Chapter 6 - The Thief
Raising a hand to the guestroom door, Weiss paused before gently rapping his knuckles against the well-polished wood.
"Hello?" The blond man questioned, slipping through the door and moving silently across the room.
"Are you awake?" Weiss continued softly, carefully skirting the sopping pile of discarded clothes strewn across the floor. Raising a delicate hand against Jacob's forehead, Weiss frowned as it came away cold.
"Goodness, you're absolutely chilled!" he exclaimed quietly. Pulling back the sheets cautiously to expose Jacob's chest, Weiss exhaled in exasperation as he examined the man's attire.
"No wonder you're shivering, your undershirt is soaked through with rain," Weiss chided softly, sliding his hands carefully across the damp cloth and unbuttoning the shirt.
Noticing the unconscious man begin to fidget ever so slightly, Weiss sighed once more and added, "Goodness, how awkward will it be if this gentleman wakes up? I really wish your companion had done this instead."
Jacob Grimm was initially distracted by an uncomfortable mix of icy-cold wetness and heavy fatigue as he came to. However, as his head began to clear Jake quickly distinguished the sound of an unfamiliar voice murmuring in his ear. Realising this, he suddenly became certain that the pleasantly warm sensations he was feeling across his skin were a pair of hands.
This discomforting thought brought Jake to his senses, and as he opened his eyes he found an unfamiliar blond man staring back.
"Oh. Dear," The stranger murmured unhappily, quickly pulling his hands away from Jacob's dampened undershirt and holding them up in surrender. "This... This is exactly what I was afraid of. Now, I beg of you, please do not panic," Weiss added, strongly suspecting his words would go unheeded as he noted the other man's alarmed expression.
Indeed, as Jake took in his surroundings, he was finding it increasingly difficult to heed the stranger's advice. Glancing from the aristocrat to the well-furnished room around him, Jacob shouted his brother's name.
When his shout came out as no more than a hoarse whisper, the younger Grimm felt a sudden nausea in the pit of his stomach. Struggling to pull himself upright amidst the plush bedding, the blond stranger held him down with a surprisingly firm but gentle grip.
"Everything is alright. Your lover isn't here right now," Weiss explained, "He went into town to get you some medicine, but he should be back soon, any time really." Hoping that Wilhelm was indeed on his way, the blond man cautiously released his hold on Jacob.
"My… lover?" Jake wondered aloud in confusion, glancing up at the other man uncertainly and inching backward.
"Oh, isn't he? My apologies. That handsome gentleman with the messy dark blond hair and bright eyes... Wilhelm wasn't it?" Weiss questioned, now deeply uncertain as to whether he had correctly guessed the nature of their relationship. In all honesty, he had simply assumed they were lovers due to the concern and protectiveness that Will had shown for the spectacled man.
"Will?" Jacob sputtered, nearly choking before regaining some of his composure, "Dear sir, Wilhelm is my brother."
At his response, Weiss was suddenly overcome by a fit of coughing that sounded suspiciously like ill-concealed laughter to Jake. "Goodness, I beg your pardon! I had just assumed..." The blond man began, a small flush of embarrassment spreading across his fair cheeks.
As the younger man let out a heavy sigh and regarded him wryly, Weiss continued, "Right. Well, seeing as any semblance of manners has failed me beyond repair at this point, I'm Weiss Erzdieb, and you are resting in a guest room in my house."
Carefully contemplating his next words, the blond man felt his face grow warm with embarrassment and pushed himself to continue talking, "Also, my only intent was to get you out of that damp undershirt before you froze to death. Honestly." Giving Jacob a weak smile, Weiss quickly displaced himself from the bed and began sorting through the chest of drawers. "Seeing as you seem to be awake and fairly functional now, I'll leave the task up to you," He added hurriedly, laying out a set of dry clothes at the foot of the bed.
Realizing that he had been silent for far too long as he processed the situation, Jake bowed his head in appreciation. "Thank you for the hospitality, Mein Herr, and for personally attending to me," he added with a small grin, "I'm Jacob Grimm."
"Think nothing of it, Jacob. If you require anything you can find me in the library, first door on the left," The gentleman hurriedly replied, taking his leave and shutting the door firmly behind him.
Waiting until the other man's footsteps had faded down the hallway, Jacob shot a final glance at the door before stiffly pulling himself out of bed. Keenly eyeing the fresh set of clothes, the younger Grimm quickly pulled off his remaining wet garments. Breathing a long sigh of relief, Jacob wasted no time in donning the blissfully dry clothes and finding his glasses. Inspecting the shirt's sleeve cuff, Jake found himself impressed at the skill and expense that had gone into the garment's fabrication, finding it challenging to contain his increasing curiosity about their host's identity.
Feeling refreshed, Jacob took a moment to reflect on the fact that Weiss had mentioned he could be found in the library. Feeling his love of the written word overcome any misgivings he may have had, Jake carefully made his way out into the hallway and knocked lightly when he came to the door.
"It's open," Weiss called out from within the depths of the room.
