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Seeing his father laying there like that, Andarien felt ashamed of the way he'd broken down over the past several days. He felt his face burning, and he determined not to worry his father any further.

"We're good," he agreed with Miyuki.

Earendil smiled and beckoned for them to come closer. "Come here, let me see the both of you."

Andarien blinked back tears and sat on the edge of the bed so that he was closer to his father.

Earendil hugged Andarien tightly, and once Miyuki was on the bed, too, he let go of Andarien and hugged Miyuki.

"I'm so glad you're both all right," he smiled. "I was so worried about the both of you."

He let go of Miyuki and lay back on the bed again, and he let out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired," he murmured. "I just wanted to see you before I slept. Don't go too far, all right? I want to know what you've been up to without me."

Earendil smiled at Miyuki. "It's not how much you did," he replied quietly.

Lancaeriel looked back at Lin and nodded. "Yes, I think sooner would be better than later. And resting may help restore him some more, so I think it would be best to be able to tell how much improvement there might be."

She glanced at Maravel, who was sitting on a chair and wringing his tunic with his hand nervously. "And I think we should perhaps have a chat with this gentleman once Earendil's resting," she suggested quietly. "I think he may have some answers for us."

Earendil looked up at Lin and nodded slowly. "All right," he agreed. He rubbed his cheeks with the heels of his hands, brushing away the last vestiges of his earlier tears.

Lancaeriel smiled and stood next to Lin. "If you don't mind, it would be easier if I could sit there," she smiled apologetically at Lin and Andarien.

Andarien was eager for his father to be well, and he scrambled off the bed to make room for her.

Lancaeriel sat on the edge of the bed and turned towards Earendil.

"How's your hearing?" she asked him, turning his head to look at his ears. "Getting any better?"

Earendil winced at the touch. "I don't ... think so."

Lancaeriel nodded and turned his head again to look at his eyes. "Can you tell me what happened to you?" she asked him. She would have asked him quietly so that the children wouldn't have to hear, but she knew he wouldn't be able to hear her if she did.

Earendil closed his eyes to think about it, and he lifted one hand to his face and felt his cheeks.

"I remember ... the General wouldn't believe anything I said," he murmured, "but ... I was terrified of him finding out about ... everyone ... so I lied to him. And then ... he wouldn't stop hitting me ..."

Lancaeriel's brow furrowed deeply and she lifted his eyelids, one at a time, to look at his eyes.

"Bleeding's stopped," she said to herself. "Beating certainly would explain the damage."

"What about your sight, is it improving at all?" Lancaeriel asked, gently touching the area around his eye.

Earendil's brow furrowed slightly. "I don't know," he replied. "The fog is gone, but things are blurry now. Not clear."

Lancaeriel smiled faintly. "Believe it or not, that's good news. It means there has been some improvement. I'm sure that once you have some sleep, it will be better again. Maybe not perfect, but better than it was."

Lancaeriel turned to Lin and nodded. "For now. Coriander and Kyrie will be able to tell us more later. Both of them are more knowledgeable about healing than I am."

She smiled at Earendil. "You rest now. You've earned it."

Earendil closed his eyes immediately, and a soft sigh escaped his lips as he relaxed into the pillow. Almost instantly, he was asleep.

Lancaeriel nodded towards the couch and chairs that were in the room. "Come. We needn't worry about waking him, I think, and I think we also should find out more about what's going on from ... Maravel, I believe your name is?"

She directed this last comment to the one-armed man, who nodded at her. "Yes, that's correct," he agreed. "And it is ... quite the story."

Andarien didn't know where to go - to sit with his mother and sister, or to stay next to his father. Once the others had already made themselves comfortable, he decided that it would probably be better to know what was going on, since they already knew that Earendil would be all right, more or less. No one would be going anywhere for now.

He hurried over to where the others were already sitting and pulled his legs up onto the chair with him. Eon and Zeus both hopped up in his lap, and he stroked both of them absently as he listened to the conversation that was beginning.

Maravel sighed softly and looked at the others anxiously. "Where do you want me to begin?" he asked quietly.