Warren woke up much later, his vision still blurry. He had no idea how much time had passed, but he was sure it had been at least a few hours, though it was likely far longer than that. He felt strange, sitting with his head against a rounded metal surface while the rest of his body was submerged in warm water. It felt nice, but it also came with the realization that his clothes were gone. He felt his face burn. Someone had found him, brought him inside, taken his clothes off, and gave him a bath.

“So you’re finally awake. Thank goodness; we were growing worried.”

The voice was deep and gentle, coming from somewhere to his right. Too weak to move, Warren turned his head and blinked his eyes until he could see better.

The voice belonged to a young man, perhaps a year or two older than Warren, who had skin and eyes the color of chocolate. His long dark hair was tied back in a loose braid, and he wore a plain white tunic, black pants, and slippers. He sat on a low stool and eyed Warren kindly. Again, Warren felt himself blushing.

“Heh, my apologies; I completely understand your discomfort. However, Lady Rosa wanted to ensure you would survive with all of your limbs intact, so once we discovered you in the snow, we brought you here.”

All Warren could manage was a slightly defeated “Oh.”

It was really that bad. I was almost dead. Like, dead-dead. Deader-than-Rei dead.

Despite how morbid his thoughts were, especially the last one, he couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. The stranger gave him a look of concern.

“A-Are you alright, my friend? Perhaps the weather has had a strange effect on you.”

Warren was still laughing. “Perhaps.”

He forced himself to calm down when he saw the other man’s frown deepen.

“Ahem. Sorry.” He still couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact; maybe lying in a stranger’s bathtub while talking to said stranger had something to do with it. However, said stranger had also mentioned Lady Rosa.

“So,” Warren said, hesitantly looking over at the other guy, “you know L-Lady Rosa?”

He nodded. “I work for her, as an assistant or apprentice-of sorts. And I apologize for not introducing myself; my name is Duncan. May I ask your name?”

“Erm…” Warren suddenly found himself feeling tongue-tied.

Why is this so difficult? Just talk, Warren; you’re real good at that. Hell, sometimes you’re too good at it.

Duncan smiled gently. “Take your time. You’re still recovering, after all.”

Warren nodded, mostly because it was the easiest response to give. “W-Warren,” he managed. “My n-name’s Warren.”

“A fine name for a knight.”

Warren would have sat bolt upright with his hands raised if he could move. “H-How did-”

“You wore Faylinn’s red and silver,” Duncan replied. “Which Lady Rosa took to mean that you are the one she and I have been waiting for.”

“Okay.” He paused. “Th-Thank you, by the way.”

Duncan smiled. “You are quite welcome. I certainly would have been upset had you passed as a result of the frigid weather.”

Warren was frustrated to find himself blushing again. Thankfully, the room was only lit by a small lantern in the corner so he doubted Duncan noticed.

Warren and Duncan were quiet for the next several minutes, and when Warren looked away Duncan asked, “Is there anything you need? I should have asked you sooner, honestly.”

“Uh…” Warren looked around awkwardly, unsure of where to look. “Could I have something to wear?”

Duncan’s eyes went wide, as if he felt bad for not realizing Warren was uncomfortable. “Of course, of course. I will go find something dry for you.” He left for a moment and returned with a large towel. “If you are able to move, you can dry yourself off and wrap yourself in this for the time being.” He smiled sympathetically. “We wouldn’t want you feeling sick or numb again.”

Warren thanked him, then waited until the bathroom door was shut.

He slowly- so slow it was aggravating- stretched his arms and legs, then leaned on the edges of the tub to try and stand. The first few attempts resulted in him falling back down and splashing water across the floor. It was frustrating, how his legs felt like jelly. Still, after about a dozen additional tries, he managed to stay on his feet long enough to wrap the towel tightly around his shoulders. He stepped hesitantly out of the tub and immediately fell to his knees.

