"I recognize this clearing, and that tree over there. This is definitely the place we were ambushed last time."
Ludwig dismounted his horse, and gave it a few pats with his hand before giving the reins to one of the guards. When Yao returned from Ivrark yesterday with no clothes and no taxes, Ludwig was able to confirm with him that it was the very same company of seven thieving dwarfs, using a discreet hand gesture to imply their height without the Queen catching on. With Kiku's help, he immediately arranged for these four guards to accompany them back into Bueswood.
As Ludwig looked ahead of them into the woods, he reflected on whether this was the correct reaction. After all, he was trying to figure out what was happening with Stulikya's financial position, and these thieves certainly weren't helping at all. Perhaps shutting down their rebellious activities would bring some stability to the kingdom. Then again, perhaps Ludwig was barking up the wrong tree on this issue. At the very least, he could teach these children a lesson after what they did to him last time.
Ludwig's thoughts were halted as he spotted a cloaked figure on the road ahead of them, emerging from behind the rocks that stood to each side. The black cloak hid them entirely, only revealing the large basket they were struggling to carry in front of them with both hands. As they awkwardly shuffled between the rocks, they tripped on a branch and fell to the ground, their fruits and goods falling out of the basket.
"Oh dear," the woman gasped, "Oh dear, oh dear!"
Ludwig motioned for Kiku and the guards to stay back, before walking towards the woman. Her face still hidden by her hood, he could now see the layered black skirt past the opened cloak as she stayed kneeling on the ground, picking up her items and putting them back in the basket.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir," the woman apologized, "I'll be out of your way in a moment. Oh dear, where did the other one go?"
"It's quite alright, ma'am," Ludwig assured as he approached her side, nearly stepping on one of her apples, "May I offer you any assistance?"
"Oh no, thank you," the woman said as Ludwig knelt to the ground to get the apple, "Everything's alright, I just need to grab that apple over there."
Ludwig picked up the apple and offered it to her, freezing in the motion. Now that he was kneeling at the same level as her, he was finally able to see her face past the hood. He immediately recognized her, and her shocked expression indicated that she was just as surprised to see him.
"Princess Natalya?" Ludwig gasped.
"Prince Ludwig?" Natalya gasped.
"I thought you were dead," Ludwig stated.
"I almost was," Natalya answered.
Before anything else could be said, some loud shouting was heard behind him, followed by the now-familiar sounds of the inflatable stilts. Ludwig spun in his spot and stood up as he watched the dwarfs pounce into the clearing, catching Kiku and the guards completely by surprise with their attack.
"Stay behind me, Natalya," Ludwig directed as he pulled out his sword, "You'll be safe back there."
Before he could move forward, however, Ludwig heard another sword unsheath behind him. Fearing that he and Natalya were about to be attacked from behind, Ludwig spun towards her again, ready to face whichever dwarf was sneaking up from the other direction, only to find there was no other dwarf.
It was Princess Natalya who wielded the sword.
Her cloak had been removed and left on the ground with the basket of fruits and goods, revealing her full outfit. She wore an indigo blouse and a long black skirt which cinched at the waist, the fabrics hanging loosely around her limbs to allow movement, while her braided hair was now flipped back behind her. Tied to the belt around her waist was her dagger from before, as well as the scabbard for the sword that she was now pointing directly at him.
"You're with the bandits?" Ludwig realized, "Doesn't that make you a traitor?"
"You're helping the Queen," Natalya retaliated, "That makes you a jerk!"
Natalya lunged forward to attack, prompting Ludwig to defend himself from her first few strikes.
"All right, that's enough," Ludwig demanded, "Stop this at once, I can't fight you."
"Why not?" Natalya resisted as she swiped again.
"Because you're a girl," Ludwig answered as he blocked, "I don't fight girls -"
Right at that moment, Natalya's sword slipped past his and struck the fabric of his cape, tearing through where it was attached at his shoulder. Ludwig stepped back in surprise, watching the cape fall to his feet before looking at Natalya again.
"Perhaps I should reconsider," Ludwig retracted.
He stepped forward first this time, ready to parry with the princess in their small clearing. As they spun around each other, Ludwig got brief glances of Kiku and the guards further away, struggling to fight the dwarfs. There wasn't much he could do about it, though, since Natalya was giving him a very strong fight.
"The queen did say you were crazy," Ludwig recalled as she swung a flurry of strikes.
"She also said I was dead," Natalya countered, ramping up her speed.
Their battle continued for several more strikes of each their swords, before Natalya dove into a blow with her full body. Ludwig swiftly dodged her attack, catching her right arm in his spare hand as she barreled past him. Keeping her sword-arm firmly locked in his grasp, he pulled her towards him, pinning her against his chest.
