No trial faced had been as great as the one they were facing now. "How are we going to do this?" Liesl asked. "I don't know," Friedrich replied, "but we'll be okay." "Yes," she agreed. "As long as we stick together. We can do this. We have to."
A/N: Hello everyone! This story has been in my head for almost two years now. I've looked at having other authors write it for and with me but it just seems this story is going to have to happen from my mind alone. Please let me know what you think, I value your opinions very much! Enjoy!
Liesl Von Trapp looked around her. She heard hushed, anxious conversation to her right. Behind her, restless movement and stressed sighs. And to her left, quiet tears falling. Her hands moved to the child and ran a smooth hand over her golden hair as she knelt down in front of her.
"Gretel, darling, shhh. Everything will be alright." Liesl soothed.
Gretel sniffed and wiped the back of her little hands over her face.
"I'm trying to be a big girl. But these trains sound so scary in the dark."
Liesl's already aching heart broke a little more. She had to agree with Gretel to a point, though. The train station in the daylight had always seemed very exciting, even magical. Trains awaiting your arrival, wanting to take you to a new adventure somewhere in the world. Tonight, however, they seemed threatening and dark. Their rough, loud engines growling at you. The lighting given by the lamp posts seemed to only create more shadows to mess with your mind rather than provide any kind of comfort.
She pulled her youngest sister in a hug and rubbed her back to try and calm her fears, and maybe even comfort herself in the process. They were indeed in quite a scary situation. In just a few short, yet unbearably long hours, the entire Von Trapp family had been uprooted from their home in a haste, sang for all of Salzburg in a nerve-wracking haze, and then been ushered to the train station immediately after.
Somehow, they'd managed to escape through the back doors of the performance hall before Max had even taken the stage to begin announcing the winners of the contest. Liesl wondered briefly if they would have won. Whatever the case, it wasn't important now. For a fleeting moment, she was struck with the grief that she may never see her Uncle Max again. It took her breath away. Was all of this really happening? How could it be? Her father was a respected Naval Captain. How could these people…the Nazis…just waltz in and turn her whole life upside down? It made her shudder.
"Liesl…Friedrich…" She stood and turned to the sound of her name. It came from her father.
"Yes, sir?" they both replied.
They stood near him, as he was talking just above a whisper. Maria was holding on to one of his hands with both of hers, agony clear on her face.
"We must be quick. Time is of the essence." He began. "Your mother and I have discussed our options and I can only see one effective way of us all escaping together. We will draw too much attention to ourselves getting on the train at the same time. The station is quite busy now, so that is good for us, but I still don't want to risk it. Liesl, Friedrich, I need you two to take your brother and sisters on the train without us"
Liesl's heart stopped. Friedrich's body tensed.
"Don't fret darlings, we'll be right behind you," Maria added quickly, noting their reactions.
"Yes, your mother is right. You'll board the train as soon as it pulls up, find a compartment, and sit tight. Maria and I will be right behind you within five minutes, entering on the opposite end of the train. Here are your tickets." Georg handed Liesl 7 boarding passes.
Liesl took them, her hands shaking slightly. She glanced at Friedrich and internally gasped. The look on his face was unfamiliar, yet strikingly known to her memory. The she realized it. She knew that tense, frustrated, worried grimace. He looked just like their father.
She looked away just as quickly and made eye contact with her father.
"Ok, father. Friedrich and I can handle this."
"Yes," Friedrich added. "We'll get everyone safely on the train and wait for you to find us."
Georg looked at his two oldest children. Though his face was that of a captain giving orders, in his eyes, turmoil clouded his vision. They were two young, capable adults, he knew, but they were still his children. The thought of leaving either of them, all of them, even for a moment in such an uncertain situation, made his heart ache.
Maria's breath was caught in her throat, and she had to constantly remind herself to breathe. Never had she felt such sadness, such fear. The children, her children, to be without them in this moment of chaos, sent all of her mothering instincts into a frenzy. It was wrong. But, what other option was there? If they didn't do this, if they didn't attempt to leave, Georg would be forced by the hands of pure evil to leave them. That was not an option. This family needed him. She needed him. She was trying to give her fears to God, trusting that he would protect all of them, but it was proving to be difficult.
Liesl's mind was racing. Would this work? All of them without either of their parents? She knew that she could handle her siblings, she'd done it for years, but what if something happened and they got separated from their parents and couldn't find them? How would they ever find them again? She tried not to focus on the what ifs, and to focus on the situation at hand. She was a Von Trapp, and that meant she had to be a brave, strong woman. She had to make her father proud of her.
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