Ah.
There it was again— the silence. Even as Valen flinched against her touch— her fingers pressing against bruised skin beneath noble robes— he didn't pull away. He couldn't. The tranquility washed over him like echoes— like cold waves on his skin, through his hair, across his mind. She didn't respond... or perhaps she did, and he couldn't hear her. In truth, as Valen allowed the calm to take him for a while longer, he came to the conclusion that perhaps it didn't matter why she was helping him.
Before long, she let go— and as her presence left his side, so too did his peace of mind. The pain was evident on his face, but he held back from so much as voicing his weakness.
He held his tongue, and watched as she drifted out of his range, and once her presence had disappeared entirely from the room, Valen collapsed— onto his bed this time, thankfully. He lacked the strength to stand any longer; the day having taking its fullest toll on him. It would begin again tomorrow; perhaps worse than today. He could only hold onto the little moment of peace he'd been granted for the time he had left, before it was taken away from him again.
