The Secret Crown paj-6

by Chris Kuzneski

‘Undoubtedly.’

  ‘Perhaps he even recognized bits of himself in the main character?’

  ‘Probably.’

  Jones gave it some thought. ‘If that’s the case, do you think the riddle could have something to do with the ballet? Could there be a clue in there?’

  Ulster shrugged. ‘Maybe.’

  ‘Just to be safe,’ Jones said, ‘can you explain the basic plot? I honestly can’t remember what Swan Lake is about.’

  Payne groaned. He felt a lecture coming on. ‘But please keep it short.’

  Ulster promised to be concise. ‘The story of Swan Lake is centred on Prince Siegfried, who is notified before his twenty-first birthday that his marriage will soon be arranged. Dreading his future responsibilities, he heads to the woods where he stumbles across an enchanted lake filled with many swans. Much to his surprise, one of the swans has a crown on its head. As the sun sets, the swan turns into the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. Her name is Odette, and she’s the Swan Queen. She tells the prince that over the years an evil sorcerer has turned many girls into swans. The lake itself was formed from the tears of crying parents. She also informs him that the spell can only be broken if a man pledges his heart to her. Head over heels in love, the prince is about to confess his true feelings when the sorcerer takes Odette from the prince’s arms and whisks her away.’

  ‘Is that it?’ Payne asked, hopefully.

  ‘For the first two acts. I still have two more to go.’

  ‘I thought you said you were going to be concise.’

  Ulster smiled. ‘For me, that was concise. Keep in mind, this is typically a three-hour production. I just covered half of it in thirty seconds.’

  Payne nodded his appreciation. ‘Go on.’

  ‘The very next day, the prince is shown several prospective brides at his birthday gala. One of them is Odile, the daughter of the sorcerer, who has been made to look like Odette through a magic spell. Captivated by her beauty, the prince confesses his love to the impostor, an act witnessed by Odette from a nearby window. Broken-hearted, she runs towards the woods crying. As she does, the prince catches a glimpse of her and realizes his error. Eventually, he catches up to Odette at Swan Lake and explains his mistake. As she accepts the prince’s apology, the sorcerer arrives and tells him he must keep his promise to marry his daughter. The prince says he would rather die with Odette than marry Odile. To prove his point, he grabs Odette’s hand and they jump into the lake together, where they promptly drown. But, thanks to his actions, the magic spell is broken and all the other swans turn back into girls.’

  Jones interrupted him. ‘Wait a second! You’re telling me the character based on Ludwig drowns in a lake, and ten years later, Ludwig dies in a lake, too. That’s some freaky shit!’

  ‘Actually,’ Ulster said, ‘I’m not quite finished yet. There’s more drowning still to come.’

  ‘Really?’

  Ulster smiled. ‘Angered by the two deaths, the girls force the sorcerer and his daughter into the lake and watch them drown. The ballet ends as the spirits of the prince and Odette ascend into the heavens above Swan Lake.’

  Jones waited for a few seconds, unsure. ‘Are you done now?’

  Ulster nodded. ‘I am.’

  ‘That’s some freaky shit, too!’ Jones blurted.

  ‘How so?’ Payne asked.

  ‘Weren’t you listening?’

  ‘Barely.’

  Normally Payne was the serious one, and Jones was the jester. All it took was one story about a ballet for their roles to be reversed.

  Jones smiled at the irony. ‘Don’t you get it? The sorcerer behind the deception drowned in the same lake as the prince – just like the doctor behind the deception drowned in the same lake as Ludwig. That can’t be a coincidence.’

  Payne grunted. ‘You’re right; it does seem suspicious.’

  Ulster shrugged his broad shoulders. ‘Honestly, I don’t know if Ludwig’s murder was staged to mimic the ballet or not, but the story of Siegfried and Odette helped establish Ludwig’s nickname as the Swan King.’

  ‘How so?’ Payne asked.

  ‘If they hadn’t been killed, Siegfried and the Swan Queen would have been married, which would have made him the Swan King. And as I mentioned, the character of Siegfried was based on Ludwig, so …’

  Payne nodded in understanding. ‘Throw in Ludwig’s obsessions with swans and that Swan Knight character you told us about earlier, and the nickname stuck.’

