Chapter Text
It was hard to believe just how they had fallen. From their lavish life of near royalty to constantly being in the move, just trying to keep their heads down and out of sight. Lady Briarwood still had a hard time wrapping her head around what exactly had happened to them, but in the end, none of that seemed to matter when she thought about the fact that they were both alive and together. That's all either of them could really ask for.
She looked up from her spot by the campfire as she heard her husband curse under his breath. Her eyes traveled to where he stood, trying to put a wheel back into it's place on their carriage. Even the sight of their once beautiful carriage made her heart feel like it was in a vice. The long and constant travel had not been kind to it, and she was honestly surprised that it was still standing.
Silently, she made her way over to her husband, reaching out to place a hand on his back, "Maybe I can be of some assistance, My Love." She said quietly, tired of watching him struggle with the manual labor alone. She couldn't help but shrink back slightly as he snapped back at her that he didn't need help.
At feeling the flinch, the large man let out a sigh and stood to his full height, "I am sorry, My Dear. I don't mean to take my frustration out on you." He muttered out, almost scared that his normal volume might push the woman away. His fear was pushed back as his wife took his hand and raised it to her cheek, pressing her face against his palm.
"It's I who should be sorry. I know that going so long between meals has been difficult on you. It's been long enough since you last fed from me..." Her offered faded from her lips but still hung between them. She knew that he hated having to use her as a meal. He would do everything in his power to prevent that.
"No!" He responded sternly. "We're bound to run into another village soon. I will not sink to using my wife like some repeated tap. I despise that you would even need to suggest something like that." His anger was obviously directed back at himself and the situation, but the guilt he saw in her eyes made him want to stop the world from spinning if it made her happy again.
"Go gather your things. The carriage should be okay to go for a little longer. We still have a few more hours until the sun begins to rise." He spoke as he brushed past her to get the horses set back up in their positions.
Tossing their little camp into the carriage and making sure the fire was out, Delilah climbed up into the driver's seat with her husband, taking the chance to rest her head against his shoulder as they drove on into the night. Between the cool night air and the rocking of the carriage, sleep soon made her eyes heavy, the last thing she felt being a strong arm wrapping around her to hold her securely against her husband.
A couple of hours later, Sylas started to see the signs of sunrise approaching. He stopped the carriage near a small creek in the forest, moving his wife to lay inside it on one of the once plush seats. Freeing the horses from their bounds to the carriage and tying them off to a tree to secure them, before also retreating into the darkness of the vehicle.
He sat in silence as he watched his wife sleep. It was a sight that he never tired of, even after all these years. Their relationship may not have been the same as when they were both unaffected by their multiple deaths, but their love for each other still ran deep and powerfully through them. He couldn't help but reach out to push back some hair that has fallen across her face.
"I am so sorry, My Love. You gave everything for me and have gone through the unthinkable so many times to keep us together. What sort of husband am I that I can't even give you the basics of happiness. You don't deserve this nomadic lifestyle. I swear to you. I'll find somewhere for us. I'll find us a new haven to settle into, and I'll give you all the things that you've earned." His speech was quiet, as not to wake the sleeping woman, but the fire behind them burned strong. He meant every word of it. He was going to give his wife everything he thought she deserved. He would bring down the sun if it so pleased her.