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Earendil grimaced. "I know. I just think I'm starting to know how Tinuviel feels all the time. Always being followed, always being watched."

His grip on Lin's shoulder grew stronger as he relied more on her to stay upright. He winced. "Lin, help me back to the bed?"

Kyrie watched him, her dark eyes serious, then turned to Lin and asked, "How long was he on his feet?"

"Not so much pain as just ran out of strength," Earendil muttered as he sat down again.

"All healing requires energy," Cael said quietly, looking at Lin, "even magical healing. Sometimes magical healing even requires more energy. Still, he's been healing at a remarkable rate, considering we only got to him yesterday afternoon."

"If I may," Kyrie ventured stepping forward, "give him a few more days. Don't push him too hard. Let his body rest."

"Do you have any other concerns, Earendil?" Cael asked him.

Earendil shook his head. "No. Honestly I just want to spend some time with my family."

Cael nodded sympathetically. "I understand," he murmured, looking at Lancaeriel. "Then if there's nothing else, we'll leave you to your family."

"Actually," Kyrie spoke up, "if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you two, Lin and Earendil, before I leave you alone ..."

Kyrie smiled at Miyuki. "No, it's all right. It's nothing private, just important."

"Well, if you don't need us anymore, we'll see you all later," Cael put in, grinning.

"It's wonderful to see the improvements you've made, Earendil," Lancaeriel added as she and her husband headed towards the door.

Earendil smiled tiredly and waved at the two of them. "See you."

Once the newly reunited couple had left, Kyrie closed the door behind them and turned back to Lin and Earendil.

"I'm sure you're already aware that we'll need to stay here until Earendil is well enough to travel," she began, leaning against the wall, "and that may be a while ... but how long would you be comfortable staying here?"

Earendil glanced at Lin. He didn't mind staying in one place for a while, and he knew how much Mari would need both Kyrie and Cael for a while ... but on the other hand, he didn't want Daeron and Iorlas to worry about them, either.

Kyrie smiled and nodded. "Uruloki can bring them a message, as many messages as you need to send them. It's probably the only way to guarantee any message getting through, too."

Earendil was curious. "Is there a particular reason why we might need to stay here for a long time?" he asked. "Not that it's a problem," he added quickly, "but just out of curiosity."

Kyrie rubbed the back of her neck. "Well ... I'd like to keep helping Mari for as long as she needs me. And I don't mean forever, but for as long as she really needs me. She has the throne back, and the city, but there's the rest of the country to take care of."

She hesitated a moment, then added, "And ... I need to build up the courage to return home. Right now I can't."

Kyrie nodded. "Yes. I ... was with him for three years. He taught me everything I know about ... pretty much everything. Weapons. Fighting. Stealth. Climbing. You name it. Helpful, you might think I'd call him, but ..."

She glanced at the children and licked her lips thoughtfully. After a moment, she turned back to Lin and Earendil. "Let's just say, the lessons didn't come free."

She figured they would understand what she meant. She had after all mentioned her pregnancy when she'd first recognized the man.

Andarien was just as confused, but it looked like his parents understood, so he figured it must have been a grown-up kind of thing they were talking about.

Earendil though understood perfectly, and he couldn't help but wince. He understood perfectly why she had reacted the way she had when she'd seen the man.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly; but Kyrie shook her head and raised one hand to stop him before he could say more.

"I just wish I could say that was the worst I'd lived through," she muttered. "Forget it for now. I'll be able to deal with it eventually, just ... it might take some time."

She took a shaky breath and let it out slowly. "Anyways, if you have a message to take to Makshim, Uruloki can bring it. We'll be staying in the city for a few days before Mari will need to start with the rest of the country, so it's safe for him to go now."