Disclaimer: The Hetalia characters and their personifications belong to Hidekaz Himaruya. 日丸屋 秀和

What Not to do if You are a Knight by Gilbert Beilschmidt:

14.) Do not underestimate the extremes two girls will go to just to avoid getting kidnapped... But come on, you are a princess! You should have expected this kind of thing to happen to you at least once.

Preparations

At the fortress in the depths of the dark, Western Woods, Kitty had made valuable use of the remaining rope.

Yes, she was pleased with her work, but no, she would not tell Lovina what her newly-crafted mechanism did.

"Just... avoid walking down the path that leads to the fort. And don't go near the gates. You know what? Just stay inside," Kitty had told her.

Just within the massive wooden entrance doors of the stone fortress, there was a great hall with a single stairway that led to a second floor.

It was much more spacious on the inside than it appeared from the outside.

It was dark and damp; covered in moss, cobwebs, and stray leaves. It looked altogether abandoned. But at the same time, one could tell just how impressive this castle-like structure had been perhaps a century ago when it was in its prime.

It was sturdy, however, which was all they needed for now.

"Quickly, Your Highness, up the stairs. We must get to the battlements."

"What are we going to do there?" Lovina questioned. "It's nearly nightfall, aren't we going to sleep?"

"Not tonight. I'm sorry, Your Highness, but we have to keep watch from above."

"But what exactly are we going to do?" Lovina persisted, losing patience with her servant who had gained quite the authoritarian attitude of late.

Kitty looked at her dignitary. "We're going to try to push them back. We gave them a hell of a fight on the carriage. If they come for us still, we'll give them hell again until they are convinced that they cannot outsmart or overpower us. They'll cut their losses and turn back."

The two young women made their way together to the top of the battlements, the roof of the fort.

After they ascended the stone stairwell they found several commodities awaiting them at the top. There at the threshold of the door leading outside to the battlements rested two large barrels and a few moth-eaten sacks - all of which were covered in a layer of dust and cobwebs.

Lovina casually stepped around the objects and opened the door to the chilly outside air. Kitty, on the other hand, promptly began examining the aged supplies. She pried open the top of the barrels.

"Ah-ha!" exclaimed the servant. "Perfect!"

Lovina wrinkled her nose. "Sawdust?" she questioned uncomprehendingly.

"Yes," Kitty nodded vigorously, "I- I need to light a torch. Oh, and leaves! Can you find me some leaves? But only dry ones!"

Lovina nodded obediently. Kitty's strange attitude shift seemed to cause a role flip at times, and Lovina found that she did not mind all that much. Lovina felt in that moment that she was finally assisting in a truly useful way.

Kitty was the only one who had ever spoken to her as though she had any sort of competence. She was the only one who ever treated Lovina as... well, an equal. Like she had sense in her head. As Lovina's servant she always demonstrated respect, but it was not that timidity or nervous fear that the other servants exhibited. Nor was Kitty's attitude ever condescending like how the Councilmen and Lords regarded her.

Even other women of status spoke within their boundaries. "Fragrance-laden simpletons" she had labeled them once during an angry rant. But Kitty, Kitty had always spoken like she knew...

Her green eyes were usually dimmed but Lovina caught flashes of light when they told stories late at night back at her castle.

So she went to look for leaves.

All night long the girls stayed sitting back-to-back, concealed under the stone-block rims of the battlements.

A blanket was draped over both of them, although Kitty made sure Lovina had just a bit more. Kitty had spent colder nights anyway.

The night carried on and by the early morning hours, the servitor had nodded off, unwillingly, to sleep. Her face was sad, like she had lost a battle with the forces of nature acting upon her body and succumbed to exhaustion.

Lovina smiled pityingly at her friend and easily stayed awake to keep watch. She listened intently for the sound of approaching men.

She could not sleep anyway, even if she tried.

As Kitty dreamed, her mind again returned to those reminiscent visions...

Historical Notes

*A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e. a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which rectangular gaps or indentations occur at intervals to allow for the discharge of arrows or other missiles from within the defenses. [Balestracci, D. (1989). "I materiali da costruzione nel castello medievale". Archeologia Medievale(XVI): pp. 227–242.]