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Ulrich cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well ... let's just say, I made Elrohir look jolly," he murmured, a little embarrassed.

Ulani rolled her eyes. "You didn't smile for nearly six years. Didn't speak to anyone. Spent your time being miserable. You weren't an idiot, but you were indeed beyond serious."

"I wasn't miserable," Ulrich said calmly.

Ulani just shrugged. "Well, you didn't seem happy."

"I was-" Ulrich began to protest, but at a look from his wife, he chuckled and calmed down again. "All right, I wasn't happy," he smiled. "But let's face it. You remedied that quickly enough."

"You needed it," Ulani replied softly. "After the business with Sheridan ..."

"Trust me," Celebor murmured ruefully, "he was bad. As in ... very bad. Mom was scared of him, if that tells you anything. Obviously he's a lot different now than he used to be, but he was the one who made Mom leave her family ... essentially, he was the one who threw her out."

Niyana's brow furrowed deeply. "And yet now he is so kind," she murmured. "What could account for such a change?"

"Aunt Haradhel," Celebor replied without hesitation. "Mom said that after he met her, she almost didn't recognize him. He was so different ..."

Celebor, Ulani and Ulrich all laughed at Lin's comments, but Ruque leaned across Ruran and whispered to Aras, "How can someone get a stick up their butt? Wouldn't that hurt?"

Aras was equally confused. "I think it would make people really grumpy," she frowned. "It doesn't sound very nice at all."

Kanis was silent, but she watched Ruran's face thoughtfully. She didn't like the look that she saw ...

Ulrich chuckled. "Someone should remind them of how long we waited for grandchildren," he grinned. "Over three thousand years. How old is Tinuviel, maybe ... forty? Fifty? They really have no patience. You should tell them that."

He didn't know how old Earendil was, but ...

Celebor chuckled. "And no doubt tell Aunt Luthien and Uncle Ruel of that fact at her earliest convenience," he smiled. "Ah, it's been too long since I've been there. We'll have to go as soon as the children are old enough."

Ruran shifted uncomfortably on his chair and looked at Celebor thoughtfully. "And when will that be, Father?" he asked in a quiet tone.

Celebor shrugged. "Perhaps when you've grown another stage. But definitely not before you've learned to show respect and how to behave."

Ulani grinned, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Etiquette lessons?" she suggested cattily.

Niyana giggled softly. "I think that may be what is needed," she agreed. "For myself also."

Since she had no idea how to behave around royalty.

Ulani chuckled softly. "Of course. For you too, if you'd like. I'm sure it's different in our world than yours. I've seen the looks we get sometimes when we do certain things that your family obviously isn't used to."

Such as greeting someone by touching your forehead with a certain number of fingers, and when to bow, when not to, what to eat first, and so on.

"Have you been to the Eastland yet?" Ulani asked Lin curiously. "I can't recall ever hearing that you have ... though it was just a short while ago that Cindy went with Shael and Adonai and Rhea ... so ... probably not, I assume?"

She herself missed seeing Lothiriel and Pen, and made a note to bug Ulrich to visit them at some point.

"Ah," Ulrich nodded. "Then you won't have met their children."

Ulani blinked slowly. "Has anyone even told you about them?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.