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Elros wasn't quite sure how to answer that.

"In a way yes," he mused, "and in a way, no. Yes, there's a lot to do, but they don't have to be done every single day. Most things are done only a few times each month. Really the only thing that has to be done daily is my report - which only takes an hour or so each evening, after my rounds."

Elros smiled warmly, watching Lin's reaction. He was not at all a proud man, but in his own way he was feeling a small sense of pride, seeing how much Lin was enjoying seeing where he worked.

"I have to admit," he said softly, lowering his voice, "when I first came here I wasn't sure I would be able to fit in. But ... I found that I enjoy living and working here. It was an adjustment, yes, but it was not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be."

Elros was momentarily started by Lin's sudden hug, but he relaxed and smiled and set one hand gently on her back.

"Who is not afraid of change?" he asked her softly. "Even after so many ages ... looking back, perhaps not all change is for the worse, and yet were things still as they were a long time ago, I would be content."

He smiled. "But come. I promised that I would have you back for lunch, and it is very nearly that time."

Elros chuckled. He could see the surprise in her eyes.

"You must have just arrived," he smiled, releasing her and gently prodding her towards the door. "When I brought Prince Pengolodh in, he was going to wash up for lunch. The desert is different from anywhere else, even the Southland desert. It is more difficult to tell time by the sun, even when you have been here many years."

Elros closed the door behind them, and led Lin back outside.

"Look up," he instructed her, doing the same. "The sun is not quite perfectly above us, but very nearly ... and from early morning until very late evening, it is the same. Nor are there any markers by which we can measure the sun's position ... no mountains, no trees ... in the end it is nearly impossible to tell the time by the sun."

He looked back down at Lin and smiled at her. "But there are other ways of telling the time."

Elros nodded. "Subtle differences in the air," he murmured. "Scents, densities ... behaviour of the animals, the trees ... things like that." He smiled faintly. "It is very difficult, even after being here for more than a decade, for me to know the time precisely ... but do not worry about it. As long as you are not left alone, you will be all right."

He led her towards the castle once again, towards the same door they had come out earlier.

It was a long walk to where Elros finally left Lin, in the dining room, where Prince Pengolodh and Princess Amora were already seated. There, he put one hand on her shoulder, smiled warmly at her, and then turned and left, heading to his own dining area.

While Pengolodh watched Lin through suspicious eyes, Amora smiled warmly at her.

"You are a friend of Sir Elros, are you not?" she asked kindly. "I have heard him speak of you from time to time ..."

Amora smiled and motioned to the seat next to her. "You're welcome to sit by me, if you like," she offered. "I would like to hear more about Sir Elros before he came here ... he's so myterious at times."

Her eyes sparkled brightly as she pulled out the chair for Lin.