2

Jacob Grimm was exhausted. He hadn't slept in over two days and the sun that was beating down on his back as he worked was making him feel drowsy. But he knew that he had to continue. He had to "tidy up" the clearing before the French arrived. It had suddenly occurred to him after he had said good night to Angelika that there were things left in the clearing that would condemn Will when the French came. After all some of the troops must have escaped after the Queen put out the fire and the stories they would be telling!! He had gone back to the house, closed the shutters so that when Will returned, most likely more than a little drunk, he wouldn't immediately see that Jake wasn't there, and had then gone into the forest. Jake wasn't afraid, he knew that he should be, but he wasn't. He wasn't sure if it was the drink or that now that the Queen was gone there was no evil force behind the magic in the forest. It had obeyed him before so he could see no reason why it wouldn't do so again.

The full moon provided adequate light to work by and he quickly found the body of the valet, which he dragged further into the rubble of the tower and then covered in rocks and branches. Now he had to find Delatombe. He started to search around base of the tower near where the remains of the catapult were – he knew that the body should be somewhere near there. He turned a corner and stopped dead. He was looking at the place where Will's body had been before the spell had been broken. Jake could still see him lying there, lifeless, with the Queen's dagger in his chest. He could still feel the total despair and hopelessness that had engulfed him as he looked at Will; he had killed both his siblings, what kind of a monster did that make him? Jake shuddered at that thought. Then Cavaldi had remembered the story and brought a glimmer of hope back to him.

"I'm so sorry for what I did to you, Will," he said softly.

He turned from the place, trying to block out the images in his head, and his boot caught on something in the grass and sent it rolling in a circle. Jake bent down and picked it up, it was the dagger. Jake turned it over in his hand, the moonlight revealing the face design on the "hilt" and as he did this a few dried flakes fell from the blade on his hands. Jake gasped as he realised that this was dried blood, Will's dried blood, and he nearly dropped the dagger. Then the moonlight glinted off something else in the grass and Jake again bent down picked it up, it was a fragment of the Queen's mirror, this time Jake did drop it. As it fell the mirror seemed to reflect back an eye, but he couldn't be sure.

Jake turned and was about the go back to his search when a thought struck him. What if Will came across them? What would they do to him; he had been under the Queen's spell after all. Would they cause a relapse in Will - that he couldn't allow. But, if he kept them, he could keep them away for Will and keep him safe. If he knew where they were then they couldn't hurt Will, they couldn't hurt anyone again! Jake put down the dagger and felt around inside his bag. He withdrew his writing materials wrapped in a piece of cloth. He undid the bundle and used the cloth to wrap up the dagger and mirror fragment and placed them in his bag, alongside his book, and then returned his writing materials. He would find a better place to put them when he got back to Marbarden.

He moved to go back to back to his search when something else caught his eye, at first it seemed just a bundle of rags, but then he realised what it was. It was Angelika's father, killed when he and Will fell from the tower's window. Jake had no idea how he was going to tell Angelika what had happened. He loved her, but how could he tell her that his brother had killed her father? How could he possibly marry her and keep Will in his life? He couldn't. So he would walk away and she would find someone better to love.

Jake knew that he couldn't just leave him there; he had to give him a proper burial. He had to do that for Angelika. So again he dragged the body, this time away from the tower and then began to gather and pile rocks the body. This took much longer than he had anticipated and by the time he had finished the sun had risen. As he finished his task Jake realised that the last two days were catching up with him. He was suddenly so tired. He was beginning to get a headache from the drink the night before, but he had still to find Deltombe and get back before anyone realised that he wasn't there. Jake headed back to the tower to continue his search, but he was feeling very drowsy and was having trouble keeping his eyes open. He knew he had to rest and slowly sank to floor – he would give himself a few minutes and then go back to his search.

The trees, that had been silent and unmoving whilst Jake had been working, now moved in to inspect the creature that had disturbed their forest and the raven that had been perched in the branches of a nearby by tree, watching Jake as he worked, rose and flew off into the forest, as if to take a message to whoever or whatever it served.

Will kicked his horse to make it go faster. The further they went into the forest the more his concerns for Jake grew. Suddenly he caught a movement in the corner of his eye and he glanced nervously at the trees around him. He didn't have Jake and the magic axe to make the tree retreat if anything should happen. But it was only Angelika catching up with him.

"Will, slow down!"

"I need to find Jake."

"You don't even know where he is – he could be anywhere in the forest."

"He went back to the tower, we both know that."

But he did slow down and Cavaldi caught up with them.

"I think we should keep going – I don't like the way this forest is looking at us."

Will would have laughed at this if he hadn't had the same thought himself.

"Will, we're nearly there. Lets tether the horses and go on foot from here." said Angelika

They tied their horses to the trees and then followed Angelika deeper into the forest.

"No move," said Calvaldi to the tree he had tied his horse to.

To Will they seemed to walking for miles until the trees started to thin and they came out into the clearing surrounding the ruins of the tower. Just being there make Will feel nervous and he wanted to find his brother and get out of there as soon as possible.

