Revised "Chapter" 7

Nia was not so amused when awoken in the deep of the night. The revels and traditions of soldiers had naught to do with her, and she was fine with that- naught had much to do with her regardless of death or not, and the own favored got would hold no balance or trade with the War god except on the nights when they danced, healing and war and death all together in one place on the battlefield. She had heard tell that sometimes they did come, in Blessed times, before the Tallwater years, where the Gods did come and walk among those that worshiped them and did conduct themselves where they could be seen, ethereal creatures that created and shaped nations, while destroying others. It was supposed to be an astounding thing.

She was glad that she was not there to witness it, for the confusion and issues that took place on battlefields like this were almost too much to handle. Especially when Princes (for she could hear the words of those speaking around her, quietly exchanging gossip and traditional tales of him and his little works in battle and in peacetime) decided to make her work thrice as hard as she had been. Between now and first light, see to every soldier in the camp? The idea made her head hurt. She stepped out of the Sister's tent to a line of soldiers that wanted her to see them at that moment, no questions asked. Her shoulders slumped, and her eyes nearly closed with the weight of sleep on them. Eight hours was not enough for this.

But see them she did, one by one. She lowered her head as expected and put on her most humble voice, asking them if they would indulge her in not interrupting the other's sleep so she could attend them properly. It worked for them, and they made to the physician and general health tent. This was going to be a long night indeed. Her fingers grasped her medical bag tightly, wanting to keep it close and from prying eyes. She held special herbs and medicines, ones that were dangerous to her if she gave them to the wrong people, ones that were dangerous to the wrong people. She was a Sylph, and that meant there was a danger in everything. The light in the tent illuminated the first patient. Nia kneeled in front of him where he sat, and asked him what his name and injured were. Thus, she treated everyone who came to her. Some were fit to return, others were not, some were fit only to be hanged for rebellion, and those she made note of to ensure that the Prince would get a guard on them or watch them closely. She could see the looks in their eyes as one by one, they let her touch them. Some flinched from her and others held still but were tense all the way through her examination. It was a sorry way to be, having to be kind to them all.

It was humiliating dealing with some of their sideways comments and mutterings. Nia had never felt safe around most who hated her, and this evening none were to be found to help her, though she sent for two of her apprentices (they would not be after this evening, Nia grumbled to herself, after having to deal with yet another patient. He spit at her as he left, but Nia was not allowed to say anything. Rage seethed underneath her skin, her fingers clenching. This was not how she wanted her life to be, at all. But what could she do, a mere halfie? Run, perhaps, but that would endanger her family, wherever they were, and the missing Sylph of this nation was not to be missed for long. There would surely be assassins to kill her as a defector, and other nations would try to enslave her for her skills. Even if she were treated more kindly in those nations... No, because she was from this one. The idea saddened her. If she had run when she had the chance... But it was too late to be sorry about it now. What else was she going to do?
When they were no longer coming to her, she went to them, one by one, waking them from their dreams of home, of family, of lovers that waited for them in their pasts and futures. She felt saddened, knowing that some of them would not know their faces again 9or ever) but at the same time felt a bitterness that they had such wondrous opportunities that she never had and never would have. Her own emotions, her love and her faith, went into her healing and nothing else. Except perhaps for the man that she met in the woods.

Her eyes strayed to the darkened, star-studded sky that hung low over the camp. The man that she had met, so long ago, after she had run away but when she had been going out and about in the world for the first time. Healers were required to travel for a while, learning things from the local s about medicines, encouraging what they were doing right but also correcting if they were doing something wrong. Once in a while a valuable new resource was discovered by such methods and the information disseminated through the school that taught them, the cloister where they worked and studied and healed those who came in for free. It was a small price to pay to travel so far when the healers the Order had were truly the best in that land- thou some places claimed otherwise. There was a strong tendency to revere and love the local healers, and while the order did nothing to discourage those ideas- those ideas were still squashed soon after people started claiming it, usually by the healer falling sick or coming across a patient that only the healer that had just come from the Order could cure. She herself had been sent to see what was up with a local healer, having instructions to do what she could for the people there, and the man that the healer couldn't help...

