Although every aspect of the journey was something new to Kora, she quickly embraced her new lifestyle. Waking up in the tent alongside Nori every morning, they would get up before the sun had risen. They often surprised each other with notes they’d written the night before, chatting about their contents before preparing the supplies for the journey ahead and ensuring that breakfast would be ready upon the others' waking. 

Checking that the last of the bags were properly loaded into the wagons, she climbed into her seat on the wagon, stabilizing herself by firmly placing her feet on the wooden floorboards. Despite the rough terrain, she had become an expert at shifting her weight to prevent the incident from their first day. She was proud that she hadn’t landed on Nori’s lap since the second week of the journey. 

Placing her hand on top of Nori’s she continued to look outside, scoping the terrain and keeping an eye out for animals to hunt. They had to ration their food and any fresh meat they could procure would ease the burden on their dwindling supply. Eyeing the silhouette of a deer through the thick foliage, she raised her hand in the signal. Simultaneously the archers shot through the leaves and a sharp cry echoed before silence befell the forest. A designated wagon stopped to collect the animal, loading it to process the carcass as they traveled. 

Peering down at the map, it was evident that they were no farther than a day and a half’s journey from the castle and the tension was palpable as everyone could recognize the increased threat to their safety with their proximity to the castle. 

Traveling as close as they dared, there was no fire for the night in the fear that it would give away their position. Fortunately the forest concealed their approach and would provide adequate cover for the night. Despite that knowledge, everyone was restless as they lay in their tents. 

After a fitful few hours of sleep, Kora decided to go for a walk to burn off some energy. She couldn’t help but think that they’d come so far in such a short period of time. Reflecting on her ever increasing feelings for Nori, she realized that she cared for him in a way she hadn’t ever imagined caring for anyone. Without a family to return to or even any real friends, she thought herself fortunate for the friends she’d made here. And she couldn’t help but look forward to creating a family alongside Nori. 

Walking to the treeline at the edge of the camp, she sat down on a fallen tree and looked at the faint lights from the castle in the distance. Lost in thought, she didn’t hear the approaching sounds of leaves rustling until they were much too close for comfort. Reaching for her dagger, she realized she’d left it behind in the tent. Priming her magic, she barely restrained herself from launching a full force attack at none other than Nori. 

Dropping her arms, she loudly whispers, “What did you do that for? What would you have done if I attacked you?”

“I trust you.”

Those simple words extinguished the anger that she’d felt. With a slight laugh she replied, “You seem to be getting better at smooth talking. But, I suppose you should know I trust you too.”

“Good, now will you come back to bed with me?”

With a nod, she reached out to grab his hand only to find herself hoisted into his arms. “You seem to really enjoy picking me up, don’t you?”

“I’m glad you’ve figured it out, now let’s get to bed. I want to hold you before we have to face our enemies tomorrow.”

Without another word, Kora allows herself to be carried. Crawling into their sleeping bags and secured in Nori’s arms, Kora manages to get a few hours of sleep. 

The next morning brings a flurry of activity. The others were up much earlier than normal, likely due to their inability to sleep as well and it was evident that they all looked a bit worse for wear. 

Fortunately they’d packed just the thing and with a cup of coffee and a quick breakfast, each group separated to go over their plans once again. Nori and Kora join the smallest group of all, the one that is set to get the closest to the villain. While the other groups tackle the majority of the soldiers, this specialty group is set to take down the operation from the inside. Made up of Jolfri, Sal, Nori and Kora, the tight-knit group knew they would work well together and their trust in each other reduced their feelings of apprehension surrounding the attack 

After a brief rundown of the plan and with Jolfri and his wife leading the group, they all make their way to the castle wall. Although Kora had seen some of his skills during training, it was still impressive to see them in action and she hadn’t expected Nori to be stealthy at all. His larger figure was much harder to conceal but he was able to walk almost silently through the brush. 

Reaching the wall, the small opening the scouts had pointed out allowed the group to slip through undetected directly behind a rarely used shed. Peeking his head around the corner, Jolfri scouted the area to look out for any guards and checking that the coast is clear, they begin to make their way to a more frequented storage shed. 

After checking that no one was inside, the four of them slipped through the door, closing it behind them. Searching through the numerous crates, Sal whispers from the back of the shed that she’d found something. Numerous servants' uniforms stood out before them. Gripping the closest uniform that was relatively close to her size, Kora made her way behind some boxes to change. She was soon joined by Nori who began tying her apron just as they’d heard a commotion outside of the door. 

Panicking, she quickly pulls him to the floor behind the boxes, concealing them from view. 

“-told you I haven’t seen anyone strange come this way. This shed is only used by servants, there’s nothing important-”

The voice cut off, and Kora just knew that they’d been caught.