I own nothing.

I present: Hans my Hedgehog

Ships: Gerame

Once upon a time, there was a poor farmer and his wife. Roderich and Elizaveta were happy with their lives but eventually, Elizaveta became sad and longed for a child. Roderich told her many times that they had each other and that was enough. But it was not enough.

Elizaveta longed for that special baby. She wanted to be a mother so bad and cried when the farm animals gave girth because unlike her, they were capable of having children.

"I don't see why you grieve for a child. We don't have to constantly worry about them. We don't have to worry if we have enough food on the table. Why can't you be happy?" He asked.

"But I want to be someone's mother! I want a baby I can hold and they know they are safe. I want a baby so bad that I wouldn't care what they look like!" She declared to her husband.

One should always be careful when they say that they don't care. For those are dangerous words 'I don't care '.

Soon after, Elizaveta found herself to be with child. Though Roderich did not express it, he was very happy. Until the baby was born and he saw that it was an unholy cross between man and hedgehog.

"Roddy, come hold our son!" Elizaveta smiled and cooed at the baby.

Roderich would not have any part in that things life.

"That is not my son." And he left.

Elizaveta could not stop him, but she did gave her son the name Ludwig and held him close. She didn't care that her baby was a hedgehog. Ludwig was her baby and she was his mommy. That was enough.

Some days, many years later, Ludwig wished he had his mother's confidence. He watched his mother hold her head high and smile as if she was the queen and not some peasant whose husband left and was a mother to a hedgehog boy. She stood against the jeers of the others and still had the courage to hell Ludwig that she loved him and kiss his cheek.

That night, Ludwig went to bed but he did not sleep. He heard all the things that the villagers said about his mother when her back was turned. It was because of him that she sometimes didn't eat because there wasn't enough for the both of them. So Ludwig made up his mind. He was leaving tomorrow to give her the chance she would never have as long as she stayed with him.

"Mother, I decided that it's time that I leave you."

Elizaveta stood still. He couldn't see, but she might have started crying.

"You always put up with the things the other villagers say and I don't want to leave. But you don't eat at night, I know that you don't sleep, and I feel that this is the only way that you could have a chance to live. I...I love you mother, but it's time for me to do something for you."

"Please don't leave me." She cried. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks. "Your father left me and now you're leaving me!"

"I have no choice. You'll die if I stay."

Ludwig left that afternoon and Elizaveta died of a broken heart that night.

...

About five to ten years later, a King was lost in the woods. He stubbornly believed that he was not lost but every step into the woods made him even more lost than before. The King sat on a stump and shouted to the birds and the trees that he would give up anything to get out of the woods.

At that moment, the King heard the soft music of a flute and followed it to a small castle overlooking a beautiful waterfall. The King knocked on the door and the music stopped. The door opened and a hedgehog man stepped out.

"I am terribly sorry but I have found myself to be lost in the woods. If you would just tell me the way, I shall leave you too your business." The King stammered.

"It's almost night. Come in and you will have food and warmth."

The King and the hedgehog man ate and laughed into the night. Once the King was so tired he was certain that he would sleep standing up, the hedgehog man made his request.

"As payment for my services, I would like the first thing to greet you when you return home. I will collect my prize in a year and a day from now."

The tired King agreed thinking that he would only have to give up his dog. When the King woke up, he was at the edge of the woods on his kingdom. The tired King got up and began the trek home where he saw two figures running in his direction. As they got closer, the King realized that it was his daughter Abigail and the dog. Not feeling concerned about the deal he made, the King continued home.

But the daughter got closer and closer until she greeted him at the castle gates. The dog was tied on his leash and couldn't go any farther than the apple tree about twenty paces away. The King was so happy to see his daughter that he forgot all about the deal he made with the hedgehog man.

A year and a day later, the Kings forgetfulness came back to bite him in the ass. The Hedgehog man came into the throne room to demand his prize. The King, with a heavy heart announced the wedding of Princess Abigail to Ludwig the Hedgehog man. The Queen was furious and demanded to know what the King was thinking and why she was going to have a monster as a son in law. The King could only sigh and remained silent.

