"Papa!"
Baelfire's eyes snapped open, his pillow clammy with sweat. The nursery's cool air and stiff sheets sent a tremor down his spine. He counted the stars contained in the center window. Over the years, he counted things to calm his nerves. It had started with just adopting the practice of being aware of one's surroundings, key to survival in any land, but he counted when he was bored, angry, and when he was frightened. Frightened—swirling green light, a dagger, everything so loud he could barely hear his own voice, the utter terror on his father's face the last thing he saw before plummeting into the void—frightened was an understatement.
Exhaling, he closed his eyes and tried to fall back asleep, grateful the other three in the room didn't stir.
Michael murmured occasionally in his sleep, random incoherent things that were nevertheless pleasant. More often than not, it took Bae several minutes to fall asleep, and it always brought a smile to his face to hear the little voice on the other side of the room blurt "picnics" or "Teddy" out into the silence.
"Bae?"
Oh gods...god, he had cried out loud enough for Wendy to hear. Instead of questions, he heard footsteps, followed by a brush of a kiss on the back of his head. Then he could sense her returning to her bed.
He'd talked about his childhood a little, in vague terms. John took notes, which, at first, made Bae wonder how sane the boy was, but had quickly come to find it endearing. He and Michael were at the age where they couldn't stop asking questions, but Wendy never did, never pressed him for more than he was willing to give. Some souls are like that. Had he been someone without secrets, it would have been a good time to speak to his new sister, remind her how lucky she was to be part of a loving family.
But he was a person with secrets, more than a fourteen-year-old's share. Hmm, fourteen in a new land, he thought. Wendy was twelve. John eight and Michael only three. They had all the time in the world to know each other as siblings should, plenty of time to share their secrets.