“And if I don't want to return?”

Farah's eyebrows shot up at Jiem's glare. "I can tell," the knight replied, turning her attention back to the former princess. She noted the tent and nodded. That would do. It was a private enough space. Farah approached the tent, but she waited for Gwen to enter first.

Gwen almost sighed at the knight’s actions before she pushed aside the flap of fabric that served as a door and walked inside. The inside of her tent was just as simple as the exterior. Her bow and quiver were near the entrance along with a spear, she still had her dagger strapped to her side. A small pile of firewood was within arms reach of the ring of stones in the center and even closer was a small cooking pot. And aside from a bucket of water, the only other thing in the tent was a simple bedroll made of animal furs. Honestly, her tent was also a bit smaller than most but there was still room enough for her to have a guest.

“Now, what is so important that we have to talk in private?” she asked as she grabbed the cloth on the rim of the bucket and began cleaning her face.

Farah followed, her eyes noting the important details of the living space. Her gaze specifically caught on the weapons. She wondered if Gwen had already been trained to use the bow and spear in addition to her dagger. It took Farah ages to master spear-throwing. She still hated it, and it would not be her first choice for a weapon.

She glanced over at the princess as she began to scrub her face clean of the war paint and cleared her throat. "Ah, well… I wanted to speak with you about returning to Olarien," she said cautiously. "Or, rather, not returning… since that is what you desire."

Gwen hummed as she folded the cloth and continued to clean her face. “That's only partly what I desire. I don't want to return yet.” she clarified. “Once I am a true warrior and someone Olarien deserves, then I’ll come back. But I am not going back just because my father needs to find me so he can marry me off to some stuck-up prince and get pushed to the side while he rules the kingdom.” she all but growled as she revealed her now tan skin.

Farah lifted her chin slightly. "You are someone that Olarien deserves as you are now," she murmured softly. But at Gwen's following words, Farah flinched. "Must that be the way of things?" she asked, inclining her head slightly with a frown.

“No. I'm not but thank you for saying that.” Gwen sighed gratefully as she tried to calm down. Though she shook her head at the question. “I don't want it to be but I'm sure that’s what my father has planned for me.” she admitted. “Look, it's obvious we did spend much time together before but, tell me, what do you remember about Princess Gwendolyn?”

Farah stiffened slightly before she answered. "I remember your beauty and your poise, my lady," she answered quietly. "Though I will admit, I never did see you as very happy in the palace… but the last time I saw you, you looked downright miserable."

Gwen felt her face warm at the mention of her beauty and sat down near the fire ring, gesturing for Farah to do the same. “Father always said I looked like my mother.” she said softly, running her fingers through her shoulder-length hair. “But you are right. I was never happy. I barely spoke to anyone except my maids and the occasional “yes, father”. Everyone thought I was just shy… and they were half right. I… wasn't allowed to do much.” she sighed. “I felt like I was suffocating, living in a gilded cage but not really living.” she added with a brief note of disdain before looking around her tent with a soft smile. ”But life out here is… much more liberating. There are still rules for the tribe to survive but none of them are as controlling as in the palace.”

Farah sat near Gwen and listened carefully to the way she spoke. "If I may," the young knight began slowly. "I daresay my experience was similar. I am no daughter of a king, but I am the daughter of your father's general. The commander of his kings guard. My surname is Dowling. I didn't want to tell you before. But I can sympathize with your plight, my lady. I won't force you to return until you are ready. I am sworn to the crown… and that is also you."

Gwen raised a brow as she listened but her jaw dropped at the mention of her family name. “I remember General Dowling. He always scared me and I tried to avoid running into him. How my father tolerates him, I have no idea.“ she admitted. “Thank you, Farah. It means a lot to hear you say that.” she smiled softly.

Farah lowered her eyes as Gwen spoke of her father. She took a steadying breath before looking the princess in the eyes again. "He's… not easy to be around," she supplied quietly. But she matched Gwen's smile with her own. "Of course, my lady," she said simply. "I am in your service."

“That's one way of putting it.” Gwen shook her head with a soft snort as Farah agreed with her. “But you don't have to call me that either. Just Gwen is fine. And until I return, you're in no one’s service… But I would like to call you my friend.”

