Chapter Text
As long as he could remember there had been a draw to the stars--a thread, a pull; his mother often remarked he couldn't look away when night came, although he had no recollection of it now that he was older.
Older, yes--he was, after all, a few days shy of 18. The years seemed to fly by--his 'stint' as a man with lesser responsibilities would be ending soon, and in that, Siegfried found himself unsure if he truly wanted that--perhaps for the first time.
Siegfried--his name, and yet also not.
"Stargazing, your Excellency?" came a voice off to the side, and Siegfried's head tilted back, and then to the side, as his ice-blue gaze met with that of the voice's ocean-blue one.
"Felix," came his reply, as a soft smile etched itself into his face--Siegfried pressing his palms to his thighs and easing himself up and onto his feet, "You're shorter than me now," he added, and Felix raised a bemused brow.
"Am I now? Its only been a week since we last saw each other, your Excellency,"--to that, Siegfried raised a brow of his own; he'd allowed the first to pass, the second he wouldn't, "Sieg, Felix--I've told you, in private we ought to maintain our friendship,"
Felix chuckled that playful chuckle of his, and waved a hand softly, "I forget, Sieg,"
A pause held--a beat passed, and then Siegfried smirked softly, "193 centimetres," he declared, and Felix clicked his tongue, "190, seems you have me beat,"--and a mutual chuckle held between them.
"I missed this," the blonde said--Felix, a brunette, offered a tilted head in response, so Siegfried continued, "It has been a while since I last just... stargazed,"
"And here I thought you preferred books and painting to idly looking up," came Felix's amused reply, and Siegfried waved him off in a teasingly dismissive way--stepping forwards, and swiping the console absentmindedly to close the shutters on either side of the viewglass.
"This is the last one Felix," the blonde mused, and Felix nodded, "The last--but not; there will be more to come, no?"
And to that, Siegfried smiled softly, "I'll have freer control over whom I bring with me then; no more of you being drawn off for weeks at a time at my expense,"--to that, Felix chuckled, as they both started to step out of the room, and into the hallway thereafter, "Ah yes, I have quite looked forward to that--truly, the vacations from your presence I get are unendingly droll," the brunette teased, and Siegfried rapped his right knuckles on his friend's left shoulder in retort.
"Frederica must be livid--I said I would chat to her before we took to the field, and yet I've wasted that time stargazing," Siegfried admitted, and Felix chuckled more fully at that, "For once I find myself envying another week's distance--she'll be quite the handful,"
Yes, she would, Siegfried thought, with a smile, as he absentmindedly drew up the ribbon he used to tie back his long, curly, locks to ensure a semblance of neatness.
Step, step--on they went, clearing autodoors, and passing service men who all saluted--until finally they came to the bridge--the bridge of the Weiße Rose, and all officers and bridgemen present straightened up and saluted, "Commander on deck!" they all declared, and Siegfried softly waved them back to being at ease, before seating himself nonchalantly at his command throne--Felix on his left--the blonde thumbing the right half of his fringe to the side, before easing out his right hand to wave on the bridge's holo display.
A thousand ships--that was the enemy before them, a force not seen in nearly 20 years, and yet it paled in comparison to the last great battle's size.
This would be his swansong as Siegfried von Brandt--he would have to recall his true name in due time.
Alexander Siegfried von Lohengramm.