Maude stopped by the Zellars manor. She knocked several times at the door before she realized that there was no one coming. The building was empty. The grounds had once been bustling with workers, but now there wasn’t a soul to be found.

She must have taken Melissa’s discussion around the king, putting out an evacuation order soon, seriously, Maude thought. I suppose it was nice to know in advance that this was coming. I’m glad she’s at least somewhere safer than here too…most likely anyway.

Maude got back into the carriage, and directed the driver to the Wright manor. She had to pay nearly three times the normal fee because so many people were focused on evacuating.

I suspect people have been leaving the country for longer than just a single day, though, she thought. It is not as though it has been a secret that things haven’t been going well at the warfront.

It was a short journey to the Wright manor, faster than she expected. As she’d expected, there were many more people milling about at Melissa’s home.

“Thank you,” she told the carriage driver as she stepped out of the vehicle.

“Of course,” he replied. She closed the door behind her, and the coachmen drove off.

Maude turned back to the manor, taking a deep breath. Melissa is going to be disappointed that I am running away, she thought.

She walked up to a maid who was bustling around near the front door where Maude had entered when she’d come for tea. “Hello!” Maude said.

“Ah, hello my lady,” the maid said with a nod.

“Is Lady Melissa still here?” Maude asked.

The maid pressed her lips together and nodded sharply. “Yes, miss,” she replied.

Naturally, Maude thought. I would be surprised if she wasn’t.

“Is there any way that I might be able to visit with her?” Maude asked.

The maid grimaced. She’s annoyed, Maude thought. They’re probably busy, preparing to leave the country.

“I can ask if she’s willing to take a visitor,” the maid replied. “Would you be willing to tell me your name?”

“It’s Maude Holloway,” she replied.

The maid’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly recognizing Maude’s name. Maude felt a flush creeping into her face.

“My apologies, Lady Holloway,” the maid replied. “I did not realize such an esteemed guest had arrived.”

Maude covered her face with one hand and shook her other at the maid. “I’m not that important,” she replied. “It’s just an informal visit with my friend.”

“Nonsense, my lady,” the maid replied with a small smile. “Let me bring you to the sitting room so that you can be comfortable while we get Lady Melissas ready for you.”

Maude smiled politely. “That sounds lovely,” she replied.

“Come with me, then,” the maid replied, smiling back at Maude. The maid led her into the manor, and brought her to the exact same sitting room Maude had tea with Melissa and Crystine in, not all that long ago.

“I’ll have someone bring you some tea,” the maid said as Maude sat down on one of the couches.

“That sounds wonderful,” Maude said again with a small smile. “No rush on it, though, it seems as though you are all fairly busy today.”

“Indeed, we are, my lady,” the maid replied. “But I couldn’t not serve a guest like you tea, so I will ask them to pause their work for a few moments.” The maid began to close the door.

“That’s not necessary,” Maude called out after her. “Ah, she probably didn’t hear me,” she muttered to herself.

Maude sighed heavily, finding herself alone again. Her heart ached. She knew that she’d been preparing for this day to come for weeks, but that did not make it any easier to cope with the dark undercurrent of emotions that was lurking beneath her surface.

Where am I going to go? She thought, thinking of the map Jaspar had given her, safely stashed away in one of the duffle bags. The dream she’d once had of building her own cabin came to mind. Though the idea of living in complete solitude had once appealed greatly to her, now it just sounded like it would be extraordinarily lonely.

Do I dare try living alone after having lived with people who cared about me? She wondered. Or do I even try to live with other people when I know I’ll be reminded of the people I chose to leave behind?

It had only been a few minutes that she’d been sitting in the room when the door flung open, with Melissa standing in it.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“I’m surprised you’re here,” Melissa said with a wry smile. “I figured you would have left the country as soon as you heard that Aulbert was losing.”

Maude heard herself chuckling awkwardly, as her stomach twisted and she shifted around in her seat. “There were some things that I was finishing up, and I wanted to be involved in strategizing as much as I could.”

“Right,” Melissa replied with one of her actual smiles. “Honestly, I should thank you for that, as my father has now decided that it’s acceptable for women to be a part of strategizing in war, so I’ll actually get to take credit for my own ideas now. Too bad it’s nearing the end.” She looked down at the chair, before sitting in it and messing with a couple of the strings that were loose in the armrest.

Maude couldn’t help but grimace at her friend’s plight. “Honestly, your father should have just been putting you into start,” she replied.

“But I’m a lady,” Melissa replied. “A lady, Maude. Only sword saints are seen as people who might have something to contribute, even if they were born as a lady.”

Maude swallowed hard. Melissa’s envy is on full display today.

“Are you going to evacuate?” Maude asked, attempting to change the subject.

“After I finally earned the right to see the inside of the king’s strategy room?” Melissa asked. “Are you crazy? Of course not.”

