Fritz

  The carriage drove slowly along the bumpy roads. Fritz had not seen his half-brother Paul for a long time. Too long. he vilge where Paul lived, was a rge hospital. Uhe pretext of personally cheg on it, he was now on his way to his brother. He had already visited the hospital in the m. The staff was stressed, and the funds were a bit tight, but otherwise, everything was fine. Medication for the disease, which had pgued them for almost three years now, had to be reproduced. Unfortunately, the produ was expensive, and the price could hardly be lowered.

  He had given the guards who usually apanied him a day off. Nearly nobnized him here and he wao keep the visit secret from the queen. His an was also free. Instead, he rode one of the local carriages.

  "Hold on!", cried the an. "The road is damaged. It's going to be unfortable!"

  Fritz sighed.

  Pau had stayed in their vil. Together with her two children. Two-year-old Loelia and eleven-month-old Nino. Both children looked like their mother, but they had ied Fritz's greehe queen didn't know anything about them yet. They had mao keep both pregnancies a secret from her. How long this would go well, he did not know. Pau was worried about the safety of her children, who always stayed with Pau's parents when Pau and Fritz had to go to the castle.

  He looked out the window of the carriage. In front of him y a barren ndscape. He could see the mountains of werewolves. Their territory was close. Then, finally, the carriage drove into a small, seemingly poor vilge and stopped in front of a small house, with a tiny front yard. The house was old but in good dition.

  "We're here!", shouted the an. "Should I wait? Or are you staying longer?"

  Fritz got out of the simple carriage. "I'll stay lohank you. I would be grateful if you came ba the evening. Around seven?"

  "Of course. But, that costs extra."

  "That won't be a problem." Fritz paid the an ao the small house where his half-brother lived with his family. He knocked excitedly on the door.

  It took him some time to hear footsteps. A pretty ehe door. Behiood two identical-looking toddlers. Two girls.

  "Are you Valentina?", he asked. "My name is Fritz. I'm Paul's brother."

  The woman blinked. "Fritz? Prince Fritz?"

  "Yes, exactly. Is Paul at home? May I e in?" He looked at the clothes of the woman and the two children. They were simple and somewhat tattered clothes that had been mended several times.

  "Yes, of course. Paul is still in the bakery, but he should be here soon. He always closes around this time." She pushed the two girls aside ahe door open for him.

  "Thank you very much."

  The house was simply furnished, but it seemed cozy. He followed Valentina into a small living room where a little boy ying with two wooden horses in front of a firepce."

  "Amaury?", his mother said to him. "Please say hello tuest. This is your Uncle Fritz. Daddy's brother." Her gaze wandered briefly to Fritz. "May I introduce you like that?"

  Fritz nodded. Of course, she was allowed to. They were family.

  The boy, Amaury, looked at Fritz curiously. He aul's image, while the two girls had ied Paul's nose, but otherwise resembled their mother.

  "Hello", the boy said shyly, theuro his game.

  "Sit down, please!" Valentina poio the sofa. "Would you like tea? Or some pastries? I have cake there. From yesterday. Oh!" She pushed the two girls in front of her. "These are Ava and Aleidis. They are two years old. Amaury is three. Amaury? Please py with your sisters. I'll get tea and cake!" The girls looked at Fritz and tilted their heads synously. He blinked irritated.

  The little boy groaned while Valentina rushed into the kit, leaving Fritz aloh the children. He grihe little girls stared wide-eyed at him but didn't say a word.

  "Hello", he greeted them. "Gd to meet you."

  The girls blinked. In sync, again.

  "Ava and Aleidis don't talk", Amaury told him. "They never say anything. Do you like horses?"

  "Horses? Yes, very much. Do you like horses?" Instead of sitting down on the sofa, Fritz sat dowo the little boy. The girls followed him while tinuing to stare at him. He stuck out his tongue in amusement. They just blinked.

  "Dad says you shouldn’t do that!", protested Amaury immediately.

  "Does he say that?"