He was human, with some elf blood distant in his lineage. She could tell from a certain tinge of color in his eyes, peculiar to the longer-lived race that the elves were, that he had somehow managed to be bred out of a halfie like her. It was astonishing that anyone would lower themselves to such a thing, but there he was, with his kindness. The brush of his hand against her cheek made her heart tremble once more. If she had been dishonored by any of his advances the Order would know it, there was the sigil that they carried, the Rosen necklace that helped ensure their purity to the Gods, and so the romance that had bloomed in her heart stayed hidden. Even so, it didn't help that she still enjoyed his company more than she should have. It was something that was dangerous to her situation. The days that he spent under her care, being nothing but kind, not taking any tone that was rough or unkind... She loved it. Those days lingered in her mind, water in a desert of hatred. She could almost feel tears welling up.

At least she saw him these days on a good basis. He had asked her questions of the order, she had answered, Nia knew that she was becoming a puppet for him, but could not bring herself to keep from telling him everything she knew about the nation. Things that he should have known if he were from here.

Nia walked to the last tend full of soldiers, knowing that she needed to study them and see what they needed. The false dawn was quickly approaching, and real down would come soon enough after that. It made her dread the coming day, when they would go after the soldiers that had attacked. Perhaps the man would be among them. She had, after all, given the information that someone important was here. She didn't know it was the Prince... how had he known that? Perhaps it was some other source. Nia knew that she wasn't the only traitor in the nation. It also gave her a gladness that twisted and melded with a sick sort of vengeance within her. She was a traitor, spiting the nation that treated her as though she were dirt. Was there nothing that the nation could do to her that would make her regret her actions? No. Nia knew that she would do it time and time again.

Though... This time, she did feel a twinge of regret. The prince indeed was a kind man, for an elf. Almost as nice as the blue-eyed spy. That was what made it hard for her to imagine that he would be killed or captured, what was going to make her ask if they could treat him kindly and perhaps not kill them if at all possible. But his father... his father was the problem, and perhaps losing his son would make him rethink a few things. There was no way he could know that she was doing it for revenge, for sorrow, of his policy and what he had done to her. But if he fell out of power because of the people, or if there was some way that he could be dethroned... then there was hope that things would improve for her. The bitterness of his anger and sorrow would be nothing to the joy she would feel for a better situation, one of the things the spy had promised when she had spoken with him so long ago.

It felt so long ago. She had only seen him perhaps once a year since then, their clandestine meetings fell of whispers and talks. And he told her of his own land, where she would be treated equally, where she could abandon the Order, have her own practice, see patients that would adore her for what she could do for them, and see them heal and happily live their lives. Perhaps even with him. Her heart fluttered gently. That was another avenue that opened to her, not having to let her youth and beauty waste. It was something that she dreamed of, the love that her parents had, the love that she wanted so desperately. A family to go with it. Happiness. It was something that made her dreadfully envious when they came in to see her, pleading for their lives, for their children's lives.

They didn't know how blessed they were as it was. Nia knew that they had the opportunity to love each other and have their children. That alone was a blessing. Why should she let it continue? After all, they were just going to cause her more unhappiness, and any little time was more than she would have. It made her sick with anger.

The last man was examined, and she nearly tripped over her feet in exhaustion. She felt a rough hand against her shoulder, pushing her out of the way of the soldiers where were exiting the tent in the dawn. Oh, dear, she hadn't written the list up yet. This would have to be given in person. It nearly set off a shudder of fear, exasperated by her tired nerves. It wasn't a good sign if she was reacting so strongly like this. She wanted nothing more than to fall into bed and sleep for hours on end, enjoying the nothingness that came with the deepest of rests. If she didn't get it soon, her nerves would snap. That was the last thing anyone needed- a sylph unable to do her job.

