The next morning came early for Callum. He blinked awake in the soft bedding and stretched contentedly. It was still dark outside. Next to him, Rayla was still fast asleep, snoring slightly with her mouth agape. He adored her quietly for a moment and then arched over to pet Zym, who was sleeping in front of the window where he had spent most of the time. At this he got up, stretched and dropped on the floor, out of sight.
The medicine had been more than a little helpful, providing a good night's rest.
Rayla sniffled. Callum wanted so badly to snuggle her, but he was worried she might not want it, much like Zym who had just rejected his attention.
After seemingly getting annoyed with an itch on her nose, she roused and stretched.
"Mornin', dummy", she smiled at him sleepily, reaching out to pet his face.
"Sleep well?", he inquired while she completed the motion, turning toward him and drawing him into a hug.
Callum smiled. She would've been totally fine with it.
Rayla shrugged in answer to his question, and said into his shoulder, "I didn't dream so well. This is much nicer than sleepin'"
She felt sadness well up inside her, memories flooding back.
"I dreamt of the night we came to kill your dad", she said bluntly.
He nodded. "That can't be easy."
She sighed and he thought to hear the threat of tears on her voice.
"If I had killed that guard, everyone in my team would've lived and all of you would have died. I can't feel good about either option. Especially with hindsight. I would've missed so much good in my life. With Ez. With you. But, every single person in my band had family who's now lost someone. Because of me."
She shook with quiet sobs. "Then there's Runaan... C-Callum, I killed him. He was basically my foster-dad. I m-might as well have put m-my blade to his throat in person! I killed my dad!", she breathed heavily, choking on her own words, "H-he was so dis-appointed with me, when he died and I'll never get a chance to explain myself, or e-even just say sorry!"
She buried her face in his chest, her fists balled around the fabric of the bed and his shirt. She was dissolving in tears.
The prince knew nothing better to do than hold her. His brain ground at thoughts, trying to find something soothing to say.
"It's not fair that you put their deaths on your shoulders. They chose to keep killing, even after you showed them that there was another option. You didn't murder them", Callum's eyes burned, thinking with so much anger about what the Assassins had done, "They killed themselves. I'm just glad Ez and Azymondias got away. You've been sacrificing so much for peace, don't blame yourself."
She rubbed her cheek against him, paying attention not to scratch him with her horns. It was true, Runaan had insisted on carrying on with his mission instead of giving peace a chance. He'd even threatened to walk over her dead body and fought like he'd meant it.
Callum's hands started stroking her back. Gradually as they lay there, she felt better. His radiant presence soothed her, like a cozy fire.
"Thank you", she said eventually, "This stuff gets to me sometimes more, sometimes less. I'm sorry. I probably ruined a perfectly good mornin' for you. I feel like I'll be carryin' that baggage around for my entire life."
"Then I'll just have to be there to help you pull", he said, brushing some of her fine, white hair out of her face.
She gave him a baffled glance.
"I mean it. You can lean on me, when the going gets tough", a stupid smirk supported by a light blush spread over his face, "or anytime, really, I like it when you touch me"
Rayla's hands came to rest on his cheeks and he blinked, worried what she would do.
Her lips found his and she pulled him into a tight hug.
"You are the best human", she said sadly, petting his hair.
"You're the best person", he replied.
"That's cheating!", she complained with a small smile, "You can't just repeat my compliment back and make it better. Hm. I guess we should get up, now."
She rolled off the bed and walked to the bathroom and he heard her brush her teeth. Resolving to do the same, the Prince followed.
Once again, it was a bit odd, seeing each other brushing in the same mirror. They smirked at each other with foam in their mouths.
A strangely homely picture.
After they had finished cleaning themselves and the room, they got busy washing all their dirty clothes in the tub, using sun magic to dry them out almost instantly.
They clasped on their hoods, packed their bags and felt bolstered for the rest of the road.
Downstairs, the keeper's summand had prepared a bundle of breakfast items for each of them, which they stuffed into their packs. With their key returned, all six were now up on the key board.
A singular guard gave them a weary glance as they passed through the arch again. Rayla waved at the soldier who tepidly returned the gesture. She recognized him but the guard that had allowed them in was nowhere to be seen.
"Back on the road", Rayla said, enthusiastically chowing down on a bread roll with soft cheese from her pack.
Callum felt she had a spring in her step that he hadn't noticed before. It was that or she was just really happy. He was feeding some of his own cheese to Zym through the flap of his tightly latched backpack who seemed unsure as to how the stuff worked, merely licking at it.
"Soooo?", she started with a bit of a heckle in her voice, "Were you too embarrassed to sleep, after all?"
"Nah, it was good. Definitely much better than sleeping on the ground."
Her eyes narrowed a little, "Oh? Better than sleepin' on the ground? Well, I guess next time we won't be spendin' big on room and board!"
He waved his hand, "Not what I meant. It was really nice, but I also… hm."
"What? You can say it, whatever it is", she prompted, giving him an encouraging smile.
"It felt… official. That we're a couple. Sharing a room feels more official. It's like telling people `hey, we're a thing.`"
She snickered, patting his shoulder, then moving to hold his hand. "I know what you mean. I had that same thought. Especially with Talaar pointin' it out."
A mile down the road, they scampered into the thicket and Callum took the pack off his back to let Zym out. Rayla yelled and charged at something behind him. In that very moment, he was struck from behind, making him drop face down in the dirt. He felt pain in his shoulder. Cold spread through his arms and legs and sickness radiated from his abdomen as his vision blurred.
The last thing he heard was Rayla, yelling at someone about the war.
The last thing he felt was Rayla, checking his neck for a pulse.
The last thing he saw was a huge shape entering his view from the other side, bending over to pick up his backpack.