The Weeds & Herbs
The Prince's words from that morning still followed Cassandra's steps as she made her way across the camp. Evin followed her, but both were silent. At times, she wondered if she was just living in a dream. In her dream, everything would suddenly end when she opened her eyes and found herself sleeping in a cold cell of the Emperor's Arena again, or back in Lyria's slave room. However, the cold on her cheeks was real, and so was the snow under her footsteps. Cassandra didn't want to think too much about it. She missed having a friend to talk to, and Evin probably wasn't a good replacement.
It had been only two days since she came to the Camp, but she felt the lack of another feminine presence. Cassandra often thought of the other girls from the Castle, wondering how they were doing, if their life had gotten better without the Governor there. She didn't really dare to ask the Prince when they would be going back. He had already made an extra trip to bring her here.
That was another reason why she wanted to keep herself busy.
Cassandra wasn't totally unhappy in the camp. She was discovering many things she had never seen before, and was basically free to go anywhere she wanted. Her red dress, and the imperial servant following her, were enough of an explanation for the men who had never seen her before, and even a few high-ranked soldiers took time to salute her politely when she crossed their paths. It was clear that no one really knew how to interact with her, though. For the Third Prince to actually have a Concubine was already surprising enough; no one really wanted to ask more. The rumors about the Palace concubines' legendary attitudes and willfulness was enough to keep most men at bay.
Cassandra was actually able to enjoy her walk all the way to the mountain, as soon as she had stopped thinking about the Prince's request that morning.
Once she got to the Red Room, however, quite a surprise was waiting for her. About three times more men than the previous day were all helping around the room, and there was obviously a lot going on, with people moving the injured in or out of the room. She stayed at the entrance, a bit surprised, when four of them rushed to her.
"Good Morning, Madam!"
"Good Morning...Excuse me, but... how come so many people are...volunteering today?" she asked, a bit unsure, while Evin took off her fur cloak.
One of the men stepped forward. Cassandra recognized him as one of those who were present the previous day.
"Actually, once we got back to our units, we talked with some others about what we had done, madam, and many wanted to come and help. The word kind of spread quickly, and even the men who had punitions asked to be sent here."
"I see..."
Cassandra was at bit of a loss. She didn't expect so many people to show up after only one day!
"Madam, we are almost at the end of your notes, and we have counted everyone and reported their status, as you said," the man announced proudly. "We already asked for permission to use the closest rooms and started moving some people, following your notes. Do you want to check?"
"Yes, uh..."
It took a few minutes for Cassandra to get a hold of the situation and move forward, while the men were apparently waiting for her directions. Taking a deep breath, she took a look at the full list that they had done their best at completing while she was gone.
"All right, I will... Wait, everyone stop what you're doing!"
Every man in the room looked at her, surprised. Cassandra, remembering this morning's conversation with the Prince, couldn't leave things as they were.
