So what's up buttercups? Thanks for clicking by the way ;D

It's my first fic so try not to be too angry with me. Constructive criticism only please because I don't think that flaming people will encourage them to write better.

This was inspired by lots of things, of course the story is somewhat similar to Grimms' Hansel and Gretel but there a couple of events that I are a pretty different from the original story (If it was the same than there would be on point to writing this anyway). Hope you enjoy the story.

Rating may go up due to some adult themes and violence.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Grimm's brothers' Hansel and Gretel.


Prologue

"What are you doing?!"

"Leaving! I'm fed up with you!"

"Leave?! You can't just leave us! We're your family!

"I have a new family now! One that needs me!"

"That man will ruin you!"

"He can't ruin me any more than you have!"

"Ariel, please, sister, don't leave…you'll die…"

Ariel looked upon her precious younger sister. Her blue eyes were shining with tears, silently pleading for her to stay. Ariel faltered, she felt guilty, but only for a moment. Her mind was set.

"It's too late…I've already given myself to him…"

"No….no no NO NO NO!" and her sister began to cry. She clung onto Ariel, as if she would disappear at any moment. Ariel gently pried her sister off herself and walked towards the exit.

The doors slammed in front of her. Ariel looked back and saw her father glaring coldly back at her.

"You will never see that man again. From now on you are forbidden from leaving the house."

"I will do what I want!" she snarled back and attempted to open the door, chanting various spells under her breath.

"Did you not hear me girl?! YOU WILL NOT LEAVE THIS PLACE! EVER!" her father, with a wave of his hand, summoned a golem. It was twice the size of Ariel, and it was covered in a strange brown slime that reeked of death. It let out a guttural roar that seemed to shake the entire house. She stood her ground as it charged at her, still muttering the spells under her breath. She heard a faint click from behind and she smiled to herself. She looked directly at the charging beast and raised her arm, and a large sword appeared in front of her. She slashed her arm down vertically, and likewise the sword slashed down on the golem and split the beast in half.

"Goodbye." And like that, she threw the doors open and disappeared.

Ariel knew she was being followed. Perhaps the golem…? She stopped in one of the forest clearings, set down her trunk and sat down, waiting for her pursuer to appear. She conjured for herself a long dagger, tensing as she heard footsteps. They were light; if she had lost been a normal human, she would not have heard them at all. How strange, she was sure golems would not be able to move that quickly or that quietly either.

Instead of the lumbering golem, she saw her little sister come into view.

"What are you doing here?" Ariel said, "you'll freeze out here."

"I think that applies more to you."

"Go home. Father will be furious if he sees you're meeting with me…in fact I'm surprised you caught up to me," Ariel smiled at her, "seems like you've grown up without me knowing." She opened her arms and embraced her younger sibling.

Her sister pushed her away, and passed a small golden locket over to her.

"I couldn't let you leave without giving you a proper goodbye. Don't forget me, Ariel…"she said and began to back away, "you should go before Father finds you…"

Ariel clutched the locket to her chest, "I won't ever forget you Emmy…I promise."

And with one last embrace, Ariel left and never looked back. If she had she might have seen the dark smile that passed 'Emmy's' face.

She finally stopped at the edge of a beaten forest road, the lights of the town twinkling in the distance. 'So close to home.' Her heart felt as if it would leap out of her chest from joy and worry. Her father would not let her go so easily...She opened her pocket watch for needed to remember why it was all worth it. Inside was a picture of a handsome young man, arms wrapped around a beautiful young woman. They were both leaning over a crib, watching the two lovely children sleeping peacefully inside. They were twins.

Ch. 1: Setting the Stage

Gretel and Hansel were twins; both had beautiful blonde hair and beguiling violet eyes. Their features seemed to come mainly from their deceased mother, which could be the reason for the estrangement between the twins and the Woman.

Although isolated from many children their age, Gretel and Hansel lived in happiness in a family of well-off merchants. Their father, Joseph, came from a very wealthy family and the children wanted for nothing and lived in contentment. Their mother was very beautiful and kind, but she was also very fragile. She eventually died of illness during a particularly harsh winter when the twins were only at the tender age of 7.

Eventually, the twins' father remarried another woman, who was just as beautiful as his former wife. At first, she was very kind to the children and was just as gentle as their deceased mother. After the marriage, the woman dropped the facade and revealed her cruel and ruthless nature. Once she had their father wrapped around her little finger, she quickly took control. She was cunning, amassing more wealth than their father had made in years. The family quickly gained a higher status and eventually joined the aristocratic side of society.

