To see the world through human eyes.

It was the fall of 1065. The weather was already quite cold for this time of the year and the leaves were already turning a dark red on the trees. The farmers were putting in their cattle in their stalls before winter would make its claim on the land. This winter was going to be a tough one and the people were already taking precautions to protect their crops and cattle.
I was walking through the village I was living in at the time. I loved my time there. If I would go back to look how it would be right now, I think I would burst into tears because it had changed so much. Most of the houses I visited often do not exist anymore. My old town was just as you see them in old English picture books about the Middle Ages; picturesque, small, and full of Christian people who seem to demonize everything that doesn’t fit in their view of the Bible. There were times I got into a fight with someone who thought my views were “wrong”, but that’s a story for another time.
This day, I was assigned to register all the boys who were supposed to go off to war to fight for King Harold II, the king of England in that time. Looking back, it was for the best that William the Conqueror took the throne.
~
“REGISTRATION FOR THE ARMY RIGHT OVER AT THIS TABLE!” I yelled through the pub where the registration was being held. When I looked around the room, I could only see young boys being very excited to go off to war. Their eyes full of excitement but still full of nervosity because 9 out of 10 never even touched a sword before. I pitied them, how little did they know what was going to happen, but to be completely honest, neither did I.
Most of the men, or better to be called boys, were very excited to go. They had these wild ideas of heroism and being a hero when returning home. They wanted to make their country proud, and in itself that is a very good quality to have, but when heroism overpowers common sense, it changes into stupidity.
After a lot of boring registrations, questioning age and residence, he came up. I recognized him immediately, although he looked way different than he looked a two hundred years ago. Instead of dark brown hair, his hair was a honey-blonde colour and he had light blue eyes. Even though he looked very different with a different hair colour and different colour of the eyes, with a look that was almost the opposite of the way he looked in the previous lifetime, he still had that same gaze in his eyes and the same smirk on his face. The gaze that could make a spark turn into a rage of fire and the smirk that always meant trouble. It was him, I had no doubts about that.
“Frederic. 21 years old. London.” He said with a smile. I could only stare at him, he looked so… so different. In contrast to his dark brown hair and his dark brown eyes from his past life, he looked almost angelic.
My surroundings faded for a moment and there he was. Every sound faded out into a buzzing feeling. It was as if a light shone down upon him, making him the only person in the room that really mattered. I probably looked quite stupid, since I could feel my mouth dropping open and going dry.
“Hello? Sir, are you in there?” he said again, with a shit-eating grin on his face this time.
“Oh. Yes. I-I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?” I stuttered. I was so taken aback by him that everything around me faded. I could only see him. I tried to focus on my registration paper, but I was having a hard time.
“My name is Frederic. I am 21 years old and I live in London. Am I age appropriate to join the army, sir?” he asked very innocently with his big blue eyes, yet so mockingly.
“Yes. I wouldn’t know why you wouldn’t be.” I answered sincerely. We looked at each other for a few more moments before he left to get the gear he needed. After that, we exchanged a few glances, but that was it.
~
{Present time.}
My alarm clock went off with a hellish, beeping noise. My bed was so comfy I didn’t want to come out, on which I answered with an irritated growl. Getting out of bed was mostly making me very moody and not being a pleasant person overall.
I got out of my bed and began my day as usual. I had breakfast with a big mug full of delicious black coffee. I was never really a kind of person to eat breakfast in the morning, I mostly woke up without being really hungry.
After I had my so-called breakfast, I put on some clothes and went out the door to go to work. I have a job in a comic book store and most of the time it’s really fun, and hey, if it pays the bills I have no reason to complain. The weather outside was very chilly for this time of the year. It was the beginning October and the temperatures were already starting to drop very low. The wind was chilly and howled outside my apartment.
First, I went to get some more coffee. I had to admit that I might be addicted to the stuff. Ah well. When I walked into the coffee shop I went over to the counter to order some more of the dark, but enlightening liquid.
When I first walked into the coffee shop, there was a new barista. At least, not one I had seen before. The new guy behind the counter looked tired and fed up with all the tasks he had to do. It was rush hour so a lot of customers were all coming in at the same time. He actually looked really cute, he had half-long dark brown hair and his arms were covered with tattoos.
When he turned around to help another customer, he came off very familiar. I had my suspicions of him being him, but I couldn’t quite figure it out yet if it was actually really him. I hadn’t looked straight into his eyes so I wasn’t sure yet, I really hoped he was going to help me with my order. The line was getting shorter and shorter and it was almost my turn to order my coffee. And the shorter the line got, the more my nerves were getting on to me.
The customer before me got his order.
He was standing with his back to me.
He turned around.
“Hello sir, can I help you?” I heard him ask.
There it was again, that same chaotic but so serene gaze in his eyes. The gaze that brought it all back to me. For a few seconds I went a thousand years back in time.
