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"I think so," Andarien nodded at his sister. Then he turned back to Holt and smiled. "Thank you for your help and your time. We'll let you get back to work now."

Holt smiled back and bowed low. "It was a pleasure," he said warmly; and then he returned to the kitchen and closed the door behind himself.

Andarien turned back to Miyuki. "So ... now we wait?" he asked her.

Andarien's expression grew bright, and he nodded eagerly.

"Yeah! Maybe they got to see part of it, too!" he beamed, turning and heading back down the hallway.

Their view wouldn't have been as good as Andarien's and Miyuki's had been, of course, but that didn't necessarily mean that they wouldn't have seen anything at all.

Earendil had been quite tired by the time he and Lin had managed to get to the chairs to watch the parade, but he felt he was recovering quite well. Still, he had no desire to return to the bed just yet.

"I have to say," he murmured as the sounds of the parade faded from his impaired hearing, "it does feel good to know that it all means something. That I wasn't imprisoned for nothing."

He knew how things had been under the rule of King Aerennel, Aerin's father, in Amon Darthir and how happy the people had been after he had been dethroned; and knowing firsthand what the General had been like, he could imagine - as well as hear, from their cheers during the parade - what a difference the previous days' events would make in their lives.

Suddenly he chuckled. "Ointment, indeed."

Earendil smiled at Lin. "Yes ... the first time I was taken from my cell to see the General, he was eating with Cael and Maravel. He asked me a few questions, and I thought he might let me go ... but then he asked Maravel ... something ..."

He frowned as he tried to think back to it. "Something about ... was I important, was I a piece of the puzzle. Maravel told him that I was not the key, but that I was the ointment that would draw the fly to them, the key who would bring about the end of the rebellions."

He looked at Lin again. "All the time I was in my cell, I was wondering what they meant. I think it was Lancaeriel."

Earendil shook his head. "Yeah, I still don't know, either. I have the feeling that what happened when all of you came here was told to me at least once, but ... I can't quite remember."

Maybe he'd been partially asleep for it. Or entirely, both were possible.

"But I'm just glad that it all turned out," he smiled again. "The suffering will soon be over."

At least, most of it. Like him, there would be people whose lives were forever changed and who might not be able to go back to the lives they'd had before.

Earendil sighed. "Yes ... rest. I never was good at that." He smiled at Lin. "You're really going to have to work hard to keep me from doing what I shouldn't."

He was well aware that he was a terrible patient. He always had been, and he was also well aware that if he pushed himself, it would only slow down his healing.

"I wonder if Cael or Lancaeriel would be able to attempt a second healing," he murmured thoughtfully. "I know with Elfstones it doesn't work, but maybe with their magic ..."

Earendil nodded. "Yes, that's right. But mine don't heal, regardless. They're Seeking Stones. They can protect me if I'm in danger, and they can guide me ... but as amazing as those abilities are, that's it. The only stones that can heal are the Healing Stones and the Master Stones. I just mentioned them because I don't know if that's a rule of magic or just of the Elfstones."

He hoped it was a rule that only pertained to the stones, because he was impatient to be better.

Earendil sighed. "I know ..."

He just hated being immobile. He always had.

"If I had something to do while I was recovering it would help," he said suddenly, looking at Lin. "Do you have any suggestions?"

Boredom was what made it so bad.