Between Two Hates - Chapter One

-Prologue-

Germany and France were at war. The two countries converged on one another, causing trauma and death on the front lines. It was near the end of the 1800s when Germany had a small victory. They had over taken a large region of France, called Lorraine. Their capital was a fortified city called Metz, where hundreds of French were taken prisoners. Thousands has fled in time, leaving their fellow country-men behind.

It was 1897 when the French prisoners had their first glimpse of hope. A small group, around a hundred of these prisoners managed to escape the clutches of the Germans. They were quick to run across the border into their country. Through their victory, however, there was hardships. A large forest stood as a barrier between Lorraine and their freedom. It took them months as they blindly wandered through the woods.

But they did make it. Crashing out of the trees, a small girl ran out ahead of the rest. A large, open field sat before her, with mountains on one side and a river on the other. The land was so perfect, the peasants found. The land was rich and perfect for farming, the river created enough water to survive on and the mountains stood as cover. Abandoning their plans for searching out a village, the peasants decided to stay and make a home there.

Years went by and the camp flourished into a small village. They built houses with wood from the forest and started farms. They built a tavern and a place for a market every spring. The villagers married and began families, making the village grow. Six happy years went by with no trouble.

But not all happy dreams can continue. In 1903, the French military sent a group of soldiers to scope out a way into the German territory. The soldiers stumbled upon the small village. They were shocked to see the fear in the villager's eyes. They were survivors, the soldiers found out, and soon they were insured protection. The village was soon called Toul and with the soldiers help, the village grew into a city. Kids grew up and married, children ran the streets, playing with one another, and soon a cycle of life issued.



~

Toul, France 1914

~

The wind ripped through the air, carrying the harsh cold of winter. The ground was bare of snow, but the dreary gray sky promised otherwise. The small city of Toul, nestled in a small valley, shivered with the cold. Chimneys were lit, smoke rose from each house as the gray day faded into night. No stars yet shown, but a crescent moon loomed above the small city.

Adelaide sighed as she walked along the road away from the main market. Her mother's farm was located on the outskirts of the city, which was common for the peasants who lived in the city of Toul. Her mother wasn't much of a farmer, usually having to rely on the younger men of the city to harvest the crops every year. Adelaide remembered being a little girl, running and playing along the fields, dodging the workers.

A faint smile touched her lips as the memories flourished in her mind. She loved thinking of her childhood. They were happy years, she remembered. Now the city was so large that French tourists who wanted to get close to the Germans, came to see the forest that led into Lorraine, the region that the German's stole. The war had been going on for years, so long that Adelaide seemed to forget and only remember when a faint explosion could be heard, but not seen.

The dirt road leading to the farming district was plagued with frost and the faint rays of sun wasn't enough to melt the soft snow flakes falling to the frozen ground. Shivers sprouted along the young girl's spine as she hurried toward home. The wind was getting fierce as the daylight turned into night. She knew it was bad of her to be so late getting home and knew her mother would have harsh words for her, but the only thing that occupied the teenager's mind, now, was getting to the warm farm house.

The small house was nestled on the very top of a small hill, which led to the fields from which they farmed for money. The soft snow flakes that fell only brought melancholy thoughts to Adelaide. Every winter, when the farm was barren, she and her two best friends went hunting in the forest. Her mother despised the fact that Adelaide was so close to the war, but for four years, she hadn't once forbad her to go. The need for food was far too great. Adelaide sighed as she looked up at the house, the chimney's smoke rising into the winter night sky.

Adelaide paused in her hurried walk toward warmth. Just how angry would her mother be? The mystery that was her mother's temper wasn't amusing at this point in time and Adelaide worried that she would be a bit more cross than she originally hoped. Adelaide sighed, trying to cheer herself up with thoughts of spending time with her friends, but the wind tore at her, making her shiver and abandon the thought, running through the frost-bitten grass. The wind seemed to get colder and more worse as she ascended the steepest part of the hill. Adelaide lifted the hood of her wool cloak above her head, hoping to ward off against the chill, making it to the door of the small farm house.

Adelaide was panting as she entered the house, the door creaking a bit as she entered. The fireplace was lit, causing a warm glow through out the house. Adelaide felt a sigh of relief. She loved her home. A quick shout to her mother, and Adelaide found the older woman in the kitchen, making bread for the hunting trip the next morning. One glance and Adelaide knew she was worried and angry. She removed her wool cloak, laying the fabric on the table and entering the kitchen cautiously.