~
{1065 A.D.}
I kept an eye on him for the time I knew he would be here. He spent most of his days training with swords, spears and crossbows to see where his talents lie. He was particularly good with handling a sword, but to be honest, I wouldn’t have thought differently of him. He always had been good with weapons, one way or another.
I remember him when we met in Hedeby. He always carried a knife or a small knife and he was very talented. Not only in fighting, but also in carving his runes or carving wooden figurines out of bark.
But as he is and always has been, he also was this time just as rebellious. He listened to what the generals had to say and he also genuinely wanted to listen, the problem with Frederic was that he just never did what he was told. And that’s how he ended up in the kitchen, peeling potatoes as a punishment.
“For fucks sake, I didn’t register myself to peel fucking potatoes. I registered to fight.” He scolded. He was sitting in the corner of the kitchen, surrounded by potatoes and potato peelings, throwing the peelings into the opposite corner of the kitchen. I snickered quietly. Even after all this time, he still hasn’t learnt do just do what he was told.
“Seriously, man. How do you get yourself in trouble every time?” I asked him. I could not not talk to him. I had to get to know him better.
“What do you mean?” he answered, slightly offended.
“Just like I said it. How come you get yourself in trouble every time?”
“I... eh. I hung the lieutenant’s underwear on the flagpole.” He said, his cheeks turning slightly red.
“You did what?!” I asked him. There were lots of things he could get a punishment for, but of all the things I could think of, I never thought of this one.
“I drank a bit too much last night and hung someone’s underwear on the flagpole. It never occurred to me it could be the lieutenant’s underwear, but unfortunately it was.”
It could only be him to get in trouble for something like that. He hated his punishment but looking at his face, he kind of had the expression that he thought it was worth it. And even I had to admit that it was pretty funny. Lieutenant Sigfriedsson had a face where he went beet red if he was angry. He almost looked like a balloon that was going to explode, so I could only imagine the look on his face where he realized it was his underwear, proudly waving on top of the flagpole.
I snickered at his story and he grinned widely at me. A mischievous look in his eyes, almost like a kid that was caught doing something naughty.
“... You had to see his face.” He eventually said, still testing the waters if I was on his side or not. His eyes questioning me if I thought it was just as funny as he thought it was.
“Red like a tomato, I suppose?” I laughed.
“Oh yes! It was so, so beautiful!” he answered, roaring with laughter. “He looked like he was about to explode!” At this moment, we were both bursting with laughter.
Sadly, I had to go back to do my work. We laughed with each other for a few moments. I was happy to see he didn’t change much. He had still the same childish humour and the same mischievous look in his eyes. Yes, it was good to almost have him back.
~
{Present time.}
Still being at a loss for words, I tried to order my coffee. I had no idea how he knew I wanted a double espresso with no sugar, but somehow he got it. The fact that I was stuttering heavily being pushed aside for a moment.
“Sir, what name can I write on your cup?” he asked with a kind smile.
“G-Gerard. No. Yes. Gerard.” I stuttered. I was making a complete fool out of myself and I prayed to whoever was up there, that there were no people behind me in line. I couldn’t even pay attention to them, the only one that really mattered to me was him.
My eyes tried to take in as much of his appearance as possible. His face, his clothes, even his posture. I forced myself to take it all in.
His pointy nose, the dark-brown colour of his eyes, his outworn All-Stars, his ripped jeans. Just everything. I wanted to know it all. But even more important; I wanted to get to know him. What’s his name? Where does he come from? How has his life been so far? I needed to know all of it, I needed him. I tried to soak up every detail of him..
“Eh, sir? I got your coffee!” I heard him say to me, piercing through a thick cloud of memories. My mind was foggy from all the emotions and thoughts that came back again.
“Double espresso with no sugar for … Gerard?!”
I finally snapped out of my thoughts. Oh, yes, I forgot. I ordered a coffee from my best friend I hadn’t seen for a really long time. This was somehow a very delicate situation and also needed delicate measures.
With shaking hands I took the coffee and my fingertips grazed his by accident. It’s cliché to say, but I did feel an electric shock racing through my body. As if the blood in my veins boiled and froze all at the same time.
At the same time, my feet were still nailed to the ground and my mouth was dry and unable to speak. I was a mess.
“Have a nice day, sir!” the guy said to me, still a bit freaked out by my reaction, I presumed. Was it that obvious?
I walked out without saying anything, which may have been for the better. I’d only make a complete fool out of myself if I even tried to talk to him. Yes, walking away without saying a word was in this situation the best solution there was.
As I stepped out of the door, my mind got cleared by the wind that flew through my hair and suddenly I realized I made a big mistake; I forgot to look at his nametag. Of all the things that could go wrong, after all the things I could have said but didn’t, I forgot to look at his name. How could I be so stupid?

Notes