It had been three weeks of almost non-stop sleeping. Roland had busied himself in the kitchen, preparing food for William, and then throwing it away when his friend would never show up. Roland was about to throw away a pot of vegetable soup, when he heard a shuffle in the doorway.

"Don't throw out your perfectly good cooking. Please, get me a bowl."

Roland was so excited to see his friend actually standing and walking that he rushed through the kitchen, grabbing bowls and spoons. He set them down quickly on the table, and filled them to the top with steaming soup. William shakily walked across the room and sat down, sighing loudly.

"I need a bath."

Roland looked up at William, and almost felt like laughing. Will's hair had taken on a life of its own; pieces were sticking out in all directions, and some had been pressed straight by laying on his pillow for so long. His shirt was slightly torn, and had turned from white to a sickly yellow that made Roland's insides go slightly queasy. Will's trousers had one leg pulled down and one rolled above his knee.

"Yes, you do." Was all Roland could say.

William took a piece of bread and stuffed it in his mouth. He let out a soft sigh of content and took more bread, eating it quickly. Roland slapped his hand away from the bread, shaking his head.

"You've hardly eaten these past three weeks. I don't want you getting sick by stuffing yourself."

William obliged and started to eat his soup instead. He turned around when he heard someone enter, and gave a slight wave to Kate. She gave a look of surprise to Roland, then set down her hammer on a countertop. She slowly dished herself a bowl of soup, humming softly.

She squeezed William's shoulder lightly before she sat down, and then enjoyed the food.

"So, what are you doing today, Will?" Roland asked, trying to keep the conversation light.

"I 'ight go ferr a 'alk." William tried to say through the carrots. He took a swig of water and tried again.

"I might go for a walk."

Roland nodded. "Wat and Geoff want to see you. They've stopped by a few times but you were sleeping."

William nodded. "I'll talk to them later today."

Roland looked up when he heard a chair scraping. Kate had scooted hers over about a foot.

Roland raised his eyebrows, as did William.

"He needs a bath." She said quietly, and then continued to eat her food.

William looked at Roland, and the corners of his mouth turned up. Roland was surprised when William let out a laugh, a real laugh, his first ever since he had found out Jocelyn was sick.

"Real men don't take baths!" William said loudly.

"Yes, but real men don't eat like that either, do they? Wipe you mouth." She said, handing him a towel.

He did and she smirked at how much control she had over a full-grown man.

William quieted down and set his spoon on the table next to the towel. He pushed his chair out and then stood up.

He seemed hesitant and anxious as be bounced slightly on his feet. "Um, Kate.?"

She looked up at him.

"Would you like to go for a walk with me?" He asked.

Her eyebrows lowered in curiosity but she nodded and stood up.

"Roland, can you take care of the dishes?" She asked. He said yes, and then she followed William out of the room.

He led her outside into one of the gardens, and she became even more curious.

"William, why did I need to come along?"

He didn't say anything, but his pace slowed as he started to walk down a worn path. She jogged a bit and then caught up with him, keeping his steady pace.

"I wanted to ask you something." He became silent and she waited expectantly. He played somewhat nervously with his wedding band. When a few minutes had passed, she stopped walking.

"William. Just ask me."

He turned to her, face down. "When your husband died."

"Thomas."

"When Thomas died. how long did it take you to get over it?"

Kate frowned. It was a decent question, she just wasn't sure if she wanted to answer it.

"I don't want to let you down, Will, but I still grieve for him. I mean, it's not the burning pain I felt in the beginning. I can't go back and change what had happened, but. I still feel it." She stepped slightly away, as if she was talking to herself. "I think of him quite often, actually. The little things that remind me of him drive me crazy at times. Sometimes I do so much just to keep myself busy. But you can't let it get to you William, because that's when you start to falter."

"I never realized. I just thought, it's been so long. that maybe you were accepting it."

"I accepted it a long time ago William. But I will never let him go." She played with her own wedding band.

It was curious, William thought. He had never paid close attention to it before, but now that he saw it, it was beautiful. Far more detailed than the ones she had made for himself and Jocelyn.

He lifted up her hand to study it closer.

"What does that mean?" He asked, rubbing his thumb over the deeply engraved inscription.

She looked at her ring and sighed. "Hope guides me. It is what gets me through the day and especially the night. The hope that after you're gone from my sight will not be the last time I look upon you."

William remained silent. Kate pulled a piece of folded and worn parchment out of her apron pocket, and held it in front of William's chest. He grabbed hold of it and opened it up, not sure what to expect.

The calligraphy was blurred in some spots, and the edges of the paper were torn, but the letter that he had written years ago was now in front of him.

Kate was looking down at her feet. "Christiana found that on the floor next to the jewelry and the broken box." Kate was now looking William in the eyes.

"Jocelyn never gave up hope, William. You shouldn't either." She bowed her head slightly and turned to walk away.

"Um, Kate?" He asked timidly.

She turned around slowly. "Yes, William?"

"Thank you."

She nodded and turned away again, heading back towards the castle.

William stayed where he was, and read the letter over again. So many beautiful ways to say the one thing he had given her- love. Now it seemed silly to write such a fancy letter, one that had said 'Jocelyn, I can't stop thinking of you, I love you' might have been better. But Jocelyn had always been interested in things that were high-class. He had never known she had kept the letter. He wondered how many other things he hadn't known about her.

William folded the letter and tucked it into his pocket, and then continued on his walk. Jocelyn had never given up hope. Now he wouldn't, either.