A/N:
Thank you for your lovely reviews! It was such a huge incentive to me, that, there will be more stories on the way, just wait and see.
For those reviewers who asked for it, here it is – a new chapter. I was not planning to continue this one, but something made it unavoidable. I love symbolism, and because of the great reviews I received, I felt compelled to do some online research. I found a few interesting facts about pine cones that just had to be a part of this…
Enjoy!
After dinner, the Captain went to the one place in his house where he could brood in peace – his study. It was his sanctuary, probably because it was the only room in the house where Agathe´s influence was not so visible. It was his own, personal space, and she had always understood that. It was true that wherever he looked there were memories – of the sea, of war – but no visible reminder of the love he had lost. Those he kept locked in the first drawer of his desk.
He tried to concentrate on latest submarine whose design he was working on, and the problems that still had to be fixed, in order to make it adaptable to new, state of the art, sonar technologies. Silence was the key, he thought. Whatever he did with it, the boat had to be silent, in order to avoid detection by the enemy. Even if they allowed women inside submarines, certainly no Navy in the world would want that Fraülein Maria in their crew – although it would be a fine way to sabotage them. He chuckled at the thought. Make her a double agent and infiltrate her in one the enemy submarine crews. Five minutes and they would have all the allied fleet chasing the enemy boat, considering the impressive amount of decibels she had managed to produce when she sat at the dinner table…
Suddenly, he wasn´t thinking about the sea anymore. And he was not thinking about a certain so-called governess. At least he was trying hard not to.
The Captain was thinking about the important issue of pine cones.
He remembered that conversation with his grandmother, when she had suggested it to play the prank on his bride to be. She had been a very astute, cunning woman. She never said things gratuitously, without having a good reason for it. If she had suggested a pine cone, then there had to be something behind it, a small detail that made it meaningful. Otherwise it would be any other object – a fork, a sharp rock would do just fine, and easier to find in downtown Vienna in the middle of the night.
Following the train of his thoughts, his eyes then wandered to a small collection of books he kept in a separate shelf. His grandfather's books, about heraldry – he had a passion for the subject. The Trapp family crest held a special fascination for him, and Georg remembered when, as a little boy, his grandfather would talk about it for hours, explaining every tiny little detail, every symbol, every line. The Captain never guessed his grandmother shared her husband's interest; she never gave any indication of that – on the contrary, she would joke about it. But maybe…
Resolutely, the Captain walked to the shelf and picked up a large and particularly dusty volume. It was an old encyclopedia of heraldry, one of his grandfather's favorite books, and one which he carried everywhere and was always consulting. It contained the main symbols used in family crests in Europe. He opened it at the letter "P" and began his research.
Pansies…
"A colorful flowering plant. Pansy divination was said to be a method of fortune telling supposedly used by the Knights of the Round Table. It involved randomly picking a petal off a pansy and looking at its markings. Denotes love, freedom of thought and reflection, and also of good fortune."
He had always thought the colorful little flowers were too fragile and delicate for his taste, but… Freedom of thought, indeed! Interesting. That governess looked like him to be the kind who would love the silly flowers, judging by the inappropriate way she chose to speak her mind.
He cursed – why was he even thinking about the silly creature?
He continued his search.
Phoenix…
"The mythical bird that lives for 500 years, builds its own funeral pyre, is consumed by the flames, and rises anew from the ashes. This bearing symbolizes the rising and setting of the sun, as well as immortality, resurrection, and life after death."
Life after death… Agathe!
No, no, not now, he muttered to himself, banishing the disturbing thoughts from his troubled mind.
Pigeon, pike, pillar, pineapple, pincers…
Pine cones!
There it was.
"The tree of life and humanity. A pine tree in the forest symbolizes long-suffering, steadfast friendships, and enduring fame. According to Virgil, early Romans decorated pine trees with little masks of Bacchus (a fertility god). As the wind blew the masks around, Bacchus was believed to grant fertility to every part of the tree the masks faced. It is said to symbolize immortality, resiliency, longevity, and rebirth..."
Hah! He knew it!
He closed the book with a loud thud. There was a smug look in his face, because he had deciphered another one of his grandmother's enigmas. So there was a reason why she had chosen that particular object. Knowing his grandmother he knew it had not been picked at random. He read the entry over and over again. Clever woman, his grandmother – not that he had ever doubted that.
Fertility gods!
Still trying to keep a scientific approach, he looked at entries in similar books, and the words he read danced in his mind.
Inflammable nature… fire… an emblem of…
Of what?! He had to read the word twice. His eyes widened, and he threw the small book away, shaking his head, but smiling mischievously.
Grandmother!
Well, he should have guessed, shouldn't he? He reached for another heavy volume.
Union of positive and negative forces… a talisman of abundance, fecundity, good luck… a symbol of Artemis, among the ancient Greeks…
Closing his eyes, he made an effort to recall what he knew about Greek mythology.
Artemis, or Diana, goddess of light, protector of the vulnerable… The moon goddess… Maiden divinity…
Sitting back in his chair, he allowed the flood of information gathered in his memory t flow freely.
Protectress of the young… Quick to defend the powerless… Allowed by her father Zeus to live without having to be distracted by love and marriage… Granted permission not to have to dress like a lady… Had the task of bringing light into the world… Was given all the mountains on the earth to live on… Untamed spirit… Able to bring down the most terrible of beasts… Fierce in the protection of gentle creatures… Impulsive… Punished those who tried to thwart her commitment to reaching her goals or invaded her privacy…
It had a little to do with Agathe, he had to admit. Some parts just did not match. Never dressed as a lady… his late wife had always been known in their social circle for her elegance and poise. Untamed, impulsive… Who, his Agathe? No, never.
However…
He had met her only for a few hours, but he believed himself to be a good judge of character. And what he remembered of Artemis, the moon goddess, was a perfect description of…
He never knew if it was the thought, or the noise he heard, coming from upstairs, that made him stand up, with a jolt.
Irritably, he ran towards the source of the inopportune sounds. Laughter, singing… He had to deal with it at once.
And yet, something told him that it would not be the last time he would find himself brooding about pine cones and Greek goddesses.
A/N:
All "quotations" between in this chapter were extracted from the website "Armorial Gold Heritage Dictionary".