I saw this movie and I'm completely obsessed.
The story itself and the chemistry between Hansel and Gretel was so fascinating that I felt like I needed to start writing something.
I do not own the characters, sadly, who wouldn't want to own a piece of candy like Jeremy Renner... *cough*
Warning: Contains swearing, blood, gore and the ever so sinful incestuous relationship between the main characters.
It was cold.
Freezing drafts of wind reached her chest, her back, and her bare legs.
Instinctively her eyes snapped open, and her gaze immediately found his form. She sighed then a deep, calming breath.
A few months had passed since everything unraveled in Augsburg, that shitty little town that turned out to be death trap for Gretel. This had been the first time she had been genuinely shaken and scared for their futures. Sure, hunting witches had never been a hobby for the weak minded, but this particular shitty little town was different from the rest of the dumps they had faced together with their guns blazing. This had been planned and calculated by witches- she was supposed to be dead right now and if it wasn't for Hansel she would be six feet underground.
As thoughts ran through her mind she sighed because that confidence she used to have about being unbreakable had been shattered. This would happen again. The more days, weeks and years passed those ugly creatures, were getting smarter and maybe one day one of them would not make it.
Gretel sat up on the bed and looked down once more, just to be sure.
Funny how agonizing, unsure everything felt when she thought he wasn't there, even for a second. It was as if the world was off balance, like the planets were no longer aligned. He grounded her; he grounded everything in her life.
Hansel was on the floor as usual in deep sleep. He had kicked his boots off and every suffocating, uncomfortable piece of clothing he was wearing so he usually ended up in his underwear which was never odd for them. After being through hell and back seeing each other in their underwear was not as strange as people would assume it was.
This was them.
They were the orphans who had clung on to the only thing they could trust would never disappear - each other. The bond they had formed and built would always be there, even when they argued and screamed bloody hell when disagreeing about a little thing or two.
Now, after what they found out about their past being apart was painful for Gretel. Maybe she wanted to remind Hansel that even if she technically possessed the same quality as those god awful creatures they had been slaughtering all these years she wasn't one of them. Gretel would never accept that part of her. She was not a witch. Not a good white witch or anything related to the word witch. She was just Gretel and she needed Hansel to remember that, if that meant being on his tail more than usual then be it.
She looked around the room they were staying in this time and almost caught herself dreaming of having this stability they had for this night. Having a roof over your head with a bonus of a nice comfortable bed was inviting, but their lifestyle didn't really offer a possibility of having that. This was the second best they could have. Maybe temporary, but Gretel had anyway imagined if they would ever settle down it would probably drive them both crazy.
Another shitty little town and another bed to crash for a few nights was good enough for now.
They were in Regensburg for the first night after accepting to help the Mayor with a witch problem- of course for the right amount. This particular disgusting wart faced witch was hiding in the woods terrorizing people and making everyday chores impossible because of the fear it was settling among the town's people. Obviously they had reached out to Hansel and Gretel for help before anything destructive happened.
The only exception these days was the witches they had killed after Augsburg were results of a group effort. Ben, the kid who sometimes still stared at her a little too long which was flattering in Gretel's opinion as well as creepy had joined in and of course, the loyal troll Edward was there to help them these days too.
Whenever it was time to get some sleep the group would obviously get separated. Out of habit the siblings would separate themselves in their own room while Ben roomed alone and Edward stayed in the nearby woods. They figured it wouldn't be looked nicely if they brought a giant troll along them in the town inn, so keeping him safe in the comfort of the woods was the best solution. He was big enough to take care of himself. Ben on the other hand maybe wasn't but Hansel had expressed it many times how he didn't like him to sleep in the same room as his dear sister. Gretel figured the staring or the awkward blushing the teenager sometimes showcased was too much for Hansel and he tried to minimize his inappropriate adoration by simple things like not giving him a chance to see her in her white night blouse.
