Autumn was at midpoint now and the days were getting shorter and colder. Luckily he'd found a temporary job in the Smith now that Benjamin was partly unable to do his work after falling unluckily from the thief's abilities.
"Could you turn- thanks" nodded Benjamin when Hans immediately turned the blade around. "Keep it flat, ok?"
The man worked with his good hand as well as possible, clinging the hammer down upon the hot iron to shape it into the right form. "Alright, done." Nodded Benjamin when he was finished with it, giving Hans the cue to put the iron into the cold water. As steam rose up from the cooling iron, the two friends glanced to one another.
"How's your arm?"
"Still bit stiff" grimaced Ben as he shifted the bandage a bit better around his neck. "Gunther says I could work in about a week or so again."
"Ah."
"That doesn't mean you need to leave though." Spoke Ben up when he saw Hans' somber face. "I'm nearly ending my training, perhaps he could take you as his second apprentice?"
"I'll think about it."
"Ben!"
"Gerda!" grinned the smith apprentice when he saw his niece. "Its so good to see you! How goes the selling of your roses?"
"very well, uncle." Answered the blonde girl as they untangled from their hug. Upon seeing the redhaired man next to her family member, the girl turned her attention to him. "Hello to you good sir Rose Red! Would you like to have a flower to match with your nickname?"
Hans laughed for the sales pitch and the optimism she brought. "I would love to have one, child" smiled the man as he pressed a coin in her hand in exchange for the rose. "Thank you. And what is the name of your companion, Gerda?"
"I can speak for myself you know" bit Kai with a sneer.
"Off course you can." Spoke Hans, taken aback by the sheer contrast the two had in terms of mood. "I thought you didn't wish to talk."
"And yet I still need to against an unmannered stinking stable boy."
"Kai, stop it. I'm sorry sir, he's not always like that." Stepped Gerda in to stop Hans from misjudging her friend.
"No, its fine. Everyone can be in a bad mood from time to time. Makes us appreciate the good times all the more"
"I uhm.." began Benjamin uncomfortable with the fact he had to leave Hans alone to do all the work.
"No, its fine, go with them" shook Hans his head. "I'll clean up the rest for today."
"Kai wait up for us!"
"Ah, its fine!" bit Kai her concerned shout out down as he walked further on the tree trunk that was used as a bridge. Due to the rain and the freezing temperatures last night however, the ground under it had become more lose.
"Kai!" Spoke Ben up this time when they saw Kai balance further on the trunk.
"I'm not a child, Benny! I can do this myself!"
"That may be so, but its better if we have extra security in case of-"
"I'm tired of this!" shouted Kai back as he turned his body back to his two family members. "With your so called concern, how I need to behave myself.. You can't just lay out my whole life!
"Kai, just calm down" Benjamin snapped at the end of his patience while walking up the self-made bridge.
"Just leave me be al-aaaaaaaaaaaaah!" the boy screamed when his feet slipped on the hard frost under his boots, falling nearly into the hard-flowing river below. Benjamin too lost his balance on the huge trunk when it moved due to the boy, although he managed to fall flat on the trunk, instead of on its side like Kai. The moment he crashed upon the wood, the trunk croaked dangerously from the sudden weight change, causing Kai to slip even further down.
"O god.. Kai hold on!"
"No, Gerda stay back!" roared Benjamin as he felt the trunk tremble underneath his body. Slowly the man shifted his weight, trying to get closer to the boy. Slowly but surely he managed to get to him, until…
CRACK!
Gerda screamed in fear when she saw her two family members fall into the roaring river. "Ben! Kai! Where are you?!" the child ran till she was out of breath, screaming their names over and over.
Their bodies weren't found after a whole week of intense searching. Although the life here was routine and dull, the tasks never stopped outside the working hours in the smithy, and he was glad for its huge distraction. As a sailor it was required to learn stitching, which said skill he used to repair and mend his clothing during the free time. He knew how to make knots to make fences secure against a storm. Through his tutors, he knew which wood to use for arrows, which iron was best suited for which weapon…he'd learned about agriculture, which plants were poisonous and which weren't. His high education paid off as he jumped into the work from morning till evening, to think as little as possible about Benjamin or Kai.. or even Gerda, who had gone missing a week after their fall into the river.. But at night, the dreams always came, formed by his guilt as their faces added themselves with Ruth.
The first frost croaked under his feet as he made his way towards the lake with the basket of necessities for today. It was Sunday, and therefore the day for the townspeople to rest. But sitting scooped up in a warm locked place, he needed some fresh air like he used to when he was still working on Joubert's farm. From Heida, he had been given the pelt of the wolf which had eaten 7 of her goats, as a compensation for finding a safe haven with Hulda, the owner of the orphanage. And, with him saving enough money to finally buy the red fabric he needed to enlarge the Red Cape, the prince decided to set himself to the pleasant task, away from the town to clear his head.
