Danes and Dames

Chapter 1

Caitlyn first began volunteering after her family's farm was burned to the ground in an airstrike in 1940, left alone and without a home it seemed the only sensible thing to do was to help others in the same situation. Germany began occupying Denmark that same year, though as she understood it, they had a more relaxed grip on her country and its people, especially in their small village. The Jews didn't even have to identify themselves. That was until 1943. That year everything seemed to change in an instant. One minute her neighbors and friends were helping each other in the streets, feeding each other's children, and nursing the sick and injured. The next her Jewish neighbors were being beaten and branded, ready to be shipped off to God knows where. That was the day Caitlyn found Violet Andersen about ready to deck a German officer, Caitlyn caught her by the elbow just before Violet could throw a swing from behind the man's back watching the brute wrestle with an older man finally tying his arms back after thoroughly pushing his face into the mud.

"Do you want to get yourself killed?" Caitlyn hushed once she had successfully pulled Violet around the corner of a nearby building, holding her to the wall.

Violet shook her shoulders free and looked back to the scene she had been taken away from, "I want to help, this is absolute horse shit, how can they treat people like they're nothing?"

"It is without a question barbaric, but there has to be another way to help other than suicide."

"Yeah? Well if you know of one I'm all ears."

"I may know someone. If you're willing. I was actually heading to his home just now. I'm Caitlyn by the way."

"Yeah, I figured." There was only one woman taller than her in town that she knew of. "Violet." She nodded at the raven haired girl.

"Yes, well are you coming?" With a smirk the red haired girl followed Caitlyn to a Mr. Jayce Tallis' workshop on the far side of town. They snuck around every German patrol, bumping shoulders a few times to duck into the shadows out of view.

"How do you know this guy?" Violet asked after what seemed like an hour, growing a little suspicious of this arrangement. Though she wasn't scared perse. She dug her hands into the deep pockets of her perka trying to warm them, and slumped her face down into its fur collar. The snow had just started to blanket the ground that afternoon and now that the sun had set the temperature was quickly lowering.

"He's an old family friend, I make it a point to meet with him from time to time."

"And what do you think he can do about all of this? The Germans are everywhere Cupcake."

"Not in Sweden. And don't call me that."

Violet stopped cold, the crunching of snow ceased a step ahead of her as well. Caitlyn turned to look at her face, but it wasn't at all what she had expected.

"What is this Cupcake?" Violet's eyes were curious, not angry, not fearful, almost excited.

"Tallis is a Dane, one who wants to help. Who has helped these past few months. Now, you have a choice, if you say you want to help our brothers and sisters and put that brawn to good use, then this is your best option. If you'd rather stay here, then you can walk away right now, no one would think less of you. But I do hope you wouldn't tell anyone of this."

"Hmm, you got some balls Caitlyn, I like that." Vi started to move again following their previous trajectory, nearly bumping into Caitlyn's shoulder. "You coming?" Vi called over shoulder to her without looking back. Caitlyn still had been frozen in place, watching the red head move past her, she hadn't realized her mouth had fallen open until the frost began to nip at her damp lips. She shook her head and took a few jogging steps to catch up to her companion.