My Next Life As a Villainess: All Routes lead to... ESCAPE?

Gordo heard about the plot, but it was almost too late to act. Someone had targeted several of their friends?! It totally was unpardonable! He quickly rushed to their rescue, along with Alan, Nicol and Keith.

"Someone is attacking the popular girls? WHY?!" Alan demanded.

No one answered as they hurried to the dorms. They quickly routed the ruffians lurking nearby Sophia, Mary and Maria's rooms, and all puffed out a sigh of relief.

"Is Katarina safe? Was she targeted too?" Sophia asked them anxiously.

"Shit," Keith went white as he swiftly lead them as the group raced to her rooms. Clearly, the sis-con was NOT going to see her be hurt!

"Ack!" a shabby looking man fled up the hall towards them. Seeing the group he bailed out a window shouting "They didn't pay me enough for this!"

"What?" Geordo blinked in confusion, then they realized he had come from around where Katarina's room was.

The group hurried up, only to see Katarina walking up to them, a rapier in her hand. Clearly, she had driven off her attacker. "Oh, uh...," she awkwardly tried to hide the sword behind her.

Mary, Maria and Sophia: "KATARINA IS SO COOL!"

"Are you all right?!" Keith hurried up to check for injuries.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she waved off the boys as she asked, "Why did that man try to stab me?"

"Indeed," Maria agreed, looking concerned.

"I don't know all the details myself," Geordo admitted, explaining that he heard about the plot in a tavern frequented by young nobles.

"Tavern?" Mary and Sophia gave him a disapproving look. Maria didn't seem to mind as much, having been raised a commoner.

"I assure you, I do not drink to excess," Geordo defended himself.

They got the story from him, and everyone frowned. "So someone hired thugs to attack them? But why?" Nicol wondered.

"I don't know," Geordo admitted, "but I'm determined to find out."

"More tavern visits then?" Sophia murmured, but he ignored that.

"They could try again, though," Keith sighed, "We need to take the ladies somewhere safe."

"They can stay at my estate!" Alan, Geordo and Nicol said at almost the same time, then glared at each other.

"Really, guys?" Katarina said wryly and all three looked sheepish. In an unusually perceptive moment Katarina added, "If someone is targeting us, they probably know where all of us live."

"Point...," Maria nodded.

"I have JUST the thing!" Mary said enthusiastically as she produced the well thought out plan she had devised for her and Katarina to use. Alan, Geordo, Keith and Nicol were impressed, if a bit disturbed by how well plotted out the whole plan was.

"Does it have to be so far away?" Keith pointed to the remote island destination.

"Well, better to be safe than sorry. Besides, we'd probably just stay there until you find out what's going on," Sophia noted. She smiled up at her brother, "I'm SURE you'll solve this quickly."

Nicol had the feeling he was being manipulated, but didn't know why...

"It WOULD be fun to go on a trip together," Katarina conceded too.

Steps were quickly taken. The four girls applied for a leave of absence, a carriage with guards was organized, and the women packed the essencials for a short trip. The boys tearfully watched them go, while vowing to get to the bottom of this.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It was Nicol, interestingly, who figured it out. Mind you, Geordo helped track down the thugs, but it was Nicol who put the pieces together.

"Wait... MARY AND SOPHIA set this all up?" Keith blurted as they met, informally, in the student council rooms.

Geordo and Nicol nodded glumly. Geordo explained, "They used a down on his luck noble as an agent, and hired the ruffians to attack all four of them. That frightened us enough to go along with Mary's plan to get them away from here."

"Why?!" Alan had to ask.

"Well, both Mary and Sophia were very fond of Katarina, and apparently didn't want her just married off to.. well, us," Nicol waved at the group.

"Ah," Alan looked sheepish.

"Was Maria part of their plan? Or did they just ask her to come along?" Keith asked.

"Who knows?" Nicol sighed.

Geordo thumped the table, "We must go to the island and get them to come home!"

"They're not there," Nicol sighed.

"What?" Alan blinked.

"I sent someone once we figured out the plot," Nicol informed them, "not only were the ladies not there, no one even had seen them."

"So not only are they gone, but we have no idea where they went?" Keith had to ask. Everyone nodded and he groaned. "Mother and Father are gonna kill me..."

"Well, shit," Geordo summed up their feelings.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The village was chosen both because it was remote, but also comfortable. The pooled 'travel funds' bought them a well sized cottage with land, and the four girls settled in.

Maria hummed to herself as she put the bread into the over. She had, in fact, been asked to join in on the plot on the first leg of the journey, and happily agreed. She liked Mary and Sophia, had... feelings for Katarina, and this would let her get away from her own problems.

Amusingly, Katarina hadn't figured out they were staying here for the near future. However, they had found her a great area for a garden plot, so that was keeping her occupied. In a few months, she probably wouldn't want to go back either...

There was a forceful knock on the door. Mary and Sophia exchanged a glance as Sophia noted, "We weren't expecting anyone...?"

Mary answered the door, then blinked at seeing Anne, Katarina's maid. "How did you find us?" Mary had to ask.

"I am LADY KATARINA'S MAID. Of course I could find her." Anne scowled at them.

"Oh..." Mary conceded. "You didn't tell anyone?"

"Of course not. But I am here to take care of Miss Katarina. And you by extension...," Anne said.

'Oh well, one more can't hurt...,' Sophia conceded.

To be continued?

Notes: Interestingly in the Middle Ages, people actually drank a LOT of beer, hence Maria not jumping on Geordo. You see, water quality tended to be iffy at best, and the beer making process tended to remove various stuff from the water.

ROUGH NOTES VERSION. Which I basically followed. Heh.

A EVIL PLOT threatens the four girls, and assassins are sent after then. Geordo, Alan and Nicol save 3... ironically Katerina defeats her assassin with her lesser known sword skills.

Mary, Maria and Sophia: "KATARINA IS SO COOL!"

So the boys decide the girls need to flee for their own safety. Mary produces her 'Katarine Escape Plan' which both impresses and disturbs the boys, and the four take off. Geordo PROMISES to get to the bottom of things so they can return.

Some weeks pass... the boys discover that MARY AND SOPHIA set this all up. And they've also disappeared from where they said they were going.

"Was Maria part of their plan? Or did they just ask her to come along?"

"Who knows?"

About the same time, elsewhere.

Mary answered a door knock, then blinked at seeing Anne, Katarina's maid.

"How did you find us?" Mary had to ask.

"I am LADY KATARINA'S MAID. Of course I could find her."

"Oh..."