Sophia stood behind one of the tall, thick decorative pillars by the entrance of the Town’s Hall, and in the distance watched with a tender gaze the soft embrace between her dearest friend through many years and the little bundle against her, both fast asleep. Everyone else seemed to be resting as well, only the moon above gifting a ray of blue hue of light through the ceiling-high windows behind them.

  ’’I won’t take long.’’ Sophia turned towards Ren leaning against the wall behind her. For a moment the bewitched nightly halo tracing his wide shoulders and the dark brown hair, the waist snatched by the leather belt over his flawlessly fit uniform made her suck in the tremendous need to gasp the escaping air around her, ’’I cannot leave without bidding farewell.’’ She averted her near blushing gaze as if caught staring red-handed.

  ’’I understand.’’ Ren crossed his arms and closed the eyes darkened by a few sleepless nights from many miles of un-cut travel and the awaiting battle which did not offer much challenge. The most difficult task of the operation had been reaching their destination of Brifena while holding on to the fools hope of being on time, ’’Take your time.’’ He lowered his chin to take the moment as a much deserved break.

  Sophia tilted her head in curious wonderment, ’’Sir, with nothing but respect, time isn’t favorable towards you as of right now. You shouldn't offer it away with such ease.’’ She couldn’t decide whether he was being over confident or just a fool of a man, but his slight smirk answered well and clear. Sophia began to feel lightheaded as if the floor beneath beginning to soften, about to swallow her whole and drown in nervousness, knowing now that this man must’ve been placing the same amount of confidence over her shoulders, and just like that, the cruel reality truly came into full realization. A man with his power and status had in fact entrusted his whole entire life on her small, not very significant hands. For her to salvage. Those hands of mere her, what could they do? She had never actually prepared the antidote now demanded from her, only read about it nonstop. Was she truly enough and up for the task? She could not help but worry.

  And what if her effort should become unsuccessful?

  What would a noble family with such power over Agathen and its officials do to a lowly young woman with nothing but her name, except throw her in a prison cell to rot for the bitter regretful remaining time or place her beneath the blade of a sharpened guillotine in front of a crowd as punishment for the failure of not being able to keep the only Heir of The North alive. She swallowed hard with that exact thought.

  Sophia carefully avoided the sleeping families whom gone through too much for their deserved rest to be interrupted now. She smiled gently at the sight of a small child kicking the blanket, landing on a starfish position with all fours pointed opposite directions, one landing over his mother’s face yet still completely out of it. The hall felt warmer now with the heavy breathing and snoring of exhaustion. Despite the circumstances, the closeness of Brifenian's side by side had miraculously transformed the empty space into something that felt like a tender, comforting hug.

  And once Sophia reached Marié’s side, she kneeled down and tapped her shoulder lightly, resulting into Marié squeezing her eyes shut tight once before opening them.

  ’’Sophié— can’t sleep?’’ She asked with a whisper and pressed her forehead against Sophia's knee. For a moment Sophia could see Marié as the little girl she had met ten whole years ago. The way they’d always have each others back no matter what, them against whatever fictional opponent.

  Not this time.

  Sophia hesitated for a moment, feeling the need to suck in the lips as if barricading the words inside, though she knew that wouldn’t do. As much as she had to say, all the many things she’d like to discuss, it still wouldn’t be enough all while hanging from a ticking clock where each silent moment would be a nail on possibly two coffins already being prepared should she—one—fail to safe the Commander and—two—lose her head with the result of such failure.

  ’’Marié, I have to go.’’ She managed to get out as faint as a whisper. Marié resisted the urge to get up with the sleeping Marvy closed in her embrace. She did not have the heart to do so after everything they’d gone through.

  ’’Go where?’’ Marié’s expression was laced with uncertain emotions which were harder for Sophia to recognize due to sleep still lingering in Marié’s tired eyes, the confusion. Sophia stared down and closed her own fingers together on the lap and watched the fingers intertwine tightly, feeling unpleasant.

  ’’I found myself a job.’’ Sophia wasn’t lying, although leaving the nit-picky important details out. After all, getting a job and finding accommodation would be the number one priority to anyone’s survival after losing those essentials. She figured Marié wouldn’t ask much either if she simply kept the conversation light, ’’I have to leave immediately. But before that, I managed to make a deal—’’ Sophia reached inside the pocket of the colorless and shapeless long tunic and pulled out a dark brown leather pouch, heavy for its petite size.

