Chapter 34: Bonus 1

When Ingried was very young, she met a boy she liked. She was just eight years old when she first met him. Florian von Grünwies. He was visiting the castle with his parents and his older sister Anette and Ingried got along well with him. Florian was three years older than her and his magic had shown itself a few days ago. Manipulative magic. He sat in the castle garden and let small figures of damp earth fight with swords made of small branches. Ingried was fascinated and watched the sword fight with wide eyes. Her younger brother Paul played with a ball nearby and was offended because Ingried didn't want to play with him.

When she was eighteen, she and Florian were a steady couple. Her mother watched their young love benevolently and often invited Florian and his family for coffee. She also invited the von Schmalbergs to the coffee parties and introduced the now thirteen-year-old Paul to the fourteen-year-old daughter of the family. Adelheit was a pretty girl whose magical talent had been shown on her birthday. She was a healer. Paul got along well with her and the two quickly became friends.

Ingried and Florian announced their engagement at one of these tea parties. The queen was glad about it. "How wonderful Ingried! Congratulations! When do you want to get married?"

Florian shook his head in amusement. "We want to take our time. In a few years, when we feel old enough for that. After all, Ingried is only nineteen."

Little Peter, proud four years old, excitedly knocked over his fruit tea. "Does that mean Florian will live with us?"

"No, of course not." Her father smiled as he walked up and down next to the coffee table so that Julia, who was only a few months old, slept.

"That means that Ingried will move out in a few years!", Paul announced not very helpfully.

Peter turned pale.

"What? You're moving out?" Tears rolled from his eyes and he looked helplessly at the queen. "Is she allowed to do that?"

The von Grünwieses laughed with amusement, while Agathe explained to her youngest son that it was quite normal that his siblings would move out at some point and that this would take a few more years, as Ingried and Florian wanted to wait with the wedding.

Ingried was happy. She had been nervous as she wasn't sure how her mother would react... She had never objected to Ingried's relationship with Florian, but a wedding was another topic. But everything was good. Everything was perfect...

Until Florian became seriously ill nine years later and died within a few weeks. The now 28-year-old Ingried was devastated and cried for days. They had wanted to get married in the summer. Her mother tried to comfort her, but nothing seemed to help...

One evening, Paul, now 23 years old, came to her room bitterly.

"Mama wants me to marry Adelheit," he said, sitting down next to Ingried, who had her head buried in her pillow.

"Adelheit?" Ingried looked at her brother with reddened eyes. A few tears shimmered under her eyes. "Do you want to marry her?"

Paul shook his head. "No, she's like a sister to me. Besides..."

"Besides?"

"I was in Castle Town a few weeks ago..."

Now Ingried sat up. "You've gone to Castle Town regularly for a few weeks now."

"Well..." Paul turned red. "I met a girl there. Valentina. Her father is a baker... He has his own bakery... And I really like her. Mom doesn't know about it yet. But I can't marry Adelheit!"

You are reading story WITCH – The Revolt at novel35.com

Ingried smiled. She smiled for the first time in days. "And you would like to marry this girl?"

"Not immediately..." Paul nervously brushed a few stubborn strands of hair from his face. "But eventually?"

"I'm happy for you!"

"Pillow fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!" The door was thrown open and nine-year-old Julia stormed into the room and threw herself with a pillow on her older sister. Peter also stood in the doorway holding a pillow and laughed loudly. Julia had knocked down Ingried. In Peter's hair were a few feathers that obviously came from a feather pillow and he was still wearing his pajamas, even though it was already noon. His medium-length hair had been braided with ribbons into two short braids from which a few strands of hair had come loose.

"Fancy braids." Paul grinned.

"Julia played hairdresser." Peter stuck out his tongue.

"And you fought diligently with pillows?" Paul shook his head, laughing. "And why are you still wearing your pajamas?"

"I like my pajamas!" Peter threw his pillow at him. "And I wear what I want!"

In the meantime, Ingried sat up again and grabbed a pillow. She threw another pillow to Peter since Paul now had his. He looked at Peter reproachfully. But then Ingried's pillow hit him on the head.

Shortly after that, a grandiose pillow fight broke out among the siblings.

In the end, all four lay exhausted in Ingried's bed. Peter's braids had come loose and the ribbons lay on the floor.

"I won!" announced Julia.

"Not at all!", Peter protested, panting. "I've hit you many times with the pillow! Nobody won the fight!"

"Then my name is nobody. I, nobody, solemnly announce that I have won! What is my price?" Julia pressed her pillow tightly to her.

Ingried and Paul gave each other a mischievous look and began to tickle Julia. Julia squealed and tried unsuccessfully to fend them off.

"That seems to be your price," laughed Peter, who had escaped from the bed before he could get tickled too. But Paul didn't let him get away with it. He jumped up from the sofa and tried to tickle Peter, who now ran away laughing.

"Are you still sad?" asked Julia when Ingried stopped tickling her. "I don't want you to be sad. And Peter doesn't want that either!"

Ingried gave her little sister a tight hug. "Now I feel better."

"That's good!" Julia buried her face in Ingried's long hair.