Girl in the Red Hood (34 page)

"We'll need to see everyone off who wants to
go, help them find a true trade if they want to go." His voice fell
a little. "And we'll need to take care of my father." Garrit had
regained his consciousness that afternoon when the wedding bells
rang, according to the caretaker who had been placed at his
side.

"I have the feeling some might remain,"
Liesel said, thinking back on how Keegan and a few of the others
had remained silent as they'd discussed leaving the forest earlier
that evening. And she didn't even want to think about what Johan
would do without even his wolf self to turn to when he was
lonely.

"But I promise you this. The moment the
people can do without us,
we're
leaving," Kurt lay down
again and drew her close again. Liesel drew as near as she
could.

"And then?"

"We're never looking back."

Leaving
the forest took longer than Liesel would have liked, but anything
was livable after what she had endured for the past seven years.
The people of the pack were animated, joyful in the wake of Kurt
and Liesel's miracle. But as their capacity for joy had grown, so
had their capacity to fret and worry Kurt to death. Every man and
woman, it seemed, was suddenly at a loss for what to do with
themselves. The menial jobs and gardens and cottages that had once
sustained them were suddenly too dirty and insignificant to keep
them a moment longer. And as Garrit was still recovering, the
responsibility of setting the people at rights after being
suppressed for two hundred years fell upon Kurt's shoulders.

"Foolish woman!" Kurt stomped in one day,
shaking his head and muttering to himself incoherently. In the
midst of the constant crisis that seemed to be perpetually
developing in the suddenly too small village, the members of Kurt's
family had chosen to stay together in the large cabin while things
were set to rights. It was a good thing, too, as everyone else was
so intent on either leaving or rebuilding their own decrepit houses
that there wasn't a spare work animal to be found. Even Ward was
short on horses. Kurt had done his best to negotiate for the
individuals and families who wished to leave. Because they'd never
had much need for gold, and under the spell no one had cared enough
to create many tradeable goods, he had to promise that his charges
would pay back their loans in labor. It had taken him weeks to find
enough carts and horses to borrow to get everyone moved, and now it
seemed that not even what he'd wrangled would be enough.

"Who is it this time?" Lora rolled her eyes
and tossed her big brother a biscuit. Kurt caught it and slumped
down onto one of the stools, his head making a thumping sound when
it hit the table. He left it there as he answered in a muffled
voice,

"Mrs. Fisch is convinced she can't move to
Ward without a wooden cart." Sitting back up, he threw his hand in
the air in frustration. "It's less than an hour's walk! But she
wants me to take the cart from the Abel family the day they move so
she can use it."

"The Abels have four children under the age
of five," Keegan frowned as he looked up from the wood block he was
carving. The tall young man had been even quieter than usual since
the wedding. Liesel felt they might be good friends if he ever
decided to speak more than a sentence at a time to her. A
thoughtful look crossed his face. "I'm helping Mrs. Fisch's
neighbor move, too. Do you think Mrs. Fisch would be willing to go
sooner?" Kurt stared at his brother for a moment.

"Come with me tomorrow. I could use your
help."

"No," Keegan shook his head, staring at the
table again. "I need to take-"

"I can care for Father," Lora raised an
eyebrow and smiled knowingly. Keegan gave her a long look before
mumbling something about Kurt having it all in hand. It took an
entire evening of cajoling before he would even consider leaving
the house to help Kurt. When Liesel asked Kurt why later, he
said,

"My brother has always looked up to my
uncle. Playing a part in his plan, the failed wedding, my
capture...they all made him even less confident in himself than he
already is." He'd sighed. "Whether he knew her or not, Keegan
exchanged vows with the girl from Ward. She was his wife. And he
was the reason she died such a horrible death. It will take time
before he's ready to move on."

If Keegan was a mess, Johan was worse. It
had always seemed as if everyone would benefit from the removal of
the spell, but after weeks of watching Johan help others move and
then disappear by himself at the end of every day, Liesel could
stand it no longer. She watched and waited one day, about a month
after the spell had been lifted, until she saw him on his daily
walk out of the town. Grabbing the basket of apples she'd bartered
for at Ward's market, she set out to follow him.

