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Realistic or Modern Night’s Embrace | Private |

(Ok! All good, hope you enjoy yourself! :3)

Ephovia's expression turned disturbed as Rose explained that Emory had made a deal with Iulla, "W-wait, he made a deal with her?! Is he mad?" Was he a fool? The blue of her eyes grew anxious as she looked down at the floor beneath them. That seemed to be on the same level of Thaywn if that was the case, then was he going to be used in the same way as the case in Avrune all those centuries ago? They didn't have any time to waste then! "Honestly, the more you tell me, the more nervous I'm getting about this situation." She admitted with a nervous bit of laughter, what state was the man in to begin with anyways? The way Rose had spoken about it made it seem like it was quite terrible... if that was the case, Ephovia was glad that she had already eaten hours before. The woman always did have quite the weak stomach.

Forcing her gaze back up to gaze at Rose, she heaved a sigh of relief that she would comply accordingly to taking care of herself. As gifted as Ephovia was, she didn't think she could take care of two injured or sick people at once, there was only so much mana she could expend. "Good, because I have a feeling that I'm going to need to use a lot of my mana to help Lord May." Following after Rose, Ephovia too had given Roúlle a quick bow as she passed before hurrying her steps to try and match Rose's, her anxiety building within her chest with each passing second as they moved through the familiar hall and back out into the courtyard where a horse was waiting for them. Ephovia's eyes shifted upward to the skies then, trying to keep a mental note on how much time had passed before Rose's voice had interrupted her thoughts, relief filtering in her chest that the ride at least to Dusk's Respite would be easy, "That's good news at least."

Waiting patiently, Ephovia had settled in behind Rose as soon as she had readied everything, her arms carefully settling and holding onto Rose as tightly as she could, though her eyes widened as she stared down from her spot on the stallion's back. T-they were rather high up weren't they? The mention of Emory's sentries had made the woman's throat tighten up in response, a tingle of fear going down her spine. Considering that Emory had a run in with Agrius, wouldn't these sentries try to attack her on sight? Hopefully having Rose with her would help ease whatever situation they might find themselves in. "R-right, thank you for telling me." It was better for her to be able to get as much information as possible anyways prior to arriving. She just hoped she wouldn't find a blade in her back. "O-oh, right, thank you Rose!" She spoke Rose's name with haste, feeling that was a bit odd that she wanted her to refer to her so familiarly, but Ephovia wouldn't question it for now.

Panic immediately surged through Ephovia as soon as the stallion had begun to move, keeping her grip tight on Rose before her as she buried her face in her back, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. In all honesty, this was the only time Ephovia had dared to ride horseback, and even if she held no grudge against Rose for going fast, the experience was terrifying. With the rocking of the beast below them and the rather quick pace, it made her feel as if she was going to fall from the saddle. Her jaw clenched tightly, squeezing her eyes shut tighter until it hurt. It was only when their pace had finally slowed had the mage hesitantly opened her eyes as she slowly peered over Rose's shoulder toward the mansion before them, her eyes nearly popping out of her skull as she whispered, "How.. pretty." The May manor was always very impressive, but considering the morning light that was beginning to settle upon it, it almost made Ephovia forget for a mere second that she was an unwelcome guest here.

Feeling an intense gaze upon her, the mage turned her head around quickly as she nearly toppled out of the saddle from the mere movement alone, though quick to try and scramble down as fast as her now sore legs could carry her as she huffed out a breath, only for her to feel more eyes behind her causing her to nearly let out a squeak of panic as another sentry had seemingly came out of nowhere behind her. What in the world was wrong with these people? How could they move so quietly?! At Rose's explanation, Ephovia was quick to move back to Rose's side as she hesitantly spoke, "U-um, I-I'm sorry if I... er... alarmed you all." She cast a quick and nervous glance at each of the unmoving men and women now surrounding them, their silence making her very uncomfortable until one of them moved toward Rose, bowing his head to her before grabbing hold of Echo, another being swift to grab the bags from the saddles while the other sentries had returned to their posts, causing Ephovia to nearly collapse on the spot out of relief, only to realize once again that she was being left behind which caused her to hurry after Rose and the sentry who was holding the rest of the bags.

Upon reaching the inside of the mansion, Ephovia immediately was assaulted by the smell of illness and a cold chill in the air. Freezing almost immediately, she whispered, "What in Avrune's name...?" It was... everywhere. Her eyes began to glow softly so she could get a better look, black tendrils of mana was flowing slowly about the mansion, causing goosebumps to flow over her skin. Her gaze settled then upon where it was coming from, centered from Emory's room which caused her eyebrows to furrow as she forced herself to take in a deep breath and exhaled, though realizing once more the sentry holding the bags was staring at her as if she'd grown a second head, she stammered, "U-um, I'm sorry. I'm just... I had to look to see how bad his condition is! The... magical side at least." This resulted in the sentry's eyes narrowing only for her to receive no response once more as the man continued walking to Emory's room, knocking upon the door in a few swift taps.

Ephovia quickly scrambled up the stairs at that, settling within the hall as far back as she could as the door slowly opened, and Mathias's familiar face peered through, "...Who is it?" The sentry responded in return, "Lady Barclay has returned with supplies and..." He trailed off, looking to now Ephovia's pale face and glowing blue eyes, "...A mage." Mathias's eyes immediately tightened as he spoke coldly, "Absolutely not. I'm not about to allow him to come into contact with someone who can harm him. Is she even trustworthy? Did Lady Barclay even check if she-"

"M...Mathias." A weak voice, icy in tone had caused the man to freeze as he looked over his shoulder, the door being forced open further, "L-Lord May..?"
...​
Emory's head was pounding, sweat coating his skin and making it feel as if his head was beginning to spin. He had been trying to sleep, only for incessant whispers beginning to creep into his mind, although they were all too incoherent. Leave me be... He wanted to scream those words, to try and cover his ears to prevent the whispers from increasing in volume. Where were they coming from? Why couldn't he have any peace of mind?! His body ached, trembling not only from the intensity of the fever that was taking its course, but the injuries that had flayed his skin. Thankfully, the sentry from earlier along with Mathias had tended to his injuries with what little salve they had on hand as well as try their best to apply fresh bandages, but at this point the bandages were already very much ruined.

Grunting, he heard movement from Mathias within the room, "Mathias...?" The name slipped past his voice weakly, hearing footsteps and voices beginning to grace his ears as he forced himself up, his body not desiring to do so however, the stiffness of death having not been chased away completely from his body as he slung his legs over the edge up the bed just as Mathias was beginning to scold whoever it was on the other side of the door. "M...Mathias." He forced his voice to be a bit louder, the hoarseness having not left as the man shakily surged to his feet, immediately being hit with agony and discomfort as the room spun, but through either stubbornness or willpower alone, "Need I remind you of your place? Do not step out of line." The sentry had withered quickly underneath the intensity of Emory's gaze, despite the man quite literally looking like he was on death's door, the intimidation he forced in his tone was enough to make the sentry step out of the way, revealing Emory in full.

The man was slightly swaying on his feet, having at least pulled on some pants to cover himself as well as all the injuries upon his thighs, his torso and arms were completely wrapped in tight bandages. The pale pallor to his face seemed to have gotten worse, along with the dullness to his eyes having not changed. Slowly, he took a step as he leaned against the door frame for support, his breathing being ragged and weak though there was no emotion that truly changed the man's face as it settled upon Ephovia, "...Who the hell are you?" The lack of friendliness in his tone was obvious, icy and almost hostile. But, Emory wasn't in the mood to entertain visitors, nor did he want to be touched by anyone either. This woman screamed of magic, and knowing she was a mage had made his mood sour. Observing her shaking before him had caused the skin around Emory's eyes to tighten, eyes narrowing at her in suspicion as Ephovia had spoken, "I-I'm E-E-Ephovia, I was the one w-who sent the... l-letter. T-the mage from Avrune!" She stammered her words quickly upon seeing that the word letter had seemed to cause Emory's jaw to clench, her glowing blue eyes seeming to glow with more intensity perhaps out of fear.

"..Hm." Ah, right... the one that said she wanted to help him. He'd completely forgotten. Emory heaved a heavy breath, his eyes sweeping over the sentry who was standing with bags as well as Rose. There was no relief in his expression, no joy, an emptiness that seemed to persist as Emory could feel the whispers beginning to start up again, causing his head to pound. "...Do what you will." Did he truly care anymore? No, he didn't. And that seemed to reflect in the lack of emotion in his tone as he slowly returned back to his bed, wheezing slightly with every intake of breath until he eventually settled upon the bed, though it seemed even sitting caused the man immense pain evident from the brief spasm that went through him as he sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth, the muscles in his arms tensing in response as he struggled to hold onto consciousness from the agony that was quick to remind him how battered his body was.
 
thank you!! <3 ))

The tension that Rose held in her shoulders eased slightly as the sentries that had been surrounding them either moved to help or went back to their posts. She would’ve preferred to make the moment much simpler by explaining what all occurred on her trip to the kingdom, but she knew there were prying ears listening. She didn’t dare was to give away information that would warn Iulla of what was occurring. She had no doubts the god would already be unhappy that anyone was tending to Emory, not that she truly cared what the wretched being thought. Even if she continued to threaten the man, she would do everything in her power to make sure that he lived. She adjusted the one bag she held in her arms, the weight of it beginning to cause a strain. She was honestly quite surprised that her own body hadn’t collapsed under the stress that had tightened its hold on her. She supposed adrenaline had been pumping through her veins for a bit of time, urging her to go on.

She blinked and lifted her gaze at the familiar sound of Emory’s voice, though he didn’t sound any better than he had before. There was faint shuffling in the room and it seemed as though Matthias finally stepped aside. Part of her mind wanted to scold the sentry for not trusting her enough to realize she would never do anything to harm Emory. In fact, it was growing very clear she would do anything in her power to help the young lord. She was running herself ragged trying to care for him. From the affair at the Black Market to the trip to the kingdom, she really was doing all she could. Her eyes fell upon Emory as he leaned against the doorframe. The smell of sickness wafted to her nose, recognizing it immediately. She scanned him over a few times as she knew the symptoms he was experiencing. They were the ones she had gone through many times during her own life.

She didn’t bother interrupting the interaction that Ephovia and Emory shared, though she could tell the poor mage was rather intimidated by the man. The one thing that caused a surge of pain in her chest was the lack of emotion in which he did everything. It wasn’t unlike how he had been when she first arrived at the manor, but it had been ages since she had seen him so… empty. That was the one word that came to her mind as she slowly stepped inside of the room. “You shouldn’t have stood. You should’ve stayed in the bed to rest. You are in no condition to be moving around.” Her words held the concern that was beginning to twist the exhaustion present on her face. She placed the bag down carefully on the chair that she had placed by his bedside a few days prior. Her legs were shaking slightly from the length of the ride, but she ignored the aching as she knew it would take a bit of time to fully tend to Emory.

She carefully opened the bag and dug around for a few moments until she pulled out two viles of medicine. “This one is for the fever and this one is for the illness. My father used to have these especially made for the intense nature of my illnesses, so they should work wonders on you. I have a few for pain as well, but those mix better with tea.” She offered as she slowly stepped to his bedside. She desperately wanted to reach out and grasp ahold of his hand like she had many times before. She worried that he might quiver under her touch though, so she restrained. “I have fresh bandages and plenty of salve as well. I made sure that I had enough to last us quite a long time.” She added as she unscrewed the viles of medicine she held. The gentle spasms that took ahold of his body caused her to briefly wince, though she was quick to stop herself from doing anything else of the sort. He was the one close to death’s door, not her. She reminded herself of such as she brought the viles to his lips for him to drink.

