Page 35 of The Robber Knight
“Do you mean...? You can't mean...”
“I mean,” Ayla said, her small, femininevoice easily silencing that of the man before her, “that if theworst comes to the worst, I will not flee alone and leave behindthose to whom I have pledged my protection. I will take everyonealong with me into the castle.”
Burchard gripped her arm and hissed into herear: “What are you saying? You know we can't...”
She silenced him with a single look. He letgo of her arm.
“As we live together so we stand together,”she told Berthar. “As we live together, so we fall together. Do youunderstand, Berthar?”
There was a fierce gleam in the peasant'seyes. “Aye, Milady!”
“Well? What are you waiting for? I wouldimagine gathering enough supplies for an entire village takes sometime, so get to it!”
He fell to his knees, and all the othervillagers around her followed suit. They stayed like that for threeimmeasurable seconds, then sprang up again and began to disperse,conversing eagerly about what needed to be done.
As soon as they were far enough away,Burchard grasped her arm again and pulled her towards him. “Youfoolish young girl!” he growled into her ear. “Have you any ideahow quickly our supplies will be used up with the entire villagequartered in the castle? You've just ruined our only chance ofsitting out this siege!”
Ayla didn't reply; she just waited.
“You also,” Burchard added grudgingly, as heobserved the feverish activity among the peasants, “have justgained your men's undying loyalty. Well done.”
“Thank you.”
“I only hope you didn't pay too high aprice.”
Ayla threw her father's trusted old friend asideways glance. “The price for rectitude can never be toohigh.”
“Bah!” Burchard spat out. “Did your fatherteach you that fine saying?”
Ayla grinned, proudly. “No, I came up withthat all by myself.”
“Figures.”
He let go of her, and Ayla turned towards theeast again. In the light of the setting sun, she could see a fewfigures approaching. One of them was significantly smaller than theothers, but seemed to be running faster. The Lady of LuntbergCastle took a deep, steadying breath. Finally. Her challenge wasapproaching.
“Dilli?”
The maid, who had followed Ayla out of thecastle and watched the proceedings from a distance, hurried closer.“Yes, Milady?”
“I have a task for you, too. In fact it isthe most important task of all.”
Everybody still in the vicinity—Burchard, afew peasants, and some castle guards—looked up and listenedintently.
Dilli swallowed. “Yes, Milady. I will do mybest.”
“Good. I'll need you to make me a doll.”
Everyone, including Dilli, stared at Aylawith blank expressions on their faces.
“Err... Milady?” Dilli looked at herpleadingly. “A what?”
“A doll. You know what a doll is, don't you?The sort of thing little girls play with.”
“Um... yes, Milady.”
“You can sew, can't you?”
The maid nodded, still lookingnonplussed.
