“And if I don't want to return?”

Farah did her best to keep from jumping – again – and looked back at Corvin. "Alright," she said, but that didn't make her drop her guard. She noted the glare Gwen was giving, and she looked over to see who it was that had earned the look.

(oops. Wrong name 😅)

Corvin nodded and stood calmly beside her, hoping his demeanor would help the knight to relax.

Gwen gave him one last glare before smirking a little as she always did when she caught sight of the slight crookedness of his nose. But Corvin cleared his throat before their little competition could continue.

He patted Farah’s shoulder before moving to stand next to his student. ”The chief should be out soon and you'll be recognized as a hunter.” he said, bringing the attention back to the moment. ”Then you can focus on your decision to be a warrior of our people.” he smiled at her. It really had been her decision and had taken a lot of arguing to get her the chance.

(💀)

Farah jumped slightly as Corvin patted her shoulder. She was too fixated on their surrounding environment, searching for potential dangers despite his words to her only a few moments ago. The woman was trained to be on high alert, and nothing, for now, would change that.

But she listened to Corvin's words to Gwen. Warrior princess, she couldn't help but think, noting the proud smile Corvin wore as he looked at Gwen.

(lol 😆 it's probably my fault. I didn't realize how similar the names are.)

Gwen smiled at her mentor's assurances. The thought of becoming a warrior fortified her resolve on staying… at least until she saw Farah out of the corner of her eye. For a moment, she felt the fear of being taken back against her will return. She took a deep slow breath to calm down and nodded. ”Thank you for teaching me. I won't let you down.” she said sincerely, the chief approached the gathering.

Farah continued to glance around warily until she felt another's gaze on her. She looked over and made eye contact with Gwen. The girl looked panicked for a second before calming herself. It was only a second, but Farah noticed the flicker of emotion on her face. She quickly turned her attention to the approaching person, who she presumed to be the chief.

Gwen blushed under the war paint as she realized that Farah had seen her looking. She cleared her throat softly and took a step back from her hunt so the chief could get a better look.

The chief was an older man but still very strong looking. It would have been more intimidating if his bear of a grandson, and future chief, wasn't standing beside him. All who were present for the ”ceremony” stood quietly as their leader came over and examined the kill.

Gwen was practically buzzing with anticipation when Corvin was called aside, after a few minutes, to give his assessment of her abilities as a hunter. She knew he was biased in her favor but she hoped that fact wouldn't affect the chief’s decision.

Farah eyed the chief and the man beside him with intrigue and wariness. Specifically the hulking man beside the chief. He looked both interesting and intimidating. But Farah supposed that's what he was going for.

She shifted a bit to get closer to Gwen, and when Corvin was called off, she whispered, "So what's going on now? And who are those two?" She tilted her head, indicating the presumed chief and the other beside him.

“Corvin is telling the chief about my hunt.” Gwen whispered back. “And the other one is his grandson. He’s going to be the next chief when the time is right.” she informed, not taking her eyes off her mentor and the chief.

Farah arched her eyebrows and studied the body language of Corvin, the chief, and his grandson. "How long does this ceremony take?" she whispered. She could feel the eyes of the rest of the tribe on her back, and it made her incredibly uncomfortable. Farah shifted from foot to foot and glanced around warily.

“Depends on the hunt. If it went well, it'll be fairly short.” Gwen answered, glancing at Farah’s nervous posture. “Relax. It's going to be ok.” she assured even though she was fairly sure that the chief would want to talk to the knight after.

The three men walked back over to Gwen, the chief’s face the impassive mask of a leader. Gwen understood it was to keep from showing bias but it still made her fairly nervous. She stood firm next to her hunt and tried to mimic the older man’s expression.

Farah nodded in return. "I don't like having my back to people," she muttered, glancing over her shoulder before straightening again as the men approached. She kept her gaze even and posture rigid, just as she'd been taught.

Gwen almost rolled her eyes at the comment but didn't take her focus off the chief, who gave Farah a cursory glance before he began speaking.

”Gwendolyn, you were not born of our people yet you took to our training as a wild horse takes to the open plains.” the chief commented. ”Your strong will granted you a speed in learning that very few of our tribe have accomplished. For this and your outstanding first hunt, you are now a proud hunter of our tribe.” he ended his short speech with a small smile.

Farah narrowed her eyes slightly, but she listened to the chief's words. She couldn't help but feel surprised. Gwen had done it. She was now a hunter… so what did that mean for Farah? What did it mean for Olarien? Would Gwen ever willingly return?

