Chapter Three

Haunting Dreams

.

Jakob stood in his house, his eyes focused directly ahead of him. Wilhelm was stretched out on the bed in the corner, his face still and eyes shut. Jakob approached his brother's side, fearing that Death had finally caught up with him. As knelt at the bedside, Wilhelm's eyes snapped open.

"Jake?" Wilhelm asked softly. Jakob smiled, pleased that Wilhelm was well. Then suddenly before his eyes, Wilhelm began to change. His skin paled drastically and his eyes dulled from blue to dusty grey, as though layers of cobwebs had been spread over them. His breath came in wheezing gasps and he shook horribly. "I'm dying, Jake."

"No, you can't be," Jakob argued. "You were fine just a second ago. This can't be, Will. This is one of your faerie tales."

"No, Jake," Wilhelm responded harshly. "I am going to die. Unless you can save me. I don't want to die. Can you save me, Jake?"

"I don't know how," Jakob said.

"Beans, brother," Wilhelm informed him. His voice had lost its quake and was commanding and cruel. "Do you have the beans? The magic beans. That's the only way you can save me. Beans."

"But they don't work, Will," Jakob cried. "They didn't work."

"How would you know?" Wilhelm asked mockingly. "You never did try them, did you? Maybe if you had tried them, Lotte would have lived. It's your fault Lotte is dead. And now it will be your fault when I die too. The only way to save me is beans, and you don't have any. Beans."

"Beans," Jakob echoed. "Beans, beans, beans." He began calling out, hoping somebody passing the house would hear him and bring him the beans. "Beans. Beans. Beans!"

"Jakob?" another voice asked. But Jakob couldn't be distracted; he needed to get the beans. "Jakob? Jake?"

A gentle hand touched his shoulder and Jakob sat up with a muffled scream. He was drenched in cold sweat and shaking all over. He looked to his side and saw Angelika sitting beside him in bed, her eyes wary.

"Jake, are you all right?" she asked delicately. "You were tossing again. I left you to it until you began crying and talking in your sleep."

"Talking?" Jakob asked. He lifted a hand to his face and felt warm tears streaming down his cheeks. He hastily rubbed them away with the back of his wrist.

"You kept saying 'beans.' Are you ill?" Angelika asked, rubbing the back of his neck calmly.

"Yes. I mean no. I'm fine," Jakob corrected. "I just had a bad dream is all." Jakob climbed out of bed and quickly pulled clothes on over his underwear, and then strode out to the main room, to the cot in the corner beside the mantle.

Wilhelm was lying, still as death, in his bed. His ailment was an enigma no one had ever heard of before; he was breathing and appeared only to be sleeping, but his heart did not beat. Two nights had gone by and he still showed no sign of waking.

Jakob sighed and sat in the chair that was pulled up beside Wilhelm's bed. He took up the damp rag and bowl of water from the bedside table and quickly soaked the cloth. Then he lifted it and wrung it over Wilhelm's mouth, letting the water drip into his brother's parted mouth. Jakob grimaced with relief when he saw Wilhelm's throat move as he swallowed the water.

"Are you going to be all right?" Angelika asked, startling Jakob, who hadn't heard her approach.

"I'll be fine," Jakob answered, taking her hand in his own. "But it's not my health that I'm worried about." Jakob gazed miserably at his brother's sleeping face. "You need sleep though," Jakob said, turning to look back at his wife. Dark rings were forming beneath her eyes from the strain of caring for both her child and Wilhelm.

"Will you come to bed soon?" Angelika asked. "You can't help him any right now, and it won't do any of us good if you fall ill."

"Soon," Jakob replied gently. "I just want to sit with him for a while. Besides I won't be able to sleep right away."

"That bad of a dream?" Angelika asked worriedly.

"Just dark memories," Jakob said quietly. "Good-night, briar rose." Angelika kissed him lightly on the cheek and then reluctantly walked back to the bed. Jakob waited for long moments until he heard the deep breaths of sleep from her before he relaxed.

"Will, what is this curse that ails you?" Jakob asked softly, gently touching his brother's brow. The skin was cool to the touch, not burning with fever as Jakob expected. Wilhelm's face twitched slightly at the contact.

"Tell me what I have to do to save you," Jakob demanded quietly. He took one of Wilhelm's hands in his own, holding it for his own comfort more than anything. "I'm so scared, Will. You always say that this supernatural busy is my forte, but I have no clue what's going on." Jakob swallowed against the lump in his throat, fighting back the tears. "I was so scared when I thought you were dead, Will. I've thought before that maybe I was grown enough to live on my own, but I still need you." Jakob pressed Wilhelm's knuckles against his brow. "You're my brother and I love you."

Jakob stayed like that at his brother's side until fatigue overtook him again and he slipped back into a dreamless sleep.

. . . . .

Wilhelm also slumbered in his comatose state, kept unconscious by his stopped heart as dark visions taunted his mind.

A swirling mass of black birds filled the sky, muting the moon's light. The chilled night air nipped at the bare skin of Wilhelm's torso. Before him stood a stone tower with a single window near the top.

"Wilhelm." A haunting voice issued from the window. "Come to me, Wilhelm."

At the base of the tower an archway appeared, revealing a winding staircase. Wilhelm hurried through the arch and pounded up the steps. His bare feet made little noise on the flat stones, and the world seemed to spin before him as he continued upward in an eternal spiral. The seductive voice continued to call for him, and each time it spoke his name Wilhelm felt a growing eagerness for the stairs to end so that he could reach his goal, that voice that he remembered only too well.

