A/N: Again, thank you so much for the favos and follows, and of course the reviews. This really means a lot to me. And thanks again to Merlyn Pyndragon for betaing and doing such a great job with it!

Nick didn't really feel better. True, his stomach was finally empty and the choking had stopped. But he still felt sick, was freezing, his belly aching. The new cell was a little smaller than the one he woke up in the first time. But here existed a window, and beside the bed there was also a table fixed to another wall.

The window was sealed, it couldn't be opened. And it was barred, so there still was no way out.

After the worst part of this sickness faded, Nick took the chance to find out where he was. Surprisingly he seemed to be in a tower. He was sure the cells were in the basement. But after he took a look out of the window, he realized he was high above the ground, looking down at a landscape, as beautiful as from a postcard. Mountains framed a crystal clear lake and he could see a small town or a big village on the other side of this lake. He was also able to see a part of the castle he was imprisoned in. White stone, high, small and elegant towers. A typical European castle, just like he always thought they would look like.

Now he was lying again on the bed, curled up into a ball beneath an old woolen blanket that he had found here. In his old cell he didn't have a blanket or a pillow, so this felt like real luxury now. But the blanket still couldn't make the freezing disappear. Nick was sure this cold came from his inside and wasn't the real temperature. Maybe a side effect of the zombiefication.

He felt weak and sick, his belly hurting and his head throbbing. And all the time his thoughts were fixed on the question, what was it really what Eric had given to him to feed him. The meat tasted different from anything he'd ever eaten in his life. And the fact that last night, Eric forced him more or less into eating it and told him afterwards that there was indeed something wrong with the meat ... Nick felt bad. He had just walked straight into another trap. The fact that Eric would use his food to bring him under control vanished with the gruel they served him before.

What to do now? What chance had he to get out of here?

He didn't know. Somehow his hope shrank into a small ball after he saw what was on the other side of the walls. The basement would have been difficult enough to flee from. But from a tower, high above the ground, that was impossible! He would have to cross the entire castle before he could get out of here. And the castle was huge!

With the weakness there also was this hopelessness that made him feel even more vulnerable.

Why did he follow the Cracher-Mortel? Why did he open the coffin instead of leaving the container? He had more than enough hints to realize, that what happened back then in Portland was pointing directly to him. And he had already known that the Royal families were interested in the key and would probably try to capture him.

Because he never lost before, Nick answered himself. Because he was too self confident to imagine he could lose a fight. Because he wanted to show Juliette what a great Grimm he was. Because ... he underestimated the danger, and now he had to pay the price for his arrogance.

The key was moved in the lock and Nick closed his eyes for a second. Not to try to flee into his dreams again, or pretending to be unconscious. No. He wanted to be as focused as possible for whatever would happen next.

The door opened with a squeak and Franz stepped into the cell, a book in his hands, which he placed on the table.

"The prince wants you to learn German," the other Grimm said.

Nick looked at him, frowning. "I'm sick," he said after he realized this wasn't a joke.

"This is not a physical training. You can learn pretty well while you are recovering," Franz told him. "Shouldn't take too long for that. So you better hurry up!"

Was this guy completely nuts?

"Ever heard of mental weariness during sickness?" Nick couldn't help asking.

"As long as you can be snarky you can also learn, Shorty." Franz grabbed the book from the table again to throw it on the bed. "You better start soon, and don't make me to test you in words."

The book hit the ground right in front of the bed so Nick could pick it up.

He raised both eyebrows when he saw the cover art and the title of the book.

"Are you kidding me?" Nick looked up. "This is a schoolbook for the fifth grade learning English."

He opened the first page. This was hilarious! The book started up with explaining the words for family members. How he was supposed to learn German from it?

"If a brat can learn English from it, an adult like you should be able to learn German from it," Franz told him. "No excuses!"

Nick stared at a text passage. Not only did he have really a hard time concentrating on the letters, the whole passage was in German and he barely found two familiar-looking words without any idea what these words could mean.

"I need the opposite, a book for a class learning German," he tried to explain. "Here are chapters written in German without any translation into English. The book is probably good for kids learning English but it's not good for doing the opposite."

"Try!" Franz turned around, ready to leave the cell.

