It seemed as if the town could never stop the feasting. Or the dancing. All the villagers were gathered, celebrating the defeat of the terrible queen who had stolen their daughters. The girls were safe now. Well fed and soon to be well rested. Except for Sasha. While the girl did return from death, she had yet to awaken and had durring the festivities started to thrash and claw. Her father dutifully tied her to her cot upon orders of the town doctor. The poor farmer sat by his daughters bed well into the night. Outside the small shack, the townsfolk of Marbaden were getting very, very drunk. Not just with ale but with excitment and ecstasy and relief. Wilhelm Carl Grimm appeared, on the outside, to be as joyus as the revelers around him. But inside, he was greatly perturbed. His brother had been right. Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm had finally (for the first time Will could remember atleast) been right about his stupid fairy tales. That just wasn't supposed to happen. Jake was never right. He was never supposed to be right. God made him that way. If Jake was right about the queen, right about the girls, then maybe, he was right about the beans. Will's breath caught at the thought. No surely jake would not have been right about those. Beans could not have saved Lotte. Only a doctor could've done that. But Lotte died that very night, only hours after the young brothers had tussled on the floor. Would a doctor have gotten to thier home in time? No, he realized. The doctor would've been delayed, just as Jake had been. There was no way she could've lived. Or was there? Those beans. Had they been meant to be ground to meal? Or maybe to be chewed by the ailing person? He could've planted them, or made a tea. Or anything! Just as long as it was something. If only Lotte had been able to survive an hour more, there were enough beans-
"Will?" Angelica asked, breaking his train of thought. "Are you alright"
"Wha-? Oh. Yes. Fine, I mean I'm fine." He ignored the look she gave him and tried to concentrate once more. Where had his thoughts been? Oh yes there had to have been at least twenty beans and if only he hadn't- Angelica was talking again, and he strained to hear her. "-dance? It is a lively song." She looked hopefully up at him, but something wasn't right. He scanned the crowd above her head for Jake and saw him glaring morosely in thier direction. Will sighed, 'this is very unfair.' he thought. But he smiled warmly and said kindly, "Angelica," He could alreay see the hurt in her eyes. "I would love to, but I think that you might favor a dance with Jake. He is much more talented than I, and it appears that he is not enjoying himself." His smile widened but his stomach hurt at the thought of giving up this beautiful woman. He knew that he could never have her, that unlike himself, once Jake got hold of a woman he intended to love her, not just bed her. And Angelica needed that, she needed to be loved, not used. She practically crumpled in front of him. But just as quickly she built herself back up with a new determination in her eyes, and turned on her heel. Will watched Jakes face light in surprise and happiness as Angelica pulled him quickly to the circle of revelers. The stationary brother gave a hearty sigh and decided to walk around the village and clear his head. Too many thoughts were clouding his mind.