he reached out a hand to Cecilia and placed it on her cheek as well.
"I missed you so much," he breathed before spreading his arms and pulling Cecilia into a deep hug.Joy flooded his body as he felt her heartbeat through the thin fabric of his pajamas, steady and calming.
Tears of relief welled up behind his eyes and Pegasus just buried his face wordlessly in the soft, silky hair of his counterpart. A faint smell of herbs rose to his nose. It was almost the same as before, before the accident.
But then Cecilia broke away from the embrace a little. Her slender fingers moved further up, where the magical eye had once sat.
"Your eye," she whispered worriedly, gently stroking the bone. "Since when?"
"Since I lost you." Pegasus uttered these words calmly, while he looked seriously into Cecilia's eyes. "Since then I have been walking in the dark."
The young woman nodded silently and leaned her head against his chest. Her eyes darkened with worry and her next words clearly showed the sadness.
"You should never wander in the dark again.It pains me to see you like this "Her fingers gently ran over his skin. Surrendering to the touch he hadn't felt in so long, he closed his eye.
When he felt her lips on his, joined in a gentle kiss, he opened his eyelids again and looked down at Cecilia. The first real smile in years crossed his face.
"I missed that," he whispered.
“I know.” Suddenly the young woman grinned. "And I missed seeing your happy face. It's been so long."
Pegasus nodded, serious again.
"I had little to be happy about."
Cecilia suddenly became serious again. She nodded slowly.
"I know," she said again. "Soon we can be together until the end of time. But you have to promise me one thing ..."
Pegasus nodded. "Anything you want."
"Try not to give up until the day we meet again. It won't be long."
It took the silver-haired man a while to understand the meaning of these words."That means," he began and he had the feeling that an icy bucket of water was emptied on the back of his neck, "that you have to go again?"
The addressed nodded silently and for a split second it went black in front of Pegasus' eyes.
When he could perceive his surroundings again, Cecilia broke the tense silence.
“Promise me.” Her voice sounded pleading and Pegasus felt her fingers, which had been sliding gently over his cheek the entire time, now remain in their place.
“Yes, I promise.” These words found it so incredibly difficult for Pegasus, but he had never been able to refuse her any wish.
He saw how a sad, but nevertheless relieved smile crossed Cecilia's face and his heart ached at the sight.
"Thank you, Maximillion."
"I ... you ... never ..." Pegasus stuttered incomplete sentences before Cecilia interrupted him with a kiss.
"Don't speak now. I don't have much time left."She smiled slightly and brushed some silver strands from her lover's face." I will always love you. "
Again she bridged the gap between herself and Pegasus with another kiss.
"I have to go now, but we'll be back together before the year is up."
Finally Pegasus smiled, his face radiated a joy that hadn't been there for a long time, while the room in which the two stood seemed to get darker with every moment that passed. But the silver-haired man didn't pay any attention. Finally he held Cecilia in his arms again, felt her breath on his skin and heard her gentle words that kept giving him hope.
The last Pegasus felt was another gentle kiss, not unlike a promise.
"We'll meet again."

Croquet had slept badly that night and when he woke up the next morning there was already a light streak along the horizon. The day had dawned.Tired, the man stretched and yawned heartily before finally getting up.
Kemo was already waiting for him in the corridor in front of his room. "Morning, Croquet," he greeted and Croquet nodded briefly to his subordinate.
"Good Morning."
Without another word, Kemo joined the older man and together they turned the corner towards the long stairs. Finally the younger broke the silence.
"Master Pegasus was late into the night."
Croquet thought for a moment. He remembered seeing the other person briefly yesterday before Pegasus sent him to bed.
"That's true," he replied.
"He was talking to someone."
“That's true too.” Croquet wasn't particularly talkative that morning. He didn't want to admit it, but he was worried about his master. So he stopped in the middle of the stairs.
"I'll check on him."
Pegasus was always in a bad mood when he hadn't slept one night and had to think of Cecilia instead.
"I come with."With these words, both men turned and made their way to Pegasus' rooms.
Croquet knocked boldly. He was well aware of Kemo's presence behind him.
There was no answer from inside.
"Do you think he's still asleep?"
Croquet shrugged. "Probably."