Unfortunately, Gretel and Hansel fell quickly into servitude. The Woman had already bred her own heir, (the boy was around their age so he couldn't be born when Joseph re-married) they were no longer necessary. Besides, what kind of woman, or man for the matter, would want an abrasive little girl and an imbecilic boy for an heir? They lost all their nice clothes and all the little luxuries they enjoyed were treated roughly, forced to do menial labor at only 8. They were whipped personally by the Woman for any mistake in their work and were left with many scars upon their backs. They were treated less than most servants and were given very little to eat. They were pitied by most, but none dared to show any sympathy with the Woman watching. Any showing kindness to the two were severely punished, rumors say that someone was even murdered for helping the poor children. The Woman hated these two, why they deserved such hate no one really knew, but few wanted to risk her wrath by asking.

The family lived in the well-off town of Adelaide, and while it wasn't the largest town, it was a well-known traveling rest stop, with many people, from peasants to nobles, passing through. Now, the Woman was frighteningly ambitious, she wanted power and to do that, she had to gain the favor of the higher nobility. What better way to do it, than to "persuade" all the passing nobles of the king's court? She also stayed for long periods of time in the king's city, Sybaris, in trying to build up this influence and would leave the manor for a small estate in the capital. Her efforts managed to help the Woman become a minor noble of the royal court after several years, she was slowly taking power bit by bit, at this rate, it would not be long before she became a part of the elite of the royal court.

Each time the Woman left for the capital, Gretel and Hansel silently rejoiced, for the overseer she left behind was a much fairer, kinder host of the manor (or that's how they saw it because the Woman tended to make everyday living their own personal hell). They were spared from the Woman's vicious beatings and were sometimes given a little more food than before. And although the Woman spoiled her son, Kester, he managed to become a very decent fellow and from a stroke of either luck or misfortune, befriended the poor twins.

Flashback

"Please young master! Your mother will be very upset if she finds you skiving from your lessons!"

"Those idiots have nothing to teach me. The fools can't even use an abacus correctly."

"Please, oh please, Master Kester! If you do not attend the lessons your mother will be horribly angry!" the poor maid begged and the other servants added their voices to the pleading.

'Idiots, can't you see that I can't get down?' but Kester was much too proud to admit that aloud. In an act of desperation, he climbed out the window to escape Albert, the head butler, who was threatening Kester he would break down the door and drag Kester kicking and screaming to his tutors if he had to. He couldn't backtrack to his room now because his entrance branch broke under his weight and he nearly fell but managed to fall into the lower branches, unhurt but stranded. Kester hated his tutors. Sure, they were clever, but excessively arrogant. They smiled condescendingly at him, so sure of their absolute wisdom, but when Kester showed himself to be a genius in each subject, they made sure to scorn said intelligence at every possible opportunity.

Kester clenched his fists, those old bats were probably laughing at his stupidity in the library. He himself was inwardly berating himself for such reckless action. He, of all people, should know better that impulsive action only leads to regret.

"Oh young master!" speak of the devil, one of the old coots was approaching, "do be a dear little boy and come down now!"

"You know we've taught you better than this," another one shook his head, "don't you know that you're causing trouble for everyone else? Come down now, you have many more lessons to attend to."

"Dear boy, do you need our help?" another said in a patronizing tone, "come now, don't be so stubborn and ask for help and we'll go and get a ladder for you."

"You see? This is why we're here, to teach you how to be a proper young man. Listen to your elders boy and come down now."

Kester snorted, "The only reason you're here is for the free food. And watch your tongue, you would do well to know you're place as my servant, you are beneath me."

Most flushed in embarrassment at the jab, but one managed to give Kester only another cold smile.

"Oh well then," he said, and began walking back to the manor," if you truly wish to stay up there, who are we to stand in your way?" He then turned to the servants, "Go back to the mansion, if the boy refuses our help then let him stay there till our mistress returns."

The servants gaped at the man; he couldn't be serious about leaving the young master there! But his colleagues shrugged their shoulders and walked back to the manor. The servants were at a loss as to what to do. The tutors were technically their superiors, but the young master was their charge. And yet the young master continued to refuse their efforts to help him.

Eventually, the mistress did return. Albert retold the events. She took one look at her son and said, "Leave him there."

And after that, no servant even looked at the tree the poor boy was stuck in. His pride would not let him call for help and he knew there would be no chance of getting down without his mother's permission anyway. It was awfully hot, and dreadfully boring. Why didn't he at least bring a book to read with him? He sat there picking at the trees' leaves, bored out of his wits and unbearably hungry because he had missed lunch.

While pulling at that the leaves on the tree, he saw someone walking towards him. A boy, around his age (9-years-old) with blonde hair and violet eyes, came up to the tree and looked up at him. He looked like the son of noble, he had such delicate features that no servant could possibly possess, but he wore such old, dirty rags that he wondered if he was simply a noble's bastard son and started working recently at the manor. Besides, Kester was sure he would have noticed a servant his age waltzing around the halls.

"You shouldn't bother them," the boy said.

"Pardon?" Kester looked at the boy, "bother who?"

"The leaves, their Ghillie Dhu's friends. He doesn't like it when someone bothers his friends."

Kester stared at the boy for a little while, perhaps there was a reason he was placed as a servant and not a member of some noble's family.