The amount of medicine wasn’t much and thankfully it was rather flavorless. She screwed the lids back on once he was finished and then placed them onto the bedside table. She turned her head to look to Ephovia then. “I am going to go make some tea for both you and him. It shouldn’t take me long, but please do tend to him while I am downstairs.” Her words were gentle, eyes glowing with the anguish this situation was beginning to make her feel. She glanced to Emory once more before she moved from the room. Her steps were light as she walked past Matthias and down the staircase. She made her way towards the kitchen then. She steps slowly came to a halt as she caught a glance of her own reflection in one of the windows. It had been days since she had been able to properly care for herself. Between the stress and her odd sleeping schedule, it had taken a great toll of her own appearance.

She had to admit that she truly looked terrible. Her eyes held no light, the green darker and duller than she had ever seen them before. Freckles of red cut across the whites of her eyes from the tears she shed as well as the whip of the wind into them during their ride there. Her eyes seemed like they had sunken into her face due to the darkness of the skin beneath them. She looked as though she hadn’t slept in days. Her cheekbones were a bit more prominent and her eyebrows seemed to have taken hold of a light pinch that caused soft lines on her forehead. Her hair was rather messy, strands sticking out from the rushed braid she had thrown it into. Her lips parted, almost as though she were about to say something. Instead, she just shook her head and began to walk once more. She wouldn’t allow herself to dwell over such unnecessary things when Emory needed her help.

She soon made her way into the kitchen and set a teakettle to start. She grabbed two cups, one for Emory and one for Ephovia. She placed the tea leaves in both cups before she leaned against the counter as she waited for the water to heat. She knew she should grab something to eat while she waited, but the thought of forcing food into her stomach after not having eaten for so long made her feel sick. She glanced to the bread that Viola must’ve brought in yesterday before shaking her head slightly at the urge. She straightened up when she heard the gentle whistling of the tea kettle. She removed it carefully from the fire before she poured water into both of the cups. She then quickly returned back to the bedroom. She placed both of the cups on the bedside table once she was there, pouring the vile of pain medicine into one.
 
Rose's words to scold him caused the man to stare blankly at her, the hollowness to his eyes only sparking faint irritation before dying out just as quickly, losing his previous spirit of independence alarmingly quick. There was no point in wasting energy try to argue his point, especially when Rose herself looked just as bad as he. "..." The only verbal response was a faint exhale as he tried his best to hide his discomfort in sitting, his chest heaving a bit with struggling to bring breath into his lungs, his posture slumping as his position changed to where he was nearly doubled over, his breathing settling on wheezing as Rose approached with the bag of supplies.

Emory's head tilted upward to watch Rose with care as she approached with the bag of supplies, seeing the vials in hand made his blood quicken in his veins and his breath to increase in pace. However, he forced himself to relax as she had begun to explain what the medicine was for: medicine to make him feel better. His eyes lowered to the ground, no acknowledgement leaving his lips as she approached with the vial and had prompted for him to drink. Normally, Emory would have protested, but considering drugs had been pushed down his throat so many times before, his body wasn't even thinking of resisting, lips parting wordlessly as the tasteless liquid slid down his throat. Once it was done, Emory had to suppress a cough from leaving him as he felt Ephovia's gaze getting heavier with each passing second causing him to finally turn to meet her gaze, though seeing her expression was one of almost anguish had almost made him question why she was looking at him in such a way.

Before the question could even leave his lips, Rose had spoken which caused Ephovia to respond quickly, her voice quieter out of consideration for Emory, "Yes, I shall. Thank you." As Rose had left, Ephovia had stepped forward with a hesitant smile upon her face, "U-um, Lord May? Or should I call you Emory?" The man stared blank-eyed at the mage only to finally speak, "Refer to me how you'd like. It doesn't matter." His empty response caused a flash of sympathy to cross Ephovia's face as she crouched down before him, "R-right. Emory then! Ah-hem..." She cleared her throat as her eyebrows furrowed, the man feeling her glowing eyes trailing upon his trembling body, "Emory... I'm going to need to see the extent of your injuries if I'm going to treat them. From what I can see, they're afflicted with black magic... s-so I'm going to have to touch you, is that okay?"

The man visibly tensed at the question, only for his limbs to quickly give out as he murmured, "Go ahead." Ephovia's eyebrows furrowed as she frowned at him in response, seeing a faint trembling in his body as a result and the slight increase in his breathing being one of obvious fear. "Right then... this may hurt a little bit, so please bear with me." Emory didn't respond, his dull eyes settled elsewhere as Ephovia had gently grabbed hold on the edge of the soiled bandages, beginning to peel them away as carefully as she could; however due to the mix of sweat, blood and the now dried salve on his injuries, unfortunately the bandages pulled at them causing little sounds of pain to be emitted from Emory's lips, "..A-agh.. ngh..." He struggled to hold back his little groans of pain as Ephovia visibly grimaced, "I-I know, I'm sorry." The process was painfully slow, perhaps due to Ephovia trying her best not to cause him excess pain and the sounds slipping his throat made the woman feel even worse.

Emory's chest was heaving as the bandages finally fell away from around his torso, his eyes half-lidded as a fresh sheen of sweat had settled upon his skin. He was trembling from head to toe, his injuries on full display before Ephovia which caused the woman to softly gasp, her hands hesitantly reaching out to touch the very little bits of unmarred skin, granted even the skin around the injuries were red, inflamed. "O-oh gods... what had she done to you? How are you still..." She trailed off, looking into the man's empty eyes, his breathing becoming grating against her own ears, though her eyes dropped to the tint of more bandages around his waist and covered up by his pants, causing the woman's expression to visibly tense. He sustained injuries down there as well?! I.. I'll leave that to Lady Barclay. After all, Ephovia was just a guest.. she couldn't possibly ask the man to remove his pants as well even if there were more injuries there. It would be improper, and she would rather preserve his modesty as best as she could.

Emory grunted as Ephovia's hands slowly began to brush against his skin, her mana sparking to life upon her fingertips as the intensity to her glowing eyes had increased. Of course, her touch felt alien, nor did he very much enjoy it, goosebumps flaring to life upon his skin as he trembled underneath the thin, gentle fingers. His mind was expecting for her nails to dig into his wounds, to once more make him bleed, or perhaps ruin further the skin upon his stomach and torso, to not leave a single unmarred space behind. His jaw clenched as his dull eyes settled upon her slow progress, granted he didn't bother to stop her despite the fear twisting his stomach in knots. Considering he had numbed himself as best as he could, he would not act on his fear, otherwise if he had - that would only lead to disastrous results.

Eventually, his head raised slowly as he heard the clink of teacups, though Ephovia didn't seem to react as she was fixated on the many painful injuries lining Emory's front before she would move to his back to see the wounds he gained there, his eyes settled upon the tea for a few seconds, but they didn't raise to meet Rose's gaze, instead his fingers dug into the bed as a sudden hiss left his lips as Ephovia pressed a bit too hard against the horrid injury crossing his abdomen, tears springing to Emory's eyes as Ephovia's eyes widened, "I-I'm so sorry! Are you alright!?" Emory sucked in a sharp breath, struggling to fight the tears from slipping free down his cheeks as he rasped, "..Yes.. just.. hurry up.." Unfortunately for him, the tears had slipped regardless as Ephovia's expression twisted with guilt, "R-right, I'm sorry.. I'm almost done, I swear."
 
There was something about the emptiness behind Emory’s eyes that chilled her to the bone. Despite the air in the room feeling rather warm due to both his fever and his wounds, she still found herself shivering at the lack of emotion he sent her way. She understood that it came out of an area to protect himself and considering the vast amount of wounds that covered his body, she understood why. She just wished he would meet her gaze. Even if the gold was dull and nowhere near what it usually was, it would be the slightest bit of reassurance that she needed. She wouldn’t ever voice it, but her life felt as though it was beginning to spiral. Each day was slipping farther and farther out of her control. There were too many uncertainties that caused a bundle of anxiety to form in her chest. The slightest jab to it only caused it to grow more. The panic attack she had the day before had been a result of the anxiety combining with her concern for Emory. Her fingers shook at the thought while she pulled the empty vial back from the tea, moving the teacup carefully to the side for Emory later.

She forced her attention off of the young lord, the gentle sounds of pain emitting from his throat enough to make her feel like she was suffocating. She couldn’t stand the idea that she very well might lose him. With all that was happening in the developing situation, the other male might end up slipping away from her without there being anything she could do to stop it. She bit her tongue gently in order to not let the words threatening to spill from her mouth out. She had no doubts that Iulla would probably be checking in sometime with Emory, if she wasn’t already listening in on the moment. She hated keeping him in the dark about such matters, but it was the best for everyone in that moment. She glanced towards him finally only to hear the gentle hiss of pain and the tears beginning to stream down his cheeks. Her own expression immediately fell at the sight.

“It’s alright Emory. When she is done you can have the tea and that should help with the residual pain.” She confessed, her voice quiet. Her hands gently clasped together in front of herself as she stood there, shoulders slouched more than she had ever allowed them to before. She almost felt like a child once more, about to tell her father that she had gotten into trouble. She hated feeling as small as she did in that moment. She took a few steps back from the bed in order to give Emory as much space as he could possibly want, knowing that he would probably begin to feel overcrowded with all of them there. She turned her head in order to surgery the room while she did so. It didn’t take long until her eyes fell on the small spot of dried blood on the wooden floor.

That anxiety wiggled around in her chest, immediately recognizing where it had come from. The image of Emory’s lifeless body was etched into her mind. She could vividly see the life leave the golden hue of his irises, hear his body slamming against the floor as it dropped, limp. The panic began to grow once more as she tried to remind herself she wasn’t there once more, that it was only just a memory. His shoulders raised as they tensed, hands falling to her sides. Her eyes stayed on the spot upon the floor, lips slowly parting. Words were waiting to be spoken but nothing other than a quiet gasp left her. Her breathing began to quicken as her chest rose and fall in pace with it. She tried to catch herself when it started in order to prevent any attention being taken from Emory. She didn’t need for anyone to be worrying for her when the most important thing was healing the young lord at that time.

She cleared her throat gently and shook her head slightly. “I will be right back.” She mumbled, moving to make her way from the room once more. She closed the door most of the way behind her, taking a place leaning against the wall next to it. She worked to calm her breathing to the best of her ability, refusing to allow her memories to get the best of her. It wasn’t as though this wasn’t something she had done before. It was exactly the same thing she forced herself to do when she had realized just who Blaine was. She kept herself as calm and composed as she possibly could be while he did everything in his power to break her down. She brought a trembling hand up to rub at her eyes, leaning her head back slightly as she did so. “Yvrè help us. Please.” She whispered a soft prayer to the goddess. She couldn’t recall the last time she had done such a thing, but it would grant her the slightest of reassurances.

She slowly pushed herself away from the wall before her eyes fell to Matthias. She hadn’t truly ever gotten the chance to speak to the sentry like she had the others under Emory’s control. It seemed as though he hated every single thing that she did. “I know you do not like me and that you haven’t from the moment that I stepped foot in this mansion. I can understand why you hold these feelings towards me. I know there are things that I have done that are reckless and have endangered many. I know that I have gotten a few of your friends killed. There is nothing I can possibly say or do that will erase those actions.” Her voice was the calmest it had been since she arrived back to the estate with Ephovia. “But I love Emory immensely Matthias. Everything that I am doing now is to help him. I would greatly appreciate it if you could find it somewhere in yourself to try trusting me as it would make my life a lot easier right now.” She confessed, the trembling of her hands still not stopping from before. “You do not have to like me, but I have every intention of doing everything within my power to help that man whether you wish to help me or not.” She stated, her voice growing a bit firmer.
 
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Ephovia's pace in examining Emory's wounds had quickened, not desiring to take up too much time nor make the man squirm any further in pain, however from what she could see of his injuries, the black magic seeping from them was all too obvious before her eyes, this even had been confirmed with the wounds on his back as well, tendrils of black magic clinging to his injuries which made her expression twist in sympathy. The amount of pain he was going through was probably unspeakable, so she needed to do as much as she could to help him as quick as possible. Of course, Ephovia's gaze finally shifted upward to Rose as she had spoken to excuse herself, spotting the expression on her face had made Ephovia nod her head in understanding, "Take all the time you need." This no doubt was rough on the two of them, she wouldn't pressure Rose to linger while she continued her examination of the man.

