They weren't wandering very long before the knights found them. Alois, their leader, seemed to be the first to notice the trio. Edelgard heard them before she saw where they were.
"Oh, there they are!" When Alois actually came in sight, he looked at each of them. "Are you three all right?"
"Could be better," Claude decided, "But it could've been worse."
"Right then," Alois replied, nodding. "We'll bring you back to camp, patch up your scratches, and then we can all get some rest."
None of them gave any protests, so the knights more-or-less circled around them as Alois led. If nothing else, Edelgard could tell they didn't plan on making the same error.
"Can I say," Alois began to entertain some conversation, "You gave us quite the scare. Try not to get lost on our way back, all right? It wouldn't be good if anything happened to any of you three."
The house leaders didn't respond—in Edelgard's case, she wasn't in the mood, and the other two seemed to be similar—and after another failed attempt to get something out of them, Alois fell relatively silent for the rest of the walk back. They didn't seem to be that far, fortunately.
Many of the students flocked towards them when they returned, only for the knights to try to brush them off. In the light of the small fires and torches set around the camp, she could more clearly assess what came out of her little gamble—out of the three of them, Claude had remained farthest away from the thieves and thus sustained the least amount of injuries, whereas Edelgard and Dimitri seemed to be tied regarding the amount of blood lost. Who took the most blood, however, she couldn't say.
"Everyone can go to sleep now," Alois declared. "No matter what, we're leaving at dawn—and I don't want to hear any complaining as we go back to the monastery!"
There were some murmured agreements, a few formal replies, and more than a little silence from the rest of the group. All the students dispersed, excluding the house leaders who were asked to step aside. Edelgard was allowed to rest once all her scratches were cleaned up and her shoulder was bandaged, both of which the knights' mages insisted on doing for her.
When she was allowed to leave, she went to the area pointed out to her as the section most of the Black Eagles had set up in. Each tent was meant to hold two or three students each, but due to the expedition being optional—provided the reason for not going was believable—Edelgard wound up with a tent with no one else to share it with. She knew which one it was considering it was a bit smaller than the rest—originally one of the knights', before it was swapped out—but she didn't mind.
Hubert stood just outside the tent, giving her a nod as a kind of greeting.
"I have…opinions on what happened," he said, vaguely enough that others may not understand what he meant.
"For now," Edelgard replied, moving closer to the tent's opening, "Let's just say that the other end of the deal was upheld."
Hubert frowned, slightly gesturing to her shoulder. "I can't say I'm pleased with the exact results."
"A wound on the shoulder is better than the alternative," she pointed out.
There was a moment's pause before Hubert offered a bow. He still looked like he had more to say, but relented for now.
"Sleep well, Lady Edelgard," Hubert said. "We can speak more about this in the morning."
She nodded her agreement, waved some kind of farewell, and entered the tent. Everything had already been set up for her—she couldn't tell if it was another student or a knight—so all she had to do was lay down and hope sleep would come before the sun began to rise.
…
The sounds of others getting up and some commands urged her awake in the morning. They were set to leave at dawn, as promised—Edelgard did her part by making sure all of the Black Eagles were accounted for. She noticed a few knights heading out ahead of them with Alois's command, and when the group of students and knights all left they were asked to be a bit more orderly then they had been on the trip there.
The house leaders were a bit more spread out now, but it only seemed to add to the chatter around them. It made it a little easier to talk with Hubert when everyone else was focused on their own conversations. Honestly, one might not even notice they were speaking if they weren't paying attention.
"You took a risk last night, Lady Edelgard," Hubert said to start them off.
"I'm aware," Edelgard replied calmly. "But this won't be the last time."
"So long as you don't excuse my assistance in the future, I won't complain." He paused for a moment. "Although I'm unsure if his help is an assurance or a nuisance."
"He just watched to enjoy the show, I'd imagine," she said, frowning. "Being able to see how the other two fought was likely another factor, as well. More than I expected, we worked together. If I was alone or he didn't provide his assistance, it's possible things could have gone much worse."
"I loathe the thought that we might owe a man like him a debt."
"Unfortunately, it's inevitable. I won't rely on him any more than necessary. With any hope, this agreement can be over quickly."
