Upon hearing approaching hooves, the girl went aside the road to let the rider pass. "Goodday to you, sir" spoke the girl politely as her mother had taught her. "Safe travellings to you!"
"Thank you, Mädchen (girl)." Came the man's voice from under the hood. "I was wondering… wo ist das nächste dorf? (where is the closest village?)" asked the man with a thick foreign accent."Just a half an hour walk from here, mein Herr (sir)" replied the girl as she pointed to the road where she came from. "Although I think you'll be there much faster with your horse."
The man nodded, nearly giving his horse the command to ride on, when he hesitated. "Girl… someone as young as you shouldn't be alone in the woods so far from home."
"I know the way in these forests well, sir. The walk is less then an hour towards my grandmother."
Hans glanced behind him. His guards who had to normally accompany him towards the palace of Corona, were dead and already left for the wolves to eat. The cause, a vicious robbery had occurred, and he had travelled a great distance to keep out of the search party that was hunting him down. Then again.. he had seen the posters in the small villages, but the face compared nothing to how he looked now. His sideburns had grown out, his hair was overlong and he had traded his princely attire to that of a commoner. The last village hadn't recognized him, nor had asked him questions why he was there. He doubted the next one would recognize him either as he was so remote from the huge cities like Strassburg or Hamelin. Here, at the edges of the Black Forest, it seemed no one cared for how someone appeared. No one cared for anything, except for enough rain, food and as less taxes as possible to get through the next winter.
It was a state of mind he took long to getting used to. He felt angsty the moment he stayed longer then a day within a town, always on the move out of fear that he would be caught. But now, being on the run for over 2 months, he longed to have a place of his own and start his life anew. He had no title, no land or wealth. Safe for his life he had thus nothing to lose. And along with the lack of social contact and companionship, made the prince weakhearted towards the kind girl.
"Please, let me accompany you." offered Hans as he returned the smile in full. With ease, the former prince stepped off his horse so he stood in front of her.
"My grandmother knows I'm always visiting her this day." Spoke the young girl with narrowed eyes. "So, should you try anything to me, you'll be suspect number one the moment you arrive in my town."
Hans couldn't help but chuckle at her answer. "Good, you're aware to be careful around strangers" answered the man with a wolf-like grin. "But I promise you truthfully, girl.. I won't harm you. I merely wish to return the favour by aiding you."
After another second of searching for false intentions, the girl's blue eyes lit up once more. "Okay!" grinned the child, her previous hostility forgotten, as she offered her hand to her new friend.
"I'm Hans." Greeted the former prince as he shook her petite hand in his.
"I'm Ruth. But everyone in my town calls me Rottkäphen" babbled the girl on as Hans led his horse by his other hand to walk by her side. "Could you hold my basket? I want to pick some flowers for my grandmother"
"Certainly." Not sooner had she placed it in his hand, or the girl ran towards the wide flower field, her red cape dancing behind her in the wind.
So… yeah, it will a different fanfic this one. While previously I had mostly Helsa fics, I wanted to focus entirely on Hans' character in this one.
I've always been a huge fan of the original dark fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, and this fic will stay true to them all. I've grown so tired of the disneyfied stories that the children get to see these days. Children need to get scared by these stories, because they hold valid life lessons – the exact reason why they are made.
So, who's afraid of the big bad wolf we're going to see next time?!