With that, she started towards the Prince's tent, hoping that he would still be there, running a little late.
He wasn't, and that made it a pain for her. The soldiers were amassing by the fields where they had scattered the ashes of their comrades the night before. It was still there, the smell of dust hanging in the air and bits of it coating their shoes and gleaming in the sunlight like tarnished silver. It was a shame that some of them were going back to battle after this, but what could one do? It both irritated and worried her. Nia knew her emotions about it were unstable, which was bad for a healer. They had to be calm and unemotional, caring at the very most, because otherwise they could make poor judgments with their patients. Nia wanted to snort- almost did on the ash- but held it as best she could. After all it wasn't exactly something that she was good at. Her emotions had been ruffled long ago, and someone in her situation couldn't help but have some instability. What did they expect from her?

The Prince would expect her report this morning, that was what. She slipped around the soldiers to someplace discreet, off to the side where she would not be in full view. Her hood hung over her head to protect her eyes from the rays of light that struck into her face as a knife would- almost as painfully. She turned her head slightly watching some of the glittered remains dance in the light where shuffling feet kicked them up, as if they were coming back for a brief moment to stand among the people they knew and loved. She wished them well on their journey to the afterlife, wherever they ended up. The Prince's mail gleamed as liquid water in the sunshine. His bearing and demeanor drew attention to himself. He walked around to the head of the men, who quickly shuffled themselves unto line and stood as tall as they could in the face of such a great man.

"We have our inspections finished, and those who will be going have been decided." A brief glance over at her, since they had not had a chance to speak before this. Obviously the Prince had taken the opportunity to rest, and the bitterness of how she felt versus how well he looked made her want to spit. Her slight nod confirmed it. "And we will be marching out to the East. Several of our scouts have returned and have a tracking on where these men are. We will be
She would need to get those warnings out about deserters.

"As for the rest of you, you will be heading to Yothina, father in. This town needs no protection, as the only reason it was attacked was because of those assassins after me. Replacement soldiers and a healing camp will be made just a league over. Closer to the fighting, yes, but not so much so that there should be any true danger to those who go there. After all, we can after them in an hour’s time, when those of you who are coming have packed up and saddled up. We ride no later, and anyone who is too slow will be left behind. We can hold of those invaders, can't we?" He made a bold, brassy assertion that got the men laughing and cheering. Jests were made about the enemy, and with that, he had them dismissed to take care of things. Nia could hardly believe it. That close to the Capital? It was far too shocking! There was an honest hospital there, with good supplies, but really... this was salt in a wound instead of herbs. He didn't care that she had saved his life, he was being spiteful!

Nia almost stormed back to the camp to begin packing herself. However, her training had her motionless and waiting some signal that said she, too, may go. It wasn't that there wasn't any reason for her to go, but there certainly was no need for her to be rude. And she still had that information. That was what he still needed. He strode over, shoulders back, looking unusually refreshed in the light. The sun was now yellow instead of the blaring white that had covered them earlier, this more like daisies and butter instead of snow. It gave everything s sick gleam. So he planned to move out when this was over, was he? And the light came to the clarity that made everything its right color.

She took a deep breath and kept her eyes on his feet. There was no reason to acknowledge him first after this insanity. He knew she would be shunned. He knew... And it made her furious. It made her face as still as one of the paper masks that were sold during festivals and holidays. Her eyes perhaps couldn't hide it as well, but she was damned well going to try. His boots stopped directly in front of her- a perfect place to aim at if she were so inclined to spit, as she had desired earlier. But that would truly get her in trouble with Superior, and she had no mind to face demotion from her position. There were certain benefits to it that she was not yet willing to give up, and that was worth keeping her temper. "So are you prepared to walk me through? I would appreciate if you came and pointed who wan trouble and who was not. I'm sure some of the wounded will be trying to sneak away as well, and we don't need to be kept at a slow pace by them, or need soldiers dying on us."