  ’’What is that?’’ Marié furrowed her confused eyebrows and raised her head off the thin mattress, the only part of her body she could to get closer, while Sophia placed the pouch on Marié's empty palm, moving as if hiding a secret treasure from any prying eyes.

  ’’I got paid in advance. This should be enough for few months to come.’’ Sophia smiled softly. She had asked for enough money, diamonds, cold or copper—she did not care which—as long as it would be enough for a family of five to get back up on their feet, buy a decent house or apartment and survive until they could work again. Surprisingly, perhaps since Ren’s life was on the line, even if many wouldn’t agree to such bold propositions that easily, Ren simply shrugged like it was the smallest deed to grant and arranged the valuables in a matter of minutes.

  Sophia leaned closer to Marié’s ear as she closed her friends fingers to try and hide the treasure beneath them, ’’Do not let anyone know you have all this. Keep it safe and hidden. Use it well.’’ She kept her voice down and shifted her gaze through the sleeping people making sure they weren’t being stared at.

  ’’You— I know that look of yours.’’ Marié whispered, ’’It is the same look you had when the bridge we made out of sticks and branches in the forest as kids snapped in half after i crossed it and you were forced to jump. There is absolutely nothing i can do nor say to stop you now, is there not?’’ Marié smiled gently but with a hint of gloom, admitting her silent defeat as she lowered her head back resting on the mattress, ’’And for that very same reason I cannot take all this. It’s too much.’’ She could estimate the inside of the leather pouch without looking in for the hefty weight of it.

  ’’Toss them away or donate it, then.’’ Sophia’s eyes turned crescent from a sneaky smile, ’’It is rude to return a gift.’’

  ’’Then, let me know where you’re going at least?’’ Marié continued after a long faint sigh and a few calm silent seconds which followed without Sophia answering. She couldn’t, after all, there would be no possible way for her to give the desired answer which Marié sought. They both knew that. Somehow.

  ’’It’s a good job, i swear. And I’ll try and find you all as soon as possible once I’m finished.’’ Sophia let go of Marié’s closed fist now that she would not be able to hand the pouch back. No more objections to make. Sophia’s hooded eyes began to gently gather moisture as they turned to look at the puffy cheeks of sleeping Marvy, glad that she was able to calmly rest now against her mother’s softness, but a hint of sorrowfulness for she wouldn’t be able to hug the child once more before heading out.

  ’’It’s not anything—wrong? Is it?’’ Marié raised a suspecting eyebrow, making sure Sophia understood the graveness of the question, to which Sophia offered half of a smile. All she could muster.

  ’’No, and do not worry of such matters.’’ Sophia answered, ’’Please.’’

  In the distance, Ren still leaned against the wall, kept his curiousness on Sophia and watched her kneel beside a woman holding a child in a gentle embrace. He could not read their lips since they were too far away in the dim darkness, barely saw them move at all. Then, he noticed Sophia reach inside the pocket and take out the leather pouch he had prepared only moments ago. The payment. The request. Now given away just like that. All those valuable small items worth a few hundreds. Nothing much for him, but undoubtedly significant for any commoner. Pressing his upper back against the wall, he huffed out a curious hum as he watched Sophia pull herself up and make her way back through the crowd of people laid on the floor.

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  ’’A family of five, huh? Your family?’’ Ren asked. He wasn’t particularly surprised by her asking enough for a family of five, but rather for the fact that she willing gave all that away not keeping a dime herself. He had become accustomed to people blatantly wanting his assistance financially, taking advantage of his resources—if he was up for such charity—but not once had he seen someone gift away his generosity thus voluntarily. It seemed, as of right now, since the very moment they first met he could never entirely predict her next move at all. A strategic mind of a man now completely lost.

  ’’Might as well consider them as one.’’ Sophia walked beside him and gave no further explanation. Ren kept his lowered gaze on her serious expression which showed the rabid racing of her mind. He couldn’t help but wonder—if only he had a nickel from each of her thought—he’d probably earn everything given away back by the upcoming dawn.

