To Be You

Ulric was laying in bed in the room that now felt too big and too empty without Eska there. His mate still hadn't allowed herself to leave the dungeons since her illness began and he honestly hadn't spent much time in their bedroom since this began. Sometimes he would fall asleep leaning against the bars of the cell while he was visiting her and occasionally he'd drift off in the lounge or in one of the spare rooms. Being in here just reminded him too much of what it had felt like to be alone and was too much of a glimpse into the future if Eska didn't get better. He refused to let himself think of that possibility though. He only let himself think of her getting better and the future they would continue to have together once this was all over. It kept him afloat even though he was worn down and exhausted by the stress of it all.

He was drifting somewhere between being awake and asleep while he attempted to take a short nap when he heard a tap on the door and Serenity's voice calling for him on the other side. He blinked open his blurry silver eyes with a yawn, lifting his head to look at the door with a bit of confusion. He didn't know what would bring his eldest daughter here to look for him, but he most certainly wouldn't turn her away. He pulled himself out of bed and walked toward the door, pulling it open to look at her curiously. "Serenity? This is a surprise. Please, come in," he offered, leaving the door open as he moved away to sit by the fireplace that had a fire burning in it, tossing another log into the hearth. Now that Auster was dipping into its cooler months they would need to start collecting more firewood again. Attempting to keep his mind on track, he looked to her again with a tired smile. "What's going on?"

Ulric Adravendi