Teon lay there, his body aching now that the adrenaline had ceased flooding his veins. He winced and grunted in pain as Levina checked each of his cuts and bruises. “Stay still, Teon. I need to see how deep these cuts are and if there is any debris,” Levina ordered.
They stayed silent for a few moments before Teon spoke, “So I hear you and Bald plan to wed next summer?”
“Yes. It's something we've discussed at length, but we're both glad with this decision. Did he ask you to…?”
“Be his ring bearer? Yes. And, of course, I accepted. What man wouldn't for his closest friend?”
Levina stayed silent a while longer before asking, “Why do you let your father do this to you? You know you'd be welcome to stay here, in the Den, don't you? Why stay with him?”
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Teon thought for a moment. Why do I stay with him? I suppose it's because “He's my father. He's the only blood I have left. And…I suppose I can't just abandon him like that. For the sake of my mother's memory. Moving to Edenbury is one thing, that would be out of duty. Moving here…” Teon let his voice trail off.
“I understand, in a way. After all, my mother…” Levina's expression soured. “Well, she's gone mad, but she's still my mother. She never raised her hand against me though. Even then, I spend most nights here, with Bald. I haven’t abandoned her though, I still bring her food and medicine. You can stay here without abandoning your father.”
“All he wants all day is mead,” Teon said simply, though he did begin to wonder. Could there be a way for me to have my father back, the way he was back then? If I left home, would he remember me as his son? Or would he simply forget that I exist?
Teon’s thoughts were interrupted as Baldwin burst through the door with a clump of mopea in his hands. The vein-like roots and thin, brightly colored leaves dripped with water still as he quickly handed them to Levina. “Will this be sufficient? I can go and pull out more if—”
Levina shook her head, quickly tearing the leaves off of the weed and stuffing a pinch of them into Teon’s mouth. A cooling sensation flooded his mouth as he chewed, the aching and burning of his cuts and bruises subsiding as his head began to feel lighter. As the world began to spin, he glimpsed Levina grounding the rest of the mopea using a mortar and pestle before everything went black.