"Oh..er…okay then, I'll stop," odd or not, it wouldn't do to be rude to the only potential entertainment he could have.

The boy nodded and looked like he was going to walk away.

"WAIT!" Kester called out, the boy stopped and turned to face him, "what's your name?"

The boy stared at Kester for a minute, the intense scrutiny was making Kester fidgety, but he told himself to stare back. It wouldn't do to show weakness in looking away.

"Hansel," the boy said at last, giving him a bright smile and turned away.

It was a shame he couldn't stay longer. While he had been initially put-out by the fact that Hansel was a little odd in the head, the conversation was a refreshing break from the monotony of being stuck in a tree.

A few minutes later, Hansel returned with a girl tow. They were obviously twins. The girl came closer, a small bundle under her arm. She motioned for Hansel to sit down and she began to climb the tree. He leaned forward, "Why are you climbing? This tree is too hard to climb for a little girl like you. Go back to the servants' and sew with the other women."

She looked up and snorted at him. A girl! The girl had the nerve to snort at him! Women, for the most part (his mother was an exception), were meant to do dainty things, like cook and clean and teach and drink tea. Pulling up their skirts and climbing trees with little bundles in their mouths was NOT dainty.

"Didn't you hear me? Go away!" he said a little louder this time in the best authoritative voice he could muster, "this isn't a place for girls!"

The girl just continued to climb up the tree, before he knew it; she was at the top where he was. He moved over for her. It'd be rude to leave her hanging in the air like that. She pulled herself up to him and he truly began to take in her features. She was prettier than any girl he had every met, those eyes were deep purple amethysts; her flaxen hair looked smooth and shiny. And yet, she wore such drab clothing, her arms and face smothered with dirt and grime. He realized he was ogling her for a good minute and turned away, blushing.

She turned to him and put the small bundle she had carried with her in his lap. The bundle she carried with her in her mouth. She looked at him, obviously waiting for him to open it. He grudgingly undid the knot, careful to avoid the slightly damp areas where she clamped her teeth down to hold the package.

Inside was a loaf of bread. How did Hansel know he was hungry? Did he see the whole mess earlier today? Simply thinking of the botched escape attempt made him flush in embarrassment. And he flushed even more when he realized that a girl managed to climb the tree without much trouble whereas he only managed to get here by climbing out his bedroom window.

He looked at the girl, pretty as she was, she was still too thin for her age and he realized this might have been her food. "I don't need your help, I'm not hungry anyway," and he gave the loaf back to the girl.

She took the loaf and then smacked him upside the head with it.

"What the-" but he was cut-off by the piece of bread she had shoved in his mouth. She put the bread in his hands and took out a rope seemingly out of nowhere. She quickly tied the rope to the branch they were sitting on and climbed down. Hansel in the meanwhile, was dancing around the tree in a rather odd manner. Swaying his arms and jumping around the tree chanting what sounded like gibberish. Kester caught the name 'Ghillie Dhu' again in his chant. He looked up at Kester, "Do you want to dance with me?" But before Kester could reply, the girl took Hansel by the arm, interrupting his odd tree dance, and dragged him back to the house.

Kester watched them go. Why were they doing this? Surely they would be punished if they were caught?

Well, Kester would make sure they wouldn't be caught. His ego was bruised at the fact that he had been saved by a girl, but she did help him and he would make sure to return the favor. He quickly devoured the loaf and began to think. He couldn't leave the rope there because it would be obvious he had had help getting down, which could possibly get the two into trouble.

'Well, looks like I'm going to have to do this the hard way' Kester thought to himself and he pushed his glasses up on his face and rubbed his hands together. He carefully undid the girl's knot and pulled up the rope. He made a little noose at the end and turned himself towards his bedroom window. There was a hook on top of his window. Traditionally, each room with a window had a hook hanging that had special charms made to drive away malevolent spirits. Even the poorest peasant had one that they kept on their person at all times.

He slowly swung the rope in a circle, gathering speed, and threw the noose end at the hook.

He missed.

And missed.

And missed.

After the 7th try, he managed to get a firm hold on the hook. He breathed in deeply. The hook was strong enough to hold his weight for probably a minute, perfectly enough time to get down or fall without breaking anything. It would be simple. Hypothetically of course. He swung himself off the branch and swung into the wall, for a moment he saw nothing but stars. He managed to pull himself together long enough to get closer to the ground and fell flat on his back.

The hook, unable to hold the weight any longer, fell and nearly impaled itself on his head had he not rolled over. Ignoring the fact that he had just avoided a rather gruesome death, he quickly coiled the rope around the hook and picked them up. 'Why do they make these things so heavy?' he groaned to himself as he dragged the hook and rope across the lawn and into the house. Let it be known that Kester was not the most athletic boy in town. He quickly and quietly ran to his room, hoping no one would see him before he could hide the evidence. He could easily fix the hook, being the genius that he was. He threw the coiled rope and the hook under his bed and sighed. He wondered if he would see those twins again.

