Fifteen

The next morning dawned bright, clear and warm; this brought unbelievable comfort to all in the Von Trapp villa. They all chose to take it as a good omen, for they needed one now more than ever. Even Maria, who had cried more than slept the previous night, found great hope in the dawn. The view from his bedroom had the best view of the lake, which faced east. Only the sunrise over her mountain had ever been so beautiful.

This sight gave her new strength as well as new hope. I'm coming for you, Captain. I will get you out of that horrible place…I promise.

Max had gotten himself up early and went to the train station the moment the ticket booth was open. He took with him the open passage tickets Georg had gotten for himself and the children, which Maria had discovered the night before last in his private study. After he had booked these tickets for a late afternoon train, he also bought an extra one for Mina, using half of the money Rolf had saved up over the last months.

In the morning, Maria's main task was to prepare the children. Even with the help of Liesl and Friedrich, this task still scared her quite a bit. The three of them were gathered in the Captain's office while the other children finished their breakfast.

"If we only say we're going to visit Granny, I know the little ones will believe that without question," said Friedrich. "Maybe Kurt, too."

Liesl shook her head. "And the other two? Of course they won't believe this is all that is going on. And even though the little ones may believe they're merely going on a long visit, they will definitely know why you're not going too, Fraulein."

Maria heaved a sigh and ran a hand through her hair. She closed her eyes, and tried to think of what the Captain would have done – or rather, what he would want her to do. Of course she was doing the right thing by getting the children out of the country as quickly as possible…he wanted everything done possible to keep his children safe.

With that, she made a decision. "All right," she said, clasping her hands in front of her. "Here is what we are going to do. We will tell the other children that you are all going to visit your grandmother in England for a while. We will help them pack as much as they can that will not seem suspicious at the train station." She held out her hands to the two of them, and each of them took one of her hands. "Now, here is where I'm really going to count on you two. Do not tell them any more until after you are safely over the border and out of the reach of the Third Reich. Your father wouldn't want to take any more risks than necessary."

Both Liesl and Friedrich nodded. "What exactly should we say?" asked Friedrich.

"That your father had arranged for you all to flee the country once the Anschluss happened and the Nazis had taken over the country."

"That's more than enough reason," said Liesl, "even for the little ones. However, how do we explain why you are not coming with us?"

Maria thought for another moment. "We'll say that I'm staying behind to watch the house and to wait for your father, who is coming back. Then we will follow you all together."

Glad the stories were straight, Maria spoke. "Today needs to be spent on packing, and what we can leave behind. We must be careful not to pack too much, or else it will look suspicious. This will be hard for the little ones, especially, so we will have to all pitch in and help."

"What about Mina?" asked Friedrich. "Does she have all of her things from her father's house?"

Maria smiled at the concern Friedrich showed. "Rolf is bringing her things when he comes to the house this afternoon."

At that moment, the sounds of the other children chatting as they left the dining room floated through the crack between the door and the frame. All three of them took deep breaths and looked at each other before exiting the room.

Rolf arrived at the Von Trapp villa at about half past four in the afternoon. The train on which the seven Von Trapp children, Mina and Frau Schmidt had tickets for was scheduled to depart an hour later. Guarding the Captain's cell hadn't been made any easier with the knowledge that plans were being made to break him out. If anything, it just made it all the more painful. So many times, Rolf had to force himself to remain silent. He so wanted to kneel down, open the food slot and say something to him, to tell him his children would be safe this time tomorrow, that he would be rescued in a matter of days, but he knew he couldn't. No one, not even the Captain, could know. It was just too risky.

When he was let into the house by Max, Rolf could hear nothing short of chaos upstairs. Max clapped his shoulder and chuckled a bit at his confused expression. "Seven children, including little ones, trying not to pack more than two suitcases each, and yet each knowing they will not be coming back here."

Rolf raised his eyebrows. "Even the little ones know they're leaving for good?"

"No, but they can sense it," said Max. "Maria thinks it's best not to tell them everything until they are safely out of the country, and I agree."

Rolf nodded in agreement. "Is my sister upstairs?"

"I think so," said Max, noticing the suitcase Rolf had in one hand. "Go on up. We've got a few minutes."

Rolf smiled and headed up the stairs. But when he saw that Mina was not in her room, Rolf headed in the direction of all the voices and chattering. This must be where the children's rooms are…maybe she's with Liesl…

Upon approaching the hallway of the children's rooms, he could distinguish his sister's voice coming from one of them. When Rolf came to the open doorway, he couldn't help smiling. Mina was seated on the floral carpet in the bedroom, with both little girls sitting close beside her as she read from a storybook to them. Rolf patiently waited quietly, smiling softly as Mina finished the story in her quiet, gentle voice.

When it was over, Rolf clapped softly, bring all three's attention to him. "Oh, hello, brother!" said Mina with a bright smile. It filled Rolf's heart with great relief to see her smile like that again.

