Manon lurched awake, sweat clinging to her skin like blood, she stumbled away from the bed, her stomach heaving and collapsed into the wall. She forced herself to breathe, with each breath reminding herself where she was. She forced herself to look around the room, the hard oak doors, the rug at the foot of the bed, the wardrobe, the bed, all of it was the same, the same, when she wasn't, even since she had first slept here. She allowed her attention to shift to the bed itself, to the figure stirring there,

"Manon? You okay?" Dorian rubbed his eyes as he sat up, holding a hand out, "C'mere." She didn't move right away, not even when he shifted across to the edge of the bed. "What was it?" She shook her head, turning away slightly, so that he couldn't see the tears forming in her eyes, the weakness it betrayed.

"I'm fine." She forced out when he made his way towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist, "I'm fine." She insisted, but her voice broke, and she ducked away,

"Please don't hide from me." He gently turned her face back towards him, "Don't hide from me." Concern glimmered in his eyes, genuine fear for what she had seen tonight,

"The battle." She admitted, "Asterin-" A sob left her breaking off and turning round fully to face him, "My fault."

"No." Dorian pulled her tightly into his chest, "None of it was your fault, there was nothing you could have done."

"I could, I could have seen what was happening." She buried her face in his shoulder, the sobs now wracking her whole body as he led her back to the bed, fluffing up the pillows and pulling her close as he leaned against them. "You saved so many lives, Manon, without you, The Thirteen, I don't know what we would have done." She rolled her eyes, not quite believing him, "I mean it, Witchling, you did everything that anyone could have done."

"I lost them, I lost them, Princeling." Her voice broke, and he brushed her hair away from her face, holding her against him,

"I know." Candles beside them flickered into light, the room glowing in a pale light as he reached across to the bedside table. She shuffled next to him, leaning against him as he stroked her hair gently, smiling when she sighed contentedly. He pulled the book towards them, flicking it open, giving his eyes a moment to adjust before reading, "In a Kingdom long since burned to ash, there lived a princess who loved her people very much," she snuggled into him as he spoke, allowing his voice to wash over her, to wash away the pain.

"I love you." She mumbled, thinking he couldn't hear her, but her just kissed the top of her head,

"I know, I love you more." She hummed disbelievingly, and allowed her mind to wander, to consider yet again, what she had been thinking about since Yrene had suggested it first.

"Dorian?"

"Uh-huh."

"What Yrene said, would you want that? Getting married?" He stiffened for a moment before speaking,

"I don't want to tie you down, you don't want a husband who'll someday look old enough to be your grandfather."

"And what if I said that you wouldn't?"

"What do you mean?"

"There's a spell of sorts, I can tie my lifespan to yours, if you want me."

"You know I want you, but do you really want that?" She shifted onto her knees beside him, golden eyes meeting sapphire, as she spoke,

"I want you, all of you, if a human lifespan means I can have you, then I'll have a human lifespan." Tears re-formed in her eyes as she kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he cupped her face with one hand, squeezing her waist with the other, "You taught me to love." She whispered as they pulled apart.

"Then yes, if it's what you truly want, there is nothing I want more than to call you my wife."

"Chaol's going to have a heart attack." She chuckled as he pulled her back into another kiss, and she opened, allowing his tongue to sweep into her mouth, claiming her, as she claimed him.

"I think he'll survive."