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Although these roads were familiar to Tressa, traveling in a caravan was a rather different experience. Beside her sat Noa, who stared out a window with a bright smile, and Tressa couldn't help but smile as well. As Noa's health had begun to improve, she invited Tressa to travel with her, and her father hired two trusted chauffeurs, Miranda and Pamela, to aid them on their new journey.
"We're in the Highlands now, aren't we?" Noa said, her voice filled with awe.
Tressa looked out the window, and setting sun stained the stone peaks various shades of orange. "We're making good time," she replied. "Before we know it, we'll be in Stonegard!"
A blush came upon Noa's cheeks. "Well, we don't have to rush things…"
The caravan came to a stop for the night, and the group set up tents and a fire for cooking, and Noa listened intently as Tressa explained all sorts of things she had learned in her previous travels. As they sat around the fire and enjoyed a warm meal, Tressa told Noa and the others about her past travels in the Highlands, such as meeting Olberic in Cobbleston and discovering strange mysteries with H'aanit and Cyrus in Stonegard. Noa already knew some of the stories, but she still liked to hear them. The more she watched Tressa so intently, the warmer Tressa's body grew, but it wasn't an entirely unpleasant feeling either.
Eventually the group retired to sleep, the two chauffeurs taking one tent and Tressa and Noa taking the other. Neither tent was particularly large, and Tressa put out the lantern as she lay beside Noa. "Are you warm enough?" she asked.
Noa simply nodded. "Thank you for indulging me like this."
"I've told you, I want to travel with you like this!" Tressa said with a fake huff. "It's fun for me too!" Truth be told, she still couldn't describe how excited she'd been when she received that letter from Noa inviting her to travel to Stonegard together, and she would've flown to Grandport if she could've. That Noa had reached out to her like that - the thought still made her heart race, more so than the other letters Noa had written her.
"Yes, you're right." Noa reached out to take Tressa's hand and smiled faintly. "Goodnight, Tressa."
"Uh, goodnight," Tressa stammered, her heart pounding against her chest. Even in this darkness, had Noa's eyes always been so bright?
As they both fell into a deep sleep, Tressa dreamed of holding Noa tightly, as if they were the only two in the world.
The group reached Stonegard by noon, and at the inn they procured two rooms, one for Tressa and Noa to share and the other for Miranda and Pamela. Once all the supplies were secured in the inn rooms and the horses stabled, the older women left to obtain more supplies while Tressa accompanied Noa around Stonegard.
"I've never seen a place like this before," Noa said as she and Tressa climbed a small flight of stairs. "It's nothing like Grandport. It's so… hilly."
Tressa couldn't stop herself from laughing. "The Highlands are like that. It's pretty, but kind of exhausting sometimes."
Noa's eyes went wide. "Even for you?"
"Of course!" Tressa made an exaggerated show of adjusting her knapsack on her back. "Look at what we merchants have to carry! But it's all worth for satisfied customers!"
A careful, odd smile came upon Noa's lips. "You really are strong, Tressa."
Tressa tried to speak, to play off Noa's words with some banter, but she couldn't. Instead, her cheeks flushed, as often happened whenever Noa looked at her like that.
Soon they came to their destination and the reason for Noa's journey to Stonegard - the book bindery, one of the largest in all of Orsterra. Noa's eyes sparkled as she and Tressa entered, and Tressa found that Noa's cheer was infectious. She smiled; while she had enjoyed exchanging letters with Noa, to actually see her so excited in person was quite the beautiful sight.
Again Tressa's cheeks grew warm. Beautiful. Yes, that was the only word she could think of to describe Noa in this moment.
"Hello," Noa greeted as she approached an elderly book binder. "Might I inquire about your craft?"
The other woman smiled. "What would you like to know, dear?"
With Noa occupied, Tressa turned her attention toward a fellow merchant near a shelf stuffed with rare books. This was Stonegard, after all, and one did not enter Stonegard without rare books of one's own. With her brightest smile, Tressa approached the other merchant and began, "I believe I have some books you'd be interested in…"
The two merchants talked passionately about their wares, and the older merchant was especially interested in some of the history books Tressa had obtained during her travels, and eventually they agreed on a fair price. Money and books exchanged, Tressa bid the other merchant farewell with a tip of her hat, and with a smile rejoined Noa, who was writing fiercely in her diary.
