He squeezes her. Breathes a little unsteadily. 

"I thought you liked me. Now I just feel - confused."

"Thought you liked me," she says, very quietly. "Or - not liked, I know you like me, I thought you - "

"Hmmm?"

It hurts so much, to make herself say it, but she doesn't know what else to do about any of this.

"Man came by your father's house and said you were sleeping with someone else. Just before I found this place. And I - if they'd asked me yesterday I wouldn't even have thought about it, but yesterday I thought - was stupid to think, but - "

"I wasn't actually there today, I climbed a tree -

- I don't think I - get what you mean -"

"I forgot, okay? I forgot I was a slave. You're so good all the time and you act like I matter to you and you let me decide things and - I forgot."

"And that was good for you?"

"I - felt like I mattered."

"You - do?"

She's really confused and tired and is maybe just going to cry here, as quietly as she can, because she does not know how much more humiliating herself she can take.

He's so concerned and confused. And doesn't want to let go of her because -

Maybe he will start crying too.

Oh no. She made him sad. Very unfair that being sad about how little she matters makes him sad, too. Also confusing? Maybe he feels like he's not taking good enough care of her? Which is very unfair because he's been taking really good care of her, it's just that she got confused about what they were, is all -

She can at least keep hugging him? Maybe that will help?

" - m'sorry."

"I just don't understand what I did wrong."

"You didn't do anything wrong. 's why I didn't want to talk about it. Just - then I found some kind of - whatever this is, in your room, before I was done - adjusting, and they were all concerned about me being your slave, and - I don't want to leave, I just - want things that I can't - that aren't reasonable to want, and I wasn't done accepting things and then - m'sorry - "

"If I didn't do anything wrong and you're this upset that's kind of worse since it means I can't even fix it."

"M'sorry. I was gonna get over it, I just - then everything else - "

Nod. Snuggle.

"So I should just - get us food sometimes and let you process? - do the hugs get in the way of letting you process? It's just that it's really hard to let go of you, right now -"

"Make it pretty hard to remind myself you don't - love me - but every time I remind myself it hurts - "

"I, uh, don't know what love means to mortals exactly and I don't know how anyone other than my brother successfully uses words for feelings and is sure they used them the same way as other people interpreted them but I - 

- I liked the way you thought about me yesterday? And I don't understand what - made you decide it was wrong -"

"Yesterday I thought you didn't want to be with anybody else. Was stupid to think it, just - "

"I don't want to be with anyone else."

- she wants to believe it so badly. But it isn't true, it can't be, it - but fairies can't lie -

She doesn't mean to cry harder but she thinks she is anyway. 

"- wanna matter to you - "

...pat pat pat?

"I feel like if you did not matter to me then I would've left when you wanted to stay the night in court. Because I hate staying the night in court."

"That's why I thought you did! And all the other things! But - "

"But what?"