Father Oswald stepped back from Chieftess Sartana and crossed his arms defensively. Oswald's face bunched up as he considered Sartana's words. That's actually a good point, but going off and chatting with pagans would only make things more difficult for everyone. It was a surety that the ladies in waiting had seen Sartana go off with the Fjolla, would they lose faith the church, assuming Sartana had fallen behind the Torgeirists? Oswald visibly trembled at the thought of losing even more of his flock. "I suppose the long term effects of your methods are yet to be seen, but I'm sure you understand our concerns; we cannot allow the Torgeirists to upset the balance of power here in the Palace."
Father Oswald bit his lip quietly. Sartana was right in that he had no right to ask her to put her neck out for the Church. The Frozen Forestrian Catholic Church wasn't even fully aligned with the global Catholic Church, recognizing a different Pope for starters. "Are you familiar with Father Valdemar, His Majesties personal Chaplain?" No, of course she wouldn't be." "Father Valdemar was King Alvor's Chaplain prior to his death, and came into His Majesties service afterwards. He's loyal to the crown and well learned. Unfortunately he's also quite old and senile. It's under his watch that our Catholic faith has faltered here."
Father Oswald considered Sartana carefully. "Princess Eléonore Ariane de La Chapelle of The Archduchy of Châlons-en-Astra is here at the ball tonight..." Father Oswald's voice dropped to a low whisper, just loud enough for Sartana to hear. "Father Valdemar is eager to see your competitor installed as the new queen and has commanded myself and Sister Kaja to support her endeavors here at court in his stead. It's an obvious choice really, given her families connections and her own shining piety, however there are a few who doubt her ability to engage with a court that is rapidly polarizing against His Majesty."
Father Oswald drew close again, his voice yet quieter, barely audible. "My chief concern is protecting my flock and I can't do that with Father Valdemar hindering me, that is the only reason I'm telling you this." The Father glanced around quickly to ensure no one was listening in. "It's about 10:30 right now. At midnight a choirboy will sneak into His Majesties chambers and deposit a rose and a letter on His Majesties pillow. The letter is a counterfeit claiming to be from Princess Eléonore. Our security services are unfamiliar with Princess Eléonore's handwriting so it will be seen as genuine. I don't know what's written on the letter, but without a doubt it will serve to highlight Princess Eléonore at the expensive of the other suitors, such as yourself. It would be in your best interest if that letter and rose is collected before the King has a chance to return to his chambers."
Admiral Aron Fältskog started towards the gardens with Princess Eleanore close behind. The other guests parted as they passed, seeing the weakened Eleanore and perhaps guessing that she two had been poisoned. A quiet murmuring spread through the crowd and eyes turned towards Aron and Eleanore, particularly the Princess as she went along with her cane. Eleanore spoke up and began to inquire as to the state of international politics, something that Aron was at least somewhat familiar with. Without slowing down the Admiral launched into a quick explanation of The Frozen Forest's foreign affairs.
"My mentor once said that a friend is just an enemy that hasn't attacked yet. I'm not sure if he was right, but I do know that relations are tense with our neighbors at the moment. Our closest ally by far is Camelone. More than a thousand years ago when our ancestors set sail for The Frozen Forest, they left from the shores of Camelone. Not too long ago King Ivan's sister Freja traveled to Camelone to court their King Frederick. She succeeded and the two were married not so long after, and now they have two kids.
After Camelone, we are probably closest to The Free Lands of The Selkie and Lillorainen. There is a sizable minority of Selkie here on the mainland, as well as in the colonies, alongside a smaller population of Lillorainen's. I've had the pleasure of serving alongside them and I'll say that Selkie sailors are some of the finest men you'll meet, apart from our own local stock of course." They'd passed through the majority of the crowd and the doors to the garden began to come into sight.
"Our relationship with Kuronami, Brettenwald, Kyrenaia and Hopal is variable. We have contingencies in place for war against all or any of them, though I expect that will change since Brettenwald and Kyrenaia have sent suitors here to court the King. Speaking of which, The Holy Solar Empire. Your nation appeared suddenly, I doubt the crown has any particular views regarding your people, given that you're probably the first one to touch Frozen Forestrian soil. Relations with Mervay are tense due to rumors of spying but as far as I'm aware no spies have actually been caught."
