Elwin had not been sure he could sleep, maybe ever again, after what the captain said. He planned to check on Prin and then go back to Valor’s room to keep an eye on those two.

However, as soon as he sat down next to the sleeping Prin a tiredness came over him that weighed a thousand tons and he was forced to lay down and give in to it.

Some time later, between twenty minutes and a day, who knew, Elwin woke up with a sense of looming anxiety bordering on panic.

Prin was still asleep beside him. Elwin breathed a momentary sigh of relief, wondering if he had just awoken from a bad dream and in the waking world everything was fine and always had been.

Prin’s eyes shot open, and the sparking blue of them bored into Elwin’s own.

“What’s the matter?” Elwin asked. He reached out to touch Prin, dropping his hand when Prin shrunk away from him. “It’s okay, everything’s okay.” He didn’t know if this was true or not as he said it.

“How’s Aster?” Prin asked.

“I don’t . . . what time is it?” Elwin had no idea how long it had been since he saw Aster, the reality of the situation only just now flooding back to him.

“You have to go.” Prin said. “I don’t want to . . . scare her.”

“What exactly did happen? Do you remember –” Elwin stopped, seeing the stricken look in Prin’s eyes he suddenly didn’t want to know any more. “Sure, I’ll go. No problem.” He reached out and touched Prin’s arm. “I’ll report back soon, okay?”

Prin nodded, chewing on his lower lip.

Elwin got out of bed. He did feel somewhat rested but definitely could have slept more.

In the hallway, Dru almost ran into him coming quickly around a corner and jumped in surprise. As though he was the one to almost run over her. She was wearing baggy men’s pants with suspenders and her hair was disheveled.

“Oh hey!” Dru said. “Can you tell me what the hell is going on around here? You seem like you know something.”

“Listen, uh . . . just don’t worry about it, okay?” Elwin said, having no stock response prepared for this moment. “The less you know the better.” He kept walking as he said it, hoping to lose her on the way to Valor’s room.

“That’s usually my line.” Dru said lightly. But, she didn’t follow him, standing still in the middle of the hallway as he got ahead of her.

Good.

Elwin went ahead to Valor’s room, not wasting too much time thinking about Dru, even though he didn’t trust her. She would find out about their houseguest eventually, it was inevitable. If she hadn’t already. So there was no use going to extreme measures to try and hide it.

He knocked lightly on the door before letting himself in.

It was an interesting tableau to be sure.

Aster was sitting in bed, propped up by what looked like every pillow in the house, or maybe on the island. She had a colorful knit blanket wrapped around her shoulders and she appeared to be trembling and sweating, pale skin slick with it. But, she was smiling.

Valor sat beside her combing out her hair slowly with a wide tooth comb. She flinched on occasion when a tangle was hit, but was trying not to show it bothered her.

“I’m helping.” Valor said dryly. His face showed that he also didn’t imagine himself featuring in such an odd scene. He was as surprised as anyone. But with a face that said nothing really surprised him too much anymore, even this.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Captain Thompson sat in his straight backed chair pulled up right next to the bed, with a tray on long spindly legs by his side. The tray was full of foods; little bite size delicacies, and fresh fruit, and warm bread with butter and jam, and steaming mugs of tea. He was holding a bowl of hearty smelling beef broth in his hands and a spoon.

“I don’t feel right to eat just now.” Aster said. Her voice started strong with the word I, but then shook up and down in the center of the sentence like a boat on the waves and then trailed away by the end, like something unfinished and carried away on the breeze.

“Just a little broth, sweetness, it wont hurt ya none.” The captain was cajoling. “It’ll help the medicine go down better without leavin’ you a sour stomach. I’ve done a lot of nursing in my day, so I’m not talkin out my ass.” He looked away, abashed. “’scuse me for the blue language.”

Aster laughed weakly. “If you heard how the girls at the brothel talk, you wouldn’t worry about it. I’ve heard it all, and said half of it myself.” She put her be-ringed hand, still tinged with red that hadn’t washed totally away, on his wrist. “You might not even like me if you knew me like they do.”

“Oh bullshit.” The captain said gruffly. “I know you. I know you better than you realize.”

“Hi, Elwin!” Aster waved at him, just noticing him standing in the doorway.

