Token of Thanks

"Forgive me for not coming sooner" was the first thing out of Valerio's lips when it was just the two of them in Leonor's room. 

He pulled the hood off of his head but he remained close to her. 

Leonor had been sitting at the chair in the corner reading a book when she heard a knock on her door. It took her a minute to get to the door, but she would have hurried a lot faster if she knew who it was in the first place. 

"You don't have to apologize," Leonor responded. "You have far more important things to be doing than checking on me." 

His fingers went to his lips a second time and he leaned against the door, pressing his ear into it as he listened for footsteps in the hallway. 

The last time he visited Leonor, that wing of the manor was practically deserted if it weren't for the heir to the von Burien fortune living there. Maids didn't seem to bother keeping up with it and guards weren't present. 

"I promised to keep you company," Valerio explained and Leonor noticed he was keeping his voice quiet. "Did you know that your father put more guards in this area of the manor? I've been evading them for nearly one hour." 

Leonor looked at him in disbelief as she leaned against the crutch she was using. 

"All of that just to visit me?" she asked quietly. 

To utter her insecurities out loud wouldn't be becoming of her. She always figured people would notice if she doubted herself so she kept her lips sealed in that regard. It made it so she couldn't tell him that she wasn't worth the trouble. 

Instead, she remained frozen in place, wanting to resist how elated she was to finally see him. 

Seeing that there wasn't someone following him, Valerio turned around with a small smirk on his mouth and he crossed his arms. 

"I told you I would, didn't I?" he asked. "I don't make promises I can't keep." 

He hoped his smile would distract from the fact that he had been anxious to see her. Each evening he tried to visit after finishing his duties as a stablehand but there would always be a reason he wasn't able to go. For the first time that he could remember, something was making him selfish. Perhaps it was because, for the first time, he had something hiding he didn't have to share with anyone else. 

Each night as he watched the Count's manor disappear into the distance, he felt miserable thinking of the girl sitting around while she healed from a very preventable injury. There wasn't a waking hour where he didn't worry if her father was mistreating her. 

All he wanted was to make sure she was smiling even if the reason wasn't him. 

"I'll try to make it worth your while," Leonor insisted. 

Trying to use one crutch to go to her armoire, with the first step she grimaced and Valerio sprung into action. He outstretched both of his hands but they merely hovered because he wasn't sure if she would want him to touch her.

"My lady?" he asked. "You're hurting? I shouldn't have made you stand for so long." 

Not giving her much of a choice, the stablehand helped her to the chair in the corner where he could tell she was sitting before considering the candle on the table and book. 

"I'm just a bit stiff," she admitted. "There's still quite a bit of swelling but the healer said their magic couldn't do much for broken bones."

"I understand," he said. "But please don't stand anymore. You don't have to do anything for me." 

Considering he seemed to get more energetic when he was fussing over her, Leonor decided to sit still to ease his worries. Even if he was only there to make sure she wasn't overdoing it, she wanted to take in each second she was allowed to be in the same room as him. It was unfamiliar territory she was navigating. 

"In that case, could you get me the box from my armoire, please?" she requested politely.

The stablehand perked up, wanting to make himself useful and he did what was requested of him. 

The box was a bit heavier than he expected and he strode forward with it in his arms. Once standing next to the lady again, he hesitated. 

"I don't want to put it on your lap in case it hurts your leg," he admitted. "It's heavy." 

"I don't need it," she admitted. "It's for you." 

Valerio was taken aback for a moment as his eyes drifted a few times from the lady to the box in his hands. For once, it was his turn to be nervous. He felt unbelievably empty-handed. In his 18 years, he had never gotten a gift that he wasn't prepared to return immediately. He had also never been friends with a Count's daughter. Perhaps that was the difference. Even if she was mistreated, the Count was rolling in wealth. 

"Are you going to open it?" she asked eagerly, leaning forward. 

"Ah, right," Valerio realized, seemingly snapping back to reality as Leonor spoke. 

He carefully opened the box. Amongst the paper was a folded-up garment. He didn't realize until he dug into it a little bit that it was a cloak. Not just a cloak, but a nice one that would last a long time even through all the hard work and weather he had to put up with. 

The box fell away from Valerio's hands as he admired the garment. 

"Why would you get this for me?" he asked.

His voice was quieter than Leonor had ever heard it. He seemed to be in complete disbelief. 

"Yours is tattered now," Leonor justified. "All because you wanted to help me." 

Valerio didn't know the last time he felt so shocked by another's kindness. He stood there staring at the garment for a long time simply contemplating the things he was feeling and his face was hot. 

"I don't know how to express my gratitude," he admitted. 

"You don't have to," Leonor assured him. "This is a token of my thanks. We don't have to get even." 

She was unbelievably relieved that he wasn't thrown off by her gift. All her worries had been for nothing. 

"I'll cherish it," he said. "Thank you, my lady. I mean it." 

Leonor had been contemplating something else since the last time they were in one another's company. Since he didn't seem opposed to talking to her more, she decided to make another request. 

At one point in her life, she had friends, but as she got older, there were few people around her anymore. She was tired of being called a title all the time. 

"Please call me Leonor when it's just the two of us," she requested. 

"Are you certain?" he asked. "You shouldn't lower yourself for someone else." 

"I'm not," she quickly defended herself. "It's just that…" 

She cast her eyes away from him and tried to pull her thoughts together correctly. She didn't want to say something she didn't mean. 

Valerio was patient while she thought about what she wanted to say. 

"I want to be friends with you," Leonor finally said.