She nodded, keeping her eyes down. Calm, cool, collected. He started off towards the camp, a few attendants in tow- other soldiers, his at-hand men. Those who would actually remember who was who and needed to be watched. She started off behind them at a respectful pace and place. "Up here! So you can point them out and we will see who you are talking about." The prince called back to her.

She moved forward, eyes on the ground, almost tripping over her robe. The heat of some of the elves’ looks nearly burned her. She made a slight curtsy as she reached his side. Mindful of her manners, indeed- Superior would find no fault with her today. Possibly because she was nowhere to be seen, packing for the trip ahead. It was going to be a pain. Regardless...

They came to a place where they could see some of the camp. A cleared throat alerted her to her duty. Her hand rose, and finger pointed, and she rattled off information. At first she did it slowly, but one of the men deemed to complain that it was too slow, that they would be leaving before she had gotten it all out.
Her speed picked up, and her words quickened. She rattled them off like a seasoned parole officer that had been doing drills for far too long (and perhaps with the same soldiers for too long, as well). They seemed to absorb what she was saying with astonishing ease. And they were listening. Nia felt powerful in that moment. She could tell them who was fit or not- their careers at this point were in her hands. It was tempting to do something to them, ruin their plans in some way, but... How could she? These men worked honestly even if she did not care for them. Soldiers would be soldiers. And they were not responsible for the hate that was seeped into their minds by the King's policies, or his advisor's.

Though the feeling still lingered in her mind, feeding off the hate that she had towards said policies. Those who were singled out as unfit were sent aside, while those that were remained standing at attention. The soldiers deemed unfit strayed back into the camp, taking down what needed to be and packing supplies. Those that were fit were dismissed to help with what they could as long as they were ready to leave afterwards. Taking down the camp would be lengthier than packing to leave, so they knew that there would be time enough to move out before noon. The Prince dismissed her at the same time, without a backwards glance. That was alright, in her opinion. The feeling of being near someone so important, someone so connected to her own status in this country made her unbelievably uncomfortable.

She slipped into the camp to help the Sisters with taking care of the wounded that were too wounded to even get to the meeting this morning. She started for the bed nearest her that was unattended, but a glare from the occupant stopped her in her tracks. She bowed her head in mock humility, waiting for him to give his permission for her to approach. Like she did anyone at this point. This was going to be highly disappointing- she was going to miss Kirn. He was somebody that had made life her ever so slightly more tolerable.

Kirn himself was motioned away from the camp by one of the commanders that had been with the Prince. To his surprise he was directed to the Prince's side, to discuss something with him. He stood stiffly at attention, the bowed, unsure of the meaning being this. The green grass swayed beneath his feet, brushing against his boots. The weight of this fell heavily. "You brought me here to be treated, soldier, and I owe you my thanks for bringing me so timely. Between you and the Sylph, I am in much debt. Please, lift your eyes."

He stood up straight, not abruptly but respectfully. His arms were like sticks at his sides. Kirn was silent, waiting for what the Prince wished to speak with him about. "As you are aware, the camp is moving into the country. There is a possibility that rogues and other assassins will follow, thinking that you know where my whereabouts are. Since Nia is both a valuable asset and knows my identity and the nature of my wounds, I feel that she needs a guard, someone to keep her from getting into too much trouble. Do you feel you are up to the task?"

Kirn's mouth was dry, as dry as if he had licked the ashes from the ground the night before. He could hardly believe what was being asked of him, though it was a tearing feeling between honor and disgrace. "I am certainly most capable, Your Honor. I would be honored to accompany her." It was true, as there was honor in such a task. However... However, he was not returning to the Battlefield. He was not being allowed to fight by the Prince's side on the field of war. Was he being shifted aside? Even if she was a Sylph, she was a halfie, and how could he not dislike her, considering who his father was?

"I know a person of importance, and she is one." The statement echoed the thought in his head. "And even with her heritage, we would be sore pressed if she were lost. Take care of her, and see that she is safe."

