She didn’t see the woman from the altercation again, nor did she hear if the situation was ever resolved. Lior carried on as usual, and she didn’t owe Canelle’s curiosity an explanation. No one could bar her from speculating however and were it any other day she would have. 

Today, her mind was unfocused. She thought of their upcoming trip and the world on the other side of it. Having grown up near the city of Gaidos, the City of Splendor lost its allure far before she migrated over for work. Dofev was a different country, a new culture, and as intimidating the experience was, she wanted that. 

Admittedly, she fell off the bandwagon in anticipation of their leaving. She mouthed off to cooks often, stalled on all her chores, and disregarded the head housekeeper without pretense. The consequences of her rebellion would be a problem for her future self. 

She hadn’t thought about what her return to Gaidos would look like, and if she would return to the Vouvern’s household.

 Because Lior was a seasonal resident, her wing had no live-in staff. She utilized the rotating service staff the tourists used. In the week before their departure, she arranged for a member of Valkom’s private staff to be traded into the Vouverns' employment to take Canelle’s place. 

So the idea was tangible now. She would let herself believe she was leaving the Palace of Bevij. After all, she was standing over her borrowed suitcase, a physical manifestation of the idea. 

She thought of all the visitors that came through Gaidos, and how diverse they looked. It wasn’t only the style of the clothes that were unique, but the fabrics of their clothing and the materials of their belongings. She wondered what kind of traveler she would be… until it dawned on her that she had little variance in her belongings. 

An hour of deliberation later, she packed up the cleanest tunics she owned. She could always purchase new clothes during her travels using her saved ‘breaking and returning’ compensation. She had saved it for travel expenses, but was later told those would be covered by the court. 

There was a building dread, there always was, with every decision she had ever made. The intention was to spite her fears, but she didn’t know if it actually came across as that, or if it came off as dumb bravery. Uprooting to Gaidos had been a part of that, and instead of sorting out whether she accomplished what she set out to accomplish, she dwelled on the unimportant things. 

For the first part of their journey, she was drawn in by the trees on the road and how they differed from those in Gaidos. The shape, the color, the smell. How the stars peeked through the clusters of leaves, stars unlike any she has seen before, even during the summer nights of her small hometown.

 It was an enchantment that wore off by the fourth morning and renewed by the fourth evening, when they stepped into the first inn of their travels, The Angelica. 

The interior of the Angelica was larger than assumed by its exterior. It was built into the side of a tall hill at the base of the canyon entrance. Walking through the tavern, Canelle noticed all kinds of travelers. They weren’t the average tourist passing through, they were seasoned travelers, merchants that traveled for work, guardsmen stationed along the mountain or the average person in the process of relocating.

Being so far away from civilization stirred her resting fears, but she expected her feelings would change after food and rest. Notably after learning that she would have a bed to sleep in, instead of the bedroll on the floor of Liorit’s caravan. 

“Is it everything you dreamed it would be?” Liorit asked that evening, turning to face her direction in the bunk across the room. 

“Sorry?”

“Traveling,” she clarified. 

“Oh, I mean, we’re still in Bevij.”

“But you don’t find it monotonous?”

That was a silly question, with an obvious answer. But if it was so obvious, why couldn’t she word in a way that Liorit could understand? The woman across from her was from a different world, one where a person could elect boredom away. 

“I suppose so, but it's a different monotony than the one in Gaidos.” 

She raised her eyebrow at the answer. “You find Gaidos monotonous?” 

Canelle’s cheeks warmed, and whatever face she’d worn got a reaction out of Lior before she could answer the question.

“I find Gaidos boring too,” she mollified. “But I recognize my privilege in saying so. You are on the other end, I bet. Yes, thinking about it now, the idea of catering to the whims of gentry, sounds taxing.” 

She turned away from Canelle, who took it as a sign that the conversation was over. Her mind was tired, but whirling. She hadn’t expected to answer Liorit’s question, so naturally she was inclined to come up with belated practiced answers, to store away for later, should the topic ever arise again.

Right before giving in to her exhaustion, Liorit made her promise to buy ‘less peasant looking’ attire once they reached a 'real town’ in a semiconscious mumble. She immediately forgot that imploration and reminded her again the next morning during their reading lesson. 

Canelle didn’t expect the lessons to continue while they were moving, but to be fair, she was still very slow at it. Her stamina had improved and as a result she could practice for longer periods of time, working around her other responsibilities. 

In that regard, she hadn’t known what to expect. When she left her hometown, she had hopped on a riverboat that essentially took her to the other side of the river. It took her less than a day. 

Their current party consisted of five nondescript caravans and two wagons. They wouldn’t stop and set up camp every day, but they would take shorter breaks throughout the day. On the days they would set up camp, she would help feed the animals and clean up after breakfast and dinner. Other days, Liorit would have her fetch things from the baggage caravan, and wash requested garments. 

The inn was a nice change of pace, because they didn’t have to clean up after breakfast. But they didn’t stay very long, and they wouldn’t stay very long at any other stops, until their arrival at the first established town. 

The town was memorable because of the freezing temperatures. They were higher in elevation, and the crisp air jabbed at her ribs when she inhaled. They settled down at an inn that had a nautical theme, despite them being miles away from large bodies of water. The food was the best she’d ever had however, so she would remember it for that as well. 

The heavy meal and the warm bed knocked her out for the longest dreamless night of the entire journey.

The following morning, Liorit sent Canelle off with extra cash to buy ‘decent clothing’. The squire had no idea what that meant, and purchased a few nicer tunics that were the colors of Liorit’s family crest: a grayish blue, a pale gold, and a navy blue. Not exciting colors, but she was thrilled, and eager to wear something that for once wasn't off-white, or brown. 

Adding a couple of winter tunics and two cloaks, she had enough money left over to buy herself a pair of comfortable boots. They made all the difference in the world, and they were something she would never take for granted again.  

On her return to the inn, Lior made no comment about her purchases, but Canelle knew her mannerisms well enough to know that if she hated them, she would have been the first to tell her. 

Being in a bigger town meant they checked into a bigger inn. Canelle had a room all to herself for the first time in years, and she was ecstatic. Although, she found the arrangement auspicious, as that evening was the first night in which Lior brought a woman to her room. This would repeat in every town they stopped in, until they reached a place called Nedues.