Days passed and you did not awake from the deep slumber you were trapped in. Morvran was waiting at the side of your bed every hour, his heart heavy and his head filled with the worst of thoughts. Sometimes, a tear rolled over his face, causing a burning sensation to spread on his skin.

Holding your hand tight, he let his head rest at the side of your pillow and tried to smile. But it turned out to be more of a sad attempt.

"(Y/N).", he whispered into your ear. "Can you hear me, little stray? Please, don't leave me. Not now. I begged you to stay here, with me."

His hand was shaking, as he stroked a strand of your (H/C) out of your face and pressed a kiss onto your forehead.
His tears were falling onto your skin, leaving salty spots.

"Promise me, you won't loose without a fight."

The days flew by and soon became weeks.

To Morvran, every single day was like torture. It was worse than the things he had suffered through as the emperor had caught him. Those things were nothing in comparison to the feeling that was rising in him, whenever he looked at your peaceful face. It felt like looking at a dead person. Her refused to believe that you had lost the battle but his mind always painted the picture of a pale corpse, that was laying in the bed before him.

With each day the fear grew inside of his chest, making his heart go heavy. It was the desperate, painful kind of fear that made a sane man go mad whenever it grew too big. Every day he returned after doing his chores, sat on the edge of your bed and began to talk to you. It was painful to not hear your voice again and it made him cry way more than he wanted to admit.

"Can you hear me, little stray?", Morvran asked with a sad smile. "The village looks a lot better now. You should get up and see for yourself. The roofs have no holes no more and we are painting the walls. It all comes together, slowly but steady. Yesterday, the old man handed me the papers for the land. We own it yet. Well... only my name is on it. But we will fix that soon. As soon as you awake we will put your name on it too."

Hesitating, he began to chew on his lower lip. It made him feel stupid to talk with so much hope in his voice. It made him sound as if he was hoping to see you awake and healthy again by the break of dawn. He did hope for it, no doubt. But his mind was reminding him of the cold, harsh truth over and over again.

"I haven't seen the mansion yet.", he turned to look at your face. "I don't want to see it all by myself. It's supposed to be our home. If I see it for the first time, it will be with you by my side. Little stray... will you wake up for me, so we can go home? Please?"

Tears filled his eyes, forcing him to fall silent. Biting his lip, he turned away and buried his face in his hands.

How much it hurt him to not be able to talk to you. He missed the many conversations, filled with laughter and jokes. Never before had someone been so honest and hearty towards him. Back in the day, he had always been the young master, the noble man that was treated with respect and a little bit of fear. With the villagers it was no different.

But he didn't wanted to be this way. He wanted you to talk to him again, joke about him again and laugh about him again. Knowing that you were not fearing him because of his name or rank filled him with happiness.

"Little stray.", he whispered, after the tears had dried. "I love you."

As the weeks became a month and the month became more months, the last bit of hope left Morvran. Spring had turned into summer and summer was slowly but surely turning into autumn. Five month had passed ever since the two of you had crossed the border of Toussaint. Five months and he felt like he wanted to die.

Despite the pain that came with seeing your untouched face every day, Morvran was still visiting you. Not a single free second had passed in wich he had sat on your bed frame, talking to you. But each time his heart got a little heavier and his would broke a bit more.

Why weren't you waking up?

He had send some time desperately trying to seek a cure, a doctor or a healer perhaps that would have been able to help. But nothing. His efforts had been wasted time.

The many heartbreaks had robbed his ability to cry. Now, he was only sitting at jury side and stared down on you. His eyes had lost their proud shimmer, being framed by deep circles.

"Why?", he asked, knowing that there was no answer to be expected. "I wanted this so bad... For the first time in my life I wanted something for myself and not to make somebody else proud. I wanted you like I wanted nothing else. This life... here, at thus very place... We could have had a faery tale. So why..? Why did life not grant us this one wish? Tell me, little stray... do you remember the time you asked me what I'm afraid of? I told you I was afraid of never being able to be with you again. That wasn't a lie I truly am afraid to loose you forever. But... now there is another thing. I am... I am afraid to never find a home again. Because, little stray, when you die... what will be left for me? If you, my home, the home that I choose, the home that you've given me, die... where will I go? I will be without a home for the rest of my life. That is what I am truly afraid of."

Turning away, he covered his face with both hands. The feeling of tears rose in him. But not a single one began to flow. It was as if they had dried out forever.

Not being able to bare the pain, he wanted to get up and leave. But before he could, a hand grabbed his wrist, making him freeze.

"Morvran.", his name out of your mouth was like the purest gold. "I will give you a home. I promise."