Bastian
Chapter Side Story 3 - It Was A Wrong Day from the Beginning

✧It Was A Wrong Day from the Beginning✧

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

The day started out bad right from the get go. Odette stirred from her sleep and stared at the alarm clock, trying to make sense of it. The sunlight was bright and the absence of Bastian in the bed proved the late hour. So why hadn’t the alarm chimed? Bastian must have turned it off when he got up.

   With great effort, Odette forced her tired body from the bed and was instantly greeted by a chill draft as she opened the window. Without any warning, winter had its claws in the land when just yesterday they had enjoyed a warm, cosy picnic.

   It was Bastian’s birthday today and even on that special day, Bastian was out for his morning exercise. It was strange, in the four years they had been together, this was the first time they had spent his birthday together.

Their relationship had taken a turn by this time. During their first autumn, she made a grave mistake by betraying him. Only after Bastian left for military duty on Trosa Island that she discovered it was his birthday – but by then, it was too late. 

In the second fall, her thoughts of him were tinged with remorse and shame. She would often write a brief congratulatory message at the close of her monthly report to Trosa Island, but she could never bring herself to send it. It was a time when silence was the only gift she could offer.

In the third autumn she had fled to Felia to escape him. She couldn’t help but think he would spend his birthday alone, but she tried not to take it to her heart.

In the fourth fall, war stole him away from her, leaving her with only memories and a heart full of prayers for his safety.

And now, in the fifth fall, his birthday has arrived bringing love and blessings to deliver to him at last.

 She had been preparing for this day since the start of autumn and she had overslept.   Why did Bastian turn the alarm off? No. If she hadn’t stayed up until late with him, she would have been up at dawn without the need for an alarm.

   The first task of the day was to wake Bastian up with a kiss and say “Happy Birthday.” She would then watch him get dressed in a hand knitted jumper she had made for him. She had envisioned this as the perfect way to celebrate his birthday, but now it felt like a futile daydream.

   “It’s fine,” Odette said, pulling on a thick linen dress. There was still a lot of the day left, plenty to get her plans done if she hurried. She forwent the usual morning ablutions and went straight to the kitchen. She barely got started when the doorbell rang.

“Delivery of Admiral Klauwitz’s birthday present!” the delivery driver’s voice rang through the sound of the bell.

Odette made her way to the porch and was greeted by a stack of beautifully wrapped gift boxes, “Oh my…”

   “Good morning, Princess, presents for Admiral Klauswitz.” There were a lot more presents than Odette was expecting. “Ah, there are also some presents from the writer Esher. I’ve also brought some gifts from close family and friends. All the names are on each present.” He moved some more boxes that were still in the car.

   “Thank you for coming all this way,” Odette said. “Please send my thanks to Viscount Esher and his wife.”

   The delivery driver offered to bring all the presents inside, but Odette was desperate to maintain the air of a gracious host and waved the driver away. As she ferried the presents to the living room, she saw tags with names on them. These presents flooded their home since two days ago,  they were from all sorts of people, some high-profile aristocrats and businessmen, his comrades in the navy and even local leaders.

   Space was filling up quickly and Odette was in too much of a rush to organise everything properly. The problem was that this was no mansion and there were no hands to help organise everything. The two would spend days after the event, cleaning up the gifts and all the wrapping paper.  Nobody knew how small the Klauwitz’s house was.

   The pile of presents was completed with a small parcel that fit in her palm. By the time she was finally done, it was time to go out and meet Bastian, but as she reached the door, the phone started to ring from Bastian’s office, which was the spare bedroom converted. With a sigh of resignation, Odette rushed up the stairs.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

“Bastian,” Odette called out in shock as she came down the stairs, Bastian was already there, picking up the small present that had been the last to be added to the pile. “I’m sorry, I wanted to come meet you, but you got a call from Faber wishing you a happy birthday.”

   “Oh, Faber?” Bastian said, wiping away a trickle of sweat from his brow with the back of his sleeve. He has recently increased his running distance. After some initial speed control issues, he quickly adapted and reached a record similar to before his injury. This was his biggest goal for the second half of the year.

   “Oh, I’m sorry, let me fetch you a towel,” Odette turned to run back up the stairs, but stopped herself. “Oh my, I completely forgot to say congratulations and happy birthday.”

   “True, Odette, you kind of did,” Bastian adopted a mock insulted tone.

