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Andarien nodded excitedly. "it was really nice seeing a little biy of the city yesterday," he beamed. "But now we're going to see more of it, right? A lot more of it? Because we're looking for Lancaeriel's husband?"

Lancaeriel laughed softly and clutched her bag just a little bit tighter. "I'm told that's the plan," she winked at him. She smiled at Lin and Earendil. "Correct?"

Eon frolicked ahead of them, as energetic as he had been before his evolution, and the stark contrast between his black fur and the white of the snow made him look like little more than a shadow bouncing about.

Ponydash walked alongside Andarien, who was walking one one side of his parents. Lancaeriel was on the other side of them.

"It feels so odd to be so old and to know so much and to have seen so much," she commented as they approached the city, "and yet never to have seen or even known about other continents."

"I agree, it's one of the things that makes it the most worthwhile," Lancaeriel murmured. "Travel for the sake of travel is nice too, but to find out that there's still so much that I did not yet know ... I mean ... honestly it's a beautiful thing."

Andarien looked over past his parents at Lancaeriel. "It's good there's a lot you don't know?" he asked, very confused by the comment.

Andarien had to think about that. When he really considered it, he had to admit that - now that he didn't have to have language lessons, and since his defense lessons were at the moment limited to archery, which was going all right - he did rather enjoy the lessons he had, especially his lessons with Shiro. And he liked finding out new things about the places he saw.

He smiled at his parents at last. "Yeah, I guess it would be boring if I knew everything," he agreed.

Lancaeriel laughed softly. "It is amazing how wisdom can be found even in one so young. I wish I could say the same for others his age."

Lancaeriel smiled ruefully. "You forget, as High Druidess one of my largest roles - my greatest role outside of my research - was in passing on my knowledge to others worthy of the Druids' knowledge. Many of them were so focused on their own work that they never married, but there were some - like Coriander and myself - who did, and who had children. As wise as their parents were, many of those children seemed incapable of any great wisdom, and who actually made life in the fortress rather difficult."

"Did you and your husband ever have kids?" Andarien asked curiously. Somehow he had a feeling Lancaeriel would make a very nice mother, but she had never spoken of children: only of her husband.

Lancaeriel smiled sadly. "Once. I have never found her back again."

Lancaeriel smiled widely. It didn't bother her to talk about her daughter; clearly the memory was not nearly as painful as talking about her husband.

"Rian was beautiful," she murmured softly, "though I suppose all mothers say that about their children. Gentle as a lamb, though when her temper flared I must admit she could also remind of a dragon. Very intelligent. Very bright. She left Altak-Bet Ainul shortly after coming of age - she wanted to see the world, expand her knowledge - and I'm afraid that after that, I never saw her again."

She smiled. "I hope she is happy, wherever she is. Whether she is still in her first life, or whether she has been reborn, I just hope that she's happy. Who knows? Perhaps she has even found the one person whose soul is bound to her own. I firmly believe that my husband and I are bound by the red thread of fate, as Miyuki refers to it - and if Rian has been so fortunate as to find her own soulmate, then I can ask for nothing more."

Andarien was filled with wonder as he looked around. The city was even far busier than it had been the day before! It was unlike anything he had seen before. Of course, Tor Karad did not have much by way of a young population; while here it seemed that nearly half the population was made up of children, all of them running and playing and squealing with laughter.

Lancaeriel was also looking around, transfixed, and Earendil couldn't help but chuckle.

"You know," he grinned at Lin, "it really is different when Aethos isn't with us. Not that I have anything against him, you know that, but the people here really need to get to know him again."

The previous day, they had been mostly ignored and avoided; today, people were waving greetings, nodding their heads - and many of the children stopped as they passed by to coo over Eon, who made sure that none of them got between him and Andarien (though he otherwise enjoyed the attention).

Earendil smiled. "I've a feeling that Alassëa's spar this afternoon may already be the beginning of a change ... you know how he gets when she spars, and if people are going to be watching ... especially if they know she's going to be their princess in a few weeks ..."

He was sure it would all be fine in the end.

They passed through the residential area fairly quickly and arrived at the market. It was lively there, with people calling out their wares, and every stall had something different: some had food items which were kept fresh by the cold, while others had items that had been made or crafted. This street was more crowded than any of the others had been, despite the fact that there were no children in this area and that there had been in the other streets: it was morning, the busiest time of the day in the city.