Another shortie, for the same reason as the last short chapter. Big transition in the next chapter. Can't manage to talk in complete sentences. Computer running out of green squiggles. Oh, no! I forgot to disclaim the last few chapters, but I'm assuming that it's a given by now. I'm not worth suing anyway… R&R!

Chapter 8: Mama Will Love You!

"Hey, Beldo?" Weedy looked up from Elfie, whom she was scratching behind the ears. She waited for Beldo's response, then continued on, "Did you know my daddy?"

Beldo dropped the book he head been reading and stared at the little girl on the floor. She waited patiently, one hand in Elfie's head. Choosing his words carefully, Beldo asked, "Why would you think that, Weedy?"

"That's what the men at the tavern said. I asked them to tell me, but they just laughed at me. I don't like them anyway. So, do you?"

"What were you doing in the tavern?"

"I dropped my ducky and he slid under the door. Did you know my daddy?"

For a moment, Beldo considered lying to her. To tell Weedy about her father meant he would have to talk about Guy's life in the Tower. And part of that life was how he died. Beldo opened his mouth to deny knowing Guy, but at the same time, he knew he couldn't lie to Weedy. He swallowed hard and said quietly, "Yes."

"Really?" Weedy gasped happily, "Tell me about him! Please tell me!"

Beldo shook his head and turned his gaze out the window, anything to avoid Weedy's intense eye, "No. You should hear those stories from your mother or brother. Not me."

Weedy's face fell, "Koh doesn't tell me stuff. He's too busy with th' Tower and with Nico," she said quietly, "And Mama doesn't like to talk about Daddy. I asked her once and she got real quiet."

Beldo watched her sadly. She had resumed petting Elfie, but her petting was slower, more melancholy. He stood up and walked to the door. "Come," he said, "We'll go for a walk and I'll tell you." Weedy beamed and left the sleeping Elfie to join Beldo as he left the house.

So Wreath still misses Guy, Beldo thought. The thought of Guy brought no hatred to Beldo's mind as it usually did, but Beldo didn't notice. He thought about Weedy, the poor little girl who had grown up with only an image of the legend of Guy and nothing of the man who was her father. Beldo remembered his own father, a jovial merchant in the West, whom he left behind long ago to pursue his own dreams. He felt a pang of longing and loneliness as he tried to imagine his own childhood without his father with him.

"You said you'd tell me a story," Weedy said tentatively. She recognized the expression on Beldo's face as one she'd seen on her mother's face whenever Guy's name came up. Weedy didn't really expect an answer about Guy; she had learned not to.

"He was a monster tamer," Beldo said quietly. He swallowed hard and added, "The greatest who ever lived."

The words tore Beldo apart inside. Everything he had been fighting for since he came to Monsbaiya had been destroyed by those five words. He glanced down at Weedy and his feelings of doubt were completely dispelled by her proud, smiling face. He felt a rush of content, momentarily wondered where the feeling came from, then decided that he didn't care.

"Hey, come with me, Beldo," Weedy said suddenly. She tugged his hand and he followed, amused at her sudden excitement. His eyes rose to the building Weedy was leading him toward and his heart stopped. He tore his hand from Weedy's grasp and stumbled backward.

"Beldo," Weedy asked, "What's wrong?"

"Elfie," Beldo said hastily, searching for any excuse he could find, "Where's Elfie?"

"She's asleep at home," Weedy said, "C'mon. Mama wants to meet you."

Any color still in Beldo's face faded away, "You…told her…?"

"No," Weedy said, "She just wanted to meet my friend. She said she'd make cookies," she said temptingly. She considered Beldo for a moment, then said tenderly, "Are you afraid, Beldo?"

Beldo frowned defensively, "Of course not. I'm a grown man. Of course I'm not afraid."

"Y'know," Weedy said as she took Beldo's gloved hand in her own tiny hands, "Mama says it's all right for adults to be scared. She says she gets scared sometimes. So, y'see? You can be scared if you want."

Beldo looked at Weedy dubiously. She smiled encouragingly and tugged his hand. Slowly, Beldo got to his feet, still in a daze. He swayed a little and followed Weedy toward her house.

"What am I doing?" Beldo muttered as he allowed himself to be led blindly.

"Don't worry," Weedy smiled, "Mama will love you!"

