Hope Falls

“Do I even need to say what came to mind then?” Lucian chuckled tiredly. “Here - here here.” He gestures towards his door when they came to it.

---

“Promise?”

“I love you.” Dagmar whispered, snuggling into his chest then, shoulders relaxing as her eyes closed. “I trust you.”

---

“You adore me, urchin.”

“Nobody here can know how it is, they already pity me because they’re gone… I refuse any more… even Conan doesn’t know.” Lucian gritted his teeth as he pulled the layers from his torso to feel less restricted, discarding his clothes on the floor until he was bare and moving to lay on the bed, chest down. His back a bruised mottled purple and black - as always, with the two jagged, raised parallel white lines that ran down his back where his wings had once been. His skin was flushed, a sore red mingling in with the other marks from where his back had been flexing and contracting.

---

“We’ll make the fantasy real one day…”

“Behind closed doors, you know what I expect - and nothing less, especially from you.”

---

“You’re rather silly… all the Princesses in the world, all the ladies and rich men’s daughters you could’ve chosen…”

“I can’t take the pity… it’s bad enough when they think it was just a loss I sustained that was over and done with, but the moment he realises it’s this continuous fucking torment? He’ll look at me the way he looks at his daughter when she cuts her knees. The look makes me want to throw up and ram a sword in peoples eyes at the same time. It’s bad enough Karina saw the involuntary reaction - she’ll be sat pissing herself with laughter as it is, and that’s if she’s not already had visions of you and Farah pinning me down when it acts up so I don’t hurt myself…”

---

“I love your poetic side.”

“The woman he loved is dying. And he’s not noticed yet that sometimes I don’t leave the room for days at a time because I’m busy working. Now is not the time to burden him. Not when I can deal with this, when I have been dealing with this for as long as I have. It‘s okay… I just need a few hours for the muscles to settle down then I’ll invite him down and tell him what I know. Gives us time to work out what to do with Kenna and - “ Lucian reached his hand out and pulled his pillow into his mouth as his back went into another spasm, groaning.

---

“I need the extra pick me up sometimes, I work hard!” Dagmar protested with a laugh.

“Cheeky.” Dagmar shook her head, trying to avoid the smirk on her face.

---

“Thank you.” Lucian groaned in relief as he released his bite on the cushion. Laying in silence for a few minutes as he allowed the pain to ease before speaking again; “If I stay, nobody will be required to stay with me. We have parted ways before, and met up again down the line. This will just be another one of those situations… I won’t force anyone to live on land… that includes you and Farah, and Kenny…”

“Gods I love you for this…” Lucian groaned, unable to concentrate on anything but her touch as he all but melted into the bed. “It’s a good job I’m not actually the King because between you and Farah and your magical touch I’d bankrupt the nation giving you all the gold and shiny things you deserve…”

---

“I’m sure I called you cheeky yesterday. Your memory is terrible!”

“Mm, Mr King of a whole country.”

---

“You know it’s how I express my affection, it’s why you all have hoards of things.”

“I’ve always had ghosts…”

---

“I’m holding you to that happily ever after.”

“You worry about me, how adorable.” Lucian teased, lacing his fingers with hers. “I’ll be okay, I promise you.”

---

Dagmar tightened her grip further as he loosened his, though she too soon drifted off.

“Liability my ass, like I’ve not had to carry you to bed multiple times, or stop you from stabbing people that would have you executed with a whisper, or talk you down from the ledge of having to do other stupid life altering bullshit.”