The night was almost over as Morvran returned to the stables. The way the ride had turned out pleased him. He was able to sit on the meres back and she did not try to kill him. At least not for now. It would have been possible to return to the battlefield like this. He would have depended on the horse but otherwise it was fine.

But as he got from her back, his ankle reminded him that he was not supposed to walk. With a painful expression on his face, he tried to suppress the urge to scream. A sharp pain chased through his foot and up his leg. It was like a knife in his flesh.

"For fucks sake...", he cursed and tended to the mere.

He rubbed her sweaty fur dry, gave her some water and some extra hay. She deserved it. He had noticed how much her behaviour had changed for the better. When the time was right, he would need to thank you for taming her.

With a deep sight, he let himself fall into the stack of hay that he had sat in before and closed his eyes. Surely, you would pass by and see if the mere was all right. In that case, he would have the chance to apologise. It still hurt him a little, how foolish he had been. It had not been his right to say the things he said.

He regretted them truly. But what Morvran regretted even more was that he had hurt you.

For a short while, the general rested his eyes. After this short time on the back of a horse, he felt like he had fought ten thousand battles. His body was aching and he was exhausted. He felt like an old man.

To add to that, the feeling of tiredness crawled up in him. His limbs got heavy, as he sunk deeper into the hay. It was surprisingly comfortable.

The smell of the horses was in the air, their noises filled his ears as he drifted off into the world of slumber. Darkness wrapped its finger around him.

It hurt. It hurt a long time. Even after the tears had dried, the pain was remaining.

Why in all of the gods names did you recall that memory?

It was supposed to be your burden for life. You had sworn to take this secret into your grave. And now you had screamed it into his face. Morvran's face.

He had not been supposed to know. But now he did.

So what would you do?

As your mind was able to work properly again, you decided to retreat to the stables. It wouldn't have been the first time that you would hide there to figure out what to do next. The horses always comforted you.

Plus, it was already late and Morvran was probably in bed already.

Carefully, you slipped through the back door of the stables, being extra careful not to make any sounds. Thank the gods, not even a rat was around.

You walked over to one of the horses, a brow stallion, quite young and stroked his face with a sad smile.

"How are you boy? Seems like you can't rest either. Don't worry. I find it hard to calm myself too.", you said and buried your face into his soft fur.

Dried tears were sticking to your skin, causing the feeling of glue.

The stallion raised its head, as if it wanted to cheer you up and wiggled with its tail.

"It's alright. I am not sad anymore. It just... hurts. As if the memories are replaying on my mind over and over again. It's like a nightmare."

Again, the horse acknowledged your words. It even nodded, as if it understood.

The strange yet cute behaviour made you smile. It was almost as if this horse understood you better than most humans at the mansion.

With a little more happiness, you moved on to the next horse, another stallion. His fur was as black as the night but the marks on the hooves made it seem like the horse was wearing bright white socks.

"Hello to you too, my friend. I've missed you. Forgive me for ignoring you, I was busy with the mere.", you placed a gentle kiss between its eyes. "I hope this makes up for it."

You proceeded to move on, form the stallion to a mere and to another stallion and another stallion. This went on for quite a while, since the stable held around two dozen horses under one roof.

As you reached the box of the mere, you mood had lightened a little. There was still this aching feeling inside of your chest. But it was more like a pull and less like a stab now.

"There you are. Good girl. How was the trip? Did he behave?", you asked, laughing a little.

The mere raised her head, wich made you smile. She was always so lively. It saddened you that she might fall on the battlefield. Perhaps, she would get injured and never be as lively as she was now.

But after all, you wanted her to go with Morvran so that he could return safely. Safely to you.

A sigh escaped your lips, as the thought crossed your mind again. You were not supposed to think this way.

"Are you this sad about me leaving?", Morvran's voice was barely a whisper.

But it was enough to scare you in the moment. Surprised, you jumped back, your eyes were looking through the darkness.

Morvran wasn't more than a moving shadow in the dark. His figure was buried in a stack of hay, making him almost invisible.

Unable to say anything, you shook your head. Then you hesitated. And nodded instead.

"It does. Very much.", you whispered back.

"Why?"

"Because...", your breath hitched.

Your heart knew the answer. Your mind knew the answer. But your mouth refused to say the words.

You would not admit that he had achieved a place in your heart.

Not yet.