Mero looked at Nora, he could not lie that the silence was not awkward.
Not like he minded, he could stay quiet for very long periods of time, that was just how he was raised, but he was sure that Nora felt uncomfortable.
Nora was wondering why Mero was looking at her all of a sudden, the atmosphere was peaceful and all, but things between them just felt weirdly forced.
"Do you want to say something Nora?" asked Mero as he wanted to try to make Nora feel more comfortable.
"Well no…" said Nora as her voice trailed and Mero gave her an honest look which made her feel bad for lying.
"Well yes…" said Nora.
"It is alright Nora, just tell me how you really feel, I do not mind" said Mero as Nora sighed.
"Everything just seems so weirdly forced honestly…" said Nora as she took a pause and Mero just listened to her.
"And the silence is awkward, we have nothing in common to talk about" said Nora as she looked away.
"I feel the same way Nora" replied Mero as Nora looked at him.
"Well in a way is it forced, her Majesty wants me to do this properly" said Mero.
"Even though I told her that I did not want anything to be pushed, and yet, here we are" said Nora with a sigh.
"That may be true, but I agree with her, things have to be done correctly" said Mero as Nora looked at him.
"Sure, but this circumstance is just too much" said Nora as she did not even know what else to say, Mero was just too quiet for her, and in the right situations, Nora could be as equally quiet as well, none of them spoke too much, which left no place for anything to grow.
"Well maybe we should start by getting to know each other better" said Mero as Nora sighed, she had no other choice in this moment, she did not want to disappoint Wura.
"Alright" said Nora.
"So what would you like to know about me?" asked Mero.
"Umm I am not sure… let me think" said Nora as Mero nodded, they had the entire day, so there was no rush at all.
"Umm, how old are you Mero?" asked Nora as she really had no idea of his age.
"I am twenty five years old" said Mero.
"Ahh I see, so a year older than his Majesty?" asked Nora.
"Yes I am" replied Mero.
"Well I am nineteen" replied Nora.
"The same age as her Majesty" said Mero.
"Yes" replied Nora as she smiled and there was silence between them once again.
"Do you have any more questions for me?" asked Mero as Nora shook her head, honestly, she did not know what else to ask him about.
"How about we eat, and maybe then you can think of some more questions" said Mero as he handed Nora the basket.
"Alright…" said Nora as if she was being honest, Mero's honest, calm attitude was making her feel even more nervous, as if she was overreacting, he seemed fine and calm with everything going on.
It made her feel as if she was making a big deal out of this, but at the same time, she just could not help it.
"Do you want some bread?" asked Nora as she offered Mero a plate of bread.
"Sure" said Mero as he took one and Nora sighed internally, this would be a very long day.
…
"You have a question?" asked Mero as he looked at Nora who looked like she wanted to say something as she nodded.
"Go ahead" said Mero.
"Have you always wanted to become a knight?" asked Nora.
"Well no, not really, as a child, I found them vague, people putting their hopes and beliefs on other people just seemed absurd to me" said Mero as Nora nodded while listening to him and eating.
"So if you do not mind me asking, why did you become a knight then?" asked Nora.
"Well I had a change of heart when I met Liam, and I saw everything that he stood for, I admire him, he was a young man, with great ambitions and a willingness to save others, and that made me change, I owe him my life actually, and he gave me a chance to prove myself" said Mero as Nora smiled.
"That is nice" she said as she smiled.
"Yes it is" replied Mero.
"Umm, I have run out of questions now, maybe you can ask me some questions instead?" asked Nora.
"Sure" replied Mero.
"What is your favourite season?" asked Mero.
"Summer, and what is yours?" asked Nora with a smile.
"I like summer too" replied Mero.
"Do you have any siblings?" asked Mero.
"No, I do not, and what about you?" asked Nora.
"I have no siblings as well" said Mero.
"And what about your parents?" asked Mero.
"Oh well they live in the capital, I go and visit them whenever I can" said Nora with a smile as Mero's horse galloped over to them as Nora smiled as she patted the horse.
"You are no longer scared of horses?" asked Mero as Nora looked at him.
"I am not truly scared of horses, just their size… and their height…" said Nora as Mero just looked at her.
"You always look so serious, is it because you are a knight, or is that just your nature?" asked Nora as the horse galloped away.
"A bit of both" replied Mero as he ate and Nora said something under her breath.
"What did you say?" asked Mero as he noticed that she had said something he did not hear.
"Oh nothing…" said Nora as she looked at him.
"Nora" called Mero as Nora sighed.
"I… I just said that it is because you are always so serious that when you gave me flowers, I was shocked" said Nora.
"So would you like me to be less serious?" asked Mero.
"Ahh, no, no, you do not have to change anything just because of me, I was just saying" said Nora.
"I see" said Mero as Nora nodded, she needed to change the conversation, it was getting too much for her to handle.
"Yes, so what about your own parents?" asked Nora.
"I mean I know about your mother, but what about your father?" asked Nora as Mero sighed and he rested his back on the ground and faced the sky.
"Well my father was Wyverdanian" said Mero as Nora rested the way he did.
"So your mother was not?" asked Nora.
"No, she was from the East, she was a slave there" said Mero as Nora just kept silent when she heard the word slave.
"My father went on a journey to the east, and he messed around, which resulted in my birth, while he already had a wife at home" said Mero.
"My father used to be a very wealthy Baron, but suddenly, everything went downhill for him, and he went in search of answers, when he came to a witch who told him that until he recognized the son and woman he left behind, things would continue to be bad for him" said Mero.
"And was it true?" asked Nora.
"It was…" said Mero.
"But at the same time, I regretted that moment when he found me and my mother" said Mero.
"If he had just left us alone, she would still be alive by now, it was because of him that she died at ana early age" said Mero in anger.
"Wh… what happened?" asked Nora quietly.
"My father's wife was furious with the presence of another woman in the home, as she should have" said Mero.
"She hated me with passion, along with my mother, but my father could not care less, seeing as the words of the witch were right, and he started to prosper in his farming once again" said Mero.
"There were constant battles between his wife and my mother, until one day, his wife and my mother got into one of their many arguments as his wife lost control and she pushed my mother down the stairs" said Mero in a painful voice as Nora gasped.
"And I was right there, watching through the crack of my bedroom door, his wife just left her at the end of the stairs, not even calling for help at all, she finally succeeded in sending my mother to her early grave" said Mero.
"Mero, I am so sorry" said Nora as she could hear the utter pain and despair in his voice as she looked at him.
"Do not be sorry Nora, there are many people who need to be sorry, but you are not one of them" said Mero.
"But I… I should not have asked you about this, I brought up an unpleasant memory, I am sorry Mero" said Nora.
"It is fine Nora, if I told you, It means that I trust you, and I want you know, only a few people know about this story" said Mero as Nora just felt so bad for him right now, her heart really went out to him, it really did.
"I thank you for trusting me enough to tell me something like this Mero" said Nora as Mero looked at her.
"is that why you dislike witches and seers so much?" asked Nora as Mero nodded.
"They are all the same, and all they do is ruin the lives of people" said Mero.
"If that witch had never told that useless father of mine to come get me and my mother, she would still be very alive and well now" said Mero as Nora could not lie about that.