Hansel & Gretel [NaNoWriMo 2016]

CHAPTER TWO: Gretel

Dawn's first light had barely made its appearance in the world when Gretel and Hansel set off on their journey. While Hansel was struggling to stay awake and alert on the saddle, Gretel's eyes were wide and aware of every movement Hansel was making. Every time he rubbed at his eyes or attempted to widen his eyes to remain awake, she felt a nerve stirring up irritation which resulted in a twitch in her cheek. She knew she would do what she did every early morning, but she liked to resist for as long as she was able. After all, they were seventeen and she couldn't baby him like she used to.

Her cheek twitched again.

Who was she kidding?

Sighing deeply, Gretel held out her left hand towards Hansel without saying a word. A moment passed before he noticed her hand.

A sleepy smile lit up Hansel's face. "You're the best sister ever!"

"Yes, yes, now just give it to me," Gretel demanded, slightly hating herself for giving in so quickly.

Hansel grabbed his horse's reins and handed it to her without a word. Once they were safely tied to her saddle, Hansel leaned forward and closed his eyes. Like every morning, he would no doubt be off to dreamland without a care in the world because he knew his older sister would be watching over him. It was small, trusting things that just occurred that set Gretel's teeth on edge. While Gretel herself knew that she was trustworthy, Hansel should have least been a little wary that Gretel might decide to prank him or something while he slept. And staying with that woman the previous night. That had really picked at her nerves.

Sometimes, Gretel wondered if Hansel was really that trusting or simply naïve. What if the woman had witnessed Gretel's use of magic? What if she had known that they were not in fact from this country, Loress? People were not always what they appeared to be and you could not always tell what they were thinking. Sometimes, people were bad.

Sometimes, people weren't even people.

Gretel rubbed her right leg with a glowing hand, smoothing away the twinges of pain. She knew why Hansel couldn't be as distrusting as she was. He didn't have a reminder in the form of pain, suffering, and hardship built into him. He didn't remember as well as he should either. In a lot of ways, her twin brother was her opposite. He couldn't see the bad in people and that was all she could see. She would rather apologize for her accusations than pay dearly for an ounce of trust and kindness.

Gretel briefly glanced at her brother's sleeping form, a slight smile gracing her lips for a split moment. While his kind nature worried her constantly at night, she knew that she could ease her worries with the fact that she would be by his side and keeping an eye out for backstabbers.

Oh, the woes of being the oldest of the two.

                                                                     ***

Three hours passed with only Gretel awake during the beautiful, autumn morning. The cool breeze swept past her tight braid of her long, brown hair, fallen leaves twisting and turning along with the wind. There was no sound in the forest besides Hansel's soft snores and the breathing of their horses. Maybe this was why she so easily gave in and let her brother sleep during the journey. Having someone's presence by her side as a constant did no favors for her piece of mind and left almost no time for silence.

However, that was to come to an end. Gretel could tell that though she had kept their pace as slow as a gentle walk, the horses were in need of a water and rest break. Normally, she and Hansel would be glad to have a chance to walk about for a bit, but with her brother still napping, this break would mean that she would have to wake him. Otherwise, he would be sore or want to take another break to stretch his legs. This would lead to it taking longer to get to Sors which was unacceptable. She wanted to get this journey and meeting over sooner rather than later.