Dorothea knew she wasn’t built for war. The fighting, the marching, the sight of countless towns wasting away as the number of casualties ticked steadily upward. Her body bore the weight of its work in myriad ways: in scars and tears, in haunting memories and a hardened spirit.

Nodding off in the middle of a strategy council meeting was new, though.

She didn’t know how long she’d been out. Claude was still discussing their approach to take Fort Merceus, so she couldn’t have missed much; and no one was scolding her or shooting dirty looks her way, which meant her dozing had gone unnoticed.

Well, mostly unnoticed.

“Thea, got a sec?”

She paused in the hallway, turning around to see a stream of people still filing out of the Cardinals’ chamber. Sylvain closed the distance, meeting her gaze with a knowing smile.

“What’s up?” she asked, leaning against the wall. Her legs were like jelly, and she wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed, but there was still work to be done.

“Here,” Sylvain said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a tinted glass vial filled with dark fluid.

Dorothea took it, brow furrowed. “What am I looking at, exactly?”

“It’s a tincture from one of the apothecaries in town,” he said, moving with a sheepish sway. “Mix a few drops into your tea before bed, and it should help you sleep more soundly.” He hesitated for a moment before adding: “I know it works—for me, at least. I tried it back when we were students, to help tone down the nightmares I was getting after… Well, you know.”

She nodded, gaze fixed on the vial. It wasn’t that she’d never had bad dreams before—but they were far more frequent of late, especially after their recent battle at Gronder, to the point where she was losing sleep. “I suppose you’re getting tired of me waking you up in the middle of the night, huh?” Not that he let it show; he was always patient, helping her catch her breath and pulling her close, reminding her that she wasn’t alone.

“I actually don’t mind the way you cling to me when you’re scared,” he said with a grin, leaning in so he could tuck one of her stray curls behind her ear. “But I think you’d be happier if you could sleep through the night, don’t you?”