Erlking ( G, Gen )
Erlking
Supernatural
By: PlasticxNight
Category: Gen
Rating: G
Spoilers: None.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Supernatural, and the information on the Erlking was taken from patheon.org and wikipedia.org.
Author’s Note: I wrote this for an extra credit thing in German.
It was getting darker and darker with each passing minute, and daddy still wasn’t back. Dean looked over at Sammy, curled up by the door, and frowned. Daddy wasn’t back and Sammy was asleep, which made Dean feel very, very alone. He chewed nervously on his bottom lip as he looked back out the windshield. There was still no sign of daddy.
He crawled over to Sammy, over the box of cassettes and the old, leather-bound journal daddy always carried, and nudged him gently. Sammy only groaned and mumbled something tiredly before turning further into the leather paneling, and Dean wished that daddy was back and they were home again.
Dean crawled back over to the drivers side and pulled the journal close. Sad how an ten-year-old needed something to keep him safe. He looked over at Sammy again and then down at the journal. Sammy didn’t need daddy’s journal to make him feel safe enough to sleep, and he was four years younger than Dean. Maybe it was because Sammy still didn’t believe daddy.
Sammy didn’t see what had happened to mommy, Sammy had only been a baby, but Dean had seen what happened. Or at least understood why they had to leave, and why daddy had become so obsessed with understanding something that Dean had only been scared of in his nightmares. Those monsters were real, and those monsters were bad. Those monsters had taken mommy, and daddy wanted to make them pay. Dean did too.
He shifted on the leather seat and held the journal closer. He wanted the bad things to pay too, but a part of him wished he was just as ignorant to the situation as Sammy. He figured he’d feel safer if that were the case.
Dean set the journal back on the seat and looked at Sammy again. He could sleep through anything if he wanted to. He smiled faintly before slowly opening the door. Daddy has said stay in the car and keep the tapes playing, but Dean was sure if he just stepped out for a moment daddy wouldn’t know. He’d be fine.
The Stones played softly as he eased the door closed. Just a few minutes to get out of the still heat that smelled of gasoline and old coffee. He wasn’t going to leave the side of the car, and as long as he was back in before daddy got back Dean wouldn’t be yelled at. And Dean knew he didn’t want to get yelled at for disobeying daddy; he’d been in that place before and it wasn’t somewhere he wanted to return.
He looked into the trees that daddy had gone into before the sun had set and pulled his jacket closer. They were scary. Dark and scary, and Dean wished that daddy would come back. Even if daddy could handle himself Dean didn’t think that daddy could fight against the darkness. He didn’t think daddy was strong enough.
"Wollen Sie Ihren Vater finden?"
Dean felt his blood run cold, but stayed where he stood. Frozen by fear or what have you, but wanting to dive back in the car and turn up daddy’s music.
"Wollen Sie Ihren Vater finden?"
He whimpered softly and glanced back at the car. "Sammy…" he choked out in a whisper, which he knew Sammy wouldn’t hear.
"Kommen Sie mit mir und Sie werden ihn finden."
Dean took a hesitant step forward before he could catch himself, and then found himself following the voice. He couldn’t understand it, nor did he feel safe hearing such a horrific sound, but he followed it anyway. Dean followed it passed the first few trees before being surrounded by darkness and cut off from everything he knew.
---
"Sammy. Sammy, wake up."
When John had returned to the car he had been more than a little worried about Dean’s absence. He’d told them to stay in the car, and if he thought anyone would disobey him it’d be Sammy. Not Dean. Never Dean. So when he’d returned to find only Sammy curled up next to the door, he almost lost it.
"Sammy, wake up."
Sammy mumbled something tiredly, batting at John’s large hand on his shoulder before stretching and yawning. "…What?" He mumbled opening his eyes slowly.
"Where’s your brother?" John asked glancing over the seat hoping he’d missed him.
"He’s…" Sammy sat up and looked over the seat, and then around the car. He blinked tiredly and looked up at John. "I-I don’t know, daddy."
John watched it register on Sam’s face that his brother was gone before he pulled him close. "It’s all right, Sammy. It’ll be okay," he murmured as Sam’s breath hitched with fear. "I’ll find him." He kissed the top of his youngest son’s head before pulling away. "You stay here," he instructed, pulling back out of the door. "And keep the radio on, okay?"
