Hi everyone. Another chapter filled with exposition. Also, remember that I mentioned that I'll be adding some Greek reference in it? Will this chapter will be about it, at least the first half of it. One more thing, this chapter will have a large time gap. Just to let you know. Enjoy.
Chapter 11: Meet New Faces
-Narration-
Before we get into the story, the narrator (I) shall introduce the other pieces (characters) into the stage (story)...
-Theresa's P.O.V-
It has been so long... Now that she's back, I am unable to leave until I get my revenge. It was during this time that I learn more about myself. I was chosen by the Greek Goddess of retributive justice and revenge, Nemesis. Six other spirits will also gain her aid. And as proof that we are her "children" (followers) we are given the mask of tragedy by the Tragedy Muse, Melpomene. To follow the path of our revenge tragedy, the people we hold a grudge against, will taste our anger and hatred. It will be our revenge that will lead to the villain's tragic end.
Like the seven Vessels of Dämon and the seven Chosen Princesses, I am also put in a category. Chosen by Nemesis, who neither stood for good or bad, seven people are picked to gain their revenge. Seven keys are used that caused the tragedy in the first place, will be needed to form "justice".
-Narration-
As years passed, seven girls are picked. These seven avengers are:
Jacinth
Uriana
Sirena
Theresa
Ionessa
Calla
Evania
A woman was judge and became the accused, a servant's life was taken by an unsatisfied person, an innocent was made into a sacrifice, the granddaughter who seek the truth, a girl felt insecure about her feelings, a noblewoman died a cruel death by the hands of her husband, and a princess was exploited by her lover. These seven maidens, who died unjust deaths, are the keys to form JUSTICE. Eventually, all seven will have their revenge. For now, we'll start with the granddaughter.
Many years later, at least ninety years have pasted... The story still continues...
-Gula's P.O.V-
It has been ninety years since I've been resurrected. So many years and the world seemed so... Different in the year of 1989. Children rarely come to my house anymore that I don't have anything to eat once more. So one day, I decided to take the risk to go snatch a child for my meal. I have heard of a kingdom in Bojnice, Slovakia, the princesses there have been taken or having gone missing. So I decided to take a princess. After all, losing so many, then taking one wouldn't matter, right?
When I got to the kingdom, I was careful not to rise suspicion. While walking around, I met a kind stranger on the road.
"Excuse me. I am new here. Why is everyone so sad?" I asked, not really caring about these pathetic people.
"I see... Well, the people have been sad for so long. Six years ago, two of our princesses was taken or went missing. The next year, two more were gone. The same thing happened the next year after that. However, two years after, another of our Princess was gone. And then last year, another went missing. Eight of our beloved princesses are gone with no trace of them." the young man explained.
"How tragic." I comment.
"Yes, currently only one of our Princess is still with us. She is very beautiful with lovely golden hair." he explained.
"I see..." I trailed off.
"However, the kingdom has rejoice. The Queen had another child."
"What?" I questioned.
"The Queen and King announced it in the morning. The child is the tenth princess. Hopefully, nothing will go wrong." he replied.
"Yes, it will be bad if another tragedy happens." I muttered quietly.
Unfortunately for the King and Queen, I'll be taking the newborn child. Seriously, if they've lost eight children already, then losing one shouldn't be surprising. I waited until night falls. Breaking into the palace wasn't a problem. It was easy. It appears the King and Queen haven't learn their lesson on protecting their children. From what I've seen, each princesses have their own rooms.
'They should have put them in one room, but putting them in separate rooms is very clever.' I thought.
It was hard to find the room of the newborn princess. However, each princess have different designs on their door. The eldest have beautiful purple rampion bellflower. The other six have aquatic themes on the doors. The next two doors, one of them have a painting of a compass and another had pumpkin designs. And lastly... I found the room of the newborn princess. It has candy designs on them. How ironic is that?
I entered the room. This nursery that will soon be this princess' room, well, let's just say that she won't be here long enough to enjoy it. In the crib, I saw the little bundle of joy. She was, of course, asleep. On the crib, the name "Heather" was painted in a pale red color. I was so happy. Unlike what I did to my own daughter, I won't eat the little princess. At least, not right away. I shall raise her until she is grown and then I'll eat her.
I stole the child and left the palace.
-Narration-
The Blind Witch escape with the child. However, upon riding on her broom, a gust of wind caused her to lose her grip on the child. She has lost the child! Fortunately, the newborn landed on a soft patch of moss, soften her landing. And like a miracle had happen, a woodsman was coming back home from work.
