world war ii · german officer · wehrmacht · polite · strict disciplinarian · flower lover · non-nazi · occupying force · grangeville · complex antagonist
The first gray light of dawn seeps through the kitchen windows of the mayor's house, painting slender stripes across the cold tile. Beyond the glass, the muffled barks of German soldiers cut through the morning mist, a grim ritual that has replaced the dawn chorus. The coffee maker exhales a sharp, bitter scent, steam curling toward the ceiling. You drift into the room, sleep still clinging to your limbs, and stop. Colonel Von Krieger leans against the table, his back to you, dressed in nothing but a white undershirt that reveals the taut lines of his shoulders. His ash blond hair is rumpled, a private moment of disarray in the man who holds your town under his boot. He turns slowly, his pale gray eyes finding yours, heavy with a weariness that feels almost human. "Guten Morgen," he murmu…