Welcome to Gaia! ::

"I think just about," Lore nodded, "But Shael has always been more mature than her age... granted it wasn't by choice and helping Aliya was something Shael was familiar with."

But now that Elnara mentioned it.. it would only make sense that Alyse would have been helping Shael then too.

A moment later, Alyse was back - but she wasn't alone.

"Look who came to visit," she beamed as Lothiriel and Pen entered the kitchen behind her.

"Aunt Elnara!" Lothiriel exclaimed brightly. "You look wonderful!" She moved around the table and hugged Elnara around the shoulders, laughing softly.

"Hello, Lore, Elnara," Pen grinned at the two. "It's good to see you two again ... we're staying with Elrohir and Haradhel for the winter, and of course when Haradhel mentioned that you were going to have a child, well, Lothiriel couldn't wait, she just had to see you right away."

"Well there's a storm coming," Lothiriel stuck her tongue out at him. "We'd have had to wait another week if we didn't come right away!"

Elnara hugged Lothiriel back, hugging her warmly.

"Yes, Adanedhel tells us it's going to be quite the storm," she smiled at Lothiriel. "I'm glad to know you're somewhere safe ... I would have worried otherwise."

She looked from one to the other. "I don't suppose you've decided on a wedding date yet," she added curiously.

Lore chuckled, so the two had decided to get married that was good to hear. He had wondered about that knowing the two were also engaged at the time.

"Congradulations then," he told the two, "And I'm glad you've decided to stay here, it sounds like there's a bit catching up to do since the last time."

"I have been," Elnara spoke up, her brow furrowing with curiosity. "Not since your father was a child, Lothiriel, but still ... I did spend quite a bit of time there. What happened?"

She hoped it wasn't anything to do with the dwarfs ... they were trouble enough as they were, without making new problems.

Pen grimaced. "A new race has appeared," he said softly, solemnly. "Or rather ... an old race, believed gone, has reappeared."

"Everyone always thoughts the giants had died off long ago," Lothiriel added, just as serious as her husband (which was very strange for both of them), "but they're back. Not many of them, but they're there. In the east, not the west, so they're nowhere near the dwarfs ... but if they start in that direction, the dwarfs will have to evacuate and be moved somewhere else."

"There had been giants in the past?" Lore inquired softly.

He was just as confused but a completely different reason, but he could see the problem arising. He knew at least that the drawves were in an occupied government, this was going to be a problem for the elves as well as the drawves.

"Shouldn't you warn Aunt Amalthea?" Elnara asked worriedly. "She needs to talk to her husband and take control of the situation ... it's her men who are guarding the dwarfs now, they should be aware of the danger ..."

She sincerely hoped there wasn't another war in the making ...