Hansel shifted a little in his sleep and Gretel couldn't help, but to feel thankful for his protective nature. Knowing he was there in the same room and not a stranger like Ben was more than relief. Though she couldn't stand it when he insisted to sleep on the floor if the bed was a little more on the narrow side, but Gretel had learned they could argue about their sleeping arrangements for the whole night without agreeing on anything. So for both of their sake she bit her lip and allowed him to do as he pleased.
If he wanted to sleep on the cold floor that was his choice.
Whenever the bed was big enough for both of them Hansel would gladly choose to take that opportunity. Neither one of them didn't mind lying close, the sheer warmth of each other making them feel safe, secure, comforted. Gretel knew herself she wasn't the soft, fragile soul many women were and it was rare for her to break out of that controlled shell. She had survived this far because she was strong and that meant suppressing those feelings of vulnerability. Hansel didn't see that side of her often, but he knew he was the one who comforted her. She never had denied that when he was close to her, when the last dredges of slumber pulled her into a contented sleep, she felt warm, protected, home.
Gretel knew Hansel felt the same though he never voiced those thoughts aloud. Be it foolish male pride or simply his genetic human makeup, he wasn't one for sentimental talk, actually neither one of them really were.
She stared up at the ceiling, eyes alert, her back rigid. She wanted to sleep, she wanted nothing more than to sleep but she found she couldn't Once again her memories haunted her.
And the voices were back, this time they wouldn't be silenced, they kept on coming, round and around in her head… The screams of her mother while being burned at the stake… The last breathe her father took before being hanged… the sound of the blade piercing Hansel's flesh…
This was the first time she'd questioned their life, their motives, why was everything suddenly feeling so much more complicated. Gretel wasn't sure was it worth anymore- Would she bare to hear him in pain again?
With a bitter sigh, she pushed the voices away, silenced them once again.
This is what they were born to do, haunt and kill witches, banish the evil and help people… She knew this. Didn't make it any easier to live with though.
"Are you alright?" He mumbled from the floor. His eyes were closed and he rubbed his chin because of the scratchy stubble settling in.
Gretel turned on her side and peered down at Hansel, "It's nothing. I just can't sleep." She cringed to herself at how lame of an offering that was. She couldn't come up with anything better than that? Jeez, he probably woke from her constant shifting and she couldn't bring herself to be honest about how much Augsburg still hunted her.
"Why is that?" Hansel opened his sleepy eyes and turned enough to look straight at her, his eyes narrowed as he glared at her.
"I'm thinking about tomorrow, our strategy mostly." Gretel whispered, hating the weaknesses that the hushed tones of her voice revealed to him.
He listened her lazy excuse sleepily. Only Hansel could look calm as he was at the moment, so at ease and secure, a complete contrast to the way she felt, "You know you can talk to me if there is anything else right?"
"There is nothing to talk about," A frown plastered across her forehead, "Now sleep, we have a witch to behead tomorrow."
He laughed a little, more of a mutter. Only she could turn the conversation around without much of an effort. His sister had never cared to explain herself to him and whenever she felt like sharing she would do that. Then he would listen and try to comfort her, but after the fucking mess in Augsburg seemed like she was more distant. More reserved around him and the others. It was all about strategies, plans and being obsessively on point with each witch hunt.
Gretel was a handful, but in the masses, she stood apart, individual, beautiful and fierce. Hansel let his gaze wander across the room for a moment before he reached over for her hand and squeezed it tightly. She didn't hesitate to interlace their fingers. Sleep came easily this time, letting her drift off into the subconscious dream world where no evil existed.
They sat waiting for the Mayor, each absorbed in their own thoughts.
Gretel had spread out the map on the local taverns wobbly table and was tapping her fingers against it, continuing to calmly stare at her brother as she waited for the inevitable outbreak.
He pursed his lips and grunted in annoyance, "Why am I even bothering?"
"Do you want to catch this witch and get out of this lousy town or not?" She asked her brother evenly. Her eyes had ignited with anger, but in the next instant, she sighed impatiently. "I'm not going to waste another night here when we can end this today."
