Chapter Text
“Miles…”
He turned his head to see her.
“…I want to go home.”
She looked tired. Very, very tired, even despite the fact that they’d slept for several hours. How could children be so energetic and yet so lethargic at the same time? Miles certainly did not know.
But he would have been lying to say that he didn’t feel the same way.
“I agree. Let’s go.”
However, before he could set off walking, Franziska grabbed at his sleeve, tugging a little. She was making those eyes; her sad little pout-y eyes. It was very, very rare that she ever used them on him, but when she did, she usually wanted one of only a few things.
Only one of which applied to this situation.
Miles sighed. “Fine,” he caved. Lowering himself down, he brought his hands low, forming a sort of stirrup shape with them. Franziska immediately followed through; approaching his back, she threw her arms around his shoulders, leaning her head on one of them. Miles then gripped the underside of her legs with his hands and heaved her up. Her piggyback-ride was now set.
After a brief parting goodbye to the hunters, Miles began the long trek back to the von Karma household. Descending the hill very slowly, he crossed the stream from whence they’d come. Briefly letting go of one of Franziska’s legs as they reached their picnic spot, he picked up the blanket, stuffed it into the basket, and handed the whole works to Franziska, who held it idly in her grip with her hands still around his shoulders.
With that, the time had come for the long haul. Hours of walking were now ahead of him, but they wouldn’t complete themselves if he didn’t keep moving. It didn’t help that he was walking primarily uphill, either. Kilometre after kilometre passed in near silence, save for the sound of the wind in the trees, which was now mercifully calm; he was still entirely wet, and bitterly cold. Franziska did help to keep him warm to some degree, but she was not any better off than he was.
However, after about an hour and a half of walking, her presence could no longer be of any comfort to him; she was getting too heavy, and he, too tired.
“Franziska,” he breathed, exhausted. “You have to come down and walk by yourself now. I can’t carry you anymore-”
She was snoring.
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…
…
Hefting her up a bit, he readjusted his grip, and kept going, mustering any and all strength he had left for this one task as if it were life-and-death.
Fortunately, the remaining distance passed much more quickly than he had anticipated. Franziska had much shorter legs than Miles, so the walk going out was much slower, since he had to slow down to accommodate her pace. Now, however, the field where they had first crossed into the forest was now visible. Like it was during the morning, it was coated in a layer of steam as the rain was cooked off by the heat of the sun.
The sun… it must have been about that time of day now. Stepping out onto the field, Miles turned to face it.
It must have been the most beautiful sunset he’d ever seen. Certainly, it was the warmest; between Franziska at his back and the light to his front, he was, for a few wonderful moments, contentedly warm. So, too, appeared the whole landscape, as if the Earth itself was, like Miles himself, warming in the light to rid itself of the damp, frigid rain.
It was enough to keep him going. Turning around, both to continue walking and to ensure that Franziska was warmed up a little, he made his way to the edge of the field, very carefully climbed over the fence, and walked over pavement for the first time in what must have been close to 12 hours.
Not long after that, he found himself standing before the von Karma manor.
And there, in one of the windows, was Master von Karma himself.
Miles couldn’t help but feel surprised, now that he’d thought of it, that he hadn’t tried to pursue the two of them. It mattered little, however; the scowl on the man’s face told everything to be known about his thoughts on their little excursion. It grew even more furious when he realised that Franziska was piggybacking on Miles’ back, and stomped away from the window in anger shortly afterwards, likely making for the foyer.
Standing before the front door, Miles contemplated for a brief moment. It had been a rather unusual (and somewhat… uncomfortable) day for his standards, and he was certainly not looking forward to the wrath of Master von Karma, which would certainly see to it that this sort of thing would never happen again.
But did he regret it? Spending the day with her like this, even despite all that had happened?
…
…
…
No.
No, he didn’t.
And as he stepped through the entrance to greet the enraged Manfred von Karma, he couldn’t help but lament the fact that it was almost certain that he’d never be able to do it again.