"Wait!" The man in blue and the man in green both said in unison. I froze in place, my expression remained unchanged.
"It's getting late, you should stay here for the night." The man in green offered.
"Yes, find her a tent to rest in. We'll discuss this further in the morning." The man in blue replied as he motioned for Nomi to settle me somewhere.
"Come, come." Nomi waved at me to leave with her. I followed obediently as she took me to a small tent nearby, it was set up recently as it didn't flow with the rest of the layout. Nomi predicted this ahead of time and requested the tent to be erected regardless of the disruption to the camp flow. The guard I rode with stood not far away, keeping an eye on the door of the tent, likely orders from the head guard. I was close enough to the tent we just left to easily listen in on them.
The tent was small. A single table was near the middle with a pillow to sit on tucked underneath. The small cot had simple bedding but it was warm and thick. There was a pot of hot tea and a single cup along with a lantern on the table, the space wasn't big enough to hold more. A simple rack holding a sleeping robe was the only other thing inside. There was barely room for one of us in the tent, the two of us made it rather crowded. It would be a few more hours until the sun set, but I was happy to take this period of confinement while they discussed what to do with me.
"Let me help you change?" Nomi reached for the robe, gesturing for me to take off the maid outfit. If she saw the number of wounds currently on my body I'd be thrown out in no time. What kind of merchants' daughter would live through all of these burdens?
"Oh, it's okay, I think I'll sit here for a while before I climb into bed. I need to think over a few things first." I pulled the pillow out from under the table and poured myself a cup of tea, attempting to look deep in thought. "You can leave first." I said gently.
"Your family is well off?" She pried for information.
"Mm." I agreed.
"Why would they make you marry him? If he was such a person?" She pried some more.
"I was always close to my parents and helped out with things both around the house and the business. My parents were a perfect match, but my mom got sick a few years back. She passed away not long after. My dad, depressed and desperate, met another woman last year and remarried. She made arrangements for my sisters to wed, I have no brothers. One by one my three sisters left the house no matter how hard I tried to keep them home." I sighed heavily.
"Every time she suggested marrying me off, my father tactfully changed the subject. I was still helping out with a number of things around the business so he had reason to keep me longer. Her two sons moved in and over the year started taking those responsibilities for their own. Eventually they convinced my father I had to marry before I became old and unwanted." Pausing for dramatic effects, I took a slow sip of tea.
"She made the arrangements, marrying me off to this man. At first my father was against it, but they made so many promises, including talk of my role in running correspondence between the two businesses. Unifying everything while keeping a place for me. By the time he agreed everyone in town knew about it." I rambled on about an entirely fictional story, it probably had transpired to someone in the past and would likely happen in the future.
"So on the day of the wedding you ran away? Afraid you'd come back and try to convince your father, your step mom and that man sent people to kill you? Why didn't you tell the others earlier in the tent?" She truly looked sympathetic to my recent tragedy.
"Oh, well, they're men. How are they going to sympathize with me? How are they any different?" I accused, lumping them in with this imaginary man and dishonorable family.
"They aren't!" She protested. "They've always been good honest men!" I shook my head softly.
"I'm sorry, I'm not myself right now, I need to think things over." I took a slow sip of tea and stared at nothing. She nodded once and turned to leave. I quickly got up and changed into the night robes, in case she came back later to offer help.
Sitting down on the pillow, I gathered my energy slowly, mindful of my condition. Opening the channels within my body, I listened as the men discussed what they should do with me. The head guard was the most vocal, still suspicious. Nomi entered the tent to convey her newly acquired information.
"Did you get anything?" The head guard asked.
"Yes." She retold the entire story I gave her as they listened in silence.
"What do you think of it?" Asked the man in green.
"There's something about her, I can't pinpoint it. She isn't spoiled, but it's obvious she knows the difference in value. While it appears she looks over things casually, she's actually very good at noting the differences. I could believe her family is in the business of trade. Her hands aren't soft like a noble lady, she's used to doing things herself but there's an air about her. She smells of high quality perfumes, even after bathing." Nomi observed.
"Hmm, I thought she smelled of jasmine. Did she have access to any perfumes or flowers in her bath?" The man in blue asked.
"No, she asked for hot water, nothing else in particular about the bath." She replied.
"Whether her story is real or not, I don't believe she's trying to hurt any of us." The man in blue noted.
"Listen to you! Of course she doesn't have any reason to hurt any of us, she doesn't even know who you are! What then? We're all aware that someone is planning to..." The head guard trailed off, not willing to curse the person he's protecting.
"If you suspect her, the best thing you can do is keep her close so we can monitor her actions. Since she can't go home, see if she's willing to work in the palace for a while. At least until she figures out her future plans. If she makes any moves we'll know." The man in green offered.
"We'll leave first thing in the morning. I'll let you take care of her arrangements." The man in blue told Nomi. "We should formally introduce ourselves tomorrow, before we arrive in the palace. Be sure to explain the formalities."
With that they all went their separate ways. Nomi made her way back towards my tent, stopping briefly in front of the guard. They made eye contact and he shook his head, indicating I hadn't tried to leave the tent. I rested my head gently on the table, as if I'd fallen asleep sitting there with one hand on the empty tea cup. She came over quietly, helping me into the bed and covering me gently. Taking one last look at my sleeping body, she blew out the lantern and left. Knowing nothing eventful would happen until morning, I finally rested.