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"And wood is at least slightly healthier, and less dangerous," Earendil agreed. He held his hand out to Lin, for her to give him the ball. "We should probably give the ball to the children. It's probably from one of the games that Wren is showing them."

Wren found what she was looking for and handed each of the girls a square of cloth.

"Don't worry about getting it dirty," she said when she saw the doubt on River's face. She understood. The cloths were almost like silk, an expensive material. On the other hand, they would easily come clean. "They'll come clean easily enough, and the box needs to be cleaned if you're going to take it with you."

"Okay," River said doubtfully. "If you say so."

Earendil chuckled and turned the ball in his hand to inspect it. "Well, worse come to worse, we can offer to replace it for Wren. Poor Andarien."

Andarien was trying to squirm out of Lin's arms now. That wasn't fair, now he couldn't even try to get the ball back!

"Appo'!" he whined, wanting the ball back.

Wren smiled at Miyuki. "You're welcome. Now come, you girls can clean off the box, and I'll help Amalirahc look for that ball a bit longer. If we don't find it before we leave, I'll get another one."

Andarien looked at Lin and pouted, his lower lip jutting out in a most pitiable look. "Appo'!" he whined again, pointing at the ball in his father's hand. "Appo'!"

Earendil shook his head bemusedly. "Go figure, it would take him wanting something to get him to speak clearly. Just like Miyuki in that way, I suppose."

He put the ball in his pocket to hide it from Andarien's sight. "All gone," he told the boy, holding up both hands to show him. "No more."

Andarien blinked, fooled completely by his father's trick. "No mo'!" he repeated in astonishment. "Ah gah!"


River was following Miyuki closely, and when Miyuki slowed down she squealed and just about tripped over her. "Why the sudden slow down?" she laughed, stepping to the side so that it wouldn't happen again.

Andarien was still trying to figure out where the 'apple' had gone. He leaned forward in Lin's arms, not trying to escape but simply trying to see if his father had dropped it on the ground or something.

"I can imagine," Earendil grinned at Lin. "But he is learning very quickly."


River giggled. "He did. But if he doesn't find it, Wren says she'll get another, so he doesn't have to worry about it, really. And maybe he's found it already!"

Even if he hadn't, they needed to clean the box before they had to go anyways, so it wasn't like he wouldn't have more time.

Not seeing the 'apple' anywhere in sight, Andarien looked up at Lin and said, "Appo' ah gah!"

Earendil chuckled and ruffled Andarien's hair. "Yes, all gone," he grinned. "We'll get you something to munch on soon enough."

He started towards Amalirahc, intent on returning the ball to him. "Amalirahc!" he called out.

Amalirahc stood up at the sound of his name, and appeared, from the chest up, above the top of the long grass. "Yes?"

Earendil held up the nibbled-on ball. Amalirahc clapped his hands together in delight and ran over to him, and Andarien's eyes lit up brightly. "Appo'!" he exclaimed, whapping Lin on the cheek to get her attention and then pointing at the ball. "Ada, appo'!"

River smiled ruefully at Miyuki, keeping pace with her. "I kind of feel sorry for him," she told her friend.

Andarien blinked at Lin, then looked back at the ball. "No!" he said insistently. "Appo'!"

Amalirahc grinned as he gingerly took the ball back from Earendil, as if it were a treasure. "They went to get something from the horse with Wren to clean off the box the toys were in so that they can take it back with them," he explained.

River shrugged. She really didn't know what to say to that. It was true.

They entered the glade again, and she pointed to where Amalirahc was standing with Miyuki's family. "He's not looking anymore," she smiled.

Andarien stared at Lin. "Baww?" he asked her, confused.

Amalirahc held the ball up triumphantly to show the girls. "Your ada had it!" he told Miyuki happily.

Earendil couldn't help but laugh at that. "To be fair, Andarien was the one who found it, and Lin got it back from him," he grinned. "I had to take it from her so that Andarien would stop trying to get it back from her, and I gave it to Amalirahc."

Amalirahc looked at the ball before holding it out to show the girls. "It looks like he tried to eat it," he said hesitantly. "There's bite marks all over it, and some of it's been scraped off ..."