Chapter 16 - The Morning
For the first time in recent memory, Jacob Grimm awoke to the pleasant smell of cooking eggs and sausage in the morning. No one was yelling at them or chasing them, there was no messenger waking them up in the early hours of the morning, just the comforting smell of breakfast and a soft haze of warm sunlight illuminating the room. Slowly rubbing the sleep from his eyes, the younger Grimm savored this peaceful experience. After a night of sleeping in a soft bed, with finely-spun sheets and down-filled pillows, he couldn't recall the last time he felt so rested.
Slowly taking in his surroundings, Jacob felt something that had been missing from his life for quite some time, he felt at peace. While not forgetting that disaster likely lay ahead of them, he felt thankful for this small, quiet reprieve. Hearing the soft sound of Wilhelm's breath as he slept beside him, Jacob felt a gentle warmth fill his chest. Despite their increasingly frequent arguments as of late, he was truly glad for their travels together. Ever since Wilhelm had shown up to drag Jake away from his studies at the university, they had spent most of their waking moments together. Although Will's ease of spending money and skill at conning countryfolk out of their coinage irritated Jacob to no end, he could not deny that their travels had allowed him an invaluable opportunity to study and document their country's folklore.
Jake's thoughts turned to his conversation with Herr Lehrer from the previous night. He thought of the regret that the thief had expressed at hurting someone he cared deeply about when forced to confront his own feelings, reflecting on how that regret had made the thief outwardly bitter. Jacob also thought about Weiss, whose feelings had never faded for his mentor and whose kindness had saved Jacob's life. The younger Grimm felt a deep sense of understanding and kinship towards their situation that he could not easily name, towards the idea of true love caged by a deep fear of rejection. The younger Grimm mused to himself that in a world so often cruel and unyielding, true love was not something mundane, but instead something precious and magical. 'For what separates us from monsters and demons, if not love?' Jacob wondered, closing his eyes to steal another few precious minutes in the warm peaceful silence.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading. This is the updated version of Chapter 16, uploaded on 02/2023.