Welcome to Gaia! ::

Rhea laughed softly at Lin. "You'll have your chance to see it, I'm sure," she grinned, reaching over and putting one hand on Lin's shoulder comfortingly. "Just you wait. You and Earendil still have a good amount of the island to map, after all, don't you? I'm sure you'll find them before you're through! And if all else fails, I'm sure Kelirahc will take you to them. Won't you, Kelirahc?"

Kelirahc looked at Leyenda. "If Leyenda want to go," he murmured, his eyes soft as he gazed at her, "then I take anyone who want to go."

Leyenda smiled warmly back at him. "I would love to see it," she murmured back.

Rhea watched Lin's face intently. "You're worried about him, aren't you?" she asked softly. She smiled and put one hand on Lin's shoulder. "As happy as that would make him, there's no need. Yes, he will likely sleep a week, or several days at least, but he is fine. Usually, using magic doesn't take anything out of us ... but the elfstones are different. They draw on the physical strength of their user, rather than their magical strength. Each use of the stones is like a full day of running. How many times did he use them? Did he rest properly between uses?"

She looked down at the prince. "I would guess that he used the stones many times, and never rested at all. Knowing him, he didn't sleep from the time of the rain until now. Yes, I would say he would sleep for a week. And if he sleeps for two weeks, I still wouldn't be surprised. The elfstones are a powerful magic, perhaps the most powerful magic that exists in this world. But the more powerful the magic that is used, the more draining it is. And that is the state that he is in."

"You make it sound like a miracle that he lasted so long," Leyenda frowned.

Rhea glanced up at Leyenda. "Isn't it? I know of no one else who would have lasted so long. I daresay even Aragost."

Rhea shook her head. "Don't be surprised if he sleeps for two weeks," she quipped. "Though if he said one week, then I'm sure he knows what he's talking about. Everyone is different after all."

"Did you travel through the night as well, then?" Leyenda asked Lin curiously.

Leyenda nodded. "Then maybe he did get a bit of rest."

Rhea laughed and rose to her feet. "You think that, princess," she grinned. "But he's as stubborn an Aldrich as any of the rest of us. No way he would have closed his eyes even for a second."

She laughed again and waved at Lin. "I'm off for a bit, I'll be back later. You should get some rest too, Lin. You've had a busy few months, I'm sure you could use it too."

And with that, she headed off down the beach.

In the end, Earendil slept for a week exactly, waking up six days to the hour after he fell asleep in the first place, and when he sat up and looked around, he felt very disoriented. He was inside a shelter, but a different shelter than had been on the beach before. While the other one had been more for shade than anything else, this one seemed to actually be built for strength - it looked as though nothing could break it. There was no light penetrating it, and he wondered what time of day - or night - it was.

When his eyes had adjusted a bit, he noted that he was alone in the shelter, and he judged that it had to be daytime, at the least. But it wasn't until he moved to the door and stepped outside into the blinding sunlight that he reasoned that it had to be high noon.

"Well, look who's awake," a teasing voice came from around the corner of the new shelter. A second later, Rhea appeared, her eyes filled with laughter. "I hope you feel better."

Earendil nodded. "How long was I out?"

"One week exactly," Rhea grinned. "I thought for sure that the construction would wake you, but it didn't, and then I thought that being moved would wake you up, but even that didn't do anything!" She laughed. "Now go eat, you're pale and you look weak. Sleeping that long isn't good, you know."

Earendil chuckled. "I know, I know," he agreed. "I'll see you later then."

And he headed off towards the fires.

Earendil's eye was drawn to the movement of Lin and Senka playing together, and a broad smile crossed his face. Leaving the food for now, he changed direction and headed towards the two of them. It looked like they were having fun ... a part of him wanted to watch, but there was also a part of him that wanted to join in.

"Lin," he called as he came closer to them, trying to get Lin's attention.

Earendil chuckled and waved back. "Much better," he grinned back at her. "I guess I was out for a week after all. And you? Are you rested?"

It was typical of him, worrying about her even when he was the one who had been exhausted, but that was just the way that he was.