A few days later, Kester would find the two hidden in a nondescript toolshed outside the servants' quarters. He was hoping to find some tools to fix the hook without attracting attention, but instead found the two children he was wishing to see. Unfortunately, they seemed to be nursing a few wounds from a recent beating received from the Woman. Maybe she found out about their coming to Kester's aid, or maybe she felt something was off, or maybe had done something else wrong. All the same, they were beaten and the two were trying to treat their bruises and cuts as best as they could.

Kester ran back to the house, and stole some fresh bandages and medicines for the two. He tried to treat them but the girl held her brother back.

"What do you want from us?" she inquired coldly, her voice was surprisingly harsh,

"Nothing! I'm returning a favor," Kester snapped back, "now if you want to get those cuts infected and get sick I suggest you stuff it and let me treat you."

She complied, but continued to glare at him the entire time. Hansel on the other hand, smiled and thanked Kester and asked if he had seen 'Ghillie Dhu,' whoever that was. Afterwards, Kester made to leave but was stopped by Hansel.

"Happy birthday," he said, and placed a large maple leaf in his hand.

Kester blinked, how did Hansel know it was his birthday today? He was even more surprised when the girl began to walk towards him and placed (a little reluctantly) a pretty summer rose in his hand. He had never received birthday presents like these before, all of them had been much more luxurious and expensive, but these managed to fill him with odd warmth that he had never felt before. He smiled at them in appreciation. Hansel smiled widely back. The girl simply scoffed and turned away from him. Hansel had probably forced her to give it to him.

"I'm Kester," he blurted out, "will I be able to meet you two again?"

Hansel looked at Gretel. She seemed to think about it for a little. Would it be alright to be acquainted with the Woman's son? He could get them into trouble. He was annoying and obviously a liability. Who wasn't to say that he wouldn't say something that would get them into trouble again someday? But Hansel seemed so happy to have made a friend, his eyes searched for approval and she knew she couldn't say no to him. She sighed.

"Come when the Woman isn't here. And no one can see us together, got it?"

"Deal," he was happy to be able to see them again, (mostly Hansel) maybe they could be friends, "What's your name?"

"Gretel."

Hansel jumped at the two and caught both of them in a tight hug. "Let's dance with Ghillie Dhu!" and he took both by the hand and took them to the tree Kester was previously stuck in. Gretel looked around, thankfully no one was there and the Woman was away on business anyway. Hansel took Kester's and Gretel's hands and they danced around the tree, or more like Kester and Gretel stumbled along while Hansel leapt and danced around.

It was an odd experience to say the least. But Kester had had more fun with these two in the past hour than in his entire life. Even Gretel seemed to enjoy herself, although she had yet to actually smile with them. The three would have danced all day around the tree if they had not heard the telltale hooves of the Woman's horses.

End Flashback

The three became secret friends and could only play when the Woman was away. Kester often questioned the Woman's treatment of his precious friends –- all the "friends" he made were chosen for political reasons and none of them really liked each other anyway - but, like the rest of inhabitants of the manor, he was too afraid of her to ask.

Years passed and life passed in relative tranquility for the kingdom with nothing that helped change the misfortunes of these unlucky twins. Only after the 16th birthday of Gretel and Hansel did things begin to change.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-Gretel and Hansel-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Gretel…Gretel…Gretel!"

Gretel opened her eyes to see her twin brother looming over her, smiling like he had when mother…She got herself off the bed, it would do no good to think of the past and she gently pushed Hansel out of the way.

"You've got many Orglies(1) on your head today," Hansel commented, as if he were describing the weather, and frowned "you should sleep some more, they don't like being squished, even if it is just a pillow."

Gretel sighed, "I'm fine," and walked across the room to take the little apron that hung on a battered little hook on the wall. If there was one thing good about their enslavement to that Woman, it was that they at least had their own room. It was small, dark, and dusty, but it was better than nothing. She and Hansel shared a bunk bed, Hans on top, Gretel on the bottom. There was small dresser, which held mainly small, seemingly insignificant items that served as precious memorabilia: a feather, a large maple leaf, a few wooden beads strung on thin wire, a worn-out doll, and a rusty kitchen knife. Above the dresser was a small window facing the Nadirean forest.

A dark place, evil things lurk there, and no one dares come close for fear of the malevolent spirits that reside within. Those who ventured too deep died, sometimes a corpse would appear, but the state of the body did little to improve the forest's reputation. The only path considered safe passes through the edges of the forest and it somehow never attracts the attention of beasts. If one is brave enough, one may take that path and actually cut off at a few leagues of journeying around the Nadirean Forest. All the same, very few take the old beaten road.

