Her Father's Daughter
by Bluebird88
Disclaimer: The Sound of Music is the property of Rodgers and Hammerstein, 20th Century Fox, and various script writers and producers. No copyright infringement is intended. Several lines from the movie are quoted at various points throughout the story. If it sounds familiar, it probably isn't mine.
Chapter 15: Climb Every Mountain
Louisa and her siblings were gathered out on the terrace, still reveling in the wonderful new gifts Father and Fräulein Maria – Mother, now! – had brought them. She was so caught up in admiring the presents that she didn't notice right away that Liesl had finally come and joined the group. Her oldest sister's hand on her arm caught her attention, and to her surprise, she saw that Liesl looked very worried.
"What's the matter?" she murmured, darting a glance at their youngest siblings. Gretl and Marta were still happily playing with their new dolls, oblivious to the sudden tension.
"I'm not sure," Liesl replied slowly. "Father sent me out of the room just now. He's there with Mother. I think it may have something to do with the telegram Rolf gave me to give to Father – he went into his office to read it when we got home, and he came out looking upset."
The girls exchanged looks. Anything that could make Father look worried must be truly awful! Before they could discuss it any further, though, Fräulein Maria came over, her usually cheerful smile looking strained. "Children. I have something very important to tell you all." She paused a moment, seemingly searching for words, then continued in a deliberately calm tone, "I need you to listen to me very carefully. We need to go upstairs, now, and pack our things."
This announcement was immediately met with a chorus of seven voices, each demanding answers. She held up a hand. "Shh, let me explain, please. Now, you all know that Austria has been annexed by the Germans. There are some very bad men who want your father to work for them, but he believes that what they are doing is wrong. And, of course, he would never want to leave all of you. So we're going to go away for a while."
Louisa couldn't do anything but stare. Leave Austria? And their home? They couldn't possibly! How could this be happening! Just moments ago, everything had seemed so perfect! "But where will we go?" Brigitta finally spoke up.
Fräulein Maria sighed. "To Switzerland."
"Because they're neutral?" Friedrich asked importantly.
"That's right," she agreed. "Now, I don't want any of you to worry. This is only a precaution. But we must prepare quickly. I'll help you, of course, but we must begin now. We need to take only the things we absolutely need."
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The children began packing in near-silence. That fact alone spoke volumes. Usually, whenever there was news of any kind, whispers and gossip and speculation flew through the hallways. In a house with seven children, everything was thoroughly discussed. To be so quiet now, Louisa knew, meant that her siblings were as frightened as she was.
With Fräulein Maria's help, they finished their packing quickly. Their mother hadn't been kidding when she'd said that they would need to pack lightly. In the end, all they took was a change of clothes, some extra winter wear, and a few towels and personal items. Predictably, this had been most difficult for Gretl. At five years old, the youngest von Trap was far too young to truly understand the gravity of the situation. She had burst into tears at being told that she would have to leave her dolls behind, and could not be made to understand that there simply wasn't room. Fräulein Maria had hugged her, and managed to convince her that the most important thing was that the family be able to stay together, but the little girl was still sniffling softly when Father came to help with the bags.
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By the time darkness had fallen completely, the entire family, including Uncle Max, was gathered in the front driveway. Wrapped in warm winter cloaks, the girls followed a short distance behind as Kurt helped Father and Uncle Max push the car. Louisa could not remember the last time she had felt so on edge. Her anxiety was made even worse by the tension she could feel coming from the adults. Father and Mother both were desperate to keep it quiet, shushing the children sharply when their questions became too loud.
They had just made it through the front gate when Louisa heard a noise behind them. Father reacted immediately, whispering sharply for them to get in the car, and Louisa ran as fast as she could for the door. Before they could make it inside, however, a pair of head lights clicked on, illuminating the figure of Herr Zeller, leaning against the car and flanked by several men in uniform.
Louisa felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. Now what? She was old enough to realize that there could be trouble – serious trouble – if they were caught trying to flee the country. Closing her eyes tightly, she prayed fiercely that God would protect her family tonight.
If Father was nervous, too, he gave no sign of it, informing Herr Zeller casually that they were pushing the car because it wouldn't start. Looking skeptical, he ordered one of his men to "fix" the von Trapp's car. Louisa held her breath as the young man slipped in. As she had known it would, the car started right away.
