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Earendil chuckled softly. "Oh, I have no doubt of that," he grinned. "I am eager to meet them. Quite eager."

Excited really, but he would only get more excited as the time drew nearer for him to actually meet them.

"I'm also looking forward to seeing my cousin Lothiriel again," he added with a grin. "I haven't seen her since before she was married, back when she was still traveling all the time."

Earendil grimaced. "That just goes to show how long it's been since I've seen any of them," he murmured. "Lothiriel hadn't even been married ... and now she's a grandmother." He shook his head slowly. "I just hope it's not another generation before I get out there to see them."

Technically he should have gone out there much sooner, but his promise to Lin had held him back. Or rather, he had chosen not to go, because he had promised Lin. He didn't see it as him being held back by it.

"Not much," Earendil replied, watching as a roc took off from the castle rookery and started in their direction. "Wren is still as wild as ever, maybe we should look into visiting there sometime. I'm sure she would come with us if we would ask her."

Now there was an idea he hadn't thought of before.

Earendil chuckled. "In Western standards. Their people are far more ... shall we say, formal than we are. The fact that Wren is so adventurous makes her, in her peoples' eyes, wild. Much like Ninako used to be."

He had only met his distant cousin a few times, but he was quite fond of her. She was a lot of fun, if he remembered correctly.

"But what do you think of that idea?" he asked, suddenly liking it more. "If we were to find her and ask her to come along traveling with us?"

Earendil grinned and nodded. "I agree," he said warmly. "I haven't seen anything beyond the Southland, after all."

The roc reached the ship just then, landing behind the two of them, and Earendil turned to see Aurin helping Rhea with her harness. "Welcome back," he called out to the two. "Ready to go?"

Rhea waved back at Earendil. "Definitely ready to go home!" she called back with a smile.

"No kidding," Rhea laughed. "I hadn't imagined that I would miss them this much, though I did know that I would miss them quite a bit. Still, I feel better since Aurin is coming with us." She looked up at him as he slid off Skyel's back after her. "I wouldn't have felt right going back without him."

Aurin smiled and put one hand on Rhea's shoulder, holding her to him. "I have to admit, when the king approached me about accompanying you to see Aerin-sol, I was more than pleased."

Rhea giggled softly. "I only hope that things can continue to work out," she murmured happily, looking up at Aurin. "At least we don't have to worry about whether you're going to be able to meet my parents in good time, since Aerin lives in the same place as we do."

"My duty to Aerin-sol is my first responsibility," Aurin nodded, true to his soldierly training, "but unless there is some pressing need, I will not be rushing home right away."

Earendil chuckled. "Well, we'll be on our way shortly, I'm sure. We don't have to wait for morning, after all. From my calculations, since it is late stirring now, we should be home again by ... mid summer."