When Anastasia heard this reply, she found it unexpected. She had not expected the captain to keep them. A few merchants had encountered this roadblock on the night of the king's death. Some decided to return to the village and observe the mourning period, while only a few chose to wait. Anastasia had decided to ask for permission so that the caravan could leave openly. She also felt that amidst the chaos, the soldiers wouldn't have time to pay attention to her, giving her a chance to slip away in the another direction; returning to her identity as a woman and escaping.
She had planned to dirty her face so she wouldn't be recognized, but now the commander had refused to let them go. She found the situation annoying, but there was nothing she could do. Just as she was giving up hope of escaping that night, a shout rang out from within the camp.
"Thieves! Thieves!"
Anastasia's heart skipped a beat when she heard it. After all, the first attackers had disguised themselves as thieves.
