They ran for what felt like hours, their legs all numb by the time they slowed down into a walk. It was clear shortly into their run that they had lost the men who were searching for them, but they kept running all the same. Maria knew they all found the strength through the fear they had felt, she herself still moving on pure adrenalin, and her body still in shock.

Georg, who was leading the group, whispered something to Liesl, and they all began slowing down. There was a little river flowing nearby, and the children moved to drink from it. Maria simply stopped moving, watching them enjoy the water and chance to relax.

She couldn't wrap her head around what happened to her, and what nearly happened. Her brain felt fuzzy, and her body felt heavy, her face throbbing. She was afraid to assess the damage, both physical and emotional. She was afraid that if she felt too much she would never stop crying or would be unable to make it the rest of the journey.

"Maria?" She jumped, meeting her husband's eyes as he stood next to her. She wasn't sure when he had gotten there, but it was obvious that he had been speaking to her for a moment. "I asked if you're alright."

"I'm fine." She looked back to the children, watching them rest their legs, some taking off their shoes and dipping their feet into the river.

"May I help you clean up?"

"What?"

"You're covered in blood, darling." She looked at her hands, and he was right. It dawned on her that she had actually stabbed a man, his now dried blood staining her hands and arms. The same man who had held a gun to her head and tossed her around so violently. She caught sight of her dress, ripped in several places and revealing more of one of her legs than she would ever allow. She began to shake uncontrollably, tears falling from her eyes. Her heart was pounding; she didn't know what to do. She couldn't breathe.

"Georg..." Her voice cracked.

"Shh, come here." She had no more words, she just knew she needed him. He quickly pulled her to his chest, sobs wracking her body as she clung to him. He held her tightly, his fingers running through her hair as he whispered words of encouragement and comfort to her. His hands ran over her back, soothing her as she cried. She was doing her best to calm down before she fell to a heap on the ground. She knew she had to stay strong so they could keep moving.

"Mother." Liesl approached, placing her hand upon Maria's shoulder. She turned to meet her daughter's gaze, feeling such shame at being seen acting so weak. "I'd like to help you clean up, if I may?"

"Go on, darling. I'll take the rest of the children to..."

"Don't leave." She panicked, meeting his eyes in fear. He placed a gentle kiss to her lips.

"I'll make sure I can see you the whole time, believe me. I'm not letting you out of my sight ever again." She nodded hesitantly, and he gathered the rest of the children to find something to eat. Liesl placed a comforting hand on her back and led her to the water, where they sat upon the ground together.

Maria leaned forward and began washing her hands, the water feeling cool against her hot skin. She scrubbed and scrubbed, as if after every drop of the blood was gone she would suddenly feel clean again. She cupped water in her hands and leaned over the river, bringing the water to her face. She groaned at the sting of the water as it hit her skin, and she knew her face was not in good shape at all.

"May I?" She nodded to Liesl as she wetted her own hands and tried scrubbing a bit. Maria reached down and tore a piece of fabric from her skirt, large enough to help the process. The dress was ruined anyway, she thought. She dipped it into the water and handed it to Liesl.

"How bad does it look?" Her voice sounded hollow, very unlike herself. Liesl shrugged, reaching forward to wipe her cheeks.

"You have a cut on your cheek, and your lip. And your nose was bleeding. There's just a lot of blood right now." She continued to wipe, and Maria saw the blood on the rag as evidence.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't get you girls out of there." She began to cry again, angry at showing emotion in front of one of the children. Liesl simply wiped her tears with the rag and continued her work. "You should have never had to see that."

"You are not allowed to apologize for anything that happened today. Nothing was your fault."

"But I..."

"Nothing was your fault." Liesl's words were direct, and her eyes bore into Maria's with meaning. She wasn't sure how her daughter knew exactly what she needed to hear, but her words sunk in as Liesl continued cleaning her face, dipping the rag back into the water occasionally. "I've never seen someone as brave as you were today. You knew what he would do to you, and you still tried to get us out of there."

"You know how much I love you children."

"Yes, but I don't think I really, truly understood until today. You would have given your life for us."

"Yes." She heard Georg helping the others in the distance, true to his word of not letting her out of his sight, as Liesl finished wiping the blood from her nose.

"There, you look like nothing ever happened." She tried to smile, but knew it fell terribly flat.

"I hardly believe that. But thank you." Liesl moved to stand, but Maria grabbed her hand, noticing for the first time that a bruise was forming around her own wrist. "I mean it, thank you, for so much."

She pulled her into a hug, taking in the comfort and love she felt in her daughter's arms, and doing her best to pass along the same feelings. She couldn't have asked for a better support system, even though she knew the girls would need their own support as well.

She and Liesl joined the others for whatever berries, fruits, or vegetables they may have found in the woods. She could tell the children were all being careful with her, not being too noisy or chatty. Gretl sat next to her, snuggling into her side. She put an arm around her and leaned down to make sure she was okay too. She nodded and hugged Maria closer.

Georg pulled Liesl, Louisa, and Brigitta to the side. It was obvious that he was asking them about what happened, but Maria didn't mind them telling the story for her. She would have to face it all eventually, speak the words to her husband and let it out, but for the present she was comfortable leaving the storytelling to the girls. They would need to talk about it too, and she was thankful he acknowledged that.

A stray tear fell down her cheek, and she brushed it away. All she wanted to do was go home.