"Bonjour maman." Adelaide said, using the most affectionate of nicknames for her mother and softly kissing her on the cheek. Hopefully, the affection would be enough to calm her mother's worried heart. No such luck, however. Her mother turned, eyes full of anger and her voice caught with steely emotion. Adelaide looked down, trying not to look her in the eye and feeling the full bout of shame.

"Adelaide! What took you so long? I've been out of my mind with worry!" Adelaide couldn't help but glance at her mother's tear stricken face. She bit her lip, placing the small basket of goodies from the market on the table next to her coat.

"It was colder than I expected. Je ne grei pas, maman." Her voice was full of guilt and her eyes were full of apology, but Maree didn't notice. The woman was too upset.

"Not a big deal?! Adelaide! You worried me!" The seventeen year old sighed, looking at her mother with sympathetic eyes.

"Maman..."

"Do not 'Mama' me!" Maree was upset and Adelaide knew the only way to avoid a fight was to leave her alone while she kneaded the bread. She nodded, sighing, and waited until her mother turned her back on Adelaide and began to kneed the bread once more. Adelaide snuck up behind her, wrapping her arms around her mother's shoulders.

"Je t'aime?" Adelaide said, meaning with a full heart that she truly meant what she said. Maree sighed, a smile coming to her lips as she patted Adelaide's hands.

"I love you too." She said, not turning, but continuing her baking, "Now go finish mending your winter boots. You must get up early for hunting, tomorrow."

Adelaide nodded, grabbed an apple and moved into the bedroom she shared with her mother. The room was large, but shoving too beds into the room had made it seem a bit small. Adelaide took over the left side. Her bed was unmade, but other than that it was clean. Her mother was a very tidy person, making her side of the room as spotless as the rest of their small home. Adelaide moved to her side of the room, munching on the apple and letting out her long blonde hair from the small bun. She grabbed her boots and settled down at a small wooden desk where her sewing things were and began to work on her mending.


~


Christophe, a lean and rather silly man of twenty was much still a boy in his actions. The blond, tall man walked alongside his childhood friend, Daniel. Daniel was quite the opposite of his friend. Short and stocky, Daniel was Russian and very robust. He was good with a rifle and always the one who skinned the dear they hunted. He was a good natured man, the oldest of the three friends with twenty-three years of age. He was wiser than Christophe and always seemed to be telling him what to do in order for him to avoid trouble. Both were leading their favorite horses through the fog of early morning. Daniel loved his gray speckled stallion, Moscow named after his home town. Christophe named his white horse, Jack, after his father.
The two joked as they walked toward Adelaide's farm house. There wasn't any wind that morning, instead the weather was gray and cold. It had snowed over night, but the boys knew that the forest was always full of deer no matter the weather. Smoke was rising from the chimney as they came to the door. Christophe knocked on the door and suddenly Adelaide was there, cheerful as always and a smile on her lips.

She was nearly ready for the trip, her silk-like blonde hair was in the usual single braid that fell down her waist and instead of a woolen dress, she wore leather pants and high black boots, freshly mended. Her shirt was wool and tight fitting. She beckoned the two in, speaking in her native tongue. The two boys entered. Christophe felt his eyes couldn't leave the seventeen year old. For as long as they had been friends, he had always loved her. He loved her smile, her walk, her laugh, even the sound she made when she cried.

Maree was there, looking tired at the early hour. She smiled at the two men, handing them both a biscuit. Her eyes may have been tired and her movements sluggish, but her smile was full of joy. Maree adored the two men, ever since they were boys. It was nearly common knowledge that Christophe planned to marry young Adelaide. Well, common except that Adelaide still remained naive to the information.

"Now you two better eat. You have a long trip ahead!" Christophe smiled, taking the biscuit.

"Merci, Madame." Daniel thanked her, taking one of the fresh, steaming biscuits. Adelaide disappeared for a moment as she gathered her hunting supplies. When she returned, she had her traveling bag and quiver full of arrows. The men always teased her for never learning how to shoot a gun.

They departed soon after, Adelaide mounted her chestnut mare, Lorraine as the men mounted their own horses. The three rode out of Toul, heading for the forest.

