The words that had sounded all-too-knowing nearly made Hilde stop dead in her tracks.
'What is this NOW?' she thought, her eyes wide, her heart trying to burst out of her ribcage.
And though she continued walking, she faltered a bit and just managed to catch her balance.
When she saw that, the humor in Queen Heloise's eyes disappeared.
"There's the Hilde I know," she said, interpreting Hilde's panic for fear. "You should still be resting now, though I can guess why you stormed your way here."
Hilde stopped before the couch but didn't sit in the space her sister had left for her.
Getting her thoughts back on track, she baldly stated, "They are calling you a coward."
"They?"
The Queen merely smiled serenely as she repeated the word. It left Hilde at a loss.
"Only one man," she cla