  "Yes." Amaury held out one of the horses to him. "This is Browny."

  "And what's the name of the other horse."

  "Horse." The boy looked at his sisters and furrowed his brows. "Go py!"

  Ava and Aleidis were staring at the wooden horses now.

  "So here I am again!" Valentina came into the living room with a tray full of cakes and tea and put them oable. "Thanks for watg them. But you don't have to sit on the floor. I have tea and cake. e. Take something before the kids try to eat the cake on their own."

  Fritz realized a few mier, how true this threat was. He sat on the sofa and ate his piece of cake in amusement, as he watched Amaury, Ava, and Aleidis fighting over the remaining pieces. Ava and Aleidis had pulled the entire cake to them and Amaury cried bitterly. Valentina tried to stop them, but Ava and Aleidis refused to let go of the cake. heless, Valentina took care of it. Each child got only one piece of the cake, which Amaury was happy with, but the two girls were not. They stared insulted at the rest of the cake and tried, again and again, to pull the cake pte towards them.

  Fritz had never heard the word 'no' as often as Valentina said it now.

  A bit ter, they heard the front door being opened. Immediately Amaury jumped up and ran to the door. "Daaaaaad!", he excimed. Ava took the ce to steal Amaury's piece of cake, which to her luck Valentina did not notice, as she looked after her son.

  Then, finally, after half ay, Fritz saw his brain. Paul came into the living room. His brown hair was adorned with a few gray strands. He had grown older. Paul blinked in surprise when he saw Fritz.

  "There's a visitor!", said Amaury. "Look, Dad. A Visitor."

  "I see that", Paul replied. "Fritz."

  Fritz got up and rushed to his younger brother to hug him tightly. "Paul! Finally!"

  "Fritz! What are you doing here?" Paul buried his fa Fritz's shoulder. "Why... Does the Queen know you're here?"

  "The Queen?", he heard Amaury say. But a short time ter, the child gued by another problem. "My cake is gone! Ava and Aleidis took it away!"

  Paul broke away from Fritz and looked at his son and then at the table. "Oh. There is cake!"

  "Mooooom! My cake!", babbled Amaury, pointing to his sisters. The two girls just stared at him.

  "You get a new piece." Valentina sighed and gave Amaury another piece of cake.

  "That's mine!", he said angrily to his sisters, who just blinked.

  When Fritz sat down on the sofa again, he found that his piece of cake had also disappeared. With raised eyebrows, he looked at the two girls. Aleidis blinked. Oe y the remains of two pieces of cake.

  "The girls love cake!" Paul sat down ughio him and gave him a new piece. "You better defend this oh your life. So? What brings you here? A normal visit, or not? A week ago, Ingried and Adam were here. I had hoped that they would preseh a nephew or niece, but no. The two don't want children and apparently Adam... Well. He is not able to. You know, what I mean. So, I say to them, just adopt a nephew and a niee. And what does Ingried say? ried? No, thank you! She said, no thanks! And Adam hat’s something! Fritz? Do you have nephews and nieces for me? Did y them with you?" He looked around the living room. "You're not hiding them under our carpet, are you?"

  "What? Uh. No." Fritz looked at his brother in fusion. Carpet?

  "What?" Paul seemed disappointed. "You her? Fritz! You must have married a ch by noon't anyone give me nephews and nieces! Fritz! I beg you! I want children!"

  "You have your own. Take care of them!", snorted Valentina. "Ava is throwing cake at Amaury."

  In fact, Ava somewhat lethargically threw small cake crumbs at her brother, who scolded and screamed angrily. "Mom! Dad! Ava throws food!"

  "Then throw some back", Paul replied.

  Before Valentina could intervene, Amaury had tipped his cake over Ava's head, only to find that he now had no cake to eat left.

  "You'll them, Paul!", scolded Valentina. Meanwhile, Ava ate the cake that had nded on her with an expressionless face. Aleidis helped her.

  "What?" Paul looked at his wife in shock. "Me? Look. The girls do it on their own."

