This was the plan: travel to Berchtesgaden, where every conquering army was sure to go to loot and where the German forces would surely surrender, hook up with whatever German soldiers were still willing to fight, blow a few bridges to slow the Americans advance and shoot down as many as they could before either surrendering or being killed themselves. In short, it was a suicide mission, and that caused much uproar. There was no reason for them to die now.

Her CO told them he was getting his orders from above, reading from a script, that he wanted nothing more than to surrender peacefully and have this war over with. Emilie could tell he was speaking the truth, but that didn't make it any better. She tried to argue again, and she wasn't the only one, but it was no use. They were heading to Berchtesgaden. And that was that.

They left under the cover of darkness; they had since learned of the Americans in Dachau, and had timed their departure so there would be only a few hours between them, but they would go by a different road. Travelling on horse-drawn transport wasn't the most comfortable way, but it was the only thing they had access to.

Emilie sat on the hay, her legs dangling over the edge of the large cart. They were the last one in the long line of soldiers, exposed, but most men were just relieved they didn't have to march the entire way. The soldiers didn't sing as they usually would have; in fact, now they were fast asleep all around her. The only sound was the creaking of the wooden wheels, their snores, and the occasional snorting of the mules. She hated exploiting animals, but there was nothing she could say against it.

The cart rocked back and forth beneath her and she had to hold onto the wooden boards in order to not fall off into the mud. Kuhn was sound asleep beside her, clutching his rifle (after all, they were taught to treat their weapons like wives), his head lolling to the side and hanging dangerously close to the edge. When the top of his head finally did fall over, he started awake, spluttering and rubbing the back of his neck, but was back asleep before she could get a word in.

Ehrlichmann hadn't been permitted to travel in the same cart as Emilie, in case they were ambushed. Two soldiers with medical training weren't allowed to stay together for long.

Emilie looked out over the vast, open moor, eyelids drooping. The breeze was cool, gently lapping at her skin and hair. The moon was beautiful, for once no clouds hanging in the sky and obscuring the stars. They were like fireflies, somehow calming. She had always loved the night time; back at home, when she was little, she would be sent to bed while the sun was still up so her mother wouldn't have to be bothered by her anymore, and Emilie would wait until the moon hung in the sky to light a candle, slip under the covers and read until she could stay awake no longer. It had been a nice tradition, until her mother had discovered what she was doing and taken all candles out of her room, checking in on her before she went to sleep.

As soon as she started to reminisce about Tobias, she shoved the thought away. Pining now would do no good; nothing could bring him back, no matter how hard she wished for it. She had learned a long time ago that prayers were never answered, or at least not without a cost. Reaching down into her pocket, her fingers brushed the small pendant and blue bird she always carried with her and her chin quivered. Glancing over her shoulder, she was relieved to see that everyone was still sleeping soundly, and hadn't witnessed her momentary exhibition of weakness.

For a second, she considered throwing the necklace and small, soft toy out onto the dark moor, so they wouldn't serve as a constant reminder of all she had lost. But she wasn't that strong. She predicted that, even as an old lady, she would have them tucked away safely in her bedside cabinet. How pathetic.

Leaning back onto the prickly hay, she used her jacket as a makeshift pillow and gazed up at the stars far above her. She remembered the Southern Cross back in Australia, and the Big Dipper. Now, looking up, she could see the Milky Way, and it felt to her as though they were travelling down it, the pale cluster of stars forming a path that would lead them to their destiny. This could be the last time any of them ever saw the stars.