Chapter 5: Trust
The next morning, the two of them woke up to the screams of Dane women. They looked around and noticed that the hall seemed a bit more empty than it was last night. They also noticed that the women were screaming and pointing at the ceiling.
Grendel and Genevra looked up and gasped in horror. Hanging by the banisters, every Geat and Dane warrior that decided to sleep in the hall, hung dead by their feet.
Grendel and Genevra looked at Beowulf, who was glaring at them. Suddenly, the doors burst open as Wiglaf, who decided to camp by the Geats ship, came storming in.
"In the name of Odin!" He shouted when he saw the dead. "If Grendel not change! He must've attacked while we slept!"
….
"It wasn't me, I swear!" Grendel cried as he, Genevra, Beowulf, and Wiglaf stood in front of Hrothgar. "I swear, I was asleep all night!"
"Shut the hell up you slimy beast!" Beowulf shouted angry as he punched the poor creature, knocking him down to the floor.
"Hey!" Genevra growled as she got between the two of them. "Knock it off! You can't prove that it was him!"
"You can't prove that it wasn't him either." Wiglaf hissed.
"It wasn't me, it wasn't me." Grendel whimpered as he laid on the floor, tears falling down his face.
"Just look at him." Genevra pleaded. "Look at the way he's being. Do you really believe that he committed the crime?"
"I know he didn't." Hrothgar spoke up. "It's not Grendel."
"What?" Beowulf frowned.
"If it's not Grendel, then who?" Wiglaf urged.
"His mother, or I should say, their mother." Hrothgar answered, causing Grendel and Genevra to gasp. "Grendel has changed his ways. I have hoped that their mother had left the land, long ago."
"We're sorry, King Hrothgar." Genevra hung her head.
"Yeah, we should've mentioned that mother was still here." Grendel nodded as he stood back up.
"And now she's on a fit of rage, killing everybody!" Genevra gasped. "But, we have no idea why."
"Mother must've gone rogue since I left." Grendel explained. "There's only one thing we can do with a rogue demon."
"Kill it…" Grendel, Genevra, and Hrothgar said at once.
"You, ask me, to kill your own mother?" Beowulf was shocked.
"It must be done." Genevra nodded.
"Or else, no one is safe." Grendel added. "Not even my sister and I."
"And what about the others?" Beowulf frowned. "Your mother, father. Your uncle! Must I hunt down the whole family of demons?!"
"Our mother is the last of our kind." Grendel assured. "There are no others."
"What about the mother's mate?" Beowulf demanded. "Where is your father?!"
Grendel and Genevra said nothing as their eyes shifted to Hrothgar, who sighed.
"Their father can cause no harm to man." He sighed.
Beowulf's mouth hung open, but he said nothing as he stared from Hrothgar, to the children, and back again, seemingly catching on. Welthow, who had been standing quietly in the corner, walked forward.
"Are you sure this is the only way to stop your mother?" She asked.
"As much as we hate to say it, yes." Genevra nodded. "My mother is not like my brother."
"She's right." Grendel agreed. "Our mother will not change."
"Then, by your order, I will kill your mother." Beowulf nodded to them. "But, I am not happy about it. And, sorry for punching you, Grendel."
"You are forgiven."
"Beowulf." A voice called behind them.
They turned to the doorway and saw Unferth standing there.
"I was wrong about you." He sighed. "You truly are a great warrior."
"Well, thank you." Beowulf nodded.
"Slave!"
Suddenly, the same poor slave child came running in, carrying a sword. Unferth took the sword and kicked the child away.
"Take my sword." He offered. "It belonged to my father's father. It's called Hrunting."
"Unferth, this sword, I cannot take from you." Beowulf shook his head.
"I insist. It may help you kill Grendel's mother."
"Hrunting may not come back. It may be lost forever."
"As long as it is with you, it will never be lost."
"Beowulf." Grendel and Genevra called.
"Our mother is not like other demons." Genevra started.
"Yes, she is a water demon." Grendel added. "But she possesses the power to seduce men."
"Do not worry," Beowulf assured. "I will not fall for this hag's spell."
"Trust us Beowulf, she is no hag." Genevra shook her head.
….
That evening, Beowulf, with Hrunting in its sheath and the Royal Dragon Horn, the treasure Hrothgar had given him, hooked onto his belt, climbed up onto his horse. Wiglaf, who has offered to go along with his friend, did the same.
"Come back safe you two." Grendel suggested.
"Ah, don't worry." Wiglaf dismissed. "We'll be fine."
"We'll be back before dawn." Beowulf promised. "Take care of yourselves."
"Please, be careful!" Genevra begged as the two warriors rode into the moors.
"So, should we follow them?" Grendel guessed.
"You read my mind, brother." Genevra nodded.
And so, brother and sister, human and demon, followed Beowulf and Wiglaf, undetected, into the moors. They followed on foot, moving quickly to catch up.
Now mind you, they were doing this for the safety of their friends, not their own curiosity. They didn't believe that Beowulf would be strong enough to resist their mother's beauty and promises. They had to make sure that he did not get reeled in.
They followed quietly all the way to the lair, and when the warriors stopped, they stopped, watching while still in hiding.
