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Lancaeriel nodded thoughtfully. "Then if you wish, we could lightly touch on all that I know, to see if there is something you would prefer," she suggested. "After all, it is difficult to make a decision without knowing all of your options."

She rested one hand lightly on the book that she had just set down. "That being said, there is an order of learning," she added softly. "Some things cannot be learned until you have first learned other things ... so if you choose something more complicated, you will need to learn its more basic exercises, first."


Andarien chewed the inside of his cheek. He didn't know, to be honest. He liked sharing a room with Miyuki - being near her, not being on his own - but then again, he had grown used to having a room and space of his own. And he didn't want to wake her if he ended up working on some of his gear kits or anything, and he didn't want Eon to be an annoyance for her, and he didn't particularly want to share a room with Senka (cranky kitty) ...

"Can I have a room beside Miyuki?" he asked, looking up at his parents.

Earendil looked to Luthien for the answer to that question.

She smiled. "Of course you may. And your parents will be in the room directly across the hall."

Andarien grinned. "Okay, then. I'll have my own room." After a pause, he added, "I hope I can open the door by myself now."

Lancaeriel smiled. She liked Miyuki's attitude. She had met many people who wanted to learn what she knew, but most all of them had balked when she had told them that there would be a lot of work involved.

"Then we can begin whenever you are ready," she told Miyuki softly. "You have but to let me know when you would like a lesson. I am most always available."


Luthien smiled but kept her laughter inside at Lin's remark. She knew what Lin meant. Andarien had grown quite a bit.

"Then let me take you to your rooms, and we shall have an extra room made up for you, Andarien," she told them, beckoning for them to follow her. "Come."

And she led them out of the dining hall again.

Lancaeriel smiled softly. "I do. Unless I am in the city, I take all my meals in the dining hall. It is probably the only time that I can say for certain where I will be ... I tend to wander, I must admit."

She paused for a moment, then laughed very softly.

"And I can at times be slightly absentminded," she admitted ruefully. "So you may need to remind me from time to time of our lessons."

When the family convened for lunch in the dining hall, absolutely everyone was present. There were stories all around of what had happened in the time that Earendil and his family had been gone - barely more than a year from the day they'd left the Borderlands - and Queen Atalya reassured them that the necessary messages had been sent out to all of the parties that would be involved in the trip overseas.

At the end, there was one more surprise.

"Father and Mother have given me permission to accompany you as far as Caras Galadhon," Aranxia told them excitedly, her dark eyes sparkling. "I may not travel with you on the continent, but I can see Amon Darthir, and Nauros, if you go, and Caras Galadhon."

"She is very nearly an adult," explained Aranel, Tinuviel's husband. "She's been dying to travel since she was young, and I think - we think," he amended, "that this is the safest way for her to travel."

"We wrote to Roydon to ask if it was all right, and he gave his permission as well," Aranxia beamed.

"I'm hoping that if it goes well, Mother and Father might someday allow me to travel even further," Aranxia smiled slyly.

"I wouldn't count on that," Tinuviel said dryly.

Aranxia sighed softly, though her smile never wavered. "I can still dream."

"That is something that can never be denied," Luthien murmured.

"As for having something to do on the trip," Tinuviel added, looking over at Lin, "I'm sure Aranxia will not be bored. Mother was the one to give her a task."

Instead of answering, Aranxia blushed warmly and lowered her eyes.

Luthien took it upon herself to answer for her granddaughter. "I have been teaching Aranxia to paint," she explained, "and though she refuses to admit it, she is greatly talented. I've asked her to keep a picture journal of the things that she sees, of the places ... I don't know if I shall ever have the opportunity to see such places myself, but I must admit that I am quite curious to know what they look like, aside from simply hearing descriptions."

"It's true, descriptions can't always do a thing justice," Earendil admitted.

"I don't think I'm good enough," Aranxia murmured. "I won't be able to do it justice, I'm sure."

"Nonsense," Ruel spoke up for the first time during the meal. He had a serious expression on his face and was frowning slightly. "Aranxia, your paintings are beautiful. They are not exactly like your grandmother's, but that is only because your style is different - and different does not mean bad."

Quite the statement, coming from him.

"Well, I shall do my best, regardless," Aranxia said softly. "I did promise."

"So what are your plans for the remainder of the day?" Atalya asked the group.

Earendil looked at Lin. "Well ... I'm not sure if we've thought that far ahead," he admitted with a chuckle. "What do you think, Lin?"

"Boots!" Andarien piped up immediately.