Silver and Gold Ch. 10

Feldspar held Silver until he was sleeping soundly and then got up. He threw on a pair of Silver's shorts and got to work. He tidied up the bedroom and bathroom, which didn't need much more than a bit of picking up and airing out. The kitchen was the real disaster. Looking around it, he realized that Silver must have been in the kitchen when he received the news. He saw ingredients laid out on the cutting board and pots on the stove filled with partially finished sauces. Everything was unnaturally spoiled, as if it had been rotting for weeks instead of hours. It didn't surprise him that shocking news like that would have made Silver's magic go a bit wild.

He grimaced at the horrifying stench and swallowed desperately a few times to get a hold on himself. He took a draught of the anti-nausea tonic he'd mixed up and he was ready to tackle the mess. Feldspar found a bucket and cleared all the rotten food from the countertops into it. He checked each cupboard, filling the bucket to overflowing. He emptied it into the trash chute five times by the time he was done scouring the kitchen from top to bottom. He opened the windows and door to let out the ripe smell and set to scrubbing the cookware and knives.

When the kitchen was clean he climbed back up the ladder. Silver was still curled in the fetal position, sleeping hard. He pulled off his clothes and slid under the sheet. He lay on his side with a scant inch between his body and Silver's, afraid to wake the sleeping faery. Silver let out a tiny whimper and shifted back to lie flush against Feldspar's chest. Love bloomed in Feldspar's chest and he wrapped an arm over Feldspar's chest to pull him even closer.

***

The next morning Gneiss arrived at Silver's tree to find the windows and door open. Feldspar had left the feast abruptly and had never returned. She'd expected him to turn up at their tree by mid-morning, and now she was faintly concerned. Mal had asked her to find both Feldspar and Silver, to what end she was unsure.

She let herself in, walking on silent feet. The tree was silent and still and the kitchen smelled strongly of cleaner. She hesitated to call out to Feldspar and Silver. It went against her instincts, and something felt just off enough that she wasn't taking any risks in the eerily quiet home.

She scaled the ladder and found herself in Silver's bedroom. Nobody had drawn the curtains and the room was bathed in bright sunlight. The two male faeries were still fast asleep, breathing softly in unison as they lay curled together on their sides. Feldspar was wrapped protectively around Silver, their hands clasped together over Silver's heart.

For a split second she was annoyed that she had worried. Then relief quashed the uncharitable feeling. Whatever had happened the night before, she was glad they had found each other. She smiled at the picture they made: silver and gold intertwined, in balance. Mal would require an explanation from them, but she was loathe to wake them. Instead she padded silently to the window and closed the curtains, before letting herself out. Patience was a virtue, after all. A virtue that sometimes, even the Lord of the Wood, needed to exercise.

*****

Thank you for reading and for your comments! I appreciate hearing from folks. Feldspar is going to need to take some big leaps to support Silver through this next chapter.