Gwen was beaming proudly as the chief gave her the new title. She almost bowed out of old habit but held back since this tribe didn't do that. “Thank you.”

Corvin walked over and hugged the young woman, chuckling a little. ”I’m so proud of you.”

Farah watched and again, she felt a wicked ache in her stomach at Corvin's fatherly affection for Gwen. The young knight lifted her chin and bit her tongue, refusing to feel the pain swirling inside of her. Gwen was a hunter now. What of Farah?

Gwen happily returned the hug for a moment before pulling away. “I couldn't have done this without you, Corvin.” she said gratefully.

“Oh, you would have found a way. I have no doubt of that.” he laughed, ruffling his adoptive daughter’s hair before turning back to Farah. “I’m sure you are happy for your princess too even though this makes your original mission more complicated.” he said understandingly.

Farah was surprised when Corvin spoke to her, but she dipped her head in return and acknowledgment of his words. "Yes. Well done, Gwen," she replied, her brown eyes softening and meeting the princess's.

“Thank you, Farah.” Gwen smiled back, still pretty excited about her accomplishment.

Corvin laughed a little and wrapped an arm around Gwen. “Come on, you two. Rhes probably already has dinner ready and I know Jiem is eager to hear all about your hunt.”

Farah's expression softened as Gwen smiled at her. Even if she wanted to leave her throne, there was no denying the royal air about her. She had the same charisma as the rest of the royal family. There was something infectious about Gwen's smile, and Farah offered a smile in return.

She moved to follow Corvin and Gwen back to their tent and glanced back over her shoulder at the chief and his grandson as she walked.

The chief met Farah's gaze and gave a brief nod before walking away with his grandson.

Gwen, even though she had grown up in the palace, had never thought of herself as charismatic. If anything she thought of her past self as sheltered, timid, and weak since she had never done anything against her father's wishes or even thought of doing something for herself.

The little village wasn't very grand in any way, just a bunch of large tents set up instead of houses. It was much more intimate with how friendly the people acted towards each other. Mostly because everyone knew each other since they were children excluding Gwen and Farah for obvious reasons.
Gwen’s tent was not too ahead of them, with Corvin’s being nearby. It was easy enough to tell which was her’s as all the other homes had different symbols painted on. Hers had none.

Farah noted the nod before she turned to look ahead again. Her eyes caught on the patterns and symbols that marked the different tents for different families. It didn't take long for Farah to feel like an outsider among all of the close-knit groups surrounding her.

“Mama! They're back!” a young boy called out excitedly before running straight towards Gwen and Corvin. “Did you do it? Are you a hunter?”

The former princess grinned and raced to meet the boy, picking him up and hugging him. “Yes, Jeim. I did.” she assured. “I’m a hunter now.”

Farah’s eyes watched the boy’s path, and her gaze softened at the embrace he and Gwen shared. The princess had made her own life here, that was for certain.

“I knew you could do it. What did you get? Was it big? Mama wouldn't let me see your hunt when you came back.” Jeim chattered, still holding on to Gwen.

“With good reason.” Corvin reminded the boy before turning back to Farah as Gwen started answering all the questions. “My son, Jeim. He looks up to Gwen as an older sister.”

Farah nodded at Corvin with a small smile. "Forgive me, but would it be possible for me to speak to the princess alone for a moment?" She realized her mistake and hurried to correct it. "Gwen. Would it be possible for me to speak to Gwen alone for a moment?"

Corvin raised a brow at the question and looked at Farah. “Why are you asking me? If you want to talk to Gwen ask her or just talk to her,” he said since he didn't know if this was how things were in Gwen’s old home.

Farah's lips opened, then immediately closed as an embarrassed look took over her face. "Right, of course," she replied quietly, approaching the other woman. "May I have a word with you?" she asked.

“Sure.” Gwen nodded, turning to face Farah with Jiem still in her arms. “What's on your mind?”

Farah hesitated to see the boy in her arms. "If you don't mind… this is a conversation I'd like to have in private," she clarified slowly.

Gwen raised a brow but nodded, turning to Jiem for a moment. “Why don't you go ahead with Papa and I’ll catch up with you in a minute.” she smiled as she let the boy stand next to her. “I still need to take this paint off.”

“Alright.” Jiem whined as Corvin took his hand and gave Farah a brief glare before he was led away.

“Sorry about that. He's younger than me but so protective.” Gwen apologized. “My tent’s right here. We can talk inside.”