The Robber-girl frees Gerda by releasing the Reindeer from the Robber Castle and entrusting him with carrying her north toward the Snow Queen’s castle. The act reverses the danger of Gerda’s capture: instead of keeping her as a playmate and prisoner, the Robber-girl equips her to continue searching for Kay. Her assistance is both material and informational, and it changes Gerda’s passage through the forest into a journey with a destination.

Capture and an Unlikely Protector

The rescue grows out of an earlier peril. Gerda’s coach, shining through a dense forest, attracts robbers, who seize it and kill its attendants before pulling Gerda from the carriage. The older robber woman threatens her, but her daughter intervenes and insists that Gerda stay with her. She wants Gerda’s muff and dress and claims her as a companion; at this stage, protection and possession are tangled together. The Robber-girl is not introduced as a gentle rescuer. She is self-willed, stronger than Gerda, and accustomed to having her own way.

At the Robber Castle, the contrast between danger and shelter remains sharp. Its cracked walls, birds in their openings, large dogs, smoky hall, and fire on the stone floor establish a harsh, enclosed setting. The Robber-girl sleeps beside Gerda with a knife, while Gerda remains awake, uncertain of what may happen. The next morning, however, the household’s absence creates an opportunity: the men have gone away, and the older woman follows a regular pattern of drinking and then sleeping. The Robber-girl recognizes that interval as the moment when she can act.

The News That Directs the Search

Before she helps Gerda leave, the Robber-girl learns why Gerda has travelled so far. Gerda tells her again about Kay and her affection for him. The account matters not simply as an explanation of Gerda’s presence: it makes Kay’s disappearance the purpose around which the escape can be organized. The Robber-girl asks to hear the story again, and the Wood Pigeons in their cage supply a crucial piece of news while she listens.

The pigeons report that they saw Kay in the Snow Queen’s carriage, with a white fowl carrying his sledge. They believe the carriage was travelling toward Lapland, a place they associate with snow and ice, and direct Gerda to ask the Reindeer. The Reindeer confirms that he was born and raised there, among its snow-covered plains. In this way, information passes from the pigeons to Gerda and then into the plan the Robber-girl makes. The journey north is no longer only a desperate pursuit: Gerda now has a reported direction, and the Reindeer is a guide with firsthand knowledge of Lapland.

The Release and Its Practical Details

The Robber-girl waits for the older woman to fall asleep, then goes to the Reindeer. She tells him that she will untie him and that he must carry Gerda to the Snow Queen’s castle, where Gerda’s playfellow is. Her words reveal that she has understood the connection between Gerda’s story, the pigeons’ report, and the Reindeer’s knowledge. The Reindeer responds with joy. The Robber-girl lifts Gerda onto his back and ties her in place, taking care that she will be secure during the ride; she also gives her a cushion for the journey.

She prepares Gerda for the cold with the fur boots and her mother’s large mittens, which reach to Gerda’s elbows. She keeps Gerda’s soft muff for herself, but does not leave the traveller without warm coverings. She adds two loaves and a ham, fastening the provisions to the Reindeer. These objects make the rescue concrete: Gerda receives clothing, a seat, food, and transportation, not merely permission to go. The Robber-girl then opens the door, coaxes the dogs inside, and cuts the Reindeer’s tether. As he sets off, Gerda reaches back to bid her farewell. The Robber-girl’s response to Gerda’s distress has shifted into direct care, though she remains unwilling to part with the muff she likes.

The Journey North and the Event’s Significance

The Reindeer carries Gerda over stumps and stones, through forest, marshes, and plains. Wolves howl and ravens call as they travel, while red northern lights flicker overhead. The Reindeer recognizes them as the northern lights of his home region. The food the Robber-girl supplied is exhausted by the time they reach Lapland, marking both the length of the ride and the finite nature of her assistance. She has not accompanied Gerda or removed the dangers ahead; she has enabled the next stage and then remains behind.

The release is a turning point in the search because it combines a change of allegiance with an effective transfer of resources. The Robber-girl first receives Gerda as a captive and playmate, but after hearing about Kay and the pigeons’ account, she uses her access to the Reindeer and knowledge of the household routine to help her leave. Her aid is neither a grand declaration nor a complete solution: it consists of a timed opening, a severed tether, warm clothing, provisions, and a trustworthy animal guide. That practical generosity carries Gerda from the forest toward Lapland and the Snow Queen’s territory. The Reindeer later leaves Gerda near a red-berried bush in Finland; there, without shoes or gloves, she confronts the Snow Queen’s living snowflake guards and advances by prayer. That subsequent ordeal makes clear what the Robber-girl’s act accomplishes: it brings Gerda to the threshold of the final pursuit, but Gerda must continue it herself.