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"But that's decades," Earendil pointed out, somewhat amused by the debate. "Lin, we were only gone two years this time. I suppose you didn't see him really, just before we left, but ... he was getting to be worse than ever before."

"If I might make a suggestion," Luk put in, raising one hand sheepishly.

Earendil nodded. "Of course."

"While you were gone for those few days, Earendil, I made an observation," the senator said calmly. "Whenever your father would do or say something that could be seen as rude or disrespectful towards others, he would always make a second attempt at the conversation when he looked at your younger niece."

Earendil blinked. "Aranxia?"

"She's got a knack for telling people what they need to hear, I think," Earendil chuckled. "I don't know how, but whenever I'm pondering something, she always has the right answer. Not facts, but situations, I mean. Personal things."

"I have to agree," Luk nodded. "I was there for half a year, and I found the same thing."

"Aranxia has the intention of someday joining us on our travels," Earendil chuckled. "Just to warn you. It took me by surprise, seeing as Regan is the more outgoing one, but I think she has a vested interest in remaining in the Southland. She is after all next in line for the throne, after Tinuviel. As for Aranxia ... it will be up to her to choose her own fortune."

"It's good for her to have an idea of what she wants to do," Luk grinned. "Even if she is so young and quiet."

"Not for a while," Earendil chuckled.

Luk laughed with him. "Now, I understand that time passes differently in your world than here, Miyuki, but Aranxia is still barely eleven years old, if I remember correctly. She's still got a number of years before her parents will let her go anywhere, especially without them."

"Give it another decade and I'm sure she will join us," Earendil grinned.

"It will indeed be," Earendil grinned. "But this trip promises to be fun, too, taking Aethos around the Four Lands. Luk, are you going to be coming with us, too?"

Luk looked at Earendil, then glanced over at his half-sister and brother-in-law. He had been with them a year already, but after nine centuries without them, was he ready to go already?

"You do realize," Arthael pointed out flatly, "there's no reason we can't go with you too? The ranch hardly bears watching anymore, there are no more hunts ... to be honest it's starting to get a bit boring."

"You're sure you can just leave?" Earendil blinked.

Halmir chuckled. "You're just worried about your sanity. I know what people say about me."

Arthael reached over and put one hand on her husband's knee to quiet him. "We will speak with Lord Elrohir and Lady Haradhel first, of course," she told Earendil. "But I don't foresee any problems. As I said, there is little guarding to be done anymore. No one dares attack, and the slavers are effectively gone."

"How do you keep yourselves occupied then?" Earendil asked curiously.

Sure he had been there for a year now, but he didn't spend a lot of time with them.

Arthael smiled. "Well, with Luk here we're relaxing a lot, spending time together ... but when Luk wasn't here, we would spend a lot of time with Timaeus and his family. The grandchildren are a lot of fun, and Halmir likes to draw them."

Halmir opened his mouth to reply, but before he could speak, Arthael cut him off.

"Drawings, paintings, you name it," she said flatly. "If you're ever really really bored, come spend a full day looking through them. Our upstairs is full of his pictures."

Halmir pouted, and Arthael chuckled. "Not that I'm complaining. I know our children and grandchildren won't be around forever, or we might not be, who knows? And we'll always have the pictures to remember them by."