"No... oh no -- Hilde, why?"Gisela had been looking behind her periodically as she walked, waiting for Hilde to catch up to the procession, which was largely only concerned about getting further inside the Royal Palace"s walls. As such, she"d caught a glimpse of the latest development in the string of incidences that had been happening all day long. It was tempting to think everything was just part and parcel of the tragic but historic event that had just drawn officially to a close, but to Gisela, it felt like things were much more than that.
For one, this was clearly a time of transition if ever there was any. And it wasn"t just for their country.
She drew to a complete stop, unmindful of the clucking and hissing of people coming from behind, which were silenced mid-sound as soon as they realized who had caused the hold-up.
When it occurred to some that they could simply go around the Princess and her mother because the formalities of the day can now be dispensed with, they did so, and the rest followed suit -- even the ones who"d seen in this a chance to start cozying up to them. They were much too tired to attempt scaling that wall this very night. They and many of the others just wanted to get out of their sweat-soaked clothes, wash off the dirt and stink from their skin, then find a soft surface somewhere and sleep, if they can.
For those who won"t be able to, it would be enough to wait for the sun to rise so they"d know once and for all that this day was over.
In an aggrieved tone that was uncharacteristic of her, Gisela continued, "She"s been doing all these risky things, Mother, even before Lothar died. Now it"s become worse. I never told her, I don"t like many of what she"s putting herself through -- I don"t like that I can do nothing to stop her from hurting herself. I understand there"s a need for Hilde to step up, but... I worry. What if there"s something other than duty that is pus.h.i.+ng her? Something more... sinister. Besides, Hilde never -- that is -- she never used to..."
When her daughter failed to come up with a politer way to put what she clearly meant to say, Lady Ilse interjected, "Care about anyone but herself, yes."
"Not entirely, Mother," she replied in defense of her cousin. Still, she could not offer a stronger denial than, "She"s always looked out for me too."
"I agree," the Lady said. "Which was how I could tell before that she wasn"t completely irredeemable. I am not truly the best judge of that, though, love, and I would also prefer that your cousin not endanger herself at every available chance. But..." She paused as jumbled thoughts and observations from the day flashed behind her eyes and formed a semi-coherent whole. "I find it best that the Princess Hilde... shows herself as she is, or perhaps "would be," from the very beginning. Time enough later to deal with the "should be"s" -- and there are many, from where I"m looking. However, my dear, right now... I need you to worry first about yourself. As your mother, I am asking you, please worry more for your own sake."
Gisela didn"t ask what her mother meant. She merely averted her gaze before nodding softly. Lady Ilse didn"t offer anything else on that subject, returning instead to the original one.
"Your cousin..." she said with a glint in her eyes that one might take for amus.e.m.e.nt under the faint illumination. "By and by, I"m finding my decision to leave Hilde on the road earlier... serendipitous. For various reasons, but for this best of all: it appears there is someone who will make a bride of her yet. Not that I"m satisfied with his country of origin, mind, but there might never be a better match out there for her."
"Yes, but... um, Mother, I really don"t think Hilde would be happy about that."
"I don"t think so either. I suspect it will only be the prince who"ll rejoice over that union -- majority of Arnicans certainly would not. In fact, as we"d mentioned this morning, they would prefer for it to be you. Hah! As if I"d allow it."
"I would raze this Queendom to the ground myself before I let that happen," Lady Ilse added privately. Some things you"re willing to do for another were best kept to yourself.
For the moment, they fell silent.
When Lord General Alfwin had been alerted of what was happening, the mother and daughter pair had seen how he had rushed back to the gate from his place of command near the front. Now, he was standing framed by the first of the palace"s broad, well-fortified gates, which he seemed to have ordered to remain open. Even though several soldiers were standing with him, echoing his silence, there was this sense that he was alone, a last bastion against an enemy whose nature remained cloaked to all except himself.
But not for long. From behind the women came the barely audible sounds of footsteps. At first, the light treads seemed to come from only one individual, but when they turned to look, they discovered it came from two.
The Lord"s remaining children, who had been walking side by side all their lives that it had become second nature for them to synchronize their steps, pa.s.sed them by after each giving a nod. They eventually stopped behind their father -- his heir to his right, his spare to his left.
"That man..." thought Lady Ilse, feeling all the alarm and discomfort she"d been trying to bury beneath optimism throughout the day rise to the surface, refusing to be pushed back down. "What is he doing? Women wielding swords? Leading wars? Killing and being killed? And not just Hilde, his own daughter too..." This time, it was bile that rose up to her throat. Unconsciously, she reached for Gisela and drew her closer. "Just why... why?"
***
"What are you thinking?"
Hilde sat on the hard ground of the alley where their group hid, leaning against a building"s wall and trying to look past the narrow gap between roofs to the starry sky of late summer. Thus far, all she"d managed to glimpse were stray twinkles beyond a thick canopy of clouds. It was getting colder, and the wind that occasionally blew was fresh and crisp.
They were doing nothing except waiting for reports and resting while they"re at it, yet it was still a strain due to the constant noise from without and the worry that someone would choose this path over the wider ones to get somewhere else, stumbling upon them in the process.
Leal sat beside her, but not quite near, and it was he who"d posed this quiet question.
After a brief hesitation out of habit -- her first instinct had been to either ignore him or give a barbed reply -- Hilde answered, "I"ve been doing a lot of thinking this day. Just now, I was trying to think of absolutely nothing."
"I see," said Leal with a small snort-like laugh. "That makes two of us, then."
"I"m not really used to it, to be honest," Hilde admitted with a self-deprecating smile, for the umpteenth time semi-consciously adjusting the fit of the borrowed armor she was wearing. "Are you?"
The man also s.h.i.+fted subtly to allow circulation back to another part of his torso, in the process cutting off blood flow to another part. "Not quite in this manner, no."
Noticing his discomfort, she grinned but also decided to lower a bit more of her defenses. "What are YOU thinking now?"
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