Turning her gaze back to Emory's injuries, she took in a breath and exhaled, "Let me know if this becomes too much for you to handle. I'm going to try pouring a bit of mana into you, purifying your wounds will take time, so I'll only do the ones on your back for now." Ephovia paused as she waited for an answer from the man, though when she received none, the woman had settled before him once more, "Emory? Do you hear me?" The man's glazed over eyes seemed faraway once more, causing the woman to wave her hand in front of his face, "Emory? Emory!" She raised her voice a bit to try and get a reaction from the man, any sort of acknowledgement as concern surged in her chest. The man blinked a few times then, his gaze finally settling upon Ephovia with some sort of spark of acknowledgement coming to briefly flicker in his eyes, although his pain-filled breathing hadn't ceased as he croaked out, "..Alright."

Emory's mind had been assaulted by incessant whispering in the moments that Ephovia had been speaking to him, her voice being nothing more than idle chatter compared to the rumbling voices beginning to demand for his attention within his own mind. Truly, was he actually beginning to go mad now? Where were these things coming from? Nonetheless, the man braced himself for Ephovia to begin, the woman's expression seeming truly doubtful for a few seconds only to move behind the man as she had gently pressed her hands to some of the injuries upon Emory's back, prompting the man to quiver underneath her touch as mana slowly began to flow into the wound. At first it felt like someone had just thrown ice-cold water over wherever her fingers touched, causing Emory to nearly want to go away from her hand, but soon a pleasant warmth had begun to sink into him, causing the previous intense aching of his injuries to be soothed as a light sigh left his lips then, his muscles slowly relaxing in the immense relief beginning to flow over him from head to toe. By the time Ephovia was done, Emory's expression seemed slightly more relaxed... but even to the mage it seemed like she wasn't too sure, as Emory's expression didn't seem to change much.

"Are you feeling better?" He heard her question, the whispers within his head having subsided to mere background noise within his mind as he nodded his head at the woman, seeing her expression brighten with relief, "G-good! Great even! Now, let's see to it that you get the rest of your medicine. I would tend to the rest of your injuries now but..." Emory observed as the woman's expression grew sheepish, "I would run out of mana, and that's a big problem that I want to avoid, especially here." The woman then stood as she moved over to where Rose had placed the teacup designated for Emory, humming as she brought it before the man as she murmured softly, "Careful, it's still hot." Emory's numb fingers took hold of the cup, not even truly feeling the extent of the heat as he brought it to his lips and drained the cup, much to Ephovia's astonishment as he didn't even so much as flinch. "A-are you alright?"

Emory's blank eyes settled on the woman, "Why wouldn't I be?" The mage's expression seemed incredulous for a few seconds, only for her to shake her head, "N-nevermind! As long as you've taken it, it shouldn't be any of a problem." Ephovia gently took the cup from his hands then, placing the now empty teacup on the table, though Emory observed how her gaze was lingering on the cup of tea that was still remaining as she seemed to be struggling, her eyebrows furrowing as she finally spoke, "..How many times have you died?"

The question made Emory's expression tense, a coldness coming to his eyes as the mage's eyes settled upon him, her sympathetic gaze feeling searing as he spoke coldly, "What sort of question is that?" Ephovia's eyebrows furrowed in response as she clasped her hands together before her, "..Necromancy is one of the forbidden arts reserved to black magic... considering whoever had done this to you had brought you back only once, I would've expected the black magic oozing from your body to be very slight, b-but... even as I was trying to purify your injuries it... well...There's still too much in your body for it to be normal. And considering you're not reacting to heat or..." Emory's gaze settled upon his own hands, clasping them together before him as the numbness still stuck to his fingertips, his heavy breathing filling the heavy silence between them.

"...I lost count." He finally let the words slip from his lips, the single sentence causing Ephovia's eyes to grow wide as she whispered, "W-what?" Emory's dull eyes finally lifted to meet her own, the hollowness there causing the woman to visibly shiver, "I. Lost. Count. Does that satisfy you?" He shook his head as he lowered his gaze back to his hands, a trembling beginning within his arms, "I.. I can't remember too much, it's... all a haze." A haze that his mind was perhaps protecting him from, being slaughtered repeatedly by that woman only to be brought back into the world, his fatal wounds being forced to heal, only to be tortured to death again... he didn't want to remember more than necessary.

He barely heard Ephovia whisper something, though the mage had shook her head as soon as he looked up at her, the woman hastily straightening up as she forced her tone to be brighter, although Emory had not a clue why she would bother for someone like him. "I'll be back, do you want Rose here with you?" Rose... The thought of the woman still stirred no immediate emotion within his chest, but after a few seconds, if only after his sluggish mind had caught up with the rest of him, had the man nodded his head slowly which caused Ephovia to smile at him, "Alright, I'll see if I can get her." With that, the woman had strode out of the room, leaving Emory on his own, shivers once more wracking the man's body as his arms wrapped around his middle, his eyes settled once more upon the floor as it didn't seem he was going to be moving anytime soon.
...​
Mathias's head turned to Rose as she had spoken to him, the man having been standing, sinking in his own anxiety regarding his fallen master. Of course, Rose's words had managed to cause the usually stoic man's expression to twist as a flicker of anger managed to spark to his eyes. "...You love him?" The words were spoken icily, incredulously as he stared at her in close to disbelief as he clicked his tongue, "Spare me. Even if your actions have came from a place of 'love', all you've done was get underfoot and cause unnecessary heartache for him. Can you honestly tell me that you running off on your own without permission to Freycrest was out of 'love' for him? Or even making him lose two of his best sentries because of your foolish actions; which of course is putting him at a greater security risk." His hands clenched into tight fists as he grew more agitated, "...And because of you, because he loves you, he... he's.." His teeth clenched tighter together as he lowered his gaze to the wooden floorboards, sucking in a sharp breath as he exhaled sharply, forcing his emotions to cool before the anguish could even so much as fully cross his face. No need to allow himself to show too much emotion now, not when he had conducted himself with care for so many years.

"..Not liking you is an understatement. I hate you, wholeheartedly." The words were icy as he finally met her gaze, hatred burning in the depths as clear as day, although the rest of his expression was calm to contrast the emotions raging behind his dark brown eyes, hands clasping tightly behind his back as he lowered his eyes once more from her gaze, considering her words in silence only to shake his head once more, "Why should I put my faith in you? You who has shown only incompetence? Please, spare me from your weak vows. All I see in you is weakness, what power do you possibly have?" His expression tightened, a bit of pain flowing through as he sighed, the exhale of breath being very much heavy, "...I do not wish for Lord May to die... please, don't let him die." The anguish had returned in his tone, a bit more genuine and raw than before, but this was as far as he was going to give her in any words regarding putting any trust in her. Turning away from her, Mathias had cleared his throat, settling back into the usual professionalism he was supposed to be conducting himself in, "I'll go patrol around the mansion's boundary, alert me if anything odd occurs immediately." With that, Mathias had stepped away from Rose, beginning to walk down the stairway and eventually outside of the mansion, without a doubt meeting his other sentries as he firmly closed the door behind him, no doubt to clear his mind as well.

Of course, by the time the rather tense exchange was over, Ephovia had poked her head out from Emory's room, though she seemed a bit flustered, having approached the door around the time Mathias had spoken rather boldly to Rose. "U-um.. I hope I haven't.. well intruded on anything important." The woman stepped closer to Rose, a questioning expression settling upon her expression as she gazed to the now firmly closed door to the entryway, only to shake her head as she looked to Rose, "It seems like he wants to be with you right now, Emory that is." She offered her a hesitant smile, "He shouldn't be in too much pain right now, I purified the wounds on his back so he should be able to lay down at least with little if any discomfort."
 
Rose allowed for Matthias to speak without interruption, knowing his venom-filled words had been lingering on his mind for quite some time. She had a feeling he had been holding them back since the moment she rushed off to Freycrest, if not sooner. Her first interaction with any of the sentries had been the day before Emory left to go investigate what occurred there, but even then she hadn’t realized the full extent of how many sentries he commanded. Both Ludovic and Leofstan had been the first two that she managed to speak to. The thought of the men caused a dark shadow to cross her expression. She felt the regret for their deaths each day. Their blood was directly on her hands, that much she knew. She felt as though she had been so foolish back then, her emotions getting the better of her. Her eyebrows furrowed some as she realized she was acting in a similar manner now, even if she had learned from her former mistakes.

She held her head high as she took Matthias’s words. “You should hate me. I would accept nothing different from you.” She confessed, falling silent once more as he continued to speak. The emotion was beginning to shine clearly on his face the longer that he rambled on, though she didn’t dare comment on it. This conversation had been a result of her own frustration with the sentry and the lack of faith that he had in her. Even with her mistakes, she still believed that she deserved some faith. She really did have Emory’s best interests at heart. “There is a lot happening that I cannot speak directly of in case prying ears are listening, but I promise you that I am going to do everything in my power to ensure he lives. It is why I brought Ephovia here with me today and why I went to my father to ask for his help. This situation is much larger than we all originally anticipated.”

“I know you say you cannot place any faith in me, but I need you to at least try to now.” Her voice grew a bit quieter as she cast a glance at the door to Emory’s bedroom. Her mind was urging her to spill the information that she knew in order to gain more eyes searching for answers, but her gut feeling held onto that terror that came along with Iulla finding out about their plan too soon. With the way in which she left Emory this time, she didn’t need the god to gain any other advantages in that situation. Still, a soft sigh broke through her lips at the settling of the sentry’s expression. She just nodded her own head slightly in return. “I will.” She assured. Despite the conversation not being productive in the way she thought it might, she was grateful they both had gotten those words off of their chests.

She turned her head as Ephovia peaked her head out from the room. She forced a weak smile to her lips, the corners of her lips barely twitching up as she did so. “You haven’t. It was something I have needed to say for a while.” She explained, not wanting to elaborate anymore. There was quite a bit that was probably confusing Ephovia about the dynamic in which they all functioned, but she had every intention to explain it to her at some point. Relief was quick to come to her expression, shoulders falling some at her words. “Thank you Ephovia, truly. You have been so kind and such a help already.” She confessed. The sudden urge to embrace the mage standing in front of her was hard to ignore. “If you need to rest any, you are more than welcome to sleep in my room for the time being. It is at the end of the hallway to the left. Viola is the maid that services the mansion. She should be here soon, but she would most likely be more than willing to make you any food if you are hungry.” She rambled a bit, wanting the mage to be as comfortable as she could be for the time being.

She took a step past the woman, hand resting on the doorknob. “Thank you again.” Her words were quiet before she turned the knob and pushed it open. She carefully shut the door behind her after she stepped through. Her eyes immediately fell on Emory. She looked him up and down a few times, trying to see if there were any lingering signs of discomfort. She knew Ephovia had done everything she could for the time being. “Hi.” The greeting was soft, almost a whisper as she slowly made her way back over to his side. Taking notice of the way he shivered, a frown graced her lips. “Do you want me to gather a sheet to cover you? I am afraid the comforter might be too heavy and your fever still hasn’t broken yet. I know just how uncomfortable it can be.” The concern was evident in her tone as well as on her face. The lines on her forehead were showing as she frowned, mind trying to think of anything she could to help him.

“The medicine should work soon. It is a rather strong formula, so it will help you sleep as well.” She explained. She turned to look to the chair that she placed the bag on before. She lifted the bag from its spot and then moved it onto the floor. She pulled the chair closer to the side of the bed before she took a seat on it. “You have no clue how glad I am to see you alive. When she—“ She broke off as her voice hitched in her throat. She took in a breath before she continued. “When she stopped your heart, I thought I might’ve lost you for good. I am so sorry I was unable to stop her. I should’ve been able to do something to prevent this from happening.” She admitted, remorse laced in every syllable. Her apology was useless, that much she knew, but it had been weighing on her mind for the time she had been gone. She had lifted a hand out of instinct to take his own, but she hesitated. Her hand hovered above his, fingers still trembling as she did so. “She is trying everything she can to break you Emory, both physically and mentally. I know it is hard, but don’t let her. Please don’t let her.”
 
