Rocco closed the bedroom door, but he didn't take Rosa back to the garden. He led her further down the hall, into another room. The place was small, with some benches and a small altar, where you could see symbols of different deities. On the back wall, several names had been written in stone.

- I know who you are, Rosa - Rocco said, closing the door and turning to her.

- I think everyone knows, don't they?

- I mean, I know who you were to Hobin.

Rosa stopped to process the information. She was dying to know what details of their past that group had knowledge about, she didn't expect to have confirmation so easily.

- And you're telling me this because…?

- The others don't know - said the half-orc man, sighing. - They only guessed that you two may have had something in the past, thanks to a joke that Norori made and she didn't deny it - he seemed disconcerted to be dealing with such a subject. - I just wanted to warn you, ya know, not to make Hobin uncomfortable, since we're going to be traveling together for a while.

Rosa blinked a few times before speaking. Seeing a big, fanged half-orc embarrassed just didn't make much sense. Her hunch that Rocco would be approachable was turning out to be truer than she'd initially imagined.

- Thank you for saying this to me, I've been trying to figure out how to behave in this situation for a while. Who I met before has nothing to do with this new person she has become.

- I figured…

- What else do you know about her past?

- I believe she told me everything. But not only me, everyone else knows that she was a princess in Celegorm, that she ran away to live a new life. What they don't know is that the reason for the escape wasn't more noble than a breakup.

- Of course they were! Calandiel may have run away from home because of me, but she didn't come back because of the treatment she received.

-Yes, mainly of king Evelon, and also how he ruled his kingdom. But the others only know that part.

- Thanks again, Rocco. You don't know how happy I was when I saw her face - she stopped when the other started laughing.

- I could tell. Though she didn't seem so happy to see ya.

- And she shouldn't… - replied Rosa sadly. - I know I must look like the villain to you, I don't know how Cali told our story and I know I did a lot of things wrong. But I really loved her... Her disappearance was a guilt I carried all these years. Seeing her well just threw me out my feet.

- Well, it's her private life, what you're telling me I think it only concerns you two.

- I just wanted to vent out… Thanks for listening.

- Sure - he said shyly. - Also, - he added, clearly trying to change the subject - only our main group and a few people, like Zini, know that the Minstrel's a woman. When we're dressed as performers she's just Hobin, the bard who plays the lute and sings with a divine voice. So don't call her Calandiel again, or refer to her as a woman, when you're talking about the Minstrel.

- Oh, that was made pretty clear at some point, I just wasn't sure if you all knew who she was in the past.

- Only the four of us know, Zini and other helpers don't know.

- How does this work? Does the Minstrel have helpers in every city?

- You don't need to know that.

An uncomfortable silence fell, prompting Rosa to survey her surroundings. She dropped her eyes again on the altar and the various names that framed it.

- What's that? -she said pointing to the wall, trying to break the silence.

The man faced the altar and his expression saddened, it took a while to answer the queen.

- The names of those who departed from this world. Some died fighting for our cause, others caught up in feuds between nobles, wars, or even killed for the pettiest of reasons. Any innocent or warring soul Zini hears the name of, she marks that wall. It is an eagle-folk tradition, the dead must not be forgotten, they say.

- I understand…

There were many names. Rose felt her throat tighten. “Surely from the top of your towers everything must look perfect” Calandiel had told her.

- Dom and Nori must be arriving soon - Rocco said, his voice sounding sad. - Let's help Zini to sort things out for when they arrive.

Rosa nodded and followed the man out of the sanctuary.

The hostess showed them where they would stay and where they could clean up. When the two sat down, she asked them to go to the city market, she didn't expect to receive the group so early and she hadn't bought enough food, let alone fresh food. Even with Rocco's insistence that anything was fine, the eagle woman said they needed to eat well and take advantage of that period to regain strength, especially Hobin. Upon touching that name, the half-orc didn't argue anymore and took Rosa to the village.

***

It was cold, except for a pleasant warmth that came from one of her arms. Hobin tried to get up, open her eyes, but everything seemed too difficult.

- Don't move - she heard Val's soft and sleepy voice.

For a moment she imagined that it had all been a dream, that she and Valorie had ended up sleeping side by side after hours of talking, as they usually did. But the pain in her body brought her back to reality. She managed to open the eye that wasn't bandaged. She saw the dimly lit stone ceiling, smelled ash and bitter medicine. They must have reached Stone Vale.

- How long did I sleep?

- Just a few hours.

Hobin felt movement on her right side, where she felt the heat of Val's body and the intertwining of the fingers in their hand. Soon the girl appeared in her field of vision. She looked tired but relieved.

- Did you fall asleep?

- Can you stop worrying about others for a moment? - replied the deer girl, a little sad. But she sighed and answered the question - I dozed off a bit.

At Val's scolding, Hobin let out a smile. She didn't listen to anyone else around, it would be the perfect time to ask the question she had tried so hard for the last few hours. But she didn't want to ruin the moment, she figured the girl would deflect the subject or even leave the room. And in the state she was in, she couldn't follow her.

- Last question about not me, I promise. How's everyone?

- They are fine, Nori and Dom arrived a little while ago, Rocco, the queen and I brought you when you fell.

- Good…

Hobin was quiet for a moment. She remembered her weak body as they traveled through the forest, but she was no longer sure what had happened. Everything seemed so far away.

- We're in the Valley, I presume.

