It was hell. Fucking hell. That's what it felt like, at least. Valleri tried not to think about the pounding in her head. It made her feel dizzy and each time she moved she could almost feel the blood in her head move. Beyond that, she felt sweaty and hot and uncomfortable. That combined with the unwanted pressure was nearly unbearable.

She sat upright in the bed. The pressure in her forehead lessened only a little. But at least Valleri could think a little clearer now. Closing her eyes, Valleri finally noticed her chest tightening as she breathed. That by itself wasn't unusual since the siege. What was unusual was that the ribs on the left side of her chest weren't feeling as achy as they usually did.

Opening her eyes slowly, Valleri sighed. the breath caught in her throat uncomfortably, making her cough once or twice. Valleri rolled her eyes and got up from the bed, leaving Vilkas and Wisp behind. She tried her best to creep past, but soon enough, the dog was up and following her to the kitchen downstairs. Wisp stayed close to her legs as she grabbed a glass of water.

The liquid was soothing, but in only a few moments, Valleri was coughing uncontrollably. The pressure in her head ramped up again. Valleri groaned as she doubled over. Wisp, probably worried, whined and laid his head on Valleri's thing. She gave him a reassuring pet.

"Val? You all right?"

Valleri couldn't look up as she held her head. By now, the pressure was moving into her sinuses and it harder to breathe than ever before. Vilkas shook his head as he went over to the table Valleri was sitting at, pulling out a seat close to her. Finally, she met his eyes, noticing to tiredness in his face.

The Nord blanched when he saw her face. "Hey, you're not looking good. Come here," Vilkas mumbled as he put a hand on her forehead. Valleri mustered a faltering smile as she relished how cool his hand felt against her skin.

"You're running a fever."

"I know."

"Anything else?"

Valleri tried to take as deep a breath as she could. Her voice was croakier than she expected when she spoke. "Hard to talk, hard to breathe. Migraine."

Immediately, Vilkas sighed and shook his head. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Technically—"

"You did. I know, I know." He got up from the seat and went to put the kettle on. Valleri's eyes slowly closed again as she listened to Vilkas rummaging around in some of their storage containers. All the while, her hands moved in rhythmic circles on top of Wisp's head. A few moments, she heard the kettle hiss along with Vilkas' mutters as he tried to finish making whatever strange concoction he was brewing.

Valleri was glad when he brought over a sweet-smelling tea. From what she could tell, it was a tad bit spicey. She stared at Vilkas questioningly.

Relenting, he explained, "Just ginger and honey. It should help with your throat a bit."

"I hate this so much," Valleri mumbled before she took a sip of the tea. Vilkas was right. Her throat felt a bit less scratchy. But the pressure in her head was still ever so annoyingly there. Sighing, Valleri forced herself to finish the rest of the tea. She cringed as she realized the honey had settled at the bottom of the mug, making the last few sips horrendously sweet. Vilkas chuckled as he watched her. Valleri rolled her eyes as she set the cup down on the table.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. It's just the look on you face…"

"Yeah, I bet it was great. Just that last bit was not good at all."

Vilkas stood up suddenly, making Valleri and Wisp jump. "All right. Time to sleep," he stated as he held out a hand.

"I can sleep down here tonight." Valleri paused when Vilkas shot her a confused glance. She titled her head, "I don't want to get you sick."

She watched Vilkas pause for a moment with a frown. "Val… Valleri, I'm not gonna get sick. Werewolves don't get sick like that." The Imperial didn't answer as she tried to process what Vilkas just said.

"Farkas told me that a long time ago, but that still doesn't sound right."

Vilkas sighed with fond exasperation as he grabbed onto her hand. "Now, come on. You'll start healing up."

"This isn't the first time I've been sick, you know."

"I know," he replied as he watched Valleri amble up the stairs, Wisp following close behind. The dog pushed past Valleri and hopped on the bed. Vilkas shooed the dog off so Valleri could get settled.

"It's like every time I move my head, I can feel the pressure just move."

Vilkas laid down next to her, finally letting Wisp to come up on the bed. Valleri stared at him through exhausted, tired eyes, rimmed with purple. Her face was redder than usual from what assumed was the fever.

"Are you feeling better?"

Valleri frowned. "No."

"I can stop and see if Danica's got anything in the morning."

"When is that?"

"Probably a few hours. Don't worry about it too much."

Valleri shut her eyes and breathed out sharply. "You don't have to stay up with me then. I can take care of myself. It hasn't been the first time I've come down with a cold or something."

"Not at all," Vilkas chided. "Of course, I'm not going to just let you muddle through this. That's not what I'm here for." He placed a hand on her forehead, watching as the frown on Valleri's face melted into calmness. Wordlessly, he gave Valleri's shoulder a rub.

The words were barely audible while her tone was tired and exhausted.

"Thank you."

A smile came to Vilkas' face as he watched Valleri finally drift off asleep. She was still a bit fitful, but Vilkas wouldn't have expected otherwise. Vilkas stole one last glance at Valleri, smiling as he did so, before closing his own eyes. Morning was only a few hours away. But there was no reason for him to get up any earlier than usual.