  But as the shadow they faced kept growing, he watched as slowly it wasn’t Sophia’s eyelids which only shivered, nor the hidden sadness in them, but rather shoulders going stiff and fingers pressing together against the chest. In the early summer, those nights could still become quite chilly with the sudden change in temperature between the difference of a blazing hot midday sun and the shadowy nights.

  On the western side of the Town’s Hall, the Commander’s men were loading and organizing supplies in the saddlebags on both sides of his horse. Once Ren came from behind the corner and entered the sheltered spot keeping away any curious set of eyes, the men dropped all their tasks and offered a strong salut at his way.

  ’’You’re all staying here.’’ Ren walked by his midnight black horse, one which had been on his side since its very birth. The men did not relax their positions but glanced at each other with confused side eyes, ’’We’ll go just the two of us. These people here need all the additional help they can get. And it’ll be more efficient to move with less.’’ He reached high on the saddlebags and adjusted the harness with a tight tug as one of the soldiers came beside him and offered back his long coat with all the valuable badges, medals and ribbons attached on the chest of it, shoulders decorated with silver shoulder pads and tangling epaulettes, like shiny scales underneath the cold shade of the moon.

  Ren accepted the coat and noticed how Sophia hugged her own sides with stiff shoulders and cautiously looked around of all those gruff looking strangers that clearly made her oddly nervous, almost too evident by the way she kept switching on their unfamiliar faces. Ren kept his movements slow when facing her, careful not to startle her any further, and before Sophia could even acknowledge his attention he swung the coat behind her, hem almost reaching the ground and placed it on those cold shivering shoulders. Sophia blinked a few times, fingers pulling the collar of the Commander’s coat closer against the chest. It was warm. It felt expensive. But above all, it had a very pleasant scent lingering to it which Sophia could not distinguish nor put to words.

  ’’Does Milady know how to ride a horse?’’ Ren reached his hand gently and slowly behind the neck of the coat to fix the collar down as Sophia looked up towards him with slightly gaping lips.

  ’’Yes.’’ Sophia nodded while Ren pulled away taking a step back, his gaze falling down on her like a waterfall once again. How she seemed to nearly disappear beneath his coat, ’’And please, I’m not near the status of Milady. My name is Sophia— Sophia Dilamor.’’

  ’’Fine then, Miss Dilamor. Forgive me but I need to make sure— is that truly all you're taking?’’ He asked while adjusting his own sleeves.

  ’’This?’’ Sophia moved the coat from the way enough to show the dirty creamy-colored, seemingly empty looking crossbody bag, ’’There wasn’t much time to pack belongings.’’ Her answer forced a difficult dilemma upon the soldiers not knowing whether they should laugh as insensitive as that would be or stay awkwardly standing there trying to mind their own business. Ren did neither, huffing out a breath of air agreeing with the undoubted truth of the situation. Curious of what she had to leave behind, and what was worth enough to take.

  It comes without saying that one will learn the most about another when living or either traveling together. What felt like many hours of silence, observing needed no spoken words. With anyone else the prolonged silence would’ve perhaps felt uncomfortable to Sophia, but strangely enough, not with him. It eased her nerves, not having to overthink for pointless small talk. At first she wondered why, but then realized it reminded her of the company of grandpa Bill, which then led to a sudden bittersweet sting that rushed through her heart along with the reminder.

  They barely had breaks here and there, only when absolutely necessary, crouching by a stream opposite from each other filling their water bottles. Sophia used the palms of her hands as a cup to fill in with the refreshing crystal clear water while Ren ran his long wetted fingers through the black hair, making it both endearingly messy and well put together—however he managed to do so remained a mystery.

  He noticed the water dripping down from her wrists, and the pleased gleam on her cheeks as the thirst subsided.

  In return, she noticed his habit of tilting his head on the left while deep in thoughts, which happened often.

  Ren amusedly noted how, even while eating a tasteless canned meal, Sophia still observed the nature around her, touching petals of a flower while squinting her eyes and puckering the lips as if having an inner debate. The way she sat there with her legs crossed beneath the long tunic, then abruptly raised her eyebrows as if winning the assumed debate or perhaps remembering a sudden key point. Sophia sometimes had to endure Marié joking about how she sometimes let the mad lady out while freeing all her thoughts in the open through her demeanor. She simply couldn’t help it. The muscles on her face were far too honest.

