Update time! And we're almost there with the meeting. I'm not entirely sure I did proofread this chapter and I had a long day at work today and am too tired to do it right now – I' sorry for any mistakes. Hope you like it.

*Nasaf - 8 years ago*

Keyla woke with a start. She had no idea what had woken her up but she felt scared and distressed, like she had just woken from a bad dream. Her vision was blurry for a moment and when she tried to focus her view, she realized with growing horror that her surroundings were completely unfamiliar to her. She had no idea where she was or how she had come to be here. She was comfortable though - she registered that fact somewhere at the edge of her panicking mind - so it definitely wasn't the worst place to be in. Still she knew she didn't belong here. She tried to sit up, wanting to get away, but a gentle hand placed itself on her shoulder and pushed her back down.

"Easy. You're still very weak, you shouldn't move around too much."

Keyla's eyes widened when she was able to put a name to the familiar voice. She looked up, right into Dastan's face. A small, tired smile lay on his face. He was obviously very happy to see her awake. Keyla realized that something had to have happened to her, something that explained why her friend looked so tired and exhausted but all the while so happy about her being here, talking to him. She tried to remember, tried to remember how she had come to be here but her memory was blank, completely blank.

"What happened?"

"You were sick..."

The way he said it, Keyla could tell there was more to it. It must have been a serious illness if Dastan sounded so worried about it. But even now - knowing what must have happened - Keyla still had no memory of feeling ill or falling sick whatsoever. Given how weak she felt right now, she could only imagine that the disease had hit her so hard and so fast, that she had never even seen it coming.

"I don't remember..."

"You were VERY sick. When we heard about the disease in the slums of Nasaf. I went to look for you. I found you at home with a fever and delirious and I took you here. Our healers took care of you. You will be fine."

Keyla stared at Dastan for a long moment. Maybe she was too weak or still to sick to comprehend it but she couldn't believe what he had just told her. Why would he do that? Why would he risk his own safety - his life - to check on her and even take her away from her home to get her to someone who would make her well again? It had to have been chaos in the slums if people were suffering from a disease and probably still was if the illness was still raging on. They probably had needed to protect the rest of the city's citizens from those in the slums who wanted to get away from the illness - reinforcements, guards, soldiers... and Dastan had put himself right in the middle of that... Keyla swallowed hard, looking at him warily, waiting for confirmation.

"You went into the slums of the city where a disease was spreading and you took me with you?"

"Yes, of course I did."
He said it with so much force, that Keyla did not dare to question his actions - or his motives for that matter - again. It seemed she had insulted him, questioning what he had done for her like that. They were friends, very good friends to be exact and thinking about it now - as her mind cleared more and more - Keyla felt bad about her initial reaction... Of course Dastan had come to save her... She was like a sister to him and she would have done the very same thing for him had the situation been reversed. She would have risked her own life in order to save his... Why it had surprised her that he had done it she couldn't really tell... She knew she should have apologized but her mind was troubled by another thought in that moment.

"When did that happen?"

"Six days ago. You have been unconscious since then."

"Wow..."

Six days... Keyla couldn't believe she had not been aware of anything that had happened around her for six full days. A week of her life had passed by without her even having the least bit of recognition about it... She swallowed hard. She really had to have been severly sick if her fever had kept her unconscious for that long. It explained why Dastan looked so tired. He had saved her from a lonely death in the slums by taking her away from there but it had been the healers who had fought for her life after that. She looked at her friend when Dastan sat down on the edge of her bed, smiling that small tired smile at her again.

"We were worried about you. Bis and I kept watch over you. He went to sleep a couple of hours ago when it was clear you would be okay. He was afraid we would lose you..."

"And you?"

"I knew you were too stubborn to just die."

He was grinning now - only a shadow of his usual mischief visible on his face - and that managed to calm Keyla down a lot more than any reassuring words ever would have been able to. The grin and his words let her know that everything would be alright with her again. If Dastan was joking and teasing her, she certainly wouldn't be dying. He wouldn't have done that... Keyla swallowed hard and licked her lips - they felt dry and it was only now that she realized how thirsty she was. Dastan, who had watched her every move carefully, got up from the bed and went over to a small table a few feet away where a jar full of water was standing.

It felt strange to watch Dastan pour a cup of water for her. It made her feel... uncomfortable. As children they had been equal but nowadays they were not anymore. The life that had been offered to Dastan by king Sharaman had changed him and Keyla felt like he wasn't even aware of that fact. It wasn't like he was arrogant or cruel like his brothers - the king's real sons - could be at times but he had gotten so used to this life the king had provided him with that he took things for granted he never would have when they had still been children.

"Here."

She tried to grab the cup that Dastan had returned with and had almost let it slip through her fingers, spilling it's contents on the bed. She was too weak to even do a thing as simple as drinking a cup of water all by herself. Dastan however reacted quickly enough to stop the mess from happening, steadying her hand and holding onto the cup. He smiled gently, which actually managed to make Keyla feel even more embarrassed than she already did.

"Careful. You're..."

"Weak, I know."

"Let me help you."

Keyla would have liked to protest as Dastan now gently took the cup from her hands again and held it up to her lips so that she could drink the clear, cool water inside of it but she was too thristy and too weak to do so. She greedily sipped the water and had to stop after just a couple of gulps, resting her head back down on the pillow. She felt like a new-born kitten... She had never been this weak before in her life. It was a scary feeling... She watched Dastan place the cup on the ground beside her bed. He still looked worried... and tired. She would have liked to send him to bed, it seemed he needed the rest. He however didn't even seem to think about leaving her alone.

