Welcome to Gaia! ::

Adanedhel adjusted his cloak. "You'd best get back inside before you let all the heat out," he advised Lore. "I'll be heading home as soon as I have this wood stacked."

And he headed off towards a large pile of cut logs to bring more of it to the house.

As the door closed, Elnara woke up again - though she had only been dozing lightly in the first place.

"Lore?" she murmured softly, watching as he re-entered the living room. "What's going on? Has the storm started?"

"It won't be long then," Elnara murmured, closing her eyes again. "This area of the Four Lands gets the worst of all weathers, in all the seasons ... and it comes up so fast ... luckily it leaves just as fast, when it's over."

Suddenly her eyes flew open and she sat up, placing one hand on her stomach. A slow smile spread over her face, and she flushed slightly.

"Lore," she whispered, "come here ..."

Elnara's eyes sparkled with excitement, and without speaking she lifted the bottom of her turtleneck sweater and set Lore's hand on her belly. She bit her lower lip gently, moving Lore's hand here and there, until finally she found the right spot.

"There," she whispered, giggling. "Feel that?"

There was a little bump against Lore's hand that vanished and then came back.

"For the first time," Elnara giggled, feeling rather giddy. "It makes me feel ... I can't describe it ... it's just so wonderful! It's such an amazing feeling!"

Her eyes shone as she looked at Lore. "It makes it so much more real," she murmured. "More than just an idea ... there's ... actually a baby in there ... inside of me ..."

The baby kicked again, harder this time, and then, though the bump (whatever body part it was) was still pressing against Lore's hand, it fell still.

Elnara kept her hand on Lore's, slipping her other arm around his waist and leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Perhaps we will have an active child," she smiled. "A healthy child ..."

Though of course, being elven, he - or she - would be almost guaranteed to be healthy upon birth. And now more than ever, Elnara was excited and impatient to meet their little one.

Elnara giggled and brushed her thumb along his hand. They would be just fine, she was sure.



Less than an hour later, the storm arrived full-force, and though it was still light outside it was impossible to see anything out the windows ... even the front porch. By the time night fell, the large glass wall was half buried in snow, and the snow was still falling just as heavily.

"It's going to be a dark week," Elnara murmured to Lore as they sat, still by the fire, but with her head in his lap now. "The only light we'll have is from the fireplaces and candles ..."

Or, if she recalled correctly, Lore had the use of some sort of light magic ... she had never seen him use it, though, and she wasn't sure if she should mention it.