"I like that one," he said, pointing to the storybook. "You remember Mother used to read that to us?"

Mina nodded with a soft look in her eyes. The three girls got up from the floor. Two fully-packed suitcases lay on each small bed. Seeing Marta struggling to lift one, Rolf made his way to her bed and lifted them up. "May I help you?" he asked with a smile.

Marta smiled shyly and nodded.

Rolf turned to his sister, who was helping Gretl with her bags. "I see you've been spending the day productively."

"Been getting to know all of them today," said Mina, who sounded pleased. "I couldn't pick better people to travel with."

Both of the siblings tried to ignore the little stab of pain in both of their hearts, being reminded that very soon they would be parted.

"Mina's a good reader," said Marta to Rolf before turning to Mina. "Will you read to us on the train?"

"Of course I will," said Mina gently.

"You read as good as Fraulein Maria," said Gretl matter-of-factly.

The sound of laughter made everyone turn to the doorway, where Maria was standing with a pleased smile on her face. "You couldn't ask for a higher compliment from this one, Mina," said Maria, as she playfully tickled the five-year-old that had greeted her with a hug. Looking at Mina, she said sincerely, "Thank you so much for helping these two get packed. I knew they would be in good hands before on this trip, but now I know they'll be in truly great hands."

Mina blushed and bowed her head at the compliment.

In a more somber voice, Maria said, "It's time to go."

Five minutes later, two taxi cabs that had been hired – as well as Max's car – were lined outside the villa waiting for the nine travelers. Inside the front hall, Maria was saying tearful goodbyes to the younger children. All of them asked when she and their father would be joining them. And all Maria could reply was, "As soon as we possibly can, I promise."

After the five youngest children had been put in the cars, Maria and Frau Schmidt hugged tightly. "Don't worry about us, Maria," said Frau Schmidt. "We will be just fine, and I will guard them like a hawk."

"I know you will," said Maria. "And again, thank you so much."

Liesl and Friedrich approached her to say goodbye. She smiled at the both of them. "I know I can count on the two of you to look after your brother and sisters. After all, you're no longer children but wonderful young adults…I'm so proud of the both of you. And I know your father is, too."

Neither Liesl nor Friedrich could hold back a tear or two. Maria immediately pulled them both in for a hug, pushing back her own tears. "Everything will be all right," she breathed, both to them and to herself. "I promise you: I will not rest until I have brought him back to you all." She kissed the both of them and wiped the tears from their faces.

Then Maria turned to Mina, and gently tucked a loose strand of pale hair behind her ear. "It only gets better from here, my dear."

Mina gave a watery smile, and the two fair-haired women embraced. "Thank you so much," whispered Mina to Maria.

Meanwhile, Rolf was saying goodbye to the oldest two Von Trapp children. To the both of them, he said, "Please look after my sister."

Friedrich nodded, and the two awkwardly shook hands before Friedrich went outside to the cars.

Rolf and Liesl were now facing each other, neither of them knowing what to do. Rolf wanted to hug her goodbye, perhaps kiss her cheek, but he felt too self-conscious in front of her family and his sister. So, awkwardly rubbing his neck, he mumbled, "Well…have a safe journey…"

Liesl nodded, her eyes still very bright. "I'll look after her, and so will Friedrich and Frau Schmidt. Don't worry."

"I know you will," said Rolf, his voice catching a bit.

Liesl bit her lip and couldn't take it anymore. She threw her arms around Rolf and embraced him, and he immediately embraced her back. "Please save him," Liesl breathed. "And please be careful."

"I promise," said Rolf. "To both requests, I promise."

Just before they let go of each other, Liesl kissed his cheek before rushing out of the house to join her brother in Max's car. His touched that cheek with his fingers in silence until he felt a more familiar hand on his arm. He looked down to see his little sister, smiling gently with tears in her eyes. Without words, they embraced tightly, trying to give each other and themselves strength for the separation and the mission to come.

Rolf kissed her forehead and they squeezed hands before Mina made her way outside. No words between them were needed.

Maria and Rolf stood at the front door as the engines of the three cars roared to life. All seven children waved goodbye to Maria and she waved back. Rolf and Mina simply looked at each other. The three full cars then drove away, out of the gates, and round the corner in a cloud of road dust.

Once the sound of the motors had faded, Maria lowered her hand that had been waving and rubbed her face. Phase one of the plan was now complete: the children were on their way to safety. The children would not be with their grandmother for another day and a half, but Maria felt no qualms that they would be just fine.

Maria turned to Rolf to ask if he would like some dinner before Max returned or wait for him, but found herself alone. She went back inside, and heard a strangled sob coming from behind one of the massive pillars. Slowly circling it, she let her footsteps announce herself so as not to scared him. He had his forearm against the pillar, and a fist covering his mouth as if to block the sobs that wanted to come out.