  ‘He was also called the Dream King, the Fairytale King and Mad King Ludwig, but the Swan King is used most often.’

  Payne paused for a moment to consider everything he had learned. Swan Lake, one of the most famous ballets in history, was connected to Ludwig. The black swan logo had been designed by Ludwig. And the riddle about the swan had been written by Ludwig. Yet as far as Payne could tell, they still had no idea where a swan would go on his journey home.

  Or what they would find if they figured it out.

  25

  From a distance, the King’s House on Schachen resembled a hunting lodge on top of a scenic crest. Painted beige and dark brown, the wooden post-and-infill structure was two storeys in the centre but only half as tall on the left and right, as if additional rooms had been added at the last minute. To Payne, the house looked like two capital ‘L’s, stapled back to back. It certainly wasn’t the worst design he had ever seen, yet it seemed out of place in the dream world that Ludwig had created for himself. Why build a house instead of a castle?

  ‘Remember,’ Ulster said as if reading Payne’s mind, ‘the interior is far more luxurious than the exterior. Don’t be fooled by the outside.’

  ‘Your friend is correct,’ said a feminine voice from the top of the hill. ‘The rough outer shell protects the pearl within.’

  ‘Petr,’ said Jones as he searched for the source, ‘the house is talking.’

  ‘And listening,’ she replied, her voice slightly tinged with a German accent.

  Jones grabbed Ulster’s arm. ‘Petr, I’m scared … Hold me.’

  Payne laughed and pointed out the speaker’s location. A series of decorative wooden beams ran from the top of the sharply peaked roof to the banister of the second-floor veranda. The mystery woman was standing underneath the overhang, partially hidden in the shadows. Though he couldn’t see her face, her naturally blonde hair and fair complexion had given her away.

  ‘How often do you scare tourists?’ he called out as he walked up the hillside.

  ‘Only when they scare us first. We thought there was an avalanche,’ she said.

  Payne kept walking, still unable to see her face because of the shadows. ‘Why did you think that?’

  ‘Why?’ she said sharply. ‘Because most people walk here.’

  ‘Uh-oh,’ Jones whispered. ‘We pissed off the house.’

  Payne told Jones and Ulster to stay put, then focused his attention on her. ‘Sorry about the helicopter. We parked down below to minimize the noise. I hope you can forgive us.’

  ‘That depends.’

  ‘On what?’

  ‘On the reason you didn’t hike here like everyone else.’

  When Payne reached the top of the hill, he could finally see who he was talking to. Dressed in jeans and a dark sweater, the pretty blonde stared at him, her emotions partially concealed by the long hair that danced across her face in the crisp mountain breeze. In a well-practised move, she casually grabbed her hair with one hand and slid a band off her wrist with the other. A few seconds later, a blonde ponytail dangled back and forth behind her head.

  ‘I’m still waiting,’ she said impatiently.

  As Payne walked closer, he noticed several small things about her – the freckles on her nose, the way her jeans hugged her hips, the curves underneath her sweater. But most importantly, he noticed a twinkle in her light blue eyes. It let him know that she was sassy, not angry.

  ‘I’m waiting, too,’ he shot back.

  She stared at him. ‘For wh
at?’

  ‘For you to say hello. Or isn’t that ritual observed up here?’

  ‘Hello,’ she said sarcastically. ‘Now answer my question. Why didn’t you hike here?’

  ‘Hello to you, too,’ he said, ignoring her question. ‘My name’s Jon. What’s yours?’

  She sighed. ‘Heidi.’

  He stuck out his hand. ‘Nice to meet you, Heidi. I like what you’ve done with the place. When did you move in?’

  But instead of shaking his hand, she stared at it coldly. ‘Sorry, Jon. No more kindness from me until you answer my question. Why didn’t you hike here like everyone else?’

  He lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘Can you keep a secret?’

  ‘Depends on the secret.’

  Payne pointed back towards Jones and Ulster. ‘I’m not going to name any names, but one of my friends is slightly out of shape. To be perfectly blunt, we didn’t know if his heart could handle a four-hour hike, so we convinced him to fly instead.’

  She peeked round Payne – since he was too tall to glance over – and studied his friends. It didn’t take long to figure out which one he was talking about. ‘What if he wasn’t here?’