As his fingers worked the stitches together, his mind finally began to quieten down and focus on the view ahead of him. The mist was crawling across the plants, and the cloud that held back the sun's full force, gave something mysterious and tranquil to his surroundings. Sitting here, he had never realized how quick he had always been, never stopping to actually admire the present. As he worked on, he couldn't help but whistle through his teeth the working songs he had learned here, along with the sailor songs from his previous life.
After rechecking if the stitches held, the man nodded contently at his work. This had been the easy part. Stitching the pelt onto the cape wasn't so quickly done due to his thickness.
" Oh come they said, oh come to the fair!
The fair? Said he, but I'm a bear!
All black and brown, and covered with hair!
And down the road from here to there.
From here! To there!
Three boys, a goat and a dancing bear!
They danced and spun, all the way to the fair!
The fair! The fa-"
Hans stopped humming the song when he heard voices nearby and glanced up due to his slight distraction to his work. But when he tried to focus back to his task, the voices grew ever louder, gaining a more aggressive feeling. Squinting his eyes, the man saw a couple of teenage boys fighting with sticks, pretending to be knights or admirals like he used to do during his childhood. Nothing unusual one might think, except the prince noticed a black-haired boy with a limping foot in their midst whose walking stick got broken.
"How can you ever be a knight?" spoke one of the boys with a sneer to the crippled one. "You couldn't even defend yourself when someone took your stick!"
" that's not fair!" protested a second when they saw the boy being ressented. "He can defend the fortress instead of attacker!"
"No, its alright Heinz." Stopped the cripple his friend from getting in a word-game with the much older and larger boy. "I'll sit by and watch."
Slowly, Hans stepped towards the crippled boy. Although he had volunteered to stay out of the way as for not ruining his other's playmates happiness, he was still sad though.
"You know.. they should hold the sword with one hand." Commented the former prince as he saw them play, settling himself besides the boy on the ground.
"Why?"
"It gives them much more movement and precision."
"But.. its so heavy!"
Hans chuckled at the boy's comment. "Yes, It's heavy to lift up with one hand. But that's the weight a real sword possesses. You think the enemy is going to wait nicely till you've changed your stance?" Hans noticed the more muscular arm of the boy, the one that was used to support his weight and bring himself forward with the crouch. "May I?" Hans switched the crouch with the sword. "Lift it up with that arm."
It was still with difficulty, but he managed to swing it several times.
"If you keep training your other arm to become just as strong as the other one, you'll be much quicker."
"Maybe with the sword, but not with movement" replied the boy as he wiggled his stumped foot. "Like Kai said.. I'm more a burden than an asset. I can't aid with anything…"
Hans stayed quiet for a while, watching the ducks swim across the water. "You see the little one over there, with his feathers all brown?"
Tom huffed. "A little duck as ugly as me."
"He is" nodded Hans as they watched the little one circle around in turns, calling for his mother. "You see, his mother thought him to be just the way like you when she saw him crawl out of the egg for the first time among her many others. They queaked and sneered at him, telling him that he didn't belong with them. So, he run away." Brought Hans out with a breaking voice. "And where-ever he went, he was resented, all the way through the four seasons. He no longer came out and wept for his fate. In the end, he became so desperate that, when he saw a flock of swans, he swam towards them thinking that they would kill such a foul creature like him."
"Was he killed?"
"No. The swans noticed and greeted him as one of theirs, complementing him for his feathers. 'me?' said the duckling in shock. 'But I'm not a swan!'. But when they ordered him to glance to the water, the duckling saw their exact image as himself." Hans went quiet when he saw the mother swan call for the little duckling in front of them, not attacking the two humans when she saw they didn't did her child any harm. As they watched the duckling leave, the boy turned to the man next to him, wiped his tears more or less and offered his hand to him.
"Tom. But everyone prefers to call me Tom o'Thumb." Grinned the boy as he shook the man's hand.
"I'm Hansel – You may have heard of me as Red or Rose Red, though" spoke Hans as he aided the boy up from his sitting place.
The childish loud screams made Hans look up. Quite annoyed at being distracted continuously, the man beckoned Tom to follow him. "Come on, let's find a place somewhere quieter."
In the end they returned to Hans' former sitting place near the lake, all the way on the other side. They talked about everything, their families (for as much Hans could reveal anyway) and about combat until it came at long last on the subject of the black forrest.
"Has it always been that way?"
