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Leyenda smiled brightly. "They're beautiful, Lin. You're beautiful. Really."

She had never seen anyone like her before, and of course she didn't know that Lin's mother also had wings.

She shifted slightly so that Celeb wasn't taking up her whole lap, and then patted her knees lightly. "Here, Senka," she smiled down at the cat. "Come here and visit me."

Leyenda giggled and let her brother lean against her while she reached down to start petting Senka gently.

"I had a wonderful time," she murmured softly. "It's the first time I've ever really been able to help with the building of a ship ... and what a ship she is." Her smile grew wider, prouder. "Just wait until you see her, she's so beautiful ..."

Suddenly there came the sound of soft snoring from Celeb, and Leyenda leaned back a bit so that he wouldn't fall away from her. She smiled and held him close. "You're all going to love the ship."

"For me as well, if you can believe that," Leyenda laughed softly. "I've never gone on a real trip. The coast is as far as I've been. I've been looking forward to this trip for as long as I can remember, ever since Mother told me about it."

She let off petting Senka and reached for a slice of the bread that was still warm from the oven. "So hungry."

Starr looked up at Earendil. "Does that mean Storm and I can't stay here anymore?"

Leyenda blinked at Starr and swallowed her mouthful. "You've been staying here?" she asked. "Really?"

Starr nodded. "In your room, I think ..."

Leyenda smiled. "Then you can go ahead and stay there. I'll sleep with Celeb, it's all right. He'll love it."

Leyenda smiled and brushed her brother's hair away from his eyes. "As I adore him," she murmured warmly. "As much as I loved being out there and helping build the boat, I missed him. And Mother, too, of course." She laughed softly, and then smiled. "Celeb is very protective of me. As if he were my older brother, and not eleven years my junior."

Just then, Arwen and Roydon came into the room, carrying several bags each. They left the bags in a pile at the doorway, and then Roydon stepped forward and smiled slowly, setting a hand on his son's head. "Good evening, everyone," he smiled at the group.

"We're all here," Roydon chuckled, wrapping both of his arms around Arwen and holding her close again. "And now we will rest for a few days, and then we will start getting things ready to leave. Though I warn you, it could be another month before we're ready."

"That's all right," Earendil assured Roydon. "There's no rush. We've been waiting decades for this ... I'm sure a few more weeks won't hurt us any."

The weeks passed quickly, and everyone was busy. Leyenda helped with the preparations for the journey, as well as spending time with their visitors and going to the city to visit her other friends, whom she had not seen in months and who she would not see again for no one knew how long. Whenever Leyenda was home, Celeb was always by her side. Storm and Starr continued to stay with Arwen and Roydon, who saw no reason to get them to stay at the inn with the others. Rhea wandered the city, and though she was disappointed that there wasn't a library, she didn't let it get her down: on the contrary, she and Shiro explored every inch of the city, making fast friends with many of the shopkeepers and tradesmen.

At last, however, the day arrived when Roydon declared that they were ready for their trip, and would leave the following morning - an announcement that excited everyone.

Earendil grinned and put one hand on Lin's head, his eyes sparkling brightly. "I don't think any of us are going to sleep tonight," he chuckled softly. "We've all been waiting for this for a long time."

"Forever," Leyenda smiled. "Papa, I'm going to say goodbye to my friends. I'll try not to be too late." She ruffled her brother's hair, then rose to her feet and headed towards the door.

Starr looked excited too, and even Storm smiled a bit. "Is there anything left to pack?" Starr asked Roydon, holding Storm's hand and squeezing it.

"Only your things," Roydon replied. "Everything you brought here or obtained here. Pack everything. I'll speak to my foreman in the morning, he'll be in charge of my business while we're gone. I've spoken with him already, but he'll need to know some last minute details."

"The food is already packed," Arwen spoke up, "so we don't have to worry about any of that. The caravels are ready to leave any time. The crew are already at the Zephyr, so we don't have to round them up. As far as I can tell, everything's ready."

Rhea smiled and stroked Whisper's head gently. She was quiet, but her eyes were sparkling brightly. She was excited about this trip, though she had known about it for the shortest time, other than Storm and Starr. She was eager to see the world. She was tempted to suggest that perhaps they try to get some rest, but as Earendil had said, she suspected that she might not be able to sleep that night either.