Dust to Dust
Part I
Hansel sees it like this: if their lives were made into a fairytale one day, it would be Gretel's story. He's just along for the ride.
It's another day, and they're in another town to hunt another witch (or two or ten, it's never just one). Hansel still feels a bit sluggish after his latest injection so he remains in the shadows as Gretel addresses the townspeople. If he believed in God, he'd thank Him for making this mob less unruly than the last one; he doesn't even have to threaten to blow anybody's brains out, and he almost always does because he will if anybody so much glances at Gretel the wrong way.
Right after Gretel declares they will kill the witch terrorizing the town, a man barks, "How do we know this bitch isn't the witch?"
Hansel tenses. If they won't respect his sister, he'll make them. In one smooth motion, he thrusts his gun towards the sky and fires. The shot, and the warning it carries, reverberates throughout the crowded square. As soon as every fearful eye is on him, he shifts the gun so it's trained on the townspeople.
"Alright, you've heard enough," Hansel orders calmly even as he stares them down from over the barrel of the gun with his most predatory look. The mob shifts backward, and he takes a step forward. "And it's not your decision anyway so go home."
Lucky for them, the townspeople are smart enough to listen the first time. Hansel stifles a yawn as he watches them disperse, unsettling the dust that coats their old, rundown town. The dust is everywhere; it was the first thing he noticed when he passed through the crumbling stone gate, and he can feel it in boots, his hair, even his teeth. He can already tell he'll be finding dust in his clothes for weeks after this excursion, and he's tempted to demand double their usual rate for it.
Hansel is torn from his plotting when he hears the latest mayor who hired them, an older man with the pudgy cheeks he always resents because it's a sign he has wealth they can only dream of, tell Gretel it hasn't rained in moons.
"That is why we sought you and your brother's services," the mayor says, and Hansel almost snorts at his affected accent. "We believe a witch is behind this drought, and we cannot afford to lose our harvest."
Hansel bites back his retort that it looks like he can afford to lose a pound (or ten) and lets Gretel continue to take the lead. "And we'll do everything in our power to make sure that doesn't happen. Can we discuss your leads over a meal? My brother and I have," — she pauses and looks to Hansel, and he shakes his head 'no' ever so slightly — "we shouldn't discuss these matters in public."
"But of course," the mayor replies, and they turn to go. Hansel follows, trailing a step behind, his gun flung over his shoulder. As he walks, he regards his surroundings suspiciously, all the while keeping an eye on Gretel's back. He's learned the hard way—from the sheriff of Augsburg, the clergyman from Berlin, the mob in Trier, among many, many others—witches aren't the only evil in the world.
When they reach the tavern, the mayor takes them upstairs to a private room. Hansel fights the urge to slump into a chair and throw his aching, blistered feet up on the table; instead, he takes the stool in the corner, moves his gun into his lap and leans back against the wall. For a second, he lets his eyes fall shut, and he can't help but breathe a shuddering sigh of relief as the warmth and the smell of ale and cooking meats wash over him. He catches a fragment of Gretel and the mayor's conversation, something about hunters being lured over a cliff, but he's already starting to drift, his taxed body rebelling against his just-as-weary mind.
"Hansel." Gretel's sharp voice brings him back to the present. He blinks open his eyes in time to see her turn to the mayor, her smile tight. "Mayor Adler, I apologize for my brother. It was…we traveled a long way in a short time to get to your town. I promise he won't need long to recover."
The mayor nods slowly, clearly unconvinced. Hansel forces himself to sit up straighter when his eyes turn to him. They need this job. It's been too long since the last one. Just when Gretel looks like she's about to resort to begging, the mayor turns back to her and says, his voice almost, but not quite, kind, "I will go have Josef prepare you two a meal. Once I return, we will discuss the terms of our deal."
The moment the door slams shut behind the mayor, Gretel stalks over to Hansel and grabs him by the shoulders. "What the fuck were you doing?" she hisses in his face, her bloodshot eyes filled with unchecked rage. He ducks his head, unable to meet his sister's gaze. "Now he knows we're fucking desperate, and I bet we'll get the old 'do the job for food and lodging' deal."
Hansel doesn't know what else to say but sorry. "Sorry, Gretel, I…" He trails off when he finds he has no excuse to give and finally just shakes his head.
Gretel doesn't fill the resulting silence, and Hansel doesn't break it when she lets go of his shoulders and walks away. After watching her sit down at the table and press the heel of her palm against her temple, he clambers to his feet, ignoring how unsteady his legs are, and joins her. He reaches over and gives her free hand a gentle squeeze. She doesn't acknowledge it, or him, but that doesn't matter. She understands. She has to.