“Shit,” he said under his breath, pulling himself back up and taking a seat on the stool next to the tub. He took a few deep breaths, letting everything that had happened sink in and doing his best not to freak out or punch something.

Not that I could effectively punch anything at the moment. I’d probably just end up hurting myself.

This thought didn’t sit well with Warren.

Never mind being unable to hit a wall; I can barely stand. And I’m supposed to fight Edrian soldiers like this? Damn it! He took a shaky breath. I’m sorry, Rei. I’m so sorry.

Duncan thankfully returned a moment later, preventing Warren from feeling sorry for himself for much longer.

“I’m glad you’re up, Sir Warren.”

Warren frowned. “Please don’t call me that.” It always sounded so condescending whenever the other Fay knights said it, or when the king said it. The queen used his title, too, but she actually cared about him.

When did I become so bitter?

Duncan looked away. “My apologies.” He held something out to Warren. “I brought you some clothes. I’m a bit taller than you, so they may not fit properly, but your things are still soaked and Lady Rosa would never let you wear them as they are.”

“O-Okay. Thanks, I guess.”

Duncan smiled again, then stepped out of the room and shut the door.

“Please do not hesitate to call for help should you need anything.”

Warren dropped the towel and pulled on the clothes Duncan had handed him, too slowly for his panicked mind but too quickly for his sluggish limbs. The sleeves and pant legs were too long so he had to roll them up, but the tunic and pants were comfortable, and definitely better than his own soaking wet clothes and icy-cold armor. He sat back down on the stool and focused on breathing for a few minutes, stretching his arms and legs at the same time. Once he felt a bit better- or at least, more mobile- he stood up and pushed the door open with a trembling hand.

Just outside the bathroom was a large room with soft carpeting and a big fireplace. In the center of the room was a rounded table with three chairs around it. There was a tray with a large roast on the table, as well as a steaming teapot. The room smelled of spices and a hint of lemon or something similar.

“So you’ve decided to join us.”

Warren looked over to his right, where he saw a small stove with a woman standing in front of it, her back to him. She had Duncan’s skin- and eyes, which Warren noticed when she turned around a moment later-and her white hair was pulled up into a messy bun. She wore a plain gray dress under a stained apron, which she wiped her hands on as she approached Warren.

“Hello, Sir Warren. I’m pleased to see you aren’t dead.”

Warren eyed her for a second to see if she was messing with him, but she seemed completely serious.

“Don’t-” he started, about to tell her not to use his title, when she put up a hand to stop him.

“Not a word. You need to recover, and you won’t do that spouting nonsense every minute of the day. Now, you are not to speak unless I say you should, and you’ll sit down unless you’re told otherwise. Understood?”

Warren only nodded, a bit surprised by Lady Rosa’s demeanor. The way the queen had talked about her, he had expected Lady Rosa to be regal and wise, her house filled with stacks of heavy books. The only regality here was Duncan’s, and the only books Warren had spotted were in the room next to the bathroom; a bedroom with a simple bed and desk. She was certainly far from what one would expect of an associate of the queen.

Then again, he thought with a chuckle, I doubt you’re what people think of when imagining a typical knight.

Warren sat hesitantly at the table, looking everywhere except in Lady Rosa’s direction. Unfortunately for him, she took a seat beside him and waited for his attention.

“Are you looking for Duncan?” she asked. “I sent him out for a moment to fetch something from a neighbor. We’ll start dinner once he’s back. Before that, though-”

Warren was expecting another set of rules or a scolding of some sort, but instead Lady Rosa pushed a teacup towards him.

“Tea with honey; it’ll help, but only if you drink it while it’s hot.”

She gave him a teasing smile and Warren smiled back, gratefully sipping the tea and feeling it warm every inch of his body. Something about it made him feel a bit nostalgic, reminding him of the mock tea parties he and Rei would have as young children when Rei was first learning about etiquette and royal manners and other things Warren always found boring. But the tea parties were always fun, mostly because the king didn’t want Warren and Rei having them. The queen encouraged it, saying it would help them learn how to act at royal functions, and the king would always respond the same way, not caring that Warren would hear.