  When it was time to finally rest, Ren set up a small camp on a solid ground in the forest with a simple open tent and placed the sleeping bags beneath it with an appropriate amount of space in between the two. Ren never claimed his long uniform coat back despite it carrying all those valuable, almost sacred trophies demonstrating all of his hard work. Sophia had neatly folded it in one of the two saddlebags that her borrowed horse carried. The light-grey beauty belonged to the young soldier William, who reluctantly yet not opposing agreed to the Commander’s wish. Of course he did. It was a command after all. Sophia felt bad nonetheless, thinking the young soldier must’ve been missing his trusty companion that very moment.

  The first two nights they went on without setting a camp, and on the third Sophia could not fall asleep despite them going forward without much breaks if any through those sleepless nights. She heard the faint reassuring deep breathing of Ren two arms length away and decided to give up on the thought of having a shut eye any time soon.

  She squirmed her way free from the sleeping bag and crawled out on all fours. She got up and raised her chin to look towards the tree branch framed midnight sky, letting out a soft huff from the surprise as the summer-blue was embellished with many stars as beautiful as ever. Sophia had read somewhere that the closer towards The Northern Town of Delmaér one got, the clearer the stars, even those visible through daytime.

  Without looking away nor as much as blinking, Sophia sat down on the dry soft grass and hugged her knees tight. In that moment, with the still forest surrounding without any wind, Sophia’s gaping mouth began to slowly tremble, cheekbones rising up gushing out the forceful tears running through. She did not know the reason for why now out of all the possible moments leading up to it, but she hadn’t stopped—not for a second—to process any of the events which led her into that charming scenery above.

  Suddenly Sophia understood why she couldn’t sleep assured. Although, where else would she get to sleep in the scent of flowers and nature itself—it wasn’t the same as with those withered flowers above her bedroom ceiling. Their ever changing scent concealed in her room.

  And above all—

  Sophia gritted her teeth together, enough to suffocate the need to wail from the excruciating pain crushing her heart. She couldn’t stop thinking about Bill. How he simply pushed her away without much worry in his eyes. The sound of his shotgun, only one bullet, still echoed in her clear memory. She tried searching for him through the evacuees in Lufin’s Town’s Hall as they set the whole place up, but no one knew of his whereabouts. Non had seen him. If grandpa Bill would’ve ran after successfully encountering those approaching, he should’ve reached the evacuees before she and Marvy did.

  Sophia had to crush her mouth with a hand from the impulsive whispers of apologies, remembering the Pepper’s closing their door behind her and Marvy leaving. She couldn’t shake the thoughts of would she perhaps been able to convince the elderly to leave with them. Maybe she could’ve supported Mr. Pepper enough to help him move with ease. There must've been something more she could have done for them.

  ’’I’m sorry—I’m sorry—I’m—’’ Sophia whispered over and over, her eyes now nearly shut without a vision behind all the unstoppable waves, the edges of those stinging tears gleaming with the stars, when she felt a heavy weight landing over her shoulders. The warmth and now familiar scent of it. Then, she sensed Ren’s hands retreating after enveloping her beneath his uniform coat. Sophia’s tears stopped immediately, a small hiccup of air filling her lungs enough to last for a little while held in, she dropped her head on the knees and pulled the coat around tightly from the collars.

  Hiding away the shameful emotions. Even though she had no reason to do so. Ren did not stay nor did he ask any questions. He had simply noticed Sophia’s absence only moments ago and intended on making sure she hadn't ran off breaking the deal, yet found her in such a vulnerable state of mind. Seemingly needing some space, not someone to come and invade. Despite that, Ren couldn’t entirely ignore the thin fabric of her tunic, making a mental note to get her more layers as soon as possible.

  Thus Sophia pushed her eye sockets against the knees careful not to let the salty tears ruin his expensive coat. The fact that she had time to think about the coat amongst all other almost made her laugh for how utterly silly it was. And not in a good way.

  Once Sophia calmed down, eyes sucked dry left with nothing and all the pend-up emotions out in the open, while hearing the sounds of the nightly forest she sneaked back beneath their open tent and gently flopped on top of the sleeping bag, body exhausted from the relentless cry she didn’t bother crawling in. Not like she needed to.

  Her sleeping bag for the night a rather expensive one, still wrapped inside the dazzling uniform coat.

  ─?~???~?─