Farah cringed a moment. "Right. Sorry. Protocol… it's the first thing you learn when you're in training to be a guard. That way you don't mess up if a member of the royal family should speak to you."

At Gwen's comment, Farah nearly shook her head. As much as Gwen continuously was trying to dodge her royal title out here, she was still the princess, a part of the crowned family. And Farah had sworn herself into service at the wholesome age of ten. It wasn't exactly a contract she could break.

"I should like that," she murmured, sounding a bit shy. "I should like that very much."

“It's ok. I understand that you're used to using those titles.” Gwen assured, having suspected that such a thing was part of the knight’s training. But she smiled as she heard Farah’s softly spoken words. “I’m glad. I never really had many friends.” she replied just as softly.

Farah sighed quietly, grateful for Gwen's understanding. "Me too," she added. "I was friendly with several other squires and knights, but I wouldn't necessarily call them my friends. I should like to have you as a friend, Gwen." A smile pulled at her lips, and she let it spread to the rest of her expression.

“That's too bad. You seem like a friendly person.” Gwen pointed out, matching Farah’s smile, and felt herself relax a little more. “Thank you.”

Farah noted Gwen's body language as she relaxed, slowly allowing herself to do the same. "Thank you," she accepted the compliment shyly. "You seem to be a very friendly person too."

Gwen chuckled and shrugged. “Part of that is I’m actually allowed to speak. To say what's on my mind.” she admitted. Though she had always been able to speak at the palace, she had to be very careful how she said anything. At the time it was easier to just stay quiet. “Being part of a community like this, you learn to be more social.” she smiled, thinking about the tribe… her family.

"I suppose you're right," Farah agreed easily. "Though… I've never been good at being social. My mother always told me I was 'too standoffish to attract a man.'" The knight rolled her eyes.

Once, Farah asked her mother to explain how she was even supposed to attract a man. Her mother's response had been something along the lines of "look pretty and act intelligent enough." Farah had asked her if that was how she attracted Farah's father, and then she'd promptly been slapped across the face.

Gwen raised a brow at the words before looking Farah up and down. “And yet she married General Dowling. I don't think she has room to criticize.” she said, referring to how cold the General always seemed to be.

Farah blushed instantly at the up-and-down the princess gave her before bursting into laughter. "You aren't wrong," she giggled, shaking her head at Gwen's words. "But I doubt they were ever in love. My mother is a social climber, and my father is the king's general. I think you understand my meaning."

Gwen smiled at the fact that she made Farah laugh and nodded at the explanation. “Yeah, I've seen quite a few of those relationships before. Honestly, I could never understand those kind of people. What's the point of marrying for status if you aren't going to do anything useful with it?”

"I know," Farah blurted before her eyes widened suddenly and she covered her mouth. "I shouldn't have said that," she mumbled through her hand.

Gwen smiled at Farah’s initial statement, only to raise a brow at the way she pulled away. “Why not? It's just you and me here. No one else in Olarien is going to find out what we say.” she pointed out.

For some reason, Gwen's words made Farah turn bright pink. "I-I suppose you're right," she said after lowering her hand. "I'm not used to such…" She hesitated a moment, trying to think of the word. "Privacy?"

“Really?” Gwen asked, raising a brow slightly. “I guess I am more used to it. In the palace, most people didn't approach me except to tell me that my father was looking for me.” she almost laughed at the irony of her statement before continuing. “But I do remember the feeling that everything I ever did was being watched.”

Farah smiled sadly. "I can somewhat relate to that. My mother and father wanted me to be the best, no matter the cost. Everyone I spoke to and every conversation I had was somehow reported back to them if one of them wasn't there to oversee it themselves. But even then, my interactions with others were minimal outside of training."

“That's… actually terrifying.” Gwen winced. “My father also followed a similar mindset, wanting the best for me. Though he did that by making most of the decisions for me.” she sighed. “Maybe when we do return, we can change a few things for both of us.”

Farah laughed shortly. "You have no idea." But her eyes softened. "That isn't any better though. You deserve to make your own decisions, Gwen. I understand now why you don't want to go back yet… and as I've already said, I won't force you to until you're ready. Hopefully you're right."

“And I thank you again for letting me stay until then.” Gwen smiled gratefully. “I promise to repay you.”