Gretel tied on her apron to her plain, green dress. She always tried to keep her clothes clean, since it was one of the few things she was allowed to own but it was still rather dirty and worn out. She took out some old silk ribbons that she was allowed to keep and tied her hair into twin braids. Hansel was in the middle of tying on his apron when he began staring out the window. Probably lost in one of those strange trances he would occasionally fall into. Gretel simply walked to Hansel and tied the apron on for him; she was used to this and knew no amount of yelling or hurting would pull him out of it.

She took his hand in hers, and began walking out into the hall. Today was a very special day. The king's sons, Prince Marius and Prince Brennan were passing through Adelaide and would be staying at the manor. Rumors say that they were chasing a witch that was found to be plaguing the city of Yule with terrible storms. She escaped custody and was presumed to be hiding in or near the city of Adelaide. Maybe they'll go into Nadirean Forest.

She snorted. No one was stupid enough to let a royal enter that place. But she could always hope.

Gretel heard little of Prince Brennan, only that he was the child of the king's mistress, but she did know Prince Marius well enough as he had passed through Adelaide (which was now a bustling city due to the Woman's meddling) several times before. She held no love for him; he had taken away the kind overseer at the manor and killed her. The old woman had criticized the Prince's alcoholic tendencies and violent behavior. She was whipped in public and quickly died from the pain.

The kind old woman was worth a million of the disgusting whelp the masses called 'prince'

May the bastard rot in hell, she thought to herself. Not a single day passed that Gretel did not wish for the degenerate prince's death. The pain of losing such a kind woman was not lost on her, or on her fellow servants. Of course, no one was willing to defy the prince after seeing what happened. Hansel brushed a hand over her cheek.

"The Orglies are exploding all over your head. If you don't smash them you won't be able to see!" Hansel said all while swatting at the air around her head with a worried expression on his face.

"I'll be okay Hans, let's go to Alfred and see what we've got to do today."

"Not until the Orglies go away. You can't work if you've got Orglies all in your face."

Hansel continued to swat the air around her, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Gretel simply smiled, her brother was a strange one, she'd admit, but he always managed to bring a smile to her face. But they really needed to go, she and Hansel had managed to avoid whippings for 3 years now. She was not going to break that today.

Blodwen Manor was once a very cozy home to the twins. It was stately but homey at the same time. It still held its majestic charm, but the Woman's influence led to the manor becoming less comforting and more imposing in appearance. It lost the warm and cordial atmosphere that their mother always had. How depressing. Gretel decided to focus on getting to Albert, the head butler, and getting to work. She would fall back into depression if she kept thinking like that.

At least she had Kester to look forward to later. More specifically his books. Gretel and Hansel had basic reading lessons only to be quashed later on by the Woman. Thankfully they had Kester, who was willing to take out his textbooks for them so they could learn. He was still annoying, but thankfully his ego deflated a bit ever since the incident.

Using the servants' quarters to get to the head butler's office, Gretel and Hansel quickly made their way to Albert. For some odd reason, the Woman did not want Gretel and Hansel to be seen by the general public. So they were forced to use the servant's halls and passages. Fellow servants were an exception and allowed to see the twins because they served for life, they seldom left Blodwen Manor.

Perhaps it was the shame of having such a horrible step-daughter and disgraceful step-son being made public. Who knows? Or more importantly, who cares?

The finally arrived at Alfred's office, the inside was always neat and tidy; it also accommodated a small bookshelf that sat behind his desk, though the books were mainly cookbooks and rulebooks. A small desk sat in the middle of the room, with a small oil lamp and what was probably Alfred's schedules and notes in a large heap on top of the desk.

"You're nearly late for breakfast preparations," Albert said, without looking up from his work. Alfred was an old man, nearing his sixties, and he already had a full head of gray hair. He had a very austere presence and his temper was something to be feared, but in all their years, Gretel and Hansel never had to endure anything but a mild scolding from the man. Perhaps because he pitied them? He was one of the few who knew of their relation to the mistress of the house. Nonetheless, Gretel didn't want the man too close. Kind or not, he was the head butler and that made him one of the Woman's minions. She made sure to stay on her toes; she must never let her guard down ever again…like last time…she would only get hurt if she was careless.

"There were Orglies hovering, I had to get rid of them" Hansel stated.

"Orglies are bad," Gretel continued with a grave nod.

Alfred stared for a moment, lost in thought, then continued. "You two are on kitchen duty. Be ready to set the tables and clean the dining hall with the rest. Expect more considering we are low on staff today. That is all."

With that, Gretel nodded and made to walk out when she saw Hansel walk towards Alfred.

"Please take this," Hansel said, slowly reaching into his pocket and placing two stale biscuits onto his desk. He then sped towards the door, dragging Gretel along with him.

Hansel always did this. Gretel tried to tell him to keep them for himself, but he simply refused to listen. So that Hansel would not be left any hungrier than they usually were, she took out her own biscuits and the two would each give a biscuit to Albert instead. Even though Albert always received much better rations, he accepted the biscuits with an air of approval and even seemed to enjoy eating them. It was strange. Maybe the man was just humoring Hansel.

