"Enemy kept trying it and didn't get anywhere, he told me once," Aydanci whispers into his hands. "Couldn't keep him up more than two weeks."

"My father has already fucking demonstrated that he's smarter than the Enemy he made him immortal he can make him not need sleep-"

Aydanci is now crying too hard to answer but he nods.

"And the Enemy - only had him two years - we've got as long as we need, we've got as long as it takes..."

Crying. Nodding.

Yeah.

Of course as soon as Aydanci reaches for Kib he snuggles right up.

"Do we want to try it again, have Lórien on hand to erase the new memories as they come in, see if we can think of anything else with a week with him to talk it through, or do we want to just let it rest until we've got sleep solved - that way he doesn't have to dream any of it again, at least -"

"He's not going to be able to talk through the actual problem with us, as soon as he knows what it is he'll -"

"Could ask Lórien to edit in the things I was just telling him, add them to a conversation we had in Tirion Years ago, take out that one incident that made him suspicious -"

"I am a terrible liar."

"...and make you forget that this isn't the first iteration? I wish he'd answered my question about whether we had permission to keep trying, I'd live with his wishes if I knew what they were - he did say it was a lovely day, almost worth it..."

Aydanci shakes his head.

"Think he'd want us to stop? If he were fully informed, and this were real?"

"It is real," mutters Aydanci. "It's real and I am really not going to pile up more - mutilations - that probably won't even help - to get him in exactly the right frame of mind to do whatever we want and me in the right frame of mind to tell outright lies to my husband and - no. When he won't need to sleep anymore we can try again from there."

"Okay. I'll tell my father to get to work on it."

And they head back.

Kib has Aly dreams. Those seem Vala-invulnerable in both directions.

He tells his father that they need a way for humans to never need sleep. His father thinks it'll be a Year or two. He collapses into Findekano's arms and sobs and then eventually explains things.

And you?

Want to get me edited into thinking it's real? I don't have a way to dream back the memories -

I want both of you to be okay. Actually truly uncomplicatedly -

Well. Can't say it wasn't worth it.

Do you still want to die?

All the time.

Okay.

And he shakes his head and curls up in the King's unscarred arms and sobs and waits for the passing of the Years.