Natalya struggled against his grasp as he held her tight against him. Her right arm, still held tight by his left hand, couldn't move her sword to strike him. His own sword-arm was wrapped around her, pushing her into him. Natalya had brought up her left arm between their chests, attempting to push away. Frustrated with her lack of control, she looked up and glared at him, a furious expression that made Ludwig consider something other than their swordfight.
"If you weren't trying to stab me right now," Ludwig teased, "I might be tempted to kiss you."
"I guess I better keep trying then," Natalya responded.
Her right arm suddenly broke free from his left hand, and Ludwig was unable to stop her from swinging up and hitting his head with the handle of her sword. Ludwig lost his grip on her as he succumbed to the sharp pain, strong enough to make him dizzy and lose his bearings. He fell to his knees as he struggled to remain conscious, planting a hand on the ground to keep himself upright.
Just as he thought his dizziness was subsiding, Ludwig felt a hand reach under his chin and force him to look up. Standing above him was Natalya, whose furious glare had softened into something a bit more contemplative.
"Why do you have to be so attractive?" she muttered.
"What -" Ludwig tried to answer, before her closed fist struck his face and made everything go black.
"My goodness, Prince Ludwig, we really must stop meeting like this."
Ludwig stood there in all his shame in front of the Stulkyian throne. After regaining consciousness and their bearings, Ludwig and Kiku had returned to Tark with the guards. Once again stripped of all their clothes by the dwarfs, they now had to answer to a not-amused Queen Erzsébet.
"We were ambushed," Ludwig reported, "The bandits caught us by surprise."
"You went into the woods to capture the bandits," Erzsébet reminded, "and the bandits caught you by surprise?"
"They outsmarted us," Ludwig excused, "Their leader was incredibly ruthless and cunning. She was -"
"She?" Erzsébet interjected, "The bandits' leader is a she?"
As the Queen stared him down intensely, Ludwig felt that all he could say in response to that was the truth.
"The bandits' leader is Princess Natalya."
There was a moment of stunned silence after Ludwig said that, as Erzsébet stared at him with a frozen look of shock, before she burst into laughter. She turned to look at Yao at the side of the room, who joined her laughter with a nervous chuckle of his own.
"That's impossible sir, the princess is dead," Yao denied, "Perhaps it was just someone that looked like Princess Natalya."
"I saw her as well," Kiku claimed, "It was definitely Princess Natalya."
"You were in the forest, it can sometimes be very dark in there," Yao attempted to dismiss, "I think we should at least open ourselves up to the possibility that it was just someone who looked a lot like the late Princess Natalya."
"What a fun surprise," Erzsébet remarked, no longer laughing and with a sour look forming on her face.
"Agree to disagree," Yao noted.
"You told us she was dead!" Ludwig accused.
"He said she was dead," Erzsébet blamed, giving Yao an angry glare.
"I wish I was dead," Yao muttered, looking skyward to avoid the eye contact
"You also told me she was mad," Ludwig continued.
"She is mad," Erzsébet upheld, "Not as mad as I am, however."
"So which is it, she's mad or she's dead?" Ludwig demanded, feeling his temper beginning to rage, "She seemed completely sound of mind when she and her band of dwarfs -"
"Dwarfs?" Erzsébet interrupted, stopping Ludwig in his spiel, "You said they were giants."
"They're giant dwarfs," Ludwig deflected, "They're big, but sometimes small."
As Erzsébet stared at him in suspicion and anger, Ludwig knew she wasn't buying his story anymore.
"I feel I have been deceived," Erzsébet slowly declared.
"No, I am the one being deceived!" Ludwig countered, "I've been misled either by you or by Natalya, and I find this current line of events to be completely confusing."
"Confusing, you say?" Erzsébet raised her voice, "A fine word, a grand word to describe this situation where a dead girl is alive leading around a band of giant dwarfs!"
Before anyone could respond to that, Erzsébet rose from the throne, prompting them all to bow to her respectfully as she walked away.
"And here I was having such a good day!" she exclaimed as she stormed out of the room.
Once she had left the room, Yao and the guards slowly left in their own directions, leaving Ludwig and Kiku alone in the room.
"I should've kept my mouth shut," Ludwig realized, "I screwed up, didn't I?"
"I would dare say you did," Kiku replied, much to Ludwig's dismay, "Because of you, the Queen now knows that the Princess is alive."
As Ludwig stood there in guilt and shame, that phrase Arthur used back at Inasdiff came to mind, and it felt like the perfect thing to say right now.
"Bloody fucking hell."