Someone had untied the ropes sometime before dawn, while Rama slept in the fitful, half-alert way he'd trained his body into years ago and never fully lost. He noticed the absence at his wrists before he noticed the light.
Nobody mentioned it. Indra simply nodded once, when Rama caught his eye across the breaking camp, and went back to directing his men toward the horses.
That was the whole conversation. It told Rama everything he needed to know about where they currently stood — not trusted, not yet, but no longer categorized as a threat requiring restraint either. Somewhere in between, and somewhere in between was considerably better than where they'd started.