"I also got you the candied fennel you like so much but it would be best if you kept it hidden from the healers. They won't allow you anything but water and soup for a couple of days until you are better and stronger again."

Keyla took the small, wrapped up package Dastan handed to her now and slipped it underneath the thin cooton blanket she was covered with. She had to smile. Candied fennel was the one thing she always got from Dastan whenever he paid her a visit. To her it was a luxury she never would have allowed herself because it was too expensive - even if she had some money at times - and di not pose any sort of nutrition. But she loved it and she never, ever argued with Dastan for bringing her something she actually didn't need and neither did she do now.

Her hand rested on the package Dastan had given her. He had done so much for her and even though she knew why he had done it and she knew she would have done the same thing, she just couldn't get it out of her mind how unbelievable all this felt to her. She knew she was being ungrateful and rude but she allowed her thoughts to win the better of her and just slip out of her mouth as she voiced them . It wasn't that she couldn't truly believe he had helped her, but what he had risked to do so...

"Why did you do this?"

"Because you're my friend, Keyla! Did you really need to ask?"

"You risked your health, your life! And you risked the lives of everyone at the palace by taking a sick person in. Why?"

"I needed to make sure you were okay."

"And the king and your brothers?"

She had been afraid to ask this question, afraid of what the answer would be but as she was here and Dastan was here, Keyla assumed it hadn't been that bad. The king had not ordered Dastan to take her back where she belonged and he had not been that angry with his son to decide to punish him in some way... Or maybe that still would be happening but the king had decided to let Dastan be there for her first. Either way she was afraid of his answer but a surge of relief went through her when Dastan shrugged his shoulders.

"Garsiv was unhappy of course but that's because he doesn't like you. Tus and my father both think I was stupid and careless... but it was a noble thing I did. I don't care about being noble or careless, I just wanted to help you."

"I owe you my life..."

"I did what I knew was the right thing to do. You owe me nothing, Keyla."

He seemed taken aback by her words and hurried to shake his head. Keyla had never been one for drama and this had been the last thing Dastan had expected from her. He didn't feel like he had saved her life - he had just brought her to the next healer he could find and that had been the ones in the palace - and he certainly didn't feel like she owed him anything in return. He looked at her hoping that emotion would shine through and he was glad when Keyla softly nodded her head. He did not want her to feel like she was indebted to him.

She closed her eyes for a moment and Dastan bit his lip. The healers had told her that too much excitement would be very exhausting for Keyla and she couldn't take that right now - not yet. She would need a while before she would be able to live her life normally again... Maybe he had strained what little power she had right now and had driven her too far... She looked tired and exhausted. Maybe it was best if he left now and let her rest. But when she opened her eyes again, sudden determination shone in them and even though he should have expected it, Keyla's next question still took Dastan by surprise.

"When can I leave this place? And where exactly... am I."

"This is my room, Keyla. My father told me that if I could be careless enough to take you here, it was best to keep you with me."

"I thought he said what you did was a noble thing..."

"Doesn't change the fact that I endangered a lot of people while doing it. Luckily it all went fine."

Keyla did not want to get into this particular argument again. She felt bad enough already that she hadn't been able to prevent the course of action Dastan had taken. If she had been conscious or simply just strong enough she would not have allowed him to take her to the palace - a place she didn't want to be and a place full of people she could have gotten sick with that disease she had contained. But she hadn't been able to and Dastan was right - it had gone fine. Instead she insisted on an answer to the one question that was most important to her right now.

"You didn't answer my question though. When can I leave?"

"You don't have to leave, Keyla. You know that..."

"I don't belong here, Dastan..."

"If you think about it that way, I don't belong here either..."

"No you don't..."

"Keyla..."

"Let's don't get into it. We will never find a common ground and we both know it."

She was right about that. They had argued about this probably a million times by now ever since he had left to live in the palace as a son to the king. She had never agreed and she had never wanted a chance for a better life - a life Dastan had offered to her at a multitude of times - for herself. He reminded himself that she was still weak and that arguing with her would only make her feel worse... He smiled instead.

"No, we probably never won't. To answer your question - the healers say you need to stay for at least another week until you are strong enough to walk on your own. They want to make sure you can provide for yourself."

"They want that?"

"Yes. That's what they want. I want you to stay. But I will respect your decision. I always have."

"I know."

Silence emerged between them for a long moment. It wasn't an awkward silence though but those few moments gave Keyla a chance to realize how truly tired she was. She had never felt this exhausted after something as simple as a conversation. She closed her eyes for another long moment and of course her actions didn't go unnoticed by Dastan. He surpressed a sigh, realizing he had kept Keyla awake for too long. It was time for him to leave her side and give her some peace. He gently placed a hand on her arm and smiled when she looked at him again now.

"I have to go and tell my father about you. He wanted to know when you were better. Just rest and sleep a little if you can. I'll be back later."

"Okay..."

Keyla felt him squeeze her arm gently and she watched him get up. She didn't want Dastan to leave but he was right - she needed to rest and she knew she wouldn't fall asleep having him watch over her like this. She smiled realizing he was only leaving for her sake. He had almost reached the door when she stopped him once again. She hadn't made it very clear until now but she wanted him to know. She needed him to know...

"Dastan?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you..."

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