"Mama! I'm home!" Weedy surveyed the entrance hall and pulled Beldo in. "Wait here," she whispered, "I'll get Mama." She set her Monster Book on an end table and dashed into the inner rooms.

Beldo swallowed and his hand began to shake involuntarily. He clenched his hand into a fist and stared at his hand as if it were a traitor. A glimmer of light caught his eye and he turned to catch his reflection in a large mirror. Suddenly, his face seemed very old. He glanced at the inner door and ran his hand through his long hair. He took a deep breath and willed his thudding heart to slow, but, of course it didn't.

"He's in here, Mama." Weedy's voice came from the next room.

"Weedy, you know you shouldn't leave guests in the hall. Invite him in next time. All right, honey?"

"Okay, Mama."

Beldo's breath caught in his throat at the sound of Wreath's voice. Memories flooded across his mind, but his forced them away. For a second, he considered dashing out the door to spare Wreath and himself the pain. Before the thought was even fully formed, though, he knew he'd never be able to go through with it. He lifted his chin, took a deep breath and waited.

"I made chocolate cookies and I'll set out some milk, too," Wreath was explaining to Weedy, "But you'll have to save some for when…" She trailed off as she stepped into the room. The mixing bowl she was holding slipped from her fingers and landed on the hard tile floor with a crash. Wreath didn't move, though. Her eyes remained locked on Beldo, an incredulous expression on her face.

Weedy fidgeted uncomfortably in the silence following the bowl's crash. She grabbed Beldo's hand and awkwardly pulled him forward. "Mama," she said, "This is my friend. His name's Beldo."

Wreath's eyes moved to her daughter. "Weedy, honey," she said, "Would you mind checking the cookies for me? Don't burn yourself; just check the timer."

Weedy glanced at Beldo and nodded cheerfully to her mother, "Okay, Mama!" She smiled at Beldo and dashed out of the room, leaving another awkward silence in her wake.

"Hello, Wreath," Beldo said, drawing her attention from her retreating daughter, "You look…"

"Old?" Wreath offered. She chuckled, "I feel like it, too. Especially with…"

"I was going to say 'beautiful'," Beldo interrupted. His voice fell to a whisper as he said, "As always."

"Oh," Wreath said meekly. Suddenly, remembering her fallen bowl, she dropped to her knees to pick it up, scooping spilled batter into the bowl for easier disposal. "It's been a long time," she said, her voice muffled by the floor, "How long…"

"Ten years," Beldo answered quickly. He bent to help Wreath, but she shook him off. He watched her, taking advantage of her distraction to really look at her. The long blue hair that she used to wear down around her shoulders was now pulled up into a loose bun to keep it out of her face during work. He noticed tiny creases around her eyes, which still glowed with the life they had in the years before. She seemed tired, though, and burdened with more than she had to worry about ten years before. But Beldo had meant what he had said; she was still beautiful.

As he waited, Beldo felt the urge to bolt. He had seen Wreath and she obviously wasn't interested in him. He could run to the abandoned house, get Elfie and leave Monsbaiya forever. He could forget about his life in this God-forsaken town and start a new life in a new city back west. And all it would take would be a few steps through a door.

"You're thinking of leaving," Wreath said, interrupting Beldo's plans, "Please don't. I'm sorry I'm so…distracted. Please. Stay."

Beldo frowned slightly, "How did you know what I was thinking?"

"I can read you perfectly," she smiled, "Always could. Oh, it's good to see you, Beldo! I've missed you!" She tilted her head, indicating for him to follow her into the kitchen.

"Mama!" Weedy cried out as the two adults entered the kitchen, "You weren't supposedta come in yet!" Weedy had found three glasses and was messily pouring milk into the glasses, filling them until the white milk cascaded over the rims of the glasses life fountains.

She picked up one of the glasses and carried it as carefully as she could across the kitchen. With a proud grin, she handed it to Beldo. "Here, Beldo!" she said, "I poured you some milk and when the cookies are done, we can eat those!"

Beldo took the glass hesitantly, glancing at Wreath over Weedy's head. He knew that by taking the glass, he would be obliged to stay for a while. Part of him wanted very badly to stay, but he wasn't sure how Wreath felt about his sudden reappearance. He raised his eyebrows questioningly and Wreath nodded, a small smile on her face.

"Thank you," Beldo forced what he hoped was a believable smile. She showed no trace of worry or anger, which Beldo took as a good sign. "I can only stay for a few minutes," he continued, speaking to both Weedy and Wreath, "Elfie is alone at home, after all."