Ephovia quickly shook her head in response to Rose's words of praise, feeling a tingle of embarrassment flooding her in response, "N-no! It's really no problem at all! It's the least I can do... I just wish I could do more, honestly." Considering everything, what Ephovia had done was place a small bandage over the situation, a step in the right direction once again, but not enough to truly solve anything. Perking up slightly, she hesitated only to nod her head in response to Rose in regards to her using her room, "Right, I think I'll do just that. Thank you." Though, finally getting the identity of who Viola was had seemed to make realization flicker across the woman's expression, she was a maid. That.. made sense actually, considering Rose had spoken of the woman earlier, though it was the tiniest bit of a mention of course. Pausing, the woman said over her shoulder, "Remember to eat too, Rose!" A friendly reminder of course, it wouldn't hurt to let the woman know that she needed to tend to herself still. With that, she had followed Rose's directions to the woman's room, gazing around at the still barren walls as she went, "...It's a bit empty in here, isn't it?" Considering the mansion had yet to be fully decorated, Ephovia couldn't help but notice it. Nonetheless, she wouldn't complain! It was somewhere to rest for a bit wasn't it? Besides, she did need to still get ahold of Ethar, and begin putting up protective spells as needed around the mansion; though she had her doubts it would do much against a literal god, but she would nonetheless try her best.
...​
Emory's head had tilted up to meet Rose's, the first time he had met her gaze since his death before her earlier. The heaviness in his eyes had yet to fade, the gold coloration to his eyes being so very, very dim that it was difficult to distinguish at this point. Her greeting would go unanswered, the man struggling to try to get his voice to respond, but quickly giving up considering Rose was approaching him. His eyes did not leave her, not a single time as finally her presence was at his side. It was warm, familiar, soothing. His body naturally seemed to relax then, although he shook his head as he lowered his gaze to the floor once more in regards to her giving him any blankets, "..I'm not cold." It wasn't because of cold sweats, nor was he feeling particularly cold. He was trying his best to hold himself together, Ephovia's earlier question making his mind agitated as his arms wrapped closer around his middle, forcing himself to not begin rocking back and forth. He'd not done so since he was a child, nor would he permit himself to disgrace himself any further than this.

More silence would greet her words in regards to the medicine, although Emory would certainly feel relief if the medication worked. He never had gotten as ill as he was now from genuine sickness, his immune system was usually very strong. This illness however was making the man's already fragile psyche teeter, the fever perhaps agitating him far more than if he just had his injuries to worry about. In all honesty, he almost felt as if he wanted to vomit up the medication he had taken earlier, although it was very much tasteless, the liquid in his stomach was making him feel queasy, but once more the man would hold the uncomfortable feeling at bay as his gaze lifted to look at Rose again as she had begun to speak once more, to break the heavy silence that had threatened to settle between the two.

As she had begun to apologize, Emory lowered his gaze as he murmured, "There was nothing you could have done." His tone was empty, just as empty as his eyes, "...It was inevitable." Yes, that was right. Inevitable indeed, considering Eunice had taken such enjoyment in killing him after she had brought him away from the mansion. He knew then that was an inevitable fate for him, even if his mind refused to yield to him any of the details. He didn't want to remember much more anyways, knowing it would sour the already uncertain mood between himself and Rose, and after going majority of the day without seeing the woman, he didn't need to ruin anything between them now.

His eyes turned to her hand which had automatically made a move toward one of his own, the trembling fingertips hovering just over his own as her plea had barely gotten so much of a twitch from him at first... that was until he gently moved his hand out of his own choice to come in contact with her own again. The soft feeling of a woman's touch upon his skin made him flinch at first, but the man forced himself to ignore the initial urge as his fingers entwined with Rose's own, "...I.." He began, his voice straining as he closed his eyes. How easy it was for her to say to not to give in, to not allow himself to break. Sure, he certainly could do so if this was a mortal threat, but this..? This monster was... He shook his head as he heaved a sigh, his shoulders sagging, "...Hearing you say that makes it seem so very easy." Even if Rose had vocalized that she knew it was difficult on him, Emory will was crumbling regardless, and he was terrified of if and when that monster would come around him again.

"I'm trying... believe me, I'm trying..." His voice seemed more strained, almost like a plea as finally emotion was beginning to break through, his head bowing as he couldn't look her in the eyes then. Nervously, his fingers clenched tighter around her own as without him realizing it more tears were beginning to swell in his eyes, blurring his vision. He had spoken similar words earlier, that he was trying his best, granted at that time he had been threatening Rose to lock her within the mansion, but this time there was no threat. After all, the man looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, his posture being the weakest it had been since he had been a boy. "...I'm trying my best.." He repeated, his voice trembling then, his other hand coming to his sweaty face as he hastily rubbed the tears away that was nearly about to fall. Normally, the man wouldn't show distress easily, but considering how he had been trying to numb himself prior to this interaction, it was a bit alarming how much distress he was finally beginning to show that was leaking through the numbness. Besides, who could truly blame him? It had only been two different days so far, and he had already fallen so far, and even with Eunice now deciding to leave him be to recover, unknown whispers that he couldn't even probably begin to understand was assaulting him in his waking hours.
 
Rose could feel Emory’s gaze following each movement that she made, it being a stark contrast from how he couldn’t seem to look at her before. She much preferred to have the familiar feeling of it compared to the latter. She shifted her own gaze to carefully look over his body once more when she settled into the chair. Her own muscles still hadn’t fully relaxed, nor would they anytime soon. She would be on edge for quite some time now that she knew Iulla could easily step in at anytime to whisk him away from her. The thought caused her heart to begin to pound in her chest once more. She forced her breathing to remain as calm as she could, trying to remember to breathe slow like Emory told her to earlier. She didn’t get to panic about this, not even Emory had far more to deal with than herself.


She nodded her head at his comment about him not being cold, allowing a small silence to fall between them. It was only when the other male finally took her hand in his own did she seem to finally lose her own remaining composure. Tears began to swell in her eyes, though she was quick to blink then away anytime that they arose. The trembling of her hands only got worse, the shaking radiating to her entire body then. Her free hand was grasping the hem of her dress so tightly that her fingers were beginning to turn white. “I just wish that there was something I could’ve done.” The words passed her lips without a second thought, her own self-hatred for the situation beginning to ooze into her tone. “I panicked when she stopped your heart in front of me. When you dropped to the ground and the blood began to come from your lips, I—“ She broke off, unable to finish her sentence. She finally adverted her gaze from him for a moment to try and compose herself more.

His reassurance only caused for the strain in her heart to grow. The pain in her chest was enough to make her sick, nausea beginning to swirl along with the emotions. She nodded her head slowly, forcing herself to look back to him. The desperate effort he made to wipe his own tears away only caused her to tighten her grip on his hand. “I know you are Emory. I know.” She assured, voice shaking much like her body was. She swallowed hard as she debated the best way for saying what she wanted to next. She still was terrified of giving away too much information that could harm them both. “She told me she was trying to break your will. She said she wanted to get you to your breaking point as though it was a game for him, instead of just overriding your own mind herself.” She explained, not going into more detail on the interaction that Iulla and herself had shared before she had taken Emory from her once again. The memory reminded her of just how weak she was, of how real her own mortality was.

She truly felt useless, in simple terms. Everyone around her at that moment had something they could do to help protect themselves. Whether it be Ephovia with her magic or the sentries with their fighting abilities, everyone had something. Hey, here she was. She could barely use a sword and it had been she’s since she properly shot a bow. Her body was far too weak to handle proper hand-to-hand combat. The slightest chill in the breeze could agitate her nose, causing her to feel the effects of it for weeks afterwards. The only reason Emory had even agreed to do such a thing was to protect her because she couldn’t protect herself. Useless. How she felt utterly useless. The tears began to prick the corners of her eyes once again, only she didn’t bother trying to blink them away this time. She allowed for them to fall. That self-loathing from earlier was beginning to grow the longer she dwelled on the matter.

“I don’t want for you to worry about any of your other duties here. I can handle all of the paperwork and small tasks that need to be completed. I just want you to focus on healing for now. The sentries seem more than willing to help tend to you and Ephovia is doing her best to help as well.” She assured, her grip on his hand only tightening more. The feeling of his calloused fingers grasping her own was a comfort unlike any she could possibly explain. “I am so proud of you Emory. You may not feel like it, but you are doing incredible. Anyone else would’ve broken by now. I know you are trying your best. I can see it each day. I am sorry that I continue to push you. I think I am just terrified of losing you.” She finally confessed, understanding his own feelings on the matter much clearer now that she had been put into his shoes for the time being.
 
Emory didn't interrupt as she had begun to speak, the sound of her voice being able to drown out the haunting whispers in the back of his own mind. Of course, her frustration with the situation, or more herself was... saddening to him. He wouldn't have wanted for her to put herself in a position to fight against whatever Eunice was; granted even if it was costing him his sanity in return, it was a price he was willing enough to pay to ensure Rose could live. Of course, he couldnt muster much of a response either way, seeing her trembling before him as she had described the panic she felt upon seeing him dead... it merely confirmed enough that now she finally understood why he was willingly putting himself through this, even if he never wanted her to experience such a feeling in the first place.

Yet, as she had described what Eunice had said in regards to breaking him down slowly, the man couldn't help but feel laughter beginning to bubble up in his chest despite himself. So, he would have to be dealing with this for an indefinite amount of time? Or perhaps until she finally grew bored of him, though he knew from past experience that wasn't possible. For some reason the woman was absolutely obsessive over him; and he had not a single clue why. His gaze lowered to the floor, strained laughter finally leaving his lips despite himself, "...A game, huh?" He wasn't surprised that this was all a game for this monster. He didn't elaborate further, but his laughter in this rather ill-fitting situation wasn't truly doing him any favors in regards to his own sanity.

As Rose had spoken that she would tend to his other duties while he would heal, Emory's expression tensed once more, only for him to give in easily again. What other choice did he had if suddenly out of nowhere Eunice decided to snatch him away again? Someone needed to tend to his duties when he couldn't, and he certainly couldn't even think straight much less conduct himself in a manner that was proper unless he wanted to lock down on all of his emotions again. "...I won't be able to for long." He murmured quietly, responding to her words in regards to him focusing on healing. In the haze of death that Eunice had last left him in, he still remembered that she was giving him a little bit of time to rest before she would retrieve him again. It made him feel sick to his stomach, his skin paling a bit further as he closed his eyes once more, struggling to fight down a wave of pure terror.

"...You won't lose me. I couldn't die even if I wanted to." The words were spoken without his usual spirit, the emptiness returning as his grip on her fingers weakened. But, Emory certainly knew that Eunice as long as she was watching him, he couldn't remain dead, not for long. Death in a way for him was not possible, at least not right now. She had made certain that he realized that very quickly, he could not escape from her ever. The man shifted his position a little, feeling a bit of pain flaring from the front, primarily the wounds Ephovia hadnt gotten to as his other arm had reached out hesitantly had gripped Rose's clothing, struggling to draw himself closer to her until his forehead limply laid upon her shoulder. Her familiar warmth made his eyes close, her scent making his body relax. Even if he wasn't completely there at that moment mentally, it seemed as if Rose's presence was a soothing balm for the man.
 
Her grip on his hand didn’t fault even as his own weakened. She was holding onto it as though it was her bloodline, fingers carefully curled around his own. Even if her grip was a bit tighter than it normally was, she still ensured that it wasn’t tight enough to cause him anymore pain. She hadn’t reacted to the weak laughter that broke through his lips, expecting for him to react in such a way. It brought forth the concern onto her face once more, her expression almost twisting in what could be considered a grimace. His mental state already seemed to be deteriorating more than she would’ve liked. It was to be expected after the pain he had been suffering, but Rose truly hoped they might have a bit more time before it got to this point. She glanced down to her lap quickly, trying to not let her gloomy thoughts overtake her mind.