Anyways, upon their arrival, the cooks immediately sent them to peeling the potatoes. The cooks were cooking enough food that could feed the entire city, but considering that two royals and the twenty soldiers accompanying them were arriving, there wasn't really a difference between the two. Gretel quickly fell into rhythm with the rest, but Hansel seemed to drift off more often than usual today, forcing Gretel to peel twice as fast in order to cover for him.

"Hans," she whispered, "Hans, wake up, we have to finish all of these before we can go outside."

But he seemed to be in one of those trances of his again. She sighed and took the knife away from him before he dropped it. She angled herself so that she covered most of Hansel from the cooks' view. Sometimes a few of the cooks would notice, but they never really bothered her or Hansel so long as Gretel peeled fast enough. Today, being particularly stressful, had to peel much faster than she usually did when she had to cover for Hansel.

Not like it became much of a problem for Gretel anyway. She could peel all of them herself if she really had to and still manage to finish faster than if there were three people working on them together.

Gretel had always been like that. When she and Hansel had been set to work as servants, they were usually given tasks that were meant for fully grown men, not two young children. She could move timber and plow fields as fast as any man. No, she could go faster. She was agile, scaling trees in seconds and outrunning even the fastest courier. Gretel also had extremely acute senses, hearing and seeing better and farther than anyone in the manor (besides the woman of course, she seemed to hear and know everything that was happening, regardless if she was there or not). Why she was blessed with such talent was a mystery to her. She would prefer to be horribly fragile just like her mother and have her family together again instead of this strength. But she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. She utilized that strength and did what she could to keep Hansel and her safe from the Woman.

So, peeling potatoes wasn't a problem for her. Gretel was only worried one of the cooks would scold Hansel for remaining idle and report it to the Woman. Hansel was the only precious family she had left. Her mother was dead and her father…after marrying the Woman, had simply disappeared, they hadn't seen him since his wedding day. So Gretel could only assume the worst had happened; that the man had somehow gotten into an 'accident', courtesy of the Woman.

"Gretel!" one of the cooks barked.

"Yes?" she didn't stand up immediately because Hansel still seemed to be in a daze.

"Go out to the well and fetch me a pail of water, HURRY!" the cook screeched and threw a large wooden bucket at her. Gretel caught it with ease, but hesitated. She couldn't leave Hansel all by himself…

"What are you waiting for girl?! GET TO WORK!" and she slapped poor Gretel across the face, roughly grabbing her by the shoulder and throwing her out of the kitchen. She looked back, thankful, that Hansel seemed to come back to his senses seeing that he suddenly turned to look at her. She would only be gone for a minute. What could possibly go wrong? Better safe than sorry, she told herself and she ran to the kitchen's well.

Unfortunately the pulley and the rope seemed to be in disrepair. It would take too long to fix it and the cooks needed the water NOW. Gretel massaged her forehead, feeling a headache coming along. She would have to go to the other well at the servants' quarters across the manor.

She could fix the pulley later but for now, she was probably going to have to sneak back and forth for water across the manor if the cooks needed more. Not only that, but if the princes came early, she would have to find a way to sneak past all of them without being seen. The Woman did not like them being seen by those outside the manor, and if she was seen by any of the princes or their company…she did not want to find out what would happen. She hefted the bucket over her shoulder and began walking to the kitchen to take a few more buckets and a cane. The more water she brought back, the less trips she would have to make and the less time she would have to spend away from Hansel. With everything she needed, she began to slowly jog across the manor to the servants' quarters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Gretel and Hansel~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Cheer up cousin. Now you know to listen to your brain rather than your dick."

"I was NOT doing…that!" Brennan was blushing furiously. The witch was, he supposed, quite adorable for an 11-year-old, but he was not interested in her, or any other little girls for that matter.

"Awww…is the little princess angry?"

"Shove it," and Brennan turned away, brooding. Honestly, he had only wanted to interrogate the girl when one of the guards had gotten a little too excited. He hadn't believed the girl was a witch until she escaped. She just looked so innocent.

"Now, now, we'll be arriving in Adelaide soon. I fully expect you to keep your hands to yourself," Marius continued, still with that odd smile plastered on his face. He always smiled, which left most rather unnerved after being in his presence. The yellow, cat-like eyes and foxlike features did little to quell this feeling.

"As if you of all people should be telling me that," and he playfully shoved his cousin away.

Despite his cousin's eerie personality, he wasn't that bad, as long as one didn't irritate him too much. But aside from a little breakfast incident, he and Marius got along relatively well.

Despite his cousin's nonchalance and attempt at cheering him up, he couldn't stop thinking about the girl. He couldn't believe at first, that such a little girl could possibly have caused all those storms. It just didn't sit well with him. The witches he had always seen before were your stereotypical witches. Foul, disgusting, pure evil, and so easy to hate, he wouldn't hesitate to put these things down like the demons they one looked like she was only 11-years-old, and to see such a young child meeting the same fate as the rest…it wasn't right.