Aron and Eleanore broke through the last of the crowd. The gardens appeared to be guarded by nothing more than a single servant, which was better than good for them. "We should hurry al-!" A man stepped in front of Aron and Eleanore. He was tall and burly, with a clean shaven face and tanned skin. Across his body was the characteristic, shiny metal ceremonial armor of The Royal Guard. Despite his bulking size his face showed nothing but concern. "Princess, where have you been? We've been looking all over for you." The man's eyes passed to Eleanore's walking stick. "I regret to say that a traitorous servant has been taken into custody for poisoning a batch of tea with laxatives." The tall man dropped to his knees and prostrated himself kowtow. "On behalf of The Royal Guard and His Majesty King Ivan, I apologize for our inability to protect you from harm. Rest assured that such an attack on the crown and her guests will not be taken lightly and the servant responsible with face justice before long." Before Eleanore or Aron could respond the Guard rose to his feet and gestured towards the front of the ballroom with his hand.
"We've prepared a facility to treat the afflicted. The laxative used appears to be quite serious however nonfatal, we would be remiss if you were not to be immediately treated. Please allow me to escort you"
Captain Hjoller studied Ser Léopold Guillaume. In such a time of distrust and betrayal it was often best not to trust foreigners, but then again what Sir Léopold was suggesting was in line with contingency plans set up by the Admiral; that being besides the fact that if this were a trap they would have been ambushed long before reaching this rendezvous point. Captain Hjoller offered a nod and reached into his sash, pulling out a pistol and cocking it. "I have no reason to doubt your words at such a critical time, Sir Léopold. I can only believe that you are telling me the truth, and that our orders are as you say, to rescue the court photographer.
If The Royal Guards should choose to resist, please understand that me and my men won't hesitate to react swiftly with all the force that we can muster. If you choose to accompany us then I cannot guarantee your safety, nor can I guarantee that no one will be rendered wounded or dead." The Captain strode forwards and past Sir Léopold, seemingly considering the matter dealt with. With their orders issued there wouldn't be a second to waste on pleasantries and it was up to Sir Léopold whether to accept the risk of what was about to transpire.
The sailors marched after their Captain, assault rifles in hand and nervous thoughts in their minds. Would they be hailed as heroes at the end of the day, or would they be disgraced as traitors? There was no turning back, but it wasn't as though they could disobey the Captain if a coup was truly taking place. They had a duty to His Majesty to see this through.
***
The Royal Guardsmen stood within the narrow hallway which separated the holding cells from the rest of the dungeon, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the sailors. News had trickled in that the Navy was launching a coup d'etat to overthrow His Majesty, or at least that was how it appeared. For whatever reason they were advancing through the dungeons and had already injured several Guardsmen stationed throughout. Apparently they were heavily armed and determined to break through, and so it was the duty of those gathered Guardsmen to hold the line until reinforcements arrived.
Guardsman Axel Earling stared down at his Lorensson Mark.2 Revolver, spinning the wheel and counting his bullets. Axel leaned against the doorway and slid. We won't stand a chance in a prolonged firefight. How do they expect us to fight back without rifles? "Guardsman, on your feet, now!" Axel scrambled from the ground to his feet, revealing a pair of trembling legs. "My apologizes Lieutenant." Axel mumbled, peering down the hallway once more.
thump thump thump thump Axel's heart thudded as the sound of boots pounding stone echoed through the hallway, announcing the arrival of the sailors. I can't do this, we're going to die. We're going to die! Axel's hands began to tremble and he watched as the first sailors turned the corner, led by an officer with a pistol drawn. "FIRE!" Axel pulled the trigger once, twice, three times and kept pulling until his gun click click clicked. "Guardsman, reload your sidearm!"
***
The first bullet struck Captain Hjoller in the left bicep and the second planted itself firmly in his right thigh, causing him to jolt and fall by the wayside and into a cell doorway. "The Captain's is hit!" A cacophony of small arms fire spread down the hallway, dropping a few sailors and causing the rest to dive into the cell doorways for cover. CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK "Return fire!!" Captain Hjoller screamed the order, rousing a couple of sailors to bend around the corner CRACK CRACK CRACK a Guardsman screamed as blood erupted from his hand. "Knulla! De sköt mig. De sköt mig."
THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP Captain Hjoller gripped his pistol and stared at the other side of the doorway, the echo of rifle fire was deafening. SHUT UP! I CAN'T HEAR MYSELF THINK Adrenaline coursed through the Captain and he rose to his feet to peer down the hallway. Gun smoke had begun to fill the air, a bullet had struck a solitary steam pipe, causing a steady HSSS. The guardsman couldn't be more than thirty feet away, Hjoller could see the blasts erupting from their sidearms despite the smoke. The Captain tried to speak but his breath caught in his lungs. "help me..." The voice came from one of his sailors, who was holding his neck. Thick sanguine red spurted from the sailors wound. The Captain leaned down and released his sash. "Hold pressure." The Captain tied the sash around the sailors neck and dragged him into the doorway.
Leaning back against the doorway, Captain Hjoller noticed a scarlet rose forming in his pantleg. What the heck he touched a small hole from which the liquid seemed to spread, to find a hole in his leg. "Oh.." Hjoller tore the bottom of his pantleg off and fashioned it around the injury, of which he felt no pain. "CAPTAIN! WHAT ARE YOUR ORDERS!" One of the sailors had crossed from his doorway and taken hold of Captain Hjoller's shoulders. "CAPTAIN?"
"Use a thunderflash." Captain Hjoller whispered. "WHAT?" The Captain blinked at the sailor's perplexed expression. "Use a thunderflash." The sailor understood the second time and called out "Thunderflash!"
Stars began to dance in the Captains vision. Something flew through the hallway from his men to the enemy and there was a loud explosion of sound. The Captain sagged against the cell door, trying to make sense of the situation as his face became pale.
***
Guardsman Axel Earling slid bullets into his revolver, turned around the corner and unleashed a series of trigger pulls. Evidently he could fall back onto his training, as he was no longer thinking clearly or at all but merely acting on instinct. Bullets whizzed past his head and buried themselves in the wall behind him. Click click click Axel reached into his ammunition pouch and grasped air. How many bullets had he fired so far? Axel looked down at the wounded Lieutenant, who was slumped against the wall unconscious. Axel leaned down reached into the Lieutenants pockets, taking hold of the ammunition that he could find.
Axel became lightheaded and dizzy as smoke continued filling the air. Gun smoke, mist from a broken pipe and floating particles of stone dislodged by the bullets striking the walls. Axel began to load his revolver again, expertly sliding the small rounds into their slots before sliding the cylinder back into place. In a moment of lucidity Axel looked around at the chaos before him. There had been twelve guardsmen defending the holding cells, but only nine were still on their feet and firing back. One of the other Guardsman had crossed and was tending to their Lieutenant, another Guardsman was clutching his hand and a third was nursing an injury to his foot.
Someone down the hall called out "thunderflash" and a moment later a small object rolled alongside Axel's foot. "THUNDERFLA-!" The word left Axel's mouth before being cut short by a blast of intense light and sound. Axel fell to the ground, alive but disoriented.
A keltering of noise thundered through the halls in which stood His Majesties most loyal defenders, bursting through the cell door and startling the young Court Photographer. The body of a man struck upwith her cell door, his head smacking the glass window harshly before he slid to the ground outside. Seraria could hear the man outside quoping about, whining of his wounded foot in an immeritous manner for someone of such rank as he. Seraria dipped out of her bed and came along her cell walls, hearing as bullets splattered the wall and painted it with holes. One such round missed it's mark so thoroughly that it struck her cell window, shattering it into pieces. Seraria cowered away against her stone protections and began to pray over a tiny silver cross that she had on her person.
The anaerectic steel-storm outside battered her door. A trickle of blood suffered it's way from her left ear and Seraria reached to clasp her hands over them, to protect them. "Our lord father above who is so merciful, spare me the agonies of a painful death and watch over me. I ask for your salvation, lord father."
Ymir's posture changed dramatically as Nova began to rattle off a listing of potential tradeoffs in return for his families gold. The first three were technologies that The Frozen Forest had already had access to for decades. It was the lattermost offering that caught Ymir's ear and caused him to lean forwards interested. She had said that she would give him a medical kit in exchange for a small sum. If she was speaking the truth then it would be lunacy for him to spurn the offer. If however she were offering healing technologies of the 50's then it would no doubt weaken him and his family further, making them further prey for the Pollanders and Asvardsson's.
