He was quiet as Arthur spoke, fingers trailing along his back. The his smile was met with one from the Medicine Seller as well; his sharp and cunning features softening as he held him.

"It is a convenient narrative - it is much easier to attribute misfortune to behaviour. And though we may play a part in our own suffering, we both know that it is much more complicated than that."

He pressed a kiss into Arthur's hair.

"Why else would good people meet with terrible fates while the wicked revel in their lavish lives...?"