He walked farther than she first thought he
might, until he was deep in the woods where there was neither sign
nor sound of anything human. Just when Liesel thought her feet
might fall off from walking so far, Johan sat on a fallen log, lit
his pipe, and just stared into the trees. Wordlessly, Liesel went
and sat beside him. When she held out one of her apples, he took it
and turned it slowly in his hands, examining the fruit without
really seeing it.

"Seems ungrateful to the Maker," he finally
said, letting out a gusty sigh, "but I miss it." Liesel said
nothing, just watched the old man carefully. "At least the wolf was
able to swallow up some of the shame. In that form, I could at
least forget about losing her for a little while." Liesel's heart
hurt as she looked into the weathered face that stared down blindly
as a single tear gathered in the corner of his eye. They sat like
that for a long time. There were no words Liesel could think of
that would help. She knew nothing of losing a child. And she hadn't
realized how much he had relied on the form that everyone else
hated. Silently, she called out to the Maker, asking Him to give
Johan something, some sort of closure to the pain, some sort of
hope.

Johan was still weighing heavily on Liesel's
mind the next day as she set out on an errand of a different sort.
Though she had been keeping busy, trying to help Kurt in whatever
ways she could, there was someone she needed to thank before they
left the woods.

Now that the spell was broken, the people of
Ward would at least speak with her. Though they weren't exactly
friendly, they were willing to help her find her person of
mystery.

"Paul?" The mayor rubbed his chin
thoughtfully. He was one of the only individuals who seemed to go
on as if nothing had happened, and he hadn't helped delivered
Liesel to a pack of wolves. "A hunter, you say? I think I do
remember someone by that name. He lives a ways off, half a day's
ride on horseback. What do you want him for?"

"It's a long story," Liesel shook her head.
"How do I find him?" The next morning, Liesel had slipped out of
the cabin before anyone else was awake. She was sure Kurt wouldn't
be keen on her riding so far by herself, but she tried to comfort
him in her note by assuring him she would be home before dark. The
mayor's directions were correct, much to Liesel's relief. After
about three hours of riding straight west, Liesel came upon a
little cabin in the middle of the great forest. It was surprisingly
well-kept for something so deep in the woods. Praying she was
right, and that this truly was the hunter's house, she timidly
dismounted her horse and knocked on the door.

"Yes?" A woman with graying brown hair
answered the door. She looked confused, but Liesel thought she had
kind eyes.

"I...I'm looking for a man named Paul,"
Liesel tried to sound confident. "I was told this is where he
lives...?"

"Aye," a man answered as the door opened
wider. Sure enough, it was him. He looked a little older, perhaps,
but Liesel could never have forgotten the face of the man who had
risked his life to save her from the wolf.

"I don't know if you remember me," she tried
to smile, "but while you were out hunting seven years ago, I had
been bitten by a wolf and-"

"Ah, yes!" Recognition lit his eyes. "You
were the girl I brought back to Ward! Come in, please! My wife will
get you something to drink. Joseph!" he barked. A boy who looked to
be about ten or so ran up to them. "Get our guest's horse to the
stable. See it's taken care of." Liesel's trepidation quickly
melted as she walked into the cozy, glowing cabin. It was simple,
but neat. The fire roared, and stew was cooking above it. A few
other children, older and younger, showed themselves as Liesel
seated herself in one of the comfortable wooden chairs offered
her.

The hunter's family was just as kind as he
had been that first night, but nothing struck Liesel as out of the
ordinary until Liesel asked where they were from. As she listened,
however, her heart began to pound, and she had the sudden,
desperate need to return home.

The next day, Liesel was at Johan's house
before he was even awake, banging on his door. She had been right.
Kurt wasn't very happy with her at all when she'd returned the
night before. When she insisted she was taking Johan back with her
the next day, however, he relented a bit. When she told him why she
needed to take Johan back with her, he grew nearly as giddy as she
was.

