MARIA'S MOUNTAIN

chapter 5

Slowly becoming aware of the brownish-orange shadow that set under her sleepy eyes, Maria fluttered her lids open, blinking a couple of times before the surroundings could better come into focus.

The glorious set of mountains in front of her were still dark, the colour of the grass disappeared into odd shades of greys and above her, a light blue morning sky stood still. It must have been early dawn because the sun was still hidden behind the peaks and the only source of light were the orangey glimpses of pink right beneath the thin clouds that streaked the sky like a skilled painter's brushstrokes.

Such a familiar and comforting sight to her eyes, still half closed from sleep.

We'll have to get the children up those mountains before the sun sets completely.

Georg's last words before she could fall into the deepest slumber echoed into her mind as her gaze lowered just enough to spot the long, black hood of their car.

It was only then that she remembered.

The letter, Zeller's evil grin, the festival, the haunt in the Abbey, the fear in their children's eyes, the adrenaline rush to the hills.

All happened overnight, all terrifying enough to be a nightmare; she was so ready to believe it had been one. But her tiredness was unmistakable evidence that only a night actually spent like that could have caused it.

A long yawn overwhelmed her, and she struggled to keep it quiet in order to let the children sleep. Once it was over, she directed her gaze to the backseats and was happy to notice that the noise hadn't affected their sleep in any way, not even Louisa whose sleep was very light hinted at a stir.

Good. Above her head the steel of the car body seemed to release all the cold air of the night but beneath her legs and behind her back, a soft source of warmth was preventing her from getting cold.

She was cradled in Georg's lap, his arms still loosely holding her onto him. After all, there was something good in that awful nightmare.

Maria then focused more and more on him noticing the way his knees were still up to prevent her from rolling down his legs and how his head leaned on the headrest, bent to his right side. His mouth slightly open and a strand of dark, curled hair hanging uncomfortably down his forehead and probably reaching his closed eyes as well. With an imperceptible adjustment of her position, she tucked his curl back behind his ear, a tired groan left his mouth at her touch and after some brief seconds his eyes too opened.

"Sorry, darling, I didn't mean to wake you up" she apologized in a soft voice

"You didn't" his left hand began to slowly run up and down her spine through her blouse

At which she came back on her previous position, nuzzling her nose into his neck while her hand toyed with his tie

"… although I wished you would get some more rest" he continued.

The car fell silent for a couple of minutes, both of them revelling in the sweet cuddles offered by the other – Georg peppering her strawberry crown with tender kisses and she easing a hand to caress his cheek, a smile of contentment never leaving her lips at the spoiling her husband was offering her.

It was so long since they had been holding each other and even though this was not exactly the proper way to do it, they were missing each other's touch, longing for it.

But suddenly, Maria removed her head from Georg's chest at the feeling of wetness against her cheek.

"It's alright, three hours of sleep aren't enough for anyone" her husband immediately soothed with a smile.

It didn't manage to take off the embarrassed expression displayed on her face when she scrunched her nose in something close to disgust at the sight of the tiny puddle of drool that had soaked his shirt.

But she forgot all of that the minute his hand cupped the side of her head and pressed her back into him, cradling her tenderly into his palm. She then felt his heartbeat suddenly getting somewhat faster and he heavily sighed before opening his mouth to speak:

"We should get going now"

Maria nodded at his words, agreeing, ready to go and wake up the children and forget all about the tiredness, letting it slip behind her shoulders with ease.

"And, once we got to a reasonable place to stop, I'll make sure you will get at least a couple hours of sleep" Georg then continued, tapping the tip of her sky nose with his forefinger.

She was so ready to go against him and insist that she could keep going for hours on end for them but as soon as she opened her mouth, she was forced to close it again as he interrupted her at the awareness she wouldn't agree on his previous statement.

"You need it, Maria. The children surely got between five or six hours of uninterrupted rest but some more time won't do us any bad. We all need it".

She hoped that the we included him too and if that was the case, she decided to second his choice, feeling more relieved if they wouldn't stop for her needs alone.

They exchanged a brief kiss on the lips, not wanting to get too sickeningly saccharine about it, avoiding both the risk of having their children enjoy their most intimate moments and the kiss tempting them to get them into something far away from the chastity of two lips roaming over each other.

After all, it had been a luck that Maria had woken up in early dawn.

Waking up the children had proven to be an incredibly long task, for as peaceful and long as their sleep could have been, the poor dears certainly hadn't recharged their energies enough to wake up like bouncing springs as they used to do normally.

