At each passing minute, the snow buries Charles legs more. The teenage boy, however, continues to move forward with Margú in tow.
Margú: (calls out) Jesper? Jesper! Jesper, pliz keim aut!
The little girl then makes eye contact with a breeze. What intrigues her is how much each snowflake lands on it, bedazzling it. It also has more of an icy blue tone of color than anything else in the forest. Margú gets almost hypnotized by this mysterious gust of wind. Then... it sings.
Days in the sun
When their lives have barely begun
Not until his own life is done
Will he ever leave him
Margú: Charles! Oi biegga! It kud doalvut es tu Jesper!
Charles spots the mist as well, going past each tree to the left. Margú runs after it.
Charles: Margú! Hey, wait up!
Will he tremble again
To his dear one's gorgeous refrain?
Will he now forever remain
Out of reach of his arms?
Charles could not be the only one who hears it faintly singing. It could be possible Margú hears it too, however, so at least he knows he is not going crazy out in the cold. The wind picks up, making Charles struggle to find any kind of bodily warmth. How does Margú stay so content in such harsh weathers? Is she.... used to this?
Then again, Charles doesn't have anything to call a home, so he shouldn't be complaining.
All those days in the sun
What I'd do to relive just one
Undo what's done
And bring back the light
There are no stars present anymore, just grey clouds up in the sky. Charles could almost feel his fingertips stiffen, but he'll have to keep moving. After all, the people are Smeerensburg are expecting him to tell them if the beast is dead. It is the first time they ever expected the teenager of anything. Needless to say, he feels somewhat important.
Then again, if the beast is Jesper, that would mean he couldn't have killed anyone. Then... What crime did he commit to make him so feared?
Oh, I could sing
Of the pain these dark days bring
The spell he's under
Still, it's the wonder of him I sing of tonight
Margú: Jesper....?
Charles sees that the little Sámi girl has stopped in her tracks. As he inches toward her, it takes him a good few seconds to comprehend the sight in front of him. Once he does, however, he wishes he could go back or at least erase this image.
There is Jesper, hanging on a noose, looking devoid of any life.
How in the midst of all this sorrow
Can so much hope and love endure?
He was innocent and certain
Now he's wiser but unsure
Charles uses the gun's remaining bullet to shoot the rope down, making an unconscious Jesper fall in the snow. The boy scrambles to untie the rope off Jesper's neck, hands shaking and his breathing rapid.
Charles: No, no, no.... This isn't happening, this isn't happening. No, I can't let this happen again... Jesper, please. Please wake up, god damn it... (weeping) Wake up....
Charles then look for any sign of breathing, anything to ensure Jesper has any chance of living. The beast is not breathing, but a pulse is found.
Charles: Y-You could still live.... M-Margú. Please find some help!
Margú nods and runs off, the mist leading the way. She eventually comes face to face with a cottage, its lantern lights peaking up in the mist.
Margú: Iz dát gos dii hálidit ovdal doalvut mi?
There's no going back to childhood
One that his father made secure
Now there is a change in him
These dark days are no longer grim
Margú shuffles to the wooden door and knocks it. At first, they did not answer, so Margú knocks two more times before her prayers are answered. It is Klaus, who is looking more downtrodden than he did at the party.
Margú: Klaus! It iz Jesper! Hei iz oaddit aend nat moriidus ap!
Klaus: Jesper...? Lead me to him.
The little girl runs off, Klaus following suit. As they go deeper into the forest, the woodsman thinks long and hard about the scene that went down thirty minutes ago.
It had only been half an hour and now Jesper is possibly in danger. Based on how the wind is getting stronger each passing minute, it alludes Klaus that, indeed, something is not right. Things are going terribly south and it'd all be because he lost control of his emotions. Lydia is always a sensitive subject matter, but Jesper didn't knew that. He didn't even knew of her existence until now.
He lost Lydia. He isn't about to lose Jesper as well.
But once he sees Charles weeping and muttering "mother" over and over with the beast lost of consciousness, Klaus panics.
Days in the sun will return
We must believe as lovers do
That days in the sun
Will come shining through
Klaus picks up Jesper and rushes to his cabin, Charles and Margú trying to pick up his pace. He puts his beloved otherworldly postman down on his couch and immediately tries to compress any sort of air out of him. After multiple attempts, Jesper finally starts breathing again. He doesn't wake up, however, and Klaus and Charles try to make him comfortable in any way. Making a fire, tending to his cuts, snuggling him up in a blanket, and brushing up his fur.
The three of them stay silent from here, worrying about whether Jesper might ever wake up or not.
Charles: ..... Klaus.....?
Klaus: .........
Charles: .... I-I'm sorry about everything. The party, Janna... and Jesper....
Klaus: ..... What did happen to Jesper?
Charles: M-Margú and I.... Janna wanted me to go find him.... We found him..... H-H.... He hung himself.... I-I freaked out, how the hell was I supposed to overcome this?! I mean, I failed with my mom and I didn't want it to happen to Jesper and..... (hiccuping)
Klaus: (pats the boy's back and sighs) You helped a lot tonight.... and I'm grateful for that.
Charles: How....? How could you be so calm about this?
Klaus: I am not calm. Not in the slightest..... Sometimes, when we do our best.... We can still fail..... Lydia died during her delivery of our stillborn.... I wasn't able to save them. Hopefully, though, we can save Jesper.
Margú is drawing something using a quail. Her drawing shows a little girl, a mother, and a father. Soon, Margú scribbles over the mother and father.
Margú: .... Mu váhen jápmán goas ai wez hui nuorra.... Bet dahkat ii givssidit. I em diedusge ei gievra eal'li nu dego Jesper burke eallit oalát juoga.
Klaus: .... Glad to know that you're keeping positive.... We need that in times like this.
Time passes and Klaus decides to let Charles and Margú take refugee in his cabin. Klaus and Charles sleep in Klaus's bedroom while Margú stays in the living room to keep Jesper company.
Margú: Buorre boktit badjin, Jesper.... Klaus ráhkistit dii hui eatnat....
With that, Margú snuggles up close to Jesper and drifts off to sleep.
YOU ARE READING
Christmas's Beauty Within a Beast
FanfictionSmeerensburg has itself an infamous reputation already, so things weren't made much better when a beast wanders in and causes havoc. Little did the townsfolk know that this beast is not as ghastly as he seems. And that is something for woodsman Klau...
