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Lys had once thought sitting in the quiet was agonising and avoided it at every cost. Lying in his bed for those many weeks made him ruminate on the shadows, the cold and the rain. But after a day as filled with excitement as this one, Lys was content to lean against a wall in the coutryard and let all his thoughts slip into place.
Thornden was now his guardian. Thornden was now his family. The thoughts were like a warm, comforting cloak that kept Lys from the frigid cold. He had hoped that Thornden would always care for him and take him in, but he had never hoped that he would be accepted so warmly.
Lys also took in the rest of the evening. Thornden had to speak with Lord Eodwine, and Lys had headed for the dining hall. When the announcement was made, Lys could only stare. He felt himself very rude, but could not help it.
Lys did not find himself afraid or Lefun and Ritun. He was curious. He could see in their faces no malice nor harm to another being. But Lys wondered how they had survived so long as they were. They both seemed so far removed from people, that they were even afraid? Lys could not tell that much from them. But he had an insatiable desire to talk to them. The children surged forward to talk to the twins, but Lys shrunk back, suddenly shy and not quite aware of what to say. Instead, he finished his meal and retreated outdoors into the cool air.
Staring up at the stars as they tracked above the thin wisps of clouds, Lys wondered what the Mead Hall would have in store for the new visitors. He wondered if, like himself, they would have to worry about finding a place amongst the inhabitants of the Hall. Colour came to his cheeks as he realised how selfish his thoughts were. 'They have had a terrible time, I should not compare myself to them! If I have ever had struggles, I do not remember them...'
The realisation sank in with a dull pain that Lys shrugged off. For now he was content knowing he had the beginning of a family, and perhaps the start of new friends in Javan and Léof. 'If all these memories are buried away, perhaps it would be better to simply build new ones' Lys thought to himself.
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