Elwin hesitantly came over. “I’m a little surprised to see you . . . looking so well.”

“No I don’t look well. You liar.” Aster said dismissively. “I’m about to scare away my best client, before you so rudely interrupted.” She winked at him, then took a long shuddering breath.

“He aint through it yet.” Captain Thompson said, somewhat ominously. “Maybe a bit loopy from the various medications.” He sat down the soup and pushed Aster gently against the pillows. “Rest a minute, just rest. You’re overdoing it on the talking.”

“Always did have a loud mouth.” Aster mumbled. She threw one arm up over her face dramatically.

Valor sat down the hair brush and plucked a wet rag from a bowl on the side table, rang it out and draped it over Aster’s head. “Are you hot? Or cold?”

“Hmm? Am I?” Aster wondered.

One of the black cats, Elwin had long since forgotten their names, sauntered over from Valor’s side of the bed and licked the salt from Aster’s arm.

“That tickles.” Aster said.

“Shoo, on with ya.” Captain Thompson waved his hand at the cat. Who gave him a disdainful green eyed look.

“S’alright.” Aster said.

“You’re a guest in my room, father.” Valor said coldly.

“Speaking of, I guess I should go work on getting Aster’s room ready.” The Captain said.

“For me? Awww . . .” Aster said.

“I supposed he could stay in mine in the mean time.” The captain said.

“No, Aster can stay here.” Valor decided. “He’s too weak to be moved. It’s comfy in here, right Aster?”

“Say, you are just a little sweetie pickle after all.” Aster said. “Cornelius, why does he look like that?”

“Look like what, darling?” The captain picked the soup back up and scooped a spoonful of the thin broth. “Open up.”

Aster opened her mouth and allowed herself to be fed a bite of soup. “Nothing like you! Is he adopted? Oops, maybe I’m not supposed to ask that.” Aster giggled behind her hand.

“No, of course not.” Captain Thompson said. “They both just favor their mother in the looks department. Not in personality though, more’s the pity.”

“He always says that.” Valor pointed out. “To emphasis that she was sweet and we both have terrible personalities. I think, it’s more about the raising then the birthing though. When it comes to that. And who raised us?”

“Mrs. Frances.” The captain teased. “I’m sorry son. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way.”

Valor blinked, clearly taken aback.

“I’ll be honest with ya, she wasn’t always sweet either.” Captain Thompson said thoughtfully. “She had a determined streak, borderin’ on the just plain mule headed. And she didn’t like to clean, ever, preferring to be the one making the mess. She would bring in leaves and flowers for decorating projects and leave em around unfinished. And she loved books more then people.”

“No one is always sweet.” Aster said. “Unless they aren’t too bright maybe.”

Elwin sat down on the edge of the bed. He could tell by the look on Valor’s face that this was mostly, if not all, new information. That the dead mother was rarely spoken of, especially in less then vaguely glowing terms.

“She could also tell a great dirty joke!” The captain guffawed at the memory, sloshing a bit of soup out onto his shirt.

“I think I would have liked her!” Aster said.

“That’s enough now.” Valor held up his hand. “Aster needs to rest.” He pointed out, as a way of halting the conversation that was rapidly devolving into embarrassment.

“Of course, yer right.” The captain scooped up one more bite of soup and offered it to Aster. “Here ya go.”

Aster opened up and took the bite of soup obediently, and the captain sat the bowl down and stood up. He stretched his arms up over his head. “I better go work on some things. Valor, you see that Aster gets that rest, eh? No staying up all night chit chatting and giggling.” He snickered at the image. “I’ll check in on ya later.”

“Good night, Corny.” Aster said sweetly.

He bent down and kissed her forehead, “Good night to you too. Speak up if you need anything. There is more pain medicine in the side table drawer, just don’t over do it.”

The captain nodded at Elwin on his way out the door, and to Elwin’s vast relief, did not call him out into the hallway to further explain himself.

Valor took the wash rag and re-dipped it in the bowl of cool water.

Once Captain Thompson was out of the room, with the door closed behind him, Aster sat up straighter and her dark eyes wide pupiled but alert sought Elwin’s.

“How the hell did I get here?” Aster asked.