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Earendil worked on unstrapping himself, then took the basket since Lin was helping Miyuki.

"You two going to head out right away then?" he asked Lin and Miyuki.

Earendil nodded. "I need to bring the basket back to the kitchen. So I guess I'll see you both at dinner then?"

He grinned and poked Miyuki's nose. "You behave now, you hear?" he winked.

The captain smiled at the three of them over his shoulder. "Yes, until dinner," he replied cheerfully. "Have a good afternoon!"

He gave them a little wave, then turned back to Skyel and continued to unstrap the harnesses so that she could fly freely.

"See you at dinner," Earendil grinned at Lin. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Be safe."

The week passed very quick as everyone prepared for the trip ahead of them. Traffic between the castle and the ship was almost constant, with Kelirahc and Aurin providing most of the transportation with Irahc and Skyel. Overall, excitement grew as the week went on, until the morning of their departure finally arrived.

Very early, before the sun even appeared on the horizon, Earendil knocked on Lin and Miyuki's bedchamber door to wake them.

"It's time," he called softly through the door. "Are you up?"

He wouldn't go in to wake them. Since that night that he had accidentally fallen asleep with them, he had been careful to keep to the rules of propriety.

Earendil chuckled and hugged Miyuki back, letting her go when she rushed back into the room.

"Keep your voice down," he grinned at the child. "Others will still be trying to sleep, all right? Try not to wake them."

He put one hand on her head and smiled warmly at her, then peered past her into the bedchamber. "Lin?" he called softly. "Do you need a hand with anything?"

He had his own bag ready, slung over his shoulder, but he could easily carry more if he had to.

"Great." Earendil smiled widely at her, his eyes warm.

"By the way," he added. He leaned down and kissed her on the nose. "Good morning." He put his free hand on top of her head and ran his fingers through her hair briefly. "I hope you slept well."

Earendil smiled and put her arm around him, holding her close as they started down towards the entrance to the castle, where Kelirahc had promised to pick them up.

"Very well, thank you," he replied. "I'm actually a bit surprised, to be honest - usually when I'm excited about something I have trouble falling asleep."

He chuckled softly. "Perhaps I've gotten so used to sleeping even with the excitement of being able to see you each day that it's no longer a problem for me."

He winked at her and squeezed her to him.

"Well, I really don't think that should surprise either of us," Earendil grinned. "She's always full of energy, and she's looking forward to learning new things and seeing a new land and meeting new people."

Anything new for Miyuki was good, really. And he knew she was especially looking forward to meeting Haldia ... again.