Sammy nodded shakily, crawling over to the cassette box, as John closed the door and disappeared back into the black forest.
---
John moved as quickly as the underbrush would allow, cursing himself for bringing his boys with him. They would’ve been safer at the apartment even if he hadn’t been there. There were enough charms and enough salt to keep anything at bay long enough for him to return. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
He felt as though it was his fault. He knew Dean wasn’t just going to sit there and wait; he was the type to take action like John was. John knew that. Dean had shown such eagerness to help him with finding the thing that had killed Mary. He’d been so for it even though he hadn’t been old enough to understand what was going on. John should’ve known that if he’d been gone too long Dean would’ve gone looking for him.
He heard laughter somewhere in the distance and knew better to mark it off as him being tired… if only he could pinpoint where it was coming from. It echoed through the trees, confusing him to a halt. He should’ve known better knowing what he was coming after.
They go after kids, John, how stupid can you be? That voice in his head had been nagging him since he’d left Sammy back at the car. <>You should’ve known better than to bring them with you this hunt. That’ll be how many kids missing now? Thirteen?
John growled quietly and shook his head. He knew he screwed up, and now he was trying to make it right. Even if he doubted the survival of the other children he wouldn’t allow his own son to be killed by this menace if he could stop it.
---
Dean sniffled quietly hugging his knees to his chest. Daddy was going to be mad… if daddy found him that was. He looked around and saw nothing but darkness and glinting eyes from the far corners of where ever he was. Dean bet that whatever had caught him didn’t expect him to fight.
He wiped his eyes and watched warily. They were waiting for him to let his guard down, for him to start crying. But he wasn’t going to. Dean was too old to cry, and a few cuts and bruises weren’t going to prove otherwise. He heard one of them shift and immediately reached for something to throw or something to ward it off with. He found nothing but soil.
"Ihr Vater wird Sie nicht finden. Er wird um Sie und Bewegung auf vergessen."
Dean glared into the darkness though remained quiet. He didn’t know what it was saying, so he couldn’t contradict it. He doubted it was anything friendly though with the laughter that followed from it and the others.
"Stupid, little, evil…. Thing…" he muttered as angrily as his voice would allow. He was scared and his voice gave that away, but he wasn’t going to show fear. That’s what daddy had taught him. If you don’t show fear you’re stronger than your enemy. Even if they have the upper hand.
And whatever they were, they definitely had the upper hand.
---
John stopped again when he heard the laughter. It was closer and definitely coming from his right. He looked through the trees, squinting to make out anything that would show him where his son was. He couldn’t see a thing other than the gnarled branches and fallen trees on the ground. If he couldn’t follow his eyes, he decided, he’d follow his ears.
The laughter died to an echo, but John moved toward where he suspected it was coming from. Slowly and quietly. He’d have to call and thank his superiors for the years they put up with him. Marine’s training did wonders for his current line of work.
He stepped over a fallen log and almost fell. His arms flailed, but he didn’t make a sound other than a surprised gasp. He threw his weight back and fell with a soft thud on the leaf-littered forest floor. Drawing his leg back to him, John moved to his knees and looked over the log. The ground looked solid enough on the other side.
Nice little cover. Using what they can to keep themselves hidden. Smart little buggers. John laughed softly and searched his jacket for something, anything, he could use to scare them off. He’d only seen a few things that were this resourceful. The Wendigos in Blackwater, and that shapeshifter in Austin had used their surroundings as a means to stay hidden. He’d never heard of goblins or Erlkings to be that crafty, however.
He pulled a flare from an inside pocket, but didn’t light it up. Something was still bothering him. They were, in fact, Erlkings, but something still didn’t sit right with him. None of the children that had gone missing, including Dean, would be able to understand their promises. At least he doubted they would be able to. From what he’d gathered, German was only offered at a high school level, and besides Dean all the missing were at an elementary school level; between the ages of six and nine if he remembered correctly.
