Zofia faded in and out of consciousness. She wasn't sure if it was the drug or the plough that caused it.
"She's waking up." A disoriented voice spoke. Who was that?
She squinted her eyes to see Elam over her, pressing a cold, wet towel around her face. "Are you okay?" He asked.
"Urghhh." She responded. "Everything hurts."
"Don't stand up so quickly. You're still weak." Elam said, pressing her back down by her shoulder.
"OW OW. Don't touch me!" She winced, and Elam removed his hands.
"Were you wounded in the fight?" Daryun asked.
"No, it's an old wound. It just hasn't healed yet." She admitted. She took off her armor with Elam's help, and with gentle hands he tore her sleeve and revealed her wounds.
"What happened..? Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Elam whispered. He knew it was him who had caused this.
They sat is silence while Elam properly helped Zofia wrap bandages around her shoulder. Narsus broke the silence.
"You're quiet tonight highness. Thinking about the slaves from the fortress?"
"Yes." Arslan said. He was staring off in the distance, refusing to look him his group. Maybe in embarrassment, or shame.
"Why were they so angry? I don't understand."
"Loyalty to Hodir." Narsus said.
"Bull. Hodir was a terrible perso- ack!" Zofia yelped.
"Sorry. Just stay still." Elam said.
"As bad as a man he seemed to us, he must've been a good master." Narsus replied.
Arslan still had his back turned on them. "You knew." He said, sounding defeated. "You expected something like this to happen, didn't you?"
"Yes." He said.
"You didn't stop us?" Zofia gritted through her teeth. While Elam's bandaging was much for effective than Arslan's, it hurt a lot more.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Arslan asked.
"Even if I had given you a warning, I sincerely doubt you would have believed me. There are some things in this world that have to be experienced to be understood."
"And now?" Arslan said, turning to him. "Are you speaking from experience?"
"I am."
Narsus went on to tell a story about five years ago, back when he was in Pars' court, working as an advisor for King Androgorous. He'd set all his slaves free, and while they were happy at the time, they all eventually came back. Zofia not Arslan could believe it.
"They went back?!"
"In a world like ours, a slave with a generous master can be easier than being free but poor."
"But you did what was right, surely they must have realized that and thanked you for it!"
"And what is right? Is it like the sun? Or is it perhaps like the stars?"
Arslan was confused.
Narsus explained. "Only one sun casts its light upon us, but infinite stars guard our way at night."
But he continued. "Regardless, please do not be detoured by my experience, or by yours earlier. You're attempting to do right by your own convictions, and I would hate to see you away from such a path."
Arslan looked at them hopefully. How much longer can six capable, honorable people such as these be content to follow me?
I have to become a ruler worthy of their loyalty, or soon enough...they will despair of me.
"Your highness." Daryun spoke up. "We must decide which direction we will be traveling come morning."
It was decided then. "East. We rode to Peshawar!" Arslan declared.
———
Elam and Zofia were the only two left awake, both of them on the first lookout shift of the night. Arslan's head rested on her shoulder, and Narsus snored beside Elam.
"You really care for him, don't you?" She asked quietly.
Elam did not answer immediately. Perhaps he hadn't heard her.
"I do. And I can see how much you care for the Prince. I'm sorry I accused you of being a traitor."
"And I'm sorry I was such a wench. And for troubling you."
Elam just smiled.
"What did you think about what Narsus said?" Zofia asked him.
"He's right, as always. I didn't see anything wrong with it."
"I mostly agree, but there's just a small disagreement I have with those slaves who came back crawling to him."
"And what's that?"
"That's crap. No human would give away their freedom like that. Those people were nobodies who used to be somebodies. To me, they are corpses."
Elam stayed silent. "That's one way to think of it. But, in a way, it's like us."
"Never. I'm not like that." Zofia said disgusted.
"I heard about how you met the prince. And what happened to you in the past."
She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. Elam offered an explanation. "His highness spoke about you a lot on our journey. He said you used to be a slave."
"Sort of. My father treated me like cargo. An animal of entertainment. If I didn't preform, I was punished. I never really had a childhood."
"Me too. Except my parent's were just poor. I used to be a slave until Narsus freed me and my parents."
"Oh. Oh. I apologize- I didn't mean to call you a corps-"
"It's fine. Even after Lord Narsus freed me, my parents and I stayed with him, this time he paid us. When my parents died, Lord Narsus continued to take care of me."
"So you're saying that's how you're using your freedom?"
"Yeah. And even though you've had the chance to leave after Pars was invaded, you didn't. You came back to the Prince."
"That was a choice of freedom." She smiled smugly. Elam just sighed.
"I know. And I know that if you're anything like me, you'd give up your life for them in an instant, without much regard of your own."
Zofia did not hesitate. "Of course. I'd do anything for the people I love."
"Then I'm glad we can agree. Truce?"
"Truce."
And so the rivalry between Elam and Zofia had officially ended, and the journey to Peshawar was just the beginning.