Web yawned as he crawled into his bed and lay down on his stomach, his cheek against the pillow. Anialia leaned over him to deliver a kiss and pull up the blankets. She stepped back and glanced at her husband and son, engaged in a serious game of checkers and put her finger to her lips for Ilune was taking her nap as well.
Galleon and Zionel nodded. But no sooner had Anialia stepped away then a loud knock sounded on the door and everyone rushed to the door to silence the knocker before he could knock again.
Galleon eased the door to step any creaks. The elf outside dipped over at the waist, dark bangs covering his forehead down to his yellow eyes. He was dressed in the white and gold of a healer.
"Good afternoon," he said. "I am Healer Helix, sent to assess the condition of Web. May I come in?"
"Yes, but keep the voice down," Anialia said, "My daughter and Web are sleeping."
Helix stepped into the house, his footsteps soft on the floor. Anialia gestured to the bed. "I hope you can do your examination while he sleeps. Try not to wake him."
Briar, nose on his paws, lying under Web's bed, lifted his face and growled. Zionel put a finger to his lips and shook his head and the wolf quieted.
"It will not be a problem," Helix assured Anialia as he crossed to the bed.
Galleon shut the door and returned to his game with Zionel. Anialia migrated into the kitchen to check on the biscuits in the oven and take a piece of meat out of the meat safe for dinner.
Healer Helix finished his examination and came to stand beside Zionel as they finished their checker game. Galleon beckoned him into the kitchen and shut the door.
"Well?" he said. Zionel leaned back against the door to listen.
"Web has recovered well in your care," Helix replied. "But he is still weak and if we move him back to the healing wing now, the crisp air may reawaken the illness. I must ask you to keep Web until he is definitely stronger and can be taken home safely."
Anialia laid down the knife in her hands beside the chunks of meat and wiped her bloody hands on her apron before she picked up the knife and resumed chopping.
"The court offers you a sum of gold in return for the time you take to look after Web," Helix continued. He was about to name the sum but Anialia rammed the knife into the wood chopping board and the sound cut him off. Zionel also leapt forward but Galleon caught his arm.
Anialia took a minute to collect herself before she turned to the startled Healer with fury in her eyes. Her voice was cold and icy and the blood from the meat staining her hands and apron gave her a demonic look.
"Healer," she said. "You can turn around and leave my house before I make mincemeat of you! What kind of people do you take us for? I thought better of you; of the whole royal court! People who accept your money to foster the few orphans there are want the money alone. They do not care about the elfling in need of love; he is simply a form of solid gold! We, Helix, are not like that! Now get out before I think twice and really do turn you into steak!"
"Ilune is sleeping, my love," Galleon struggled to keep a straight face as he said it. Anialia gave him a withering look.
Zionel stared at his mother; he had never seen her so angry in all his years as her son.
"The king," began Helix, looking ruffled by the sudden hurricane.
"Oh yes, the king!" said Anialia. "I knew him; even courted him! I have a good mind to march up to the palace and give him a tight slap in the face! Galleon, throw this insult out of our house!"
Healer Helix made a dash for the kitchen door before Galleon could come at him. "I-I will be on my way; my business here is done." He fled across the floor and escaped out the front door, leaving it open behind him. Zionel closed it after a long look at the departing healer. He turned around as he heard Galleon laughing and beheld the sight of his father doubled over with laughter.
"It is no laughing matter," Anialia said stiffly.
"It has been a long time since I saw you in such a mood," Galleon said, wiping the tears off his face.
"No one has put me in such a mood for a while yet," Anialia replied. "But I must say, what can have happened to the state of the kingdom if Thranduil thinks it is excusable to dole out money for the care of children in need of love! If there is one thing he ought to know money cannot buy love!"
"Oh, and you are, of course, an expert on the king," Galleon said haughtily.
"We were involved for a while," Anialia said with an even haughtier look.
"I had no idea," Zionel said.
Anialia waved him away. "Of course it never occurred to your little mind your mother had a life before she married this woodcutter." And she pulled Galleon's hair.
"Err," Zionel coughed. "It—ah—never occurred to me you—ah—had the—err—talents to attract the king."
"Talents!" said Anialia. "Kings are not all interested in slim, stunningly beautiful woman. At least ours is not. Which is why I wonder at the state of things. How things must have changed up at the palace."
"I believe it was invaded by four demons with identical faces," Galleon said with a thoughtful expression. "But do tell when you intend to pop up there and smack the king in the face. It would be too priceless to miss!"
"The day my mother slapped the king," Zionel said, as though the idea was hysterical. He shot out of the kitchen as he realized Anialia did not appreciate his humor.
Zionel sat down in the chair beside Web's bed and stared at the back of his dark head half covered by the blanket. He laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back. He could hear his parents talking in the kitchen and could almost see naneth leaning down to pull the biscuits out of the oven while ada sat on the counter and watched her but he was not in the mood to listen to what they were saying.
Web rolled over onto his back, rubbing his bleary eyes and sat up. He looked at Zionel and blinked twice to clear the fuzziness from his eyes.
"Hey," said Zionel. "It is nearly dinnertime."
Web took a minute to appreciate the smell of fluffy biscuits as Anialia walked out the kitchen with a mug in her hands. She handed it to Web and watched him drink.
"It does not taste as bad as the other teas," Web said, as he handed the mug back.
"This is a different herb," Anialia said. "Giving you anymore of the ginjali could make you sick."
"Oh." Web blinked.
