leftover bread from the morning. I took another drink before forcing myself to get up as dizziness washed over me. I pushed through it, knowing that my love was out breaking his back for us to be able to travel. The least I could do was to make sure he was fed when he came home.
I lumbered down the stairs, my legs feeling as weak as they did the first time I shifted into a human form. I longed to go back to the water and use my strong fins, if only for a short time. I could still shift, as I found out when we found a small pond in the Black Forest. The spell hadn’t taken that away from me. I lived as a human, but was still one hundred percent a nixie.
I paused at the door and leaned against the wall as another wave of dizziness overtook me. It was over quickly, and I walked out the door and down the steps. The normally bustling street was empty, compared to normal with only a few carriages and horses trotting down the dirt street. I waved to the neighbor and her little boy before I began to cross to the butcher.
“Frau Hoffman, where are you going?” a little boy’s voice called out to me. I turned to answer and saw him running up to me, his mother far behind those little legs of his that moved so fast.
“I’m going to the butcher, Johan. Go back to your mother.” I called to him, but he didn’t listen, his feet hitting the street as he ran to me and ignored his mother’s calls.
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