The previous evening, a buffet had been served during the break of the festival and both Maria and Georg had seen fit to stuff their pockets with as many sandwiches as they could. Hadn't it been for the ravenous way the children had eaten them all, she almost wouldn't have recognized them.

But getting the whole family started, proved to be even harder.

To allow them to fully awake, Georg indeed put on the spare wheel and drove them to the foot of the mountain but as soon as the children learned that they had to separate from their precious belongings, streams of tears began to spill from their eyes. Especially the little ones almost put up an argument, unable to comprehend why a simple, little bag would cause such damage and slow down their climbing.

"Come on, Gretl, it's just a doll! Kurt told you a hundred times!" Louisa reprimed her younger sister for the umpteenth time

"It's not! It's the one father and mother bought me in Paris" she would reply in an inconsolable crying voice

"Yes, and you would better keep your mouths closed if you don't want them to get mad at us" Brigitta rolled her eyes, tired of listening to her sisters' complaints

"Will the three of you just stop it?" Liesl intruded in the conversation with a scolding tone that unfortunately, didn't go unnoticed to their parents either.

Georg raised his eyes from the map he was holding between his hands and looked at his wife, feeling a surge of relief when he saw her heading a few steps behind at the certainty that she would have calmed them down a little.

It was more than understandable that they were irritable – due to the lack of sleep, to all they were going through, to walking on end right after waking up – but it was essential that they all tried to cooperate in their situation, otherwise they wouldn't have made it not even to the top of the mountain that they were slowly approaching.

"Will all of you stop it" Maria opened, her eyes firm but kind and understanding towards her children, "nobody will get angry with anyone, but your father and I need all your help to get through this and fighting with each other isn't going to help us at all. Now we-"

"We have to start climbing" Georg's voice interrupted Maria's, "and I know a little girl that loves it when her father carries her astride, am I wrong?".

As soon as his voice finished to speak, Gretl's tears seemed to stop immediately and turned into a wide smile when she rushed to her dad and climbed onto his shoulders, letting her little legs wrap around his bust.

He blinked at Maria that had already braced herself to bring Martha up there hand in hand.

And so, once the children seemed to stop their restless fighting, the family began to hike the mountain under Maria's expert knowledge of the place. She led them through long stretches of trees where the grass was overgrown but at least there weren't too many rocks and pebbles to obstacle the already difficult steep ascent.

After long hours they finally reached a flatter spot that seemed perfect for a quick stop. Georg had already lowered Gretl on the ground, mentally prepared to allow his children a break and especially give Maria her well deserved sleep. But as soon as her eyes were able to catch what he was about to do, she immediately intervened to change his mind.

"We can't stop here, Georg. Kurt's hungry and we still aren't halfway through" she made him notice.

It was true, obviously, that they had the longer half of the hike still ahead of them but, letting apart that his back was on pieces, he needed Maria to rest. He gave her a lovingly scolding gaze, his lips pursed as he didn't need to speak, his icy blue eyes say it all already.

"I'm perfectly capable of going on" she replied, rolling her eyes and directing her footsteps ahead to proceed along their path.

If she was being honest with herself, she was famished too. Not she or Georg had touched food from the previous evening dinner, letting the children finish all the supplies they had managed to bring up there. And, given how very little rest she had gotten through the night, there weren't many energies left into her body. But she kept repeating herself that she would have been fine, after all her uncle used to make her starve for days on end if she behaved bad. Which happened to me more often than not.

Come on, I am used to this, she kept thinking to herself.

Footsteps approached her and quickly managed to stop right in front of her, Georg had his good reasons to disagree with her determination and was even more determined than her in asserting them.

"Maria, Kurt ate the last sandwich this morning, he can keep going" he pointed out

But she, unsurprisingly, didn't listen and walked him ahead.

"There should be berry bushes once we get close to the peak. We first get there and then I'll rest" she stated, her voice becoming fainter as she walked away from him.

But a few steps at a quicker pace and he was, once again in front of her, the reprimanding expression back on his insistent face.

"I promise" she breathed with a smile, the touch of her palm cupping his cheek in a caress making him forget every reason he was getting upset at.

Maybe she was right, the way was still long and the velocity of the sun setting before descending again made a striking contrast with the relatively slow pace of their movements. She was doing it for them.

So, indeed, they kept going which resulted into another two hours of restless climbing on sore feet and stumbling legs.

Unexpectedly, the children soon began to notice the long-dreamed berry bushes lining the path they were traveling on and found themselves picking the most good-looking ones in swift motions to eat them whenever the climbing would get a little quieter.

