"Nora, what did you pack in all those bags?" asked Wura in curiosity, from what she could see, those bags that Nora was carrying looked very heavy.
"Ahh well my Queen, I packed all your clothes in one bag, and all that you might need, and in the other bag, I packed some foodstuffs from the kitchen, just in case" said Nora as she started to feel the carriage move.
"Ahh I see, I did not even think of that Nora" said Wura as she shook her head and she scolded herself internally for not even thinking about what they would do when it came to food, she did not even stop to think that they would need to at least pack some rations.
"Do not scold yourself my Queen, it is understandable, you have been preoccupied with many things" said Nora as she smiled, she knew that Wura had been going through a lot, which was why she was unable to remember to pack food and some other things.
"Oh Thank you Nora, I do not know what I would have done without you, you always think ahead" said Wura.
"It is my duty my Queen, to take care of you and serve you well" said Nora as she smiled, she loved to do her duty well and serve Wura to the best of her ability, and she understood that Wura's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of finding Liam, which made it hard for her to focus on anything else, and that was why she would make sure to help Wura when she forgot things that she was supposed to do.
"Thank you Nora" said Wura as she smiled.
"You are welcome my Queen" said Nora as she smiled.
"Nora, how do you feel about this whole thing? I am sure that it is not easy just to wake up one morning, and leave with your lady to who knows where just because she says so" said Wura.
"Well my Queen, it truly is not easy, and I have never been out of the Kingdom before, but I do know that we are leaving for a good cause, to find our King" said Nora as she replied and she smiled, although she was feeling a bit uneasy about this whole thing, with what Wura had told her about the Yonder Realm, which she had never even heard of before, and how it was dangerous, with non-human beings, the thought just made her shudder, but they had to go to find Liam.
"You are right Nora, and we will find Liam" said Wura as she smiled, she was not going to stop or rest until she found her Liam.
"Yes my Queen, we will" replied Nora as she smiled and she nodded her head, she shared the same belief that Wura did, and they would find Liam very soon.
…
"Mero, are you really going to allow this?" asked Elihu as he was riding on his horse and he looked at Mero who was busy in his thoughts as he was riding on his own horse.
"What do you mean Elihu?" asked Mero as he snapped out of his thoughts and he turned to look at Elihu who was riding right beside him.
"I mean, are you really going to allow the Queen bring her maid along with us on this journey?" asked Elihu.
"Does it look like I have a choice Elihu?" asked Mero in a plain tone as he looked at Elihu, if there was anything that he had learnt about Wura now, it would be that once Wura had made a decision and you tried to change that decision, you would automatically become her enemy, because she did not care at all for what you thought, it was what she said that would go.
"But this is unfair to us, not only do we have to protect her, but her maid as well, the maid should have just stayed back at the Castle, we do not need more trouble on our hands" said Elihu as he scoffed.
"But I do agree with Elihu, this is not some peacekeeping journey, we are going to unknown lands, and the more people we have with us, the more dangerous it would be, we do not have the resources to protect many people" said Zuph.
"I do understand and agree with what you both are saying, but in this matter, we do not have a choice, not at all, and if we argue with the Queen, we will only waste the limited time that we have to cover some more ground, so do not say anything, we do not want the Queen becoming upset" said Mero as that was the last thing on his mind, Wura could really not see the way people were trying to explain their reasons, and he just wanted them to focus on what they were doing now.
"Alright then, I agree" said Zuph as if Mero was going to allow it, then he would allow It too, Mero was the one in charge here, and he knew what he was doing.
"As for me, I am satisfied that I am not going to have to stay behind like Zechariah and Luc" said Elihu.
"I knew that you would not accept staying at the Castle, so I explained to the Queen and she agreed that you and Zuph would come along with us" said Mero.
"Quite frankly Elihu, you are the least person I trust to stay behind, you can be impulsive, which is dangerous, and you do not bend for the rules, which is why, I find it better that you are nearby where I can see you and watch you" said Mero as he looked at Elihu.
"I will not refute to that, because I know myself, and if for one second you thought that I would willingly agree to stay behind, then you would be wrong" said Elihu as he only confirmed what Mero had already said.
"And why did you choose me Mero?" asked Zuph as he looked at Mero.
"Well simply because you are the only one who can genuinely stand Elihu's attitude" replied Mero simply, because he needed men who were on the same page, who would work together well, and not those who would argue with one another.
"To think that I was chosen simply because I can tolerate you Elihu" said Zuph as he looked at Elihu.
"Do not say anything, because I know what you are trying to insinuate" said Elihu as he scoffed.
"Zechariah is very trustworthy, and he takes care of things well, he will be a great help to the Royal Duke, he is gentle and understanding, and not quick to jump to conclusions, which is why I decided that he should stay behind, I can trust important things in his care" said Mero as he explained.
"And Luc is a honourable man as well, he knows what to do in tough situations, and he thinks very quick on his feet, he and Zechariah get along well, and they think in the same manner as well, which is why it is best for the two of them to stay together" said Mero.
"You really seem to have thought of everything" said Zuph.
"I have" said Mero.
"We have spilt into two, you, I and Elihu will go and find Liam, while Zechariah and Luc will stay here and guard the kingdom and assist the Royal Duke just in case any problem arises" said Mero.
"And the Queen?" asked Elihu.
"She is desperate to find Liam, just like we are, and as long as we are all able to protect her, then everything will be well, I believe so" said Mero.
"Well alright Mero, if you say so" said Elihu as he really did not believe that.
…
Wura sighed as she looked out the window, it looked like it would take a long time for them to reach the waterfalls.
Wura looked at Nora who had already fallen asleep, she guessed that she was tired, they did wake up very early this morning since she decided to wake up early, and Nora had been moving up and down, round and round, makings sure to take care of everything and have everything packed, and Wura really appreciated that so she let Nora rest.
Wura checked inside her pocket as she brought out the folded map that she had been keeping in there, she was curious.
Wura unfolded the map as just as she had thought, it looked empty, blank, as white as a white cloth with no stain at all, it looked like just a regular empty map that had not been filled in.
Wura had checked this map once before, and it looked just like this, with nothing at all, which made her feel worried, but she trusted Elysia, and she was sure that she would not just give her something fake that did not work at all.
She also believed that she would not just raise false hopes high for her, so she believed that what Elysia said about this map would come to pass.
"I really hope that you stop being blank once we reach the Yonder Realm" replied Wura to herself as she sighed, she was just so tired, she did not think that she could take any more disappointments, she was so desperate right now.
"Oh Liam, I hope that you are alright" said Wura to herself as she sighed and she folded back the map and she put it back in her pocket, she was going to protect this map with her life no matter what.
She wondered how Liam was doing, did he miss her the way that she missed him? Did he think of her all the time like she thought of him? Did he blame her like she blamed herself?
Wura just had so many thoughts in her mind, she could not wait to see Liam and apologize to him and hug him very tightly.
Wura sighed as she decided to stop thinking about this for now, it was making her think too much, many bad thoughts and uncertain thoughts, so she decided to close her eyes, and try to go to sleep before they finally reached the waterfalls.