"Not always.. It began around 3 or 4 years ago." Answered Tom. "At first, it was just wolf attacks inside the forest. We assumed they had grown too big in numbers again, so the hunters went out to deal with them. Instead they found almost unnatural big wolves that could swallow a child whole…" the boy shook his head. "Not just the wolves though. Bears in this region have also gained for some reason quite the terrifying transformation. They have forbidden any children to go into the woods now that they seem to come more closer by our village every day, but.. I'll be a man within the month with no excuse not to go with them."
"No one is blaming you if you aren't." said Hans quietly.
"And sit by while my brothers or friends are brought dead into the village?" spoke Tom with a vicious tone. "No, Red.. I have to aid them, in whatever little way I can."
The sun began to set, and the last bit of warmth disappeared rapidly, making it quite uncomfortable for the two to sit in the open place any longer.
"I think I'm going back home" sighed Hans as he thought of the meal he still had to prepare.
"You can eat and spend the night with us."
"Please, I don't wish to be a nuisance to your brothers or your sister" declined Hans the offer. He never liked being in debt with others.
"You're not a nuisance. i insist."
Hans felt a smile creep up his face. "Thank you."
By the time they reached Tom's house, the darkness had set in. "Grethe, are you there?!"
"In the Kitchen, Tom-oh" Grethe stopped mid-way the door when she saw the person next to her brother.
"You two have already met?" asked Tom as he noticed their surprised knowing looks to one another.
"Yeah, at the smith a few times" answered Hans absent-mindedly as he kept staring to the black-haired woman. "I didn't know, well… there are a lot of girls called Grethe here, so I assumed-" The rest of the man's words were quickly smothered when 6 loud hungry boys came storming in the house.
"Boys, wash up before you eat!" yelled Grethe when they wanted to take their seats.
"We already did!" came the vague answer from a ravenous boy.
"When? If I recall you were all working outside all day."
"Uhm… today" spoke another up as he looked down.
"Really? Well if you're all so clean, show me your hands." Demanded Grethe with thin lips.
"Come on now, show them!" spoke Tom up this time.
With red heads the brothers showed their dirty hands. "Alright, all of you out to wash your hands in the tub."
"But we're so hungry!"
"The last one to wash their hands doesn't get desert." Threatened Grethe. That did the trick at last, as the brothers stormed out the cottage to fresh themselves up. "Tom, you make sure they do it good." The sudden silence after the deafening loud cries of the boys became quickly akward with only Hans and Grethe in the cottage.
"Can I help you with something?" offered Hans up, feeling his hands itching to have something to do.
"uhm, yes could you please stoke the fire up?"
"I'm sorry for barging in like that." Apologized Hans as he poked into the fire to get some more oxygen in it. "Your brother Tom invited me in and I couldn't bring it in my heart to say no."
"Its fine." Came Grethe's voice much closer to him from behind. Hans glanced behind his shoulder to see the huge bowl of soup that she was planning to put on it. He quickly stepped aside, but stayed close enough to the fire to enjoy the warmth.
"I haven't seen you by the smithy for several days." Spoke Hans his observation out. And she hadn't visited Benjamin either. As his lover, shouldn't she be concerned and be close by to support him?
"I had other duties to attend to." Evaded the woman while stirring in the bowl.
"A woodcutter is man's work. Some of your brothers seem old enough to work with you and ease the load."
"I'm not letting them go into the woods alone."
"Understandable." Muttered Hans.
"I sense there is a 'but' going to be add."
"But you can't keep them so protected. Sooner or later they will have to face the world"
"These are my brothers, not your family to take care for." Grethe's grey eyes blazed. "And you don't have any saying in how I should raise them."
"Sorry. That was uncalled for. I just.. Tom spoke with me today, on how he wishes to defend your family against what lies in the dark forest. I'm not saying you should let him do it, I'm saying you should take into consideration what they wish for themselves." Hans stared into the fire, thinking of his own ambition and how no one of his brothers had actually talked to him about it. Not talk him out of it, just.. to listen and give him council would have been enough. Then perhaps he would have known his limits.
"I'm sorry too. My temper gets the better of me when someone judges me and my decisions, even when it is well-meant."
"I'm working partly in the smithy, but.. I simply can't work there anymore. Too many bad memories. I could aid you in the woodcutting?"
"You shouldn't feel obliged…"
"I'm not. You get your work done much faster, and I'm a total stranger. So If I'm killed, your family is safe and sound"
"Isn't there anything for you to fight for?"
Fighting for land, title and crown was all he had ever done. The people he cared even the slightest for, were taken from him nonetheless whether it was by death such as Ruth, Kai and Benjamin or by duty like Ella. He didn't want to be hurt anymore.
Fight for himself? Why should he fight for the despicable person he now saw in the mirror, who got to survive each and every day while others were taken?