Kirn bowed his head. "I shall do so to the best of my ability, Your Honor. Thank you for allowing me this." This what? Duty? It was most certainly that, though an unwelcome one if he was being told that he was not good enough to die for his nation. Even so, he could see the sense in it. Sylph. Why did she have to be a Sylph?

With that, the Prince gave a slight smile. "Then my thanks. You may return to your duties." A clear dismissal. There was nowhere else to go at this point. He went back and began to pack up his own belongings- something that didn't take too long, as they weren't his; they belonged to the army supplies. His own had been left behind in his other camp.

That made him frown. He would have to send for them soon, or risk losing them to other soldiers that needed them. He stood up and strode for the camp's commander, who was giving out orders and overseeing the work of his soldiers. "Sir." he said smartly, raising a hand to salute him. "My supplies are farther West, where I came from with the Prince. Please allow me to go and retrieve them." The commander's hard stare gave the idea that perhaps it would not be allowed. That wouldn't be too surprising- often, supplies were lost on the trails that they took, or were given out among those that needed them. Even so, personal items were precious, and could hold a soldier through many a hard days.

"And what of the Prince's orders to you?"

"To guard the Sylph, sir. I can do such on the roads we are on, away from the ones from this camp. If they believe we are with you, then we will not be bothered by any enemy soldiers, should they come across us. I will be a mere escort to a simple healer, if she changes the knot on her robes." It wasn't meant to sound desperate, but he feared it coming out that way. Kirn's own personal items were so precious... So very important to him. He feared having them lost to scavengers or sold for cash to bear the drinking and whoring of his fighting companions.

There was a hard look in the commander's eye as he gazed over the guard. Kirn wasn't sure whether his current duty was a demotion or a promotion, but to disregard the order from the Prince was a hanging offence- he was a superior officer, and that alone demanded respect.

"Then do so, but you will meet us there on the day we arrive or before that. You will be given no grace if you are late, and will be considered a traitor if you have not arrived by then. Understood?" Kirn bowed his head, inclining it and folding his hands in the way that signaled he understood and respected his commander's orders. This was going to be an interesting time, indeed, he thought as he began to mentally calculate how fast they would have to go to get to the camp and meet the group before the arranged time. It was going to be quite a ride, but he could handle it. Hopefully he would be able to press the Sylph into it, as well.

"Then go and get a horse from the stabled ones. The one you came in on should be well enough to take you back to the camp again." He was dismissed, and Kirn started for the Sister's tent. Nia was not there, so the next place he looked was in the recovery tent. She was taking care of a man with a severe head wound, from the look of the bandages on his head. The bluish blood was seeping through it, though it didn't stop him from glaring at Nia was a baleful look. He started forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. Nia flinched beneath his touch, jerking the patient's head. A shout escaped him, and he began a string of swearing and Nia. The rest of the soldiers and healers either glared at her outwardly or looked at her from the corners of their eyes. She blushed brightly, crimson staining her cheeks, as she excused herself to follow Kirn. The language followed them, getting muffled from the cloth as it fell between them and the patient. Nia's shoulders hunched slightly, ashamed of her nervously she had behaved when touched.

"Do not do that again, Kirn, sir. It is not helping things around here, and making things very difficult for me to work peacefully. Understood?" There was some humility to her words, but the tone was angry, however quiet that anger was. He grimaced. "Yes, I understand. Sorry. However, we're moving out, you and me, since I need to head to my former camp to get a few things. My orders are to guard you, so I need you to come with me." His last words had been to cut her off before she could say anything about it, asking why she also needed to come. "How far away is your camp? How long will it take us to get here?" "Just a day, if we ride hard, but I feel that in order to keep the horse from tiring out, it should take us more like two. This will give us enough time to make it back to the rest of the camp before they reach their destination. We need to leave soon, though. Should I help you pack?"