"Look." Wiglaf pointed to the bones in the water. "She's got to be a water demon."
"Grendel and Genevra said she was." Beowulf nodded.
"Do you want me to go in with you?" Wiglaf offered.
"No."
"Good."
"No you idiot." Genevra hissed. "Go in with him, he must be watched over."
"Relax Lillesøster." Grendel insisted as Beowulf went in alone. "Maybe we're not giving Beowulf enough trust."
"What do you mean?" Genevra asked.
"Well, you said so yourself. He's not like the others." Grendel quoted.
"Quote, unquote." Genevra joked.
"I'm just saying that maybe we should have a little faith in him."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. We'll give him a little while."
"Deal."
….
A few hours later, Beowulf has still not exited the cave, and the children were getting worried.
"Ok, maybe you were right to doubt him just a little." Grendel admitted.
"You think?" Genevra hissed. "I can't stand this anymore, Wiglaf needs to go in after him."
"Wait!" Grendel gasped, pulling his sister back. "Look."
Genevra looked and gasped at what she saw. It was Beowulf, emerging from the shadows, unscathed and unharmed. But, something was different about him.
Beowulf seemed to be glowing as he approached, and he was missing Hrunting and the Royal Dragon Horn.
"Where are his treasures?" Genevra frowned.
"We're about to find out." Grendel nodded.
….
Grendel and Genevra made it back to the mead hall before Beowulf and Wiglaf did. When the two warriors were back, everybody immediately wanted to hear the story. So Beowulf, over a meal and mead, told them a tale of the hag being attracted to the Royal Dragon Horn, and coming back to life whenever he pulled Hrunting out of her.
Unfortunately, it was a tale that the two siblings did not believe.
"I don't think he killed her, Storebror." Genevra gulped.
"You and me both, Lillesøster." Grendel agreed.
"Should we tell father?"
"I think we should. He'll be able to get the truth from him, right?"
"Right."
So, the two of them searched for King Hrothgar, planning to tell him of their suspicions. When they finally found him and told him, he called Beowulf into a different room.
"The children are concerned, Beowulf." Hrothgar told him. "They do not believe you really killed their mother."
"What?" Beowulf hissed, glaring at them.
"We just don't think our mother could've been that powerful." Genevra assured.
"Would you again like to hear the battle I had with this, monstrous hag of your mother?" Beowulf growled.
"Oh Beowulf, you and I both know she is no hag, but a MILF." Grendel cringed. "But the question is, did you kill her, or not?"
"Would I have been able to escape if I hadn't?"
Grendel and Genevra stayed silent. That was all they needed to hear. Beowulf had not killed their mother, but instead laid with her for all those hours. Still, the curse was lifted, but not from Beowulf.
"Well, Grendel has changed, that's all that matters." Hrothgar smiled. "The mother… she's not my curse. Not anymore."
"Father!" Grendel and Genevra cried as they followed the king. "Make him change his mind!"
"It's not my curse anymore!" Hrothgar shouted, making the children fall back. "And I'm not your father anymore."
Beowulf's mouth hung open as he suddenly realized what Hrothgar was talking about.
Grendel's mother was not the king's curse, it was his. And Hrothgar was not the father, he was.
"Everyone, may I have your attention please?!" Hrothgar called, gaining the attention of everybody in the mead hall. "Because of Beowulf's bravery, I have come to a decision."
Grendel and Genevra frowned to each other as they waited for the king to continue.
"Because I have no heir, I have no sons." He sighed. "I declare that on my death. Everything I possess. My kingdom, my hall. Everything, including my lovely young queen, my beautiful Welthow. Everything, I leave, to Beowulf."
"But my lord," Unferth started.
"I have spoken!" Hrothgar shouted. "I have spoken. I declare, that Beowulf, son of Edgetho, shall be king!"
The king laughed as he approached one of the windows.
"Beowulf!" He called as he tossed the warrior his crown.
Beowulf caught it and sat down, shock written all over his face.
"My lord!" Unferth cried, taking the crown back. "Everything in it's time Beowulf."
Grendel and Genevra watched as Hrothgar approached the window and stepped on the ledge, drawing his sword.
"What's he doing?" Genevra wondered.
"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about this." Grendel shivered.
"You and I, both, Storebror."
Suddenly, Hrothgar's body fell forward. He stayed silent as he plummeted over the cliff, ending his own life.
"Hrothgar!" The queen and the children cried in horror.
Accompanied by Unferth and Wiglaf, they approached the window and searched for their king. They found him at the bottom on the beach, his body sprawled and lifeless.
"He must've falled." Welthow whimpered.
"Do you think?" Genevra doubted.
They watched in sorrow as the waves of the ocean climbed up onto the beach, washing over their king's cold and lifeless body, and then carrying it out to sea.
"Unferth." Grendel hesitated, looking at Unferth, then the crown, then Beowulf.
Unferth understood what Grendel was trying to say. He took the crown and approached Beowulf, placing it on the Geat warrior's head.
"All hail King Beowulf." Unferth bowed.
"All hail King Beowulf." Everybody else repeated.
Beowulf looked at Welthow, Grendel, and Genevra, shock written on his face.
"King Beowulf." The three of them bowed.
Beowulf stood there in silence. This was not what he suspected at all.