Welcome to Gaia! ::

Alassëa flinched slightly when Miyuki hugged her, entirely out of surprise, but then she relaxed and hugged the child in return, smiling softly.

"And I am happy to stay with you," she said softly. "I love all of you. You really are a family to me."

She patted Miyuki on the back and then let her go again. "But come, we should start packing and getting ready to go. We have a long way to go, after all, and the weather will begin to change any day now."

Actually, she was partly wrong. The leaves were already beginning to change their colours, even though the air was still very warm. Of course, she couldn't see the change.

"Shouldn't be a problem," Arthael spoke up. "It will be about two weeks' travel, perhaps three, to the Zapanizan river. We can follow it south for half a week and then it will take about four days to cross the desert to New Kaliningrad."

"Have we got supplies for that?" Earendil asked, surprised.

Halmir chuckled. "Who are you talking to? We're hunters." He rose from the table. "Go on, get yourselves ready. I'll have the horses and wagons in front of the inn in an hour."

And so everyone headed to their rooms and packed their things together in preparations to leave the town behind.


It took them the better part of four weeks, but at last they arrived safely in New Kaliningrad. Autumn had begun during their journey, but the desert was as hot as ever.

"They speak Common Tongue here," Earendil told Andarien as the city came into view. "So you're going to have to work hard to speak it now."

He had been teaching Andarien all through the journey, but the boy wasn't very fond of the language lessons. Sure enough, true to form, Andarien only frowned at the news.

"Have to?" he repeated in his accented English.

"If you want, Miyuki, you can learn any language you like," Earendil smiled at her. He was proud of her. She was always wanting to try new things, learn new things.

Andarien was still trying to work through what Lin had said. She had used some new words that he didn't know yet. A puzzled expression crossed his face as he tried to repeat it. But he had to do it slowly, and by the time he'd gotten halfway through what she's said, he had forgotten the rest of it.

"Huh?"

Earendil winked at Lin. "Just wait, when everyone speaks Common Tongue around him, he'll learn it whether he wants to or not."

Andarien pouted at him.

Earendil chuckled and patted the boy on his head. "Don't worry. You're at an age where it will come far more easily than later on."

Andarien stuck his tongue out at him.

Andarien didn't respond, choosing to ignore all talk of learning new languages. He just didn't see the point of it yet. Instead, he moved to the front of the wagon so that he could better see the city they were approaching.

Earendil chuckled and put one arm around Lin's shoulders. "He'll come around," he grinned.

They were growing closer to the city now, and Andarien wanted them to go faster; but they were low on water and they couldn't afford to tax the horses any more than they already were. It was another hour before they arrived at the city. Elros led the wagons forward, but they were only a small ways into the city when a man dressed like a palace servant flagged them down.

"Sir Elros!" he said, smiling widely. "Welcome back! Your return has been anticipated. Their Majesties request that all of you come directly to the palace. You will be housed there during your stay."

Earendil smiled at Miyuki as the wagon started forward again. "Queen Lothiriel, her children and some of her grandchildren all have the ability to see the present and some of the future. They know just about everything. Just like Aragost."

Though he wasn't sure how well Miyuki knew Aragost. To his recollection, they hadn't spent much time together at all.

"Or Rhea," he added. "You remember Lady Rhea from Amon Darthir, right?"

"Those in the Eastland Royal Family," Earendil nodded. "Queen Lothiriel is my cousin, which means that our fathers were brothers. So I don't think things are going to be as formal here as they were in the Westland."

"Fohmal?" Andarien spoke up from where he was listening at the front of the wagon. Despite himself, he found himself wanting to understand what they were talking about.