44Epilogue: Smiles
"Are you sure about this?" Reinhard asked Jacques who was carrying a large pack on his back which were obviously supplies of food as he was preparing to depart.
"Yes I am," replied the French spy, "I'm sure that Elise would be happier and safer in your place. I leave her to you, please take care of her."
"You don't have to worry about her," said Reinhard, "I know that Claire and the others, me included, will be able to take good care of her here until she grows up."
"Thank you." Jacques replied as he looked at Reinhard's eyes, "But are you sure that letting me go is a good idea? After all of the crimes that I had done?"
Claire stepped forward, Elise beside her holding her hand. "Yes we are sure," she said with a faint smile on her lips, "Elise wanted you to go too; she just wants you, the only blood relative left that she knows, to live and correct your mistakes by reforming your life."
"Don't worry," Claire said, "Every single piece of document inside that satchel was burned by Reinhard after the fight. Elise is safe now."
After all that happened, the group, with Elise, decided to let Jacques go and escape. Unlike the spymaster and his fellow spies, Reinhard and the others hid him for a while when Maurice and his spy ring were arrested and put behind bars behind a Prussian jail.
Tears almost fell from Jacques' eyes when he heard those words from Claire. "Is this true? Elise?"
"Umu!" the little girl nodded as she smiled at her uncle, "I know that someday, when I do meet you again, I know that we'll be both happier!"
Elise was smiling while she was talking to her uncle, putting everybody around her at ease. "I know that I would not be able to forgive you that easily after all that happened," Elise said, "but I also know that not everything was your fault."
"Elise..." Jacques mumbled at the sight of his niece who was a lot stronger and tougher that anyone could have ever thought. "I'm sorry Elise, I'm sorry... and thank you."
Elise shook her head and smiled at her uncle, "Someday and sometime in the future things will be different!"
With those words Jacques turned around and headed south, he could not head home for France just yet but there were better opportunities in Italy or Austria.
"So, she was actually here?" a beautiful woman talked to herself as she rolled a small piece of paper.
"I never thought that Maurice and his spy ring would be defeated and arrested in such a way," she said, smirking at the fate of the spymaster and his subordinates. "They came close to our objective, but alas we cannot weaken Prussia more. And those guys will now most likely be executed within a fortnight."
As she was talking to herself she picked up a carrier pigeon from a small cage. She caressed the bird's wings and body, checking if it was fit for a long journey. Convinced that it was, she placed the small piece of rolled paper inside a small container tied on the pigeon's left leg.
"Come on little guy, send this message to him. Hurry and fly away back to France where he is surely awaiting this report from me."
With a flick of her wrist, she sent the carrier pigeon on its way. As it flapped it's wings producing a distinctive noise of a messenger pigeon the woman turned around and looked at the city of Breslau that was just behind her. She had already left the makeshift headquarters that Maurice had set up for their operations in Silesia. A massive plume of smoke arose from the city. In a very logical and efficient way, she managed to erase every single piece of evidence left by Maurice about their operations by burning the building that they used.
"I don't know why you're so fixated about destroying and erasing Prussia from the map of Europe." the woman once again said as she talked to herself.
She looked at the pigeon once again which was a now a considerable distance from where she stood. "Still, I know you will have yet another brilliant scheme under your sleeves."
She then started to walk towards the south, towards Liegnitz, with a smile on her face, "Come forth, oh you brilliant man. Come forth, the Golden Demon!"
It has been a while since all of the events with Elise and the spymaster happened. Everything had turned out to be for the better since Reinhard and the whole group are now living once again in relative safety and quiet. It was now the night of the 10th year anniversary of the founding of Erich's and Gertrud's parents' tavern in Liegnitz.
"Hey! Hurry up and give me that dish!" Erich screamed as he reached for a massive piece of roasted beef on top of some potatoes from Reinhard who was doing all that he could to stave off his friend.
"I got this first dumbass! You take another dish in it's place, this is mine!" Reinhard replied, pushing away Erich by pushing him away by pressing on his face.
"Jeez!" Nathalie sighed as she watched the two men squabble over the roasted beef even though it was large enough for the entire table to share, "I don't really know if these two are friends or just enemies." Continuing to watch over the two men, she placed her elbow on the table and proceeded to rest her chin on her palm.
"They've been like that ever since they were children," said Gertrud who just joined in after serving some of the other guest inside the tavern.
"Yeah, they're like complete morons," replied Nathalie.
"Aww don't say that, they're cute this way!"
Nathalie, in slight disbelief of what Gertrud just said looked at the two men once again and smiled, "Well... it certainly is true. It's more fun this way."
"Hey!" Gertrud said after she noticed something off, "Where are Elise and Miss Claire?"
Nathalie, still smiling, gazed outside the window behind her.
Outside were Claire and Elise who were watching the stars in the night sky. Elise was all smiles as she looked up[on the bright, starry sky as she sat on Claire's lap.
"Mama, they're watching over me right?" Elise asked, pointing at the night sky, "My mama and my papa?"
Claire patted the head of the little girl just like a real loving mother would and replied, "I'm sure they are, you're they most precious child afterall."
"Well, I'm your kid now too right?" Elise said with a very straight face as if the statement was totally normal for her to the shock of Claire.
"W-Well, yeah, you kind of are."
Elise smiled at Claire and all the events that happened ever since she came to the house of the group, every single pain and suffering that had happened had vanished from Claire's thoughts. She just felt that she just wanted to see Elise's smiles and feel her hugs. Everything that she had fought for had not been for naught.
"Well, will you really accept me as your mom from now on?" Claire asked. "I'm not really living the most peaceful life. Just like your real father I too am a soldier."
Elise held onto Claire's hands, "It's okay mama, I'll stay with you whatever happens just promise that you won't leave me too."
Claire smiled, "Of course I would never leave you. You're a part of the family now afterall."