   It was hard for Bastian to understand Odette’s obsession with birthdays. It wasn’t like it was a rare occurrence or anything, something that came round every year to remind you that life was getting on. He had never given much stock in the day. “Please, you don’t have to worry so much.”

   “But it’s the first time we have spent your birthday together.  It’s also  your first birthday since overcoming a near-death crisis.”

   “So, I’ve not returned to being a one year old,” Bastian said indifferently. “Don’t over do it, Odette. Birthdays have never really meant that much to me.  I don’t want to see you struggling with this kind of thing.”

   “Don’t belittle yourself like that.”

   “No, I’m not, I’m just telling you my true feelings, what I really want is…”

   Bastian was cut off by the phone ringing again. Bastian reflected internally as he climbed the stairs to answer the phone, pausing briefly to accept a kiss from Odette.

This kind of thing. Odette wanted to rant at Bastian for treating his day so casually, but she didn’t want an unnecessary argument on a special day she had been waiting for.

She calmed down a little when she got to the kitchen, but she was still fuming that Bastian was not as excited as she was.  It would be fine, the day is not ruined yet and after a nice, hearty birthday breakfast, she felt sure she could encourage him.  If he doesn’t know the meaning, she can let him know. 

   She then went back to cook. The sausages were in the pan with the bacon. Eggs were boiling up nicely and the bread was being toasted in the oven.

   “I think I might have to pop out for a little while,” Bastian said, standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

   Odette had just begun boiling eggs slowly turned from the hobs, her face a flushed, pouting visage of anger. She squinted at Bastian. Another plan was ruined.

 “I remember you promising to spend the whole day together.”

   “I know and I am sorry, but Admiral Ryan is in Rothewein, it’s only going to be a luncheon as he has to return to Ratz this evening.” Bastian could feel the heat rising from Odette as she glared at him. “Of course, only with the Princess’ permission.”

   “Will you give up if I don’t allow it?”

   “Of course.”

   “You’re lying.” Odette turned back to the hob and smiled to herself. She knew what he was doing, offering her up the facade of an option, knowing full well that she could not forbid him from going. It was a shameless strategy.

   “You better be back by five at the latest, is that understood, Admiral Klauswitz?”

   Bastian wrapped his arms around her waist, giving her a kiss on the nape of her neck, cheeks and her lips “I’ll be back by 4.”

Odette didn’t want to fall for his trick, but indeed, her medicine was him.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

Odette finished up the sweater she had made for Bastian with a few drops of her perfume. It was for women, but she wanted Bastian to think of her every time he wore it. It wasn’t a particularly strong scent and more closely resembled that of soap.

   She looked at the blue garment with a sense of pride and satisfaction. It was the first time she had tried to make clothes for a man and it took a lot longer than expected. The neckline and the sleeves were patterns she had designed personally.

   Once done, Odette went down to the kitchen to finish preparing for the birthday meal. She was wearing a flowery dress totally inappropriate for cooking, but she didn’t know when Bastian was coming back.

   Odette trimmed the meat, baked the cake, whipped up fresh cream and trimmed the vegetables, moving about the kitchen like water flowing down a stream. By the time she finished up the last bits of prep it was already half three. Bastian should be returning soon.

   She hoped that the dinner would be successful.  It had been years since she last made a birthday cake, and she desperately hoped she still remembered how. Her hands trembled slightly as she carefully spread the cream over the layers, trying to recreate the perfect decoration from her memories.

Today nothing went her way. Odette calmed herself, and continued the decoration again. However, the more I tried to do well, the more dull the decoration became. The problem was that her mind was distracted. There had been a lot of calls from the Navy recently, as well as personal visits like today. There seemed to be a lot of interest and it was unclear as to why. She hoped they were not trying to bring Bastian back to the admiralty. 

Bastian won’t do that, right….

“Ah!”  The thought caused a tremor in her fingertips as she tried to lace a cream pocket. Odette pursed her lips in frustration. The cream burst from its pocket and splattered over the cake. Dazed by her mistake, Odette went to reach for the flat knife and ended up knocking over a jar of sugar. In her desperation to save the jar, she ended up knocking the cake over. The dogs were on it in an instant and began lapping up the cream. The kitchen was a mess.

Odette tried to pull the dogs away from the crumbled cake and cream but she slipped and fell on the creamy floor.  When she was about to cry, there was the sound of thunderous and unabashed childlike laughter and clapping hands from the kitchen door.

“Bastian,” 

True to his word, Bastian back in time and stood at the chaos of the kitchen before him.

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