The next morning was different. Quiet. Bright. I was alone. I had spent the rest of the night with Eric, making sure he didn't take his last breath alone, if at all. My body rose from the stone floor as I searched my surroundings. I was still in his cabin, still in the same clothes, and yet something felt different. I hoisted myself up on my feet, listening for any clues as to what might be different. Anything that would tell me if everything I had felt and done was all a dream. A bittersweet dream.

I saw a crack in the bedroom door behind the living room as I walked around. The dazzling morning light was peering through. I pushed it back gently and I saw a perfectly made bed. Yet still no Eric. Now I was beginning to get worried. Maybe it was all a dream. Maybe he was still dead.

That's when I heard Sage whining outside. I could hear intense galloping approaching the house. I made my way to the front door and as I turned the corner, I saw a light colored mare racing towards me. My light colored mare to be exact. And riding her was somewhat of a ghost. It was Eric.

He stopped right before me. His face was a mixture of solemness and uncomfortability. I was surprised to see him alive given what transpired the night before. Sage nudged towards me, as I placed my hand on her forehead to say hello.

"Am I still asleep?" I asked Eric, seeing as he seemed hesitant to speak.

"Define asleep." He said, his eyes dodging my eye contact.

I wasn't sure what he was playing at. I might have been foolish to presume a warm embrace once we had reunited. After all my grieving the last few days, some gleam of happiness would reckon me whole again.

"Like you didn't just almost die last night and are now riding my horse through the woods. Because that sounds like something you would never do awake." I said begrudgingly. I hoped I was still dreaming because if he was injured and risking his life again, I might have to kill him literally.

He didn't respond. I could tell he was avoiding my direct nature like the plague. It was one of my most endearing traits. "I didn't just cauterize you for fun. And now all my hard work will go to waste if you fight the healing process."

"I've been just fine on my own." He muttered as he descended from Sage's saddle. I didn't anticipate the ice in his words as he said it. So many emotions in the last few days were enough to drain me dry.

"I can tell. It's made you such a delightful companion." I said sharply. He was standing before me now. His eyes fixating on me as he heard the venom in my tone. He couldn't resist challenging me. His stubborn and hard nature was a compliment to my own tenaciousness. It's what made us so compatible. I looked into those blue eyes and even under the coldness, I felt a sliver of fire. He just couldn't resist around me. Nor I around him.

"You can leave at any time. This delightful companion can send you off right now." He said sourly.

"I'll leave. Once I know you're going to live. A fair Queen won't leave her people in crisis after all." I remarked slyly. "Show me your ribs."

He hesitated for a few seconds, until he finally took the hem of his cotton shirt with his fingers and slowly pulled up his shirt to show me his wound. Seeing his soft skin slowly expose itself to me sent shivers up my spine. I swallowed deeply to suppress the heat burning in my cheeks as he complied.

Low and behold, it was not fine. It was almost green. The bleeding had stopped but now it looked like it was starting to develop an infection.

"This is what you mean by fine on your own?" I countered back. The lack of acknowledgement from him at my observation said it all.

He had finally given in and let me tend to him again. All the sweat and dirt from his wilderness travels had made his wound tender again. I started a fire and boiled some water to clean it. He sat beside me by the sofa as I wiped his burn gently, pausing only when he tensed in pain. I wanted to make sure he was alright, despite his objections. To endure the pain of his death again would only send me further into despair. Knowing he was here with me was the only thing keeping me from breaking down in tears. And I intended to keep it that way.

"That should keep you at bay for now." I whispered, dropping the rag into the bowl beside me. I pressed on a cloth of gauze over the wound, applying enough pressure to ensure it would stay. My fingers glided down his side as I pulled down his shirt to cover the gauze. As I did, I could see goosebumps rise underneath my finger tips. In a flash, he lifted his body up to sit up straighter, although he groaned at the tightness in his muscles.

"Something troubling you?" I asked, trying to suppress my embarrassment that I had been so obvious. "No…" He whispered, as he also tried to hide his embarrassment. That's when I noticed his body relax as I pressed against his chest to stop him from sinking again, only to tense up again as he turned to look at me. It was as though he didn't want me to notice that he felt something from my touch.

"Your skin says otherwise." I noted.

"I just...haven't been touched like that in a long time." He confessed.

I looked up at him as he muttered that, sensing the hint of delight in his tone. Our eyes held their gaze, our lips moving closer as we spoke. I had thought about those lips while he was away. What it was like to kiss them, feel his warm breath against me, taste him as he tasted me. Hopefully while I was awake this time. My hands trailed along his arms this time; my fingertips feeling along his smooth forearm. Little by little the goosebumps rose again.

"You don't have to fight it." I whispered.

"I disagree." He bellowed, his thick accent eclipsing his attempt at a whisper.

My hand went for his neck, making my way to his face. The roughness of his beard poked me as I graced his chin. "It's just you and me. Just like in the church. You could trust me then. You kissed me then."

His eyes widened as though he had not expected me to remember that moment. I stroked his face again to soothe him, remembering full well the fire that burned in me the moment our lips touched. Just the two of us, alone to let our guards down and give into our desires.

"That was a different time." He reasoned quietly. "I thought you were dead." His eyes still held my gaze. Pools of hypnotic blue meeting my meadow green both elated me and scared me. With all the vulnerability presented some uncertainty.

"I thought you were dead." I whispered, moving in closer as I spoke. My hands trickled down to his chest, my fingers trickling over his heart, feeling it beat quickly beneath them. We were so close, I thought I could feel his soul.

"I think…" He whispered. The anticipation was weakening me with every second that passed by. After all this time, I needed his love more than ever. "I think...I need to walk." He said, his body shifting away from me. I could tell the pain still pierced through with just a single strain, but it still didn't stop him from leaving me on the ground, in complete disbelief of what had just occurred. In a moment, all the emotional tension was gone, my aching heart as the collateral damage. He made his way out the door with every feeble step and every weathered breath. I myself was too puzzled to stop him. Too embarrassed to leave his home and follow him into the dense wilderness.