"S'alright now," Marcus says soothingly, rubbing Dan's back as he suddenly has Dan's arms around him, his face pressed to his shoulder. Dan feels smaller than he really is, and terribly frightened, and Marcus wishes he could have prevented the attack i the first place. He'd gotten Dan out of the castle, but if he could have stopped the abduction altogether, maybe Dan wouldn't be having these nightmares, whatever they are.

"You're alright. You're safe," he murmurs, running through all the calming assurances he knows and then some. Repeating them over and over until he can feel Dan's breathing evening out bit by bit.

He's barely been in Darrow for a month and now he's seeing the worst parts of it. Marcus certainly wouldn't blame him for being one of those who wants to get out of this place and back home, where things might still be dangerous, but at least the dangers are familiar.