“Then we will just ensure that you try to heal as much as you can with what little time you do have to rest. The salves and medicine should work wonders even if you decides to drag you away again.” Her optimistic words broke through the silence. She allowed herself that much hope, knowing anything more would only serve to break her heart in the future. Her lips twitched up at his reassurance, though she knew it was out of both of their hands even if Iulla assured her that she wanted Emory for herself and she couldn’t particularly have that if he was dead, she was still rather worried that she might overstep a line and not be able to bring him back from it. “Let us just take it a day at a time for now. It might make the situation slightly more bearable.” She suggested. She gave his hand a soft squeeze before she leaned back in the chair. Tiredness was beginning to creep up on her, her eyes closing partly as she sat there.

She stayed silent as Emory shifted on the bed, watching each movement he made in case he needed help doing so. The words to scold him for even attempting to shift on his own were clinging to the top of her tongue, but she didn’t allow for them to escape. It was only when she felt his weak grip on her dress that she shifted the chair as close to the bed as she could possibly get it. She had to adjust her legs to straddle it slightly in order to make the positioning easier for Emory to grip her. She kept watch on him until he leaned forward to press his forehead against her shoulder. Out of instinct, both of her shoulders dropped. The proximity they shared soothed a tremendous amount of the worry that she still felt. Even if the world was falling apart around them, she knew she could still do everything in her power to enjoy these little moments with him.

She brought her free hand up to gently rest on the side of his head. She tilted her head back enough to where she could press a soft kiss to his temple. She then returned to how it had been before, resting her head lightly against his own. Her fingers gently caressed the side of his head for a few moments before she allowed her hand to drop once more. “We both have a bit of a savior complex, don’t we?” The question was intended to be a lighthearted one as the thought was something she realized on her trip back from the kingdom. The two of them consistently did everything in their limited powers to ensure that the other would be alright. She gave his hand another gentle squeeze then. “I love you very much Emory. I know I say it quite a bit and I am sure you are growing tired of hearing it, but I do and I am so grateful for each moment I get to spend by your side.” Her words were no more than a whisper then.
 
Emory's eyes remained closed as he felt the one shoulder he had rested his head against relax underneath the gentle pressure. He took in a shallow breath then, though it hitched in his throat as he felt Rose's touch upon the side of his head, followed by a soft kiss to his temple. A soft whimper had left him then, shivering slightly although he did not permit himself to pull away. Rose didn't desire to hurt him, he knew from the gentle actions she was taking with him, treating him with such gentleness as if he were fit to break at the slightest touch. Part of him was vexed by the situation, but majority of him merely desired to remain like this for awhile, to make himself finally relax in her presence. Considering their all too harsh exchange of words earlier on, he just wanted for her to be here while he still could be with her.

Her lighthearted question had caused a faint chuckle to finally leave Emory's lips, his throat still feeling the discomfort of being raw from having cried out so much in the few days. "...I fear that's a huge problem." It certainly was, considering both of them was willing to go to the extreme, even Emory's current condition being proof of such a fact. But, if it protected Rose for just a little while longer... then it was fine. "..I blame you for giving me such a complex." His voice was weak as he joked, but at the very least it was a slight relief that he was even finding the energy or spirit to joke with her. After all, it wasn't as if Emory desired to save absolutely everyone, quite frankly he didn't care about people; the exception to this rule was Rose. Only for her would he run himself ragged, push himself to the ends of his limits and then some. She was special in his mind, and that was the one single truth he would cling to.

His eyes opened slightly as he felt her hand gently squeeze his own, though her words had made the man slightly shake his head, granted the motion itself was awkward considering his position, "No.. I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing you say that." Emory's strained voice also had lowered into almost a whispered tone, "..It makes me feel as if it's more real every time. That you.." He trailed off, leaving the sentence incomplete, a heavy sigh leaving his lips as his eyes closed once more. Did Emory doubt that she loved him or would remain in love with him? A tiny part of himself still did, that her feelings would change and she would find another far better than he. Despite being confident in his own abilities, the man had zero self-confidence in himself, or whatever worth he had as an individual. Although he never explicitly revealed his doubts too much before, aside from the single time when he had revealed some of his true nature to her, the side of himself that enjoyed hurting others if only to shed his own pain. Knowing that this woman before him, this sweet and kind woman was in love with him felt so unbelievable that he wasn't even sure he could fully trust her words, even if her actions certainly showed that she did.

Emory's hand slipped from her own as he struggled to suppress a cough from leaving him, straightening his posture although a dizzying feeling was quick to follow, a hand coming to his head as he grimaced out of discomfort. The man was tense for a few seconds only to lower his hand from his head as the dizzy spell had passed, a sigh leaving his lips as his expression seemed far too exhausted, "...Are you sure being with me makes you happy?" The question seemingly came out of the blue, the heaviness to his eyes seeming far more pronounced than before as he finally lifted his eyes once more to stare directly into her own. He was quite serious with the question, though it was unknown whether he would genuinely believe her or not depending on her answer. Perhaps the events regarding when he had been willing to lock her away in the mansion was beginning to settle within the back of his mind again, filling him with more guilt, or the fact that it was obvious to his eyes that she was neglecting her own health for his sake. Rose had been ill after all prior to his first inescapable death by Eunice's hands. It just seemed as if she had been wrapped up in all of the misfortune that constantly followed Emory around like a cloud, and it was filling him with distress, with doubt. In the midst of his cloudy mind, the man found it incredibly difficult with each passing day to justify her being at his side... was he just being selfish?
 
The faint chuckle, though sounding as if it were no more than just a hitch in the air leaving Emory’s lips, did wonders to soothe Rose’s worry. It aligned with the manner in which he usually acted during their jests back and forth with one another. She found it to be nothing like the bitter laugh he managed to bark out earlier once she explained just how Iulla was trying to get him to break. A slight glimmer came into her eyes for the smallest of moments, her lips curling into a weak smile. “Indeed it is. One could almost think we are trying to one-up each other in our own selflessness.” She mused, her own amusement beginning to make its way into her tone. Hearing the lightness in his tone compared to the emotionless manner he conducted himself in these past few days almost made tears spring to her eyes. She could feel the familiar burning to them and blinked a few times to push away any other indication that she might cry once more.

She breathed in sharply through her nose at his next comment, the inhale sounding akin to a snort. She didn’t allow for any hint of embarrassment to show on her expression as she stayed rather still in order to not disturb Emory anymore. “Well, that is quite inconvenient then because I was just about to say that I blame you for giving me such a complex.” She emphasized her words a bit more then; the air around them feeling the lightest it had in quite a while. She clung onto that moment, hoping that she could stay within it forever. She knew times like this would be few and far between for the two of them as the situation was surely to progress around them. There was no telling just how much time she would have with Emory before he was whisked off once more and before he began to lose more of himself to that wicked woman. She would appreciate each moment like this for as long as she could.

Her expression fell at the thought, the lighter that had managed to make its way into her eyes quickly fading as well. She didn’t bother trying to hide how everything was beginning to make her feel. There was no reason for her to, especially when Emory was able to see through each wall she tried to put up. The young lord knew her too well by that point. The gentle shake of his head caught her attention as she lifted her own, gazing down at him with a somewhat curious glint to her eyes. “Perhaps I will just have to say it more then. It would be a shame for you to forget just how much I do love you.” She murmured, her own voice faltering some as it trembled in her throat. She understood that the other male might have doubts after all he had been through during his lifetime. Each time love seemed to finally be shown to him, it was quickly snatched away and he was punished for no reason other than the fact that he existed. She never wished for him to feel that way again, not when she was there with him. She yearned to make him feel the love that he had been shielded from as a child. She truly would do anything in her power for him to experience it.

Her face twisted in some sadness as he lifted his head from its position on her shoulder, concern reflecting in her gaze once more once he coughed. Her head tilted slightly out of instinct as she met his gaze. Despite the dullness being ever so present, she still adored the gold coloring of his irises. They were unlike anything she had seen before, matching the midday sun when he managed enough joy to make them shine. “I have never been more sure of something in my life Emory. I have seen various forms of love throughout my life. Some caused me more joy than others. But this—“ She broke off as she raised a hand to gesture between the two of them for a moment. “This is unlike anything I have experienced before. I have never experienced this level of happiness in my life. You bring out a side of me that I haven’t seen before, a side of me that I love.” She confessed. Her words were genuine, eyebrows raising some as she spoke. “Even with everything that is happening, I wouldn’t trade my life with you for the world. I truly believe that you are the person that the gods destined me to be with.”
 
Emory's eyebrows furrowed as Rose had begun to speak, her words holding nothing but truth or at least he sincerely hoped it was nothing but the truth. Each word she spoke made his frown deepen as he shook his head at her, a sigh leaving his lips, "...Happiness?" The word seemed to lack emotion as he spoke it, weighing her words within his mind. She still desired to be with him through all of this, spoke of her draw to him as destiny. A bitter smile finally crossed his face, "...If you sincerely say so, then I have no other choice but to believe you." But it was clear enough from his tone, his expression that he couldn't help but feel there was a better path for her. Was he simply being a shadow over her life? Constricting her? Suffocating her? Was he merely keeping her from true happiness? Perhaps if she met another far better than even he then...

Ah, what was he thinking? He closed his eyes again, struggling down the surge of anguish that had settled in his chest. No need to seriously consider the thought now, "I still can't understand you, but for once I'm glad that I don't." The sentence seemed far stronger than his others. He didn't have a clue why she would insist on putting herself through this much anguish for his sake when she could be far more happier on her own; but he would not allow himself to ponder too much the "what-ifs". For now, she was here with him, and he needed to hold onto every moment he had with her. After all, he loved her deeply, even if he wasn't the best when coming to expressing such words, that would have to do for now. Besides, he didn't want to allow himself to begin to speak on matters regarding his own self-worth, he wasn't a child.

Reaching out to her once more, his hands took hers in his own once more, calloused fingers gently running over her skin as it seemed he was lost in thought. Eventually he spoke again, "..I truly am sorry for earlier." The words were spoken quietly, but clearly it seemed like Emory was still not quite over his threat to keep her in the mansion, seeing what he reduced her to so effortlessly... his expression twisted with disgust, though it was most certainly directed at himself. "I wasn't thinking. Though I know there's nothing I can say that could possibly excuse that.." He took in a breath and exhaled, forcing himself to calm before he grew far to frustrated with himself. He never had desired to draw out that fear in her, to be afraid of him. Even now, he could still see the mark upon the wall where he had struck, although it was mere slight burn marks, he could have hit her in that moment. If he had then...

The thought made a shiver go down his spine as he closed his eyes tightly, unable to look her in the eyes, nor did he raise his head. That was another weight upon his back that he was horrified of even so much as entertaining. He... truly hated himself. Even if he had tried to apologize earlier, he needed to do so again, considering Rose had been in quite the distressed state herself then, now that things were calmer for now he was trying his best. It wasn't as if he would allow himself to forget that either, even if he would be forgiven.
 
Rose was aware of there being others options readily available for her, ones that wouldn’t nearly put her through the stress that this was. Her family’s title gave way to a line of suitors that would constantly be pining for her hand in order to increase their own place in society. She would just end up being forced into another marriage, one that lacked the love she was experiencing now. Her role as a wife would be to produce heirs and nothing more. She would spend the rest of her days being absolutely miserable. But being here was armory brought her a freedom she hadn’t ever experienced before. She was allowed to do things her father had frowned upon all while Emory encouraged her. For that she would forever be thankful to the young lord. He had saved her life in many ways, even if he didn’t have faith in himself. She didn’t care if she had to tell him each hour of the day just how much she cared for him, just how happy she was with him. She would do whatever she needed to in order to give him the reassurances that he desired.

