.
The Defeated One on the Edge
She touched the fist in which he still grasped his dark stick, "And this?"
"My wand."
She pulled back slightly so she could look into his face, the violet smudges of exhaustion under his eyes standing out on his pale cheeks.
"So—"
"Just ask," he leaned forward place his head tiredly on her shoulder.
Seizing him about the arms she urged him to scramble back up the bed with her. He followed slowly, toeing off his boots and shedding his overcoat and waistcoat on the way.
Safely under the heavy comforting weight of the blankets, Elaine curled around him.
Violet, #5