And that wasn't the only thing that worried him.

They would be arriving at Lady Blodwen's manor in just a few hours. She initially seemed like just another courtier trying to claw her way up the ranks. But he knew the true face that hid behind the amiable facade. He shuddered, remembering that cold face and those hard blue eyes. She was different, still ambitious, but there was something terrifying hiding beneath that kind demeanor.

Flashback

Brennan was walking aimlessly through the halls. He honestly didn't feel up to listening to his teacher's lectures when the weather was so beautiful today. His father wouldn't mind him missing a lesson or two.

He walked out into the garden, savoring the sweet smell of the summer roses growing nearby. He made his way to the center of the garden, the gazebo where his older brother would often be found at. To his surprise, he saw a woman instead, with beautiful black hair. She was such an elegant figure, her hair put up with many decorative pins, a shame she had her back towards him.

She seemed to be drinking tea with someone else, Lord Edwin. He scowled. A cowardly, worm of a man; Brennan was sure Edwin would sell his own daughters to save himself. He was secretary to High Councilman Rainer, all the councilman's dirty work was Edwin's work and the position only served to inflate his oversized ego. He snickered at the man's obvious attempt at flirting…the man couldn't woo even the most desperate woman. (His wife was simply a part of an arranged marriage so that didn't count.)

"Of course, of course milady, his lordship would be willing to meet with you only…" Lord Edwin drifted off, his amiable smile turned into a leer, "what would you do for me in return for granting such an audience?"

"I will grant you my silence of course," she returned, in a chilling voice, quite a turn from the sweet sound Brennan heard before.

"Your silence?" Edwin laughed, then sneered at her, "Please milady, what do you have that I cannot be returned to you in full? I have more than enough information that can acquaint you with the king's guillotine."

The air suddenly felt five times colder, it felt as if there was an oppressive force pushing down on the earth. The lady leaned forward and whispered something in his ears.

She leaned back, relaxing her shoulders and the tense atmosphere immediately lifted, but the change had left an unsettling mood. Lord Edwin took out a handkerchief and wiped his brow, he was extremely pale and it was obvious he was frightened by her words.

"Does this not end any debt I supposedly owed you Lord Edwin?" the woman asked her voice light-hearted and cheery.

"Y-yes, Lady Blodwen…"

'Blodwen…that up-and-coming family from Adelaide…' Brennan thought to himself.

"Now, those new shipments, I believe you have taken more than…" she stopped, and turned towards the spot where Brennan was hiding. Her soulless eyes searched the bushes and looked directly at him, sending shivers down the young man's spine.

"L-Lady Blodwen? Is there something wrong?" Edwin interrupted, casting nervous glances from the woman to the general area she was looking at.

"Hmmmm…" and she finally turned away, "…only a rat."

Brennan made his way back to the main halls as quickly and quietly as possible. When he thought he was out of earshot, he ran back to his rooms and shut the door. Those eyes promised death. He really wished he hadn't chosen to ditch his tutor today.

End Flashback

He was hoping to never see her again. Unfortunately, the girl had chosen to run away tp here, of all places. The city was indeed beautiful, but his mind kept drifting back to the girl, knowing what would inevitably happen should another hunter find the girl first. He brooded over in his corner of the carriage, lost in thought. He hardly even noticed that the carriage had stopped and that Marius had left.

"Stuuuupid young maaaster, we're heeerrre!" He heard a loud voice call out, and he was pulled right off his horse, nearly falling face first.

When Brennan had reoriented himself, he looked to see the face of his bodyguard, Daria; a young woman with dark chestnut hair, warm hazel eyes and a smile that could rival his mother's. She, like Marius, seldom frowned, but her smiles were much warmer and she came off as a more lighthearted older sister than his cousin, who looked like a poisonous snake. And although she was a woman, Daria was a formidable adversary. She was the daughter of one of the lesser courtiers in Sybaris. She found swordplay interested her more than simple sewing and cooking and was eventually recognized by the king himself. At first, Brennan had been skeptical about having a woman as his bodyguard, but first-hand experience with her swordsmanship had changed his opinion of her and he quickly grew fond of her over the years.

"Stupid? I should have you flogged for such insolence!" he puffed out his chest and crossed his arms, the perfect image of the haughty prince.

"Is that so? I would certainly like to see you try!" and she grabbed the boy in a headlock, ruffling his bright red hair.

"Aghhhh…I yield, I yield! Mercy!" he laughed and Daria let him go, but not before pinching him on the cheek.

"You've grown up to be such handsome little bugger," she teased and grabbed his other cheek, examining his face "I bet you any girl would let you take them any day if you looked at them with those pretty green eyes of yours!"

He laughed and pushed her away, "Now, now, no time for the lady-folk. I'll have you know I am very busy being a famous witch-hunter! You should be grateful I spared the time to grace you with my presence on this fine day!"