Nick looked again at the book, still lying on the ground, right before the bed. "What if I don't learn German?" he asked right before his kinsman could close and lock the door again.

Franz turned around, an evil grin in his face. "If you don't learn, we will make you do it. The prince wants you to be able to communicate with the locals. You will spend quite a while here, believe me. It will be better for you if you would teach yourself, Shorty."

Nick looked again down at the book. "It's not like I would have a choice, right? By the way, did the prince even think about how I could teach myself to call for help from the locals?"

"There's still the option of making you silent forever." Franz grinned.

Nick didn't want to learn any details about that. The grin told him enough to feel sick.

"So, you better shut up and learn," Franz told him again.

"I can't!" Nick looked up again. "If I gave you an English book would you be able to read it?"

"I can communicate," Franz said. "I don't need a damned schoolbook!"
Slowly, Nick sat up, still wrapped into the blanket. "You told me you and Hans had done something similar to others before," he said. "Is that true?"

Franz leaned at the door frame, smiling coldly. "Oh yes. We had to work on quite a few. They all changed their minds after a couple of lessons."

Nick shivered, trying his best to cover this.

What did they do to the other Grimm? Gave them the same stuff to eat they served to him? Was that what this all was leading to? Putting him under permanent drugs or something to control him better?

That would definitely work better than only torturing me, Nick decided. The past few days and nights had been completely stressful for him. The only time he could relax a little was last night's dinner. Not that he actually relaxed down there. But most likely it was supposed to be this way. While he had his guard down they could put everything into his meal, including any stuff that made him sick the last night.

"And if not?" he wanted to know. "What if I'm not changing my mind?"

Franz studied him for a moment. "You will," he finally decided. "Sooner or later you will. The prince never loses."

"But ... don't you think he's betraying you?" Nick asked. "You are doing so much for your prince and this is how he pays you? Brings me into it, stepping into the place another one left."

"I don't want that job, I'm pretty happy with that one I do."

Yes, that could explain a lot, Nick decided.

"Actually I think the prince was very willing to take the risk to bring you here," Franz told him after the silence seemed to last too long for him. "And I think I don't like those dressmen trying to play bodyguard for our prince. Maybe you will do a better job than some of the others. You are definitely clever enough to do so. Question is, are you also be smart enough?"
"I'm not a slave," Nick said. "I don't give in, no matter what you will do to others in front of me or to myself."

"For someone being so smart, it is funny how naïve you are. And now you should better start learning from that book, Shorty. Otherwise we will make you learn. Do you hear me?"

"Still the same problem," Nick answered. "I cannot learn what I don't understand!"

"Then you better figure it out, or the prince will be disapointed in you!"

With that the door closed. A moment later, the key was moved into the lock.

Nick shook his head, looking down at the schoolbook.

These guys have some huge issues ...

Christian was about to wrap it up for the day. He had a meeting with one of his friends in Vienna. He needed some more information about his plan to smuggle Adalind and the Portland Grimm out of the country. Well, IF he could find the Grimm.

He was just about to get the keys for the Mercedes when two women came into the office, the old cook Magda and one of her assistants, Regine.

"We need your help," Magda told him, dragging the weeping Regine in front of him. "She needs your help!"

Christian was astonished how determined and serious Madga was. Usually she was kindness in person and the only thing that upset her was when someone messed up her kitchen.

Well, she probably thought Regine as part of the kitchen, Christian told himself. Magda cared a lot about everyone working there. On the other hand, Regine seemed really worried and sad.

"What happened?" Christian asked, hoping the answer would finally make this clear.

"The cousins, that's what's happened," Magda put up her very dark face, staring at him with furrowed eyebrows and thin lips. "The cousins happened."

So far the cousins Severin never attacked any of the staff. Looking down at them like they were some bugs, ready to get the shoe, yes. But they never went physically so far.

Christian decided. His friend could wait, he had to find out what the hell was going on in this castle. So he led both women to the guest couch underneath the window and waited until they sat down before he followed suit.

"Would you please tell me what's going on?" he asked. "What did the Severins do to you?"

"Not her!" Magda was really upset now. "It's her daughter, Emily."

What?

Christian blinked.

