The caravan had managed to safely get away from Shore City, but unfortunately they weren't finished with gathering supplies. So, in the next city on their way to the Riot Kingdom, they were forced to stop once more. That's when trouble found them.

Carter knocks on the carriage door, feeling very anxious.

Serah opens the door and gives Carter's face a questioning look. “What's wrong?” She asks, wondering why Carter looked so fidgety.

“We can't go into the city! There are wanted posters on the city wall! All three of you are on them!” Carter explains, unsure of what they were going to do.

Samantha walks to the door and looks at Carter. “Do the guards suspect anything yet?” She asks, somewhat hurried. They were currently in line at the city gates, and if they were going to make a move, they would have to do it soon.

“No. No one has spoken to a guard yet.” Carter replies. Currently, they were still waiting to be processed.

Samantha lets out a breath of relief. “Okay. We don’t have much time. One of the mercenaries we hired is no doubt going to turn on us, so before that we need to gather as much supplies as we can. Carter, you stay with the caravan and make sure it gets to the Riot Kingdom safely. Serah, Nickie, and I will take what we can from what we have and we’ll meet you there.” Samantha explains, taking charge of the situation.

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“Fuck. Okay. What city are we meeting in?” He asks, hoping to get the details while he could.

“We’ll meet in Karolen. Just stay at the Guarded Pike Inn, and we’ll find you.” Samantha says.

Carter lets out a sigh. “Fuck. Okay. Stay safe.” He says before stepping back. “I’ll start grabbing the supplies.” He says before leaving to find a few trustworthy men.

Serah looks to Samantha with furrowed brows. “Are we going to be alright?” She asks, somewhat doubtful.

Samantha could only smile. “We’ll be fine.” She says with a comforting pat to Serah’s shoulder.

…

…

“Fuck’s sake. It’s too hot out here.” Serah says as she wipes her sweat off. She was sitting at the front of the carriage with Samantha. Fortunately, the merchant girl knew how to drive one of these. “And we’re running out of water. We need to stop somewhere soon.” She says, somewhat worried.

“There’s a water source not too far from here. We’ll be able to take what we need. And maybe we could hunt a few animals while we’re at it.” Samantha says comfortingly.

Serah smiles. “Damn. What would we do without you?” She says. If Samantha wasn’t with them, the two helpless girls might not have any way out of that predicament.

Samantha smiles. “You can thank me later. I could use a good meal later.” She says with a teasing look.

Serah laughs. “Is this really the sort of situation where we should be thinking about that?” She asks, amused.

“No time like the present.” Samantha says with a chuckle.

…

…

Serah watches as the big bird cooks on the fire, stopping once in a while to turn the pike.

The three girls were camped near a small oasis. They were able to gather what they need while they were here. There was enough game and water for them to stock up. There were even various fruits that almost made this detour worth it.

Serah looks to Samantha and Nickie. Their faces were tired but they were still trucking on. Serah smiles. She couldn’t help but think that the three of them seemed to be traveling for a while. She had an inkling… That even in another life… The three of them were traveling companions…

Serah lets out a sigh and looks at the starry night sky. The fire was crackling, she was with her friends, and she would not grow hungry. I have all that I need… She couldn’t help but think. If they weren’t wanted by the kingdom of Terahn, she was content to just stay here. But life always had a way of pushing forward…