We departed from Caer'agal again early the next morning. Not quite as early as we could have departed though. And despite that I still wished I could have slept a little longer. Kaele had suggested we stay for another day or two as well when she changed my bandages and both Riz'agal, the young lord ruling in his father's stead, as well as Coa'thuk, his sister, had been inclined to agree. Especially Coa had not been terribly pleased with the state of my wound when she had caught a glimpse of it. Well, I wasn't terribly pleased either but I had no time to waste. Maybe I could see a healer at the capital when I got there. First had to get there though. And to get there we couldn't dawdle. Maybe I could have taken a day or two if we had a proper messenger to send ahead but those were scarce this far out, at the edge of the domains under the rule of our great king.

Thus we left, later than I liked but we left. I felt slightly sorry that I had shared the news about the ghoul with the children. I wished I hadn't burdened their mind with this additional worry. They already had enough on their platters as things were but it probably was for the better that they knew. It was always better to worry a little too much than not enough after all. I turned and bowed to the two as the last of our caravan passed me. Only Kaele was still waiting by my side on her mount and with her cat companion peeking out from her bag. “Thank you for your hospitality. May the Maidens smile upon you and may I find you in good health and good spirits the next time I pass through.” Another formal line expected of me but after sleeping under their roof and sharing their meal it came to me quite easy and with a smile on my lips.

There was very little talk as we made our way along the road. Kaele got out one of her scrolls before long and spent most of the time reading. After a little while I snagged a branch from the roadside though, dangling it in front of my sister's feline familiar one way or another, prompting it to swipe at it. We played around like that for a while as we kept going. Maybe the fearless little hunter wasn't so bad after all. And keeping it entertained probably wasn't the worst use of my time. I might eventually even forgive it for going after my eyes on our first encounter. Some time later the cat had had enough of my antics though, deciding to take another nap instead. I couldn't argue with that logic. I wouldn't have minded a chance to have a nap either. I wasn't so lucky though. I had to keep going.

It came as a great relief when Zul'gar, who was leading the caravan, finally stopped for a lunch break. He led people and animals alike onto a moderately flat, open space in between two hills and next to the road. An old fireplace and countless footprints of all kinds let us know that this place was used quite frequently. Even before Kaele and I reached the place someone started a fire and got busy cooking. It wouldn't be a lush meal. As far as I could tell it would be some kind of porridge. Probably made of the same corn that was fed to our animals as they made themselves comfortable wherever they had been led. It would be warm though. That was its only saving grace as far as I could tell. Maybe there would be a little salt in it but that was already the best I could hope for. We certainly had no spices with us and if we wanted meat we would have to go hunting.

I took a moment to count heads, both of the men and women as well as the beasts, to make sure everyone was accounted for, before sitting down on one of the rocks that had been placed around the fireplace. I enjoyed the chance to stretch my legs after walking for hours. After a little while Kaele joined me as well. Curiously enough, her familiar was absent though. She must have noticed my look. She grinned and nodded in the direction of the nearby treeline. “She snuck off to get a meal of her own.” Well, that was sensible enough, even if it made me a little envious. I only now started to realize that I would lose some of my freedom and suffer various restrictions for accepting mother's circlet upon my head. No more running off on some adventure or another in the middle of the night. I had to shoulder responsibilities now.

I sighed. Maybe I should leave the domain and the rest of the inheritance to Kaele instead? She wouldn't be a bad ruler either. I was pretty certain that the domain would prosper under her guidance. Except I couldn't just do that. Unlike that hotheaded moron that was our brother she had never shown any interest. So I couldn't just unload this responsibility onto her shoulders. No, this burden was mine to carry. Maybe I could lean on her a little though. I did just that. In the most literal sense. She wrapped an arm around my waist to steady me, careful not to disturb my wound and for a few all too brief moments I closed my eyes to rest my mind as well as my body. Just as my mind drifted off a figment of a memory came to me. I was power napping. What a weird word. What a weird idea. Another remnant of a different life.

That fragment of a memory fled my mind again as fast as it had come to me though. Just as well. I didn't want to deal with it right now. All I wanted was some peace and quiet. Peace and quite I was not about to get. I could hear Zul'gar approaching a while before he reached us. He wasn't alone either. With a sigh I sat back up straight. The experienced caravan hand looked worried. He took a seat across the fire and voiced his concerns without hesitation. “We won't reach another settlement today and will have to camp along the road.” I just nodded. He knew what he was doing after all. “We should reach another spot like this one later in the afternoon. We'll set up camp for the night there. With a bit of luck we might even be able to do a little hunting there to put some meat in everyone's bowl.”

That actually sounded not half bad. Why was he worried then? I didn't have to wait long to find out as he continued after clearing his throat. “Please forgive me, my lady, if I sound presumptuous but I'm worried about you. I know your sister and the priestess have done their best but you are pushing yourself too hard, too early. You should still be resting and recovering.” He blushed and rubbed the tip of one of his horns self consciously. The gesture looked terribly out of place on the seasoned veteran. And it clashed with his frown. “I worry that you might not make it to the capital like this.” He fell silent after that. And that silence seemed contagious and as it stretched I became just all too aware of the eyes of all the others on me. It was an uncomfortable kind of silence. It was really very, very uncomfortable. And I had no idea what to do or say. How could I argue with his logic? He wasn't wrong after all. Not as far as I could tell anyway.

It was my sister who came to my rescue, figuratively speaking. “We should reach the first toll bridge some time tomorrow. The trolls tending to them usually live there as well.” She paused only long enough to accept the bowl of porridge that was offered to her as the cooks started handing out our meal. “Troll communities, even small ones, usually have healers. Fairly experienced ones as well. We should ask them for help.” She was right of course. Trolls lived long lives in general. And their healers were often some of the oldest, most respected members of their communities. Zul'gar nodded, although reluctantly. He probably couldn't offer a better alternative. I certainly didn't know of any.

I nodded as well, as I accepted my own bowl. “That's what we'll do.” As far as I was concerned that settled this matter. I focused on my meal instead. At least until Kaele's familiar returned, hopping right into my lap, with a freshly caught bird in its maw.