It was almost daylight before she started to come back to herself. The first thing she noticed was she seemed to have a heartbeat in her arm. Her mind struggled to determine the reason and then the memory of the attack came back. Slowly, she opened her eyes, blinking away the bleariness. To her left sat Obi, slumped forward and breathing softly. Her hand was lying limply in his lap, his fingers resting against her wrist as if to take her pulse yet again. Her gaze softened as she watched him sleep. He'd saved them all, and then tended to her as well as Garrack could have, given the circumstances. She winced slightly, the pain starting to seep back into her arm as the remnants of the medicine wore off. Obi startled awake, feeling her hand move in his lap.

"Shirayu- Miss!" he sputtered, capturing her small hand and wrapping it in both of his. His eyes met hers for the first time in what felt like an eternity. "How are you feeling? Are you in pain? Don't scare me like that." At the last bit, his voice broke. His eyes pinched shut, trying to wrestle his emotions down.

Shirayuki swallowed and tried to clear her throat, disuse and dryness silencing her, much to her frustration.

"Of course, water. Hold on a moment, Miss." Setting her hand down gently, he reached behind him and grabbed her waterskin. Slipping an arm carefully behind her shoulders, he eased her up to sitting and passed the skin to her. After a few mouthfuls, she handed it back to him.

"Thank you, Obi," she said quietly, "How long was I out?"

"Too long, Miss. You scared me half to death. You really should rethink your dosage. I thought… I thought I'd killed you for a moment." His hand tensed around her shoulders as the memory came flooding back to him. She had been so still in his arms. If not for the little breaths that had fluttered against his chest, he would have thought he was carrying a corpse.

Her good arm stretched up and her fingers lightly grazed his cheek, pulling him out of his moment of despair. "I'm here, I'm fine." Her broken arm took that moment to throb and she winced. "Well, mostly fine. Are you up to brewing me some medicine? I'm sure you've had a long day."

"Why of course, Miss. You know me, I've been itching to play doctor," he said with a wink, trying to find his footing again with her, the gentle teasing so natural to them that it was like breathing.

Despite his protests, she convinced him to help her to the campfire, calling out quiet directions for him to add in some willow bark, devil's claw, and bromelain, a mix that was sure to be one of her more bitter remedies. Once it was done, he poured it into a tin cup, blowing lightly across the surface to cool it before handing it over. Shirayuki wrinkled her nose, preparing herself before taking a sip. To her surprise, the bitterness was cut with some sweetness. Honey? When had he added that?

"How did you know to balance out the taste," she asked him, taking another sip and feeling her muscles ease.

"Why, Miss, after all this time of course I know how you take your drinks, otherwise what good would I be?"

"You are too good to me," she breathed, resolutely downing the rest of the cup.

Their light chatter had woken Mitsuhide. He sat up swiftly, dislodging Zen's foot, yet again.

"Shirayuki! You're awake!" This finally started Zen and he sat up, facing the forest instead of their camp.

"What? She's awake, where?" Zen turned around, seeing out the red-haired girl. To his relief, she was sitting up with her back resting against a tree. Some of the tension he had been carrying since the day before eased and he allowed himself a small smile. True, they may no longer be a couple, but she was still one of his dearest friends. It had pained him to see her hurt, to see her so still. Even when he had carried her to her tent the night before, she felt so light, so ready to leave them. And while she was still pale, seeing her sitting upright was a balm to his heart.

"Would you like me to send Kiki ahead to request a carriage?" There was still worry in his tone, unsure of how to get her to the castle with as little pain as possible.

Shirayuki smiled softly at him. He had grown so much since they had met. His penchant for showy arrivals and bold appearances had softened. Time had given him the chance to slow down, plan, and consider everyone around him before he took action.

"It'll be fine. Carriage, horse, either way it'll be bumpy. This way we'll get there sooner. I don't want to keep Raj waiting. Besides, Obi is here to take care of me." He didn't miss the fond look she passed over her guard. The hunch he'd had months ago solidified in his mind. His guard had a way with burrowing into the hearts of those around him.

