The Soldier and the Tinderbox

The Tinderbox!

The familiar term instantly awakened Rhine's memories.

"Quick, call her back!"

Rhine recalled the classic Andersen's Fairy Tale "The Tinderbox", sometimes also called "The Soldier and the Tinderbox".

In this story, an ordinary soldier, with the help of a Witch, obtained gold and a magical Tinderbox from a hollow tree.

However, the soldier did not hand over the Tinderbox to the Witch as agreed, but instead killed the Witch who had told him the secret, taking the Tinderbox for himself.

Afterward, relying on the magic of the Tinderbox, he gained wealth, killed the Old King, became the new King, and married the Old King's daughter—a beautiful Princess locked away deep in the palace.

Its plot can be described as a standard "loser's counterattack after finding a cheat," and the ending is as expected.

And now, the Witch who went to find the Tinderbox is actually Grandma Rosa!

"I saw it, I saw a dangerous future. Grandma Rosa may be in danger!" Rhine said solemnly.

"But she's been gone for a while... it's unlikely we can still catch up..." Violet Fairy's face was clouded with worry.

More than half a day ago.

On a highway at the border of the kingdom.

A hunched, white-haired old Witch looked at the hollow of a large tree beside the road and shouted, "Did you get the Tinderbox?"

This elderly Witch was none other than Grandma Rosa.

This 173-year-old Witch lived in the forest for a long time, living in seclusion, and rarely showed her face in front of the kingdom's public. Only other Witches, as well as royal nobles, recognized her.

Among the 13 good Witches in the kingdom, Rosa's magic was the least suited for combat.

But she also had her own strengths—she could occasionally hear some wonderful whispers, containing useful knowledge.

Not long ago, the whispers told Grandma Rosa a secret, involving a secret chamber left by an ancient legendary Magician and a powerful magical item in the chamber—the Tinderbox.

This secret chamber was guarded by three magical and terrifying magical creatures, and the Tinderbox was the item that controlled them, its value far exceeding all the gold and silver in the secret chamber, making it priceless! "Princess Aurora is destined to become a heroic rider, ordinary warhorses cannot withstand her combat, and the magical creatures summoned by the Tinderbox are perfect as Her Highness's mounts!" Hahaha, I didn't expect that this old thing who has lived for hundreds of years without any particular skill has also contributed to defeating the Black Witch Maleficent.

"Once I get the Tinderbox, I will give it to Aurora as a gift for her 10th birthday. Oh, I wonder how happy she will be when she receives this gift."

Grandma Rosa imagined the process of giving the Tinderbox to Aurora and suddenly smiled. Her wrinkles were squeezed together by the smile, becoming deeper, like the marks left by the wind and frost of the years.

In her mind, Aurora's beautiful face and the girl's wonderful singing voice, like the voice of heaven, appeared.

—Aurora's intoxicating, irresistible voice was the gift she personally gave to the little Princess 10 years ago at the Baptism Ceremony.

The voice conveyed to her ears also told Grandma Rosa the method to "clear" this secret chamber, which involved a strange magical ritual—as long as on the day when the constellations were correct, she found the first person she saw on this road dressed as a soldier, and gave him the Blue Checkered Apron after casting a spell on it, she could make the magical creatures guarding the secret chamber behave and take away the money and the Tinderbox without hindrance.

Of course, Grandma Rosa would not let others help her for nothing.

As long as she could get the Tinderbox, all the money in the hollow tree could be given to the soldier.

"The gold in the hollow tree is definitely a windfall for an ordinary soldier!

"He can live a good life, eat good food, live in a good house, and use the remaining money to marry a like-minded wife, have his own family and children, and live such a carefree life."

Under the hollow tree, there were sparse sounds, from time to time there were exclamations and laughter from the soldier.

It seemed that everything was proceeding in an orderly manner... Grandma Rosa thought.

Just then, the soldier's voice came from under the hollow tree: "I got the Tinderbox, pull me up quickly!"

Grandma Rosa pulled the soldier out.

She saw that the soldier's pockets, boots, marching bag, and hat were all filled with gold and silver coins.

"Okay, thank you, handsome and strong soldier. Now all this gold is yours, give me the Tinderbox." Grandma Rosa smiled.

The next second, Grandma Rosa's eyes widened.

The soldier's longsword pierced her chest.

As a 173-year-old woman, Rosa was too slow, and didn't even have time to react.

The soldier forcefully pulled out the longsword.

Crimson blood gushed out like a fountain, scalding hot.

"This old Witch cares so much about The Tinderbox, it must be a good thing! Now it's mine!"

The soldier laughed.

Then, with The Tinderbox and the money, humming a cheerful tune, he went straight to the city.

In the pool of blood, the 173-year-old woman's mouth was wide open, still not recovered from the shock of the sudden attack.

Her eyes bulged, wider than any day before.

In her pupils, the soldier's back was reflected, watching him take The Tinderbox further and further away.

She did not expect that the soldier would be so greedy.

The soldier walked further and further away, muttering to himself as he walked:

"If what that Engeland prisoner said is true, and the kingdom is really cursed, and disaster will strike in a few years, then I can only enjoy it for a year or two, and then I will have to start trying to escape this doomed country..."

More than ten minutes later.

After confirming that the soldier was completely gone, the old Witch, who was lying in a pool of blood and should have been dead, suddenly reopened her eyes.

Rewrote this chapter, completely changed the perspective.