Chapter One: Grüß Gott!
Hurrying down the narrow stairs just outside Nonnberg Abbey, Maria held tightly onto the book tucked away under her apron with one hand, while the other hand tried to make sure her wimple didn't come flying off as she hurried down the stairs.
She knew she had a good few hours before she'd need to be back - plenty of time to return her book and even make a trip to her mountain. Peering up at the Untersberg, she smiled hugely to herself and quickened her pace as she walked through the cobbled streets. A few soft wisps of clouds floated aimlessly over the impossibly blue sky as Maria headed for the tiny bookshop that sat huddled between a pastry shop and music store. Oh, it was such a lovely day! The day had only just begun and the streets were already filled with people. She passed by the baker as he placed fresh loaves of bread out.
"Grüß Gott!" he called cheerfully.
Maria smiled but kept her pace as she waved back. "Grüß Gott!"
Maria heard the happy tinkle of the shop bell as she pushed through the bookshop door and looked around as she tried to regain her breath. A small, elderly man with twinkling eyes and a large smile greeted her as she breezed in.
"Ah, Maria!"
"Grüß Gott, Herr Schreiber!"
The old bookshop owner gave Maria a warm smile as he began to put away a stack of books. "Escape over the convent wall again did we?"
Maria shook her head ruefully. "No! The gates were open today."
Herr Schreiber chuckled. "Well, I don't want any nuns coming in here like last time, that Sister Berthe makes me feel like I'm knee-pants all over again." He shuddered slightly and placed a book back in the shelf, giving the spine a little pat as he did.
"I am sorry about that, Herr Schreiber," Maria said earnestly. "But I just had to know what happened next!"
Walking down the narrow row of books, Maria let her fingers trail over the shabby spines. Coming to the end of the short aisle, she hopped up onto the old ladder and searched some of the higher shelves.
"Only you would escape over the wall of Nonnberg Abbey so you could read the next chapter of a fairy tale."
"I couldn't put it down!" Maria called out over her shoulder. "Have you got anything new?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Hmm," Maria pushed off from the wall, the wheels of the ladder clacking loudly as it rolled across. "That's all right." She scanned the books until she found the one she wanted and flourished it happily. "I'll take this one!"
"That one?" asked Herr Schreiber as Maria jumped down the ladder. "But you've read it twice!"
"It's my favourite!" Maria said happily, flicking through the worn pages. "Far off places, daring swordfights, magic spells, a prince in disguise!"
The bookkeeper gave her another warm smile. "Well, if you like it that much, it's yours."
"But, sir!" Maria protested. "I couldn't keep it! We aren't allowed any personal possessions at the abbey."
Herr Schreiber gave a sad little nod. "Ah, of course. Well, you are free to borrow it for as long as you wish, Maria."
It never ceased to baffle him that this strange girl was a postulant at Nonnberg Abbey. If he had met Maria Rainer on the street, he would have assumed she was a kindergarten teacher or a hopeful musician – not a nun in training. Which is what he had assumed the first time she came waltzing into his store with a cheerfully determined glint in her eye. He had enjoyed conversing with the strange girl before she had informed him that she was a postulant at the strict convent that sat at the top of the town. Apparently, she had already managed to lose her wimple (it was floating down a stream somewhere), which was why her long golden hair was free to curl about her face. The next time he'd seen her, the curls had been cut – a lesson from one of the nuns, but the cheerfully odd girl was still the same.
He just couldn't picture this lively girl standing at the front of a classroom while addressing rows of solemn faced children in the strict school attached to the abbey. Nor walking reverently through the hallowed halls with the other sombre faced nuns. It was so much easier to imagine her sprawled out in the grass teaching children how to paint a rainbow or showing them how to ride a bike. He shook his head - it wasn't his business. As long as Sister Berthe never came into his shop again, he didn't mind.
"Thank you, thank you very much," Maria was saying as she walked to the door, the shop bell jingling as she opened it. She looked down at the book in her hand and then smiled warmly back up at Herr Schreiber. "Your library makes our small corner of the world feel big."
"Auf Wiedersehen, Maria," said Herr Schreiber, waving as she walked out.
"Bye!" Maria replied, trying to straighten her wimple as she headed towards to the cable-car, her book tucked safely underneath her apron.
Navigating her way through the streets, Maria smiled to herself. It had been so kind of Herr Schreiber to say she could have the book – even though she couldn't keep it. She would just have the book on loan. Yes, on loan. So, technically, she didn't own it and could return it when she was done. Weaving through the crowded streets Maria couldn't help but hear a few phrases clearly aimed her way.
"That girl is strange, no question."
"Dazed and distracted."
"She's rather odd."
"She really is a funny girl."
Ignoring them, she continued through the crowd until it started to thin out as she reached the cable-car that'd take her up the mountain. She jumped on and hastily took a seat by the window. Across from her was a group of mothers, each one holding onto their child's hand. One of the kids, a little girl, was staring owlishly at Maria. She smiled warmly back at the girl and gave a small wave before opening her book.
"Mummy," she heard the girl ask, "What is that lady wearing?"
"A wimple, Hannah," replied the girl's mother, glancing briefly in Maria's direction. "She's a nun."
"Oh."
"At least, she is supposed to be."
Ducking her head, Maria returned her attention to her book, but she could still feel everyone staring at her. It was like they had never seen a nun before! Well, all right, she thought, she wasn't a nun yet – but she very nearly was. And what was so strange about an almost nun wanting to read a book or visit a mountain? Honestly.