"So... pansy." Christophe said, using his nickname for Adelaide. The blond smiled, looking slyly at her friend. "You ever going to learn how to fire?" Adelaide shrugged, used to the teasing.

"I don’t know, Christophe. Are you ever going to learn how to become a man?" Daniel laughed, his voice deep and his laugh harsh. He nudged Christophe, who feigned a hurt expression. The normal false feud between Christophe and Adelaide had begun, as it usually did during their trips. They bickered forever, it seemed, but always laughing the entire time.

"Adelaide... how could insult me like that? Mon ami?" Adelaide laughed, her voice rich with life. Christophe, naturally beamed at his own ability to make her laugh. He smiled along with her, his eyes full of love. A love that Adelaide never understood.

"Oui, Christophe. I am your friend, but you must stop teasing me. We all know that I'm better shooting with this than a rifle." She said, motioning to her quiver. Daniel nodded, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he turned to Christophe.
"C'est vrai, Christophe." Daniel knew only a little French, being friends with fluent children. His Russian accent was much too strong for him to speak good French, but he managed as best he could. Christophe rolled his eyes, looking at Daniel with a sly look.

"Oh, Daniel. You don't even know what you just said. How could it be true? An arrow doesn't kill an animal as fast a gun." Daniel laughed, rolling his own dark eyes. Adelaide joined in and soon the three were silent as they rode toward the forest.


~


By the time three days had passed, the friends were settled into camp by the river that ran through the forest. They pitched the tents, one for each of them and picketed the horses near the water. It was nearly dark, Daniel had just returned from fishing and they sat about a meager fire, chatting happily. The next morning was the first day they went out hunting.

"It's not too late, pansy." Christophe joked, "you still have time to learn how to shoot before tomorrow." Adelaide laughed, shaking her head and eating a bite of fish.

"Oh Christophe. Stop your teasing. I'm tired." Adelaide said with a sweet smile. Christophe's mouth opened naturally in an attempt to counter the plea.

"Leave the girl alone, Christophe. She's exhausted." Daniel said, a disappointed shake of his head, "You've been teasing her all day." Christophe sighed, smiling sideways at the young girl.

"If I must." He winked.

The next morning, the sky was barely getting light and the three were galloping out of camp, their guns strapped to their steeds. Despite Adelaide's disapproval, Christophe insisted she take a gun. She gave in, in the end, because he wouldn't leave her alone about the issue. Adelaide smiled, she loved being with her two best friends. They were good natured and always seemed to put a smile on her face no matter what was going on. She hated hunting, killing, but being with these two goofs always compelled her to go. In 5 years, she had never turned them down. Of course, in the beginning Christophe's father had taken them, but when Daniel turned twenty, they went alone. Adelaide was only 14 when they finally went off on their own, but she had gone for two years already and was used to the routine.

By noon, they had shot at one buck, but no other deers had been spotted or shot. Finally, Daniel decided to separate from the other two, hoping to find better game alone. Christophe offered to stay with Adelaide, joking that he could protect her. She snorted with laughter.

"You? Protect me? ha!" She laughed at him, her eyes twinkling. christophe feigned shock.
"I can protect you just fine!"

"Oh shush, Christophe, you'll scare away the deer."

After awhile, however, Adelaide was separated from christophe. How? She did not know. It was almost like he was there and then he was gone. She figured she must have strayed, but her sudden worry was instant. She had never been alone in the forest before. She felt panicked, rushing about, trying to find him. She called his name, began to cry and was suddenly more lost than she was before. She had fled to a part in the forest that was unfamiliar to her. With dread she realized she had stumbled into German country. Her heart beat furiously as she dismounted, trying to calm herself enough to think.

A horrible snarl behind her made her blood run cold. Lorraine screamed, the horse's fright matched Adelaide's. She bucked and broke free from Adelaide, running off into the forest. Adelaide turned, slowly, her heart beat so fast that it hurt her ears. Her eyes widened and a silent scream came to her lips. She was frozen with freight, unable to move. The largest bear she had ever laid eyes on rose to it's feet, the brown fur standing on end, and it's snout ending in a fierce looking snarl. Adelaide looked around, suddenly wishing for the gun. An arrow cannot injure a bear this large. She slowly started to back away, but she hit a tree and felt herself frozen yet again. The bear came at her, slowly, snarling.

A scream echoed through the woods. Adelaide's frightened scream.

