A/N: The story is set in that pleasant interlude between "Edelweiss" and "The Ländler". It takes place after "Underneath her wimple", and it begins about one week before the ball.
Disclaimer: The usual.
It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.
Niccolo Machiavelli
"Look, the door is open and the stairs are lit," said Louisa, as they approached the cellar. The doors were usually kept under lock and key by their father. "This is a good sign; I think we may be right. The last clue is somewhere down here."
Maria followed the children down to the wine cellar – a place that had the younger von Trapp children had probably never visited.
"There is no one here," said Friedrich, when they arrived downstairs. But the Captain had obviously worked to impress his guests. There was only one source of light in the cellar, and it fell upon a heavy, and apparently very old, trunk on the floor. A treasure chest.
"Look at that," Marta exclaimed.
"Should we open it?" asked Kurt.
Louisa rolled her eyes. "Obviously!"
"Do you think the prize is inside? Do you think we really won this?" asked Brigitta.
"Children, I think we should wait for…" Maria began, but heavy footsteps coming from the stairs made them all turn around. It was a sound Maria had learned to recognize only too well. "… your father," she finished her sentence, her voice dying away.
"Good evening!"
"Good evening, Father."
He walked towards the treasure chest, then turned to look at the children incredulously. "You've solved the last clue." It was a statement, rather than a question. Then, seeing Maria following his children, his tone turned wry. "Unless, of course, your Fräulein is up to something again, so that there is a good reason for you to be here."
What is the matter with him? Maria thought. I am just standing here, I said nothing, and he is already barking at me.
The children began wandering around, in awe of the immaculate rows of wine bottles, produced in almost every corner of Europe. "Wasn't it the purpose of the game, Captain?" Maria felt a need to defend her actions.
"Who did it?," he asked, sounding suspicious. "The children…"
"… did most of the reasoning themselves," she rushed to defend her charges. "Louisa deciphered the anagram, but each one of them helped in solving every clue. It is their merit, not mine." Brigitta opened her mouth to speak, but Maria silenced her with a calming hand on her shoulder. "Now they are here to claim their prize, Captain."
"Are we really the first ones here, father?" Liesl asked as she turned from one of the old wine bottles she had been admiring, which had a particularly interesting label showing a medieval castle on top of a hill.
"Yes," he said, "You are the first ones in, Liesl. You won. All of you."
"We won!?" Gretl became excited.
"Yes, you won the game, but not the prize."
"What?" they asked, puzzled.
"Not yet. There is one final clue to be solved so that one of you may claim it."
"One of us?" asked Louisa.
"Yes. I am afraid I made a faux-pas, but since my own children were victorious, I can easily fix it. I had not intended this game to be played in teams, so there is only one prize. The one who finds it may keep it, or decide to whom it will be given to. As for the others, we'll all go so Salzburg and you'll be able to pick your own treasures."
The children were very excited about the idea. But still they wanted the prize, the coveted treasure, whatever it was. It was a matter of pride.
He gestured towards a large, heavy treasure chest that Marta had been admiring. Maria watched as Friedrich and Kurt opened it. There was a note inside – the last clue:
What fastens two people yet touches only one?
Find the one it touches and claim your prize.
Maria looked at the contents of the chest. It was filled to the top with a colorful variety of crystal beads, golden coins, and fake jewelry. It glittered like a pirate's treasure of any child's imagination, and the girls were clearly impressed. But she still could not see the one thing that fastened two people, but touched only one, and judging from the contents of the chest, it would be no easy task.
The Captain spoke again. "Just one thing children– you each get one chance, and only one. It is the least I can do to be fair to the other players."
"What about Fräulein Maria?" Gretl asked. "Can't she try?"
Looking at his governess who was captivated by the treasure chest, he answered quietly, "I don't see what that could hurt, since you helped the children."
He feels that it does not matter if I play or not, because he thinks I cannot possibly win…Maria looked up at the Captain. His expression said you've come this far, but you will never be able to figure out this one.
The children decided by themselves that they each would try in the order of birth, beginning with Liesl. The girl knelt in front of the treasure chest. "Fastens two, touches one…" she whispered, scanning the glittering objects with her eyes. Then she stopped and smiled broadly. "I know! It is a wedding ring! Isn't it, father?" But the Captain only smiled.
No, Liesl, it can´t be that easy, Maria thought.
Liesl then chose one of the many golden wedding bands she saw and gave it to her father.
"Very clever, Liesl. I am very proud of you. Right answer – wrong ring, however." He did seem very pleased with himself.
The answer is in the question, Maria thought.
"It's not this one?" she was clearly disappointed.
"No. You should all pay more attention to the clue."
Find the one it touches...
Maria immediately guessed that it was a specific wedding ring that they should look for. She opened her mouth to warn the children, but the Captain silenced her.
"No more, Fraülein, please. They are on their own now."
One by one, the children searched inside the treasure chest. Each one presented a wedding band to the Captain, but none of the rings were the right one.
