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Lore didn't miss the look, and besides it was a normal response to a very cute baby. Though he couldn't help but wonder if maybe Elnara would want... well it was a bit early to ask that. Well, the logical part of him argued they were married, it was not too early to ask about that.

"She is," Lore agreed, "Congratulations, the both of you."

Elnara took the infant carefully, ever so gently, and held her softly to herself. She slowly began rocking her back and forth, singing softly in her native elven tongue. Then she looked up at Lore, her eyes sparkling brightly.

"Can you imagine that someday we could have a child of our own?" she asked him breathlessly. "It would be so wonderful ..."

She giggled softly and looked back down at Rhea longingly.

"You have no idea how lucky we are," Adonai murmured, his eyes growing soft with sadness. He turned his gaze to Shael, almost as if he were asking her for permission to continue.

Instead of granting it, Shael continued herself.

"I will never bear another child," she explained softly. "In all fairness, I should never have been able to have Rhea in the first place. During my captivity as a child, I was damaged ... but Aragost ... I don't know how or why but he brought the Valië Yavanna to bless me ..."

"And he called upon her again," Adonai added grimly, putting his arms around Shael's shoulders protectively, "when Shael died during childbirth ... it is a miracle that either of them are alive, and I will not let Shael even consider trying that again."

Shael blushed and nodded meekly. "We are grateful for Rhea," she murmured, "but she will be our only child."

Lore was equally amazed after all events like that were rare, and while he wasn't like he completely knew the entirely of what it could mean (there was so much he was still learning about the world after all), he knew it made Aragost far more than what he appeared.

As if that wasn't already obvoius about Aragost.

"I see..." Lore murmured softly, "Then a blessing in more ways than one."

He looked thoughtful.

Elnara smiled up at Lore, then started after Shael, careful not to jostle the sleeping infant in her arms. She had a feeling that this year was going to prove to be eventful ... and exciting.

As they walked towards Ulani and Ulrich's house, Elnara also looked around, but she wasn't studying the landscape or looking for animals, she was deep in thought, so preoccupied that she wasn't really thinking about where she was going, simply following after Lore.

"Lore," she murmured softly, reaching for his hand and clasping it warmly.

She hesitated as if she was going to say something else, but then she stopped and grew silent instead. She didn't know why she was feeling so shy all of a sudden ... but for some reason she was having difficulty asking the one thing she was wondering about.

Elnara blushed faintly, biting her lip anxiously as she looked up at him. There was no better time than the present ... was there? She might as well get it over with, or else it would be eating her up until she did.

"Do you think," she murmured, lowering her eyes once more, "that we might ... that we could have a child? I mean ... I ... think it would be perfect ... I just ... I don't know if you ... would want to wait, I mean considering we already have ... so many ..."

After all, Lore already had to get used to such a large family as the one he had become a part of, maybe he would want to wait before making it even bigger ...

Elnara felt a warmth spreading through her, and she looked up at Lore, her eyes glowing with the love that she felt for him.

"Well, a year and then a few months," she murmured, smiling widely, "but yes soon enough."

She giggled. "And you're right," she added with a smile. "There are going to be so many changed when we get back ... one more surely would not go amiss. And especially as so many of the children are planning on having their own houses when we move to the clan grounds ..."

She was so glad that Lore didn't think they already had enough to worry about, it was all she could do to keep from hugging him right then and there, even though they were just about on Ulani and Ulrich's front porch.