I'm pretty sure I'm out of the spoiler area for this chapter, there may be a little trivia in this one or another be forewarned and there will be further spoilers relating to Zeno's past as the story goes on, enjoy.
XXX Possible Spoilers XXX
Kiara kept walking even thought it was late and dark it didn't bother her, them catching her before she got far enough away would, Kiara could see fairly well thanks to the moon but the rope trap well hidden in some fallen leaves that she couldn't avoid, made her let out a screech as she was hoisted up by her ankle. She tucked her dress between her legs even though there was no one around, her knife was back at home she'd run out without taking it just wanting to be as far away from her father as she could get before he sent his men after her, was this one of their traps? Unlikely they would have stuck around, and there was no way they got ahead of her, they couldn't have known which way she would go, Kiara groaned still swinging by the ankle how was she going to get herself down?
"Why this is a surprise" a voice suddenly said Kiara twisted upside down to see who had spoken a man walked out from the trees, Kiara tried not to panic as she saw other shadow people follow him, she tried to climb up her body to where her ankle was snagged but she couldn't bend that way.
"Hey it's alright were not going to hurt you" the same man said when she couldn't reach.
"Then cut me down" she said to him the man smiled his green hair looked odd in the moon light.
"I could never refuse a lady" he says and with a flick of his wrist a dagger cuts through the rope and she tumbles into the ground.
"Jae-ha what are you doing setting traps?" a woman's voice asked, Kiara untangled herself into an upright position to look back at the group, the shortest was wearing a cloak and seemed to be the girl that spoke.
"It was meant to catch breakfast not girls but oh well" he said with a shrug offering his hand to Kiara but she stood on her own.
"I'm sorry to have disturbed you so late at night I didn't realise anyone was camping here" Kiara said the group seemed a little surprised.
"What time is it anyway?" a silver haired man yawned.
"Past midnight" a tall dark man answered, he was carrying some kind of stick, Kiara focused back on her own business.
"I'll be on my way then" she says to them starting to walk away.
"Wait" one of them calls, she turns to a short boy? Maybe.
"You can't be walking around these woods at night by yourself it's dangerous" he says in a genuinely concerned voice.
"Yeah there's bugs and bats" the silver haired man said looking horrified as he realised suddenly looking around, Kiara thought about it they were right but then again she didn't know them.
"It'll be alright" the girl says she removes her hood her stunning red hair shins in the moonlight.
"I promise we won't hurt you, just stay with us for the rest of tonight" Kiara believed her she had a very honest face.
"Do you have any water?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yeah" the dark haired guy said.
"May I have some please?" she asks and watches as they smile, a strange one in a mask comes up and gives her a wine skin without words, she takes a sip of cool water and follows them as the head back to their camp.
"Thank you" she says handing it back to the silent man who just nods, Kiara notices there is a squirrel on his shoulder contently running over his head and shoulders to look at her it's so cute! She thinks. Their camp is very close they must have heard her cry out when she got caught, someone comes out of a large tent rubbing his eyes.
"Where did everyone go?" he yawns as the dark haired man puts some wood on the fire coals and manages to give the fire life, the blonde man is suddenly illuminated by the fire and he freezes looking at her.
"I'm…Kiara" she decides to confess.
"Hi Kiara I'm Yona" the girl says as the blonde man unfreezes and looks away quickly, the green hair man suddenly takes her hand and kisses it.
"I'm Jae-ha" he introduces himself, the silver haired man speaks next.
"I'm Kija pleasure to meet you" he says with a bow, Kiara notices his right arm was disfigured slightly but he was a handsome man.
"Shin-ah" the silent man in a mask says.
"I'm Yoon" says the short 'boy' as Kiara realises.
"That's Hak" he says pointing over to the dark haired man who was sitting under a tree with his stick which was wrapped up on one end. Kiara looks back to the short blonde man who was about her height he had a bandana on his head with a charm hanging on one side it glinted in the light of the fire.
"I am Zeno" he says softly now looking back at Kiara with really nice blue eyes, Kiara felt caught up in them for a second, before she shook herself out of it.
"Thank you for giving me water and a place to stay for the night"
"No problem, when was the last time you ate?" Yoon asked Kiara was thinking about it when her stomach growled.
"Sorry" she said embarrassed to which they laughed.
"Don't worry we're used to stomach growls, here I have some rice balls" Yoon says getting some that were wrapped in leaves. Kiara felt so bad they were obviously very poor and they were giving her their food!
"I'm so sorry I have nothing to pay you with" she says as she's handed one.
"It's fine" Yoon says just as Jae-ha says.
"Well…" but he's hit in the gut by Kija ignoring that she tucks into the rice ball, and given another one when she's finished.
"Thank you so much I haven't met such nice travellers in a long time" she says as they sit around the fire.
"Where were you going so late at night?" Yona asks.
"I was kind of running away" Kiara admits a bit sheepishly.
"What about you?" she quickly asks.
"We don't have a real destination at the moment we're just travelling for now" Kiara smiles.
"That must be nice not having to be anywhere"
"Sometimes" Yona says but her eyes say something else but it's gone before Kiara can guess.
"Why were you running away?" Kija asks.
"Well I'm not running away forever just enough to, I don't really know, pretend it's not happening"
"What's not happening?" Yona asks, Kiara swallows, well it's not like I'm going to see them again.
"I'm getting married, it's an arranged married and I have to go meet him"
"Ohh" the group said none seeming to know what else to say.
"Yeah my father's been arranging it apparently for the past few months but only told me a few days ago and I ran away for a bit"
"I thought only nobles had arranged marriages in the Kai Empire" Hak says Kiara nods.
"You're a noble?" Yoon asks.
"You could say that" Kiara says.
"But I'm not your average noble's daughter either, I've travelled a lot I know a lot about the kingdom I can even defend myself, I love travelling and I hate staying in one spot for too long, you could say I'm restless but I love the adventure and now I'm being shipped into the Kouka Kingdom"
"You're being married to someone in the Kouka Kingdom?" Yona says.
"Yes and I've never met him, I just hear things, you hear a lot where I live and by travelling, word, especially gossip spreads like wild fire and I always talk to the right people to hear it"
"I like her" Jae-ha whispers.
"They say he's handsome, I've been told he's my age which is nineteen, he's an expert strategist and brave fighter…but sometimes I hear other things"
"Such as?" Hak asks.
"Well I heard he murdered his predecessor but I don't know if that's just some rumour that was made up or what, I don't want to get married in the first place, I don't want to be locked up in some fancy place for the rest of my life, I don't think that's living, I know I don't have the right to complain since my life is no doubt far better than most, but still…"
"It's okay to want something" Yona says with a kind smile.
"Thanks, you guys are the first people I've talked to about this"
"Wait did you run away days ago?" Yoon asked.
"Yes"
"Without food or water?!" he asks shocked.
"I was more focused on the leaving part than the provisions part of running away" Yoon looked shocked while Yona smiled as he started to fuss over Kiara saying 'you should eat more' and 'you need to take better care' and Kiara laughed for the first time in days.
"Are you okay Zeno? You're awfully quiet" Kija asks when the boys are back in the tent, Yoon as well, as the girl share the smaller tent.
"Yes, it's just that girl…reminds Zeno of someone from very long ago"
"Really?" Jae-ha asks looking over at the kid-looking dragon warrior.
"Yes" he says rolling over, no one says anything and they drift off to sleep.
Technically there are less words in this chapter, though it's still long, review!