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Lancaeriel extinguished the orb. "Good night, Miyuki."


When the sun rose the following morning, the island was very close, though they had not yet arrived. For once, Andarien was among the first people on deck, wide awake and fully dressed. He stood at the rail, staring at the island ahead of them.

There had been changes in the six years since the travelers had been there. Rather than heading towards the beach, where they had anchored the last time, the ship was heading towards a pier that had been built directly below the towering white cliffs where the city of Wing Hove was located. There was a long series of stairs that led in short flights from the pier all the way up to the city.

The city itself gleamed in the morning sun. It had expanded again, though not nearly as much as when it had been rebuilt. High in the sky, silhouettes of massive rocs could be seen against the clouds. The sky was clear, though the pier, stairs and ground all had a thin sprinkle of snow on them.

Andarien was completely fascinated by it all.

Andarien grinned up at Miyuki. "Yeah, I slept good! But I was just so excited to see this place that when Eon woke me up the first time I couldn't go back to sleep! I'm so excited to see it! Aren't you?"

Eon squealed when Ai pounced on him, and he rolled over and pushed Ai to the deck. With a twinkle in his eye, he pounced right back on her. Andarien's excitement was contagious, and the silver Eevee was full of energy.

Nearby, the Ponyta (who had finally been named Ponydash, or Pony for short) watched the two Eevees. The deck was clear of snow where it stood, though it was perfectly safe to touch.

"Yeah?"

Andarien looked over at the pier and stairs again. He didn't know what new ones looked like, so he would never have guessed that they were new.

Suddenly a shadow passed over the ship, and he looked up and spotted a roc descending towards them. It was a new creature to Andarien, as he had never seen Haldia's roc either, and he had no idea that there would be someone riding on it.

"Mi!" he cried, terror rippling through him. "Run!"

He turned to run away himself, but his shoes slipped on the snow and he fell flat.

Andarien seemed as though he was trying to hide behind Miyuki, and his fists were clenched tightly around her cloak. Still, he watched rather bravely as the enormous roc (whose wingspan was wider than the ship's width) settled on the deck and folded its wings to its sides.

On the roc's back were Aurin Striate and a small copper-haired boy.

"Wow, what a big ship!" the boy exclaimed, green eyes shining brightly as he looked around. "The biggest I ever saw!"

"That's because our ships don't go out as far as this one does," Aurin chuckled, climbing carefully down from the roc's back. He held his arms up to help the boy down as well. "Now be careful, it's slippery on the deck."

"All right, Papa," the boy agreed, hopping into his father's arms.

Andarien stared at the newcomers, squinting slightly at them. "Mi," he whispered, speaking in Common Elvish since that was what the two had been speaking, "who are they?"

Andarien looked up at Miyuki, and his grip on her cloak loosened as he calmed down.

"Aurin?" he repeated curiously, clearly asking for more details.

Others had been attracted to the deck both by the approach to the island and the arrival of the roc. Aethos stepped through the others so that he would be able to be one of the first to greet Aurin.

"Captain Striate," he called out, smiling widely.

"Aethos-sola," the captain beamed as he lowered his son to the deck. Once the boy was standing safely, he bowed deeply to the sola. "Welcome home, my Lord."

Without being told to, the boy bowed just as deeply. His rust-coloured hair was just long enough that it fell forward into his eyes, but he left it alone. "Welcome home, Aethos-sola," he said warmly.

Aethos's smile was as wide as those of the two who were bowing to him. He reached down and touched both of them on the shoulder, permitting them to stand again. "Thank you both," he said sincerely. He eyed the boy. "Tell me, Captain ... this can't be little Xion, who was only an infant when I left?"

Aurin's eyes grew bright and his smile widened. Already he could see how the prince had changed. "Indeed it is, my Lord. It has been six years, after all."

Xion had eyes only for the prince. He had never really met him, after all, and he knew that Aethos was the queen's brother. But Andarien was watching the boy.

Aethos and Aurin continued to talk together, and they were quickly joined by Roydon, Earendil, and a few others. At length, Earendil came to fetch Andarien and Miyuki.

"Come, you two," he grinned. "Bring your things, Captain Striate is going to take some of us up to the castle on Skyel. Your Pokemon are going to have to go into their balls, though, and Miyuki, Senka will be best off in your bag again."

Which was how they'd traveled by air previously.

Andarien was a bit slower, but he also went to his room to get his things. He packed his things as quickly as he could, fielding questions from Amalirahc, and then headed back up to the deck.

The adults were still in the middle of deciding exactly who would be going with Aurin on the roc to the castle, and who would have to come later, either on another roc or by taking the stairs up the cliffside.

So far, it had been decided that those of the highest ranks would be going: Aethos and Alassëa; Earendil, Lin, and their children; Daeron and Iorlas; Wren; and of course Aurin and his son. There was a bit more room on the roc's back, and now they were taking suggestions to see who else would accompany them.

Andarien hefted his chest in his hands and stepped into the midst of the adults. He was small enough that he didn't feel like he was intruding, and no one protested.

Aurin was eying the mers doubtfully. "Feng and Ryu, yes," he was saying (there had been introductions all around while Andarien and Miyuki had been getting their things). "But Naida ... if you were calmer, Naida, that would be one thing ..."

"Yeah, you don't want to spook the roc, that's when people fall off," little Xion spoke up, nodding sagely. "Gotta be careful, yup, yup."