Cogsworth sat at the small desk in the corner of his room. He was reading through a set of papers and was on the third of five pages.

Ever since Joseph's death, everything had been a struggle against feeling helpless. When Cumul had come with the news of Babette and Lumiere being attacked, it became worse. Cogsworth still did what was needed of him around the castle, though he had lost much of his normal sense of urgency. As of late, he barely ate or slept, and it was very clear that almost everyone in the castle was worried about him.

Honestly, Cogsworth had no idea what the past three pages of writing had said. Annoyed by his lack of focus, Cogsworth shuffled back to the first page to start again.

Not even a minute later, a knock came at the door. Confused, Cogsworth glanced at the clock on his nightstand. It was the middle of the night! Who on earth was at his bedroom door at a time like this? Whoever it was, Cogsworth didn't have time to deal with them right now.

"I'm busy," he called to the person at the door. Or, at least, that's what he had meant to do. When he spoke, the words were muffled in a way that made it sound like he was mumbling. The sound of his voice surprised Cogsworth. It didn't sound like him at all.

Worried now, Cogsworth hurried to the mirror that hung above his dresser. As soon as he saw his reflection staring back at him, Cogsworth realized just how much this situation had been effecting him. Dark circles had formed under his eyes, and his skin was deathly pale. It was at that moment when Cogsworth finally realized just how exhausted he was.

Another knock came at the door then. Cogsworth was about to tell the person to go away, but he gave in. "Come in," he sighed, defeated.

Brooke stepped into the room, not bothering to hide her concern. "You should be getting some sleep," she pointed out.

"I could tell you the same thing." Cogsworth replied.

"Which of us is sleep deprived?" Brooke snapped, losing her patience with him.

"Point taken," Cogsworth sighed. He sat at the foot of his bed, refusing to meet her gaze.

"Cogsworth, I'm worried about you. Everyone's worried about you." Brooke said, sitting down next to him. "You can't keep doing this to yourself. It's not good for your health."

"Do you think I care if I end up horribly ill at this point?" Cogsworth exclaimed. "Maybe if I get lucky, it'll kill me."

"Surely, you don't mean that?" Brooke asked, her terrified voice no more than a whisper.

"Brooke, the only reason that I've been using my magic to keep myself going for over a millennia is because I had hope that humans and elementals could have peace with one another. It was a stupid dream. So, what was the point? Now, I don't see one. There's no hope left, and at the rate we're going, there won't be any humans left either." Cogsworth explained his reasoning.

"Cumul and I made a plan to stop Shyla. She's blinded by anger and grief. If we can get her to pause for just a moment, we might be able to make her start thinking straight again. After all, she has no desire to hurt elementals." Brooke replied.

"Do you really think that we can stop this?" Cogsworth wondered.

"I know we can," Brooke answered, a smile lighting up her expression.

"This whole thing is my fault!" Cogsworth suddenly scolded himself.

"How on earth is this your fault?" Brooke questioned him.

"I should've been the one who was shot. I should've been paying attention. I should've seen the hunter. I shouldn't have waited until Joseph was dead to try comforting Shyla. I should've done something to try and spare the boy's life, but no, I stood there and did nothing like the cowardly idiot I am." Cogsworth listed.

"You're way too hard on yourself." Brooke sighed. She knew all too well that Cogsworth was over-reacting. In an attempt to comfort him, she pulled him into her arms.

"If it had been me, none of this would've happened." Cogsworth wailed.

"Maybe not, but without you, the castle would fall apart. I would have no idea what to do. Training elementals to use their magic properly was your idea." Brooke reminded him. "Besides, it would be a waste of a thousand-some years of working towards a goal."

"An impossible goal that could never be fulfilled," Cogsworth muttered.

"It might be impossible, but stopping Shyla isn't. Even if we can't have complete peace, we can stop this pointless bloodshed." Brooke insisted.

"I suppose you're right," Cogsworth admitted.

"Well, I'm going to get some sleep." Brooke said as she stood. "I suggest that you do the same." With that said, Brooke left.

Knowing that she was right, Cogsworth blew out the candle that still burned on his desk before getting some much needed sleep.