Ludwig hesitantly went to his future wife. "Your father has explained why I'm marrying you."

"Yes." She couldn't look at him.

"You think I am ugly because I am a Hedgehog man." He stated.

"The only thing that is ugly is a broken promise." She said.

The wedding was like a funeral. No one laughed and no one smiled for the newlyweds. When night came, Abigail lay in bed waiting for her new husband to join her. But he didn't. He sat by the fire playing his flute so she could sleep. Eventually, her nerves exhausted her and she fell asleep listening to the mournful playing.

When Ludwig stopped playing, he looked to his wife asleep in their bed. He stroked her cheek, took off his quills so he was now a man, took his flute and went outside to play in the moonlight.

Abigail felt something soft touch her cheek and slowly woke up to the playing of a flute. She turned her head and saw fur and quills in front of the fire. Curiosity over came her and she soon found herself petting the quills. Oh how soft they were! They were the softest thing that she had ever felt and with the fire crackling and the soft fur, Abigail fell asleep.

When Ludwig returned to the room and saw his wife asleep on his quills and fur, he couldn't help but smile. He lifted her up in his arms and glently laid her back in the bed. He put the quills back on and carefully laid on the bed next to her. He felt like the happiest man on earth when she curled up to him and wrapped an arm around his chest.

The next night, the same thing happened. Abigail fell asleep waiting for her husband, Ludwig caressed her cheek and took off the quills, and left. Abigail woke up to the soft, happy notes of the flute. To her delight, the quills were on the floor infront of the fire place again. She got out of bed and made her way to the fur. The happily touched the fur and held it to her cheek. It was still soft.

She didn't fall asleep as quickly as the night before so when a man she didn't recognize came into her room, she held the fur protectively.

"Who do you want more: the man or the beast?" He asked her. His voice was a little like her husbands.

"I already have a husband and he is who he is."

He cracked a smile. "If you stay faithful for another night, and don't tell anyone else about this, I will shed the skin permanently and stay a man."

Abigail didn't remember when she went to sleep last night, but she swore not to tell her mother about her husband's secret.

But mothers have a way of knowing what their children are hiding. A little glint of light in the eyes or how they answer or how they hold themselves when talking. Whatever the case, the Queen cornered her daughter and told her that the only way for her daughter to be free of her husband would be to toss the quills into the flames. Only then would he be free of his curse. Abigail knew that was not the way but the little voice in the back of the head just kept telling her to throw the quills in the fire.

When her husband shed the quills and fur, the voice was now shouting at Abigail to obey her mother. It was ringing in her ears and was suffocating her that the only way to rid herself of the voice was to throw the fur she so loved into the fire.

Immediately she heard the screams of her husband as the quills were now being forged to his skin. Abigail tried to apologize but her husband ran from the woman that couldn't keep a promise.

Abigail shut herself into her room and cried as her parents threw a celebration that their daughter was no longer married to a monster. Abigail ran to a wizard who told her that the only way to win her husband back was to search the entire earth until she wore out three pairs of iron shoes.

Not caring about how this tast seemed impossible, Abigail ordered iron shoes to be made and she searched all over the earth until she wore all three pairs of shoes down to nothing. Eventually, Abigail was exhausted and fell to her knees in front of a river and saw how her blonde hair turned white and her blue eyes were now dull.

She asked the river where she would find her husband and it answered the cabin on the other side of the woods. Abigail reached the cabin at sundown just in time to hear her husband make a toast.

"To the beautiful wife who could not keep her promise."

"Ludwig, I am here to take you home."

"What home?"

"You are my husband and home is wherever we should make it."

"I am no husband."

"You are my husband and I claim you as such."

The quills seemed to come to life and break off his back until all that was left was a tall blond man with beautiful blue eyes in farmers clothes.

"Alright then. I am your husband and you are my wife." He took her in his arms and carried her back to her kingdom. Eventually, her blonde hair did return and her blue eyes shone bright once again. And they lived happily ever after as man and wife.

Biancabella-Itacest. Sorry this is late. I needed to find a good story.