"Well," he began, impatiently, after none of them were successful, "as far as rules go, this game was a complete mockery. I concede that you children won the treasure hunt, but in all fairness to all other players, the prize will be given to whoever tells me which ring that solves the puzzle."
He is looking for a specific ring. The children were right – some clues are mind games, Maria thought.
"But father," Liesl began, but he silenced her with a glance.
"This is not fair," said Kurt, ignoring his father´s scowl.
Brigitta pleaded. "Isn't it Fräulein Maria's turn?"
"No, Brigitta, I really shouldn't!" Maria exclaimed.
"Please, father, we all worked so hard to get this far," said Louisa ignoring her governess.
It was his daughter´s tone of voice that convinced him. Louisa never pleaded anything. She's too much like me he thought. "Yes, of course, if she wants to," he said.
This is not what I planned. If she finds it… he thought.
"Fraülein, you are our last hope," said Friedrich. "We cannot let that treasure fall into the enemy's hands!"
"Uh – the enemy Friedrich?" the Captain asked.
"He means the Ba…" Gretl began, but was silenced by Brigitta with a scowl which was very much like her father´s.
"Are you children sure?" Maria asked.
"Yes! You know what to look for, don't you?"
"I – believe so. Captain?"
"Go on, Fraülein. You've earned it."
"Very well."
It is like looking for a needle in a haystack, Maria thought, thrusting her hand deep inside the treasure chest, relying on her sense of touch, rather than her eyesight, trying to find something. At the same time, the words of the riddle played in her head like a song. She was well aware of Captain von Trapp watching her all the time while he paced around the cramped cellar, appearing more towering and menacing than ever.
I will find it, she thought. I will show him.
"Fraülein Maria, if you don´t know what to look for, then you should give some of the other players a chance," he said irritably, after she had fumbled inside the treasure chest for a few minutes, her actions causing some of the crystal beads to fall on the wooden floor and scatter around the immaculately clean floor of the cellar.
Kurt whispered to her. "If you don´t know what it is, Fraülein, grab any of them, the first ring you see. It is all we all did. You may be luckier."
The first ring you see…
The answer came to her as soon as her gaze fell upon the Captain, or rather the object which answered the Captain's riddle. Maria stared at his right hand, holding the silver whistle, already preparing himself to call the other players to the last challenge. She looked at his long, elegant fingers.
What fastens two people yet touches only one?
A wedding ring.
Find the one it touches… Claim your prize… The ring that touches the Captain… the ring that fastened him to the children's mother…
Slowly, she removed her arm from deep inside the treasure filled chest. But her hand was empty.
Her face broke into a smile.
"Go, Fraülein. Please," Marta pleaded. "Don´t give up."
She had not given up. But it was her moment and she wanted to enjoy it to the fullest.
Find the one it touches and claim your prize…
"I am not giving up, children. The ring we should look for is not in the treasure chest." The children whispered to each other, not understanding what she meant. Maria looked up at the Captain, who was watching her, both wonder and disbelief etched in his face.
"Of course it is in the treasure chest" Where else would it… be…," Louisa protested, her voice dying away, when she noticed the odd look on her father´s face as he stared Fräulein Maria. She then looked at Fräulein Maria, who was looking at him with the same intensity, and something else - triumph.
Maria was the first to speak. "You all were correct this morning. Sometimes the answer is in the question, right Captain?"
He raised his eyebrows, encouraging her silently to continue.
Find the one it touches and claim your prize…
Maria continued. "You see, it is not any wedding ring your father wants us to point to."
His gaze challenged her to take the next step. With her eyes only, she fought back.
I am not afraid of you. I am not afraid of looking at you, I am not afraid of touching you.
She slowly walked towards him. The whistle fell from his grasp as she neared him. She took his right hand in both of hers. He did not pull it away. He rewarded her with a genuine smile.
The children gasped in awe.
"You found it, Fräulein!" Gretl exclaimed.
"You did it! You solved it!" were the cries from the other children.
"I cannot believe you could bear to do something like this," she whispered incredulously.
He looked deeply into her eyes and whispered hoarsely, " You would be surprised by the things I am actually able to bear." Slowly, he pulled his hand from hers. Maria could hardly breathe, he was so close and looking at her with such intensity. She exhaled softly, "Captain…" she was interrupted by Marta tugging on her skirt.
"Does this mean we have to pick who win's father's prize?"
Tearing her eyes from the Captain, she looked down at her young charge. "I suppose it does Marta."
"Absolutely, but remember what I said – only one of you will get this prize, the others will get to pick out their own." He smiled at the beaming pair formed by Marta and Gretl, who nodded back in agreement. He looked to the rest of his children, never letting his eyes stray to the young governess. "You may claim your treasure now. There will be a – uh – small presentation ceremony at the gazebo. But first we should tell the others that we have a champion. Eight, in fact." He took his boatswain whistle to alert the other players.
The treasure hunt had ended.
A/N: My thanks to my beta, and to all the reviewers. Please, keep sending me your feedback!