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Earendil's smile grew uneasy, but he nodded. "Just remember, if you do need anything, they're only a call away," he murmured.

It was another half hour to the castle proper, and when they arrived, it appeared that they were expected. Luthien was waiting in the main hall for them once the stablehands had come to collect their horses, and as they stepped inside she squealed and just about tackled Earendil in a hug.

"You're all back, and safe!" she exclaimed. "You were later than you said you would be, we were worried about you!"

Earendil coughed. In the hullabaloo over his birthday, he had forgotten to send the letter he had intended. "Sorry, Mother, things just kept coming up," he apologized.

Luthien looked at Lin, and it seemed she was about to criticize her for taking the blame when she saw her wings. Her eyes grew wide, and one hand flew to her mouth. "Lin," she gasped. "You ... you're like your mother now ..."

Tinuviel and Aranel came in with Regan just then, and they laughed at the look on Luthien's face.

"I would imagine so," Luthien laughed softly. "Well, they are beautiful." She smiled at everyone else. "But come, you must all be tired ... wash, and rest, and tonight we will have a good meal. Kaito, Shiro and Ura are already back, they arrived just yesterday. Shiro did ask that you be sent straight to him when you arrived."

Kaito beamed. "Where is he?" he asked.

"In Sir Valdemar's library," came the answer.

While they talked, Earendil hefted his bag over his shoulder and smiled down at Lin. "Come on," he grinned at her, "let's go. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for a good long nap."

Earendil instinctively reached up and scritched Senka behind the ears. "And what about you?" he smiled, much more friendly towards her now that they had more than made up. "How would you like a brushing before I take a bath? I'm sure you would be happy to get rid of your sand as well."

Truth be told, he liked spoiling her, as long as she didn't pounce on him or made rude accusations.

Earendil smiled and kept petting Senka. "Then brushed you shall be," he murmured. He smiled at Lin. "And then a nice nap."

Earendil walked Lin to her chambers (the room was permanently hers now, officially and unofficially), then took Senka to his own chambers, where he brushed her until her coat shone again, gave her a dish of water and the last remaining strips of dried fish that he had in his bag, and then took a long, hot bath. Once he was clean, he curled up in his bed for a long nap.

It wasn't until dinner that evening that everyone came together again. The queen and king, Luthien, Ruel, Tinuviel, Regan, Aranel, Shiro, Kaito and Ura were all present when Earendil led Lin into the Dining Hall, with Senka on one shoulder.

"Lin!" Shiro exclaimed, rising from his chair, his red eyes wide. "Kaito told me what happened, but ... wow! You look amazing!"

Shiro chuckled. "You look like Obaa-san now," he grinned at her. He took his seat again as the servants brought in the meal. "As for my findings," he went on, "they were quite enlightening. The sand at the plantation ... is very different from the sand of the desert, and even the sand here. It's not even really sand, it's more ... soil, if that makes any sense. How and why, I can't explain, it can't have come from the river - and yet it is."

Luthien smiled at Lin. "Shiro even tested the soil of the courtyard," she explained, "and from the top of the mountain, to do comparisons."

"Sand," Shiro corrected his aunt. "The courtyard is sand, despite the plant life."

"I only came back yesterday," Shiro smiled. "Aunt Nadya foresaw when you would return, and she made sure that we would be back in time, but not too early. Uncle Gion came with, and helped Ura with his sun problem ... but he wanted to get back to Aunt Nadya right away, so he didn't even end up staying the night."

"But he did make sure to stop in and visit for a while," the queen put in, smiling, "so he can be forgiven for that."