Within hours, Annalena found herself in the forest once again with an unaltered summer dress, her green cloak, and a basket of food. She was meant to wander the woods, hoping to distract the hunters away in case they came too close to the castle. The men kept tabs on where Wilhelm was leading the brigade so Annalena could best intercept them. Emil and Ernst were taking Margarete into the cellar to ensure her safety. 

Annalena regretted her offer for help, as she was stressed and bored, causing anxiety. She just wanted to meet Wilhelm and lead him away, then be done with it. She sat on a rotting log, waiting for Reinhold to come back and tell her about the next stage of the plan. She wanted to get back to normal life again without any pressing danger.

"Annalena," Reinhold whispered behind her, startling her. She took a deep breath once she found that it was the youngest brother. She clutched her basket, wondering if this was it. "They're coming this way. Get on the road, and relax. Everything will go fine."

"Let's go," Annalena whispered while exhaling. She couldn't wait to get it over with. Reinhold led her to the road and left her to gather, which was her cover. As he disappeared, Annalena bent down to look through the roots to see if she could find anything. When she actually found something viable, she heard horses behind her.

"Fraulein!" a proud voice boomed, causing Annalena to jump in fright. She quickly turned around and saw a small troupe of knights and a strange man clad in leather, not armor. However, it was the man next to him who had spoken to her. She held her basket close, wondering who he was and what he was going to do. 

"Hello," Annalena greeted softly, not sure what to say. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but she definitely expected less people than were present. The man clad in leather came forward and dismounted, a hand planted firmly on his sword's hilt.

"Good afternoon, miss. What are you doing out here all alone?" he asked as she glanced up at the man who had shouted. He looked indifferent with her, so she looked back the kinder man.

"I live out here. I was forced out of my home by Queen Catriona last fall, so I went into the forest to get to Stuttgart. I got lost on the way, but I found this ruined castle and I holed up there for the winter," Annalena answered, omitting some truths for her story. Otherwise, it was true. The man in leather looked behind him towards the others before turning to her again.

"And you live out here alone? During the winter?" he implored, finding it surprising. She shrugged, unsure what to say at first, but she came up with something on the fly.

"I've lived on the edge of the forest all my life, a few hours away from Freiburg. My father taught me how to hunt in the woods and how to get to roots in case I found myself in such a situation," Annalena informed, bending the truth just slightly. Although, it looked like he believed her.

"Would you mind if we accompanied you to your castle? We have been riding for a few days and it would be nice to have a roof over our heads," the man wondered with a charming smile. Annalena stared at him, realizing that this was the polite way of saying that they were staying rather than actually asking her. 

"Some company would be nice," she answered with her widest grin. She hoped to keep up the charade, but wondered if he would see through her. If he did, he didn't show it. In a moment of panic, she curtsied slightly before looking him in the eye. "My name is Annalena."

"Wilhelm," he replied, bowing toward her. She bowed her head in response as she promptly turned around, leading them on a winding path back to the castle. She hoped that one of the men had picked up on the conversation, and that they had gone back to prepare for the unexpected visitors. Also, if they hadn't and Annalena brought these men back to have them find that there were seven men, there couldn't be more problems. She was supposed to alone after all.