"Alright then, we'll head out once Kiki wakes. Not a chance I'm waking her again. She nearly ripped my head off yesterday." Zen rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Her angry morning tirade still stung his ears and he was in no hurry to have a repeat.

A few hours later, the sun truly came up and the dappled light from the trees patterned over her commandeered tent finally woke the grouchy knight. Obi had already passed out the remaining rolls and brewed some strong tea. Shirayuki ate her roll slowly, residual pain churning her stomach occasionally. The herbs had dampened it, but it was still there. She knew from her time in the clinic that it would be at least a week of rest before the pain would start to ease. It would be well over a month before it would be healed. While she did not anticipate an extended stay, she did hope they would be able to remain in Tanbarun long enough for the worst of it to be over.

While the rest of the group packed up camp, she rested against her tree. Every time she attempted to get up to help, a different glare was leveled at her. Obi, to his credit, softened his by pushing the waterskin into her hand.

"Rest now, Miss. You'll have plenty of chances to be tough when we get to Tanbarun."

Shirayuki begrudgingly took the skin and rested it against her leg. As she watched them efficiently scrub the traces of their stay from the area, she took small sips. It would do her no good to get dehydrated on top of everything else, even if her stomach twisted after every drink. The combination of the herbal remedy on an empty stomach and the pain gave her a new respect for the soldiers she so often treated. It took them no time at all before they were ready to leave. Kiki gently helped her to the privacy of the bushes to take care of her personal needs before everyone mounted up. Obi swung onto his horse, ready to have this godsforsaken trip over. Between Zen and Mitsuhide, they managed to lever her up in front of him, taking as much care as they could not to jostle her arm. Once the prince and his attendant were mounted, they moved out, setting a gentle pace.

After the initial pain of moving around had eased, Shirayuki tried to settle back into her seat. She was used to riding double with Obi, but rarely in front of him. Her good hand flitted in front of her uselessly, trying to find something to rest on. A firm arm wrapped around her waist, holding her in place.

"It's alright, Miss, I won't let you fall," he rumbled behind her. "If you'd like, you can lean back and rest."

Despite her best efforts, fighting the pain and the nausea was wearing her down and she complied readily, relaxing back against him and resting her hand atop his arm. She closed her eyes and focused on taking deep, slow breaths, determined not to puke over the side of the horse. Each inhale brought with it the scent of leather, horse, and the crisp smell of the woods that trailed Obi wherever he went. The familiarity soothed her and she turned her head where it rested under his chin, her nose questing for another whiff. Obi's eyes followed the direction of her head.

"Do you see something, Miss?" he asked, tensing slightly.

"Oh, um, no," she coughed lightly, face reddening. "I just… I thought I might try to sleep. If that's ok, that is." She mentally slapped herself over her quick lie.

"Then sleep it is," he answered, mouth quirked up. "Doctor's orders."

Shifting slightly, he settled back further in the saddle and eased her more fully against him. Shirayuki closed her eyes obediently, though she doubted she would be able to fall asleep. The throbbing in her arm was dulled slightly by the herbs he had brewed her this morning, The only thing that would give her true rest was the new medicine she had made. She didn't dare suggest it after his reaction this morning. The anguish in his eyes had been enough to dissuade her from experimenting on herself again, even if it had been necessary at the time.

After a few moments of trying to pretend to sleep, Shirayuki sighed and opened her eyes. The castle was visible in the distance, but she estimated it would be afternoon at the very least before they made it there.

"No luck?" She heard a frown in his voice.

"No luck," she sighed. "Can you talk to me, distract me?"

"Distract you? Why Miss, we're in public!"

"Oh hush! You're horrible!"

Obi's laugh rang out and Zen turned slightly in his saddle, looking at his friend and her guard. His heart squeezed painfully for a moment, forgetting that she was not his and wondering, not for the first time, if her heart already belonged to another.