“I would hope you would believe me. Why would I ever lie to you about my happiness?” She posed the question, not thinking of any reason as to why she would. She had always been one to speak her mind, especially with Emory. There would never be any reason for her to try to twist the truth about those types of things. “I truly enjoy my life in Dusk’s Respite. I’ve gotten the chance to speak with so many different people and I have seen more of the world than just from the window of a carriage. Plus, I have gotten lucky enough to meet and fall in love with you. There is nothing more that I could ask for.” She reassured once more. Her heart throbbed at the realization that Emory didn’t think he was good enough to sustain the happiness she was feeling. She almost felt as though there was nothing she could say to ever fully reassure him of such. “It is a good thing you cannot understand me. An air of mystery is always good for a relationship. I have a feeling you will have me pegged one day.” Her attempt at lightening the mood once more fell short as the conversation shifted. Even with him carefully taking hold of her hands, her muscles tensed once more. She turned her gaze away from Emory to look to her lap.

A soft sigh finally settled the silence that had fallen between them as she pondered how she wanted to approach the topic. His guilt was shining clearly in his words, the anguish becoming unmissable on his expression. She glanced away from him for a moment as he eyes returned to the door of blood on the floor. She doubted she would be able to get the stain from the wood, but she had every intention to try to at some point. “I know you are Emory and I forgive you for it. We both were growing upset and trying to protect one another,” She paused, mouth staying parted as her own expression became pained. “I understand why you were trying to protect me from the situation. I would’ve done the same thing if I were in your shoes. I think I was just shocked and I didn’t know how to react initially.” She tried to explain, though her words fell short. It was the first time the two had ever argued in such a manner before. She hoped that it would never go to the extent it had once more, not desiring either of them to experience that type of pain once more.

“It startled me, the way you threatened to lock me in the mansion. For a moment I found myself back in that room, too sick to move while he screamed at me and locked the door. I know you would never do that for the reason he did.” She finally allowed the confession to break through her lips. Her jaw clenched slightly and she shook her head, trying her best to not dwell on the memory too much. “But you were just trying to protect me from something I had no clue about. I can’t be too upset at you for that.” She added after a moment. She offered his hands a light squeeze, the soft feeling of his calloused fingers running over her knuckles being a welcome distraction. “Please try not to blame yourself too much. It really was nothing to do with you, just things that happened before.” She finished, forcing a weak smile to her lips. She couldn’t wait until Blaine met his end. She wished for the man to suffer the exact way that she had all those years. The thought brought a sick sense of joy to her chest, though it was quick to fade as she was brought back into that moment.
 
"But-" His protest immediately tried to surge from his lips in response as soon as her first words contained forgiveness. How could she forgive him so easily for that? Disbelief settled in the depths of his eyes for a few moments, the dullness mixing with pain upon seeing her own becoming more so than his. Her explanation didn't seem to soothe him much either, making him drop his gaze to her hands as she explained why she had reacted in such a way which confirmed and made him feel even worse that he had crossed a boundary that he should've never done. After all, he had sworn to her that he would strive to never, ever be as bad as Blaine, desiring to never remind her of the man... and he broke that so easily.

"...Why are you forgiving me so easily?" His tone was a bit rough, the hoarseness to his voice making the words so scratchy which made him wince, though he forced himself to push past the discomfort. The question was filled with self-loathing, a bitterness settling within his chest that he forced himself to push down. A heavy breath left his lips then, rattled eventually by yet another cough as he shook his head at her, deciding to drop it. The more he pushed, the more he could risk opening up old wounds for her, and he already had done enough damage. "Nevermind... I understand." She already had given him her reasons, that she understood the reason why he had reacted in such a way. Even so, he shouldn't have done that under any circumstances, even if it was out of good intentions.

Another shiver ran down his spine then, his expression settling upon discomfort, slowly slipping his hands away from her own as he slowly then laid on his side, grumbling, as his tone seemed a bit muffled then, "Is this the way you feel everytime you get ill? It's awful." A rare complaint indeed to leave his lips, but he desired to change the subject before it got too fixated on Blaine. Considering Emory had been trying to keep himself together in front of Rose, he couldn't keep himself upright much longer. The strain was beginning to send lances of faint pain down his back and flaring up the injuries he sustained upon his thighs and inner thighs, not to mention the uncomfortable amount of sweating and the pounding headache as a result of the fever.

The struggling to breathe was also quite annoying, and even if he didn't have his physical injuries the man would still be in quite a world of suffering indeed. Closing his eyes, he struggled to even allow himself to relax as he grumbled, "I feel gross." A more lighthearted complaint on his part, but he was trying his best to lighten the air despite still feeling quite awful still himself. Granted, it seemed like interacting with Rose had helped him reclaim a bit of his old spirit again, which was a good sign indeed. Though, honestly Emory did want to bathe, with the only thing close to a bath was Rose wiping him down two days prior, with the amount of fresh sweat on him, he quite frankly didn't like it. It reminded him too much of his days in the Black Market, laying about in filth until a patron complained... though thinking about the place made his stomach twist and his eyes begin to go empty as he opened them again.

"...You're not going to let me leave this bed, are you?" His tone seemed a bit accusatory then as he looked to Rose, his face certainly seeming quite haggard and exhausted, and clearly very much pale. He didn't even look like he could manage to walk much on his own right now either, despite the newfound spirit beginning to turn to his previously emotionless state.
 
Rose’s eyebrows furrowed somewhat at his question, not having expected to hear the bitterness behind his hoarse voice. She was aware of his feelings towards himself to a certain extent, but she hadn’t the faintest clue the true self loathing that he possessed. Her mouth parted as she was about to speak her response only for him to quickly cut her off as he deemed that it was unnecessary for her to elaborate more. She wouldn’t mind having to reassure him every moment that he began to feel doubt. It was the simplest, kindest thing for her to do. Her expression didn’t soften for a few moments as she sat there watching him. She debated on allowing herself to be stubborn like she always was, to push back against his assurance to try to soothe his mind once more. It had become a bad habit as of late, not that she truly did mind. She would do whatever she needed to time and time again.

Her expression only seemed to tighten more as the discomfort continued to grow on his own face while he shifted. She leaned forward in her seat a bit more in case she needed to reach forward to help him adjust once more. There was an intenseness to her gaze that she didn’t often have. But the grumbled complaint that left his lips immediately caused her expression to lighten. Her eyes widened in some surprise, biting gently on her bottom lip. That shocked expression didn’t last long before her lips spread wide in a smile. It was one of the few genuine ones that she was able to give him with the situation surrounding them. She couldn’t suppress the bubbling laughter that managed to break through her lips, the sound shaking her chest. She was well aware that it was an odd time to allow such laughter to leave her, but she couldn’t help it. There hadn’t been a time that she had heard Emory complain in the way that he had.

Her head tilted back as her body immediately leaned against the back of the chair. She couldn’t stop her laughter for a few minutes before her ribs began to ache and her breathing was a bit more of a gasp. She brought a hand up to wipe at her eyes before her gaze settled back on Emory. The smile was still present on her lips as she waited until she regained enough breath to speak once more. “Indeed it is how I feel every time I get sick.” She confessed, some light finally growing in her eyes again. “You get used to it after a while, but it can definitely be draining in the beginning.” She added. There was nothing in their situation that brought her joy, nor should there have been anything that would’ve made her laugh in the way she had. She could only assume his lighthearted complaint combined with her stress and exhaustion to cause the burst of laughter she experienced. She shifted her positioning in her chair once more to get a bit more comfortable.

“I am sorry for laughing, but I think this is the first time I have heard you complain.” She spoke truthfully, her smile beginning to fade some even though her lips were still twitching up more. She was grateful to see that he was starting to return to how he normally was, even though he was still far off from himself. “I would offer to give you a bath, but I don’t know if we could get you to the tub and back between the two of us. I did try to give you a sponge bath when we brought you back in, but there wasn’t much I could do with the extent of your injuries.” She explained. She wished that there was more she could do for him in that moment, but she was grateful that they had been able to do what they had. Ephovia seemed to have done wonders in helping him so far, even if his wounds weren’t fully taken care of. That hope began to grow once more as she let her mind wander.

His next accusing statement caused her to blink in response to his words, clearing her thoughts. “I most certainly am not. You are in no state to move right now.” Her own tone was much firmer than it normally was. The reversal of their roles could almost be comical if the situation wasn’t so dire still. “You know how it feels now though. This is exactly what you do to me whenever I am sick.” She pointed out. A soft sigh left her as she leaned forward once again. She offered him one more smile to try and ease his mind more. “You really should try to get some more sleep. I will be here by your side the entire time.” She assured.
 
Emory's eyes had widened slightly in faint surprise at Rose's outburst of laughter in response to his rather lighthearted complaints. He wasn't truly expecting to receive such a strong response from her... but part of him was glad that he had. The light that had been missing to her eyes, although very much faint had returned which made the man relax as he couldn't help but chuckle himself, though the sound was very much weak. He was satisfied with this, at least he had at least finally put a smile on her face, one that had been obviously lost when she had first walked in. She still very much looked terrible before his eyes, stressed and exhausted, but if she was laughing and smiling, then it was fine. Emory couldn't help but frown in displeasure as she had explained that this was how she felt every time she got ill, truly an awful feeling. He would take far more care in making sure she wouldn't have to experience this so often.

"..I never really had gotten sick before, so this is a first for me." The man grumbled, only to add in a joking tone, "Yes, well. I think I should at least complain for this at the very least. It's awful, I hate it." Though the sentence ended off in a muffled cough as he winced, the injuries along his torso protesting in pain as he suppressed any sounds of pain from leaving him. At the very least, the physical pain he was able to get used to, the illness... not so much. Allowing himself to go still, he forced his expression to not show much of the pain that threatened to cross his features, the agony flaring across his injuries settling into a dull ache as a sigh left his lips. Part of him wondered how much more injuries would he sustain at the end of this? Or would his body be completely covered in scars? Emory knew not, but he didn't truly want to ponder it, not now in this moment with Rose.

"No, I'd rather you not do that either." His tone was firm then, shaking his head at her immediately. The man agreed certainly that he didn't want Rose to have to do so much for him, and considering the man had a fiercely independent streak, it wasn't as if he would want another person to bathe him when he should be perfectly capable of doing such on his own. Though, his expression twisted upon her saying that she had given him a sponge bath, the man looking away from her as he said in a quiet tone, "...I don't even remember that." The quiet admission was a bit worrying, but understandable. Emory had been completely out of it when she had been tending to his injuries, though this could be blamed on the single fact of him still under the effects of being drugged. No doubt, his fragile mind at that time was struggling to protect itself, so perhaps the memories associated with it would remain lost to him.

However, the melancholy that had settled over the man was interrupted by Rose's predicted response, causing the man to sulk almost immediately. "I should've expected that." Not that he truly did expect anything different. Rose had tried to stop him from getting up before, and the man of course was stubborn enough to ignore her both times, even if he knew his body wasn't in the best shape. It certainly wasn't the worse it possibly could be, but it perhaps was for the best that he didn't push himself much further than this while he still had time to rest. As Rose had leaned closer, with that smile he loved upon her face, her words made his heart sink as he suddenly didn't look her in the eyes.

There was a tension in his expression that hadn't been there before, the thought of sleeping was terrifying for him now. What if she was there again? Considering the she-devil made it abundantly clear that Emory wasn't to escape her anytime soon, and that she was to give him a brief rest... did that mean only physically, or would she prey upon him mentally again? "...I don't.." The words were so faint and spoken so quietly, but judging alone from his expression it was clear there was fear there, "..I'll sleep eventually." He finally settled on that, the dullness to his eyes having returned, now fixating on Rose, "You don't need to say at my side, especially since I can see you haven't been taking care of yourself." Emory's voice strained a bit, causing him to clear his throat as he continued, "...Just because I'm like this, doesn't mean you can drop taking care of yourself because of it." It seemed like it was Emory's turn to nag her this time, seemingly still able to force some liveliness of old habits again despite being so weak at the moment himself.
 
