Battle of the Heart

It's My Fault

   Mikkel ran alongside Lukas and Emil towards the room where Berwald stood outside. His hand was placed firmly over his mouth and his eyes eyes shook under his glasses. Mikkel stopped in front of him and looked up at the giant.

"What happened?!" He yelled.

   Berwald looked down and said nothing as his gripped fist on his side tightened. 

"Hey, answer me! He was with you wasn't he! I sent him after you!"

   Berwald looked away ignoring the loud prince however the Dane reached for the Swedes collar and pulled him in angrily.

"Tell me!" He snapped.

   Berwalds sharp angry glare pierced savagely through Mikkel, he could feel the spear like gaze but he did not move back. The giant hit his hand away and walked away from the three. 

"Hey!" Mikkel yelled.

   He was about to run after the other man but Lukas stopped him. "Stay here with Emil." He instructed.

   The sandy haired boy walked after Berwald leaving Mikkel and Emil at the door to Tino's room.

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   Lukas finally caught up to Berwald who sat on a wooden bench staring down at his hands. Lukas slowly came up from behind and walked around the side to see him.

"May I?" He asked pointing to the bench.

   Berwald looked up and slowly nodded. Lukas sat beside the large swede and looked over to see the man's hands shuttering.

"You don't have to tell me what happened. I just want to know if you are okay." Lukas sighed.

"It's mah fault." Ber gulped. "I made im' chase me."

"Mikkel told me you caught them together. He's afraid you may have thought he was proposing to Tino."

   Berwald stayed silent and Lukas read his difficult expression. "He didn't propose." He explained. "Quite the opposite, they are planning to tell their parents that they don't want to be wed."

   Berwald sat up and his eyes widened ever so slightly. "Then I-"

"It's not your fault Berwald. All you can do now is be by his side when he wakes up." Lukas stood up and looked back at the swede with a blank expression. "You owe him that much right?" He left Berwald by himself to think it over.

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   Mikkel caught sight of Lukas returning down the hall and called out to him.

"Hey! Well?"

   Before he could respond the doctor came out of the room closing the door quietly behind him. The three stared at him waiting for a response.

"He'll be okay, just got a bit excited. But he does need to rest a while."

   Mikkel and Emil sighed in relief then Lukas joined the two. He crossed his arms and looked at the door before back at the two. Behind them they could hear footsteps and the looked to see Berwald returning.

"Tino will be fine, Ber will watch him, let's go." Lukas said.

   Mikkel followed him confused then looked back at the swede before yelling through the hall.

"He's going to be okay!" 

   Berwald pretended not to notice and he stopped at the door of his prince. He knocked lightly before entering the candlelit room. Under the dim flickering light lay the beautiful pale prince, frozen in sleep and exhaustion. His chest rose very weakly as the boy's lungs tried to relax from the shock. Berwald took a small wooden stool and set it by the side of the prince. He sat and took the princes ivory hand in his. 

"M' sorry." He said sincerely. "I promised t' keep yah safe..... But I only hurt yah."

   He slowly knelt down over the boy's hand and kissed it as if it were fragile glass. He pressed his forehead over the hand holding in something that he hadn't felt in a long time. Fear. The pure and dreadful pain that stabbed at his heart and closed his throat threatening tears. He feared the boy would have been gone forever. Tino was everything to Berwald. He had no purpose without him. He couldn't hold back, small tears fell from his strong face and onto the boys hand.

"Ber?" A soft scratched voice was heard. 

   Berwald looked up slowly to see the prince's violet eyes blinking at him curiously. 

"Oh Ber! You're crying! Are you hurt??" The Fin prince worried.

   Berwalds tears ceased and as if on instinct he wrapped his long strong arms around the boy.

"I'm sorry!" Tino called.

"No." The swede interrupted. "M' the one who's sorry."

"Sorry? I am confused?"

   Berwald let go of the prince and tried to regain his composure. "Lukas told me yer plan." 

"With Mikkel?"

"Bout' standin' up fer yerself." Berwald explained.

"Oh yeah!..... Sorry Ber... I just can't marry Mikkel."

   A very faint smile crossed Berwald's lips momentarily. "I agree."