"Not anymore, not even for myself." Replied Hans after staring for a long time in the mirror. "I just.." the man swallowed feeling the spend up emotions rising up. "I can't. I'm so tired of losing every single second in my life. Always the youngest and the weakest of the pack. Always just not smart or strong enough. I've accepted that."
After putting the blocks into the smouldering coals and bringing the fire back to a good height, the prince stood back up, accidentally hitting Grethe's shoulder. "Excuse me, I…" the man went quiet when he felt contact between their skin. She was warm, but not like the nicely cosy warmth. It was burning painfully and Hans retreated from her feeling his body temperature plummet down again like when the Piper did. As he looked down the expected burns weren't visible at all. "I'm sorry."
"No, its fine" smiled Grethe, but Hans could notice her holding back a grimace like he was.
"Oh! Oh! I know a new story to tell!" shouted Tom across the laughing table after their dinner. "Its one that Hans told me today. Its about an ugly duckling that becomes a beautiful swan!"
His siblings laughed even harder and Hans wiped his tears away. "Way to spoil the biggest twist, Tom" chuckled the man at Tom's dumbfounded face.
"You're a storyteller?!" gaped Heinz, the second youngest, in awe to the man next to him.
"I wouldn't call myself that. More an improvisator."
"Oh please tell us another one!" spoke the fourth brother Robert this time. Soon the whole table was demanding under loud chanting to give in to their demands.
"All right, all right!" shushed Hans them down. "I'll tell you a new story…" The room quietened, safe for Grethe who went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. The sounds of her work were soon forgotten by the children who were all ears as Hans began.
"There were once five-and-twenty tin soldiers. They were all brothers, born of the same old tin spoon. They shouldered their muskets and looked straight ahead of them, splendid in their uniforms, all red and blue. All the soldiers looked exactly alike except one. He looked a little different as he had been cast last of all. The tin was short, so he had only one leg. But there he stood, as steady on one leg as any of the other soldiers on their two. But just you see, he'll be the remarkable one." Hans winked to the flustered Tom up in the front.
"On the table with the soldiers were many other playthings, and one that no eye could miss was a marvelous castle of cardboard. It had little windows through which you could look right inside it. And in front of the castle were miniature trees around a little mirror supposed to represent a lake. The wax swans that swam on its surface were reflected in the mirror. All this was very pretty but prettiest of all was the little lady who stood in the open doorway of the castle. Though she was a paper doll, she wore a dress of the fluffiest gauze. A tiny blue ribbon went over her shoulder for a scarf, and in the middle of it shone a spangle that was as big as her face. The little lady held out both her arms, as a ballet dancer does, and one leg was lifted so high behind her that the tin soldier couldn't see it at all, and he supposed she must have only one leg, as he did." Hans was slightly distracted when he saw Grethe come out of the Kitchen, as she too became interested in hearing how the story would go. The man shifted uncomfortably by her presence. Did she know he had based the ballerina off her, just like he had based the tin soldier off Tom? They may be brother and sister, but they cared together for the younger siblings like a father and a mother would do if they were here.
"That would be a wife for me," he thought. "But maybe she's too grand. She lives in a castle. I have only a box, with four-and-twenty roommates to share it. That's no place for her. But I must try to make her acquaintance." Still as stiff as when he stood at attention, he lay down on the table behind a snuffbox, where he could admire the dainty little dancer who kept standing on one leg without ever losing her balance.
When the evening came the other tin soldiers were put away in their box, and the people of the house went to bed. Now the toys began to play among themselves at visits, and battles, and at giving balls. The tin soldiers rattled about in their box, for they wanted to play too, but they could not get the lid open. The nutcracker turned somersaults, and the slate pencil squeaked out jokes on the slate. The toys made such a noise that they woke up the canary bird, who made them a speech, all in verse. The only two who stayed still were the tin soldier and the little dancer. Without ever swerving from the tip of one toe, she held out her arms to him, and the tin soldier was just as steadfast on his one leg. Not once did he take his eyes off her.
Then the clock struck twelve and - clack! - up popped the lid of the snuffbox. But there was no snuff in it, no-out bounced a little black bogey, a jack-in-the-box." Misfortune was like the bogey-man, Hans thought. They may be happy but the shadow of that wicked forest still haunted them all, breathing in their neck.
"Tin soldier," he said. "Will you please keep your eyes to yourself?" The tin soldier pretended not to hear.
The bogey said, "Just you wait till tomorrow."
But when morning came, and the children got up, the soldier was set on the window ledge. And whether the bogey did it, or there was a gust of wind, all of a sudden the window flew open and the soldier pitched out headlong from the third floor. He fell at breathtaking speed and landed cap first, with his bayonet buried between the paving stones and his one leg stuck straight in the air."