Hansel lets go of her hand when he hears the door swings open. The mayor is back, and he actually kept his promise. Hansel can already feel his mouth starting to water, and he almost makes a wild grab at the food; somehow, he manages to wait to dig in until after the tavern girl sets the platter on the table, the mayor sits down across from them and his sister takes a slice of bread and a choice cut of meat.
While they eat (Hansel knows better than to stuff himself, but he can't help it and goes back for seconds and then thirds), the mayor and Gretel talk about the rumors that the witch's lair is at the bottom of the cliff. Hansel doesn't like the sound of that, and he's about to say that scaling cliffs costs extra when the mayor's eyes turn cold and he says, "As for the terms of our deal, I will secure lodging at the inn for you during the duration of your time here, and," — his gaze comes to rest on Hansel, who suddenly feels the need to wipe his mouth with his sleeve — "I will tell Josef to put all your meals on my tab. I assume that will more than suffice for killing one witch."
Gretel looks like she's about to argue (or break the mayor's nose); thankfully, she settles for kneeing Hansel under the table, right in his pincushion of a thigh too. He knows he deserved it so he just bites his lip to keep from yelping (and messing things up more than he already has).
After Gretel collects herself, she replies evenly, "Mayor Adler, from what you've told us, I don't think we're dealing with a run-of-the-mill witch here. Usually, we make towns pay double for witches like yours. But, because I'm in a good mood and you've been so very kind," — Hansel can't help but smirk at the biting sarcasm barely concealed in his sister's tone — "we'll only require you pay our usual rate, half upfront, half after we kill the fucking bitch."
The mayor smiles and nods in response. Hansel's stomach plummets when that smile slowly twists into a smirk. "I do not believe you are in a position to refuse my offer. From what I have heard, the witch hunting business has not been kind since Trier. And, based on your brother's condition, I suspect the rumors are true."
They are. Fuck, they are. But Hansel doesn't say that. Instead, he lurches to his feet and grabs Gretel by the arm. "Come on, sis," he says gruffly, pointedly not sparing the mayor as much as a glance. "Let's get outta this shithole."
"You said it, bro," Gretel agrees as she loudly pushes her chair back and gets up. Then, clearly on an impulse, she pulls their money bag out of the inner pocket of her coat, retrieves a few coins and hurls them onto the table. Hansel flinches, hoping they'll still have enough for his medicine if this ploy doesn't work. "There. Now we don't owe you a damn thing."
With that, as one, almost as it was before, they turn for the door. Gretel is the very picture of defiance, and Hansel does his best to match her, holding his head high, doing his best to hide his limp. Right when he starts to push open the door, the mayor calls, the defeat in his voice enough to make Hansel break into a rare grin, "Alright, fine. I will pay your usual rate. But no more."
"We'll need all the money up front to make sure you don't try to cheat us," Gretel snaps without turning around. The mayor starts to say something, but she quickly cuts him off, her voice as sharp and final as her favorite knife, "And before you even think about arguing, Mayor Adler, I'm sure you've heard the rumors about what happened to the last mayor who crossed us."
Hansel gingerly shifts his weight to his left leg, hoping the mayor didn't notice. While he knows they're in the position of power right now, he wasn't planning on pushing their luck so far (even half their usual rate would have been enough for him). But he's not surprised when the mayor sighs heavily and concedes, "Fine, I will agree to those terms." He pauses for a moment before adding, his voice dangerously calm, "However, if you fail to kill the witch, understand I will send the sheriff and his men after you. And I do not believe your brother is able to run."
Gretel swivels around and gazes at the mayor levelly. "We will kill your witch. And, if you threaten my brother one more time, I will fucking kill you too."
A/N: Thanks for reading! As you probably guessed, this is set years after Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters. I only watched the movie because I found it in the $3.75 bin at Wal-Mart and I really enjoyed Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton. When his Hansel was almost identical to Clint, I fell in love with this movie too. It's so bad, it's good! Oh, for the record, I write Hansel and Gretel as very close siblings. There will be absolutely NO incest in this story (I just wanted to be clear on this point because, in the fandom, incest comes up a fair amount).
Anyway, this is probably going to be one or three more chapters so please let me know what you think. Getting reviews, favorites and follows really motivates me to keep writing, and I truly appreciate them. Until next time. ~Moore12