The following morning Gretel's eyes popped open just like they always did a few seconds before the timer around Hansel's wrist began to sound. She opened her eyes to narrow slits and watched furtively as Hansel was roused by the ticking sound. Only once he had given himself the injection and put his medicine away did Gretel close her eyes and try to fall back asleep.
It had been like that for years. Gretel always waking to make sure that her brother took his medicine without complications and Hansel pretending like he didn't know that Gretel was secretly watching him. She knew how much it bothered him to have the sugar sickness, hated the fact that it kept him dependent on medicine to live, and the fact that it made them both vulnerable at times during their battles.
Gretel had just managed to doze off again when an insistent knocking at the door roused her once more. Hansel jumped up from the floor and loaded his crossbow before opening the door just a crack.
"What?" Hansel asked; his irritation at being woken clear in his voice.
"I um- I came to warn you." The person on the other side of the door replied.
Gretel recognized the voice from the night before. "Hansel it's alright you can let him in." She informed her brother.
Hansel raised an eyebrow in question but stepped aside and allowed Joseph to enter the room. Gretel blushed when she realized that she was still in her night shirt. She tucked her bare legs under her and pulled the blanket up to her chin.
"Warn us about what?" Hansel asked.
"Gustav and his father are coming to arrest Gretel. They're bringing the sheriff and his deputy." Joseph informed them.
Gretel felt her blood rush to her cheeks in anger. Sure she might have overreacted a little but it was clear what he'd intended to try and do with her and hopefully now he'd have the scar as a reminder of how not to treat a woman.
"Why would they arrest her over a bar fight? They happen all the time." Hansel asked.
Gretel forgot her modesty and climbed out of the bed. "Well he is kind of the magistrate's son." She admitted to her brother.
Hansel slammed a fist into the wooden wall next to the door. "God dammit Gretel! You cut open the face of the magistrate's son? You should have known better!" He yelled at his sister.
Gretel felt her anger rise once again. It was bad enough that she was constantly dealing with men like Gustav who acted like she was a prize for the taking, but now her brother was actually yelling at her for defending herself?
"He grabbed me Hansel. He was trying to…" She trailed off.
Hansel seemed to deflate a bit and nodded his head in understanding. "Alright well we don't have time to argue about this. Get packed. Ben wake up!" He yelled at the younger man who was blissfully snoring on the small sagging sofa in the corner of the room.
Ben startled and fell to the floor with a loud thump. "What? Why are we getting up now? The sun's not even up." He protested.
"The sheriff's coming for Gretel we gotta get out of here." Hansel explained.
Without another word Ben began to pack up his belongings. Gretel quickly grabbed her clothes and stepped behind the small wooden dressing screen in the corner of the room. As she walked past Joseph she couldn't help but notice the way he glanced down at her bare legs, his face bright red. She smiled a little as she pulled on her clothes. It was nice for once to actually have a kind man finding her attractive. Gretel dressed in record time and hastily threw her belongings into her knapsack.
"If you take the back door out through the kitchen I have horses tied up at the end of the alley. You can use them to get out of town fast. Once you hit the main road on the other side of the forest just leave the horses tethered to the sign post, I'll go get them later." Joseph explained.
"Joseph we can't just leave town. What about the children? What about your sister?" Gretel protested.
"Well you won't be able to help them if you're in jail. Gretel I don't want anything to happen to you because of me. The only reason Gustav bothered you in the first place was because he saw us talking. He made fun of me on his way into the tavern. He said he'd show me how a real man picks up a woman. I told him you'd never go for an asshole like him and I guess he took that as a challenge. It's all my fault." Joseph explained.
Gretel felt herself blush and she gave Joseph a warm smile. "Thanks for saying that I'd never go for a prick like that."
Hansel stepped between the two and pulled his sister from the room. "We need to get moving. Once we're out into the woods we can search for the witch. I doubt these people will do anything to you if you bring back their missing children."
The three hunters hurried down the back stairs of the tavern and through the empty kitchen to the back door that Joseph had told them about. Just as he'd promised three horses were waiting for them at the end of the alley.
"Ben I want you to head into the woods and find Edward. You two start searching the eastern section of woods. Gretel and I will search the western half. We'll meet at the main road before the sun goes down. If you find the witch before then, don't do anything! You mark the spot on your map and then you get out of there. Then we'll all take her out tomorrow." Hansel ordered as he climbed into the saddle.
Ben nodded and climbed onto his horse. He spurred the steed and soon disappeared into the woods. Hansel directed his horse in the opposite direction and turned in the saddle to make sure Gretel was following. Just before Gretel could climb onto her horse a small mousy looking man stepped out from behind a toolshed and hurried over to her.
"Uh Miss Gretel?" He asked timidly.
Gretel nodded and climbed into the saddle. "Yes."
"I heard that you were looking for a place that the witch might be hiding. I think I might know of a place. There's a cabin out in the woods. It's real creepy, lots of dead plants around it. I was thinking she might be there." He explained in a nervous whisper.
Gretel nodded thoughtfully. "That could be the place. My brother and I will check it out. Where is it?"
He kicked at the dirt with the toe of one shoe and glanced up at Gretel for the briefest of moments before quickly looking back down at the ground. "Follow the stream south until you find a wooden bridge. The cabin is just on the other side behind a big bunch of thorn bushes."
"Thank you for your help." Gretel said curtly as she hurried after her brother.
The man smiled as he watched the brother and sister turn south following his instructions. Once they were out of sight he returned to the shadows behind the toolshed. He had to look up as a tall man stepped out into the sunlight.
The cut on Gustav's face stood out starkly in the early morning light, glaring like an angry red tear trailing down his cheek.
"Did you do it?" He asked, his voice slightly muffled because of the cut.
Anders nodded and gave Gustav a wide grin. "They're heading straight for your hunting cabin and they're taking the long route. If you hurry you'll beat them there."
Gustav smiled and then grimaced from the pain it caused. He touched the wound gingerly and glared in the direction Gretel had gone. "I'm gonna make that bitch pay."
A/N- I'm sorry it's been so long since I updated. I moved and had no internet connection for quite a while. I'll try and get the next chapter up shortly.