Warren didn’t have dreams for the next several nights, but the dream he’d had before still occupied his mind. Duncan came into the room every day to help Warren with his walking and to give him something to eat. There were times where he would start to ask Warren what was wrong, but Warren rarely said more than a few words.

“You can tell me what’s going on,” Duncan said after a week of Warren’s silence, motioning for Warren to take a seat next to him on the bed. Warren reluctantly sat down. He seemed angry at first, but his expression quickly changed to one of sadness. He looked away from Duncan, putting his head in his hands.

“What do I do…?” he asked quietly. “Every time I try to help I screw everything up. I couldn’t do anything back then, I can’t do anything now…”

Duncan wrapped his arm around Warren. “’Back then’?” He paused then asked gently, “Is this something you want to…talk about?”

Warren looked up with hollow eyes. With a shaky sigh he told Duncan what had happened several years ago. Duncan listened patiently, not saying anything until Warren had relaxed a bit.

“Was the king always that way towards you?” he asked after Warren had finished speaking.

“Pretty much,” Warren replied with a defeated shrug. “Whenever he caught us doing something he disapproved of, he’d lecture us and punish Rei with hours of extra sword practice.”

“I see,” was all Duncan said. He excused himself for a moment, quickly returning with a basket of fabric, thread, and a few sewing needles. Warren tilted his head.

“Lady Rosa had asked me to sew a few things,” Duncan explained. “She figured I could work while I kept you company.”

“She asked you to keep me company?” Warren grumbled.

Duncan laughed. “Well actually, her words were to ‘keep Sir Warren out of trouble’, but the way I see it, having conversations with you instead of allowing you to mope or endanger yourself counts as keeping you out of trouble.”

“Fair enough. Thanks, I guess.”

Warren and Duncan sat in silence for a while, and Warren couldn’t help watching as Duncan sewed. He found it oddly cathartic, and it wasn’t until Duncan stood up to look out the window did he realize that hours had passed.

“It’s already fairly late,” Duncan told Warren, clearly surprised.

Warren was about to respond when his stomach growled, cutting him off.

“Does that mean we can have dinner?” he asked with a giggle.

Duncan raised his eyebrows. “You’re hungry?” he smiled. “That’s a very good sign, you know.”

He held out his hands to help Warren up. “Let’s get you something to eat, alright?”

Warren eagerly agreed, grasping Duncan’s hands as they started out of the room.

Warren and Duncan had almost reached the table when Lady Rosa stopped them. She had been in the kitchen preparing some food but heard their footsteps and went to see what they were doing.

“Sir Warren,” she began, “you’re a bit too impulsive for your own good, you know that?” Warren was about to say something but Lady Rosa wasn’t finished. “And Duncan, I’m surprised you’re encouraging this behavior. Then again, if I was so bothered by this I would have stopped it days ago.”

Warren’s eyes went wide. “You knew he was helping me?”

Lady Rosa smirked. “The hell else would you being doing?”

Duncan flushed with embarrassment. “My apologies, Lady Rosa. I had not meant to do anything that could hinder his recovery.”

Lady Rosa laughed. “I’m sure he would’ve gotten himself into trouble regardless. If anything, your help kept him safe.”

Warren drummed his fingers on the table. “So you’re not gonna lecture me?”

“Heh. Of course not.” She turned back toward the stove then said, “However, you’ll certainly get a stern talking to if you don’t eat tonight. With all the energy you’re going to need while you regain your strength, you’d better eat at least half of what I serve. Understood?”

Warren gulped. “U-Understood.”

The three of them sat down for the meal and Lady Rosa agreed to discuss what Warren would be doing once he left for Edrys.

“I’ve almost finished making the potion you’ll need,” she told him, filling up his plate with carrots, mashed potatoes and steak.

“How exactly does the potion work? What do I have to do once I find Rei?” Warren asked with his mouth full.

Lady Rosa shot him a look and he smiled sheepishly.

“The potion can close fatal wounds, restoring the body to a state where the person can be brought back to life. However-” she gave Warren a look that was completely serious and perhaps a bit sad. “That potion alone cannot revive someone. You would need to bring Prince Rei back here so I can make the proper concoction for him.”

Warren tugged at his hair. “So what’s the point of me bringing this random potion to Edrys?”

Lady Rosa raised an eyebrow. “Do you really want to bring a foul-smelling corpse riddled with sword wounds all the way back here?”

Warren set down his fork, suddenly feeling a bit queasy. He shook his head.

“Right. That’s why I’m making the potion. His wounds will be healed and he won’t smell like a dead body. That should make this whole process easier. Now then, any other questions?”

“Erm, yeah, actually.” He looked over at Duncan. “What was with all the sewing you were doing? You seemed pretty busy.”

Duncan smiled. “I was working on some new, warmer clothes for you. And for Prince Rei, as well. You wouldn’t want him freezing after you’ve used the potion, would you?”

He said it sympathetically, with a hand on Warren’s shoulder. Warren nodded, then pushed back his chair.

“I-I’m going to bed,” he said uneasily. He stumbled to the bedroom, and even though he was tired, his thoughts kept him awake for hours. He wanted to scream. Or cry. Or wake up and find out this was all a dream and Rei was actually safe and sound. His eyes watered and he buried his face in the pillow, sobbing until his eyelids drooped and he couldn’t stay awake any longer.