Stepping through the threshold, Jacob could barely contain his excitement as he saw rows upon rows of books lining the dark wooden shelves that filled the room. Barely noticing Weiss seated in one of the leather chairs positioned at the room's center, Jake absentmindedly adjusted his glasses as he glanced from one shelf to the next.
"Amazing, this is amazing!" Jacob exclaimed, "You have so many books, it's absolutely breathtaking for a personal collection."
"Isn't it?" Weiss answered from behind the cover of a small leather-bound book, "I figured I ought to invest something in my second favourite pastime."
Balancing the book on his chair arm with care, the blond man looked up at Jake with an appreciative smile, "So, Jacob. What kind of books do you read?"
Dragging his attention away from the multitude of shelves around him, Jake replied, "Fairytales, folklore, myths, most cultural narratives really."
Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, Weiss could not hide the enthusiasm that coloured his voice as he spoke. "Fickle fates!" he exclaimed happily, "I hate to brag, but I am a thief who is known quite notoriously throughout Germany as the Arch-Thief. In a fit of hubris I once stole the parson and clerk from a church, I don't suppose that sort of story would interest you?" Excitement plain in his voice the blond man continued, "I rarely get a chance to talk to people nowadays, and those I do occasionally converse with aren't generally in accord with my profession."
Settling himself into a chair beside the thief, Jacob couldn't help lamenting the fact that he was without his journal, "Mein Herr, I would be quite honoured to hear your story."
Stepping inside the manor and hastily slamming the heavy door behind him, Wilhelm bolted down the hallway before taking the stairs two at a time.
"Jake?" He called, stepping into the guest room only to find it empty except for his brother's scattered damp clothes.
"Jacob!" Will repeated, a hint of panic creeping into his voice as he headed back out into the hallway.
"Wilhelm, we're in here!" Weiss called out from the open door of the study.
Walking into the library, Will felt his jaw involuntarily clench as he saw Weiss and Jake relaxing in the leather chairs, both grinning.
"Were you able to get the medicine and tea?" The blond man asked.
Ignoring the thief entirely, Will turned an accusatory glare to Jacob, "I brought you some medicine, but you seem to be doing much better..." Wilhelm trailed off, feeling a surge of annoyance at his brother's relaxed attitude. Turning from Jake to Weiss as the two exchanged a knowing look, the older Grimm bluntly asked, "Sorry, did I miss something?"
"Will, you won't believe this! Remember that legend we heard in the village near Bonn, about the Arch-Thief who thwarted the Count?" Jacob asked excitedly, "That Arch-Thief is Weiss!"
"Guilty," The thief confirmed with a grin, "I had no idea how infamous I'd become."
Inwardly embarrassed at his own unnecessary panic, Wilhelm struggled to keep his voice level as he answered, "I was so worried I went back out into the storm for medicine and I come back to find you here, listening to stories!"
Taking a slow, measured breath, Will produced a neatly wrapped paper-bound package from his jacket pocket and set it down onto the table along with a small glass vial. "Weiss, you'll find the tea in there. Hopefully you can find some use for the medicine still, Jake. Goodnight."
Turning on his heel, Will stalked out of the library, the hollow thud of the guestroom door slamming followed in his wake.
"Dear me," Weiss stated after a moment of uncomfortable silence.
"Indeed," Jacob agreed, "I suppose I'd best go speak with him and apologize." Letting out a heavy sigh, the younger Grimm pulled himself out of the plush chair and stretched his stiff limbs.
Jacob paused at the doorway, turning back to face the thief, "Thank you again, Weiss, for the lovely tale. If you don't mind, I'd like to record it in my journal, so that it's not forgotten."
"Think nothing of it," the thief replied with a dismissive flick of his hand, "Your company was thanks enough, I'm glad you enjoyed hearing it. Now please, get some rest!"
"Will?" Jacob wondered aloud as he stepped into the darkened room, "Wilhelm?" He repeated, slowly closing the heavy oak door behind him.
'Now he's ignoring me, how childish,' Jacob thought to himself in irritation, blindly making his way across the darkened room. Carefully feeling for the edge of the bedside table, Jacob gently placed the bottle and his glasses on its smooth surface before slipping under the covers, and turning to face his brother.
"Will," Jacob implored in a low whisper. As the silence lengthened uncomfortably, he continued, "I'm sorry, Will I wasn't trying to worry you, I'm not sure what happened," Jake explained softly.
"That's what you always say Jacob, but the worst part is that you always mean it," Will replied with a heavy sigh from somewhere in the dark, just close enough that Jake could feel Wilhelm's breath on his cheek.
"What do you mean by that?" Jacob asked, failing to grasp what it was that his brother was saying.
"Never mind," Wilhelm retorted, "And get out of my bed," He added tersely, abruptly ending the conversation as Jake felt the other man shift in the bed and turn his back toward him.
Sighing, Jake pulled the scarce remainder of the blankets around him. "Good night to you too, Will," he whispered, confusion giving way to a heavy heart at the lonely silence that followed.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading. This is the updated version of Chapter 6, uploaded on 02/2023.