~

Stefan sighed, leaning his head against the large tree. The bark was rough against his neck, but the exhaustion that plagued him was too much for him to move. The small creek before him was sluggish in the cold. He stared at the water, his mind muddled. There was something about war that seemed wrong. He used to love the fact that he was a soldier, working for Germany, killing the enemy. There was hatred in him, a hatred so deep that it surprised him. The French deserved to die, right? At least, that was what he'd been told. It was odd, really. Being raised to the small age of five, all the while his father, who was a general in the German army, told him stories of "those French bastards." He'd never taken it seriously until one night "those French bastards" came into his home and murdered his father. It was a lot for a little boy to understand so soon in life.

Maybe it was true what the others said. Stefan was screwed up. He was mentally screwed up because of those traumas. It wasn't right, of course, everyone understood that, but there was something about the way that he looked forward to running the enemy through that crept out his comrades.

There were days when Stefan hated them. The other soldiers who sat around, laughing and joking, when they knew they were treated like shit. There was something about being ordered around, yelled at, and constantly being on your guard that put a man on edge. Much less a boy of eighteen. Stefan had lived in a poor, but stable foster home, always dreaming of the day when he'd be able to go off and revenge his father. He just never expected it to be so... exciting.
Killing his first French man was, like I said, exciting! Stefan had never felt so alive. He shot first, hitting the man in the shoulder. Then knelt down beside him and finished the job with his bare hands. The shock and disgust for being so excited had taken over the initial joy of it all. Soon he felt horrible, sick even. Just the memory cause his stomach to twist and turn with nausea. It was too much.

So he left. He entered the forest, which was off limits, and followed a small river deep into the forest. He had always wished he could just leave. Tell everyone to screw off and go away for a few days. He didn't even want to be on leave. He'd never been brave enough, or upset enough, to do it. But the thought of how much he liked killing that man was too nauseating and soon he found himself sneaking away in the dead of night.

He had been gone for two days already, going farther into the forest, knowing that the deeper he went the more shit he'd be in. It would take him forever to get back to camp, but he didn't care, really. With exhaustion, he sat near a stream, leaning against a tree, staring at the tiny fish.

The thought of fishing came to him and he wondered if he could fashion a pole from a tree branch...

It was the scream that surprised him the most, the woman's scream. He jumped to his feet, his heart pounding. A woman? Within seconds he was running through the forest as fast as his long legs could carry, holding his rifle tight in his large hands. He ran as fast as he could, trying to find the girl who made the sound. Finally he saw the bear. Heat shot through his veins as he aimed. The large black bear was reared up onto it's hind legs, seeming to have already attacked the fragile form of a girl on the ground. Stefan took careful aim at the head and shot.

The bullet left the gun so fast, a loud blast echoed about them. The bear grunted, falling off to one side. Stefan looked around, trying to find evidence of the girl's horse or some sign of companions. When he saw none, he slowly approached the girl, his movements careful. He leaned down to her perfect lips and felt for breath. Her chest barely moved, but she was alive. He checked her wounds, evaluating the seriousness of her injury. He assumed the bear had clawed at her face, knocking her unconscious while it's large claws created the three large gashes from her ear to her chest. He sighed, ripped off his sleeve and pressing it against her neck, trying to stop the bleeding as best he could until he could take her back to camp.

Stefan couldn't help but notice how beautiful the young girl was. He knew she had to of been French, but his prejudice didn't flare. He felt pity for the girl he cared for so tenderly. Stefan sighed, trying to retreat into his shell once again and force the thoughts of her out of his mind. Carefully, he tied the sleeve around her neck and took her into his arms.

He came upon his camp, made a soft bed for the girl near the fire, tucked his woolen blanket around her small body. He turned to the fire as soon as he was sure she would be warm and took out his matches. The fire crackled as he turned back to the French girl, removing the dirty sleeve and cleaning the wounds with his canteen. By the time it was night fall, her neck and shoulder was wrapped in clean, white bandages.

It was odd how he fussed over her. He wasn't one to care much for another person, but this girl was different. He was curious about her and just couldn’t stand letting her die in the cold of the forest. Winter was approaching, fast, and he knew she would have died had he not heard her. It was curious that she had no companions or even a horse, but then again maybe the bear scared off the horse. Or maybe she was abandoned by her comrades. Every thought he came up with was silly, but he couldn't stop wondering and felt how important it was to make her wake up.