The smile on Rose’s lips seemed to linger, an odd sense of comfort beginning to fill her. Her shoulders were fully relaxed and her entire body was beginning to do the same. The familiar aching began to claim hold of her once more. It was only then that she realized the extent of what she had done these past few days. Her body had already been hurting from the training Emory helped her with but with supporting Emory’s body weight in getting him out of the brothel and then the frantic riding she did to the kingdom and back, her body had been pushed to a limit it never had before. A wave of exhaustion came over her and it took everything in her to not allow a yawn to slip past her lips. Her stomach was finally beginning to twist in the hunger she still hadn’t taken care of. She couldn’t find it in herself to push herself into a standing position once more, knowing she might collapse if she did.

Taking in a soft breath, she kept her gaze focused on Emory as she tried to keep her mind from everything she was feeling in that moment. “You have every right to complain about it. I would be grumbling too if I were in your shoes.” She confessed, some amusement still lacing her tone. Her smile faded some when the cough accompanied his wincing. She was still ready to move at any moment, knowing her adrenaline would kick in once more and she would be able to push through her own discomfort to help the young lord. “The medicine should help your fever break soon. I have to give you another dose of it later today. Once the fever breaks, you will feel much better than you do now. The fever is always the worst.” She explained. There was a part of her that still felt guilty for Emory having to suffer through the illness that she had before that wretched woman had given it to him. She would much rather be the one dealing with the fever, especially since it was something she had done so many times before.

A soft frown was quick to replace the remaining bit of a smile on her lips, rolling her eyes slightly at his innate stubbornness. “You should know by now that I am willing to do anything that I need to in order to help you.” She pointed out with a slight shake of her head. She understood why he wanted to do as much as he could for himself as he was forced to do so most of his life. She just hoped he would realize that he didn’t have to do that anymore, that he could rely on her whenever he needed to. Her expression softened at his confession, sympathy flashing in her gaze. “You were almost completely unconscious the entire time I was tending to you, so I don’t expect you to remember much of it. Seeing the condition you were in when I found you, I knew I would need to clean you before tending to your wounds.” She explained. She truly wished she would be able to give him a proper bath, but she knew it would have to wait until he could move easier. She didn’t want to agitate his pain anymore.

The slight change in conversation caused for her to relax once more, even if her expression was still somewhat pinched. The gentle smile managed to find its way back onto her lips. “I am surprised you hadn’t realized exactly what my answer would’ve been before you asked the question. We both are cut from the same tree Emory. You should’ve known.” She teased gently, trying to keep the air as light as she could between them. Doing so only kept the two relaxed, which they desperately needed at that moment. She slowly leaned back into the chair once more. She brought an arm up to rest gently on the back of the chair, leaning her head back against it carefully. A soft grunt left her as she did, though she didn’t allow any of her discomfort to show in that moment. However, seeing the fear spark to life in his eyes made her heart drop. She should’ve known her suggestion would make him panic. Even if she didn’t understand the full extent of what he experienced, she did know just how twisted dreams could be.

She bit down on her bottom lip, a soft sigh finally leaving her nostrils. She shook her head once more as he turned the conversation to her own well-being. “I want to stay by your side for as long as I can. I haven’t a clue when she is going to come and whisk you away again. I want to spend as much time with you as I can before she does.” She explained, her own anxiety about losing Emory beginning to grow in her chest once more. She hated not being able to tell him everything they found out during her visit to the kingdom, but she truly did believe it was for the best. She didn’t want Iulla to have any hint as to what their plans were. “I think Ephovia is asleep in my room anyways and I know I might collapse if I try to stand again. I am perfectly content staying here for now. I’ve been through much worse than this.” She let the final statement slip through without meaning to, knowing that she had been in far worse shape under Blaine’s ‘care’.
 
Emory's eyes had finally looked away from Rose as she had expressed the desire to stay by his side for as long as possible. Though her earlier words certainly had expressed that desire although through her own concern over his condition, he still couldn't help but feel a bit of guilt even if the situation was very much out of his control. Being not in control of anything was driving the man into a corner for certain, feeling just as lost as he had been when he'd been just a boy. It was a terrifying situation, the bundle of anxiety and frustration within his chest beginning to grow a bit larger as his expression had seemed to drop back into his usual composure, even if his eyes certainly didn't share the same. "I understand." He wouldn't dare try to make her leave him now after she had told him such a thing, and he didn't think he had much strength to send her away from him by force if he wanted to... which he didn't.

Her last statement however made the man visibly flinch, still unable to meet her gaze as his expression still remained difficult to read, but judging from the slight tension within his body, the statement alone had reminded himself on what she had to suffer through. Considering he was so emotionally invested into Rose, the man couldn't help but feel that familiar trickle of anger in his gut that tainted the anxiety and frustration he already was feeling. If only she hadn't been made to suffer under Blaine... maybe then she wouldn't be so fragile in his eyes, but then again it would be better if she'd not encountered him either. The bitter train of thought made him finally close his eyes as he struggled to prevent himself from voicing the thought out loud. Rose certainly wouldn't want him thinking such a way, he knew better, and she had already said she wanted to be with him, believing it was destiny...? What sort of horrid destiny did she inherit to end up with someone like him? A wretched destiny for certain.

"...Right, you can stay then." His tone seemed oddly enough very much subdued compared to how it was before, though the man had grunted as he shifted his position in the bed, rolling over closer to the wall though it seemed to certainly be taking him a lot of effort to do so, each movement seeming to cause his arms to tremble with pain as the injuries lining his front flared up in protest against each slow action, suppressing sounds of pain from leaving his lips, though he couldn't stop his breathing from becoming too uneven, already being quite horrid due to the fever raging in his body as he finally settled upon the bedside closest to the wall, his chest shuddering a bit from the little bit of exertion as he seemed to have cleared a space that was big enough for Rose to lay if she desired to. After all, it wasn't lost on him that the woman had slept in the very same chair before, and considering she was going to be stubborn and refuse to leave his side, at the very least he desired for her to lay on a soft surface.

Emory then settled upon his side once more, facing her. The man's eyes were expectant as his currently rough voice had croaked out, "I'm not letting you fall asleep on that chair. Come." He gingerly patted the free space near him, though the effort made his expression twist slightly with a bit of pain, though he would not complain when it came to that at least. Though, part of him wanted her to be close to him again, if only for a bit of comfort. He wouldn't admit it anytime soon though, but he did like to have her at his side, the warmth of her body always put him at ease.
 
Rose hadn’t meant anything truly negative with the words she spoke, knowing the statement was something that she had been living with for quite some time then. She did want to stay as close to Emory as she could for however long she was allowed. Her mind usually ran rampant on its own, twisting thoughts into worse anxieties than what she already experienced. But being around the young lord caused for all of the noise in her mind to go silent. She felt as though she was allowed to be herself in a way she hadn’t been in ages. It brought her great joy, even if she wasn’t able to always express it. She hoped that her little actions would be enough to assure Emory whenever he was beginning to question her love or her care for him. She knew it would continue to take quite a long time to get him to fully understand that she meant her words with the issues from his past, but she didn’t mind waiting. She hoped they would still have the rest of their lives together, even with the situation rapidly unfolding before them.

Her fingers twitched as she fought the urge to reach forward and grab his hand once more as she saw the flinch he gave, noticing immediately how he adverted his gaze away from her. The mention of Blaine was always a sore spot for the both of them, even if she didn’t directly say the man’s name. She was quick to recognize the need to lighten the mood some more again. At his somewhat hesitant response, she offered him a weak smile once more. “I wasn’t asking your permission, but I appreciate you giving it to me.” Her words were a gentle jest, one that she hoped might cause a small gleam to return to his eyes. It was something that she would’ve said even if the moment hadn’t called for the tease to break the tenseness. She allowed for the hand that was resting against her head to fall back to her side, sitting a bit more upright. The hard wood beneath her was doing her no favors.

Confusion flashed across her face, eyebrows pinching together as Emory began to shift on the bed. She originally thought that he was growing uncomfortable from laying in bed the way he had, especially with the extent of his injuries. She shifted to lean forward in the chair once more, hands raising some in order to be able to help him adjust if needed. It took her much longer than she would’ve liked to realize that he was shifting to create a space for her on the bed beside him. “Emory…” His name was no more than a whisper with her breath, unable to help herself from saying it. She hadn’t wanted for him to cause himself any extra pain for her own sake. She had every intention on dealing with the uncomfortableness of the chair for the time being. Her hands slowly dropped to rest on her knees as her expression softened once more. The affection she felt for him began to shine clearly in her eyes while she looked to him.

“You truly didn’t need to do that.” She confessed in a mumble, shaking her head as she forced herself to her feet once more. She was grateful for her already close proximity to the bed as she was able to quickly take a seat on the edge of it. She winced while she lifted her legs carefully onto it in order for her to lay down. She laid back against the familiar pillow, his scent immediately overcoming her. Even with the illness plaguing him, she still was comforted with his close presence. She shifted to roll onto her side to face him. “I am sure I smell almost as bad as you do right now. I have been running around so much I haven’t had a proper bath in days.” The joke was quiet when it left her lips, her green eyes meeting his own. She had to keep reminding herself that he was still alive, that he was still alright. “I love you.” She whispered the three familiar words once more.
 
Rose's eyes filling with affection had made the man drop his gaze once more, feeling a tingle of warmth flooding his face. Emory doubted that he could ever get used to having her look at him in such a way as it made his heart feel fuzzy with warmth. It wasn't an unwelcome feeling, certainly sorely needed due to all of the doom and gloom that seemed to plague him as of late. Her soft mumble had made the man shake his head at her in return, "I know." He knew he didn't have to, but if Rose was insisting on wanting to be at his side, he would not take that away from her. Besides, it wasn't lost on him that she seemed to be far more attentive and observant of his every move, perhaps this would at least put her at ease.

Watching her progress with care, concern flared with him as he spotted her wincing, though that was only to be expected. He knew she had rushed to his aid from what she had told him, as well as going to the kingdom all too recently. Her body was sore, and in his mind she needed this time to rest far more than he. The tension within his body had eased away as Rose had settled on the bed beside him, his eyes never leaving her as she finally rolled over to face him, although her words had caused his expression to look surprised for a few seconds, only for a chuckle to leave him, though it was certainly not his usual hearty laughs, it was at least comforting to see that the man still was capable of laughing.

"No, you don't smell bad." Emory's head relaxed against the pillow as his hand reached out to gently cup the side of her face, the heat of his hand radiating the fever that still was clinging to him as his fingers lightly brushed over her skin, his eyebrows furrowing as he gazed upon her face. He could see the toll that the stress was taking on her far easier from so close, even if he still found her quite lovely, it made the guilt in his heart strengthen. He was putting her through so much... was this really worth it? Doubt settled within his chest as his thumb continued to brush against her cheek, only for her to whisper those three words to him again.

His heart throbbed in his chest, an almost painful feeling although one he didn't suppress. The worry that had been slowly sinking into his exhausted features melted as vulnerability settled in its place. His golden eyes peered within her own for a few seconds only for his eyes to close as a smile finally managed to cross his face, "...I love you too." Too much. He loved her far too much, the affection within his heart was... painful, raw. It filled his senses and drowned out the anxiety and worry, although it was only temporary, for reality would be quick to make him suffer and remind him that this happiness was temporary.

Emory's eyes opened again, struggling to take in another breath as his hand slipped away from her face, settling upon Rose's side as he carefully drew her closer to him, not minding the pain that was flaring up with each slight movement, though a few sounds did manage to leave him in response due to the pain. Nonetheless, the man was now cuddling close to her as he said in a quieter tone, repeating his whisper of affection, "I love you so.. so much..." The hoarseness to his voice seemed to make the words quiver, almost as if he were on the verge of tears, spoken so weakly but the emotion behind it was strong. He meant every single word.
 
