Just as he finished securing the last of their packs to the saddle of his white stallion, whose coat was caked in spots with mud that had dried overnight, Jasper saw a flash of silver hair in the crowd of people packing the wagons close by. He turned as Zephyr approached and felt a tightening in his abdomen at the sight of her. She was smiling brightly, her green eyes gleaming with delight as she rushed up to him. Bennet was leaning against a tree a few paces away where he'd tied his own horse, munching on an apple he'd swiped.
"Good morning!" Zephyr chimed as she came to a stop in front of Jasper. Bennet took a last bite of the fruit, tossed it to the ground where his horse reached its head down to finish it off, and walked the few steps over to join them.
"Well aren't you chipper this morning," Bennet said with a grin at Zephyr, causing her cheeks to flush with color, her eyes squinting slightly as she smiled back at him.
"I have something to ask the two of you" she began, "and I thought maybe I'd need to butter you up before asking it." She gave Jasper a look. "I'll probably need to focus my efforts on you." Jasper cocked his head in question even as he smiled at her snarky remark. What could she need to ask of him? She looked to the ground, her fingers nervously playing with the folds of the dress she was wearing, before continuing.
"I'd like to continue on to Faron with the carnival."
"It would take us twice as long to get there if we stay with these people," Jasper responded plainly. "The queen's men would almost certainly catch up with us, probably in just a few days. We would have a better chance of getting to Faron safely if we just try to outrun them." Jasper looked to Bennet for agreement, but the other man just shrugged his shoulders before turning to Zephyr, as if waiting for her to explain herself.
"Nakomi says that they won't have a problem hiding us," she rushed. "The soldiers already talked with the caravan once and left quickly, she doesn't think they'll be bothered to check back again." She paused before continuing, her eyes taking on a pleading look. "Nakomi and Dalin can teach me to fight with that spear thing that Agitha left me. I want to stay and learn to use it. I'm sure Agitha never used it, so she had to have meant for me to, and if that's the case then I need to try. I can't always rely on you two to save me." Jasper felt a pull at her last words. He found himself wanting to be able to protect her, but he didn't think he could do so as effectively if they stayed with the carnival. Bennet disagreed.
"I think she's right," the other man chimed in. "Nakomi I mean. There can be safety in numbers. And watching this one fumble around with that weapon could prove to be highly entertaining." Bennet chuckled as he nodded toward Zephyr. She gave him a small glare, which only made him laugh more. She turned back to face Jasper, her face going serious.
"I'm going to stay," Zephyr said, "I understand if you don't feel safe here and want to go. I won't be angry if you decide to leave." Jasper could see the earnestness of her words, but at the same time he knew she would be disappointed if he did decide to leave her and head out on his own. He knew Bennet would follow wherever he himself chose to go. Maybe his friend had a point about there being safety in numbers. Jasper considered the options for a moment, though deep down he knew his decision had been made the moment Zephyr said she would be staying, regardless of what he ended up doing. He had to stay and protect her, he owed it to her for not saving Agitha, and would never be able to live with himself if he left and something happened to her. Jasper let out a sigh of defeat.
"Well, I guess we will stay then," he said, then gave Zephyr a slight teasing grin. "I only wish you had told me you'd made this decision before I had saddled and packed up the horses." Zephyr pursed her lips at him as though she were repressing her own smile, her eyes giving away her delight.
"We would have needed them packed anyways," she said matter-of-factly. "The caravan will be leaving shortly." Her face turned a bit uncharacteristically roguish, surprising Jasper. "Besides," she continued as she turned away from him, "since you did it already, it means I won't have to." She gave him a teasing nod, followed by a genuine smile and walked back in the direction she had come from. Jasper stood rooted to the spot as he watched her go. Bennet stepped up beside him and gave Jasper a nudge with his elbow.
"I think we have a lot to learn about that girl. She sure is determined for such a quiet little thing," Bennet said and let lose a slow whistle that almost sounded apprehensive. Jasper only nodded in ascent. He was beginning to think that maybe her last snarky comment wasn't out of character, but rather that he was finally getting to see the real Zephyr. And if she kept giving him looks like that one she'd thrown back at him as she walked away, Jasper was afraid he would never be able to stand up to her.
Bennet had practically skipped away when he'd spotted the woman he'd been dancing with the evening before walking past. Taking a deep breath, Jasper decided to follow in the direction Zephyr had headed. Maybe he could get some more information about this group of wanderers from Nakomi.
~
With a hard thud, Zephyr felt the wind rush out of her as she landed flat on her back on the hard ground. She had been sparring with Nakomi for about an hour now and was beginning to regret her decision to learn to fight. Her arms were burning from the effort of swinging and lashing out with the wooden staff she had been given to practice with. Her breaths were coming in sharp gasps now, her lungs felt as though they were on fire.
For someone who can apparently control air, I sure am having a hard time getting enough of it right now, Zephyr thought to herself irritatedly. She pushed her back off the ground and used her arms to prop herself up. She glanced up at Nakomi. The other woman had barely broken a sweat, whereas Zephyr was drenched, some of her hair around her face plastered to her skin. The cold air, instead of helping to cool her down, only made her feel more miserable. She groaned as she stood, her legs burning only slightly less than her arms.
"We can stop for now," Nakomi said to her. "We will be leaving again soon anyways." The caravan had stopped to break for lunch, and Nakomi hadn't lost any time in beginning Zephyr's training.
"You did well with learning to hold your weapon properly," the woman continued, "but you have no stamina. We will need to get you in better shape." Zephyr nodded and heard a voice behind her.