"Miss Nova, I mean no disrespect though if you intend to sell me a medical kit with technology as aged as memory foam or instant meals then I must politely decline. If you wish to sell me technology that, as you say, will make me billions then am I to assume that it is technology on par with your own, rather than erstwhile human inventions. Ymir's thoughts assessed the possibilities. Was he going to roll the dice on Nova? Grimes seemed trustworthy enough but could she be trusted to not swindle him and his family? Ymir had his doubts, doubts not yes assuaged. "How much gold would you require precisely, and how quickly would you require it to be had?"
***
Kornelia looked up from her place in bed and at once she saw a man standing by the foot of her bed. He wore 18th century attire and wore his hair as did a waterbuffalo, ruffled and messy. Kornelia froze and the man stepped forwards until he stood beside her, looking down at her with eyes full of scorn. The man considered her and then reached forth into his ruffled clothing to reveal a small dagger of a peculiar design. Upon the hilt shone the blue emerald of the House Pollander. The steel glinted with malicious intent, sparked with smoky dust to reveal a vile poison upon the blades razor wings.
The dagger swung down aimed at the noblewomans heart. Kornelia rolled at the last second and the tip buried itself in the mattress. Kornelia tried to clamber out of the bed but was caught up in the blankets around her and instead hit the ground. The man ripped his dagger from the mattress and crossed to the other side of the bed where Kornelia was untangling herself. "HELP MEEE!" Kornelia released the blankets from her body and threw them in the direction of her assailant just as another blow flew through the air in her direction. The dagger sliced through the blanket easily, though the fabric caught on the man's body, throwing him off balance.
Kornelia threw her weight against the man as he regained his footing, who in turn threw Kornelia to the ground. The man reared his arm back to stab and Kornelia kicked at his leg with everything she had, causing him to lose his balance or a second time. No, no no! Kornelia scrambled backwards in search of a weapon, her hand finding a heavy leather book sitting under her bed. Kornelia swung her body from the floor and threw the thick leather volume at the man, who deflected it easily. "HELP!!" Kornelia screamed and the man raised his foot into the air, bringing it down close to where Kornelia's own leg had just been.
Kornelia scrambled to her feet and stumbled backwards into the wall. There was nowhere to go, she had to fight back or she would die. Kornelia reached for the bedside lamp and swung it towards the man. The lamps cord caught and Kornelia felt the lamp slip out of her hands and to the floor with a sickening crash. The man reached out and took hold of Kornelia's throat, pinning her against the wall. She planted her foot in his stomach and he let her loose, wretching over a few steps back. In one swift motion Kornelia reached to the ground and swept up a shard of broken ceramic.
it happened in slow motion. Kornelia swung the broken material through the air with as much force as a grown man would swing a club. The man regained his composure from the initial shock of the kick but it was too late. Kornelia's hand slammed against the mans neck just as their eyes met, burying the broken lamp piece in soft flesh. The man's eyes expressed shock at first and he stumbled back further and further until he was at the door. Blood oozed out of his fresh wound, but it didn't spurt like Kornelia' expected it might. Did that mean she hadn't hit the artery? The man was gone as quickly as he had come, leaving only streaks of blood on the wall in his wake.
...
The Royal Guardsman arrived shortly after.
The three girls exchanged glances with one another and then turned back to Princess Marla and Sigrid. Sigrid felt uneasy and so positioned herself protectively in front of the more clever Marla. I only just made this friend, if you think you're going to take her from me then...well you'll have another thing coming. It might have been a cute sight for the adults but Sigrid clearly meant business as she balled up her fists.
"That's amazing!" The youngest girl, Megan tugged at her sister Lynn's skirt. "Do you think that we could be Princesses one day too?" Their cousin Mona feigned stoicism but her eyes were burning with the same curiosity as Megan's were. "You already know that answer to that question Meg..." Lynn shook her head, her eyes turned instead to the Princess Marla. Was it jealousy that burned there behind her gaze, or something else? "We would be honored to join you Princess. Please forgive my family, they tend to think beyond their station and sometimes say stupid things." Mona struck up in disagreement "Hey! Anything is possible isn't it? We're just as loyal as anyone else, so why can't we become princesses one day too?" Lynn shook her head firmer this time. "Whose going to adopt you into the family, hm? You have a better chance being Queen than you do a Princess."
