Zuph just stood there hugging her as he felt that she really needed it right now. He could hear her silent sobs and they pricked his heart, he was so relieved that he had determined to find her as soon as he felt that something was wrong.
Zuph felt her trembling as he held her tightly and rubbed her back trying to make her calm down while she let everything out. He did not know why she was like this, but he did not care, all he wanted was that she felt better.
Zuph could hear the sounds of people's voices fast approaching and he did not want them to see Nora like this and in such a compromising position with him. He of all people knew just how fast rumours spread in the camp and he did not want Nora to have to deal with any more stress.
So he broke their hug and changed their position into a side hug as he escorted her into her tent as that was the only place he could take her right now.
"Do you feel alright?" he asked as soon as they entered her tent and she let go of him turned around to face him,
At first she nodded, unable to speak and then suddenly the tears she was trying to hard to prevent from falling fell anyway as she shook her head while her tears dropped.
"Oh Nora." said Zuph with a sigh as he could not help himself and he hugged her again as this time her sobs grew louder as he felt helpless unable to assist her in any way.
"It is alright, let it all out." he said as he allowed her cry to her heart's content. Something told him that she had been crying long before he had arrived, he had seen her puffy red eyes and her flushed cheeks.
"Do you feel better now?" he asked after a while of her sobbing as she nodded and moved away from him, remembering her composure and how it was improper for her to be seeking comfort with another man, regardless of if he was her friend or not.
"Yes I do Zuph, thank you." she replied with a nod as she sniffed and looked away.
"Why do I feel like that is not right?" asked Zuph in worry as Nora refused to look at him.
"I do not know why you would feel that, I am perfectly alright." she said, she wanted to lie, she did not want to tell him the truth. After all Mero was his superior and also his friend, for all she knew he could have known that Mero had fallen in love with another and so could the others.
"You are lying to me Nora." said Zuph as he frowned, how could someone who was crying so sorrowfully just a moment ago suddenly say that there was nothing wrong. If she had said that not to make him worry, it had just had the opposite effect.
"No, I am not." she replied with a weak voice and a sigh, she could not do this right now, she just wanted to be alone.
"Why are you even here Zuph?" she asked as she finally found the strength to look at him, she knew that she looked utterly terrible right now, but she could not care less, her heart was still as sorrowful as ever.
"I was worried about you when I did not see you the whole day, then I went to the kitchen to ask for you and they said that you had been relieved of your duties for a few days, that made me even more worried so I came over here to look for you." said Zuph, his tone laced with the utmost concern.
"Well you have seen me and I am fine Zuph." she replied.
"Stop saying that Nora you are not fine, you are far from fine, if you were fine you would not be here right now." he said.
"Well the Queen gave me a few days off from my duties." said Nora.
"Why?" asked Zuph as he knew Nora and if there was one thing she loved the most it was to work and do her work dilligently.
"I... I... I did not feel well so she relieved me..." she replied as her eyes darted from side to side, an obvious indication that she was lying.
"You are lying to me Nora, you were fine yesterday, how come you suddenly do not feel well?" he asked.
"I do not know, people do not feel well all the time, sicknesses suddenly develop." she replied.
"So you are sick?" he asked as she refused to answer him.
"Tell me Nora, are you sick?" he asked as she sighed and shook her head.
"No, I am not." she replied.
"Then please tell me the truth, tell me what really happened to make you this way... to make you so sad and full of sorrow... what happened?" he asked in worry as Nora looked at him, feeling herself moved by the sound of concern in his voice.
"I... I... it is nothing serious actually Zuph... thank you for caring about me and coming to check on me... I... *sigh*... I feel better now, really, you should go." she said as she forced a smile. The last thing she wanted was to burden another person with all her sadness.
"I am not leaving Nora, and that is not because I am stubborn, but because I care about you deeply, you are a very, very close friend and when you are sad, I am sad and worried, especially since you refuse to tell me what happened." said Zuph with a huge frown plastered on his face.
"You really mean a lot to me Nora, and for that reason I cannot just leave you when you are in this state. You know that you can trust me, you can tell me anything, I am here for you, so please do not keep this all to yourself, tell me what is making you feel so sad?" he asked as Nora's eyes were fixed on his, her eyes welling up with tears once more.
Zuph just felt so helpless that he could not take her pain away or make her feel better. All he wanted was that she opened up to him.
Nora was always there was everyone and yet when the time came for her to need someone to be there for her, she often shut everyone out and dealt with all her pain herself.
"Is it a person who has made you so sad?" he asked seeing that it was unlikely that Nora would tell him what the issue was directly.
Nora did not refute his statement neither did she acknowledge it, giving Zuph the confidence to ask more questions.
"It is a person right..." he concluded as he could think of no other reason.
"Is it someone that I know?" he asked and at a little tilt of Nora's head he had gotten the confirmation he needed.
"Is it someone I am close with... like the Queen or... someone else?" he asked as his eyes went wide in realization of the only person he knew could affect Nora so greatly.
"Was it Mero..." he asked slowly, his voice barely a whisper as at the mention of Mero's name Nora's lips quivered as her sorrow took over again plunging her into more vicious sobs.
"It was Mero." said Zuph conclusively as Nora sobs filled the room.
"What did he do to you? What did Mero do to you?" he asked as Nora felt that if she did not speak now Zuph would take off and go and face Mero and ask for answers himself.
"Mero ended our relationship Zuph, he ended our relationship." Nora repeated as her words were barely coming out clearly but Zuph could make out all her words precisely.
"Oh Nora, I am so sorry, so very sorry." he said as he walked towards her and hugged her as she did not refute him. She needed someone right now, someone to lean on like it or not.
She thought that she could handle being alone, but being alone only drove her to more sadness and agony, she just kept on finding herself thinking about Mero over and over again no matter how much she tried.
Her mind just kept on going to him, he was the cause of her misery, the cause of her broken heart, the cause of her crushed dreams and she just kept on blaming herself for being so stupid and weak not to have been able to see all the signs before the unfaithful day that he finally broke her heart.
"It is alright to cry, just cry if you need to, you do not need to say anything at all." said Zuph as he sighed and hugged her, he could not imagine how in agony she was at the moment and all he wanted to do was be here for her and support her.