He has brown hair and eyes. Even during this time, his clothes has make it clear that he is just a simple worker who work in the woods.
-Oliver's P.O.V-
I was walking home after today's work in the woods when something caught me attention. A cry is what I heard. I turned to see a baby left alone in the woods. From the color of the blanket, I can tell that it was a girl. I didn't know what she was doing alone in the woods, so I took her with me.
My first wife died three years ago after giving birth to my son. Ever since then, it was just me and him. Now, a new member shall join my family. I came home late at night. Time is very rough for I hardly had any money to help support me and my son. It will be very difficult now that the little one is joining us, but I couldn't just leave her all alone in the woods.
"Welcome back, father!" my little three year old boy came running to me.
He has my brown hair and his mother's green eyes. Once I put my hat on the rack, I turned to him.
"Hello, Hansel." I greet him as he ran up to hug me.
"Who's this?" he asked after noticing the baby in my arms.
"This... This will be your little sister. I found her in the woods, so I decided to take her in. Is that okay?" I asked him.
"Okay? It's wonderful!" he exclaimed as he hugged me with the baby. "But what will be her name?"
"Gretel. Her name will be Gretel." I explained.
-Narration-
Gretel soon grow up into a petty young girl. She has long blonde hair that reached passed her shoulders and blue eyes. Her dress is a pale red color with loose sleeves that reached to her elbows. The woodsman, Oliver, feeling like he needed someone to care for his children while he work, took himself a new wife. He thought that by having a mother in their lives, his children will grow up happy. Unfortunately, he was wrong. The woman was cruel and mean to the children. Everyday when he left, she would yell and abused the two poor children. Despite the change of time, there is still an era where children felt alone...
The stage has been set and now we shall see how the revenge of Theresa will play out.
-Hansel's P.O.V-
I didn't like my new stepmother. She was a real meanie. I have turned ten while Gretel turned eight when she moved into the family. Everyday she would yell at us and forced us to work for food while she stays at home. What gets me really worked up is that she taunts my little sister for being adopted. So she treats Gretel more unfairly than me.
"You little brat!" stepmother screech at Gretel after she accidentally broke a plate.
"Hey, leave her alone!" I yelled at her while getting between her and Gretel.
"What are you doing here, Hansel? I took you to collect something to eat! Since Gretel is not your real sister, I have no choice, but to give her harder treatment!" she yelled at both of us.
"She's more of a real sister than you'll ever be my mother!" I countered in anger.
Unable to take it any longer, I took her favorite bowl and broke it. That got her to be furious, but I didn't care. It was a warning to never harm my family ever again. She was so angry that she threw both me and Gretel outside the house.
"I'm sorry, Grete." I apologize to her for getting us in a larger mess.
"It's alright, Hans." she used my nickname while I used hers.
We decided to take advantage of this situation to run around and play until the sun started to set. When night came, stepmother called us back in before father come home. She would also threatens us with no dinner if we told our father what happened. So we waited until father came back home. Normally, we would run to our father, but stepmother wouldn't let us. Things weren't going well because father manage to brought back only a loaf of bread each. After we had supper, I took Gretel to our room upstairs since our cottage was only enough for two rooms.
-Oliver's P.O.V-
I was worried about my children. They seemed more unhappy with their stepmother than when they were without her. But I couldn't understand why. What could she do to make them so unhappy? That night, as I tried to sleep in my bed, I heard Tasha whispering into my ear:
"Oliver, have you gotten any luck in finding food?"
"No." I whispered back tiredly.
"Then why don't we do away with Hansel and Gretel so we can feed ourselves?" she questioned.
"That is outrageous! I would never abandon my children!" I yelled in anger.
I couldn't believe my ears. How can she even make a suggestion? Trading my children's lives for ours? Never.
"Oh, Oliver. No need to get upset. It's just that they aren't grateful for me being their mom and they are always taken more food that I've starved." she tried to convince me that she was innocent, but I can see her lies. She was tying to put the blame on them. Still, what can I do? Unless, she does something to Hansel and Gretal, I can't send her away.
"Then we shall starve together. Now go to sleep." I told her as we went back to bed.
-Narration-
Little did the stepmother knew, Hansel overheard the conversation between her and his father. Despite his father rejects the idea since he couldn't possibly do that to his beloved children, and especially to Gretal, who was abandon in the woods, Hansel won't take any chances. He went outside and started to collect some rocks for tomorrow morning.
I hope you enjoy. Make sure to comment. And can you guess two fairy tales that I've hinted in Gula's P.O.V.? If you guested correctly, then you'll know which fairy tales I'll be using in the future. Bye.
