"Everything since the Darkening - that's, that includes everything I have non-dreamed memories of. You can put them back all right when he wants them?"

Of course. We could pick a later date if you're confident it would still be before he learned any of those things about the Enemy.

"...he learned that the Enemy could maybe read minds when I first came to Valinor and had my aging slowed. We couldn't be certain but I didn't think I slipped on my private thought distinction and he reacted to something I hadn't said."

I am less comfortable broadly revising his memories unrelated to the horrors of the war but if, in order to have him in a state to advise us on his further treatment, he needs to forget that interaction, I can do that.

"...I don't think so. He wasn't nervous about it most of the time between then and the Darkening, I think."

Then the Darkening. Do you want to explain to your husband what we're doing, in case he is able to articulate opinions on it?

"...yes."

So Aydanci goes and explains, and Kib is doing that thing where he's just sort of allowing words to happen around him, and Aydanci keeps repeating himself until he thinks at least the gist has gotten across, and -

"You can do whatever you want with me," Kib says.

"I want to help you."

"Okay."

...and Aydanci officially can't do this shit anymore and tells Lórien to go for it.

It takes him a few hours, because he's being very careful that the memories are still there and can be replaced easily. He assures Aydanci that he's not viewing them.

And then Lórien says, can you hear me, Akibel?

Yeah?

You're in Lórien. Several Years have passed; you were very badly injured. Aydanci was killed, and born again to the human world, and is here with you.

How was I several Years worth of badly injured? "Honey?"

"Here," breathes Aydanci.

"- hello new face..."

You were captured and tortured by the Enemy. When rescued you were all but catatonic, and your loved ones tried for two Years to help you. In addition to avenging you. Melkor is dead.

"Well. That's two."

(Aydanci sobs. Kib pats his knee.)

Now that you are in a position to consent to treatment: you are missing Years of memories. We assume if you had them all back you'd be catatonic again. We restored you to this state, which probably involved more memory loss than needed, so you could advise us on how you want to recover from here. If you desire to spend some time with your husband before considering this, you absolutely may.

"What am I missing besides - catatonia and warfare?"

"Me dying - you were there. Leadup to the warfare. You weren't immediately captured once it started, either, you got some work done before then - finished the talking golems - when I grew up there was some, awkward re-courtship, we renewed our vows -"

"- and then I got turned into a vegetable, shit, sorry, honey -"

And now he has an Aydanci crying on his shoulder.

Lórien: will be absent until Kib happens to desire his presence, whereupon he'll be just behind the next set of trees.

Kib has no real desire for Lórien's presence at this time. He is learning a new face and comforting his husband. "How supervised-by-default are we in a place named after a Vala...?"

"I asked; not. Unless you want somebody around or listening they're not, by default that includes him."

"Where're -?"

"Maitimo's here. Findekáno's on another continent while they build a new city there."

Kib sighs and rubs his eyes. "I don't appear to look like I was tortured into catatonia. Also Lórien or was Melkor just very cosmetically considerate?"

"Also Lórien."

And Kib would like to see Maitimo.

Who has also been fixed, physically, and could consent himself to forgetting that this is probably a hallucination, which he's decided not to do, for now. It's not like Kib, he's functional.

He sees them through the trees and heads cautiously towards them.

"Hi. You hauled overseas to watch me wake up and be confused?"

"I got captured too! And wasn't catatonic but was in pretty bad shape, physically and mentally, and even if I could have coped - I sort of was coping, I was King and everything - it meant an excuse to come here. To be here.

Eru, it's good to have you back."

"Oh, congratulations on kinging. ...Elision over at least four tasteless jokes I would probably not make if I could remember anything about the last couple Years."

He hugs him. "Oh, Kib. Oh, Kib. We thought - we thought it might quite literally never be all right, we were debating killing you even though there was no way back to the lost world and we didn't know if even that'd fix it and you just kept saying 'you can do whatever you want' -"

Hug. "This was a catatonia where I could talk and say depressing things?"

"We could get short, rote answers out of you. Seemed to respond to tone more than content. You can ask Lórien for some of the memories of being catatonic back, I doubt they'd themselves trigger a relapse - and if they did, well, he could help again, I guess - please don't relapse, I might actually die of grief -"

"As long as I'm not just saying 'hit me with everything' on the suspicion that this might be a terrible - apparently possibly fatal to bystanders - idea, that wouldn't be my first choice for something to solicit back."