Chapter 19 - The Encounter
Wilhelm balked at the figure's words, his grip on the pistol tightening as Kastanie nervously pranced beneath him.
"Don't take a step closer," Will ordered as the shadowy silhouette stepped towards him. "I will shoot you," he bluffed when the figure laughed dryly and continued his approach.
"I think if you were going to shoot me, you would have already done so," he replied. "What dreadful manners you have, threatening a lone traveler on the road at such a late hour."
"Have you taken my brother? Have you taken Jacob?" Wilhelm yelled in anger, ignoring the stranger's words and urging Kastanie forward with his pistol still raised. As his mare moved towards the stranger, the shadows dispersed revealing a dark-haired man.
"Jacob?" the other man echoed, his voice tinged with curiosity, "Do you mean Jacob Grimm?"
Lowering his pistol from the man in front of him, Wilhelm paused before holstering his gun, "I've seen you before, haven't I? In Sélestat." The older Grimm thought back to the encounter, resisting the urge to unholster his pistol once more as he recalled Jacob bringing the werewolf back to the inn.
"What an unlikely encounter," Herr Prinz exclaimed in equal surprise.
Jacob eyed his captor warily, entirely certain that this was the same man who had abducted the children of Hameln, and not at all intent on further angering him. "How am I to address you, Mein Herr?" the younger Grimm began. Taking in his surroundings, Jake felt a growing sense of dread, the circular room's stone walls and floors stirring memories of the queen's tower. Late afternoon sunlight flitted through the dusty, arched windows, illuminating the contents of the room.
"Herr Lied will suffice," he responded coolly. Narrowing his eyes, the silver-haired man leaned in toward Jacob, "Why did you enter the forest?"
Jacob considered his next words carefully, uncertain whether Herr Lied had already surmised their true purpose. "My brother and I are scholars from the University of Marburg. We study folklore and linguistics, and have been travelling across Germany for the past five years collecting stories from countryfolk." Jacob held out his hands, showing his captor the ink stains across his fingers.
Inspecting Jacob's hands momentarily, Herr Lied continued sharply, "Did you come from Hameln?"
Feeling his throat dry, Jake nodded in confirmation. "We did pass through Hameln, it's true, but received such a cold welcome that we opted to continue on and request lodging from an acquaintance of ours who lives at the edge of the forest."
Herr Lied tilted his head to the side wordlessly, inspecting the younger Grimm. "What is your name?" he asked silkily.
"Jacob Ludwig, Mein Herr," Jake replied, hoping the faint tremor in his voice remained undetectable.
The other man leaned in closer to Jake, staring at him intently. "Well, Jacob. It doesn't seem that you're outright lying to me, and you do have an air of trustworthiness about you, but I'm not entirely certain that I believe you, either."
"Uh, great, thank you? I think?" the younger Grimm responded awkwardly, leaning away from the silver haired man.
"Those were not compliments," Herr Lied replied dryly, standing up from the bed.
"Right," Jacob quickly agreed, "Mein Herr, where I am I?" The younger Grimm continued as Herr Lied moved towards the tower door.
"The remains of this castle are in the forest which borders Hameln at its west and Aalen to the east," the Piper responded. "We are not so far from where you and your travelling companion set up camp last night. Indeed, I could see the smoke from your fire through these windows," he added, slipping through the door and bolting it shut.
Turning his gaze from the door, the younger Grimm pulled himself up from the bed and began inspecting his unusual prison. Glad that he was alone at the very least, Jacob walked towards one of the windows. Swinging open the rusty pane, he noticed that this side of the tower faced west, as evidenced by the brilliant crimson and orange sunset that met his eyes, bathing the forest treetops for miles around. Noticing a linear scar through the forest leading towards the castle, Jacob surmised it was the road they had been following. He wondered if Herr Lied had been telling the truth about how he had happened upon them. If this was the case, Jacob realized, he had a slight advantage knowing who the other man was and why he was so wary of travelers entering the forest from Hameln. Not much comforted by this in the least, Jake's thoughts turned to his brother and he wondered what course of action he had taken. Hoping that Wilhelm would indeed come after him, Jacob entertained thoughts of what would happen if he did not.
"You?" Will grumbled, eyeing Herr Prinz in annoyance and dismounting from his horse.
"We meet again," Schwarz replied with a grin, extending a hand in greeting to Wilhelm. The older Grimm ignored his offered hand and placed a hand emphatically on his holster. "Good evening to you, too, Herr Grimm," The dark-haired man retorted as he lowered his hand, "What business brings you into the forest at such a late hour? And where is dear Jacob?"
"Work," Wilhelm replied curtly. "I don't know where Jacob is, I woke up this morning and he'd vanished from our camp."
Prinz's dark eyebrows raised in surprise at Will's response. "Mein Herr, I mean no disrespect but this forest is no place for anyone to be travelling alone, armed or not, even one of the brothers Grimm," Schwarz exclaimed.
"While I appreciate your concerns, I don't have much of a choice in the matter at this moment. Perhaps you should take your own advice, given that you appear to be travelling alone through here on foot," Wilhelm retorted in annoyance.
"Yes, well I do present somewhat of a unique situation, do I not?" Schwarz replied with smile, his fanged teeth glinting in the darkness, "In all seriousness, it's not safe for you here, the forest seems different since I last visited, it is much louder and full of fear. There is a spot just up the road where we can set up camp for the night, it is relatively well-sheltered."
"Are you not heading west?" Wilhelm asked, distrust creeping into his voice.
"Indeed, I was," Schwarz conceded. "However, I was only interested in leaving where I came from, I don't have much of a plan or care for where I'm headed," he replied cryptically. "Also, I am most certainly in dear Jacob's debt, and would gladly help you ensure his safe return."
Wilhelm sighed in resignation, muttering something about strange folk and fairy tales under his breath. "Fine," the older Grimm acquiesced after a long pause. "But call him dear Jacob one more time and I cannot guarantee you'll see sun up," he added with a glare, stalking past Schwarz and leading Kastanie down the road.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading. This is the updated version of Chapter 19, uploaded on 02/2023.