Louisa watched, slightly awed at the way Father could pretend all was well in the face of such danger, as the two men exchanged veiled challenges. Finally, Herr Zeller informed Father that his orders were to take him to Bremerhaven, to assume his position in the navy of the Third Reich.
Smiling slowly, Father returned, "I'm afraid that's going to be quite impossible. You see we, uh, all of us, the entire family, will be singing in the festival tonight. I couldn't possibly let them down now."
"I just hope we're not too late," Fräulein Maria added. She was remarkably convincing, too, Louisa couldn't help thinking. She only prayed that Herr Zeller would believe it.
He was skeptical at first but, after being shown a program by Uncle Max and searching Father's face, only to be met with a bland smile, he finally relented. "Well, a slight delay in my orders will not be serious. Therefore, you will sing. You will all sing. But only because that's the way I want it to be. It will demonstrate that nothing in Austria has changed. And when you have finished singing, you, Captain von Trapp will be taken to Bremerhaven. Now, if you will all get into your car, we will escort the von Trapp family singers to the festival."
Louisa barely suppressed a gasp. Escorted? How on earth would they ever escape now?
Apparently, Father was thinking along the same lines. "No escort will be necessary, Herr Zeller," he told him pleasantly, the false little smile on his face letting Louisa know that he was furious.
"Necessary? A pleasure, Captain. After all, we would not want you to get lost in the crowd, would we?" Louisa did not miss the emphasis Herr Zeller put on those last words. Her stomach turned at the thought: he knew they were going to try to escape again! But how would they ever manage it now, with two cars full of Nazis with their eyes trained on them?
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"Tea with jam and bread…"
Along with the rest of her family, Louisa finished the last notes of her song. It was funny, she couldn't help thinking, how nervous she had been this morning. That was nothing, nothing compared to the way she felt now! Up on stage in front of so many people, she didn't even care any more if she messed up. Now, all she could think about was what was coming next: their last chance to escape, before Father would be forced to fight for the Nazis.
In the car on the way to the festival, Father and Fräulein Maria had done their best to calm the children. Listening to Father's firm, reassuring voice telling them that all was not lost, that they would still find a way to get away, Louisa had almost been able to believe it. Now, however, as she finished the song, all her nervousness came flooding back. Could this possibly work?
As Father stepped into the spotlight, the rest of the family exited the stage. Huddled together in the backstage area, Fräulein Maria reminded them once more of the plan: they would sing one more song, the same one they had performed at the party that now seemed ages ago, and then exit the stage. As soon as they did, they would go as fast as they could without attracting attention to the door that led to the back of the theater, and wait for Father there.
Waiting in silence for their cue, Louisa and Brigitta wrapped their arms around each other, each trying unsuccessfully to comfort the other. Finally, it was time to go. Father and Fräulein Maria began the song, then stepped aside as the children prepared to sing their individual farewells. In contrast to the happy energy the night of the party, tonight the song sounded hurried and tense. They finished their verses quickly and exited the stage in pairs. First Marta and Kurt left, then Friedrich and Liesl, and then it was Louisa and Brigitta's turn.
"We flit, we float, we fleetly flee, we fly," the girls sang and, with one last glance towards their parents, grabbed hands and darted off the stage. The corridor was empty, so the girls sprinted down it until they found the rest of their siblings. They huddled together in the dark in silence, until finally Father and Fräulein Maria joined them, Gretl held securely in Father's arms. At his whispered order, they followed him into the dark night, jogging to keep up with his brisk pace.
Louisa didn't dare ask where they were going, but as soon as she saw the bell tower, she knew: they were hiding in the abbey where Fräulein Maria had lived. As they gathered inside the abbey's gates, Louisa imagined the Nazi's reactions. Surely, by this time, they must have discovered that they were missing. Uncle Max could only stall for so long, after all. They were probably only minutes behind!
Sure enough, Fräulein Maria had scarcely finished explaining their situation in a frantic whisper, when they heard the bell ring. Louisa had to bite her fist to keep herself from crying out. She had never been so frightened in her life, she was sure.
"Come with me," the Reverend Mother bade them calmly. "Quickly, quickly! I have a place you can hide."
