timeless love chapter 17 Germany

Chapter 17 Reunited in Germany in the Middle Ages

Sam and Maria were back in the world between worlds wondering where their path would next take them, and after dinner and lovemaking (which was becoming their pattern whenever they found themselves there) they went out the next morning and came upon a portal to a pleasant German town in the medieval period.

Sam said

“Hmm, maybe this might the place to break the curse.”

But it was just another way station on their endless journey through purgatory on earth - one doomed love affair after another. And they were never sure how the curse got started, and why they kept coming back to this strange world between worlds. Who maintained it? Who fed them each time? Just lots of unanswered questions.

But they jumped as usual through the open portal.

Sam was a merchant again, Bernard, son of Oscar the Silversmith. living in a small town in Germany. Maria lived down the street and was the daughter of the innkeeper in town. They were at least this time of the same social class, but still, there were reasons that the hidden powers that control our life and fate, the Gods, perhaps forbade their love affair.

Maria was 19 and stunning. She had long black hair, great gorgeous breasts, an ass to die for, and flaming black diamond eyes. She was also a virgin, although many men had wanted her; she vowed to wait until she met the one - the man that she was destined to marry. She helped manage the Inn and flirted with all the men who came through, and they all lusted after her. But she told everyone she was waiting for the one man who she was fated to meet. Everyone admired her incurable optimism and romanticism.

One day she had a dream. In the dream, she dreamt of meeting Bernard. She knew who he was, of course, but they had not formally met yet. She woke up, determined to meet him, seduce him, and make him her husband. He could help her Mother managed the bar.

Ever since the death of her father during the plague years, her mother and she had been running the bar fending off suitors for both her mother and her. But to marry Bernard she would have to defy her mother, who had promised to marry her to the local lord’s second son, which would be a helpful match: one was above her social standings. His mother wanted this marriage as it would improve their family’s status and allow her to close the Inn.

She hated the second lord’s son with an intense passion. She vowed that never marry him, for he was a bully, a drunkard punk who delighted in making fun of people. In short, he was not a nice man, and ugly to boot. But her mother had other plans for her headstrong daughter.

Bernard was a hard-working salt of the earth man who was extremely popular in town as he had a reputation for being honest to a fault and a friend to all. Bernard and
Maria noticed each other and kept bumping into each other.

Bernard knew that she was engaged to be married off to Jonas Schmidt, the second son of Thomas Schmidt, the local lord. Jonah had a reputation as a hard-drinking, hard-playing, know-it-all, a first-class asshole.

He also knew his father was a mean, horrid man who collected taxes on behalf of the King but kept a lot for himself. He had favorites among the town’s businesses and fancied Maria’s inn which his men frequented. He made sure that they kept their bar bills paid through which Maria’s mother appreciated. She kept saying that the Schmidt’s were not that bad, people were just jealous of their power and money.

Bernard decided that he would have to stop this match, but he also knew that if he stopped the engagement, he would have to flee the town for his life, as the local lord and his family members were well known for their meanness. They ran the town taking things from the terrified locals who could not complain as no one back in the Holy Roman Empire knew or cared about the plight of poor people in a small German town. Schmidt was the distant cousin of the King. He collected taxes for the King and enforced the law such as it was. The law was what Schmidt said it was. The local priests all looked the other way as the Schmidt’s donated a lot of money to the local church.

Maria’s mother was not making things better for him. She was determined to go through with the marriage, as it would help her family out. As far as she was concerned, they could continue to see each other after the marriage, and she could be Maria’s lover on the side. Her mother said to them, “hey among the upper classes that is common, don’t ya know? No one cares. And I don’t either.”

Bernard knew that it would never work and thought the Lord would surely put him to death if he crossed the Lord’s family.

One night, Maria and Bernard spoke at length. The news that she did not intend to marry Jonah and shared his feelings of hatred towards the man and the lord who had been terrorizing the town’s residents for decades delighted him. She shared his opinion that they both were first class assholes. She told him she thought of him romantically and then shared her dream with him. He decided that they would secretly run away and elope and move to Vienna where his cousin could get them a job. He told her his plan, but she kept her real plan secret from him, for she was not sure he would go along with it.

Maria had other plans for him. She wanted her future husband to see them together so he would become jealous and realize how much he needed her. Then she could seduce her future husband and make him hers. She would continue to have Bernard as her lover, and that would be her secret agreement with the Lord’s son. She would also allow the Lord to have a mistress or two. She would bear him a son, but he would let Bernard continue to be her secret lover. This would make her mother happy, and Bernard well he would accept it. And Johan would also accept the arrangement.

The day of the marriage approached, and Bernard wanted to spend the night with her at least once and deprive Jonah of the pleasure of being Maria’s first lover.
Bernard was not told of this plan yet, but Jonah had said he agreed to the plan, although he was lying, planning to execute Bernard, and seizing his parent’s business as a penalty tax.

The plan of course backfired. One of the Lord’s secret spies had heard something was afoot and followed the two lovers to the inn outside of town where they were spending the night under assumed names. The spy led the lord to the inn where the lord demanded to see them. The inn owner knocked on the door and they caught Bernard and Maria naked in bed together.

The Lord was furious at this public humiliation and declared that Bernard and Maria must die for their offense against proper morality and their insult to their family.
Jonah told his father of the secret agreement. The lord was furious at Jonah for even considering such an arrangement. He told his son,

“Grow and realize who is the boss. We are in charge and everyone in town are our subjects.”

His older brother was running the family’s business, and Jonah had just started helping in running the family businesses.

He said to his son,

“We can’t have this. They humiliated you and me. So, they must die for their crimes.
There are plenty of other women for you to marry, just let your Mother pick one for you.
Why you wanted to marry a low-class woman in the first place was beyond me.”

The lord ordered Bernard and Maria into the middle of the town square and held an impromptu trial. Of course, the local judge found them guilty. The Lord turned to Sam and asked if he had any last words.

Sam said,

“My lord and liege. If it is a crime to be a man and fall in love with the most beautiful women in the entire universe, so be it. I am guilty as charged. Kill me now. But know this: I know that I will see her in the next life, and every minute spent with her was worth it. “

The lord cried

“Off with Their Heads”

. Just then Sam and Maria’s past lives came flooding back into their memories. Sam’s dying words were,

“see you in the next life, my timeless love.”

and she responded

“see you there my eternal love.”

The executor beheaded them both. They posted their headless bodies on placards outside of town as a warning to everyone else - know your place in society, respect tradition, and never marry across the class divide. Maria’s mother did okay. The Lord took her as his mistress and ran the inn for many years together.

Sam and Maria’s love were truly a doomed, forbidden love affair, again, from the start.