Chapter 24 - The Princess
Woken by the soft warmth of late morning sunlight on his face, Jacob began to rouse himself from a deep sleep. Noticing the unfamiliar feeling of silk against his fingers, the younger Grimm froze, finding himself suddenly quite awake as he realized he'd woken up in the tower's luxuriant bed. Jake drowsily turned to check the other side of the bed, heaving a sigh of relief as he found it empty. Scanning the remainder of the tower, he noticed that his glasses had been placed with care on the bedside table next to him, alongside what appeared to be a bowl of wild berries. Continuing his search across the room, Jacob noticed Herr Lied reclining asleep in a leather chair with his feet propped up on a dresser.
Something about the situation was not sitting right with Jake. Thinking back on their conversation the night before, the younger Grimm recalled the enthusiasm with which Gram had questioned him about studying at the University of Marburg. While Jacob had first assumed that the magician had been questioning him about his past to discern what his true intentions were, that thought had quickly subsided with Herr Lied's long list of questions about the school's course work and libraries. In fact, the last thing Jake recalled was sitting under the open window and discussing with Gram the school's expansive collection of Greek tragedies. Now, having woken up here, he could only assume that the other man had been thoughtful enough to put him on the bed when he'd fallen asleep. Jake felt his face flush with warmth in embarrassment at the idea of being carried to bed by another man.
This behaviour didn't make an ounce of sense to Jacob; what kind of kidnapper, never mind possible child murderer, was thoughtful enough to treat his guest with such hospitality and wanted nothing more than to discuss ancient myths. Was the man actually insane? One thing Jake was certain of though, was that Gram was the person who had taken the children of Hameln. The magician's immense power combined with his unique appearance didn't leave much room for doubt in Jacob's mind. Especially given the not inconsequential fact that Lied had abducted Jake from his camp under the, albeit correct, assumption that the two brothers had been sent into the forest at the townspeople's request. As he mulled over the situation, more and more the younger Grimm was beginning to suspect that they had not been told the full details of what had unfolded in the town. More to the point, if the children had met with a tragic end, what did the magician have to gain from remaining here in the forest?
Slowly sitting up in the bed, Jacob reached for his glasses, noticing the thick layer of dust blanketing the wooden side table, undisturbed save for the bowl and his glasses. Studying other furnishings in the room, the younger Grimm noticed that save for one table housing his saddlebag and another leather bag, none of the other objects appeared to have been disturbed. Whatever reason Herr Lied had for staying in the tower, it appeared that he was not intent on staying long, nor interested in any of the artifacts it contained. Indeed, the silver-haired man's tidy appearance and well-made clothes didn't suggest to Jacob that thievery was a motive or that he was in need of money. Thinking back on the other man's behaviour, Jacob's impression was that he was biding his time in the tower waiting for something or someone, and Gram's actions were not orchestrated so much as largely being fueled by restlessness and anxiety. Jake wondered to himself how he could learn more about the situation without revealing his true reasons for entering the forest.
"Good morning, Jacob, I see you're finally awake," Gram greeting him lazily from across the room. Jake startled at his words, attempting to get out from under the duvet and gain some semblance of presentability. Waving a hand dismissively at him, Herr Lied sat up in his chair. "I've been up for several hours already now," he said with a smirk, "No point in rushing to get up on my account, I've had plenty of opportunity to see you sleeping. You looked so peaceful I was inspired to join you and take a mid-morning nap."
Feeling the tips of his ears warm in embarrassment as the magician chuckled at his expense, Jacob ducked his head in greeting. "Good morning, Gram. As you can see it's been a some time since I've slept in such a comfortable bed, and it appears my body was intent on taking full advantage of the opportunity," Jake replied with a sheepish smile.
"Indeed, I'm sure it's much more agreeable than camping," the silver-haired man replied. "You know," he began, suddenly staring at Jacob intently, "Speaking of camping, I saw no sign of a fire in the forest last night after you'd fallen asleep. Do you suppose your travelling companion has become justifiably wary, or has fled the forest the way you came?"
Feeling instantly more alert at the pointed line of questioning, Jacob paused before responding, "Honestly, he's my brother, so I'm sure Wilhelm would have left me here if not for the fact that I have our food and the map." Jake noticed an undertone of anxiety in the other man's usually smooth voice, and quickly added, "He would not have returned the way we came, we have business further east, and he's rather stubborn." Noticing that Herr Lied had unconsciously unclenched his jaw in response to Jacob's answer, the younger Grimm hazarded that he was concerned about Wilhelm returning to Hameln and interacting with the townspeople.
"Very well, Jacob, if your brother has indeed continued east, I will intercept him when he arrives here and return you to him." Giving Jake a smile, the magician continued, "You certainly present as a very convincing scholar, I'm afraid I've made a serious error. I have no need to hold you here if you two will continue on your way and overlook the… inconvenience."
Jacob noted an unexpected twist of guilt in his stomach at the deception. "I see you've finally tired of hearing me talk on and on about myths and folklore, Gram. You've lasted longer than my previous captor," the younger Grimm replied glibly, masking his guilt with humor.
"Not in the least, Jacob," the magician exclaimed, "I've thoroughly enjoyed our discussions, you've been particularly indulging given that I abducted you in the middle of the night, not dissimilar to a monster from a fairy tale."
"Does that make me the princess, then?" Jacob joked, feeling more at ease knowing that Gram did not suspect his motives.
"You are quite fair, Jacob, though you lack the golden locks," Gram replied silkily, before standing up and heading towards the tower door. "Take some time to have breakfast. I'll return some time in the afternoon."
Author's Note: Thank you for reading. This is the updated version of Chapter 24, uploaded on 03/2023.