"I'll go get her!" Weedy exclaimed, "Then you can stay longer!" She grinned proudly at the brilliance of her idea and dashed from the room before either adult could make a move to stop her. A few seconds later, the front door slammed and the house fell into silence.

Wreath sighed good-naturedly and began to wipe up the spilled milk. Without looking up, she asked, "Who's Elfie?"

"My dog," Beldo explained, "We left her asleep at home when we went out for our walk."

"You have a dog?" Wreath smiled, "No familiar? I thought you'd still be in the Tower…" She trailed off as she realized the potential for this new topic of conversation and she changed the subject. "Is that what you've been doing, then?" she asked, indicating the walks, "Weedy talks about you all the time, but she never said what you do together."

"She likes stories," Beldo said. He gingerly set the glass of milk on the counter, careful not to spill any liquid from the overfilled glass. "She likes to hear my stories. Just like her mother."

Wreath hesitated momentarily and a nostalgic smile spread across her face. "And why not?" she said, "You always were a great storyteller." She finally looked up at Beldo, lifting her eyes from the rag in her hand. "I've missed you," she said, "Where were you these past years?"

Her words shocked Beldo. She had missed him? He had always thought her feelings for him had disappeared with her marriage to Guy. Any lingering feelings she felt he had been sure had been lost when he and Guy had…

I have to tell her, Beldo realized, She doesn't know, she can't know about what happened in the Tower. If she knew, she'd have nothing to do with me. Even if it means I will lose her forever, I must tell her. She has a right to know.

When Beldo hadn't answered her question, Wreath had nervously changed the topic. Throughout Beldo's inner monologue, she had been talking about anything she could think of to break the heavy silence.

"…Weedy likes to hear the stories. They always made me laugh and Weedy really loves the Tower. She totes her Monster Book everywhere. I think she'll be a tamer when she…"

"Wreath," Beldo interrupted, "You should know. I was the one who…who murdered Guy."

Wreath froze. She had turned away from Beldo and her face was half in shadow, disguising her expression. When she finally spoke, her voice was stead and unreadable. "I know," she said to the wall, still in shadows.

"I am sorry," Beldo said hoarsely, turning to leave the house. His feet moved on their own, but he did nothing to stop them. It was finally over; he had finally severed ties to Wreath's family and Beldo could close this chapter in his life and move on.

He felt a hand on his own hand, a small palm with thin, but tough fingers. "Don't leave," Wreath's voice pleaded. She squeezed his hand, "Not after so long. Please stay a while."

"You would spend time with your husband's murderer?" Beldo asked bitterly.

Wreath winced, "That may be, but I made a promise before all that. I promised a good friend that I would always be his friend. I always keep my promises."

"Thank you," Beldo said, "You…"

"I'm back!" Weedy's voice accompanied the slamming of the front door. A second later, a furry brown creature streaked into the kitchen and stopped at Beldo's feet, her brown eyes sparkling happily.

"Mama!" Weedy bounced into the room and beamed at her mother, "Did you an' Beldo talk? Did he tell you a story? Are the cookies done? You gotta meet Elfie!"

"Slow down, dear," Wreath laughed, "To answer your questions: yes, no, and almost. I'm just taking the cookies out now."

"Yay!" Weedy cheered, "Tell her a story, Beldo!" She pulled on his hand and begged, "Tell her the one about the Barong!"

"Weedy," Wreath said as she transferred the freshly baked cookies from the tray to a plate, "Did you know that Beldo and I used to be…are old friends?"

Weedy's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" she asked incredulously, "When?"

"Before you were born," Beldo said, playfully tapping Weedy's nose.

She giggled, "Then Mama's heard your stories already."

"I wouldn't mind hearing them again," Wreath said, "Go ahead, Beldo."

Beldo looked from mother to daughter and his heart rose, buoyed by the sudden and unexpected kindness. He hadn't expected to find friendship anywhere in Monsbaiya, yet he had found it in the two people he had least expected. He smiled and leaned forward as he lowered his voice to a suspenseful pitch to begin his story.

"I was on the thirty-fifth floor, with only a sword and a shield in my hands. There were no monsters around and I was beginning to grow suspicious when…I suddenly found myself in a monster den, surrounded by a dozen of the most blood-curdling monsters in the Tower…"