Payne glanced at Ulster. ‘And what does this have to do with Ludwig?’
‘Nothing,’ he admitted. ‘I just thought it was interesting.’
‘Well, for the time being, maybe it would be best if we focused on Ludwig instead of the Vikings since we just flew up the mountain to visit his house.’
‘Yes, of course. I apologize for my rambling. Let us focus on the riddle.’
Payne asked, ‘How do you want to handle this? Do you want to walk the grounds, looking for possibilities? Or do you want to brainstorm the answer to the riddle and go from there?’
Ulster gazed at the house. ‘Which would you prefer?’
‘You tell me. You’re the historian.’
‘Personally, I think it would be best if we determined the solution before we scurried round the site. However, I’m not sure that is feasible. Obviously, I’ve given the riddle some thought, and the most logical answer is a swan’s nest. That’s where a swan would go on its journey home. After all, that’s where cygnets are hatched.’
Payne furrowed his brow. ‘What’s a cygnet?’
‘That’s the technical name for a baby swan.’
Payne shrugged. ‘If you say so. I don’t know much about swans.’
‘Neither do I,’ Jones admitted. ‘But a swan’s nest is his home.’
Ulster sighed. ‘Unfortunately, that means we can probably rule out “nest” as the answer. By definition, a riddle is a puzzle in the form of a question. If the obvious answer were the solution, it wouldn’t technically be a riddle. It would merely be a question.’
Jones blinked a few times. ‘Believe it or not, that actually made sense.’
Payne stayed focused. ‘If it isn’t a nest, what could it be?’
Ulster considered other possibilities. ‘I guess it could be a body of water. After all, most swans build their nests along the shore. Perhaps Ludwig had a favourite spot in mind.’
Payne turned and studied the grounds that surrounded the King’s House. Because of the steep slope of the peak, melting snow flowed down the mountain and collected in natural ravines. ‘If that’s the case, we’re in the wrong place – unless there’s a hidden lake around here.’
Ulster shook his head. ‘Not that I know of, but we can certainly ask.’
Jones re-entered the conversation. ‘I know you’re going to think I’m joking, but is Swan Lake a real place?’
As little as Payne knew about swans, he knew even less about ballets and classical music. ‘I don’t know. Is it?’
Ulster answered. ‘That’s an interesting question. Geographically speaking, there isn’t a modern lake in Germany that goes by that name. However, the story of Swan Lake is based on an ancient German legend. Who knows? Perhaps there used to be a Swan Lake in Bavaria that is now called something else.’
‘I’ll tell you who would know: a man obsessed with swans,’ Jones said.
Payne nodded. ‘Good point.’
Ulster continued. ‘Speaking of Swan Lake, did you know the main character in the ballet was actually modelled after Ludwig? Tchaikovsky, the Russian composer who created this classic in 1875, was fascinated with Ludwig’s life and followed it from afar. In many ways, the two of them were quite similar. Both were sexually confused dreamers who escaped reality by venturing into a dream world. Tchaikovsky had his music, and Ludwig had his castles.’
Jones asked, ‘Did they ever meet?’
Ulster shook his head. ‘Not that I’m aware of.’
‘But the ballet was written before Ludwig’s death?’
Ulster nodded. ‘Roughly ten years prior.’
Jones pondered the timeline. ‘I know Russia and Germany weren’t exactly allies, but I would think a music lover like Ludwig would have been familiar with the production.’
‘Undoubtedly.’
‘Perhaps he even recognized bits of himself in the main character?’
‘Probably.’
Jones gave it some thought. ‘If that’s the case, do you think the riddle could have something to do with the ballet? Could there be a clue in there?’
Ulster shrugged. ‘Maybe.’
‘Just to be safe,’ Jones said, ‘can you explain the basic plot? I honestly can’t remember what Swan Lake is about.’
Payne groaned. He felt a lecture coming on. ‘But please keep it short.’
Ulster promised to be concise. ‘The story of Swan Lake is centred on Prince Siegfried, who is notified before his twenty-first birthday that his marriage will soon be arranged. Dreading his future responsibilities, he heads to the woods where he stumbles across an enchanted lake filled with many swans. Much to his surprise, one of the swans has a crown on its head. As the sun sets, the swan turns into the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. Her name is Odette, and she’s the Swan Queen. She tells the prince that over the years an evil sorcerer has turned many girls into swans. The lake itself was formed from the tears of crying parents. She also informs him that the spell can only be broken if a man pledges his heart to her. Head over heels in love, the prince is about to confess his true feelings when the sorcerer takes Odette from the prince’s arms and whisks her away.’
‘Is that it?’ Payne asked, hopefully.
‘For the first two acts. I still have two more to go.’
‘I thought you said you were going to be concise.’
Ulster smiled. ‘For me, that was concise. Keep in mind, this is typically a three-hour production. I just covered half of it in thirty seconds.’
Payne nodded his appreciation. ‘Go on.’
‘The very next day, the prince is shown several prospective brides at his birthday gala. One of them is Odile, the daughter of the sorcerer, who has been made to look like Odette through a magic spell. Captivated by her beauty, the prince confesses his love to the impostor, an act witnessed by Odette from a nearby window. Broken-hearted, she runs towards the woods crying. As she does, the prince catches a glimpse of her and realizes his error. Eventually, he catches up to Odette at Swan Lake and explains his mistake. As she accepts the prince’s apology, the sorcerer arrives and tells him he must keep his promise to marry his daughter. The prince says he would rather die with Odette than marry Odile. To prove his point, he grabs Odette’s hand and they jump into the lake together, where they promptly drown. But, thanks to his actions, the magic spell is broken and all the other swans turn back into girls.’
Jones interrupted him. ‘Wait a second! You’re telling me the character based on Ludwig drowns in a lake, and ten years later, Ludwig dies in a lake, too. That’s some freaky shit!’
‘Actually,’ Ulster said, ‘I’m not quite finished yet. There’s more drowning still to come.’
‘Really?’
Ulster smiled. ‘Angered by the two deaths, the girls force the sorcerer and his daughter into the lake and watch them drown. The ballet ends as the spirits of the prince and Odette ascend into the heavens above Swan Lake.’
Jones waited for a few seconds, unsure. ‘Are you done now?’
Ulster nodded. ‘I am.’