"I have returned." said Zuph while smiling as Nora who had been cleaning up her room looked up when Zuph entered her room.
"Welcome back, what did you bring?" she asked him with a smile as she turned around and tidied up her bed. Once Zuph had left her room, she had felt so energetic that she just felt like cleaning.
"Well we are in luck, tonight the kitchen made some capon pie for desert and dinner has already been served, so I got us three pies." Zuph replied as he set the basket on the table.
"Oh my, three pies? Is that not too much?" asked Nora as her eyes went wide, on a normal day she could not even finish one pie, not to talk about three.
"I doubt it, you have not been eating well lately, and I hope that maybe this will increase your appetite." said Zuph as he found himself staring at her as she moved around.
"I just do not want to waste anything. It would be a waste if we were unable to finish it." said Nora as she frowned. She hated wastage, it was a bad thing to do.
"I know how much you dislike wasting things, but I am sure that you will be able to at least try to eat it. I would not have brought you three pies if I was unsure of that." he replied.
"Well okay." said Nora as she smiled, she really hoped that having a better attitude towards food would make her feel more able to eat well.
"What are you doing?" asked Zuph as he noticed that her hair was tied up and she looked like she had been working.
"Oh well, I decided to just clean up a bit, after all, I've been in here for days now and I have not cleaned. I hate living somewhere dirty." said Nora.
"I see." said Zuph as he laughed.
"What is so funny? Why are you laughing?" she asked.
"No reason, it is just that I am glad to see you working again." said Zuph as he smiled.
"I am also glad that I feel well enough to return to working. I love working, my life has no meaning if I do not work." said Nora.
"I get the feeling. I feel the exact same way when I am not training, or fighting." said Zuph.
"Ah I see... I understand what you mean." said Nora as she put down the broom in the corner.
"So this prospect of war... it excites you does it not?" she asked as she untied her hair causing it to fall in front of her face and she moved it away.
"I mean to be honest, to a certain degree it does. Do not take my words the wrong way, I do like peace and I certainly do not support senselessly, needless war, but I remember my younger days when I just became a knight, fighting was a thrill, and when I joined Liam on his conquest in the East, it really gave me more experience." said Zuph.
"I see, I guess that I understand what you mean. I felt the same way when I first started working at the Castle. It was like I was in a new phase of my life and I was learning a lot." said Nora as Zuph unpacked the baskets and brought out one pie for he and Nora to share.
He did not want her to feel daunted by the prospect of eating an entire pie by herself.
"And I was also earning more than I did when I was not working in the Castle." said Nora as she brought out some plates.
"I felt really overwhelmed at first. It was the first time I had not lived with my parents, I had to stay in the Castle, and for the first year or so, I kept on feeling homesick." said Nora as Zuph nodded.
"I know the feeling." he said as he finished cutting the pie into pieces and he gave he and Nora each two pieces leaving two more pieces left.
"You do?" asked Nora as Zuph nodded.
"Wow, I never asked you this, but your parents are still alive?" she asked.
"Yes they are." said Zuph as he smiled.
"I never knew that, that is so wonder, where do they live?" asked Nora as she sat down and Zuph handed her a plate and Zuph sat down beside her.
"They live in the north, in the town of Bracksing." said Zuph.
"That is really far, are you from there?" asked Nora.
"Yes, originally I am from Bracksing. I was born and raised there." he replied.
"Forgive me for asking, but then why did you move way over here?" she asked.
"You do not need to ask for forgiveness to ask me something. I will gladly answer all your questions." said Zuph as Nora smiled and took a bite out of the piece of pie.
"To be honest, my town is very small and there are fewer opportunities there, you can either become a farmer, a baker, a coppersmith or a blacksmith. I wanted to be a knight, so I followed my ambition and ended up here." said Zuph.
"That was really brave of you to decide and what about your parents? What did they think about that?" she asked him.
"Well, at first they were concerned. I am their only child. They would never want me to be as far as I am from them, but I had to leave for the sake of my future, for a better life for us all. Eventually they supported me and well here I am." said Zuph.
"To be honest, I doubt that I would be here if not for their support. They would have made it harder for me to leave if they did not support me, and I have a feeling that they knew that." said Zuph.
"Your parents sound like very nice people." said Nora as Zuph looked at her and smiled.
"Oh they are, and I really do miss them." said Zuph.
"When last have you gone to see them?" asked Nora.
"Well that would be about five years ago." said Zuph as Nora gasped.
"Five years ago?" she asked shocked as he nodded.
"That is truly a long time ago. Why so long? Why have you not seen them in such a long time?" she asked.
"I truly am busy, that is one of the reasons. It is hard for me to leave, as a knight before I can leave I need the King's permission, or the queen's and Bracksing is truly so very far away. It is five days by horseback and it is impossible to reach in the winter." said Zuph.
"I truly do miss them, but I always write them later. I hope for the day that everything will be in tranquility and I can finally go and see them and not just stay for a day or two, but almost for a whole year." he said.
"I agree with that, the worst thing is going to see the people you love and yet you cannot stay as long as you want." said Nora.
"You do not know how lucky you are Nora, you have your parents nearby. You can go and visit them anytime you want to." said Zuph as Nora nodded.
"I know, and I do appreciate that." said Nora.
"Can I ask you a question?" he asked.
"Of course" she replied.
"How come you did not just go to visit your parents when her majesty dismissed you?" asked Zuph as Nora sighed.
"If I am being honest with you. I did not want them to see me like this, so sad and broken. The last thing I wanted was for them to worry about me and resent Mero because I have told them so many wonderful things about him, and they were starting to like him... I did not feel that I was ready to come to terms with that and be able to be strong in front of them." said Nora as she looked away.
"I am sorry if asking you that questions reminded you of some unpleasant things." said Zuph sincerely.
"No, not at all Zuph, even if I was offended, I know that you never intended to offend me." said Nora as she smiled and Zuph smiled at her.
"I like how it is so easy for me to talk to you." said Zuph as he smiled.
"And I feel the same Zuph, it is certainly easy for me to talk to you as well." she replied as she smiled.
"Would you like to go outside and get some fresh air while we are eating? You have not stepped outside in a while, it might be good for you." he said thoughtfully as Nora smiled.
"Alright, why not?" she replied as she stood up and he followed after her.