Iolaire managed to get Magnus stable, but he was far from out of the woods. He’d been sewn up completely and now Deathbelle was the only other wolf in the palace. She’d had him placed on one of the plush piles of furs. No expense was spared to keep him comfortable as possible no matter what happened in the end. The Empress lay across from him with her head on her paws and her lilac eyes on his still form. Worry settled in her chest and she watched carefully for each painful breath he took.

She knew that she shouldn’t have been so attached to him already, even one night and she’d put her heart on the line. How much she wanted him to pull through proved that. He wouldn’t be the same after he recovered, she’d seen how damaged his ears were. They were ruined. He would be lucky to escape with only the scars left behind, she hoped he would be able to walk normally too. None of it would matter if he succumbed to his injuries.

She whined softly to herself as the thought crossed her mind once again. She was never given enough time, all of those she loved were taken away too quickly. Magnus didn’t deserve to lose his life, but she would honor him and his sacrifice if it came to that. Deathbelle blinked back her tears as she shifted her ivory splashed form. ”Stay with me, Magnus.” She whispered softly, putting her head back on her arms. ”I haven’t gotten enough of you yet.”

Thankfully, he slept pretty soundly during Iolaire's work and caused her little trouble while fixing him up. Now, it was just up to his body and mind to recover and those two simply wouldn't go down without a fight. He might have been broken and bruised, but his will was far stronger than that.

Her words went unheard through his bandages and ruptured eardrums, but as he began to wake the scent of her and her den was powerful enough as he began to stir that he started to realize where he was. Due to the herbs and medicines, he was slow to fully rise but his breathing changed and gave enough of a sign if she were watching. Slowly, he finally opened his eyes and tried to focus on her form through lazy blinks and released a soft whine.

She would have sat there silently and watched him for hours, unlike Hannibal he was in her grasp. She could care for him, she could see with her own eyes the stability in his breathing. His physical presence told her that he was still here and not some fantastical figment of her imagination… The less she thought about Hannibal being gone the better off she was. Deathbelle took in a deep breath as she watched his chest rise and fall, as long as he was breathing he was doing well. He wasn’t out of the woods but he hadn’t died before he’d been stitched up either.

Deathbelle did notice the change as he began to regain consciousness. She lifted her head slightly, vibrant eyes watching him carefully as his own blue gaze blinked open in slow motion. He’d lost a lot of blood and he was badly broken, but waking up so soon gave her hope. He was bandaged and bruised but Deathbelle grinned with obvious affection as this newfound hope surged through her. He whined softly and she leaned closer. ”Shh…” Belle soothed him softly, trying to refrain herself from jostling his broken body. Likely he could hardly hear her but it didn’t matter. She brushed her nose against his in an effort to offer her comfort.

With eyes finally focusing on her, he blinked slow as she brushed her nose against his and relished in the comfort it offered. When the contact broke, his eyes opened again and he stared at her, taking in the woman he we almost certain he'd never see again. Unfortunately, unlike most, he could very well remember what happened but forced the memories of the bear hovering over him out of his brain despite how hard it was. Every time he blinked, the bear was there. But thankfully, when his eyes opened again they focused on her and it was enough him keep him calm for now.

"I... I was trying... to bring you flowers." His voice was hushed, dry from going unused the past few hours. It felt silly keeping the secret from her now, although it was initial intention to keep the flowers a secret and let her wonder who'd they came from. He smiled, as painful as it was, as he looked at her hoping she'd find the sentiment in his failed gift. Although, if it wasn't for him trying to bring the gift, who knows what the bear would have done.

Deathbelle couldn’t take her eyes off of him, and she didn’t miss how much he stiffened when he closed his eyes and then relaxing when he opened them again. She smiled at him, she couldn’t help it. Deathbelle had been so sure that he was going to die before they even returned him to the palace. She breathed a soft sigh as he pulled away slightly, afraid if she took his eyes off him that he’d disappear or worse, succumb to his injuries. His ears would never be the same, but maybe with Iolaire’s help they could get them looking even.

Not that she cared, Hannibal’s ears had been mismatched and despite her natural beauty Deathbelle wasn’t a vain creature. Did she like her comforts? Absolutely. Was she terribly concerned with appearances? Not as much.

Her heart melted and a soft whine slipped as her lips as he confessed taht he had been bringing her flowers. Mismatched ears fell to her skull and she pushed forward to touch his nose lightly again. She could see the corners of his lips pull back and she felt tears prickling at the corners of her similarly purple stare. ”When you’re healed, we can go picking flowers together.” She promised him, feeling incrediby touched at his attempts and impressed again that he had offered to give up his life for the pack.

It wouldn't be the same going and picking flowers with her. Finding the flowers in the first place had been a surprise for him as well, but he'd never turn down spending time with her whatever they were doing. He smiled at her words though, eagerly looking forward to the time that they could go and pick flowers. He'd shower her in them if he could.

Despite the pain, he lifted himself slightly and scooted closer to her, wanting to engulf himself in her soothing scent and relax in her embrace as she had in his some nights ago. It hurt so much to move, but the reward was far worth the pain and struggle so he bit back his whine as he crawled, pressing his face into her chest and nearly collapsing there from this strain.

She could see it in his eyes as his purple gaze looked up to her that he was still fighting. He wasn’t done yet and she could feel the eagerness alongside him that would build for the day they could walk from the den together. For now he could barely move, though he did move. Before Deathbelle could stop him the man moved forward to collapse in her arms. He pushed his head against her chest and Belle did her best to hold him. The plush furs would cushion him, but his injuries were so severe even that wasn’t fool proof. ”Oh, Magnus.” She muttered softly as she carefully wrapped herself around him. She wanted to be close, she wanted to take him pain away. Deathbelle wished she could make him whole once more, but for now she would just give him what he wanted. To be close. She nuzzled into him, lightly so she didn’t aggravate any injuries, and she held him and whispered quietly. Assuring himself and her that he would pull through this.