"Rolf?" she said quietly, very gently. "Are you all right?"

The seventeen-year-old took a deep, shaky breath. "I promised my mother…before she died…that I would take care of Mina…and what have I done? That bastard beat her like a rag doll, and what did I do?"

"What could you do, Rolf?" said Maria, placing a hand on his shoulder. "There was nothing you could have done."

"But there must have been something!" said Rolf stubbornly, wiping his eyes. "I should have gotten her out of there sooner…"

"Rolf, listen to me," said Maria, firmly gripping his shoulders and turning him around to face her. "You couldn't have gotten her out of there any sooner than you did. And the fact that you did get her out and is now on her way to safety is all that matters. I know Mina doesn't blame you, and neither does anybody else…so neither should you."

In the next moment, Rolf's face crumpled and he looked no older than Marta. Without another word, Maria rested his head on her shoulder while he let all of his sobs out.

Later that evening, Rolf and Maria were waiting in Georg's office. Dr. Falk was scheduled to arrive at any moment, as had been agreed upon yesterday. Max was by the front door waiting for him.

A few minutes after the clocks had chimed seven, Dr. Falk had rushed into the office, followed by Max. "I have news," he said a bit breathlessly. "The news we've been waiting for."

"What is it?" asked Maria breathlessly, holding her hands so tightly her fingers were white.

"Orders from the Third Reich have come, requesting the Captain to accept the naval commission immediately and report to the naval base at Bremerhaven tomorrow night. Lieutenant Amsel told me at dinner tonight, and he didn't sound happy about it at all."

"So that explains why everybody was so tense there today," said Rolf. And why nobody went in to beat him up, thank God.

Maria shook her head slightly. "Does this mean that the Third Reich doesn't know what Herr Zeller has done?"

Hans nodded his head. "When I learned of the Anschluss and heard Zeller and his men whispering about Georg, I thought that they were only looking forward to giving Georg the news of his immediate orders. But when I learned the truth, I knew that Zeller had gone rogue."

Max nodded. "There are two good reasons to believe that: one, Zeller has hated Georg for years and wanted nothing more than to bring him to the lowest point he could go –"

"That rat bastard," whispered Maria fiercely with murder in her eyes. All three men looked at her for a moment completely shocked, unaware that while Maria came from a convent she also grew up on a farm with a drunk uncle that had the mouth of a sailor.

Max scratched his neck and continued, unnerved a bit at how much she had sounded like Georg. "And two, the Third Reich would want Georg in top condition to begin training and duty right away, no matter his past outspoken views."

"When I found out where Georg really was yesterday, I knew then that it was only a matter of days before the real order came for him," said Hans. "There is no way that Zeller would go against their direct orders; he enjoys his position too much."

"But he was willing to push his power for his personal revenge," said Max in disgust.

"How do they expect to explain the Captain's physical condition when he arrives in Bremerhaven?" asked Rolf incredulously.

Hans snorted in equal disgust with Max. "They're not going to say anything, and plan to leave Georg to explain himself as if it were his fault."

Maria got up abruptly from her chair and began pacing furiously, her face fuming.

"So what's the plan? What do we do?" asked Rolf."

"We act tomorrow morning," said Hans firmly. "Zeller and Amsel have asked me to come at ten o'clock to examine and patch him up as best as possible. Then they are going to put him on a train to Bremerhaven that will arrive that night." He leaned forward and looked at Rolf. "Amsell told me that he is going to have you and I take him to the train station, and escort him to Bremerhaven to make sure he arrives."

"What we are really going to do is this: when we get Georg away from that place and to the train station, we will smuggle him and you onto a train bound for Switzerland. Max, you and Maria will take an earlier train bound for that destination and meet them there."

"No."

All three men turned towards Maria, who had paused in her pacing when she spoke. "What do you mean, Maria?" asked Max.

"Hans," she addressed the doctor. "It wouldn't be wise to help get Georg on that train. Rolf may be getting safely out, but you will be going right back into the lion's den – and they will want your blood when they find out Georg is missing."

"I'll be alright," said Hans.

"No, Hans, you won't," said Max, putting a hand on his shoulder. "What they've done to Georg isn't nearly as bad as to what they do to spies and betrayers; you know that. There are too many people here who need your help in this twisted government. I know you would never abandon them."

Hans sighed heavily and ran a hand over his face. "Then what do you propose? There is no way they would entrust this task to only one guard."

"Simple," said Maria, approaching the group of men. "We will have another guard help."

Now all men looked at her as if worried she had a head injury. "Maria, there is no one under the Third Reich's command we can trust," said Max.

"And I know of no other man who would be willing to do this or be trusted with this," said Rolf in worry.

Maria smirked in complete confidence. "I do."