~

The crackling was so comforting. The warmth radiating from what she knew was a fire beside her, made her so warm, a faint smile touched her lips. Comfort that she had not felt for a long time had overcome her and she sighed with content. Adelaide awoke softly as she would have had she been home in her own bed. Her eyes were heavy with sleep as she glanced around the camp, her fatigue making her naive to the pain in her shoulder. As she awoke, the pain began to creep into her neck and the memories from before came rushing to her. A startled cry came from her lips, one that wasn't too loud, but enough that it scared the boy sitting near her.

He jumped in surprise, looking down at her with the richest brown eyes she had ever seen. He was obviously German, his soldier's uniform caused fear in the wounded girl. The corners of his mouth twitched, as if he were about to smile. Adelaide gulped, fear overcoming her content and mixing with the sudden pain caused hot tears to fall down the corners of her eyes. Irrational fear besieged her and fearful thoughts of what the enemy soldier was planning took hold of her mind. Was he going to kill her? Why didn't he let her die? What happened to the bear!? The tears came harder, her body trembling with fear.

"Do... do you speak English? Or German?" The boy's voice was heavy with German accent and was just as rich as his eyes. She didn't look him in the eye, fearfully worrying about his intentions. His voice then took on the foreign language that Adelaide recognized to be German. With sound of those words, she felt the trembling worsen. The boy stopped, his eyes full of pity that Adelaide did not see.

Her voice cracked as she opened her mouth to speak. She deliberately chose to speak in French, asking of his intentions and asking for her companions. She looked at him, her eyes wide. He watched her, his eyes troubled. He seemed to be confused at her words, but also not surprised by her fearful actions.

He ignored her words, leaning close to her and removing the bloody bandage. She gasped, her words cut short as the pain came in sudden waves. Her eyes clasped shut, waiting for him to finish and replaced the bandage. When he had, he sat back, leaning against a tree and staring at her. She didn't meet his eye. Instead, she stared into the fire, wishing she were home.

The silence was overwhelming. Finally the boy spoke. "You were attacked by a bear." Adelaide began to nod, but the pain thrashed at her and she winced. She remembered the bear and her horse running off. She remembered how Christophe suddenly disappeared and her tears came back in waves of despair. She felt her breath come harder and she found she could speak through the nearly quiet tears.

"Why?" Was all she could muster. Her accent was heavy, but she knew he understood.

"You would have died if I left you." The boy's voice was devoid of any emotion, but his eyes continued to stare at her. She looked away from him, her eyes searching the sky above them.

"Are you hungry or thirsty?" The boy asked, holding out his canteen. Adelaide's throat suddenly throbbed. She stared at the bottle, wondering if it were poisoned. The sudden overwhelming thirst that came over her was too much, however. She nodded once, but the pain in her neck caused the nod to look as if she twitched forward. The boy understood however, coming back to her side and feeding her the cold water. Then he fed her meat, which she knew to be the bear that had nearly took her life.

"How long have I been asleep?" Adalaide asked, her mouth full of bear's meat. The boy looked at her, then fed her another bite. He seemed reluctant to answer.

"Three days." He finally said, after much hesitation. Adelaide choked. Three days!? Adelaide felt the panic seize her once more and tears press her brown eyes. Was Christophe and Daniel out there? Did they notice? Did they know what happened? What if they heard her screams and when she was knocked unconscious, did the German boy kill them to get her?

"Were you with anyone?" She looked at him, fearful of what he would do if he found out. The boy's voice was a mystery, giving no hint to the intent of his question. Helping himself to more meat, Adelaide stared, searching for why he needed to know. The panic rose to her chest, causing her breathing to speed up and the tears fall from her eyes. She shook her head, softly so as not to cause more pain. The boy stared at her, seeming unconvinced, but pity at her tears.

She sighed, turning as much as she could without disturbing her neck. She cried softly, her head spinning and nausea coming in waves at her body. Pity for herself replaced her worries and she wondered why this happened to her? What had she done to cause God to be angered at her? Why was her rescuer a German soldier? Someone who was trained to kill her people, her kin? Memories of her father caused the tears to continue. Why had God taken her father and then handed her to the very type of person who had stolen his life. A German soldier killed her father on the front line, was that her own fate?