"She picked the soldier up bodily between her two fingers, and carried him off upstairs. Everyone wanted to see this remarkable traveler who had traveled about in a fish's stomach, but the tin soldier took no pride in it. They put him on the table and-lo and behold, what curious things can happen in this world-there he was, back in the same room as before. He saw the same children, the same toys were on the table, and there was the same fine castle with the pretty little dancer. She still balanced on one leg, with the other raised high. She too was steadfast. That touched the soldier so deeply that he would have cried tin tears, only soldiers never cry. He looked at her, and she looked at him, and never a word was said. Just as things were going so nicely for them, one of the little boys snatched up the tin soldier and threw him into the stove. He did it for no reason at all. That black bogey in the snuffbox must have put him up to it.
The tin soldier stood there dressed in flames. He felt a terrible heat, but whether it came from the flames or from his love he didn't know. He'd lost his splendid colors, maybe from his hard journey, maybe from grief, nobody can say. He looked at the little lady, and she looked at him, and he felt himself melting. But still he stood steadfast, with his musket held trim on his shoulder. Then the door blew open. A puff of wind struck the dancer. She flew like a sylph, straight into the fire with the soldier, blazed up in a flash, and was gone. The tin soldier melted, all in a lump. The next day, when a servant took up the ashes she found him in the shape of a little tin heart. But of the pretty dancer nothing was left except her spangle, and it was burned as black as a coal."
"That was sad." Muttered Heinz after a long silence had passed.
"Life is that way." nodded Hans. "All we need to do is cherish with whom we are, because they might be gone before we know it." His eyes locked with those of Tom's for a second.
"Oh please give us another story!" came the plea soon after. "Give us one that has a happy ending!"
"Thomas, don't demand such things to our guest" came Grethe's firm voice up. "He may be tired!"
"No, its fine Grethe. I can tell another one, if it isn't too late for them to go to bed?" Asked Hans the permission.
Grethe sighed and cast her eyes away when her brothers looked at her with big puppy-dog eyes. "One more. But after that, straight to bed all of you" the eldest sibling placed herself in her chair, her own work done for today. She might as well enjoy this little moment out of reality…
Hans scratched his beard, his mind occupied with what he had witnessed in the past few weeks. Kai's sudden disappearance and presumed death still haunted the village…
"iN a large town, full of houses and people, there is not room for everybody to have even a little garden, therefore they are obliged to be satisfied with a few flowers in flower-pots. In one of these large towns lived two poor children who had a garden something larger and better than a few flower-pots. They were not brother and sister, but they loved each other almost as much as if they had been.
"See there are the white bees swarming," said Kay's old grandmother one day when it was snowing.
"Have they a queen bee?" asked the little boy, for he knew that the real bees had a queen.
"To be sure they have," said the grandmother. "She is flying there where the swarm is thickest. She is the largest of them all, and never remains on the earth, but flies up to the dark clouds. Often at midnight she flies through the streets of the town, and looks in at the windows, then the ice freezes on the panes into wonderful shapes, that look like flowers and castles."
"Yes, I have seen them," said both the children, and they knew it must be true.
"Can the Snow Queen come in here?" asked the little girl.
"Only let her come," said the boy, "I'll set her on the stove and then she'll melt."
Then the grandmother smoothed his hair and told him some more tales. One evening, when little Kay was at home, half undressed, he climbed on a chair by the window and peeped out through the little hole. A few flakes of snow were falling, and one of them, rather larger than the rest, alighted on the edge of one of the flower boxes. This snow-flake grew larger and larger, till at last it became the figure of a woman, dressed in garments of white gauze, which looked like millions of starry snow-flakes linked together. She was fair and beautiful, but made of ice—shining and glittering ice. Still she was alive and her eyes sparkled like bright stars, but there was neither peace nor rest in their glance. She nodded towards the window and waved her hand. The little boy was frightened and sprang from the chair; at the same moment it seemed as if a large bird flew by the window. On the following day there was a clear frost, and very soon came the spring. The sun shone; the young green leaves burst forth; the swallows built their nests; windows were opened, and the children sat once more in the garden on the roof, high above all the other rooms. How beautiful the roses blossomed this summer. The little girl had learnt a hymn in which roses were spoken of, and then she thought of their own roses, and she sang the hymn to the little boy, and he sang too:—
"Roses bloom and cease to be,
But we shall the Christ-child see."
Then the little ones held each other by the hand, and kissed the roses, and looked at the bright sunshine, and spoke to it as if the Christ-child were there. Those were splendid summer days. How beautiful and fresh it was out among the rose-bushes, which seemed as if they would never leave off blooming. One day Kay and Gerda sat looking at a book full of pictures of animals and birds, and then just as the clock in the church tower struck twelve, Kay said, "Oh, something has struck my heart!" and soon after, "There is something in my eye."
