RETH
Elia was exhausted. He could see it—but only after they finally broke out of their little bubble of love and became aware of the world again. It was then that he really saw her. The dullness of her hair. The shadows under her eyes. Her sunken cheeks—it all alarmed him.
"You need to rest," he growled, angry with himself for keeping her up.
"I don't want to," she sighed. "I want to just be with you."
"I'm not going anywhere," he said, gathering her up and standing. He wanted to growl again. She was far too light—even carrying the babe, somehow, impossibly, she was lighter than she'd been before she left. Reth wanted to scratch himself for ignoring it. "You need to eat, and then sleep," he said firmly.