"We can exercise her with the horses!" Bennet exclaimed, and if Zephyr hadn't been so utterly exhausted she would have turned to glare at him. She had noticed him watching earlier, along with Jasper, who had come over to speak with Dalin. She nodded at Nakomi and turned to find something to drink, her throat and mouth were parched from the gasping for air she had been doing. Nakomi followed her, and as the two of them walked past the wagon the men were leaning up against, Zephyr stuck her tongue out at Bennet, garnering a laugh from the man. To her delight she saw Jasper push against Bennet's shoulder, and since one foot was crossed on top of the other as he leaned back nonchalantly, Bennet lost his balance and, unable to catch himself, fell sideways to the ground. Finally having caught her breath, Zephyr let out a laugh of her own as Bennet scrambled back to his feet. He looked around as if to see if anyone else was watching and winked at a small group of giggling young women who were standing at another wagon in an attempt to redeem himself. Jasper and Dalin were following behind Nakomi and Zephyr as they walked through the caravan. Bennet rushed to catch up with them.
The group was silent as they approached a wagon, and Zephyr saw Tib seated in the driver's spot, trying to whip the reins of the horses to get them to move forward. They were adamantly ignoring the small boy, who was growing more frustrated and determined with each attempt. Zephyr smiled in amusement at the scene. Nakomi walked to the back of the wagon and grabbed a water skein, which she handed to Zephyr. Zephyr gulped the liquid happily and then passed it back to Nakomi, who did the same. Zephyr noticed that the other travellers were beginning to move on. Wagons were pulling away and those who rode horses beginning to mount them.
"I guess we should get ready to leave," Zephyr said, looking toward Dalin, who had climbed into the wagon and plucked Tib from the driver's seat. The boy squealed in protest, but began to laugh when his father sat him down on the seat next to him, tickling the boy's sides as he did. She smiled and looked back to Nakomi.
"Thank you for helping me," she said earnestly, putting a hand on the woman's arm. Nakomi returned her smile but shook her head slightly.
"I'm not just doing this for you," she responded. "I'm doing this for Elise, for everyone that vicious thing on the throne has hurt. Besides, I have a feeling that helping you will be a good investment." Zephyr gave her a confused look, but Nakomi said nothing more, only motioning toward their horses and walking in that direction. Zephyr didn't know what else to say, so she simply followed the older woman.
As she mounted her mare, Zephyr saw that Jasper and Bennet were already in their saddles and had just begun to ride forward with the caravan. Zephyr spurred her horse forward in their direction and Nakomi followed. Once they had caught up to the men, Jasper noticed both women and turned toward Nakomi.
"Thank you for letting us travel with you," he said with a nod. "I'm beginning to think Zephyr was right when she said this would be safer." Nakomi returned his nod.
"We can hide you if any of those soldiers reappear," Nakomi said. "They don't like to be around us, the carnival makes them uncomfortable. They won't even search the wagons. Last time they barely glanced through the camp, never even got down from their mounts." She scoffed as she said this, looking between Jasper and Bennet. "No offense, but your army men don't exactly inspire a feeling of security or love of country." Bennet nodded and Jasper chuckled at her remark.
"None taken," Jasper said in response to her jab at his former position.
Their little group rode on in silence for several minutes in the midst of the much larger group of wagons and riders. Zephyr fought back a strong desire for a nap. She simultaneously longed for and dreaded the moment they stopped for the night, knowing she would welcome the rest but also realizing that the moment she dismounted she would be sore and stiff and miserable. She half-listened as Nakomi and the two men riding next to her began to discuss the Carnival, how quickly it travelled and when it might arrive in Faron.
Zephyr immersed herself in her own thoughts, pulling her mind away from the conversation of her companions, thinking to what she was going to say to Saria when they reached her friend's home city. So much had happened in just the few days since she had last seen Saria. Zephyr dreaded telling her friend about the events of the night she had left, knowing that talking it all over with Saria would make it so much more real. Zephyr was having a hard enough time as it was holding her emotions together, and she knew that she was only able to do so because right now there were more pressing matters at hand. She had always been able to put up a facade of strength in front of others, but she could hide nothing from Saria, who now was the only person who knew her well enough to surely notice how broken she was.
Zephyr looked up from her own dark thoughts for a moment, noticing Jasper watching her, his brows furrowed in what looked to her like concern. His eyes seemed to ask if she was alright, and Zephyr gave him a small smile, though it didn't seem to relieve his worries. He did turn back to listen to whatever it was Bennet was saying, something about a girl he once knew whose breasts were so large that she could balance a serving platter on them. Zephyr watched as Jasper rolled his eyes at his friend and she smiled once more. Her mind drifted to the way he had been watching her, almost as if he'd known what she was thinking. Maybe not her exact thoughts, but how those thoughts were upsetting her and pulling her down to that dark pit that she was so afraid to look into. Zephyr usually kept her emotions so guarded that most people couldn't read them on her face. She'd never been able to get anything past Agitha or Saria, but others never really knew how she felt. And yet somehow, Jasper seemed to be able to read her. And even more to Zephyr's surprise, he seemed genuinely concerned by what he saw on her face.
She didn't know what to think of it. Maybe she was finally learning how to let people in. Zephyr thought it almost amusing that her life had to completely be blown to shreds before she had figured out how to trust others, at a time when there were more people she shouldn't trust than there had ever been. And though she hadn't expected it, Zephyr found a bit of relief in allowing herself to trust Jasper, and the others. A very welcome relief in the midst of her world of chaos. I've changed so much, so quickly, she thought, wondering how Saria would react to this new Zephyr. She'll probably just tell me how aggravating Bennet is, how she can't believe I've been able to stand to travel with him, and then interrogate me for everything I know about him. Zephyr smiled to herself at that thought, and realized just how much she missed the comfort of her friend.