"Jake!" he called. There was no response. Just silence from the forest. Will cast a glance at Angelika and Cavaldi.

"Jake!" he called again "If you don't answer me…" He stopped himself; this was no time for Jake to think that he was angry with him. "… look I'm not mad a you for coming here and you must be tired, you can't have slept for days!"

Again, there was no answer.

"Let's split up and search, we can cover more ground that way. We have probably missed Jake in the forest and you can yell at him when we get back to Marbarden," suggested Angelika. So they started to check the area around the tower, each of them calling for Jake as they went.

What do I do if I can't find him thought Will; I'm supposed to protect him. It was the last thing that their mother had asked him to before she had died, and it seemed that he had failed in that task now, as well. He had always failed those he loved. He couldn't protect any of them, not Lotte, not their mother and now Jake had disappeared just as it seemed they were getting a chance to start again, to find a way to understand each other better. He had always kept Jake as far from him emotionally as he could while at the same time keeping as close as he could. He was shallow and a conman, that much he knew, but if he let people get close to him they always got hurt. Just look what had happened to Hidlick and Bunst! So he had conned people and womaniser, and even he had to admit that he had been damn good at it. He had believed people to be naïve and gullible and had used Jake's knowledge of their folk tales and fears so that he could keep an eye on him and protect him from harm.

"Will, over 'ere!" The call from Calvaldi had broken into his introspection. Will ran in the direction of the call.

Cavaldi had his back to him as he approach and was crouched over something on the ground. As he approached Cavaldi turned towards him revealing Jake laid on the ground.

"Jake!" called Will, his voice full on fear and nervousness and he ran towards his brother's prone form. Cavaldi let him come and Will knelt next to his brother.

"Jacob…Jake," Will called softly as he rolled Jacob into his arms so that his head rested on his shoulder. At that moment Angelika arrived.

"Warm and breathing… just sleeping," said Cavaldi.

"Jake wake up, you can't sleep here. Come on, we'll get you back to the village and you can sleep there. Jake wake up!"

Will knew that Jake wasn't just sleeping, he had been "sleeping with Jake" for many years and Jake dreamt when he slept, and when Jake dreamt he talked and moved in his sleep. He was never silent and still in the way he was now. He wondered if Jake was sick. He gently shook Jake to wake him. Suddenly a raven took off from one of the nearby trees, calling as it went.

Jake began to stir in Will's arms and slowly opened his eyes. "Will?" he asked, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Yes."

Jake forced his eyes open and looked around. Not only was Will there, but also Angelika and Cavaldi. It seemed that a search party had been organised to find him. Jake suddenly felt embarrassed, as though he had been caught doing something that he shouldn't. He tried standing up, Will rising with him, but a sudden dizziness made him stagger and Will caught him.

"Easy Jake…easy," said Will has he lowered him back down again and cast a concerned look at the others. He placed his hand of Jake's forehead.

"I'm not sick Will, just tired."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I had things that I had to do," said Jake, his eyes glancing to something behind Will's shoulder and then quickly away again.

"Jake the Queen is gone, the children and Angelika are safe, and I'm back from the dead – all thanks to you. What could you possibly have to do here?"

"Just some things I have to do, "Jake repeated. Cavaldi was glancing around and realised that they were very near to the place where he had laid the dying Will after his fall from the tower and must mean that the body of the Woodsman should be nearby, but all he could see was a pile of rocks. Had Jake buried the Woodsman?

"Jacob…the Woodsman?" he asked. At this both Will and Angelika looked from him to Jacob.

"My father?" said Angelika.

"Father?" said Cavaldi "Oh…" and he looked back towards the pile of stones.

Angelika rose and slowly walked towards them, she appeared to be lost in shock.

"I'm sorry Angelika, I know I should have brought him back to village, but I didn't know how to do it and the French will be here soon. If I don't find Delatombe's body they will and if they do they'll execute Will for killing him. But Delatombe was trying to kill Will at the time so it was really self defence, but I don't think they will believe him and I can't let them kill him. He's the only family I have. Please, you have to believe me; I thought I was doing what was best. I'm sorry." Jake knew he was babbling, but it was all coming out in a rush. How could he make them understand that he wasn't being stupid and that they really did have to find Delatombe's body to make sure the French didn't. Then everything thing would be all right and he could rest, knowing everyone was safe.

While Jake had been speaking Angelika had bent down and put her hands against the rocks that covered her father. She stayed there for a moment and then returned swiftly to Jake. She took his head in her hands and kissed him on the lips. "Thank you." They held each other gaze for a moment.

"But I still have to find Delatombe," said Jake and he rose and stood shakily on his feet.

"Jake, he fell on the catapult, remember?"

"Actually Will I was flying through the air at the time so I don't quite remember where he landed."

"Well do you see that big pile of rubble by the remains of the catapult?"

"Yes."

"He's somewhere under that. So if the French want to find him they are going to have to move most of the tower and I for one am not going to give them any ideas about where to look!"

"So it's all right then?"

"Yes, Jake it's all right."

With that Jake felt a burden had been removed from his shoulders. Jake gave a smile, a small sigh and let the darkness claim him.