The Red Axe

Hugo Gottfried awakens in a cold, moon‑lit garret atop the Red Tower, a lonely boy marked by a striking red‑stitched pattern on his clothing. Orphaned and scorned by the other children who mock the emblem, he spends his days watching the world below from a high, stone perch. The tower belongs to Duke Casimir, whose court drifts through the courtyard like a parade of armored knights, yet Hugo feels more like a specter than a guest. He dreams of trading his woollen shoes for a horse’s saddle, hoping one day to prove himself a man‑at‑arms.

The mysterious Little Playmate arrives, offering the companionship Hugo has longed for, but the other boys brand him ‘Red Axe’ and threaten him whenever he draws near. With the duke’s court preparing a hunt, rumors of witches and secret trials begin to circulate, pulling Hugo toward a destiny beyond the tower’s walls.