"And I'm not going to let you go after this one alone!" Hansel threw back at her.
"I'm not going alone Hansel!" Gretel expelled an angry breath, "It's simple- you three wait by the lake while I chase the hag towards you and then you do your job and capture it! We can't catch this one like the many others. It's too fast and having more people in the other end of the forest makes more sense! What part of this doesn't register with your brains? Huh? Do I need to remind you of the fact that I can handle myself or has the bloody beer clouded your judgment once again?"
Ben watched them bicker from his seat. Whenever the siblings were too deep in conversation they only had eyes on each other as a result it made Ben feel like he had the ability to hide and melt into the background. He didn't want to step on any toes and had chosen the easy route of a bystander. The younger man had finally reached his dream when Hansel and Gretel agreed on taking him along so he didn't want to risk it by siding with either of them. This was a dream he wasn't going to let slip away.
"I know," Hansel began softly, after long moments of uncomfortable silence had passed between them, "I know you can defend yourself and nothing in this world can stop you, but we made a deal Gretel… now that there is four of us we always make sure nobody gets separated. . .remember?"
She still looked mad, hurt, she'd thought about the plan, and realized what a perfect opportunity this was; she could have proved to herself that they could still handle a mean old witch by themselves like the good old days. That was her only motivation behind her plan. The difference was just that the thought didn't even cross Hansel's mind. He didn't understand her need. She wanted to go full on attack mode with blood and guts covering her jacket without having to worry about a possible grand plan there was behind it all. They couldn't rely on being smarter than the witches anymore, it was a haunting thought. The game had changed.
"Fine." Gretel spat out and Hansel tried to stifle the semi-victorious smile that came to his face. That endearingly maddening smirk of hers returned soon as a great thought crossed her mind, "So I'll take Ben and you take Edward."
Both Hansel and Ben were taken back by her announcement. Usually when it came to the action done during field work it was Hansel with her while Ben and Edward made a good back up team. Or it was her with Edward because of the sweet friendship she had created with the troll. Gretel never wanted to be paired with Ben. She was too much of a perfectionist and didn't want to take the responsibility of looking after him. He was still new and it drove her crazy when he even made the tiniest mistakes because she wasn't used to it with Hansel. With him it was always effortless.
"Works for me." Ben agreed, not showing the true excitement he actually felt. This was Gretel. There wasn't anything more amazing than seeing her with her crossbow and kicking some serious witch ass.
Her brother on the other hand knew where this was coming from. Oh, he knew alright. She was used to having her way and when it didn't happen she would make it happen. If there was anybody she could fool it was Ben.
Gretel could tell him to run off a cliff and he would probably do it.
Hansel tilted his head and rolled his eyes harder than he ever had in years that he'd been alive, "Are you insane?"
She didn't have the chance to respond as the town Mayor finally arrived with their first half of their reward.
"Soon as the witch is burned I'm giving you the rest of your reward," The older man explained agitated and handed the little leather pouch to Hansel, "I would say good luck, but your reputation speaks for itself. You won't need it."
"It's not about luck," Gretel flashed him a fierce look, "It's about who has the biggest fucking gun and the sharpest fucking blade to do the job."
Hansel pushed his lips together, making a firm line, desperately trying to stifle the laughter bubbling up his throat. The face on the old Mayor was priceless. He had most likely never heard a woman speak the way his sister did.
With that he left them to enjoy their last sips of beer before they would be heading out to exterminate yet another witch.
Her brother settled into the chair across from her, "So. . .where were we?"
Gretel gave him a wry half-smile, "You were asking me if I had lost my mind."
I would like to remind that this is the base of this story- the prologue so to speak before the actual story starts.
Hope you liked and ignored the possible grammar errors... Let me know what you thought about this by leaving comment :)
I really get more into writing soon as I know people are actually reading and giving me feedback I really love hearing what other people are thinking- hint hint.
Thanks for reading! Until next time!