She was used to it, the whispered remarks anytime she went into town – and Maria was always making an effort to go into town, even for just a small errand. Usually, it didn't bother her but sometimes it was hard to ignore some of the comments. And it wasn't just the people in town she'd heard talk about her before. She'd heard plenty of other postulants, even some of the nuns, talking about her. There was the occasional "funny girl" and "clown". Sister Berthe was always saying she was far too impulsive and outspoken. It made her feel incredibly lonely sometimes. She loved her home at the abbey, but for once it would be nice to have someone understand.
Her books had always been her escape, before she had her mountain. The home she had had before the abbey was certainly no real home – it was just where she lived. Orphaned at seven and sent to live with her mother's brother and his wife, Maria hadn't had the best childhood. Her aunt and uncle had been uncaring and neglectful. She'd felt like Cinderella, except there was no fairy godmother or handsome prince to save her. So Maria had become her own princess and rescued herself. Tired of trying to escape her uncle's violent hand after he'd been drinking or her aunt's cruel tongue, she had left the horrible farm and gotten as far away as she could. The abbey had welcomed her and kept her safe.
Sighing, she slumped in her seat, letting the book close in her lap as she stared out the window. She'd feel better when she reached the mountain. Her lips quirked back into a smile as she watched the soft clouds roll by. It really was such a beautiful day.
Seven children! Seven!
Maria stared at her worn carpetbag. She'd packed all her earthly possessions, which wasn't much, along with a few (well, more than a few) borrowed books from Herr Schreiber and placed her guitar into its worn case. Now, she was patiently waiting for Sister Margaretta to return with some clothing for her to wear. Sitting on her bed, she looked idly around the room she shared with three other girls. It was large and only filled with the bare basics: four small beds, a few worn chairs, a couple of old side-tables, two large desks and one massive table that sat near an old fireplace. While it was only a simple room, it was hers. This was her home after all. She didn't want to go to some strange house where a mean, red-faced sea captain lived with his seven children.
But, a little voice whispered in her head, don't you want adventure? Don't you want to be out in great wide somewhere?
She did. However, she also wanted to serve God - so much. Possibly, she could have her adventure - out there with seven children and a sea captain, and then after she'd be ready to take her vows. Maybe that's what the Reverend Mother had been talking about? And if this was God's will, Maria was going to do it wholeheartedly – just like she had told the Reverend Mother. She would show everyone that she could do this.
"Here you are, Maria," came the voice of Sister Margaretta, interrupting her thoughts.
Maria stood and took the small pile of clothing from the Sister and walked towards a corner of the room where a curtain was drawn, serving as a small change room.
"Sister," Maria said carefully, pausing by the curtain, "Do you think I'm odd?"
Sister Margaretta's eyebrows knitted in surprise. "Odd? She gave Maria an awkward smile. "Where did you get an idea like that?"
Sister Margaretta hoped that Maria hadn't heard her and her fellow Sisters arguing about the poor girl. They should not have been discussing her in such an open space, she told herself. Margaretta was very fond of Maria, and while she was a bit of a black sheep, she knew she always meant well. It was just so nice to have someone so free spirited around the place.
Maria shrugged. "I don't know." She walked behind the curtain and started changing. "People talk."
"This is a small town, you know," Sister Margaretta said gently. "And I'm afraid to say, small-minded as well." She passed Maria a jacket through the curtain. "But small also means safe – you will be just fine in Aigen, Maria."
Letting out a puff of air, Maria finished buttoning the dress and shrugged awkwardly into the jacket, which was at least two sizes too small. Maria knew Margaretta was just trying to be kind, the Mistress of Postulants had always been patient with her, and had certainly helped her out of a few sticky situations before. But still, Maria felt like there was just something missing. She held firmly onto her belief that taking her vows would solve her problem. Pushing those thoughts aside, Maria walked out from the curtain and tried to ignore the way the dress itched.
Placing a wide brimmed hat on Maria's head, Sister Margaretta stood back and beamed. "Lovely. Very elegant."
Maria looked down, which caused the hat to fall over her eyes. She was sure she looked anything but elegant in the oversized grey dress and ill-fitting jacket. No wonder the poor didn't want this dress, she shifted uncomfortably; it was itchy and ugly. She pushed the hat back up and returned to her bed where her guitar and bag were sitting.
"Now, remember, Maria, on your day off you are to come visit us and remember what the doctor said about getting enough sleep and exercise."
Maria perked up at that. She was always getting awful headaches being stuck inside all the time and so the local doctor had advised Maria to take walks – maybe not the kind of walks that Maria was inclined to take but still, he hadn't said she couldn't go up the mountain.
"But moderate! Not too much," Sister Margaretta continued, as if reading Maria's mind. "And always remember that your home and place is here at Nonnberg, even though you will you be out in the world." She looked pointedly at Maria's bag, knowing it was full of books. "You are just loaned, like one your books."
Maria nodded dutifully and the hat promptly fell over her eyes again.
A/N Hello! Welcome to my new story, which in case you can't tell already, is a mash up of The Sound of Music and Beauty and the Beast. This will not involve any magic and I will be using both the 1991 animated classic and the 2017 live adaption for the story.
Because this story is based on a fairy tale, it may be a little over the top at times but I am going to do my best to try and keep the characters as respectable as possible (though, I cannot guarantee Max will be respectable, but that's why we love him.)
A big thank you to lemacd for her help
I do not own anything. Some lines taken from Maria's book as well.