"You aren't allowed in the Sister's tent, remember?" Her words were wry with a slight bit of laughter. "Thank you, but I can be ready in ten minutes if you can get the horse saddled and prepared by then. I'll see you on the path to the town." She turned without saying anything more, leaving him to prepare for the ride. It was going to be an interesting two days, indeed.

She rushed back to the tent, not even bothering to alert the healers in the tent that she was leaving, leaving the patient to be treated by someone else. He would be grateful for that, she thought with some ruefulness. That had been embarrassing- she should be able to handle patients better than that, but when someone snuck up on her... Thoughts of practical jokes and terrible pranks flitted through her mind, things that had been done to her when she was in the cloisters. Those were why she had been so happy to leave and wander, what had drawn her to the Man from Somewhere Else. She wondered if she would be so lucky as to see him on the road- he found her on occasion, but it was always randomly, never at a predictable rate, never somewhere that she would think that she would see him. Nia strode to the tent where Superior was directing those Sisters left over and not preparing the wounded from travel to pack up everyone's things. Everyone's but hers' of course. She was always left to take care of her own things in addition to the duties to the patients. It was not something that bothered her, since it allowed her things to not be ruined or spiders placed in her pack, or snakes. The few times others had taken care of her own things, she had been disgusted with the things that had been found- the last time, her medical pack had been filled with shit. That was the last time, and while the perpetrators had never been caught, no one had ever been allowed near her things again, not because it had been wrong to do such a thing to her, but her medicines were too valuable and precious to be allowed to be messed with, especially when she could need them at a moment's notice. That bag had been replaced immediately, but Nia never forgot the feel of reaching into it without knowing what had been inside.

A light shudder ran through her body, and she nearly felt sick from it. Her Superior turned to her after she had made a respectful stance for a minute or so, digging into her time to prepare but not angering the Superior. "And what do you need? Why are you not taking care of the patients?" Well, there had gone the hope of not bothering the Superior. "Sister Superior, I am being taken to the camp of my guard so that he can retrieve a few things, and so that I can heal a few of the soldiers there at the same time." "Guard? You have no guard. You aren't worth a guard, even if your skills are that good. I am sure that I would know such a thing if I-"

"She has a guard, assigned her by the Prince himself. And he gave them permission to go to the camp as well, so let her prepare." A voice cut in, the camp commander's. Nia quickly turned to look, face-on, but after a moment of his glare, her eyes went to the ground. The Superior sputtered with disbelief. "You cannot be serious. He ordered it himself? But we need her to tend the wounded in this camp! And why the guard? Does he truly feel...?” Her words ended there. There was no complaining against the order itself, but questioning the whys was. "He feels that since she is an asset to the nation and that she is in danger of being attacked again, due to her knowledge, that she should have a guard. Kirn, the one who brought her. They will meet with us at the new camp." There was no arguing with his words.
Superior was not happy with the state of things. She studied Nia with hard eyes, and moved her head to allow her to pass into the tent to get her things. Nia scurried in there. There were few people she was honestly afraid of, but Superior was one of them. She had been Nia's teacher and supervisor at the main cloister, and had always had it in for her. Things that the other girls would never have been allowed to get away with, if they had been done to other students, were allowed to happen to her with no consequence or eyebrows raised. Her punishments for breaking the rules had been dealt out harshly. Nia still had the scars from some of them, embedded in her knees where she had been forced to kneel on hard planks carved with the symbols of obedience and humility, and others on her back where outright disobedience and talking back had been punished with the whip or switch. It had hurt more with her pride, even when her blood had stained the floor blue. Once, it had been spoken out against- when Superior had attempted to punish her with the meting out of strokes that would be given to an adult man. Mother had stepped in at that point, saying that even that was too much for the then ten-year-old to handle. Superior had not been pleased, but had acquiesced to the order. Nia loved Mother for that. She had fainted from the pain of the strokes that had been given her after, but she would have died if Superior had been allowed to commit the punishment she wanted.

