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:

12.) Do not hunt down damsels in distress like they are animals... even though sometimes they are as stubborn as a mule or as stupid as a pigeon.

13.) Faster is not always better.

A Matter of Time

The two women continued to trod along the forest path, the sky above them a deep orange hue as the sun began to set.

The foliage opened up slightly and led to a narrow clearing where a small, abandoned castle occupied the glen.

"Finally! I'm tired as f-"

"We're not out if the woods yet... literally," Kitty broke in.

"What? What do you mean?" the princess asked.

"They're coming," Kitty stated as simply as she would have reported the weather. Looking up and realizing Lovina did not understand, she continued, "Those are trained warriors, Your Highness. They know how to untie a knot. They can cut a rope. They're strong. Also, they can hunt and track."

"You mean hunt... us? But how? We've put so much distance between us and them!"

Kitty pointed to the matching set of horse prints splayed clearly in the fresh forest mud.

Lovina gasped in realization.

"It's okay, it's going to be difficult for them to track us in the dark, plus we've made much better time on horseback."

"But they WILL be coming?"

"...Yes. If they tried that hard to attack us on the road, they're not going to give up easily. I shouldn't have let them live."

Well that was... dark.

"Why... did you?" Lovina inquired slowly, not sure how she felt about such a comment from her normally shy and placid mistress.

She received no answer. "I have a plan," Kitty instead replied after a pause.

The three men awoke at about the same time. It was evening when they came to.

"Ayeyeye, me duele cabeza..." Antonio groaned, sitting up.

"AHHHH!" came the girlish scream from a few paces away. "Nononononononononononononononononononononooooo! She got blood and MUCK all over my favorite chapeau!"

Gilbert was the last to rise. He had a pensive expression on his face, holding his chin. For once, he remained silent.

"Hm? What is wrong, mon ami?" Francis questioned concernedly.

"...Nothing," he answered, snapping the frayed rope around his wrists with ease. He then proceeded to unbind his ankles. "We're tracking them down tonight."

"¿Qué? In the dark?"

Gilbert pinned him with scarlet eyes. "They won't expect us to be on the move at night... it will be slower work but the faster we get to them, the better."

"I wonder how two women are fairing all alone in the woods?" Francis contemplated.

"My guess is fairly well," Gilbert responded, having a good idea of just who one of the women actually was. He rose from his spot on the ground and romped deeper into the timberland.

Glancing at one another, Francis and Antonio followed suit.

* Mi duele cabeza = In Spanish, 'My head hurts'

* Mon ami = French for 'My friend'

* ¿Qué? = Spanish for 'What?'

Historical Notes

* "Chapeau" is a French term signifying a hat or other covering for the head. In mainland European heraldry, it is used as a mark of ecclesiastical dignity. The chapeau is also sometimes used as a mark of secular dignity, such as a cap, or coronet, worn by dukes, etc. A chapeau is flat, very narrow atop, but with a broad brim, adorned with interlaced strings. The hat was given the name by Innocent IV in 1250. [Source: The Guardian (July, 2007)]

* Medieval hunting was divided into two different types of hunts. 'At Force' Hunting and hunts were the most strenuous forms of Medieval hunting. The 'At Force' hunts were designed for fit, young and very active men. They would often break into teams and chase their prey to near exhaustion or would corner the animal just before the 'kill'. The 'Bow and Stable' Hunts were the less strenuous forms of hunting. This type of hunt was generally conducted on horseback and would drive the prey into an enclosed space where the huntsmen could kill the animal at close range. [Source: Medieval-Life-And-Times (.info) / Medieval-Life/Hunting-History (.htm) ] Their methods were pretty effective, whether they were hunting wild boars, deer, or two young girls.