Ingried
She ran her finger over the windowsill of her old room. She used to sit here and read, while Paul hurried after Julia and Peter to remind them that they were not allowed to climb trees or the castle walls. Julia had been a strenuous child. Sweet and naughty. Brave and stubborn. And I? I should have done the same instead of being the good daughter. What did it do for me?
Today her room seemed foreign to her.
It was no longer her room. The wallpapers, her old books and clothes. The clothes still fit her. She was wearing a girl's dream in pink that she had loved to wear when she was eighteen. Fine, subtle ruffles and bows adorned the collar. A dress for a young girl. But Ingried was no longer a young girl.
She felt empty. Adam was gone. They would not return home together. No more sitting together by the fireplace, drinking a glass of red wine and joking. Gossiping together about their snooty neighbors, or talking about their day. Was her house still her home?
She didn't know.
As a lawyer, she knew only too well that she was being wronged. She would win in court. But here? In the clutches of her mad mother? A murderer?
She didn't want to be without Adam. She wanted to leave. But she couldn't give up. The next time she saw her mother, she would smile. She wouldn’t let her be victorious. No. I'm going to smile! She reached for an old letter opener, a small sword her father had given her, and stroked the small but very sharp blade.
You're not going to win.
Then she sank to her knees and wept bitterly.
Cleo
They had fish, game, apples, and bread. But that wasn't enough. So Cleo tried to grow mushrooms. But she only managed to produce tiny mushrooms. Cleo sighed. She let berries grow on bushes and let vegetables shoot out of the ground between snow. She did this until she was exhausted. She had an army to supply.
And she couldn't go to a market.
Although Grünhein was not far away, they could not risk being discovered. She alone had to take care of the well-being of all. Charlotte tried to stop Cleo. She was worried. But Cleo didn't give up. Julia's army was not allowed to starve.
Julia
Finn was feeling better. He still had a slightly higher temperature, but the fever did not return. To be on the safe side, however, they took longer breaks on their way. Julia smiled as she finally spotted a small town in the distance. It was already getting dark, but they could see lights burning. The small town was not yet asleep.
"Is that Klarbach?" Finn asked, yawning. Marko snorted as if he wanted to ask as well.
"Yes, that's Klarbach!", Paul confirmed. "According to this map, that's Klarbach." If they could have used the main roads, they might not have needed a map. After all, Paul and Fritz knew their way around the area. But they went beside the roads. In the middle of the woods. Julia brushed a cheeky strand of hair out of her face. They had done it!
"What's the name of the pub? Goldbeard?" Emmie yawned wearily. "Can we stay in an inn?"
"Goldbarde!", corrected Fritz. "I thought you didn't mind sleeping outside?"
Emmie rolled her eyes. Then she pointed to Peyo. "Peyo does mind!"
"I'm not that fragile!" Peyo pushed her a little. "I can sleep on the floor."
"You're always whining that you want a bed!", grumbled Benjamin.
"So do you!" Chloe stuck her tongue out at him.
"We have some money to stay at an inn." Julia sighed. "But since you are officially bound servants... We may have to put you in slave quarters." She didn't like the idea. She wanted to sleep next to Leopold. She wanted to kiss him and fall asleep in his arms. "What a bummer!" But Leopold smiled comfortingly at her and kissed her cheek.
"We've been through so much! We can survive slave quarters, too!", he whispered to her. Julia leaned against him. It was not her concern whether her family would survive such quarters. No, that's not what this was about.
"But not today. It's already late. We'd better stay here!" Levi cleared his throat. "By the time we get there, all the inns will be closed for the night. If we don't want to stand out, we shouldn't try to get rooms or beds so late."
"My back is screaming for a bed!", grumbled Mads. "A soft bed. From the hard floor, my butt hurts terribly! I can barely sit!"
"Oh?" Emmie raised her eyebrows. "Sure that's because of the ground? And not Levi's acrobatic skills?"
Julia rolled her eyes while Mads eagerly fought back. "Levi is right." She decided to ignore the two wolves. "We don't want to and we shouldn't stand out. Tomorrow we're going to the city."
Fritz nodded. "Then we'll look for a nice spot for our overnight camp. How are you feeling, Juli?"
"Me?" Julia frowned.
"You used a lot of magic! And you look exhausted!", her brother explained. Lea and Paul nodded.
"Are you overexerting yourself?" Lea asked.
"Shall we build a hut? Do you want to rest?", Paul asked.
Julia wanted to object, but Marko barked loudly. "Let's build a hut the old-fashioned way", Leopold decided, kissing her forehead. "You need a break!"