"Ah, these are true berries!" Kurt piped up at the sweet taste of a juicy one he had just sucked into his mouth

"Wait to try the blueberries, Kurt, you'll see" Maria chuckled, amused and encouraged by his statement.

She hadn't yet eaten anything not to slow the family further but also because she was looking for a precise place where the bushes popped out everywhere and seemed to burst with ripe and delicious berries.

"We should stop here, darling, we already have enough of them to feed an army" Georg pointed out from his position at the bottom of the row, holding Martha's hand

"Not as many as we could if we were there" Maria replied, the focus of her eyes up at the very peak of her mountain.

She brought a hand to her forehead before giving a last gaze to their next destination and turning back to Georg, her look lost focus and her brows furrowed as if she were somewhat confused and disoriented.

"But maybe you're right ..." she exhaled a shaky breath, "perhaps we should take a break, I feel a little si-".

With a quick and sudden bow of her head, her body twisted into halves and she succumbed to the urge of relieving her upset stomach.

The horrifying sight caused Georg to drop his daughter's hand and rush to his wife, closely followed by Liesl, ready to help as best as she could.

"Liesl, get the children there and reassure them while I take care of your mother" Georg quickly ordered, gesturing with his head to a nearby tree

"No, it's not necessary I'm alr-".

Maria's words were broken when another wave of vomit took over her, Liesl obeying her father's orders with deep preoccupation in her eyes while Georg somehow finally managed to defeat his petrification at the sight and reached out to soothe soft caresses against his wife's back, his other hand holding the strawberry strands of hair that hang down her temples and forehead.

Thanks to some miracle, a few more minutes, and all that was left from the episode were little burbs and coughs and occasional retching. When Maria was finally able to lift her head, the colour from her face had completely drained as Georg was able to notice when she wiped the corners of her mouth with the back of her hand, her breath heavy and shaky.

"I am so sorry, Georg, I don't know what got into me" Maria apologized

"Shh, shh, don't say anything my love" her husband softly shushed her, smoothing a caress to the back of her head, "do you feel like getting up? There's a brook a few steps away so you can rinse up a little" his eyes were compassionate and loving as he looked at her

"I know" she nodded, finally agreeing with him.

Georg got up, holding out his hand to help her doing the same and once she was standing, he secured a strong arm around her waist, pulling her into him so that he could guide each of her dizzy steps. Arrived at its bank, he lowered her onto the grass again and prevented her from bending further towards the water, fearing that the squeezing would get her stomach back into a turmoil. Instead, he dipped his own hands into the water's surface and once they were wet enough, he brought them to her sweaty face, rinsing it with slow, gentle movements that wiped what was left and managed to comfort her through soothing touches of his palms and fingers. She felt the fresh water drops descend down her swan neck, a constrasting sore and burning sensation still stuck into her troath.

But at that very moment, all she could feel was nothing but profound gratefulness for the man she loved, taking care of her in the loving and intent way no one else had ever dedicated her. And she knew he was not doing it just because he had too, after all, it was nothing serious and even more so considering that the situation the family was in was way worse. Instead, he was doing it because he cared. Madly, deeply, sincerely, eternally.

She was going through such overwhelming emotions that she didn't even try to stop him when he brushed his thumb firmly against the lapel of her blouse, trying to remove a freshly made spot, she knew her voice would have been trapped by the lump formed in her troath.

He then carefully washed his own hands and once they were clean enough, he cupped them together and emerged with a small amount of water between them, bringing them to her lips so that she could sip some of it and hopefully get rid of that disgusting taste that still permeated her mouth.

Some minutes later, they were standing again, walking to the tall tree under which the children were sat. Their walking was slow, loving, silent, but as soon as the tops of their heads emerged from the tall grass, the silence was broken by the children's yells of joy at the sight of their mother certainly better than how they'd seen her minutes ago.

"Does your stomach hurt?"

"Do you want a berry, Mother?"

"Are you feeling better?"

"We were so worried about you!"

All the children's voices overlapped in a sweet yet incomprehensible talking, Georg was bound to stop them himself if they didn't quit their questioning and allowed their mother to speak for herself.

"I'm alright, it was just a bit of sickness. There's no need for you to be here worrying about me" Maria reassured them, taking hold of Gretl's shoulders

"May we go play by the river then?" the little girl asked, looking up at her mother

"Of course you may, my darling. But be careful" she offered a knowing gaze to Liesl, hoping she would keep an eye on them.