  ‘You mean, if he was dead?’

  ‘No!’ she gasped. ‘If he wasn’t with you, would you have made the hike?’

  ‘Come on, Heidi. What do you think?’

  Now it was her turn to check him out.

  Starting with his feet, she noticed his hiking boots. They were worn and caked with dirt. His muscular legs stretched his cargo pants to their limit, yet somehow the seams didn’t burst. Earlier, she had noticed his hand when he had attempted to shake hers. It wasn’t the hand of a working man – the nails were too clean and his fingers were free of calluses – but she had noticed some scars near his knuckles. Clearly he had been in a few fights over the years, and judging by his size, he had probably won most of them. For some reason, she found that quality – the willingness to fight for something – very attractive in a man.

  She patted him on the arm. ‘If I had to guess, I’d say no.’

  ‘No?’ he said, laughing.

  ‘You’re too big to hike. I’m guessing a guy like you has no stamina.’

  ‘Trust me, Heidi. I have size and stamina.’

  She ignored the innuendo. ‘Why are you here?’

  ‘To see the house. Why are you so mean?’

  ‘Not mean, protective. Big difference.’

  ‘Not to the person you’re yelling at.’

  ‘Trust me, I’m not yelling. If I were yelling, you’d know.’

  ‘In other words, you’re a screamer?’

  This time, Heidi smiled. ‘Does this approach work often?’

  ‘What approach is that?’

  ‘Your whole flirty-comment thing.’

  ‘First of all, my thing isn’t flirting. If it was flirting, you’d know. Secondly, you’re the one who started it. My friends and I were having a personal conversation, and you butted in.’

  She poked him in his chest. ‘Only because you shook the mountain.’

  ‘With our talking?’

  ‘With your helicopter,’ she snapped. ‘Tell me, do you know why King Ludwig chose this remote location for his house?’

  ‘Because he wanted to get away.’

  ‘From what?’

  ‘Civilization.’

  ‘Do you know why?’

  ‘Not really,’ he admitted.

  She explained. ‘Because up here, Ludwig could look down on the world instead of the world looking down on him.’

  Payne smiled, impressed. ‘That’s pretty deep. Did you just make that up?’

  She stared at him, trying to decide if he was being sarcastic. Eventually, she decided he wasn’t. ‘As a matter of fact, I did.’

  ‘You’re pretty passionate about this place. How long have you worked here?’

  ‘Since June. That’s when we opened for the season.’

  ‘And before that?’

  ‘Ludwig’s other castles: Linderhof, Neuschwanstein and the Munich Residenz.’

  ‘Are you a student?’

  She laughed at the question. ‘I’m too old to be a student.’

  ‘Maybe for high school. But there’s no age limit on learning.’

  ‘Now look who’s deep.’

  Payne smiled. ‘If you’re not a student, what are you? A tour guide?’

  ‘Something like that. I work for the Bavarian Palace Department. We oversee all the castles and royal properties in Bavaria. My area of interest is Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm von Wittelsbach, but most people call him Ludwig.’

  Payne laughed. ‘That’s because most people can’t remember Ludwig Friedrich von blah blah blah – or whatever you said.’

  She smiled, revealing a perfect set of white teeth. ‘So, why are you here? From your accent, I would say you’re from, um … Ohio?’

  He shook his head. ‘Western Pennsylvania.’

  ‘Oh, well. I was close.’

  ‘And based on your diction and mild accent, I’d say you were born in Germany but went to school in the States.’

  She nodded, impressed. ‘Big and smart. Now I’m doubly curious about your presence here. Are you a fan of Ludwig?’

  ‘Honestly, no. But my plump friend is.’ Payne turned and signalled for Jones and Ulster to join them by the house. ‘We’re just keeping him out of trouble.’

  She watched Ulster as he waddled up the hill. Despite gasping for air, he had a smile on his face the entire time. ‘Yeah, he seems like a troublemaker.’

  ‘Don’t let his cheerfulness fool you. The guy is a tiger.’

  ‘What about your other friend? Is he a tiger, too?’

  Payne grinned, relishing the opportunity to make fun of his best friend. ‘No, he’s a different species altogether. If I had to sum him up, I’d say he’s part pit bull, part jackass.’