"Thank you for your time," Noa said to the book binder. "I've learned much about the craft of books today."
As they left the book bindery together, Tressa stretched her arms. "Books sure are great, aren't they?"
"Yes, very much so," Noa said as her cheeks grew red. "I had no idea how much work went into crafting even a single book. I want to learn more, and perhaps someday I'll be able to open my own book bindery in Grandport."
"That's a wonderful dream!" Tressa exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "And my family could be one of your distributers!"
A soft smile flashed across Noa's pale lips. "I've always loved books, so to help create…" She stumbled, but Tressa caught her arm before she fell upon the stone steps.
"Noa?" Tressa couldn't hide the worry in her voice, especially as Noa had grown so pale. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, dear…" Noa pressed her fingers against her forehead and chuckled weakly. "I might've… pushed myself too hard again…"
"Well, don't you worry!" Despite her aching heart, Tressa tried to sound brave as she put Noa's arm around her shoulders. "We'll return to the inn and rest a bit, all right?"
The inn was a bit of a walk from the book bindery, but Tressa wouldn't complain. Despite her skills with a spear and bow, she still couldn't say she had the strength of skilled warriors like H'aanit and Olberic, but even compared to her own slight frame Noa felt light, too light. She chewed her lip; she knew Noa's health wasn't the best, so why hadn't she noticed Noa's exhaustion sooner? What if Noa had collapsed? What if—?
No, Tressa told herself. She couldn't think like that. Noa trusted her, so she couldn't let Noa down. This was their journey together, and Noa had chosen Tressa to guide her.
Once at the inn and inside their shared room, Noa lay down in her bed and fell asleep, and Tressa remained at her bedside. A sigh slipped from Tressa's lips as worries washed over her like a sudden wave. But until Noa awoke again, there was nothing she could do.
Carefully she touched Noa's hand and tried to smile. "Oh, Noa," she whispered. "Wherever you go, I want to be by your side…"
Noa's eyes slowly opened, and for a breathless moment she simply stared at Tressa. "Ah, it seems I fell asleep, hm?" she said with a mirthless chuckle.
Tressa shook her head. "That's not a problem at all. Are you feeling better?"
"A little, yes," Noa answered as she sat up, and color had returned to her cheeks. "Thank you, Tressa."
"That's good to hear! We'll stay in Stonegard for a few more days, and then decide where to go next!"
Noa blinked in surprise. "We're not returning to Grandport? I thought that, since I collapsed so suddenly…"
"Hm? I mean, if you want to, we can, but I thought there were other places you wanted to visit first, and—" Tressa kept bantering, and her face grew warm while her chest tightened. Of course she'd understand if Noa wanted to return home to Grandport, but still…
A strange smile crept to Noa's lips, and she reached out to caress Tressa's face, and in the blink of an eye she had pressed her lips against Tressa's, and Tressa finally understood.
Yet Noa ended the kiss just as quickly. "Oh, no, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. "I didn't—!"
"No, it's fine, honest," Tressa said as she let her fingers lace with Noa's. "I… I feel the same way."
Noa's cheeks flushed, but her smile was bright. "Then… can I kiss you again?"
Tressa nodded, and again Noa's lips met hers, and this kiss she was sure to savor.
The group spent a few more days in Stonegard, and Noa was careful not to overexert herself as she gathered more information about book making. On their final day in Stonegard, Tressa and Noa helped their chauffeurs gather the last of their supplies into the caravan.
"You want to head to Bolderfall next, right?" Tressa asked as she secured a bag inside the caravan.
Noa smiled faintly. "I'd like to visit my friend Cordelia Ravus."
"Oh, right, that pretty noblewoman," Tressa giggled. "That's quite a ways from here, but there's plenty of other villages to stop into on the way."
A laugh fell from Noa's lips too. "I don't mind, as long as it means I can spend more time with you."
Tressa simply smiled as she held out her hand for Noa, and as Noa accepted her hand, she helped Noa into the caravan. Wherever their new journey took them, they would at least have each other.