"Zionel, set the table," Anialia called as she made her way back to the kitchen.
Zionel dragged himself out of the chair. "I never get to be lazy," he grumbled.
Web sat in bed and watched Zionel laying out the plates and silverware. He had grown used to seeing Galleon and his family eating together but he always ate alone in bed. He was a little startled when Galleon came up to him and asked, "Would you like to join us?"
"Ah . . ." The thought of being surrounded by people he was still coming to trust made him nervous. He hung his head. "No . . ."
Galleon looked at him sympathetically but had the grace not to insist. Instead he brought Web a plate of food and went to the table to join his wife and son; Ilune was still asleep and Anialia intended to leave that way through morning.
Web finished his food and lay down in the warmth of his bed. He drifted in and out of sleep, catching scrapes of conversation. One tidbit jerked him back to reality and his eyes opened wide. He had not realized . . . he felt a tear swell up in his eyes. No! He did not want to . . . his mind drifted to the memory of the ginjali balls floating in past mugs of tea, bitter in taste as he fell asleep.
As the days passed with merited slowness, Web sat up in the chair by the fire, engaged in the earnest process of rubbing Briar. He was not improving in any way but he seemed stronger, though he sank in and out of deep sleep and faint nightmares from which he woke up shrieking.
And on one such night Web lay awake in bed, too frightened to sleep and too tired to stay awake. His stomach felt as though someone had shaken it roughly. He was shivering with the memories of a past nightmare, perhaps awakened by what he had overheard at the dinner table a few nights back, when Zionel came out of his room to feed the fire.
"Web?" Zionel exclaimed softly, seeing the shuddering form.
"I-I a-am all right," Web said shakily.
"Was it another nightmare?" Zionel asked, leaning over him, his warm shadow blocking out the fire.
"Sort of," Web replied.
Zionel pursed his lips as he moved to feed the fire. It did not feel right to leave Web alone in the dark but what could he do? He looked back at the curled up form.
"Come sleep with me," he said.
Web's shivering stopped, stilled by the unexpected offer. He twisted with a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. "R-really?"
Zionel pushed open the door to his room. "Yes; come on before the sheets grow cold with my absence!"
Web hesitated for a split second before he slid out of bed and followed Zionel, his arms wrapped around him. Zionel's room was big and empty, holding the bed set close to the warm chimney, a table, a chest of draws, and a window. Zionel hopped into bed and slid back to make room for Web. Web climbed up next to him and lay down with his eyes to the far wall. He curled up under the blankets, wondering if Zionel's presence would help with his nightmares.
The first thing Anialia noticed when she came out of her room was Web's empty bed. Her mouth fell open and she worried the elfling had run away but her husband beckoned her from the door to Zionel's room. Scooping up Ilune, she rushed to join him.
"I too noticed Web was gone so I went to wake Zionel and see if he knew anything," Galleon said. "But look."
Anialia peered into the room and a small smile graced her face. There was not one person in her son's but two, cuddled close together. Web's small face was buried in the crook of Zionel's neck and Zionel had his arms around Web beneath he blankets.
"I will make breakfast," Anialia said at last, and she swung the door shut to keep Ilune out of the room.
Web opened his eyes and wondered where he was.
"Morning," Zionel said sleepily from beside him.
Web jumped. And it all came rushing back.
"Breakfast is probably ready," Zionel continued. "We should get up."
Web swallowed. What would Anialia and Galleon say when he came out of Zionel's room?
His face must have said a lot because Zionel took one glance at it and said, "It is all right, Web; my parents will not be angry with you for sleeping with me. I did invite you."
Zionel's voice was reassuring and it calmed his fear as Web climbed out of bed. Zionel rolled out of his side and made the bed before he moved to change. Web had gone to sleep in his clothes so he had no need to change. Zionel flung his discarded clothes onto the bed and bounded across the room, flinging open the door and announcing, "Good morning!"
"And look who is up late," Galleon teased from his seat at the table. "I have been up since dawn, getting many things accomplished."
Zionel noticed Web looking uncomfortable behind him and turned to give the elfling a supportive hand to hold. Web cringed as he saw Galleon looking at him. He climbed into the seat of the armchair and bunched himself into a tight ball. Zionel looked at him with a small sigh and went to sit down at the table.
The minute he sat down, Galleon poked his arm with his fork. His father leaned close and said, "Go ask him if he wants to eat with us."
Zionel dragged himself away from the warm smells of food. He knelt down by the lonely orphan boy and looked up into his eyes. "Do you want to come eat with us?"
Web shook his head and curled tighter. He felt Zionel take his hands.
"Please," Zionel said coaxingly. "You can sit beside me. I do not want to supervise Ilune's eating another day!"
Web glanced up. He remembered the warmth of Zionel's arms and the quiet, gentle kindness of the night. He remembered the deep, undisturbed sleep. He remembered the gentle smiles and voices of the people around him, the smiles and the grins. None of it made him think of the dark cellar, the chains and the pain that had haunted his early years. He felt Zionel squeeze his hand. How hard could it be to sit at a table? After a moment, he slid out of the chair and followed Zionel. His courage almost deserted him as he came close to the table but he felt it would be worst to flee back to the shadows of the armchair so he forced himself to sit down beside Zionel. Anialia and Galleon smiled a gracious and almost relieved welcome and tactfully left him in silence for the rest of the meal.
And Web discovered it was not all bad. He left the table feeling satisfied and full, exchanging the bench for the comforts of the armchair.