Chapter Two Thousand Three Hundred Ninety-Two
26th July 1975
Hohenzollern Castle
High atop the North watch tower the Prussian flag flew with the blue banner of Princess Kristina below it. The Princess apparently preferred to live in the Markgraf Tower, leaving the Master’s Chambers empty when she apparently wasn’t renting it out to whatever VIP she was presently trying to impress. It was said that when the Princess’ consort, Graf von Hirsch came to the castle in a few days his red and white banner would join it. It was a leftover thing from centuries past to let everyone for kilometers around know that the Lady was home. Sepp just looked at it with wry amusement. The sort of things that people did before television if he had to guess.
The castle itself took a bit of getting used to. The Princess and her two children were often seen around the castle with an Irish woman and an old dog that followed them everywhere. Perhaps it was predictable that Dieter would have an easier time making friends among the children here for the summer than Sepp was. They had tended to congregate in the room that Sepp and Dieter shared out of long habit. Strangely, they knew only what Dieter told them so many of these children seemed to think that Sepp was a hero of some sort. He didn’t understand why.
There were also moments when Sepp was certain that the adults in the castle all had ulterior motives when they did things. Sure, there were moments like when they had been introduced to the Stone Masons who helped maintain the castle itself that were interesting. There were also tasks like weeding the kitchen garden and feeding the goats or chickens who lived on the grounds that left Sepp wondering what was really going on here. The clothes, which were supposedly period authentic, that they were expected to wear had the effect of making everyone the same. Despite all the very real Medieval trappings around the castle, Sepp was aware of the modern heating, plumbing, not to mention the service entrance with the loading dock. Those things were decidedly not an authentic part of the experience and a reminder that the castle had been built and rebuilt at least three times and there had been countless efforts at refurbishment of the interiors. The most recent rebuild had only been about a century earlier.
On the first Saturday Sepp found himself unexpectedly meeting with someone from his own neighborhood, who Dieter had told him all about on many occasions. This happened with Sepp as part of the handful of fifteen and sixteen-year-olds taken aside while the children were taken to the movie theater in Hechingen. First they had been given a lecture, by Princess Kristina herself, beyond what they already knew. That they were in positions of responsibility and that they needed to set an example. She then outlined what they would be doing over the next few weeks and the detailed schedule. Then she introduced Doctor Thomas Ott, a friend and colleague of hers. He promised to keep his introduction brief and he stuck to that.
“Of course, Doctor von Preussen feels that the older boys might be more comfortable talking to me” Doctor Ott said to them, “As an Emergency Surgeon for the last thirty years, I can assure you that nothing you could possibly think to say or ask would surprise me in the least.”
That brought a round of nervous laughter. Of course, Sepp had one important question, so he raised his hand.
“Yes, Josef” Kristina asked.
“What exactly are you getting out of this?” Sepp asked, “No one does something for nothing.”
“I’m getting a holiday in a scenic part of the country” Ott replied, “I also understand the importance of what we are doing here.”
“Taking the stupid, poor kids out of the city for a few weeks to stay out of trouble is important?” Sepp asked, “By having them do gardening and get kicked by goat?”
There was a bit of snickering around the room. All Sepp had done was say what everyone here was thinking.
“Your sarcasm is noted Josef and you could not be more wrong” Kristina replied, “If you were stupid you wouldn’t have been invited and as for being poor, the students come from a variety of backgrounds.”
“There is also the aspect of children from the city learning that milk and produce do not just come from the market” Ott said, “That is a divide that Doctor von Preussen and her brother are working to address.”
Sepp didn’t quite understand what it was that Ott was getting at. Sepp saw the Princess smile at that though. According to Dieter, who had gotten to know her at the University Hospital in Tempelhof, she preferred to be addressed as a Doctor as opposed to the other titles she had.
“There is the aspect of the northern and southern political divide to consider, one that we are seeking to bridge” Kristina said, “That is the real reason you are here, those who might be leaders in a generation.”
“I think that you should look elsewhere then” Sepp replied. He knew that he wasn’t a leader of any kind, it was all he could do to get through the next school term and to make sure that he and Dieter kept a roof over their head. All of that despite his worthless father’s efforts to keep them forever on the edge of destitution.
“Regardless of what you may think Josef, that is the truth” Kristina said, “I am also responsible for your health and safety while you are here. I intend to make the most of that with the help of Doctor Ott. Does anyone else have any questions?”
Sepp listened as Kristina patiently answered the questions and resumed explaining the schedule for the activities that were going to be happening over the next several weeks. It was starting to dawn on him that this was going to be an extremely long holiday.