Page 19 of The Last Kingdom

“It is surely understandable that I am sometimes attacked by an absolute fever of anger and hatred, and that I turn away in disgust from the world around me. Perhaps one day I shall be at peace with this earth, when all the ideals whose sacred flames I cherish are destroyed. But I do not wish this.” The king’s eyes bored into me. “Before that happens, I wish to remain an eternal enigma to myself and others.”

“In what way, Majesty?”

“I want a new land. A world of dreams where everyone is my friend, where I might be an autocratic master, unhampered by the confines of government. Far away, across the sea. Atabula rasa, a blank slate, where I can have all my dreams come true. Wagner said it best inLohengrin. ‘In a far country, out of reach of your footsteps.’”

I was stunned to hear my monarch speak of abandoning his kingdom. But I was not ignorant to the rumors that said this man was morbidly anxious about his health, prone to long bouts of brooding, and apprehensive of his own sanity. His grandfather and aunt both had exhibited traits of eccentricity. His brother was clearly mentally deficient. Some said the same of Ludwig. But he was still the king.

Not to be questioned.

“Majesty, how does your desire concern me?” I asked.

Ludwig sat back in the chair. “You are to find me that new kingdom.”

The suggestion shocked me, which surely showed on my face.

“Come now, Von Löher, you are a bit of a radical. Surely my suggestion cannot be that upsetting to you.”

I had no idea the king was so versed in my personal history. Twenty-five years ago I took part in a political uprising and was imprisoned by the government for agitation. Ludwig’s father, Maximilian, had been king. Thankfully, after a trial, I was acquitted. So I settled down and became the assessor of the court of appeal in Paderborn, afterward a professor in the universities of Munich and Göttingen. Eventually, I was chosen to head the state archives, my revolutionary past, if not forgotten, apparently forgiven.

“You are Franz von Löher, a Bavarian public servant of high regard,” Ludwig said. “Learned in the law, history, and natural sciences. You have also traveled extensively throughout Europe, Canada, and the United States. You are a man of the world.”

True. I had traveled all over.

“During your visit to America I am told you lectured on the significance of the German people in world history,” Ludwig said. “How was that received?”

“Quite well, Majesty.”

“Come now. You are being modest. I was told that you even fostered a legend. I read your book.History and Condition of the Germans in America.”

I had indeed generated controversy by retelling the story of how the single vote of Frederick Muhlenberg, the first ever Speaker of the American House of Representatives, prevented German from becoming the official language of the United States. Muhlenberg broke a tie vote for English. Many had taken issue with my recounting, saying I was wrong, and that it never happened. But I had always stood by what I wrote.

“I also read much of your other book,Lands and People of the Old and New Worlds,” the king said. “Your writings are what convinced me that you are the man for this task.”

Derrick took back his phone, from which he’d allowed Malone to read. “That’s an English translation. Part of a narrative Franz von Löher wrote in 1889.”

“Is that public record?”

He shook his head. “It was removed from the Bavarian archives during World War II and has remained classified, by us, ever since.”

“You’re saying the king of Bavaria wanted to ditch his crown and go find another kingdom?”

He flashed a broad grin. “Not me. That’s what Franz von Löher, then head of the Bavarian archives, is saying. But the rub to this itch is that they actually found one.”

Malone seemed amazed. “Is that what the prince, Stefan, is after?”

He nodded. “In a manner of speaking.”

“How does that affect the United States?”

He resisted the urge to smile. Malone had taken the bait. Hook, line, sinker, even the whole damn boat.

“Because that new kingdom was located in America.”

Chapter 11

STEFAN STOOD IN THE FAMILY CRYPT BENEATH ST. MICHAEL’S.

Forty-one members of the House of Wittelsbach occupied the tombs and niches around him, including the esteemed Wilhelm the Pious himself, who’d founded the church.