That girl was still a girl, somewhere between eight and ten years old. Whatever they usually did, they never attacked a tiny and skinny girl like her before!

Christian was confused. "What happened?" he asked, worried.

Regine looked up, a handkerchief in her hands, which she now scrunched up between her fists. "Emily came here after school. I told her to learn and do her homework, which she did!" she explained. With a snob she continued: "Emily is a good girl, so she did what I told her to do - got herself a seat and a little space at one of the kitchen tables and learned. And then the cousins came into the kitchen."

So far it didn't sound any scary or bad, Christian decided and nodded.

"The taller of them two went to Emily and asked her a couple of questions. After that he grabbed her book for the English lesson and left."

Christian startled. "He did what?"

"He took the book from my daughter!" Regine cried, burying her face in her hands.

"He stole it?" Christian asked.

Only a nodding was his answer.

What? Why?

"Did he say why?" Christian asked.

A book for school lessons? He doubted that any of the cousins felt the need to refresh his knowledge. But if he didn't get the book for using it on himself, why then?

Actually, Christian was surprised to learn that the cousins were able to read. Somehow that was very difficult to imagine ...

"Which book again?" he asked, frowning.

"Her book for the English lessons," Magda answered.

Christian lifted his chin. "Really?" he asked.

Regine nodded. "She's just starting to learn. Why did they do that? Why they couldn't leave Emily alone?"

Maybe because someone else needed a lesson in English? Or perhaps German?

Christian thought about the unfortunate meeting at noon, the burned clothes and now the book to learn a foreign language.

"Why did he do that?" Regine wanted to know. "Why did he take it from her?"

Maybe because there was someone else who was about to learn German? But who?

The Portland Grimm didn't understand German, came to Christian's mind.

Another evidence that he was here? Probably.

"You have to help us with this one!" Magda's eyes sparkled a bit.

"I don't know if I can," Christian warned. "But I will try."

"You better do something," Magda told him. "These cousins are a mess! And I really have no idea why the prince still sticks to them. He could have so much better guys for their jobs."

That Christian seriously doubted. The Severin cousins were the better choice over some other Grimm. These two bold and heavy brutes were annoying, mostly. True, they liked to torture their victims, something they shared with the prince, but when it came to actually killing others, they weren't as good as everybody thought.

"If the prince doesn't do anything, we will," Magda told him.

Christian looked at her in surprise. "I don't want to hear that," he said and shook his head. "Seriously, this is a very dangerous topic you would do best to avoid."

"The prince is up to something," told him now Regine, sniffing. "He called the Severins here, and they brought that damned Zauberbiest with them. And Pierre ..." She shook her head. "Do you know that he is occupying the small freezer? That one we usually stock the ice cream in? It's all locked up and no one knows what is in there."

"I heard he's back," Christian answered, not too thrilled.

He wasn't exactly a fan of Pierre, he had to confess. The Zauberbiest was absolutely loyal to Eric and was the reason for more trouble in the past than Christian wanted to think of.

But with the missing Grimm still missing, the Severins and Pierre in the castle, burned clothes, a locked freezer, now a stolen book ... was this really all coincidence only?

"Do you know what they are doing all day and night up there in the renovated tower?" Magda asked him. "I am sure they are up to something evil. And I mean really evil! Prince Eric always was a difficult character, that's true. But it's not good for him to hang around with this pack! He is still the heir of his father."

And that was the main problem. The old king had handed over nearly all of his work to Eric years ago. He only needed the title, everything else was pretty much his own now.

"I will see what I can do, okay?" Christian said with a smile. "But don't talk about those bad things, Magda. I'll get your book back, Regine, I promise."

The old tower that was renovated last year.

Christian couldn't stop thinking about it.

Why he didn't check out the tower first? It wasn't too far from the usual torture chamber, and the place was pretty isolated and easy to control, with only one way in and out. The standard in the rooms there was pretty good, the stony walls thick. If needed, the tower could be completely locked up from the rest of the castle. Heck, there was a second torture chamber underneath the roof!

"I hope so," Magda said and pointed with one finger. "If not, I'll give you my word, I will be the first marching with the Laeufer."

Hopefully it would never come to that ...