"Be careful though, Liesel," he cautioned
her after sharing her initial excitement. "If you're right, this
will be the answer to our prayers. If it's not though, it just
might kill him." Liesel thought about that as she waited
impatiently for Johan to answer her knock. She had nearly chickened
out of telling him, but the conviction that she was right was too
strong for her to give up. Convincing Johan to accompany her out
into the forest wasn't difficult at all. Until they reached the
cabin once again.

"Ho, now. What are we doing here?" Johan had
stared at the cabin uneasily. Liesel smiled, remembering Johan's
aversion to meeting new people.

"There's someone here I think you should
meet," Liesel answered, already knocking on the door. She wasn't
going to give him a chance to get nervous and escape into the woods
by waiting too long. The hunter's wife answered the door again. She
smiled when she saw Liesel, but her smile wavered and then
disappeared when she saw Johan. The old man stood as though chained
to the ground, as though vines had grown up and around him. The
woman and the old man stared at one another for a long time before
she finally whispered,

"Do I know you?" Johan tried to speak, but
it took him a moment to gather the breath.

"Probably...probably not," he had to stop
and lick his lips. "But I could never forget..." He stopped and
looked at Liesel, the confusion and hope warring in his eyes.
Liesel just smiled and nodded. "Hanne?" As if in a trance, the
woman nodded. Then her eyes widened as though terrified.

"Papa!"

***

Though the large cabin made Johan a bit
wary, he was immediately enchanted with his daughter's family. He
insisted on taking Liesel home, but she knew it killed him to leave
his daughter even for that. As she waved goodbye to him for the
last time, she knew the Maker had answered one more prayer. Johan
had finally found his peace.

Unfortunately, pain wasn't so easily
resolved for the others Kurt and Liesel helped. Keegan still
doubted everything he said or touched. Much to his surprise and
everyone else's, however, once the young man showed his hand at
managing the anxious villagers, he proved to excel. It was only a
few weeks before Kurt made the announcement at supper that he
wanted to hand down the leadership to Keegan. Keegan's brown eyes
had grown large.

"But Father-" he had started, but Kurt just
shook his head.

"Father is recovering, yes. But you know he
won't be able to lead anymore, Kee. Those who stay here will need
someone strong. You can ask him for advice, but the people need
you." Keegan had continued to argue, but Kurt wouldn't hear of it.
After supper that night, he took his little brother on a long
walk.

"Well, did he accept?" Liesel asked
anxiously when they got back. Keegan's acceptance was the key to
their escape from the forest. The people couldn't be left alone in
the state they were in, and though Garrit was healing, there was no
assurance he would ever be fit to lead the people again. Kurt's
grin was so broad words were unnecessary. Liesel nearly shrieked
with joy. It had only been a few months since the wedding, but she
was more ready than ever to leave the dark confines of the
woods.

Leaving the woods, when they finally did go,
was surreal. Liesel half expected sentries from Ward to appear on
the dirt road and order them back. But they made it out, and their
first stop was Tag, to thank the Beckes, and then Weit. Given the
circumstances of their departure, they agreed that it would be best
not to appear in the town itself, but Liesel wanted to make amends
with her grandparents before they set off on their own journey. As
they rode up to the grand house once again, Liesel nearly trembled
for fear of what her grandparents would say, not that they could
separate the happily married couple. And even if they had come to
terms with her choice, she wondered what the town had to say about
them remaining at the vineyard. But she wanted their blessing. She
wanted to see the happiness in their eyes at her marriage,
something they'd never worn for her mother.

Ilsa wept even harder at Liesel's return
than she had at her speedy escape. Bernd was the most surprising,
however. He'd walked out of the cabin and down the hill stoically
behind his wife, as always, leaning on his staff. As Liesel and her
grandmother embraced and cried in one another's arms, he asked
Kurt,

"It's over? For all of them?" Unsure of how
he would react, Kurt simply nodded. Bernd swallowed hard, and to
everyone's surprise, fell to his knees and began to weep. Everyone
stopped to stare as the big man cried, and in that moment, Liesel
knew that all was forgiven. The nightmare was over. Her
grandparents could shed the guilt they'd born for so many
years.