  26

  After a brief introduction – in which they avoided the real reason for their trip – Heidi grabbed Ulster by the elbow and led him towards the entrance of the King’s House.

  ‘Jon said you’re a fan of Ludwig. Have you been here before?’ she asked.

  Ulster shook his head. ‘No, my dear, I haven’t. Over the years I’ve been tempted to stop on multiple occasions, but the length of the hike and the short tourist season have always made it difficult.’

  Heidi nodded in understanding. Public tours started in June and ended at the beginning of October. After that, the house was closed until the following spring because of snow and ice in the Alps and treacherous footing on the hiking trails. ‘Personally, I think you came at the perfect time. Summer tourists are long gone, and the cool weather keeps most hikers away until early afternoon. Other than a few people who stayed the night at the lodge, the house is empty.’

  ‘Wonderful!’ Ulster exclaimed. ‘Does that mean you can show us around?’

  She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Payne. ‘I’d be happy to – as long as Jon doesn’t mind being stuck with me for a while. He thinks I’m mean.’

  Ulster patted her hand. ‘Well, I think you’re fabulous, and that’s all that matters.’

  Heidi led them to the covered porch where she stopped outside the main door. ‘Before we go inside, let me tell you some general information about this site. If you start getting bored, please let me know and I’ll gladly skip ahead.’

  Jones whispered to Payne. ‘I wish Petr had the same policy.’

  Payne smiled and nodded.

  Heidi started her lecture. ‘We are standing 5,628 feet above Garmisch-Partenkirchen and 7,951 feet above sea level. The mountain directly behind you is called the Partenkirchen Dreitorspitze. Standing 8,638 feet tall, it is the fourth tallest peak in Germany and part of the Wetterstein mountain range that forms a natural border with Austria to the south.’

  Payne, Jones and Ulster turned and stared at the Dreitorspitze. It loomed over them like a grey tidal wave, as if the smallest breeze would send it crashing down with so much force t
hat the King’s House would be turned into kindling.

  Heidi continued. ‘The chalet was built between 1869 and 1872. Ludwig and his guests reached it on horse-drawn carriages or sleighs, depending on the time of year. The lone route up the mountain was called the Konigsweg. In English, that means the King’s Road.’

  ‘How did they get supplies up here?’ Jones asked.

  ‘The same way. Everything was hauled by horse.’

  ‘Even water?’

  She shook her head. ‘Water is one of the few things they didn’t haul. Because of the large amounts of precipitation, they built a cistern to collect and store the melted snow to use throughout the year.’

  ‘Really?’ Jones said, trying to get the information they needed to solve the riddle. ‘I thought I heard there was a fresh-water lake up here. Somewhere Ludwig liked to go.’

  She shook her head again. ‘Perhaps you’re thinking of one of his other homes. There was a fresh-water lake near Schloss Hohenschwanstein. He stayed there as a child with his parents.’

  Payne’s ears perked up when he heard ‘schwan’ in the middle of the word. ‘What does that name mean in English?’

  ‘Schloss Hohenschwanstein? It means high swan stone castle. Later in life, Ludwig stayed there for several years while he was overseeing the construction of Neuschwanstein. It’s adjacent to the lake as well.’ She glanced at Payne, anticipating his next question. ‘And before you ask, Neuschwanstein means new swan stone.’

  ‘Thanks for reading my mind,’ Payne said.

  Heidi smiled and opened the door. ‘Now, if you’ll follow me …’

  Payne and Jones lingered on the porch for a few extra seconds as Ulster went inside.

  Jones whispered. ‘That’s two homes with swan in the name. Either one could be the answer to the riddle. If so, we’re screwed. How are we going to find a document in a castle?’

  ‘Remember, the answer to the riddle is only half of the equation. First we find the gartenhaus, then we solve the riddle. Not the other way around.’

  ‘Crap! I forgot about the gartenhaus. All of these clues are confusing.’

  ‘That’s why pirates made treasure maps. They were too drunk to remember clues.’

  Jones glanced at his watch. ‘Speaking of drunk, we could leave right now and be shit-faced by lunch. Just say the word, and we’re off to Oktoberfest.’