Guilt washed over me. I had forgotten his condition and been careless with my words. His health was more important than my selfish desires. "I retract what I said. Please do not trouble yourself. I do not wish for you to be in pain because of me."
The smile Florian wore was now weary. "It's not your fault, Devereaux. I'm always in pain. But I won't let it stop me from living my life or doing the things I enjoy." He ducked his head again. "And… I enjoyed talking to you tonight."
I felt like I was floating, like I was over the moon.
"But I do need to rest," Florian said. "So I don't know if it'll be tomorrow night, or the night after, but I will be back."
"I can wait," I promised. "I am very good at waiting."
If only he knew the extent of it…
"Let me escort you to the gate," I offered.
"That would be nice, thank you."
Taking Florian's arm carefully, I led him to the front gate. Each step was slow and methodical. I deferred to Florian's pace. I did not want him to push himself further than he already had today. Soon the rhythmic thump of his cane against the cobblestones became a pleasant sound to me, reminding me of Florian's presence.
The front gate was shut. A pair of armored guards flanked it. When Florian saw them, I felt him tense.
"Oh no," he murmured.
"What is the matter?" I asked.
As if in fear of retaliation from the guards, he leaned closer to me. "The gate's closed and I'm not supposed to be here. I don't want to get in trouble…"
His voice was thin with worry. I suspected he had more concerns than he was letting on. The guards had no reaction to either of us.
"There is no problem," I assured him.
"What do you mean?" he asked, looking up at me with those sweet brown eyes.
"Here. I will show you."
Still holding Florian's arm, I led him to the gate. The guards turned their armored heads towards him but did not speak. Florian was stiff with anxiety.
"Good evening," I said. "Could you please open the gate? My friend has an injury that has prevented him from leaving the castle grounds in a timely manner."
The two guards paused, then hauled the gate open enough for Florian to exit.
Florian glanced up at me, starstruck. "They listened to you," he murmured, his voice only loud enough for me to hear.
I did not think my actions unusual until Florian said something. I had never directly interacted with the guards before. We naturally respected each other's distance and this was my first time actually speaking to them. Why did I feel comfortable doing so? And why did they obey me without a second thought?
"I suppose they did," I mused out loud.
Florian bowed his head submissively to the guards and thanked them under his breath, then—in an action that stabbed my heart—pulled away from me to exit the gate. But I quieted down my raging emotions because I knew I should not keep him any longer.
I followed him as far as the gate, then stopped. He turned to smile at me.
"It was really nice meeting you, Devereaux," he said.
A swarm of butterflies erupted from their cocoons in my chest. "The pleasure was all mine, Florian."
"Thank you for helping me." He chuckled lightly. "I would've fallen flat on my face if you weren't there."
I pressed a hand to my chest. It did nothing to calm the butterflies. "It pains me that I cannot escort you on your return trip. But know that there is nothing I want more than to help you home safely."
Florian tilted his head. "Why can't you?"