However, the elderly had a bad feeling and he knocked again. When again no sound came from the room, however, he carefully pressed the handle and opened the door a crack.
"Master Pegasus?" cried Croquet. No Answer. The servant frowned and pushed the door all the way open.
"Master Pegasus, I just came to see ..." In the middle of a sentence he broke off and he hurried a few steps into the room.
The reddish morning sun bathed the room in a strange twilight and for a moment Croquet stared at his employer before he turned to Kemo.
"Hurry up, call someone!"
With these words the servant dropped to one knee.Pegasus lay motionless and pale on the cold stone floor. A broken bottle of wine lay beside him, as well as a glass. The drink that had once been in it was already slightly dried out.
Struggling to stay calm as possible, Croquet reached out his hand to Pegasus' arm and tried to find the steady beating of his pulse.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt it, weak but calm and regular.
The next moment Pegasus stirred.
"Ahhh ..." His eyelids flickered briefly before they flew open and his good eye wandered around the room unfocused for moments.
"Ce ... cilia." Pegasus' voice was thick and weak.
“Master Pegasus, how are you?” Croquet knelt beside his employer and regarded him thoughtfully.
“Croquet?” The silver-haired man turned his head to the other and blinked a little.
"What are you doing here?"
The addressee smiled encouragingly. "I was worried about you.Can you get up? "
Pegasus nodded in confusion and leaned on his forearms, groaning. A pain exploded in his head and he grimaced.
"What happened, Croquet?" He wanted to know as he fought his way up.
With the help of his servant, the silver-haired man actually stood on his own two feet a little later.
“Sit down first.” Croquet gently but firmly directed his employer to his bed, which was not far from the sideboard. Then he let his gaze wander around the room and an image of what must have happened formed in his mind.
"Well," began the attendant. "I think you fell and hit your head in the process."
Pegasus thought for a moment. There was sorrow on his face that almost made Croquet stagger back. What had happened that night?
"I'm glad you are fine."
The silver-haired man nodded wordlessly. It almost seemed as if he did not understand the words his servant had spoken.His lips formed a word, but no sound came through them. But it earned him a concerned look from Croquet.
"Lie down, I'll have your appointments canceled for today."
At that moment there was a knock and Kemo stepped into the room, followed by a doctor. Before either of them could say anything, however, Croquet stood up and gestured for the newcomers to be quiet as he walked to the sideboard and quickly picked up the green shards of the broken bottle.
"Sleep, Master Pegasus."
As if in a trance, he nodded. For this reason his servant hesitated a moment before turning away and leaving the room behind Kemo and the doctor. He quietly closed the door behind him.
"What happened?" Asked Kemo immediately.
"Come on, I'll explain it to you over a good cup of coffee. I need that now." With that, Croquet went on again.

Pegasus, on the other hand, was lying in his bed. The headache was raging behind his forehead and he was glad that Croquet had left him alone so quickly.There were things to think about.
What had happened that night ... The silver-haired man's gaze wandered to the place where the broken wine bottle had been.
Had everything he saw and felt was just a dream? Could this happiness he felt have been caused by a blow on his head alone?
Pegasus frowned, causing another pain to explode behind this one.
"Cecilia," he whispered. Had he wanted to see her again enough to make her appear, or had his desperation played a nasty trick on him in his impotence?
He did not know. He only felt that his grief was growing again. Why did every vision he had of his lover always have to burst like a soap bubble?
"I'll see you again ..." The words of the promise were probably just figments that had sprung from his tormented mind. Fantasies he'd heard because he'd wanted it so dearly.Croquet had advised him to sleep. It probably wasn't the worst idea. However, like the evening before, the thoughts of a time that would never come kept him from finally sliding into Morpheus' arms.
"Cecilia, why did you leave me?"
Ignoring the headache, Pegasus swung his legs out of bed and padded barefoot to the large window. A bright morning sun bathed the island on which his property stood in a golden, warm light and countless birds greeted the new day.
Pegasus let his gaze wander thoughtfully. The thin curtain fluttered slightly in the wind. The silver-haired man let out his breath with a sigh. There was a great emptiness in his chest and he didn't know how to fight it.
"I miss you."
With these words Pegasus turned from the window and wanted to go back to his bed. With every moment he stood, his headache got worse. Could it be that he had a concussion