Louisa held tightly to Father's hand as the Mother Abbess led them to a locked gate along side the cemetery. Louisa's heart nearly stopped. They were going to hide behind tombstones? They hurriedly filed into the enclosed area, and Louisa heard the Reverend Mother tell father that the borders had been closed.
"All right, if the borders are closed, then we'll drive up into the hills and go over those mountains on foot." From her position behind one of the tombstones, Louisa couldn't hear the reply.
Soon after, Fräulein Maria joined them, and Father took a position behind a second tombstone, with the other half of the children. Louisa hugged her arms around herself, more scard than she had ever been. "Mother?" Gretl demanded in a whisper. "Would it help if we sang about our favorite things?"
Louisa nearly smiled, despite the gravity of the situation, of Gretl's total innocence. Fräulein Maria warned her softly that she must be very quiet. From across the small aisle, Louisa saw Father holding a finger to his lips. Before anyone could say anything else, they heard footsteps. Louisa shut her eyes tightly and prayed with all her might that their hiding place would not be discovered. She saw the beam of a flashlight sweep the area to her right, and jumped as the gate was rattled loudly. They squeezed even more tightly together as the light swept toward them.
Rattle, shine. Rattle, shine. The process was repeated as the soldiers moved down the gate, trying the locks and searching each section of the space. Finally, it seemed they had given up. "Come on, let's try the roof!" Louisa heard one of them say, and she let out a relieved sigh. They had made it! Father waited a few moments just to be sure, then cautiously stepped out. Seeing no one, he gestured for them to come out from their hiding places. No sooner had they emerged, however, than a flashlight was shone directly into their faces.
"Rolf, please!" Liesl begged, and Louisa realized who it was. He was a Nazi now! Would he give them away?
He reached for his whistle, but before he could bring it to his lips, Father had unlocked the gate and begun to move towards him. "No! Wait!"
In response, Rolf braced his feet and drew his gun, pointing the pistol directly at Father's chest. Louisa brought a hand to her mouth in horror. No!
Calmly, Father waved a hand at them, gesturing for them to leave without taking his eyes off of Rolf. They obeyed quickly, hurrying down the steps. Fräulein Maria led them into the car, where they sat in silence, praying that Father would join them.
After what seemed like ages, Louisa heard a shrill whistle and saw Father come sprinting around the corner. Taking his position behind the wheel, he gunned the engine and sped off into the darkness. Louisa heard the rumble of engines behind them, but inexplicably, they weren't followed.
Finally, she let out the breath she had been holding. From the front seat, she could hear Gretl crying. To be honest, she felt like crying herself. After so much fear in one night, and seeing that gun pointed at Father, the relief was just too much. But then, very softly, Fräulein Maria began to sing:
"Raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens…"
Hearing the familiar lyrics, Louisa felt herself beginning to relax. Slowly, a small smile began to make its way across her face. By the time her mother reached the chorus, the entire car was singing along:
"And then I don't feel….soooo bad!"
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After nearly an hour of driving, Father had finally pulled the car over. They had driven up into the foothills of the mountains before leaving the car behind. If they had thought they were traveling light when they had left the villa, that was nothing compared to how little they had now. "What are we going to do?" Brigitta had worried in a whisper too soft for their parents to hear.
"Father was in the military," Liesl assured her. "He knows how to find shelter. And once we cross the border, it will be safe to go into villages to find food." Louisa had been grateful for her sister's calm, but it wasn't enough to entirely banish her own fears. As she had looked up into the vastness of the mountains they were trying to cross, the task had seemed too daunting for words.
Now, however, Louisa was beginning to feel a bit better. It was nearly sunset, and they had just stopped for the night. They sat huddled close together, trying to keep warm. As Louisa looked at her family, sitting around her, she found it hard to feel too depressed. True, she was tired, cold, and hungry, and fearful of the challenge that lay before them. Still, however, the most important things had not been lost. They were safe, and they were together. And for now, that was all that truly mattered.
The End
A/N: Well, here we are. We've come to the end at last! I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed - I know I haven't been able to respond to everyone personally, but I really appreciate every single one. I enjoyed hearing everyone's reactions to various parts of the story, and your incredible support kept me going through the sticky parts. I hope you had as much fun reading this as I did writing it!
As always, feedback is very much appreciated! Hope to hear from you.