Chapter 4 - The Light
Slouching low in the saddle, Jake wrapped his black jacket around himself to repel the unrelenting downpour. Glancing over at Wilhelm, Jacob resisted the urge to laugh; his brother was hunched over in his saddle and looked downright miserable.
'Which,' Jacob thought smugly, 'Served him right for drinking so much ale last night.'
As if sensing his brother's thoughts, Will glared out at Jake through the slight gap between his jacket collar and soaked brim of his hat.
Jacob reigned his horse in towards Wilhelm with a poorly concealed smirk, "How's our princess feeling on this fine evening?" Receiving a threatening grumble from Will that embodied a great deal of malcontent and discomfort, Jake took pity on his brother, "We should stop for a break soon, the horses need a rest."
A stiff nod from Will's hat accompanied by indistinct, irritated muttering informed Jake that his brother was able to press on until they found lodging.
As the setting sun cast crimson rays through the dripping trees around them, Jake began to feel restless. They hadn't seen a soul since crossing the border into Germany from Sélestat, much less an inn, and he certainly did not feel like spending the night outside in such miserably damp weather.
Recalling the directions on his map, Jacob realised that they should have arrived at a small town by now. Not wanting to break this unpleasant news to Wilhelm, Jake urged his mare onward through the drizzle and wind.
"Thank God!" Jacob heard his brother exclaim. Wondering what Wilhelm was rejoicing about, the younger Grimm strained his eyes. Seeing nothing ahead except for gnarled trees and rain, Jake turned to Will expectantly.
"Am I missing something, or are you rejoicing in the fact that we're going to sleep outdoors tonight?" The younger man questioned, wishing he'd been able to afford better glasses.
Wilhelm lifted a finger in response and pointed down the road at something outside Jacob's field of vision.
"Still blind as a bat, brother?" Wilhelm teased, a small grin visible under the brim of his hat.
Returning the grin with a smile of his own, the younger man replied in mock annoyance, "Still, Wilhelm."
"Are you upset?" Wilhelm asked suddenly, pulling down the collar of his jacket so he could get a proper look at Jake.
"You've known me forever, Will. Do you really need to ask?" Sighing, Jake continued with a strained smile, "No, I'm just cold and tired and hungry."
"Good," Will replied with a smile.
"Good?" Jake repeated slowly as he resisted the growing urge to throttle his brother.
"It's good that you're not angry," Wilhelm clarified, unable to hide the amusement in his voice at the younger man's increasing exasperation. "So," the older Grimm continued casually, "Now that we're closer, can you see the house yet?"
Suddenly distracted from Will's teasing, Jacob reigned in his mount sharply.
"Can you hear that? It sounds like a lullaby," Jacob asked, tightening his hold on the reins as a sudden rush of dizziness turned his stomach. Shouting Will's name breathlessly, Jake felt his grip falter as the slow song filled his ears and he slipped into darkness.
Wilhelm yelled as he saw Jacob crumple in his saddle and slip sideways off of the horse. Vaulting from his mare, Will ran toward Jake and tumbled to his knees, catching his brother's limp body inches from the ground.
"Damnit! Get up!" Will cursed, alarmed at his brother's lack of response.
"You idiot, get up!" he repeated hoarsely, pressing a hand against his brother's cold forehead. Trying to ignore the panic constricting his chest, Will heaved himself to his feet, holding Jake as he struggled to grab both horses' reins.
Lifting himself and his brother up onto one of the mounts with difficulty, Will held Jacob close as he set off with both horses at a gallop toward the distant lights of the house.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading. This is the updated version of Chapter 4, uploaded on 02/2023.