"Of course my pretentious young master," and she bowed sardonically to him.

"Ahem," the two turned to see Marius with an old man, presumably the head butler, in tow. "Would you two be so kind as to stop with the theatrics and come inside to greet Lady Blodwen? You can continue after we have talked."

"Ahem..er..yes, of course," and Brennan straightened his cravat and smoothed out his coat, donning the usual mask of indifference he always wore when meeting with other nobles, "lead the way."

"This way, please, your highnesses," and the butler led them inside to Blodwen Manor.

The entrance hall was quite impressive. It had a tall, spacious ceiling like that of a cathedral, and on the left were large marble pillars, serving to frame the hallways that diverged from the entrance hall. Elegant crystal chandeliers hung above them, and a below was a dark tiled floor that led straight to what was presumed to be the dining hall. Inside was a long mahogany table, lined with matching chairs and various dishes already set out. The delicious smell nearly made Brennan's mouth water, but as such actions were unbefitting of a prince, he maintained his composure. The room accommodated large windows, letting in large amounts of light and provided a view of the beautiful garden and pavilion beyond it.

"Your company is to eat here," the head butler stated, "Lady Blodwen would prefer that your highnesses eat with her and her son in their private apartments."

"I'm afraid I can't leave my prince on his own sir," Daria said, her eyes narrowing at the butler. Brennan had told her about the strange conversation he stumbled upon with Lady Blodwen and she decided that the woman couldn't be trusted to be alone with the princes.

Now it was the butler's turn to narrow his eyes, "I assure you ma'am that the royal highnesses will not be harmed in any shape or form during their stay here at Blodwen manor."

"Oh? Considering how close the Nadirean forest is I seriously doubt that."

"Are you suggesting that Blodwen manor is incapable of protecting itself?"

"Alright, alright, no need to throw a fit," Marius said, interrupting the two's glaring contest, "stand down Daria, I'll make sure Brenny comes out safe and sound." As genuine as Marius sounded, his creepy smile did little to ease Daria's concerns.

"Daria," Brennan said coldly, "I can take care of myself. There is no need to coddle me." He knew Daria was only worried, and in fact, he would have welcomed her presence. But a bodyguard would only make him appear weak and give the impression that he couldn't handle things without someone there to protect him.

Daria scowled, "Very well. I will remain here with the rest. But at the first sign of trouble, I will not hesitate to rip apart this manor to find you." The last part was directed mainly towards the head butler, whose eyes turned frosty but inclined his head in acknowledgement.

Brennan knew she was annoyed, that she just wanted to protect him, but she should also know that her presence would only damage his reputation even more, and being the bastard child of the king was already demeaning as it is. He could protect himself, he was 16-years-old now for goodness' sake. Daria walked away to join the rest of the company, who were already gorging themselves on the fine food. She scoffed, Animals.

Brennan and Marius followed the butler out of the main dining hall and into another hallway.

The three walked for some time through the many halls leading towards Lady Blodwen's private apartments. There were many magnificent portraits and statues they saw as they passed by and the private gardens were as beautiful as those at Brennan's mother's chateau.

Brennan lagged behind the rest, walking in the back of the rest of them. He was not looking forward to seeing the mistress of the house. And because of his moping, he was the only one that saw the girl running around the corner carrying several large buckets of water. He gaped, how could she carry so many at one time? She had a long cane resting on her shoulders and on each end hung two buckets of water. It looked heavy, but the girl didn't seem to care, carrying the load with relative ease. Upon closer inspection, he saw she was quite beautiful, and not so young; she looked like she was around his age thankfully. God only knows what would happen if Marius found him eyeing another 11-year-old girl. To his disappointment, the strange girl quickly rounded the corner and disappeared.

"What are you looking at cousin?" Brennan flinched, nearly jumping away from Marius and pushing him over. He had been a little too close for Brennan, leaning over his shoulder until their faces were nearly side-by-side. Marius smiled even wider at Brennan's obvious discomfort. "Well?"

"Just admiring the gardens," Brennan fibbed, Marius wouldn't let Brennan hear the end of it if he said that he was watching a girl. And if Marius told Daria about it…he shivered.

Marius didn't seem convinced, but he didn't bother questioning him about it.

"Come along then, the lady awaits!" and Marius put a hand over his shoulder and led him back towards the head butler, who was waiting for them patiently in front of the door to Lady Blodwen's apartments.


Think it should continue? Think it should never see the light of day ever again?

Review please!

Oh and about Ghillie Dhu, he's basically a tree spirit...wiki it or something if you want to know more or just look it up.

Oh and Orglies are just something I made up.

And Gretel...imagine her carrying the buckets in a similar fashion to the soldiers in training in Mulan, I don't know, I just found it a really amusing picture, with Gretel carrying bunch of heavy stuff like it's nothing and Brennan just kind of having a WTF moment.