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"Yay!" Vergil cheered. "Thank you, Mother!" He faced her and bowed low, a habit from his early days in the Seconds world. Then he turned on his heel and ran after Miyuki and Amalirahc and the other children.

Earendil smiled and put one arm around Lin's shoulders. "Well, we should keep going," he grinned at her. "We don't want to miss the parade, after all."

Earendil blinked. "I ... don't know," he admitted. He turned to the others. "Rhea, you're Aerin's right hand ... do you know where the parade is?"

Rhea laughed. "The main street. It starts at the far end of the city and ends up here - but the middle is probably one of the best places to watch it from, so let's hurry! I don't want to miss it, either!"

Aurin shifted Xion in his arms. "Lead the way," he told her. "If you know it." Rhea hadn't left the castle in a long time, after all.

But she just flipped her hair over her shoulder and grinned at him, her eyes sparkling brightly. "Is that a challenge?"

"Of course I will," Rhea grinned. "Follow me."

The new city was much larger than the old one had been, and it took them a quarter hour to reach the place that Rhea insisted would be the best position from which to watch the parade. And it seemed she was right: they weren't the only ones there. Roydon and Arwen, Luk, Celeb and Haldia were all already there, eagerly awaiting the parade.

After greetings were exchanged, Luk leaned close to Lin and Earendil so as to be heard above the crowd and murmured, "Do you have any idea when it's to begin?"

"Judging by the way everyone is crowding towards the street," Leyenda commented, "I would say any moment."

As the words left her mouth, the music died down; then there was a trumpet flourish and a loud cheer rose from further down the street. Then the music picked up again - but it was different: instead of being scattered throughout the streets, it was focused in one place, and it was united, rather than cacophonous.

"Good guess," Kelirahc laughed at his wife.

Earendil chuckled. "Indeed."

Haldia looked a little confused. "Just what is a parade?" she asked. "I have never heard of one before ... I understand that it is part of a celebration, but ..."

"And people of all ages take part in it," Rhea added, setting Rhiannon on the ground and holding onto her hand so that she couldn't run off. "Children, too."

She paused thoughtfully. "I wonder if the children are going to be part of this one, too," she mused, "and if they dragged Miyuki, Amalirahc and Vergil into it somehow."

She was sure the children would be delighted to take part in it if they had the chance.

"I suppose we will find out," Earendil smiled back at Lin. "It doesn't sound like it will be long."

Indeed, it seemed that the music was already growing louder, as were the cheers.