  "Mom! I need new cake!", grumbled Amaury. "It’s Ava’s fault!"

  "Paul!" Valentina crossed her arms.

  Her husband sighed and stood up. "I'll go my brood. Children? e along. We py the funny game 'Goodbye Cake'" The three toddlers followed Paul out of the living room. Amaury pihat he had no more cake.

  "So. What gives us the honor of a visit?", Valentina wao know.

  "I'm here to ask you if you want to join the rebellion."

  "The rebellion? The elves? I thought the uprisings were over. We haven't heard anything about it for two years. With the ws tightened, I thought the elves had given up?"

  "They didn't. We are now an underground anization sisting of three fas - elves, werewolves, and humans. Including witches and wizards. I hope you're ied?"

  "I don't know. We have young children. I don't want to endahem", Valentina objected. "That would be certainly easier without children."

  "That might be. I also have children, but my wife and I are still part of the rebellion. The decision was not easy for me at first. There are different tasks. Not everything is dangerous."

  "You have children?" Valentina's eyes lit up. "And you didn't bring them and your wife? Paul will be disappointed."

  Fritz ughed. "Probably. But the queen knows nothing about them. She doesn't know that Loelia and Ni. I married a mortal. Mother demands that we do not have children together. But I don't know how much longer we keep our children a secret. One more reason to join the resistance. I also do it for my children. And for yours. Please think about it, yes?"

  Valentina nodded. "I heard that Princess Julia and Prier have disappeared. Or are even dead. Are there traces of them?"

  "No. They're probably dead, yes."

  "I'm sorry. Paul was devastated when he heard about it. And then the new ws. Limited travel permission for all, the mail is monitored... If you want to leave the vilge, you will be checked by soldiers. It's terrible. The queen turns against her own people."

  "She wants to prevent the formation of further resistance. Officially, it is for the safety of all of us. Since Julia disappeared, mother ... She has ged. For the worse."

  "Yes! All the kids are !" Paul came back with the three toddlers, who went to sit in front of the firepce. Amaury pyed with his wooden horses again. The cake seemed fotten. His sisters watched him. "What did I miss."

  "Your brother belongs to the resistance. He wants us to participate. And he has children." Valentina sat down with her children and took Ava and Aleidis on her p.

  "You have children! Where are they? They aren’t in your pocket, are they? Fritz! You didn't bring me, my nephews, and nieces?" Paul put his hands on his hips in offense. "How could you! I am deeply disappointed. My own brother! Wait!... Resistance?" He sat dowo Fritz and rubbed his head in disbelief. "You?"

  "We could use all the help. I will also visit Ingried and Adam. I hope they will join us. And I hope that I t on your help."

  "And Cleo? Lea?"

  "Lea is currently w at the Academy. And Cleo... The fact that Julia has disappeared has hit her hard. She bmes herself. She withdraws a lot. The military is now pletely led by the von Strahls. Cleo only works as a sultant. And she travels a lot. To clear her head. I guess she's hoping to find Julia."

  "So, they don't belong to the rebellion?"

  "No. They are not part of it. I don't think Cleo would join us. After all, elves have kidnapped Julia aer. That's what stopped me in the first pce, too. The same goes for Lea and she has really blossomed in her new job at the academy. So? Paul? Will you help me? Do you sell your baked goods in the werewolf territory?"

  "Yes. I drive over to the territory about once a week with bread. Why? What would my tasks be? What do you have in mind?"

  "Delivering messages to the werewolves. Once a week... That would probably be enough. You do it. You wouldn't stand out."

  Paul nodded. "All right. I'll help you. But only as long as I don't endanger my family. you guarantee me that much?"

  "Unfortunately, no. But delivering messages is the safest task." Fritz sighed. "I need you, Paul."

  "Good. I'll do it", Paul agreed. He looked sadly at his children. "They should grow up in freedom. Without the worries that now pgue us, thanks to the Queen."

  "We'll do it", Valentina corrected him. "We will help. I'm here too. Don't fet that! I want to do something. We will join you. As far as we ."