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Earendil kept an eye on Miyuki as he listened to the conversation between Lin and Elros.

Elros smiled at Lin. "To be honest," he murmured, "I feared she had died a long time ago. So in a way, I did not know it myself. I made no secret of the fact, but I also did not share information about myself very much when I lived at the ranch. I don't believe that I told anyone. I saw no need."

His smile grew wider. "But now ... now I feel as if I can hardly contain my joy. To know that she is alive ... and to know where she is ..."

He leaned forward. "Princess Aerin was not able to tell me much about her, at least not of how she has been of late," he said. "Please, Lin, tell me, when you visited her, how was she? What is she like now?"

"Aurin said that she was the only reason the people were still alive," Earendil offered, "and that she was the one with power who thought about the people."

Elros nodded, and a brief expression of sorrow crossed his face. "Yes ... I spent the afternoon with Aerin-sol," he murmured softly. "She and Captain Striate informed me of the state of affairs there ... I wish now that I had been able to go with them. I still do not agree with their reason for leaving, but to not even have had a choice in the end ..."

Earendil blinked. "What do you mean?" he asked, leaning forward slightly.

Elros looked at him. "While we were still discussing whether or not to leave, our people were attacked by several dragons. I was injured badly and taken away to be healed, and by the time I recovered and returned to find Alena and the others back again, they had already left."

His eyes grew sad. "I did not even know if Alena had survived to go with them ... I hoped it, prayed that it was so ... but I had no way to know for certain. And no way to follow them. They were long gone."

Elros nodded. "And that is why, for thousands of years, we have both lived our lives alone," he murmured, looking down at his hand and rubbing his palm. "But no longer. Now as long as she is alive, I will know it."

He smiled and held his hand out to Lin. "You have seen this before, yes?" he asked.

Etched into his palm were the runes spelling out the name Alena.

Elros chuckled and shook his head. "Not at all," he replied. "No, Aerin-sol did this for me just this afternoon. And as long as Alena is alive, the marks will never fade away. As long as I have these in my hand, I will know that she is alive."

He looked down at his hand once more. "To my knowledge, only their people, the Sky Elves, have this magic. Only they can make the runes that truly unite two people."

"I only heard about it this afternoon," Elros chuckled. "And I admit, in all of my years, never have I heard of something so fascinating. Only when she dies will the marks fade ... and so for now I can live at peace, knowing that she is well."

His smile widened again. "And when Aerin-sol and the others leave this place and return to her kingdom," he said, "I will be going with them. I will be able to see her again at last."

Elros chuckled at that. "Well, I really don't think she'll be very surprised," he winked at Lin, his icy blue eyes sparkling excitedly. He reached into a pocket and held up the letter that they had delivered to him. "She is fully expecting me to come to her, as it would mean her life to come here."

He put the letter away again and looked at his hand once more. "And Aerin-sol tells me that Alena will also have runes on her hand now, too," he murmured, "and though I must admit I find that a little difficult to believe, if it is true she will know that I am coming."

"It truly is," Elros agreed. "And until I see it with my own eyes, I do not know if I can even believe it."

He smiled at Lin. "But tell me of your own adventures. They must have been quite something. To have traveled beyond the known world and found not one, but two civilizations? Not many people can claim to have done that."

Elros chuckled. "Perhaps chronologically would be best?" he suggested, folding his hands in his lap. "You started with going to the Southland, no? And from there ...?"

It would have been very different for her indeed, sailing away on a ship rather than going somewhere by horseback ... he knew of her trip around the Southland. He had heard stories from the children of the royal family.