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HONORA KEPT A firm hold on the briefcase in her hands as the carriage shook and trembled over every stone they hit. She sighed, letting her eyes drift from the lace curtains obstructing her view of the dirt roads outside to her silent friend in the seat across from her. Belle pursed her lips, pretending not to notice Honora anxiously moving on her bench.
The brunette smoothed out her brown dress pants, pulling on her sleeves, before ultimately letting the guilt consume her whole.
"Bella, look. I'm sorry, I . . ."
"Don't." Honora looked up from her lap. Her eyebrows drew down and together ever so slightly, pinched with confusion. "Forget it, shall we. A trouble so small is not worth our time."
Honora - concerned - hesitated. "Only if it is what you wish."
Belle smiled, leaning forward to grab the girl's hand. "It is."
Honora let her lips curl, her hand tightening around her friend's palm. She held it there, steady. Like the steady beat of her heart. A steady beat that Honora only presumed matched with Belle's. She had never been so unknowingly wrong.
Honora pulled away after a moment or two of just staring, letting a toying smirk crawl up her lips as she looked at Lady Belle's choice of clothing. "I see you went for the horse-riding look, today. Convenient choice."
Belle rolled her eyes, but laughed nevertheless. "It was all I could find in such a short time. I never knew how early guards had to rise. Ridiculous. I must see that change."
"Bella," Honora laughed softly, almost empathetically. "They must. To help protect this colony, they must be awake to do so. They cannot break up a brawl in their sleep."
Earlier that morning, Honora had stopped by Belle's house to pack all the ether equipment into a bag to take to the hospital. Belle had insisted she be taken into town with the girl so she could stop by the public works office. While Honora had been hesitant at first, aware that the guards could often be egotistical pigs towards even the highest of ladies in their society, the underlying reassurance that her brother would be present was what convinced her. She knew Belle could stand her ground, but against fifty men constantly targeting her? That was enough to tear even the strongest of people apart.
