To the side of the discussing group stood a young man. He wore a nondescript tunic and breeches, a turban like cloth around his dark curls, and simple sandals. On appearance, he looked like any other boy that would be seen around the town. All that marked him as different were the bright bracelets he wore around his wrists to signal his servitude. 

He stared uncertainly at the group as they discussed which path to take. He wasn't sure where they were going, but he needed to know when, so he could alert his mistress. Glancing sideways, the boy spotted the hooded woman through the crowd. She sat upon a bench on a far wall, her face obscured, her hands  neatly tucked beneath her shawl. She looked like any other waiting lady, from here. 

Why she was participating in this journey, the servant Rory didn't know. But he was getting good pay to accompany her. So he wouldn't question it. 

Rory put his attention back on the group before him, listening to the talk of boats and western roads. He'd never traveled far from Fort Washington in his fourteen years. The idea of doing so made him both nervous and excited. Another reason he wasn't questioning his mistress's desire to join them. In part, he hoped for a boat, as he'd never been on one. And it might be funny to watch his mistress get around on one. Rory smiled to himself for the amusing thought.

He heard the faint chime of a small bell, and Rory turned at once to walk towards his mistress. Guiltily, he wondered if she knew what he'd been imagining. She had a way of following his thoughts with unnatural accuracy. “Yes, Mistress?”

The head beneath the hood tilted ever so slightly. “What is taking them so long?”
“They're deciding which path to take, Mistress.” Rory said, his voice small. He didn't like when his mistress complained in public. 
She scoffed, her sneering face unseen. “This is poor planning.” She muttered. “You'd think a faction working for the king would have the foresight to pick a damned road.”
Rory looked around nervously. Most were paying attention to the unit in the courtyard, and not the hooded woman. “Mistress, I cannot hear their decision if I'm this far from them.” The boy said. “Shall I tell the lord you'd like to take a boat to the east?”
The woman sniffed beneath her hood. “I take no preference.” She insisted. “But in any case, a choice must be made. Tell them I'd take the third option. The boat to Kebek.” Rory frowned, unaware his mistress could hear their talk from this far.
“Yes, Mistress.” He said, bowing politely before he trudged back to the group to offer her opinion.