Megan slumped her shoulders and looked towards Mona for support. Mona began to shake her head and then stopped after meeting Lynn's gaze. Sigrid shifted in place uncomfortably, "I-I was a born a commoner, you know! Don't let anyone t-tell you that you can't move up in the world." Sigrid's cheeks burned and she folded her arms. That almost sounded like something Ivan would say! "You aren't a Princess just because the King is your guardian. You shouldn't give them hope for something that can never happen." Lynn looked towards Princess Marla, a sparkle of doubt clouding her words as she spoke. "Let's go eat some sweets."
Lynn moved the conversation along but Sigrid wasn't finished. Puffing her cheeks out the blonde girl seemed as though she were about to say something, then sighed uncharacteristically. "OK." Sigrid started off towards the buffet table with the Maddock's and Princess Marla presumably in tow.
***
The buffet table stretched from one end of the room to the other and was filled to the brim with every foreign and local delicacy imaginable. Guests raucously approached to swipe away sweets and other deserts, before the missing items were quickly replaced by freshly made goods coming straight from the kitchens. Looking closely one might notice the occasional theft of a lemon tart or muffin by members of the staff, who would no doubt be expected to maintain their post throughout the night without a dinner break. This was Sigrid and her parties destination, the place in which they would feast.
Nobles who recognized Sigrid parted as she passed which made it easy for them to reach the table. They restocked the lemon tarts! The sight of a freshly baked tower of pastries brought joy to a young girl's heart. "Mar, you have to try this." A few eyebrows raised at Sigrid, who swept up a lemon tart and offered it to Princess Marla.
Meanwhile the Maddocks took their own prizes from the table. Lynn munched away on a slice of frosted vanilla cake, Megan chewed on a piece of licorice and Mona gobbled down handfuls of chocolate chip cookies. Megan finished first and snagged a new slice of licorice, offering it to Princess Marla. "It's blueberry flavored, try some of this instead."
Ruby Magnasson was plainly ignored, something that only bothered him mildly despite the cleverness of his kenning. He wouldn't be so easily offended, nor so easily dissuaded by little difficulties such as that. Ruby bit his cheek for a second and then opened his mouth to begin into another riddle. The words didn't come. Ruby postured carefully and opened his mouth to speak for a second time, and for a second time he couldn't seem to find words to grapple with. That was a new feeling. What to say, what to say...The woman before him stared off towards The Royal Gardens as though waiting for something or someone.
"Ruby Magnasson, I apologize for interrupting you but I have to speak to Khana Amina privately." Ruby craned his head to the sound of the voice to see none other than a member of the Order of The Amber Sun, Sir Leon Mayr. Sir Leon was not wearing his armor or even his gambeson, instead dressed in armor made for someone not quite his size. "Hail, Sir Silver Eagle who is so honorable and mighty. I'll take my leave as you request." Ruby bowed low in reverence to greater Leon's position and then gracefully spun and exited.
Sir Leon Mayr readjusted his ill-fitted armor and reminded himself to thank Sir Wulf and Pip the next time he saw them. Just ahead stood the Khana, looking out over the balcony and towards the Royal Gardens. The whole adventure had probably taken half an hour to an hour, though he hadn't had any way to keep track of time for sure during his mission. Where is Princess Marla? The thought crept into the Knights mind, and then he understood that if something had gone awry with the Princess, then the Khana wouldn't be so relaxed as she appeared to be.
Sir Leon breathed in the crisp night air and exhaled into the wind. Over the not so distant forest a wind rustled the trees. The smell of food wafted from the insides of the palace, mixing with the aroma of pine. Sir Leon stepped forwards, Sir Wulf's armor clattering loudly on the hard ground. Leon stopped two paces from the Khana and dropped to his knee. She didn't seem to notice him at first despite the noise that he had been making and after a minute or so on his knee Leon loudly cleared his his throat and spoke.
"Khana, I have returned with good news." Leon raised his head to look at Amina. Sir Leon dropped his voice so that only he and Amina could hear. "His Majesty has agreed to meet with you in the west-wing library in about..." Leon quickly considered the travel time from the Gardens directly to the balcony. "...40 minutes. I'm to escort you there whenever you are ready." A small wave of pride swelled in Leon's heart, he had succeeded against the odds, and now it was up to the Khana and His Majesty to determine their feelings for one another. "If you would prefer I could stay behind to watch over Princess Marla in your absence, a lady-in-waiting could escort you instead."