The little girl put her arm round his neck, and looked into his eye, but she could see nothing.
"I think it is gone," he said. But it was not gone; it was one of those bits of the looking-glass, the ugly glass which made everything great and good appear small and ugly, while all that was wicked and bad became more visible, and every little fault could be plainly seen. Poor little Kay had also received a small grain in his heart, which very quickly turned to a lump of ice. He felt no more pain, but the glass was there still. "Why do you cry?" said he at last; "it makes you look ugly. There is nothing the matter with me now. Oh, see!" he cried suddenly, "that rose is worm-eaten, and this one is quite crooked. After all they are ugly roses, just like the box in which they stand," and then he kicked the boxes with his foot, and pulled off the two roses.
"Kay, what are you doing?" cried the little girl; and then, when he saw how frightened she was, he tore off another rose, and jumped through his own window away from little Gerda.
When she afterwards brought out the picture book, he said, "It was only fit for babies in long clothes," and when grandmother told any stories, he would interrupt her with "but;" or, when he could manage it, he would get behind her chair, put on a pair of spectacles, and imitate her very cleverly, to make people laugh. By-and-by he began to mimic the speech and gait of persons in the street. All that was peculiar or disagreeable in a person he would imitate directly, and people said, "That boy will be very clever; he has a remarkable genius." But it was the piece of glass in his eye, and the coldness in his heart, that made him act like this. He would even tease little Gerda, who loved him with all her heart. His games, too, were quite different; they were not so childish. Soon after Kay made his appearance in large thick gloves, and with his sledge at his back. He called up stairs to Gerda, "I've got to leave to go into the great square, where the other boys play and ride." And away he went.
In the great square, the boldest among the boys would often tie their sledges to the country people's carts, and go with them a good way. This was capital. But while they were all amusing themselves, and Kay with them, a great sledge came by; it was painted white, and in it sat some one wrapped in a rough white fur, and wearing a white cap. The sledge drove twice round the square, and Kay fastened his own little sledge to it, so that when it went away, he followed with it. It went faster and faster right through the next street, and then the person who drove turned round and nodded pleasantly to Kay, just as if they were acquainted with each other, but whenever Kay wished to loosen his little sledge the driver nodded again, so Kay sat still, and they drove out through the town gate. Then he called out loudly, but nobody heard him, while the snow beat upon him, and the sledge flew onwards. Every now and then it gave a jump as if it were going over hedges and ditches. The boy was frightened, and tried to say a prayer, but he could remember nothing but the multiplication table.
The snow-flakes became larger and larger, till they appeared like great white chickens. All at once they sprang on one side, the great sledge stopped, and the person who had driven it rose up. The fur and the cap, which were made entirely of snow, fell off, and he saw a lady, tall and white, it was the Snow Queen."
It eased his mind to uphold this fantasy to the children that one of them was still alive, that Gerda was searching for him. To hope that the innocent child was saved by whoever didn't matter, how cruel he or she was. It could even be the ice witch he so despised… The only thing that mattered was that they were safe and sound.
"Gerda and Kay went hand-in-hand towards home; and as they advanced, spring appeared more lovely with its green verdure and its beautiful flowers. Very soon they recognized the large town where they lived, and the tall steeples of the churches, in which the sweet bells were ringing a merry peal as they entered it, and found their way to their grandmother's door. They went upstairs into the little room, where all looked just as it used to do. The old clock was going "tick, tick," and the hands pointed to the time of day, but as they passed through the door into the room they perceived that they were both grown up, and become a man and woman. The roses out on the roof were in full bloom, and peeped in at the window; and there stood the little chairs, on which they had sat when children; and Kay and Gerda seated themselves each on their own chair, and held each other by the hand, while the cold empty grandeur of the Snow Queen's palace vanished from their memories like a painful dream. The grandmother sat in God's bright sunshine, and she read aloud from the Bible, "Except ye become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of God." And Kay and Gerda looked into each other's eyes, and all at once understood the words of the old song,
"Roses bloom and cease to be,
But we shall the Christ-child see."
And they both sat there, grown up, yet children at heart; and it was summer,—warm, beautiful summer."
Only a few of the children clapped, as some of them had already fallen asleep. Along with Grethe, the man aided the children into bed and climbed into his quickly arranged sleeping place himself. After blowing out the candles, the house became quiet and soon into slumber.
"Come, little children
I'll take thee away
Into a land
Of enchantment…."
