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Haldia opened her eyes slightly, hearing her name, and looked over at Lin. "Mm?" she murmured softly, too exhausted even to speak.

Whisper padded over and nosed Celeb out of the way, then hopped carefully up onto the bed. Lucky it had been meant for the son of the captain - it was a huge bed, and there was plenty of space.

"I'll be staying with you now, Haldia," she said softly, comfortingly, making herself comfortable against her. She nosed Senka gently. "Off you go now, Lin wants Haldia to have the best rest possible, which means keeping you out of the same room as Celeb."

Over the course of the next two days, everyone was busy. The crew of course was busy keeping the ship and preparing it for the winter that lay ahead of them - though no one was entirely sure what it would be like - Earendil collected his tools together, Leyenda sewed furiously to make clothes for Kelirahc, Rhea helped Arwen with clothes for Haldia, since Haldia was about Rhea's size, if a bit taller, and even Storm and Starr were out and about, making comments on the weather and such. Haldia slept for a solid day and a half, and when she woke Arwen had one set of warm winter clothes ready for her, for which she was grateful. Of course it wouldn't be enough for the entire winter, but it was a start.

As promised, Aurin returned after two more days, early in the morning so that, if anyone would come with him, they could make the most of the day.

Earendil was the only one who didn't have good winter clothes to wear, but for now he was in a 'grin it and bear it' kind of mood. He planned on asking Alena for proper material, and Rhea had offered to make him something out of whatever he got from her. Still, he was wearing a cloak, and that helped him a lot, and he did of course have his boots from home, so it wasn't as if it was unbearable for him.

He looked up as he heard the roc's approach, and once the roc had landed, he waited for the man riding it to unstrap and slide to the deck before greeting him.

"Welcome back, Captain," he said, returning the soldier's salute. "At ease."

"Thank you, sir," the captain replied smartly. "His Majesty wishes you to know that whenever you wish to come to the castle, all things are ready for you."

"Thank you," Earendil nodded, "some of us will be coming right away, though we are not yet ready to begin our work. We must first speak with Alena, there are some supplies that we need."

Aurin saluted again. "As you command, sir."

Earendil tried not to roll his eyes. "At ease, I said."

A light flush crept over Aurin's cheeks, and he chuckled self-consciously. "Aye, sir."

Earendil looked over at Lin. "Rhea said she would come as well. Give me a moment, I'll go get her."

As he moved to walk past Lin, he paused and put one hand on her shoulder. "Don't let his formality get to you," he smiled at her. "I'll try be quick."

And with a quick pat on her shoulder, he was gone.

And for a soldier who was supposed to be standing at ease, Aurin didn't look too comfortable either. He had his hands clasped behind his back, and he was shifting his weight from one foot to the other, looking directly at the deck at his feet.

The roc, however, seemed perfectly at ease. It had settled on the deck and tucked its golden head under one enormous wing, and looked as if it were resting peacefully.

The soldier looked sharply at Lin as she spoke to him, surprise reflecting momentarily in his eyes. Instantly, it was gone, replaced with embarrassment.

"I apologize," he said softly. "I cannot help myself. In all of my eight thousand years, I have never been on a ship ..."

His blush deepened. "It is a strange feeling, one that I am not certain I like."

Aurin chuckled softly. "I only hope that I have no need to become accustomed to it," he smiled. "I prefer the air. No restrictions. No boundaries. You are not at the mercy of a floor that may vanish from beneath you at any given moment. No, the sky is my home."

He gazed up at the sky, and his flush vanished, his expression growing peaceful.

"The sky is where I belong," he murmured.