Her eyes were as pearls in Caribbean waters, shimmering waves crashing on a silky smooth beach. Her mouth opened and a sirens voice sung out, enchanting and seductive. Vanilla aroma fluffed it's way through the air, sweet vanilla and a hint of cinnamon, as a warm kitchen full of sweets. Oh how lovely she was, her eyelashes dancing and her lips ever so gently puckered. Her teeth were as marble and skin like unfettered snow, sloping over gentle curves in the earth and hidden by forests of embroidered fabric. Her finger spun through her golden locks while her other hand held aloft her head, eyes melting into the man across from her.
His heart thundered in the recesses of his chest, accelerating adrenaline through his body as nitrous flared the engine of a car. He gripped the thin waist of glass and allowed a wash of fermented grape to pass his lips. His senses sharpened by lust and desire to know the object of his most recent affections, what sort of flowers are those that she wears in her hair? The lion in his heart roared a fiery challenge and the distance seemed so much shorter, and yet miles apart. She's the quintessence of...everything. I have to be dreaming.. Across from him a girl thought herself to be such a goddess and burning with lust of her own leaned forwards towards him, and he stood up from the table as her lips touched open air rather than his own skin.
Count Arrun of Stallheim straightened his clothes and stepped away from the girl, who mimicked the expression of a doe in the headlights. What is her name...I should know what her name is but I can't-I can't think straight. God, her eyes are so blue. Her hair looks natural but that can't be right. Are those...ears... Entranced Arrun stepped forwards, the world around him turning pink. To be as defenseless as he was, it was something that no one had seen before. The scheme of the last hour had been dropped by the wayside as easily as a pebble is kicked up by a moving carriage.
Which was precisely how Count Arrun felt as he approached his admired. Arrun didn't notice the presence of her bodyguard, or the that she might have been preoccupied with enjoying the food at the buffet table. His trademark confidence egged him onwards until he stood only a few paces from the exotic woman. Something about her screamed vixen, something highlighted by the now clearly recognizable pair of ears which sprung upwards towards the sky.
"Mm...My lady..." The Count bowed low "I am Arrun, Count of Stallheim. I happened to notice you from afar and I thought you looked quite...lovely...this evening. May I ask your name?" Arrun's face had gone a faint red, muffled through practiced emotional control expected of nobles such as himself. He looked composed, but internally he was anything but. His heart hammered in his chest and his breath was catching in his throat. Butterflies rolled in his stomach, threatening to tie his tongue and dull his wits.
Melonie reentered the ballroom quietly through the front entrance while still covered in leaves. Her escapade into The Royal Gardens had backfired spectacularly and had actually lead to her tail succeeding in talking to the King. It was a bit disheartening at first to watch him not only be given a fresh suit of armor, but to be allowed past. Melonie had almost decided to give up then and there and make her way back to the Palace emptyhanded, but then a thought had come to mind and she instead slipped into the trees near the King to listen in on the conversation. It was surprising enough that His Majesty was alone with one of the suitors, but what was more surprising was that he agreed to meet a different suitor, Khana Amina, in private as well.
Juicy information in hand Melonie returned. It wasn't so hard to find her new friend Sartana, as she was near the entrance and talking to the clergy there. Melonie never cared much for religion but then again the Church had long since lost sway in her home county. She felt no apprehension over interrupting what she assumed to be a dull conversation that Sartana must have been pulled into by the next Father. Melonie marched from the entrance to Sartana and stopped beside her, her hands behind her back and her body straight. Her mouth was curled into a proud smile, and she held her nose up. "Chieftess, there's something I think you should know."
Without waiting for a response Countess Melonie leaned forwards and whispered softly "I just tailed one of the Knights into The Royal Gardens. You won't believe who he was going to see. His majesty! But that's not all, for some reason he had to sneak inside and when he met the King he was talking to another suitor. His Majesty didn't seem to happy with Princess Asha, but then the Knight approached and talked to His Majesty on behalf of Khana Amina. Apparently the Khana wants to meet with the King, so the King agree to meet her in an hour in his personal library."
Melonie leaned back and huffed a sigh, having said what she'd meant to say.
