Of course, then I will remain right here. It is, after all, where I wish to be most. [ But a part of him still is very much concerned with her well-being and her need for rest, but at the same time, he wonders if she might rest easier if he were with her. And so he concludes that remaining here is truly the best course of action for both of them.

He very nearly sits up when he feels her hand begin to shake, but he has to fight with his desire to comfort her and the exhaustion that is settling in in order to do so, and in the end, said exhaustion wins. ]

I remain hopeful and ever optimistic, but I cannot help but fear for those who still remain out there.

[ And then, feeling as though perhaps he spoke wrongly by proposing that she remain behind and rest, a statement that may have only caused her anxieties to rise, he adds: ]

I will stay with you tonight and as many nights as you wish. [ His lips turn up into a small smile and his eyes turn upwards slightly so that he might see what he can of her from his vantage point. ] And I mean to remain with you for as many nights as we have granted to us. [ For the rest of our lives. Again, he leaves that unsaid, but it ought to be a foregone conclusion by now that he intends to hold onto her as tightly as he can, as often as he can. ]

What I wish for, Lantaa, is to be together with you as we have not had the opportunity for, and to hear whatever it is you wish to tell me. And lest you worry, so long as you are present, I am certain that my rest will be more than enough.

[ If he could, he would choose this moment to press a kiss onto her hand or her cheek, but there will be time enough for both. ]