A loud thud made Tom awake from his slumber. "Robert? Where are you going?" asked the boy when he saw his brother go towards the door. Perhaps he needed to go and take a piss? "Robert?" It was just odd how he moved, like a stiff wooden plank, not to mention his silent treatment. Oh no.. was he sleepwalking?! "Robert wake up!" the boy nearly clasped his brother on the shoulder but refrained last minute. He had heard it wouldn't do good if you awoke a sleepwalking person like that. "Robert, you bloody oaf, wake up!" tried Tom again, this time a volume louder.
The cold chamber made the boy shudder and he took a glance towards his still warm and soft bed. However the fact that his brother was sleepwalking didn't do him much comfort now that he knew the reason. What if he stepped outside the house and got hurt? It was better if he followed him and try to lead him back should he wander off too far.
"Come, little children
The time's come to play
Here in my garden
Of magic…"
Like a sheep following its shepperd the boy followed yet stopped in the middle of the hall when he saw the rest of his brothers too with that same glazed look, walking towards the front could believe one of them went sleepwalking. Maybe even two. But everyone? "Robert, Thomas, can you hear me?!" No answer. They unlocked the door and strumped out into the cold night air in a neat row like ducklings would do.
Their pace was quicker than you would expect sleepwalking people to accomplish and soon the boy huffed to catch up with them. The rustling of footsteps came towards him, revealing the other children from the village. What was going on here? It was as if someone had bewitched them all…
Unable to leave them to their fate, Tom followed amidst the hypnotized children yet paused when he saw the forest they disappeared into. He couldn't just go in there with them! With all the wolves and bears that now roamed the woods it was practically suicide to go unarmed and without proper clothing. With a grunt, the boy went as quick as he could with his crouch back towards his home.
"Follow, sweet children
I'll show thee the way
Through all the pain and
The sorrows…"
"Red, wake up-" Tom stiffened when the man suddenly held him at knifepoint.
Upon seeing it wasn't some kind of assassin, the man quickly removed his knife from the boy's neck. "Tom! I thought you were an intruder!" panted Hans heavily as he tried to get his racing heart back under control. "What is it?"
"Robert and Heinz.. all my brothers have vanished into the woods, along with all the other children in the village!"
"What?" the man blinked several times to get the sleep out of his system. "Why would they all go into the woods? They know its dangerous!"
"I know, but its like.. like they are sleepwalking, all into the same direction. And.. I seemed to hear strange music at the edge of the forest."
"Music? You're sure?" demanded Hans as he put on his clothes. Music that made people hypnotic... that Piper?! Why would he have need of the children? After putting on his boots the man sprinted up the stairs towards Grethe's chamber. "Grethe! Wake up!"
"Wha'ss going on?" slurred the woman still half-asleep as Hans shook her shoulder. All sleep was quickly forgotten when Hans told her what had happened.
"Tom, you wake up the other villagers, tell them the children are missing."
"but I want to help!"
"You can stand watch, that's already a lot of aid to us.. perhaps some of the children will return to the village" gave Grethe as a reason to her brother.
Tom sought Hans' eyes pleading him to go with him. "I'm sorry."
"I'm not a kid anymore." Bit Tom to the redhaired man.
"Weep not, poor children
For life is this way
Murdering beauty and
Passions..."
"I know. But I'm not your elder to give the permission" spoke Hans rapidly as he took him by the shoulder. A sigh escaped the man when Tom tangled himself out of his grip. He knew how much Tom wished to prove himself and it hurt him to shut his pleas down. But he wasn't able to defend himself should they be attacked. He would be more a burden than a valuable asset when they needed to move quickly upon the now still fresh trail the children had left behind. Hans glared upwards to see the clouds gather around in a thick package. And the rain could probably delay their chase even more…
"Bring them all back"
"I can't make any promises, but I'll try as best as I can to find them." Promised Hans. The impatient shouts from the gathered volunteers to leave, made the former prince stand up and join into the little group.
"Alright everyone, we're moving out!"
With a shuddering breath, the former prince followed with the rest as the trees closed more and more around them. He hadn't been this far in the woods since.. Ruth. The little girl with the red cap made the man immediately think of his tendency of failures. Number thirteen was after all a cursed one right? Perhaps it was his curse to lose that was almost just in his reach? Hans shook his head, trying to get his mind back to reality. They had agreed to spread out to cover more ground and lose less time, with pairs of two. A nudge from Grethe made Hans glance downwards. "Over here!" noticed the girl as she knelt close to the ground.
"I don't see anything." Frowned Hans as he searched in the dim light for clues.
"Here… a foot… multiple ones" mumbled Grethe as she pointed the pressed trails the children had left behind. "And… bread crums?"
"A hungry child has apparently stolen some food from his kitchen just before they all got lured in here." Thought Hans out loud.