John shook his head and turned his head to the sleeve of his coat before lighting up the magnesium flare and throwing it over the log and into the lair of the German demons. Maybe a telepathic translation had been the cause of them following, or a vague understanding of the foreign, not to mention false, promise. He’d look into it more later before coming back in the morning.
He heard snarls of anger and a cry of surprise and sighed a sigh of relief. Dean was still alive. He glanced over at the hole, seeing the light flickering under then underbrush blanket, and moved slowly toward it.
"Hang on, Dean!" He heard coughing and frenzied clawing as he drew nearer. He should’ve warned Dean, but that would’ve given himself away and they could’ve taken Dean with the. "I’m coming!"
John eased himself down into the lair of the Erlkings as the flare died to a dull light. They’d be back soon, so he had to move fast. He felt his boots touch solid ground and let go of the earth above. Whirling around he saw Dean’s small form huddled in a corner, his knees pulled close and his arm over his eyes. John felt tears come to his eyes. Other than a few tears in his jacket, Dean was fine. He moved quickly to his side and pulled Dean, who struggled momentarily, close to him.
"Don’t you ever do that again, you understand me?" John scolded as he held Dean close. "When I tell you to do something you listen."
"Y-yes’sir," Dean mumbled into the shoulder of John’s jacket. "’m sorry, sir."
He hugged Dean tight against his chest as he heaved him to his feet. "Don’t scare me like that, Dean," John said in a softer voice. "I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you too." He kissed the top of his head and helped Dean to the wall he’d climbed down.
"I’m sorry, dad… I shouldn’t have -"
"I’ll help you out of here."
Dean nodded and lowered his gaze before stepping up to the wall and reaching upward. John lifted him until he could climb out himself before following after him as the last of the flare flickered and died.
---
When they’d returned to the car, Sammy had dove in the back seat after Dean and clung to him as he cried into his brother shoulder. John turned up the ACDC tape Sammy had put in as he pulled away from the tree-line, and onto the two-lane highway. Dean sits quietly, holding Sammy close as his brother drifts back to sleep, and stares out the window as the trees go by. He sees glinting eyes, but keeps staring. They can’t hurt him now. Daddy saved him, and even though daddy’s mad Dean is safe.
They get home and John carries Sammy up to their apartment with Dean hot on his heels. He doesn’t want to be alone in the dark anymore, and as the door closes behind him he can felt a shudder of realization. He disobeyed daddy, but daddy hadn’t yelled. He’d cried, and that was more than enough to show Dean that what daddy said wasn’t just to keep them in one place. He did it for their safety.
John pulled the covers up to their chins as Sammy snuggled closer to Dean. Dean’s eyes are closed, but he knows he isn’t asleep.
"I’m very disappointed in you, Dean," he told him brushing some of Sam’s bangs away from his sleep-slacken face. "You could’ve gotten killed."
Dean nodded, but kept his eyes closed. "I know daddy. I’m sorry."
"Don’t be sorry," Dean opened his eyes and looked up at him. "Just promise me that you won’t do that ever again. Promise that you’ll listen to me next time and keep your brother safe."
"I promise, daddy," he mumbled and looked over at Sammy, who is sleeping peacefully with dried tears staining his face.
John leaned down and kissed his forehead before pushing himself up form the bed. Dean looked up at him again before turning to Sammy and closing his eyes. He smiled faintly before quietly leaving their room to look for more information. Dean and Sam are all he has left, and he’s not going to lose them. He’s not going to yell at Dean either. Yelling won’t help or change anything. All he can do is pray that he learned and do all that he can to keep his sons safe from the things that go bump in the night.
Sources
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlking
Pantheon - http://www.pantheon.org/articles/e/erlking.html
Translations ( Rough )
"Wollen Sie Ihren Vater finden?" -- "Do you want to find your father?"
"Kommen Sie mit mir und Sie werden ihn finden." - "Come with me and you will find him."
"Ihr Vater wird Sie nicht finden. Er wird um Sie und Bewegung auf vergessen." - "Your father will not find you. He’ll forget about you and move on."
The Erlking
In German and Scandinavian lore, the Erlking (or "King of the Elves" ) was a malevolent spirit who would lure humans, more specifically children, into the woods and too their destruction.