When he imagined his future, instead of the Manor's lush open plains and many marbled hallways he saw the glowing embers of a fire, fuzzy blankets, bushy brown hair and walls from floor to ceiling covered in books. It was not the life he had expected for himself - although was it unwanted? He wasn't sure. How could he be sure of anything when his brain wasn't safe from the powers of fate? He needed some time to sort through all of it, to make conclusions based on facts and not fate. For if they sealed the bond, that was it. There would be no going back to the way it was before, although he supposed there was never going to be a way back to how it was before - there never was.