Maude couldn’t help but laugh a little. Though Maude was undoubtedly worried about how her friend would fare, it was so like Melissa to choose to stay so she could help strategize.

“That’s understandable,” Maude replied.

“What about you, sword saint?” Melissa asked. “Will you be fighting?”

Maude shook her head. “You probably already guessed I had no plans to, though.”

The wry smile returned to Melissa’s face. “Just like you could have probably guessed that I was staying, I most certainly could have guessed that you were leaving.” She paused, her eyes studying Maude closely. “So why did you come here, then? If I was you, I’d be trying to get out of Aulbert as quickly as possible.”

“I wanted to see you before I left. And I wanted to see Cristyne, too, but she was already gone.”

“Heh,” Melissa replied with a small laugh. “That’s surprising. I figured you didn’t like me all that much since I was always pushing you to fight.”

“Ha,” Maude replied, with a small chuckle of her own. “I actually like you quite a bit and am worried for you.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Melissa said with a wave of her hand. “There’s already enough people doing that since I’m staying here against my father’s better judgment.”

Maude giggled a little. “That’s so like you, Melissa,” she said.

Melissa smiled warmly at Maude. “Well in that case, I’ll ask you the question that’s lingering in my mind. Are you sure you’re making the right choice?” Melissa asked.

Maude swallowed hard, feeling the knot in her throat. Her stomach did flip flops, and her heart clenched in her chest. “I’m fairly certain,” Maude answered.

Though if she had been entirely honest at that moment, she would have acknowledged that Melissa’s question really made her question if she was making the right choice.

I just need to keep moving forward with my plan, Maude thought. I can stop and think about the consequences once I, myself, am safe.

Melissa nodded at Maude, seeming to accept her answer, even though Maude knew that it was not the one she probably wanted to hear. “Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me,” she replied, a discontented smile on her face. “Going forward, the king plans to include me in pretty much everything, so I’m going to know all of the plans.”

Maude smiled at her friend. This was what Melissa had wanted all along. Though, it definitely saddened her that Melissa’s talents were being noticed so late in the war.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Maude replied. “Thank you for everything.”

“Thank you for paving a path forward for me,” Melissa replied, her smile clearly genuine. “And for being a good friend.”

“I really hope Aulbert wins. Or at the very least, you survive.”

Melissa chuckled. “I hope they kill me if we lose. I don’t want to survive and live in slavery.”

Maude felt her mouth go dry. She couldn’t even imagine the feisty redhead as a slave. One way or the other, if Aulbert lost, Melissa would surely lose her life.

“Though,” Melissa added. “I appreciate the sentiment, and, at the very least, hope that you survive as well, Maude.”

Maude swallowed hard, holding back more tears. “Well, I should probably get going,” she said, gently hitting her hands on her knees.

“You most certainly should,” Melissa said. “The sooner you leave Aulbert, the safer you will be.”

Maude smiled, but felt a part of a grimace coming through. And the people I care about will not be safe, she thought.

Maude stood up and hugged her friend, who was still sitting in the chair, still picking at the strings on the chair. “I hope to see you again,” Maude said softly.

Melissa wrapped one of her arms around Maude. “I hope to see you again as well,” she replied, her voice crackling.

~

Though Maude had been to the capitol’s shopping district many times with both Helena and Jaspar, she’d never seen it so deserted before.

Normally, there were kids running through the streets, playing and extra food and farming stands set up along the side of the road, where small gardeners would be able to sell any of their extra produce. None of that was happening as she walked through the street in the early afternoon.

More than half of the shops were closed. Some even had signs on their doors that stated the owner would be back if Aulbert won the war. Considering it was the day that Aulbert had just finally suggested that its citizens may want to try to leave, it left Maude wonder how long people had been leaving to country for.

In her pocket, Maude crossed her fingers that at least one of the bakeries might be open. She just needed some food and rations for a few days just in case she wasn’t able to find any in the forest.

And going forward, I’ll likely be trying to find a lot more food from the forest to minimize costs, she thought. Though Jaspar had given her quite a bit of money, she knew it would be exceptionally easy to go through it.

She sighed as she passed by another shuttered bakery. Is it the king’s hubris that is stopping him from surrendering? Maude wondered. He said the people of Aulbert have high pride for their kingdom, but it seemed as though many of the citizens had fled in the face of danger.

Finally, Maude happened upon a bakery that still had its doors open. Despite how many people and nobles were typically milling about in the shopping center, inside were the first two people she’d seen since she’d gotten to the district. One was the baker himself, and the other was a young noblewoman, who had a look of panic on her face.

Melissa’s envy of Maude’s capabilities to fight came to the forefront of Maude’s mind. I wonder if Melissa is as scared as she is, Maude thought as the noblewoman glanced at her and then scurried out the door. I guess in a lot of ways it’s really nice to know that if I need to, I can defend myself. I can also hunt for meat and they cannot.

Maude swallowed hard, realizing her capabilities were a bigger advantage than she’d given them credit for in the past.