After what felt like an infinity the staircase finished in a flat landing. At the edge of the landing was a golden door, decorated with small circular mirrors. Wilhelm did not even have to touch the door; it swung open of its own accord as he reached it, admitting him to a tower room.

The room was not as Wilhelm had remembered it. Before, it had been heavily decorated with gold plating and elaborate tapestries around ornate furniture. Now it was nearly empty, the grey stone walls clearly visible. The only adornment was an inlaid mirror against the far wall.

Near the mirror stood a handsome young man, a silver band resting on his brow. His clothes were plain but visible through his shirt was a golden circle stuck against the skin of his chest. With a slight twinge of fear Wilhelm recognised it as the Mirror Queen's enchanted stake. Almost instantly his attention was diverted from the man, and as his eyes clasped this new being he felt his alarm evaporate.

The queen herself was standing in the centre of the tower. She was still dressed in her extravagant gown although the crown on her head was missing, allowing her lengthy curls to hang free. She smiled fondly at Wilhelm, and the Grimm felt his breath catch in his chest as she beckoned for him to approach.

"I am free again, Wilhelm," the queen said sweetly, stroking the side of his face. "Do you still love me?"

Wilhelm felt himself struck momentarily dumb as he struggled to make his tongue form words, nodding to stall for time. "You are the fairest of them all," he finally managed.

"How wonderful you are to me," the queen simpered as she batted her long eyelashes. "I am so pleased to have you with me again. No man could replace you in my heart."

"Who is he?" Wilhelm asked, gesturing to the man near the mirror with a hurt note in his voice.

"Merely a servant, my sweet," the queen said comfortingly. In her hands appeared a shining silver crown. At her signal Wilhelm knelt and the queen placed it on his head. "You are my true prince, the valiant Sir Wilhelm."

Wilhelm swelled with pride. He was a knight and prince in the queen's court. Such a privilege was unbelievable!

"We have only one more task to complete, my prince," the queen said, placing one of her hands on Wilhelm's bare chest. "We must only be rid of that one who hurt me the most. That cursed brother, Jakob."

"No!" Wilhelm shouted. "No, you can't." He stumbled away from the queen, unable to take his astounded gaze off her. How could she turn on him so suddenly? She loved him!

"But he hurt me, Wilhelm," the queen sobbed, her eyes filled with silvery tears.

"He's my brother," Wilhelm protested. "I can't! He's my brother." His back collided with where the door should have been but only cold stone touched his skin.

"Jakob will die," the queen said fiercely. "You shan't be able to stop it, Wilhelm. You are my servant now."

"I will serve you no more," Wilhelm answered, sweeping the band from his head and tossing it at her feet.

"There is one chain binding you to me that you cannot break," the queen hissed. Wilhelm felt a sharp pain in his chest and shouted in anguish. When he glanced down he saw the queen's cursed stake protruding from his skin. He grasped it in his hands, but no matter how hard he pulled he could not remove it. Soon scarlet blood had stained his skin halfway up his forearms and his slippery fingers could no longer even grip the polished gold.

"You are my eternal servant, Wilhelm," the queen informed him, laughing wickedly. "And soon Jakob will find his eternal repose."

"No! No, you can't. Please, not Jakob."

"You will help me, whether you wish it or not," the mirror queen proclaimed. "Not even brotherly love will save you this time. At your hands and my power, Jakob will die!"

"Take me in his stead. Please, you can't. Not Jakob. No! Not Jakob!"

Wilhelm shot up in bed suddenly, tears in his eyes and still screaming his pleas. Jakob was startled from his sleep by Wilhelm's movement and it took him several startled seconds to comprehend what he was seeing. Wilhelm was awake!

"Will, you are well?" Jakob asked in disbelief.

"Release me you demon," Wilhelm muttered feverishly to something only he could see, frantically trying to grasp something above his heart. "You can't be back. I won't serve you! I won't let you kill Jake!"

"Will, what is this?" Jakob asked and touched his brother's shoulder. The contact finally caught Wilhelm's attention and he took in the sight of Jakob, tired and worn at his bedside.

"Jake?" Wilhelm asked in confusion. "No, where am I? I was in her tower."

"You're at my house," Jakob said gently, concerned by Wilhelm's strange behaviour "You've been ill."

"No, that's not right," Wilhelm argued, shaking his head. "She took me to her tower." Wilhelm suddenly turned fearful again and grasped Jakob's shoulders tightly. "She's back Jakob! The queen, she's back! She's cursed me and she wants to kill you!"

"Impossible," Jakob said, shaking his head. "She's dead, Will. It was just a dream."

"No, it wasn't," Wilhelm insisted. "It was so real. I felt it all. She spoke to me and she trapped me with her spells. She said that she was going to kill you!"

"Will, you've been ill," Jakob replied, gently pressing Wilhelm back into the cot. He was disturbed to discover that under Wilhelm's chest there was still no tangible heartbeat, even with how agitated he was. "It was simply a dream."

"A dream?" Wilhelm asked thoughtfully. The longer he was awake the more this idea seemed to make sense. He ran his hand over his chest and this time could not feel the golden circle embedded against his skin. His arms were also scrubbed clean, no sign of blood visible on them. Perhaps he was only over-reacting. "Yeah, that's it. It was only a dream."

"Exactly," Jakob agreed. He hurried to fetch a glass of water for Wilhelm. "Only a dream."