"When we get back, you are not leaving my side again."
Before Xion could respond with another half-witted joke, Darius bent down, scooping him up into his arms.
The healer's head lolled against Archduke's shoulder, his dark eyes blinking slowly as the world swayed around him.
"Ah," he muttered mostly to himself. "My chest hurts."
Darius' grip tightened around Xion, mana swirling subtly around them, forming a barrier of warmth.
The green tendrils drilled into Xion's body. Sensing no resistance, they surged forward with greater fervor. "We will be home soon, Xion. Just hang on for a bit."
Xion's eyes fluttered shut as Darius began to walk. The rhythm of his stride gently rocked him, and the steady thump of the Archduke's heartbeat lulled him into a haze of comfort.
"Darius, I seem to have fallen in love with you... again."
Archduke's stride faltered for the briefest second. The snow fell in soft whispers around them.