"Nevermind why he or she took it, at least it makes it easier for us to track them."
Hans wasn't skilled at all in reading trails, so he just kept following the girl to shine with his lantern to make it easier for her to see. "We better alert the others" They were way too split apart right now.
"By the time they all gather here, the upcoming rain could already have washed the whole trail away."
"Grethe, we need to stick together-"
"Do you want to lose our only chance to find them by waiting?" interrupted the girl as the first rain began to trickle down upon the leaves.
"No. Off course not". The man hesitated only for a second, before running behind Grethe.
"Hush now, dear children
It must be this way
To weary of life and
Deceptions…"
"Do you hear that?"
A tune began to reach his ears and Hans shut his eyes as he felt its familiar hypnotic sounds. "Yeah.." That damn Piper?! He hadn't heard from him in quite a while and hadn't thought anymore about his motives. If he told everyone that the piper could hypnotize them with his flute they would think him straight up nuts. He needed more proof than just words – and seeing him kidnap the children would just do that.
"I know you're there. Don't make me force you out." It was useless to attempt to hide themselves even better. "My, my.. Hansel. Or should I call you with your true name?" threatened the piper when he saw the red-haired man. "And Grethe.. you seem to control yourself quite well.."
"You two know each other?" asked Hans as he glanced partly to the woman beside him.
"I can ask you the same question" Grethe narrowed her eyes at the man's distrust towards her. Who was he to the piper? "What does he mean by your true name?"
"We can argue later about this"
"No! I demand to have my answers!"
"This is exactly what he wants" tried Hans to make her see what the Piper was doing. "Fight among ourselves instead of working together so he can get away. Your attempts to drive us apart won't work" snapped Hans, bringing the subject back to the piper and away from his true identity. "You took those children in the woods and you're going to pay dearly for it."
"My, my such temper" The piper took his flute back up his mouth. "Perhaps some soothing music can calm you down."
He took his knife into his hand the same time he took it at his lips. "Don't let him-" But the first tunes were already played and to his horror, Hans felt his knife twist inside his hand, straight towards the woman's throat. "Grethe!" the prince could only scream her name as warning and to his relief he felt her hand around his wrist to keep the knife from reaching her.
"Hansel!"
Hans gasped when her knife nearly pierced through the position of his heart, had he not stopped it in time. The music became more commanding now, while two had to struggle harder and harder to keep their weapons from killing the other. Every time they managed to change its direction from a deadly course, it simply changed with their attempts.
"Stop it!" begged Grethel when Hans' knife grazed past her shoulder, while her own nearly found his eye.
"I demanded you both to stay out of my way… people are so quick to judge someone with magic. I'm sure you can agree with me with your special.. experience." The piper was seemingly deaf for their pleas, settling himself in a more comfortable position.
"Rest now, my children
For soon we'll away
Into the calm and
The quiet.."
"Its hard to like you-nnnnngh- when you kidnap these children from -whoah! – their parents" barked Hans in frustration. Oh if he could control his weapon he would throw it right into that man's throat!
"That's your point of view.. a highly misjudged one." The piper paused when he heard another searching party coming near. Damn. He didn't wish to spill unnecessary blood any more then necessary. The knifes were meant to keep the two at bay from interfering. He wouldn't be able to achieve the same outcome with the others as only Hans and Grethe's secrets were known to him. Instead of being a nuisance, they could become the very opposite to save his skin."Your knifes are enchanted, reflecting the mistrust you have in me. Learn to let go of it, and you'll be free."
"No way we will ever-aaaah!" Grethe gasped when hans' knife went across her shoulder, drawing blood.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" heaved Hans heavily for a half-made apology. His strength was whining, and hers was too from the continuous strain on their muscles. "You say we need to trust you?!"
"Hansel, I can't trust him."
"Try." Begged the former prince. "He gave us his word."
"His word means nothing! Believe me I know firsthand!"
The knife soared back towards him and this time, Hans couldn't prevent blood to spill from his chest. It was minor, but it still stung a lot. "We will die otherwise!" screamed Hans as the tears blocked temporarily his view. "And then you'll never see your brothers again!"
Grethe breathed in and out several times to calm her nerves and locked eyes with the man before her.
"Do you trust me?" After received her pained nod, Hans went on. "So if you trust me, you know I trust him to keep his bargain. We're going to let go at the same moment" instructed the man further on in that same soothing voice. "On the count of three. One… two.. three!"
So.. yeah, its FINALLY into the woods where Hans is going! The story will be really taking off now.
Hans told three stories "The Ugly Duckling", "the Snow Queen", and "the Brave Tin Soldier" from HC Andersen.
Next time.. ""Nibbly, nibbly, mouse! Who's nibbling at my house?"
