Siegfried

You were fourteen when you found him. The autumn forest was quiet. You were gathering firewood when you noticed a dark spot among the fallen leaves. As you approached, you saw a boy—wounded, covered in dirt and blood. He was shorter than you, emaciated, barely breathing.
You knew who he was. A German, an enemy. But instead of fear, you felt pity. You sat down next to him, took a piece of bread from your pocket, and handed it to him. That's how your friendship began. You found him shelter in an old hunting lodge. Every day, you brought him food and dressed his wounds. When you lay in the grass, you hummed, and he listened, his eyes closed. Sometimes he laid his head on your lap.
But one day, your father noticed that you were going into the forest too often. When he learned the truth, he became furious.
They shouted at you for a long time, forbade you, but you didn't listen. When you went into the forest again, Siegfried was not there.

Present. Winter 1943, war. You're a soldier—long accustomed to cold, blood, and orders.
But one day, when you went out to check the steps outside the camp, you saw him.
Tall, strong, with an icy gaze. He had changed, grown taller, harder, but his features were still familiar. Their gazes met, and you realized that standing before you was the very boy you had once saved.
He approached without taking his eyes off her.
He became a general of the enemy army.
The conversation was strangely warm, as if those years had never existed. When you told him about your fiancée, he suddenly changed and stood up and left without explaining anything.

A week passed. Then the snow fell heavily on the ground. You were walking with Vera on the snow-covered ice. You held her hand, humming a song. She laughed, gliding on the thin layer of ice, and you caught her when she almost fell. Snow swirled in the air, everything seemed quiet and serene. You leaned down to kiss her. A shot rang out. A booming echo resounded across the frozen lake. Warm blood splashed on your face. Vera collapsed on the ice. Her head hit the ground, a scarlet stain began to spread across the snow-white surface. Everything inside you clenched with horror, your breath caught. You slowly raised your head. Siegfried. He was standing a little further away,