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Luk had to admit, Earendil was right: it was a funny story. He laughed heartily.

"But they are happy together, yes?" he smiled. "That is after all what is important."

"If things are peaceful," Earendil reminded Lin. "Remember, the last time we were there, they were preparing to invade the Human Southland."

At Luk's startled look, he explained. "Though the slavery problem in the north with the dwarfs was finished, the humans still have elven children as captives. The elves, when we left, were preparing to raid the human lands and take their children back."

Luk frowned. "Why do the people do these things?" he asked. "I don't understand it."

"One thing you have to understand, Luk," Earendil said cautiously, "is that the other lands we know of ... none of them are like your land. We do not have the technology that you have, and we don't live in the peace that you do. To my knowledge, there haven't been any elven-human relations, and they are frowned upon. There are fights at the mere suggestion of it. Not everyone feels that way, of course, but it is the predominant prejudice."

"That makes no sense." Luk shook his head slowly.

"That does beg the question, though," Luk said slowly, looking from Lin to Earendil and back. "If mixed marriages are unheard of ... then what does that say about you two?"

Earendil chuckled. "First off, that we're not married," he grinned, silently adding, yet. "And secondly, that we just plain don't care about what other people say or think. To be honest, I liked the look of your land - the people, I mean. The equality. The way everything and everyone is accepted. There are just a lot of others who would not like it."

"Such as your father," Haldia spoke up.

Earendil flushed. "Yes, like him," he agreed, though it was clear he was still embarrassed by his father's beliefs.

Luk nodded. "Well then. Good for you. And good for your family."

It was another hour before they reached the city. Gone were the walls, and the old city itself had almost vanished. Most of the new city was complete, or in the process of being completed.

"Looks like they got quite a bit done while we were gone," Earendil smiled, quite pleased with the progress that had been made.

"Look!" Amalirahc beamed, pointing. "There's our friends!"

Leyenda laughed and held her hand out for her son's bag. "Go ahead," she told him with a warm smile. "Be back at the castle by dinner time, though."

"Okay!" And Amalirahc ran off to go tell his friends all about the places he'd seen.

Earendil chuckled softly. "Come. We will be at the castle shortly. There, we can put our things away and then we can take you to meet Rhea."

Luk smiled gratefully. "Thank you," he murmured. "You are very thoughtful."

"And for myself," Luk admitted. "We have many people in our land, but I have lived on my own for so long I'm not used to crowds."

He looked back over his shoulder in the direction of the docks. "And I don't know if it's just me, but it seemed like there were far too many crewmen, even for a ship of that size ..."