The palace in Corus was quiet during the night, one of the things returning troops looked forward to the most. After months of sleeping in the open, in tents, with wild animals and enemy troops around them, it was relief. Numair Samalin and Alanna Cooper were no exception to this. They had been away from Corus for far too long, and they wanted a decent night's rest. But there was the simple impediment of the meeting with King Jonathan and Queen Thayet.

Numair led the way down the halls of the palace, knowing better than to speak to a tired Lioness. The door to the King's meeting room was mere feet away, but exhausted as they were, it was like miles. But the two friends made it, and Numair raised a scarred hand and knocked. The door flew open and the black robe was pounced, a sharp "You're finally back!" piercing the air.

Daine held onto Numair as if she were drowning, there was no way she would let him go. Not now that he was back, Numair was hers now. "I have been waiting for three days longer than you said. What on earth took you so long Numair?"

"Ah, Magelet, I had hoped you were asleep." The reproachful look from his little Wild Mage was enough to make him backtrack. "I wanted to wait until I was less tired before I gave you an explanation."

"Daine, I hate to break this up, and save Numair from an undoubtedly firm tongue-lashing, but I need my Mage. Might I borrow him for a quick report? I assure you that you will be the first to speak to him afterwards. You can even listen in if you so choose." Jon was as ready to go to sleep as any and the sooner Numair reported, the sooner he slept.

With no choice but to obey the King of Tortall's will, Daine released Numair and the pair walked into the meeting room. Alanna walked behind them, shutting the door. No amount of sleep-deprivation could diminish Numair's manners, so he held out chairs to both Daine and the Champion before sitting down beside the Wild Mage.

"Jon, can we do this tomorrow? Please?"

"We can do a formal report tomorrow, but now you must tell me why you were three days late." Jon's gaze shifted between Alanna and Numair as he spoke.

They looked ready to drop, and Daine was rubbing her teacher's shoulders gently in an attempt to relieve his stress.

"We ran into some fifty Stormwings and about a hundred Carthakis with them," Alanna growled. "They allied with the Tyrans it seems, but we still are more than a match. The injuries kept us at a slower pace. Is that all you want to know?"

Jon nodded, satisfied for now. "You may go to sleep now, and even sleep late tomorrow. But try to be up by dinner."

Alanna almost ran to her chambers, where George undoubtedly waited up for her. As a surprise he had come to stay with his Lioness, arriving a few days ahead of her. Daine and Numair both stood and bowed to their monarchs then walked out of the room. Numair started to lead the way to his spacious rooms, only to have to stop at a pull on his arm. Daine leaned against a wall, her eyes closed and her head drooping. She was asleep, having waited up for him every night since four nights ago.

She had wanted him home.

Picking up his Magelet with tired arms, Numair carried her the rest of the way.

When he had started the walk to his rooms, he hadn't comprehended what he was doing. Now that she was asleep, and the cloud she cast over his mind was cleared, he saw the error. There was no reasonable explanation for him taking a sixteen year old girl into his rooms late at night. It would ruin her, and he couldn't do that. The gossip would tear his little Daine up, no matter that she would fight letting him see.

But he, however, could stand the harsh words. Numair Salamin only worried for his beloved student, he loved his little Daine. His Magelet was everything to him. The wooden door of his rooms seemed to appear from nowhere, and he pushed them open with magic and a kick. He would let Daine sleep in his bed tonight, like she always did for the first week of his returns, but he would sleep on the couch.

Like he always did after Daine had gone to sleep during the first week of his returns.

Numair would never deny his love for Daine, not to anyone that asked him.

That was the problem. Daine was so innocent, and some of his thoughts about her were less than such. It was too much to ask this girl to understand, she didn't need to understand men yet. Numair secretly prayed that if it wasn't him, she never would. It drove him mad, his love for the Wild Mage.

When Daine would lean her head on his shoulder, he would be overcome with the urge to hug her. When Daine crawled into his bed when she was afraid, he would be overcome with the urge to kiss her sensless. When Daine cried, he was overcome with the urge to kill the reason, even if it was his fault. Daine deserved better. Her tight hugs, her little habit of kissing his cheek when he walked into a room, the way she would snuggle up to him when she was cold or frightened. It was all so perfect, but it was perfect torture. He wanted his Magelet, even if it was wrong.

Numair Salmalin loved Verlidaine Sarrasri. There was no doubt in his mind, none at all.

But it was wrong, Numair often told himself that. It did him no good then, just as it did him no good now. His body was moving, laying Daine down under the soft covers of his bed. Laying himself down beside her. Wrong! It was wrong! But he just ignored the wrongs, and reasons behind them, and pulled Daine close. He kissed her soft curls, stroked her back, and kissed her cheek. Daine murmured 'Numair' and he kissed her jaw. Then her neck, down to her collarbone. WRONG! Numair remembered himself, and moved away.

Daine had wrapped her arms around Numair while he kissed, and even in her sleep she pulled him back to her. She smiled at some dream unknown to the man beside her, and burried her body into his. She nuzzled his neck a little, not thinking of it as anymore than a warm and nice-smelling place to lay her head for the night. It would be different if she were awake, she wouldn't have done that. Numair lay his face into his Magelet's hair and breathed deeply. The sound of her breath, the rythem of her heart, the occasional movement to get comfortable. It all brought them closer. It all brought Numair to sleep.