“Our son? Certainly. He must learn how to act as a member of Faylinn’s court. But the street rat?” Then he’d scoff and leave the room. Warren recalled the first time this happened, asking Rei what the king meant by “street rat” and why he would be called such a thing. After all, he’d grown up in the palace, raised by the royal family and their servants. The then seven-year-old Rei stormed out, likely to go find his father. The queen had tried to stop him, but neither she nor Warren saw Rei again until dinner, where he was surprisingly quiet.

“I spoke with Prince Rei,” the king had said. “He understands that some things he said were…out of line, so to speak, and he knows not to make such mistakes in the future.”

Warren remembered glancing at Rei, but Rei didn’t look at him at all, and the two barely spoke for the next several months or so, especially when the king was around.

Duncan had returned while Warren was lost in his own memories, and now sat beside him with a hand on his shoulder.

“Are you alright, my friend? You seem a bit troubled.”

Warren jumped slightly at the touch, though he was glad to be pulled from that memory. Those months where he and Rei barely spoke and didn’t play together had felt so empty.

Kinda like how my life is now, huh?

He was tempted to slap himself in the face to stop all the negative thoughts he’d been having but was afraid he’d end up worrying Duncan and Lady Rosa further. So instead he just took another sip of the tea and focused on it. Not the tea parties from over a decade ago, not his beloved friend (as hard as it was to not think about Rei) and not anything else other than the teacup in his hand. He heard Duncan clear his throat and say, “Perhaps it would be best if we started the meal. Lady Rosa?”

“Yes, of course.” Warren could practically feel her eyes on him, so he looked up at her. “Sir Warren, you are more than welcome to help yourself to whatever I serve while you stay with us, though I’ll expect you to spend much of your time here resting. Alright?”

Warren put the teacup down and tapped the table, feeling agitated. “How long a-am I s-staying?”

Lady Rosa looked ready to say something about him speaking, but Duncan spoke up before she could.

“A few weeks?” He gave Warren a sad smile. “I apologize, but we can’t be completely certain, especially so soon after we found you.” Warren must have been looking at him with a concerned expression, because he immediately added, “It’s been a bit less than a week, so thankfully you weren’t unconscious long.”

Despite all they’d done for him already, and despite everything they were going to do for him, Warren couldn’t help disagreeing with Duncan’s choice of the word “thankfully”.

“W-Will…” he stammered, prompting a look from Lady Rosa, “Will Rei even b-be there after all this t-time…?”

Lady Rosa eyed him sympathetically but didn’t answer his question. “We aren’t discussing Prince Rei for the time being. Currently, we are having a meal and then you will go rest in the second bedroom. If I see significant improvements in your health tomorrow, then maybe we’ll talk about it then. But we certainly won’t today.”

Warren had no choice but to agree with all of this, eating a small piece of roast with his tea before nearly dozing off at the table. Duncan helped him to the bedroom next to the one full of books. This room also had a plain bed and desk, though there were no books here. Warren glanced around through half-shut eyes, then lied down and eyed Duncan as he rolled up a mat to take into the main room to sleep on.

“Lady Rosa had actually volunteered to sleep on the floor,” he said with a laugh. “Though I insisted she’d spend the next week complaining about her back, and we didn’t need the both of you feeling unwell.”

Warren nodded, a bit aggravated by the constant reminders that he was sick and injured. Sure, Lady Rosa and Duncan didn’t mean any harm by it, but going from sword-swinging and sarcastic to weak and bitter pissed him off. Then again, he supposed he was more upset with himself than either of them. But he was too tired to be angry for much longer, feeling his eyes starting to close. He hadn’t had any dreams (or nightmares, more accurately) while he’d been unconscious and practically dying, so he prayed he wouldn’t have any dreams tonight, either.

Just hang in there a bit longer, Rei. I’m still gonna bring you home, I promise.