She didn't need to be asked for it, it was clear that Maria was better but still not at her best and if Georg was to take proper care of her, the children needed to be occupied in some other activity instead of messing around their parents. And it would have been absolutely safe too since the brook was very few steps away and they could have looked after them as the children had done some minutes ago.

Georg sat down onto the grass, leaning his back against the rough trunk of the tree while Maria remained standing, her eyes following the seven heads walking away, a sigh of relief escaping her mouth when they were far enough for her to turn and meet her husband's eyes.

"Come here" he invited her, arms spread open and lips fondly smiling.

Soon, not even sure how it had happened without her falling, she found herself between Georg's arms. He had gathered her into the safety of his embrace, one arm sustaining her back and the other encircling her, his hand cupping the side of her head with his thumb brushing gentle strokes to her temple as he cradled her into his chest. Their gazes locked for long, intense seconds, the blue of their eyes turning a shade darker with deep love when he leaned in to approach her lips but she didn't answer as he hoped, backing her head a little, instead.

The skin at the corners of his eyes wrinkled as they softened and smiled at her with such tenderness that she felt her heart being caressed by his gaze alone. Of course he didn't care about what had come out of them earlier, those were the lips he most loved in the world and nothing could have ever made them 'disgusting'.

It was then that he closed the small distance between them and pressed a loving kiss over the softness of her lips, making her forget the world around them for how much she had been missing such moments.

"Were you really meaning that?" Georg asked when the need for air made them apart.

"What, darling?"

For a while Maria remained oblivious, her brows furrowing as she remained unable to understand what he was referring to. She then realized what her husband was questioning her about was the reassurance she'd given the children about her conditions.

"Well, in a way, yes. I don't believe my stomach is anywhere near to a turmoil the way it was before. Although I could feel much worse if a certain seaman stops spoiling me" she sighed

"I think I know this seaman, and if I know him well enough he could never stop"

"How can you be that sure of it?"

"Oh ... because one life couldn't be enough for this seaman to thank his lady for saving him when he was lost" he sincerely replied.

There was so, so much more he would have wanted to say but a lump had formed in his troath and prevented any other meaningful word from coming out if not in the form of an emotioned whisper.

"Oh, darling ..." Maria felt her heart squeezing into her chest, failing to contain the endless love she felt for him.

Her eyes brimmed with tears, their sparkling blue shining as the nightly ocean mirroring a starry sky.

"I love you, Maria" from his mouth finally came a tender yet firm whisper

"I love you too" she replied, unable to remember a more heavenly feeling than his husband's lips brushing against her forehead and peppering it with small kisses.

She closed her eyes, focusing on the loving delicacy of his touch alone, and he did too, every inch of his body fluttering at the feeling of her blushing cheeks against his palm and the fresh skin of her forehead warming up with his kisses.

"You should get some sleep now" he spoke up after some silent minutes

It was then that he took the arm off her back, bringing her head to subsequently lay on his knees, so that she could settle in a more proper position to rest.

"Only for an hour or so, I don't want to slow us down" she pointed out the minute her cheeks felt the rough material of his trousers

"You won't. By that time it will be dark already so it's better for us to stay here for the night" he looked up at the darkening sky, "your mountain will protect us" he then finished, his tone safe and confident.

Maria smiled up at him, her movements slow and gentle as she struggled against her tiredness, unmistakably lingering in her half-closed eyes.

"Sleep tight, my love, I am here ... we are all here" he soothed

With that, reassured and relaxed, a smile of contentment crisped her lips as she tucked her hand under her cheek and settled better in her husband's lap.

Georg felt reassured too. The sight of her throwing up had made him miserable, powerless and unresolute at seeing her in difficulty. It had always been the other way around, she coming to his aid, this had been the very first time he had seen her so drained by something. And this made him worry.

What could have caused it?

Certainly not the altitude, she knew those mountains better than she knew herself, it had been the stage of both her youth and childhood.

No, it couldn't have been that.

Nor the food either. She hadn't touched anything for over a day now, so the berries couldn't have upset her stomach. She had thrown up without having anything in her body.

He couldn't jump to conclusions, though. It was just one episode and in absence of a sequence, it could have meant nothing as well. Better to be by her side than away into his thoughts, looking for a probably inexistent reason.

And he did just that.

He let go of all that was bothering his mind with one deep breath and begun toying with the golden strands of hair that covered her ears, making his point to see to it that she got the sleep she both deserved and needed.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for taking some time to read this chapter, I really hope you enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to know what you thought of if.

p.s: probably, I won't be able to publish for a while so I'm still deciding whether to post a new chapter by the end of the week or not. In any case, I'll be seeing you as soon as possible!