Wura was surprised to say the least... to hear Mero say that he also felt tired was just unreal... she did not know why, but in her mind Mero was this strong, never fazed by anything and diligent and experienced in all his duties... she held him in such a high degree that she seemed to have forgotten that he was human just like the rest of them.
So to hear him say that he was also feeling the effects of tiredness from everything that was going on, it made Wura feel as if she was not weak at all, like it was normal to feel like this, which it was, but she felt as if she could be stronger.
"That really surprises me Mero, because it never seems like you are tired of anything..." said Wura as Mero could see what she was thinking, he did not expect the kind of reaction she gave to his statement to be so bewildered.
"You always perform your duties exceptionally well... you rarely get fed up or tired when situations change and cause a huge problem, you are very well experienced with things like this, and you always seem to have an idea of what do to in every situation" said Wura.
"So forgive me when I say that I would have never thought that you of all people would be tired, or much more less admit to feeling that way" said Wura as she knew that he must have been confused by her reaction.
"There is no need for me to forgive you... I know what you mean, you are not the only one that thinks that way... many other people do" said Mero.
"Do you mean Zuph, Elihu, Zechariah and Luc?" asked Wura as Mero nodded.
"Among others... I might seem like I have everything under control and like I know exactly what to do in every situation, but I feel like people sometimes forget that I am not some all knowing man, I am just a man" said Mero.
"And I feel emotions just like anyone else..." said Mero as he looked ahead and Wura remained looking at him, feeling that his words meant something deeper.
"Of course you do... we all do... which is why I ask you forgive me, it was silly for me to think that you did not feel the effects of everything that is going on the same way we all do" said Wura as Mero looked at her and she smiled.
"You do not need to be forgiven, there is nothing to forgive, I cannot blame you or anyone else for thinking like that... I do tend to behave that way, I cannot judge people for thinking that way" said Mero.
"But still, it does not matter Mero... no one is free from all the stress and feelings of despair that this moment in our lives has brought..." said Wura as she sighed and looked ahead as they continued moving.
She looked around, taking note of the change from dry barren land into a few flowers growing on the ground.
"But, like you always assure me... things will be alright, they will not always be like this" said Wura as she smiled and looked at Mero as he gave her a small smile.
Wura turned her attention back to their surroundings as she was starting to remember the heat that was currently plaguing them from the hot noon sun.
Wura could see the road ahead of them getting narrower and narrower as she realized that the ground on her right was starting to sink down as if it was in a little whole.
As they continued on, Wura looked down and saw that they were highly elevated above the ground and as she looked deeper at what appeared to be the bottom of the low valley that they were in now, she could see little brown tents all pitched up at a reasonable distance between one another.
The tents bore a resemblance to the kind of tents that they used in their camp, and Wura was sure that this was the camp that Mero was talking about.
"Mero is that the camp down there?" asked Wura as she looked at Mero and he looked at her and nodded.
"This is a bit far from Windharm though, I thought you said that it was nearby" said Wura.
"This is a good distance and it will definitely not be targeted by the East should they think of returning for another raid" said Mero as Wura looked at him.
Nolan was now following behind Mero's horse at the road they were on was too narrow for both horses to ride side by side without it being to risky of Wura's horse falling down the steep slope.
"I see..." said Wura as she could see that the narrow road was starting to get wider again as the elevation of the ground leveled little by little.
Wura took the time remaining to look around as she felt like this place was peaceful, but she could not dwell on that right now, she was feeling too hot, the heat was so intense right now.
Wura wished that they would finally come to a stop soon, she was exhausted already.
Wura breathed a sigh of relief when they finally reached the bottom of the valley, but instead of going right, they turned left, away from the camp that was a few meters away.
"Mero where are we going? the camp is there" said Wura as she looked at Mero.
"I know Wura, but you cannot go and see the people yet, you need to rest first, it has been a long journey and you need to feel well before you do anything" said Mero as he looked at her and Wura frowned, wanting to refute, but then she remembered how hot it was, and she was starting to think that Mero was not so wrong at all.
She was truly tired, but she felt a bit uncertain about resting first, she was not here to rest, she was here to help, there was a big difference.
"I guess that you are right..." she said as Mero's horse increased his pace and so did Nolan as Wura could see a tent set ahead.
"Is that my tent?" asked Wura as Mero nodded.
"Yes it is, I asked it to be set before you arrived" said Mero as his horse slowed down and finally came to a stop underneath a canopy that was set to provide shade as Nolan stopped right beside Mero's horse.
"Thank you..." said Wura as Mero had really thought about everything, she had not even thought about her own comfort, she was more concerned with what was going on.
Mero just smiled as he got off his horse and made his way to Wura's side in order to help her off her horse.
He offered her his hand as Wura politely refused his help as she attempted to get off Nolan herself, she was sure that she would be able to do it herself, but she was sorely mistaken.
Riding for half a day was enough to make her legs go limp almost as if they were asleep and and as she tried to dismount Nolan her legs seemed to fail her as she was about to fall down to the ground painfully if not that Mero was right beside her and he caught her right before she managed to hit the ground.
"Are you alright?" he asked as everything was all so sudden that Wura had not even had time to react or exclaim as she looked up at Mero who looked at her worriedly.
"Ahh I am fine Mero... my legs are just... limp from all the sitting down" she replied as she smiled sheepishly.
"Do they hurt?" asked Mero in worry as Wura shook her head.
"No, no not at all, I just need to stretch them for a bit, it is nothing serious Mero, luckily you were here or then I would have hurt myself" said Wura as she chuckled.
"Actually I feel fine now, you can put me down" said Wura as she realized how close she was to Mero's face, he was literally carrying her in his arms, and she was starting to feel uncomfortable.
"Are you sure you will not fall?" asked Mero as Wura nodded as Mero reluctantly put her down gently as her feet landed on the ground and he made sure that she was standing firmly before he let go of her waist.
"Thank you Mero" she said as she smiled at him and took a step forward as she walked around, it felt so good to walk again, riding was so stressful.
Which was strange to Wura because this was not the first time that she had rode for such a long time... while they were in the Yonder Realm she would ride on her horse from morning to night back to back, she had ridden countless times and not once did she feel as tired and exhausted as she felt now.
Wura could only conclude that her drive to find Liam overshadowed all other feelings and emotions, it made her feel sad and yet somewhat happy thinking about it, so she turned her attention to Mero.
"So how long do I have to rest?" she asked as his eyes met hers.