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"And I hope that it shows you how important it is to teach Rhea not only how to control it, but when to use it," Aragost said softly. "As you have already observed on your own, she is eager to help as many people as she can ... no matter the cost to her own person. Part of what you must do is show her how important she is, how important her own well-being is, and that while it is good to help others, sometimes it is more important to keep healthy herself, and let another die."

He looked at the floor. "I know ... it sounds callous, to say it like that ... but it is true ... she has the ability to help many ... but to throw away her own life for the sake of one ... would be worthless ... it is necessary sometimes to sacrifice one ... to save many ..."

He trailed off, his voice filled with sorrow.

Aragost nodded, silent once more.

"Is ... there anything else you would like to know?" he asked her softly. "Any other questions that you have?"

He wasn't growing impatient, was in no hurry to leave, but that was the first lesson that Rhea needed to learn, and it was the most important one that she could learn. There really was no point in going any further until that had been done.

Aragost nodded and rose to his feet.

"Then I bid you farewell," he murmured, "and may all the blessings of the Valar be upon you ... I will return in one week's time."

And without waiting for a reply, or saying why he would return or what he was going to do during that week, he was gone - not through the door, he simply vanished into thin air and was no longer present.

A little over an hour later, Rhea emerged from the study looking slightly tired, still in her night dress.

"I don't like doing lessons in the morning," she murmured to no one in particular, heading towards the stairs.

As she headed up to her room to change, Shael limped towards the kitchen. She would need to start lunch ... and she was eager to find out what Cindy had learned from Aragost. She expected Cindy would be upstairs, but who knew?

Rhea was just skittering towards her bedroom to get dressed when she heard a sigh from Cindy's room, and her curiosity got the better of her. She slunk over to Cindy's door and put her ear against it, listening to see what her teacher was up to.

So far ... nothing but the scribble of a quill.

Rhea heard the chair scrape backwards and footsteps approaching the door, and she scrambled away from the door, her feet slipping slightly on the hardwood floor. She couldn't help but giggle as she scampered towards her own bedroom, though she paused at the doorway and looked over her shoulder to see if Cindy was going to be coming out.

Rhea saw Cindy's door open, and her eyes grew bright with excitement. She turned around and clasped her hands innocently behind her back, watching Cindy from her doorway.

"Did you have a good talk with Aragost?" she asked cheerfully. "Did he tell you all about me?"

She frowned softly. "I don't know how he knows all that stuff about me, he never even met me before today."