A Little Lord, Lost (part 2)

Writers: Eimi, Yvonne
Date Posted: 25th November 2008

Characters: Thalia, Penryn, Kiomo
Description: Penryn joins the search for Aslian
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 12, day 16 of Turn 4

From the moment she opened the door, Penryn could
see the panic in the Lady's face. "What is it? What's
happened?" he asked, looking from her to the milk mother and then Kiomo, who was
leaning back against the table with his arms crossed on his chest.

"Aslian's gone missing," Thalia said quietly. Her boy, gone -- not even
Liddy could find him, although she displayed a remarkable amount of calm
about the situation that was threatening to drive her completely mad. 'He can't be far,' Liddy had said, but her heart said otherwise. "The door was open--"

It was entirely possible that the child was hiding somewhere, the
Steward knew. But this wasn't just some Holdbrat. This was the future
Lord Holder, and his missing could not be taken lightly, especially
considering that no evidence was ever found that the murderer who took the heir's father- Meijah- had quit this world, or even left the area... "Liddy, if you would, please find Lord Ishek and inform him of the situation. Kiomo, I want you to go quietly to the Captain of the Guard. Have him post guards at all doors. No one is to enter or leave until I send word otherwise. I don't want panic, so they should just explain that something precious has gone missing and the Hold is locked down until it is found."

Kiomo resented being ordered around by a mere Steward, and _Penryn_ no
less, but the look on the man's face told him that he would except
nothing less than obedience. Pushing himself off the table he paused
briefly next to Thalia to whisper softly, "We'll find him." One more
annoyed glance at the Steward and Kiomo slipped out, secretly scathing
at being treated like an errand boy.

"Now," Penryn watched them go silently before he turned to the Lady,
"tell me exactly what happened."

"I was playing cards and Aslian was around, and then- he wasn't! I just
looked up and he was gone!" Thalia said guiltily. She should have been
watching. She shouldn't have had a guest... and she was proven, yet
again, to be a bad mother.

"Thalia, I need more than that," he said gently, reaching out to hold
her shoulders firmly, wanting her calm but needing her to think clearly.
"How long do you think you looked away? Did you hear anything? Is
there anything out of place in this room?"

"No! Aslian was here, and then he- he's not!" Thalia pressed her fingers
against her eyes to stop them from tearing up: her son needed her to be
rational, not hysterical. "Liddy thinks he's just hiding, but why
wouldn't he come out when I'm calling for him? And what if he's _not_?!"

"All right, all right," he murmured softly, pulling her close to him and
wrapping her up in his arms. Penryn had a child now himself. He could
imagine the fear she was feeling. It was a parent's worst nightmare.
Cradling her head gently against him he sought to reassure her. "We
will find him, Thalia. You know I would never let anything happen to
either of you."

"I just--" Thalia closed her eyes and leaned into his embrace. "I should
have been watching him," she said in a small voice.

"Enough of that," he chided her softly, leaning his cheek against her
forehead. "No parent can watch their child every second. It could
happen to any of us. But we're going to find him and you'll see, he'll
be no worse for wear."

"I hope you're right." If anyone could find her son, it would be Penryn.
He'd been there for them so many times in the past... **But what if he
can't?** a little voice whispered. **What then?** "I hope..." Thalia
gathered what comfort she could from his embrace, then slowly removed
herself from his arms and knuckled the tears from here eyes. Penryn was
right. Aslian needed her, and she couldn't fail him again and fall
apart. "What should I do?"

"We'll start in this room. We'll look in every cupboard, every piece of
furniture he can crawl behind or under, and then we'll move on to the
ones we think he can't." Children seemed to have an incredible ability
to do what their parent's deemed impossible.

Thalia nodded and quietly began to search. It felt futile - she'd
already been through the room and there was no sign of her son. Not
beneath the couch or table, behind tapestries or couches, or even
nestled in the pillows piled on a chair.

That didn't mean Penryn wouldn't search around and under each and every
piece of furniture himself. As the moments passed he could feel his own
agitation rise. Where in Faranth's name could a little child hide
himself so expertly? "Let's check some of these other rooms. What is
in there?" he asked, pointing to a door just off the kitchen.

"What's in where?"

"This one here," he said as he walked towards the corner of the kitchen.

"Oh, that." Thalia waved a hand at the door. "The drudges use it to
store linens and mops and things. It's always latched."

Penryn reached for the handle. "Not today it's not," he said as the
door swung open freely. Linens, mops, cleaning supplies... And a pair
of tiny shoes sticking up from a nest of rags. Aslian's tiny
face scrunched in agitation as the light from the doorway shone upon it,
but his brow quickly smoothed into the peaceful countenance of a child
exhausted from a day of play. "I think we can call of the search now,"
Penryn murmured softly, waving at her to come.

Thalia dropped the blanket she'd been holding and hurried over. "You
found him? In _there_?!" She peered over his shoulder, then pushed past
to snatch her errant child from the nest he'd made for himself. Aslian
protested sleepily as she clutched at him. "You _naughty_ boy! You have
to come out when I call you!" she scolded, then kissed him roughly on
the forehead and turned back to Penryn. "Thank you _so_ much... I cannot
believe I missed him! And I cannot believe how foolish I feel right
now."

"No no," Penryn assured her, smoothing down a tuft of soft blonde hair
on the little boy's head. "It's a mother's worst fear to not be
able to find their child. You were just afraid for your son."

**But other mothers don't lose the future Lord Holder,** Thalia thought,
but she bit her tongue. "Well, thank you again. If you hadn't found
him... I'm not sure what I would have done." She kissed her son's head
gently, even as she clutched him tightly to her. "I had better put him in his crib, and I had better let Liddy
know that he's safe... just as she knew he would be."

The tone in her voice did not go unnoticed. She was being too hard on
herself again. "You were right to call me. We can't take any chances
with him. Why don't you put him to bed and I will let everyone know
he's been found."

A faint flush spread across her cheeks. "I'll do that." Thalia kissed
the top of her son's head again, then turned toward the nursery. She
paused at the door to look back, but Penryn was already on his way out
the door. Sneaking, silent, and feeling a little thrilled at her daring
and a little guilty, too, she blew a kiss at his retreating back in lieu of the one she wished she could plant on his lips in thanks -
whatever else happened, there was always _one_ man in the Hold that she
could _always_ count on.

Even if he _was_ married.

Last updated on the December 4th 2008

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A Little Lord, Lost (part 2)