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It took a few minutes to convince Andarien to let go of Miyuki so that they could go inside, and then the two of them each took a long, hot bath. By the time Andarien was clean he was exhausted, and went straight to bed with Eon and Ponydash right next to him.

"How is Miyuki holding up?" Earendil asked Lin quietly. He of course had helped Andarien with his bath so that Lin could stay with Miyuki; as a man, he couldn't do that.

Earendil nodded and put one arm around Lin's shoulders, pulling her close. The children weren't the only ones who needed a bit of comfort.

"It's the second time she's been close to death," he said quietly, "and the first time she's seen what the dragons of this world - most of them anyways - are truly like. Ioreth at her worst was never a threat like she saw today, and Iorlas has never ..."

He trailed off, wondering suddenly how his sister-in-law felt about the whole thing. He had noticed that she had disappeared shortly after the rocs had returned with the dead dragons, and he had not seen her since. What must it be like for her, to see not one but two of her own kind brought back like trophies so that they could be cut up and their parts used for the benefit of the elves?

"Do you think we should see if Iorlas is all right?" he murmured.

He would have asked if they should see if Aranxia was all right, but he knew that his niece was with River and Jess, and he trusted them to take care of her.

Earendil rose and held one hand down to Lin to help her to her feet as well.

"I can't imagine what it would be like," he murmured. "And yet ... do we have a right to stop it from happening? To speak out against it? They are animals, really, and it's no different from us using deer or birds for our needs ... except that we do not have a bond with them as she has with the dragons."

"I don't know," Earendil admitted, tugging Lin to her feet. He brushed off the back of his pants and started meandering down the hallway towards Daeron and Iorlas's rooms. "It used to be simple and say it was the possession of a soul ... but we don't know if Iorlas has that now or not."

It was the soul that bound elves and humans to life for eternity: elves, continually reborn on Arda; and humans, who lived one life on Arda and then lived for eternity with their maker. But the question was - and had been since finding out what Iorlas had been - now that she was an elf, at least in body, did she also possess the soul that would usually accompany it?

Earendil nodded, and a pained expression crossed his face.

"I know her feelings are very real," he said quietly. "But we must admit. She is no longer what she was. That is what we must remember. That will not make it easier for her, I know ... but it is all we can offer."

They arrived very soon at Daeron and Iorlas's room, as the two were not lodged very far from Earendil and Lin's suite, and Earendil sighed softly and looked down at Lin.

"Ready?" he murmured softly.

It was nearly half a minute before the door opened and Daeron stood before them, holding the door handle even after the door was open. He seemed tired, and there was a slight tenseness in his face that worried Earendil. He had only seen his brother like this once before, and that was when he had been worried about why Iorlas had not been on speaking terms with him in the Eastland.

"Come on in," Daeron said quietly when he saw Lin and Earendil.

Earendil nodded and stepped inside with Lin, and once the two were inside Daeron closed the door behind them. Earendil looked around, and at first he didn't see Iorlas; it was only with a second look that he spotted her wrapped in a blanket and sitting next to the open window, her back to the room.

Iorlas didn't seem to notice Lin at first, but continued to stare out the window, motionless aside from a few silent tears that slid unchecked down her cheeks. There was nothing in particular outside that was worth staring at. The window faced north, and there was very little land between the palace and the cliff's edge on that side. Beyond the cliff, only ocean was visible, for as far as the eye could see.

Iorlas wasn't looking at the view, though. Her eyes were unfocused, staring at nothing.

Earendil glanced at his brother. "How is she?" he asked, very quietly.

Daeron shook his head. "She hasn't said much. I don't want to press it, so I haven't really asked."

For a long moment, Iorlas didn't seem to have heard Lin; then, slowly, as if with great difficulty, she turned her head ever so slightly to look at Lin. Her green eyes, usually so bright and cheerful, were dim, red-rimmed, and her lashes were wet.

She took a deep breath, and her entire body seemed to shudder with it; but she simply pulled the blanket more tightly around herself and blinked slowly up at Lin.

"I'm ... all right," she said softly, so quietly that whether or not she was heard was questionable.