Hilde watched as the female troop saluted in their direction and heard it when the Lord General gave an answering one. The men they"d been charged to protect also bowed in leave-taking, and the gesture was done so slowly and deeply that the feelings of grat.i.tude accompanying it was unmistakable.She felt ashamed.
"Screw it," she snapped at herself, taking steps forward before anyone – including her own better judgment – could stop her. But she didn"t go all the way to the other party. She only wanted to make sure negative light wouldn"t also s.h.i.+ne on those she"s with. The rumors would never end anyway, no matter what she does. It was THEY who owed these men, d.a.m.n it. Not the other way around. "Besides," she added when she paused after a few steps. "I really like the Lord Viscount."
With that, she returned the foreigners" bow. She did not curtsey. She was not a princess in that moment, just Hilde. She then swept her eyes over the female soldiers before slowly raising her fist and gently pressing it over her chest. It was not a salute, exactly, more of a declaration that she believed they could succeed.
Hilde didn"t know if they"d found out yet that their orders had actually come from her. She forgot to ask Leal earlier to keep quiet about it, but from the puzzled looks and raised eyebrows, it seemed they hadn"t been told.
She met Leal"s eyes a final time and nodded subtly – to thank him, to ask him to continue keeping mum, and to affirm: live. She hoped he"d understand it as such anyway. He made no reply, subtle or otherwise.
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After that, the acting captain Odilia called for them all to move. Hilde watched as the company consisting of four men and twenty women disappeared into the trees.
Upon returning to Lord Alfwin"s side, she showed him a small, slightly guilty smile. "I know how it looks like, Uncle. You said I had been Lothar"s first responsibility. For better or worse, I"ve come to think of those Lyseans as mine."
It was Sieglind who replied, "I always thought, if you think you have to apologize later for doing something, just don"t do it."
Though taken aback for a moment, Hilde laughed. "You"re quite right," she replied genially. Somehow, she didn"t think Sieglind meant for what she"d said to cut. "I suppose there are few things you wouldn"t do, given all that you don"t apologize for."
The older woman showed that lopsided smile again. "d.a.m.ned right, Princess. Good that you get it."
"If you ladies may be interrupted," the Lord General cut in, sounding resigned over how brash and unrefined his "niece" and his daughter were, respectively. For all that, he could not hide the underlying relief and satisfaction he felt over how they appeared to be bonding. "Shall we also prepare?"
There was now no reason to stay where they were – those who might have felt completely cut off from the rest if they"d not served as buffer had already left. Thus, with one last look at the white building"s door that had now been re-sealed, they moved.
In fifteen minutes, it was full dark. Torches had been lit, and everyone else had also restored themselves as much as they may. They arrayed themselves in a columned about five to six people wide.
The aides had been instructed earlier to announce that the return procession would pa.s.s soon and to urge the crowd to not do anything that might bring them all dishonor. Meanwhile, the soldiers who had formed a barrier that was more representational than functional had been ordered to re-form their lines around the column as they break past them.
Standing near the front, her hair tied back neatly, Hilde was surrounded by the Prince"s Guards whose service she"d borrowed. The Captain was a step in front of her and to the right. Along with some others, Inge was immediately to her left, once again being half-protected by his comrades.
Hilde took the last few moments before they were to leave to turn to Gisela, who was behind her, also surrounded by other Prince"s Guards. "Stay close to me," she said, thinking only that, with her body somewhat well again, she could help protect her cousin in case something goes wrong.
"I think not, Princess," answered Lady Ilse, short-tempered due to anxiousness. "If things go south, where do you think the danger would brew the thickest? If anything, we need to keep you two as far apart as possible."
That had not occurred to Hilde. It seemed she did not give ample thought for what might happen in case this plan failed, and she silently gave thanks for the existence of a mother"s instinct, glad to inadvertently receive its benefit in that moment.
"I understand, Lady," she said. "Would you mind moving to the middle of the line, then?"
Her aunt gave a single, curt nod, then waited while Gisela hugged her tightly.
"I still don"t like it, Hilde," said her cousin by her ear. "You"re risking too much."
Hilde chuckled as she returned the hug just as tightly. "Everyone keeps forgetting, I don"t actually have much to risk."
"Be serious!" Gisela ended the hug so she could meet Hilde"s eyes under the dim, flickering light of a nearby torch. "Keep yourself safe… please? No matter what."
It occurred to Hilde that Gisela might still be worrying that her riding accident wasn"t an accident at all. From her point of view, this dangerous ruse must seem suspicious too.
She did as her cousin asked and dropped the put-on humor. "I"ll be very careful, cousin," she replied, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "You do that too, do you hear me? No matter what."
At her soft nod, Hilde released her. She and her mother moved back with their a.s.signed Guards to the center of the column, where the more exhausted people were placed. Seemingly by chance, they stopped beside Sieglind, Theodar, and their mother, whom the twins were supporting between them.
As ready as they could ever be, now, they began to move forward. Their silence had an almost eerie quality to it, broken only by the sound of shuffling feet, rustles of clothing, and blazing of only ten torches, s.p.a.ced far apart. Even before the parade of deception began, it seemed everyone was just waiting for the moment they"ll get caught.
The people downhill were ready for them. Some citizens with foresight and initiative had brought their own torches, so even though the aides and soldiers had been given none, there were a few d.a.m.ning sources of illumination below.
While they were still descending, one torch had been allowed to s.h.i.+ne on Hilde, and through the gaps between her Guards, many pairs of eyes had been able to catch a glimpse of her. She and her sister already bore strong resemblance with each other, and with the enhancement of distance, they might as well have been the same person.
After enough time had pa.s.sed with no reaction from the crowd except the mutterings that still bore a hint of discontent, the tall and black-armored soldiers in front and to her sides closed the gaps in tandem with the movements of the soldiers below. Some of them moved forward to begin parting the crowd, some prepared to flank either sides of the column, and some – including the Queen"s Guards still present – joined those who were s.h.i.+elding the Queen"s stand-in from a closer view.
The lone torch that had been in front of Hilde edged back until all that could be seen of her face were shadows.