He catches your eye across the hallway, giving you that almost unnoticeable tilt of his head that means follow me. You slip away behind him, quiet as a shadow, until the castle doors close behind you both and the cold night air settles around you.

He doesn’t speak, he rarely does, but his hand brushes yours as you walk, a silent invitation.

You reach the hill just beyond the walls, where the sky opens wide and full of stars. He stops, looking up with that calm, unreadable expression he always wears, but you notice the way his shoulders ease, the way his breath comes slower.

You sit together, and without a word, he drapes his cloak over your shoulders, pulling you gently closer so you can lean against him.

The stars reflect softly in his eyes. He’s silent for a long moment before he murmurs, barely above a whisper, “…It’s better with you here.”