- Yes, in Zini's ward.

- Val, why didn't you go rest?

- You promised that was the last question about us.

- I'm already safe - she continued, ignoring the nagging. - You should take care of yourself more.

- Look who's talking!

- What can we do? We're hopeless - laughed Hobin.

- Speak for yourself! - replied the other laughing too.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Val's expression softened and she began stroking Hobin's hair.

- I was very worried about you.

- We've been through worse situations.

- I don't remember you losing an eye before - replied the doe with a sarcasm that didn't suit her. Hobin chuckled.

- Indeed, but there was that sword turn.

Valorie shuddered.

- Don't remind me of that! When I saw the sword going through your body… I never thought it would be part of your plan!

- It was the only way to defeat the emperor's champion...

- I know, but still, putting your life at risk like that! I definitely thought I was going to lose you there.

- But you didn't. And you won't lose me now.

Those words had a greater purpose than they seemed at that moment. Hobin wished Val would understand what she was referring to. But the deer only smiled and diverted her eyes from the elf.

- I was just waiting for you to wake up, I think I'll clean up and try to get some rest.

- Right…

The girl started to walk away, which left Hobin with an odd empty feeling.

- Are the others resting too? - she said, trying to keep a conversation going.

- Zini said that Dom and Nori went to clean up. Rocco and Rosa went to buy food.

- WHAT?

All the peace of mind was gone. Hobin made an effort to get up, but Val didn't let her.

- Hobin! What's happening with you? Every time she is mentioned you have an impulsive reaction!

- She is unreliable...

- Nobody is reliable, Hobin! We are criminals! We are used to dealing with all kinds of people! You're the calmest person in the group, but ever since she arrived, you've been acting weird.

The elf stared into the doe's curious eyes. She wanted to tell her who Rosa had been in her life, but in the blur their relationship was in, she feared ruining everything.

- Sorry Val, it's a long story and I don't want to talk about it now.

- Its okay…

The girl was about to leave again, but Hobin spoke without thinking.

- Can we stay as we were just now?

- Just now?

- You… were lying so close to me.

The deer girl blushed furiously.

- I-I dozed off while taking care of you! It wasn't on purpose.

The elf giggled and squeezed the girl's hand.

- I wasn't complaining.

For a moment Hobin thought Valorie was going to run away again. But she didn't say anything, just let her body go down and rested her head on the bed. It didn't seem to be a very comfortable position for the girl, but the elf allowed herself to be a little selfish. Not that she was thinking straight about the situation, the relief of knowing that everyone was ok was enough for her to surrender to the feeling of post-adrenaline calm. She felt Val's soft breathing next to her and a different warmth began to rise in her face. She wondered if she was blushing and let sleep take her.

***

Rosa and Rocco wandered through the market streets. The city was relatively large, it had always been a hot spot for the beast population and the birthplace of the eagle people. Despite belonging to the kingdom of Hyra, a kingdom mostly of eagles, it was a road between kingdoms, one of the rockiest but shortest paths to cross to the surrounding lands, so it was not uncommon to see different types of races, mainly bestial and humans. At that remark, Rose sighed in relief, she had wondered how odd it would be for her to be seen in the company of a half-orc, but it didn't seem to be a problem there.

They were almost finishing Zini's shopping list when the queen saw her heraldry stamped on the clothes of five soldiers.

- There are guards over there! We need to go back! - she spoke in alarm, pulling Rocco behind a tent.

The half-orc staggered in surprise at the queen's tug, but let out a chuckle once he understood what had happened.

- Calm down, they're looking for something suspicious. If you act like that, then they will definitely look at us.

- They are my guards, they know my face!

- They think you were dragged by force, any human shopping is just a part of the scenery. Just act naturally and keep your back to them.

Rose nodded and focused on putting the apples in the basket, lowering her face as far as she could without looking awkward. As the guards rounded a corner, she heard the owner of one of the stalls nearby say:

- Those disgusting humans! Do they think they can go into other people's cities and scare the population like that?

- Well, we're not going to buy there - Rosa heard Rocco speaking in a low voice.

The queen let out a laugh. She strangely felt comfortable in the presence of that 100 kilos (220 lbs) of half-orc. Perhaps because, in some way, he reminded her of Gabriel.

- I think we already have everything, wouldn't it be better to go back? If they're putting up posters with my face, it's only a matter of time before they find me.

- It's been just over a day since you disappeared. These are probably the same guards who chased us into the forest. They must not have gone after an artist yet.

- That's right… - Rose peeked restlessly over her shoulder, the guards weren't around anymore.

- Okay, let's go - Rocco said, putting away the last of the vegetables.

The way back was peaceful, they didn't find any more soldiers. Even so, the queen's nervousness only stopped when they entered the cave and the door closed behind them.

Zini appeared and started helping them with the food baskets. As decompressing, Rosa reflected on what had happened in the last few hours, it seemed like a lot more time had passed than it actually did. She felt that maybe with Rocco and Norori she would have a chance to fit in, even Valorie, after the initial awkwardness, proved to be strangely approachable. Despite her sleepiness, she was helpful when the eagle woman asked her to go to the garden to get spices. From what Rocco had said, she thought Rosa was a new member of the group, so she thought it best to act like it.

As she leaned over the garden, she thought to check on Cali before retiring, but her thoughts were interrupted by the scream coming towards her.

- YOU CUNT! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!