Welcome to Gaia! ::

"That it is," Luthien agreed, fixing her eyes on the white and silver city before them. "It's beautiful ... and the air here is so clear ..."

"It's the ocean," Earendil smiled at his mother. "It gives the air a freshness that the desert does not."

They crossed the beach and headed into the city itself, and very quickly the family was awed by the variety of people around them. Just the different pure races would have been enough to amaze them, but adding in the innumerable variances in appearance due to mixed blood was more than enough to stun them all - even Ruel, who had not spoken a word since they'd left the ship.

"Now, I have one request," Aennan told them all as they headed up the walk to his brother's house. "My sister-in-law is in poor health, so if it's possible to keep the excitement to a minimum, it would be much appreciated."

"Well, we can try," Regan grinned, "but it's going to be quite the surprise."

Aennan laughed softly. "I understand. That's all I ask."

He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Perhaps if you wait here, I can bring her outside," he suggested. "It's not a very large house, and then the excitement won't matter as much."

"And it's a bigger surprise," Aranel laughed. "Go ahead. We'll wait here."

Aennan grinned and bowed his head again. "Then I shall return shortly," he promised; and after knocking once on the door, he let himself inside, closing the door behind himself and leaving the rest of them alone together.

Ruel emitted a noncommital grunt, but it was covered by the enthusiasm of the others.

"I love it," Regan said excitedly, her dark eyes sparkling brightly. "It's so lively, and there are so many people, and it's all so different! And honestly, is it silver in all the walls and such?"

"The mountains apparently are filled with silver, so it's as common for them as, say, iron is for us," Earendil explained.

"It's beautiful," Tinuviel agreed with her daughter. "I must admit, it has an entirely different feel to it. As if it's not just another city, but another world."

"That could be," Aranel agreed. "Especially when you consider how many different races are here. It's unthinkable in our land."

"Which is a pity," Luthien added. She looked up at her husband. "Don't you think?"

Ruel was spared answering when the door opened again.

"-gave you the entire week?" Aranxia was asking Aennan as she backed out the door in front of him. "That's so ... unlike her."

Aennan grinned. "Turn around and you'll see why," he told her, pulling the door closed behind himself.

Aranxia turned and stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide in astonishment. She stared at them in silence, though her mouth was opening and closing. She was completely stunned.

"Aranxia!" Regan bubbled, just about tackling her sister in a hug. "You honestly thought you were going to get married without us being here? Seriously?" She laughed.

Aranxia was still completely stunned. "But I - I never - never dreamed - never imagined ... how ... how ... Mother? Father?"

Tinuviel, Aranel, Luthien and Ruel all took their turns hugging her, and even at that point, she was left speechless. She simply turned to Aennan, her incomprehension still evident.

Aennan chuckled at her. "Well ... I felt guilty, not having met your parents ..."

"Lancaeriel brought us with magic," Tinuviel explained with a warm smile. "So we shall be here for the week at least. Until your wedding."

Aranxia finally seemed to have caught her breath, and she looked at her fiance and shook her head incredulously. "And you never breathed a word," she murmured. "Never a hint ..."

Aranxia laughed, her face flushing. "Surprise, indeed! And no wonder you got the week off work, Aennan! But that means Amanya's also known about this for a while."

She looked around at everyone. "How long have you all been planning this?"

Regan grinned mischievously. "Five weeks."

"Five weeks?" Aranxia repeated incredulously. "Unbelievable ... and not even a hint ..."

"Come now," Earendil chuckled, "it's not like you see most of us very often. You're so busy, now especially."

"Well, we've one week to the wedding, and there's still much to do on our house," Aennan spoke up. "If you have the time, we would appreciate your help. We would like it to be finished before we're married. Of course, we realize that might not be possible, especially as we do hope to spend quite a bit of time with Aranxia's family, but ..."

Earendil grinned at Lin. "What do you think?" he asked her. "Anything we can't put off for another week?"