Her fingers strayed over the small items that she carried with her. Her pack was separate from her medicines, her medicinal pack holding the most precious of things that could not be messed with. The herbs and ointments that took hours to prepare, days to create. They were her most precious items, but there were a few other things that she treasured as much, such as a small gemstone that had been given when she had traveled to the South Inner Sea. The deep blue of it was marked, it was a cheap stone, but the boy she had treated for rotting of the flesh had been thankful to her for saving his leg. His tears of happiness when he learned that it would not have to come off had given her the ability to go on- that had been at a dark time in her life, where she had stood at the edge of the Sea and contemplated simply walking in and never looking back. She liked healing, though, and that had confirmed that even if she received no thanks, that she would continue to do it.

There was a tiny ring of silver, also cheap, but still more precious than gold. It had been the wedding ring of a woman whose husband died before she could reach him, and who was dying of the same disease. The woman had thanked her for saving her own life, and that of her grandchild, but the ring that had graced her husband's finger had come off. He was free to travel to the next world with no attachments at that point. The ring had been payment, though she could see the sorrow that the woman herself had survived. Nia didn't know what became of the woman, but the granddaughter had promised she would care for her. The ring was something that Nia knew she could pawn off for funds if she ever decided to leave this country, when she could do so without risk to her own life. That was the plan, at least. Her hands clenched over the silver circle and she tucked it into her robes. It might come in handy on this journey, and she was determined to not lose it.

Then there was the light blue belt that marked her as a beginning healer. Her fingers graced the cloth with some trepidation. She had worked so hard to get this, to be allowed to interact with others and have some respect. If the Order had its way, she would have been tucked away in a cloister, where no one could see her, doing the cooking and cleaning for the children that were there. It was not a life that she could have handled. This was her saving grace. The blood that stained it was red and blue. It didn't wash out, no matter how hard she tried. They were made that way, to soak it up, so that the ones who wore them would not forget that lives depended on them, that they could be the difference between life and death for whose veins the liquid ran through. Her fingers rubbed the stains, knowing that her own veins had mixed blood, though in color it was no different from a human's. This was tucked into the small back that held a blanket as well as a change of robes.

With that she was ready to leave. It had not taken long to organize and arrange everything. Her medicinal pack fit into the one with her personal items, so that there would not be an overturned or awkwardness to it. And it would go well over the horse's saddle, she mused, knowing that it had been made for such a purpose but never having done such a travel. Before this it had only been on foot, and the pack had been made to accommodate that as well. She stepped out, where the commander was still waiting. She was surprised when he motioned for her to halt. "Because of your status, you need to change that belt. You have your minor healer's belt? Most do, so exchange it. You will only draw unnecessary attention and danger if you do not." Nia nodded, and then stepped back into the tent to change. The Sisters were busy taking down the sheets that acted as walls between the sleeping areas, and as she untied her own, her robes falling open briefly to reveal even more of her pale skin, they glanced over at her as discreetly as possible, both with disgust and envy at her blue belt. Temptation to take it had happened to other Sisters, and a few times it had gone missing in her sleep, but it was often returned, or replaced when it could be (though that gave her far more trouble than it was probably worth). After all, her rank was not dependent on the belt she wore, and that was made clear. It did make things easier when she could prove what she was saying about being a healer, though.

The old belt came out and wrapped around her waist, much to the shock of the other healers. They wanted to know if she was being demoted to a lower rank- not possible, due to her skills. Nia didn't answer the questioning looks. It was none of their business. They could reveal that she had changed her belt to others, but it wasn't going to affect what she was doing. And it was unlikely that the enemy would hear of this, right? Ah, well. Didn't matter in the long run. She tightened the belt around her waist- the baby fat she had when she first received it had eventually melted away, leaving her a little thinner and shapelier. Not that anyone would notice beneath the cloth layers that covered her body. When it was adjusted and the one that marked her true status was tucked away, she left, passing the commander with a small bow (Superior was nowhere to be seen), and walked up the path to the town.