"And I mean what did she really say to you?" asked Nora, having a feeling that Zuph would conceal the truth from her and she did not want that at all, she deserved the truth and nothing but the truth.
"Dare you not lie to me because it would make you no different from Mero." she added as she could see the angry look that flashed in Zuph's eyes when she compared him to Mero.
"I am not like Mero, we are two completely different people, and if I chose to not stress you with information that will make you sad., it is for your own good." he said as Nora shook his head.
"No, no, it is not different, you are the same if you keep on hiding things from me in the name of not wanting to hurt me, so if you care about me as much as you say, you would tell me the truth and not lie." she said in annoyance.
"Well, I do really care about you, and I am not in any sort of trouble at all, all her majesty wanted to know was how you were really doing, and because I did not want her to worry I said that you were fine, nothing more, and nothing less." he said.
"Is that truly all?" she asked not believing him one bit, she had been taught a hard cruel lesson about trust and she was going to learn from it, gone were her days of believing people so easily, they always took advantage of her trust.
"Would you prefer that I narrate our entire conversation to you? Because I would certainly do that for you." he said as he smiled and Nora scoffed.
"No... no I do not need you to do that, I just want to know... I was worried that you got into trouble because of me..." she said as she looked down.
"No, I did not, and even if I did, it would be worth it for you." he said as he smiled and she looked away.
"Have I answered all your questions?" he asked as she shook her head.
"I have one more question." she said as he smiled and nodded.
"Did you and the queen speak about Mero?" she asked as Zuph suddenly went stiff, already giving her the reply to her question.
"Do you really want to know what we spoke about him?" he asked feeling his heart racing in her chest. She was right, he would be no different from Mero if he hid the truth from her, which was why if she insisted that he tell her what was discussed, he would tell her the truth, no matter how bitter it was to swallow.
"No... I actually do not want to know.... I do not need to know, but thank you for telling me the truth, and I am really serious about that, thank you." she said as she smiled.
"You do not have to thank me, you are right, if I claim to be different, I must act different." he said as he smiled in relief that she had not asked him more about what they spoke of Mero.
"Yes..." she said as she looked away and there was an awkward silence between them as Zuph's eyes darted the room finally landing on the basket.
"You have not eaten yet." he deduced as he looked at her and she shook her head.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Well...I... I was worried so..." she said as he laughed.
"That is still no excuse, come on, you have to eat, you have not eaten anything all day since you vomited your breakfast, so please eat." he said as he walked to the basket and served her as she sat down on her bed.
"I really did not mean to not eat, it just slipped my mind." she said.
"I believe you, but it is still no excuse." he said as he served her some stew and she looked down into the bowl, not feeling hungry at all.
"Come on eat, even if it is only a little, just push yourself." he said as she nodded and ate.
He smiled as he watched her eat and she suddenly looked up at him causing him to wonder what was wrong.
"What is the matter?" he asked.
"Have you eaten?" she asked him as he smiled and shook his head.
"So here you are urging me to eat while you have not eaten at all." she said as he laughed.
"That is true, well it also slipped my mind, I was sort of running around the camp in the morning." he said.
"You have been taking care of me... but that does not mean that you should neglect yourself." she said.
"You are right, but unfortunately I did not pick up my own lunch, by now the entire kitchen should be empty until dinner." he said as he smiled.
"Well, you can eat with me..." she suggested as he was shocked that she suggested such a thing.
"Really?" he asked as she nodded.
"Yes..." she said as she smiled.
"But would that not make you uncomfortable?" he asked as she shook her head.
"Not at all, I do not think that I can finish this all on my own, I might need some help." she said as she smiled.
"Alright then... as long as you are comfortable with it." he said as she nodded and stood up getting him another spoon as she sat back down and he sat down beside her and smiled.
"Can I be honest with you?" he asked as he looked at her and she nodded while they were eating.
"Of course you can." she replied with a smile.
"I really do not like stew, I feel like it is rather bland, I prefer meat." he said as Nora laughed.
"I do not like stew either, I agree with you." she revealed as they both laughed.
"Well then, we should quickly finish this tastless stew." he laughed.
"I agree, we should." she said as she smiled at him, grateful for his company and his desire to cheer her up always, she really appreciated it.
....
Wura sighed as she entered her room, she wondered why she would tell Zuph that she knew who the woman Mero was in love with was?
Truly she did know the woman because she was the woman, but telling Zuph that was akin to exposing herself and she feared that she had done just that. Why was she unable to stay strong.
She knew that Zuph was not dumb, he was a very intelligent man and it would not take him long yo find out that the ,woman in question could very much be her. Knowing Zuph, she was certain that he would not let this matter rest, she was certain that he would not let this go, if anything he would urge Nora to push on to find the truth.
Wura knew that the mere pressure of her being found out would already be more than enough to make her admit to everything and she was really scared, confused and terrified at the moment.
If the truth came out... which it would certainly do, there would be no way to redeem herself, no way to defend herself, she would be a shame to herself and the entire kingdom, and especially to Liam.
Wura felt it hard to breathe, she needed a break, she needed to get away from all these terrible thoughts.
Wura shook her head, she was unable to handle this on her own, so she decided to leave the confines of her room and go to someone she was sure would be able to calm her down and give her the assurance that she needed.
...
"Mero." called Wura as she walked into his tent without asking for permission.
"Wura, is something wrong?" he asked as he pulled her into a warm embrace that instantly calmed down all her nerves.
"Is Nora alright?" he asked as his mind immediately went to her.
"Yes... she is alright, she is doing better than she was yesterday, and Zuph is with her, he is taking care of her and making sure that she does not feel alone." she said.
"Zuph?" asked Mero as he frowned.
"Yes Zuph." she replied.
"Well... I am happy that she is not alone." he said, his tone unreadable, it was hard to decipher if he was happy or angry about that.
"Me too." she replied.
"Then why do you look so troubled?" he asked her.
"Well I spoke to Zuph and... I confessed that I know the woman you are in love with..." she said as she saw the mix of confusion and acceptance in his eyes.
"I know that I should have never revealed that to him, but he asked me a question and in that moment, I could not lie to him, I just could not..." she said as she started to feel stressed all over again.
"Calm down Wura, take a deep breath, I am not accusing you, so stop accusing yourself." he said as she took a deep breath.