The gentle chuckle was a welcome sound to her ears, her expression softening more. Even if it was not where near the strength it usually had, she would accept anything near normal in that moment. All she wished for was to see Emory relaxing more after the pain he had been going through. It seemed her presence was doing that enough for him alone. A soft hum left her lips, a small smile gracing her lips. “Now you are just being kind to not hurt my feelings. I can take it Emory, I promise.” Her words were a quiet joke in response, trying to keep the lighter air that managed to settle between the two of them for the time being. The soft touch of his hand to her face caused her to blink as her expression softened. The heat that was radiating from him was quite worrying still, but she knew the medicine would take time to work. She reminded herself to try and stay present in that moment.

She leaned her head lightly into the touch, the familiar feeling of his calloused fingers easing the remaining bit of tension from her muscles. Her eyes had closed partly as the exhaustion began to set in. Now that she was laying down, knowing that she was safe beside Emory for the time being, she truly felt as though she had been awake for days. The sleep Iulla placed her under hadn’t done anything to help before, nor did the dreamless state it left her in. She doubted she would be able to get a proper sense of rest for quite some time. She managed to stifle a soft yawn that threatened to break through the silence that had settled between them. Part of her wished to reach out and gently grasp Emory’s arm like she normally would, giving it a gentle yet reassuring squeeze. She withheld that urge, knowing her touch might be a bit too much for him.

The returning of the phrase held strong emotion behind it, but she couldn’t decipher just exactly what it was. The smile on his lips was enough for her though, her own growing as she watched his expression. It was the calmest she had seen him since his arrival back at the mansion. Though as she felt the gentle touch to her side, she began to shift to make the movement easier on Emory. She didn’t want for him to exert anymore energy than he already had, especially since he didn’t want to sleep. Their proximity finally forced her eyes shut, her breathing growing a bit softer. “One day we will never have to worry about anything like this again. We will get married, maybe somewhere by the coast or near the mountains. It won’t be a big ceremony and I am sure we both will only want a few people there anyways. Then I can nag you until we are both old and senile.” She whispered, her words holding some hope behind them.

“You will still be worrying over each little misstep I take and I will scold you for not asking for help when you need it. By that point I might even have bested you in swordplay,” She mused, amusement gathering in her tone. “One day we are going to be happy again and then we can look back on this realizing just how much we survived. We just need to get to that point.” She continued, slowly opening her eyes to look up at him once more. Pain had filled her gaze once again, though it didn’t reflect into her expression. She did her best to blink it away as she didn’t want for him to see such a thing. “One day…” She repeated.
 
Rose's soft words had made Emory's expression gentle further. Honestly, the future didn't ever seem bright for the man, but her speaking of the future with such hope made him feel... guilty. The guilt writhed in his chest as he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes, even if a smile had managed to cross his face, it was only a somber one, as if fit to break at any second. "...That would be a wonderful future, wouldn't it?" The quiet question was uttered so softly that it would have been almost too difficult to hear if he wasn't so close to her. His emotions never allowed him to be so hopeful, so optimistic. Pessimism had always reigned over him, and in truth if only hours before, Emory had been drowning in it. He had been willing to give up, to give up everything, to allow his mind to break, even now the thought of doing so was so very tempting. It made him feel far more ill that the fever within him.

"You really... really are far more amazing than I'd ever thought." His expression had twisted into one that was filled with self-loathing once more, chuckling though the sound lacked true joy, "...You really are everything that I'm not. Sometimes I really do think I am unworthy, even though I know you'll say that isn't the case." Emory knew she would try to reassure him again, just like she had done before. But, was she truly wasting too much on him? Too much time? Too much energy? A heavy sigh left his lips as he forced the negative thoughts from beginning to surge within his own mind, his other arm reaching closer to her to cuddle even closer so that he could feel her warmth, not allowing himself to display any pain as his hand that rested on her side had shifted to hold one of her hands, moving it closer to his chest, albeit on an unmarred section so that she wouldn't risk putting him through any pain, knowing full well she was quite concerned over him. The man didn't flinch, the feeling of her familiar touch only serving to relax him a bit further, a bit of much needed comfort.

Closing his eyes, his breathing was slowing into even intervals as he was trying to think through the haze in his mind. If he would be permitted to heal properly, given enough time... then he certainly would desire to at least do something nice for the woman before him. Although the ball would without a doubt be quite the interesting event, he still desired to chase the shadows away from her eyes, to give her at least some semblance of happiness before he would be unable to. It was a depressing thought, but he had no idea how long he would be able to hold on, even if he could take the physical pain, the mental torment was something else altogether. Slowly opening his eyes again, he murmured, "Don't let me keep you up. You are supposed to be sleeping, are you not?" He lightly teased, trying to divert the conversation elsewhere. He wanted her to rest, to heal herself considering she had been running herself ragged for his sake... even if he wished she didn't push herself to her limits for him. He wasn't worth the effort.

"If you do, I'll behave and try to get some rest too. Surely, you'll be satisfied with that?" He added with a lopsided grin crossing his exhausted features, though Emory knew enough that rest would not await him in his dreams if he was unfortunate enough to have one, it was at least a compromise he was willing enough to take. Besides, despite the discomfort in his body, the medicine he had taken was beginning to tug upon his consciousness, making him feel a bit drowsy much to his anxiety; however Rose's warmth was keeping the anxiety at bay.
 
The hope that managed to fill Rose was a bit misplaced, that she was well aware of without having to be told so. She had been warned as a child to not allow her dreams to grow out of proportion, especially since she had grown up rather privileged. It was a fact that she accepted from an early age and one she had grown to be quite thankful for. Amongst the many lessons eh managed to learn, that was not one of them. Her hope always returned in the darkest of moments, guiding her towards a shining light whenever the world around her was at its darkest. In that moment, it was the only thing keeping her fear at bay. Every instinct in her was terrified that she would lose Emory at any second, that he would be taken from her and not returned. If his mind did break like Iulla was hoping to have it to, she would never be the same again. Emory had become such a pivotal person in her life. She couldn’t beat the thought of losing him for too long as it caused the familiar stinging of tears into her eyes once more.

“It will be a wonderful future. I believe that we will get there, even with everything happening. We both deserve some resemblance of a happy ending.” Her own voice had softened even more, emotion swelling in the words. The hope didn’t linger as it had before. Instead, slight determination overtook the space where the hope had been. Her mind drifted and she allowed another bit of silence to settle between them. “But if there is a moment where you know you cannot go on Emory, where you cannot keep allowing this all to happen to you, I will understand. I don’t want for you to have to suffer through it for me when you are at your limit.” She didn’t dare let the anguish that the thought of losing him made her feel show. If that day ever came, it would truly be the worst of her life. She tried her best to keep her mind from lingering too much on the matter, her breath hitching in her throat some as she tried to keep the lump growing in it at bay.

The slight shift in conversation was a welcome one, even though she hated seeing the way his expression twisted. A soft frown began to replace the smile that had been on her own lips, eyebrows furrowing as she gazed at him. “You are right because it is not the case. I may be the opposite of you, but I believe we are two sides of different extremes. We balance each other out far more than we realize and that is a good dynamic for us to have.” She mused, shaking her head slightly. “You know that you are more than worthy of my affection, even if you don’t believe so. But we will continue to chase each other around in circles if we keep trying to discuss it.” She pointed out as he took ahold of her hand once more. She allowed for him to move it where he pleased. The familiar softness of his skin beneath her fingers was a comfort she had realized she missed. She could feel his warmth covering her entire body then due to their proximity, stifling another yawn as she cuddled as close as she could without aggravating his injuries even more.

Her own breathing began to calm more, her eyes shutting once more. A wave of comfort overcame her finally and she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold onto her consciousness for too much longer. His words only proved what she was thinking. “Mm, I suppose that is a rather fair deal.” She murmured, her own tired smile coming to her lips as she forced her eyes open once more. The lopsided grin that managed to grace his face was enough reassurance to know she could sleep for the time being. “Please wake me if you need me. I promise I will not mind.” She confessed, a proper yawn finally leaving her lips. She shifted her body to get a bit more comfortable in the bed before her eyes fluttered shut once more. It took much longer than normal, but her breathing eventually did even out. The remaining bit of tension in her muscles faded as she slipped into unconsciousness.
 
Emory allowed her words to sink in, though he did not utter a single word more in response, knowing full well that if he did, he would keep her up longer than necessary. The man watched over her as she slowly fell asleep before him, although taking notice that she was taking a bit longer than normally to do so which caused worry to settle in his heart once more, that was until her body had finally visibly relaxed which prompted Emory's expression to drop, deadening almost immediately as his eyed closed, exhaustion settling over him. Ah, he truly was feeling more so guilty now, he really had thrown himself in a truly awful hole and he just kept digging it deeper.

The comforting press of Rose's body close to his own did little to keep the pessimistic thoughts at bay, and now that his attention wasn't on trying to keep himself displaying facial expressions or holding a conversation, the man's face had returned to the complete emptiness as it had been before, the strange whispers seeming all too eager to push their way into his mind, filling his head with nothing that he could make sense of. Where was it coming from? Why couldn't he understand it? Emory honestly didn't know, but he resisted the urge to cover his ears as the action he's done previously and it only served to make it worse than better.

Slowly, the man could feel his eyelids drooping the longer he remained laying at Rose's side, the effect of the medicine overriding his anxiety in regard to sleeping, finally throwing himself in unconsciousness as his grip on reality faded.
...​
Emory's eyes snapped open, although he was half expecting to see the accursed room with the now deceptively comfy chair, he had found himself sitting in nothing but darkness. There was no sound, no sensation, nothing, as if the whole world had been swallowed by nothingness. The isolation alone felt... uncomfortable, unable to feel anything, unable to see. His senses felt as if everything had been simply taken away, until he heard something shift in the darkness.

It was the shifting of a heavy weight, although the odd sounds were nothing that he could properly describe as whatever or whoever it was had begun to make quite the amount of racket, followed by agitated groaning beginning to fill the silence, causing the nothingness underneath Emory to rumble, the man immediately clutching at the ink dark to try to support himself on a surface which could very well not exist. "...Why...? Why...?" The rumbling voice groaned, the rumble filling his ears and sending goosebumps over his skin as suddenly a large eye opened up above him, the only source of light within the darkness.

Emory's heart stopped as he stared at the twitching eye, pupils dilating immediately upon settling on the man, followed by a large thud as his eyes could barely spot what seemed to be shackles in the darkness, digging into inhuman flesh, blood as black as pitch swelling up and dripping slowly from underneath the comically large chains as the man scrambled back, only for the surface below him to feel slick as if it had suddenly turned to liquid. "W-what..?" His eyes turned down to try and raise his hand before his face, only to see what he could assume to be blood staining his skin, warm and fresh as he could feel more movement around him as it seemed like the first of the massive, barely distinguishable beings before him had stirred.

"Come... Free... Free us..." Emory flinched as what seemed to be blood beneath him began to rise, the groaning of the creatures around him beginning to increase in volume as more pairs of eyes seemed to spark to life in the dark. Although the creatures that he could barely see didn't seem to do any physical harm to him, their voices were growing rapidly more desperate, ear-splitting as Emory clamped his ears over his head, beginning to feel fingernails beginning to dig into his skin as if someone was trying to grab onto him to pull him deep into the rising warmth surrounding him. His breathing began to grow panicked, the press of warm flesh and an overwhelming pressure settling upon his body, forcing his legs to give out underneath him as the surging blood flowed into his nose and mouth, choking him as the sensation of being held onto was getting far worse. The hands seemed to grow more desperate as he was pulled underneath the surface, denying him breath as the ear-splitting pleas began to heighten into wails of frustration.

That was when he woke.

Emory's eyes snapped open as his body was once more covered in a thin sheen of sweat, eyes wide as his body was trembling. Even if it wasn't the usual dream, the place he seemed to have been thrown into felt utterly dreadful. It wasn't a feeling he could properly describe... but it felt foreign and horrifying all the same. Struggling to not make himself gasp for breath, the man closed his eyes as he settled on suffering in silence as he realized Rose was still asleep. No need to wake her over such an odd and incomprehensible dream.
 
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