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Rand blinked several times. "Okay, lets try running through that step by step." She smiled. "My memory is not a great as it used to be." Not that she could have remebered that when it was working properly anyway.

She could only giggle at the exchange. Honestly, when would she ever hear a child talking about nuklear generators? Whatever they were...

She laughed when Kellg'hn grabbed her tail "Hey, that tickles!" She waved it's tips, making it lok like it was struggling in the childs grip. She was loking forward to the time her own children were this age.

Rand shook her head. "Oh, it would have been fine crushed. A conversation piece."

She knuckled her forehead. "Aye, and thank you for the baking instrutions." SHe laughed. "It will turn out aweful anyway, but it's nice for someone to try." She went back to trying to cook. She was right, it turned out tasting aweful. Maybe she'd have better luck next time.

Not long after Rand was finished cleaning up her horrible mess, she returned to the den. Cymarron had been successful in keeping the children asleep for the most part, so she sat at the table with her mate to enjoy some of his delicious tea before Onyx and Moonstone decided to wake up for the day. She smelled of burnt egg, and blushed when Cym asked her what the smell was. She did get a good laugh though, when she told him how the oil had caught fire in the pan before she even had a chance to ge the egg in it.

The years continued with a rather pleasent yield. Do to the rather affectionate nature of Nelphean and Bastet, two more children were born shortly after the first three. Innovindil, a kelf lass with rather red hair and her mother's ears and tail. The second child was a boy, named Set who had his father's eyes and rather strawberry blond hair.

Shortly after Set's birth, Nelphean started to realize that Bastet's short age would limit her role in the children's lives, which caused him to research some rather ancient and obscure magic that date to the earliest of elves from Kellendel's homeworld.

Five years after the battle with Shez'Golith, Snow succombed to her natural life. Nelphean grew depressed and seemed rather keen on not losing any more beloved family.

One night, as Bastet lay sleeping, Nelphean crept into the room and used a spell to bind her soul to his, in effect, giving her the immortal life of elves. Of course, he did not tell her this until much later.

After ten years had passed, Kellg'hn and Ashna were of age to live on their own and chose to go into space to live amongst the Eldar who had similar interests to these two. They visited annually since their depature which created an occassion to give gifts. Affectionate as ever, Nelphean crafted strange toys and weapons for each of his children, or any other child for that matter, for the morning after the wayward pair returned.

Around that time, Kellendel proposed to Taria and fled for his life from Nelphean. Nelphean disappeared for a short while and returned rather joyously with his new son in law. During this time, Drizzt left the manor suddenly and without warning. Bastet was left to deal with her immature son, Mankah and even more problematic Set.

When Nelphean returned, he found himself with a cold welcome and had to re-earn Bastet's affection through very rigorous tasks and gifts.

Raising the children occupied most of the pairs time, but they rose to the occassion to cause their own trouble, such as eloping leaving four very young kelves in the care of Aurahkah without any warning.

One day, Drizzt returned suddenly from his adventure. He had seemed to age greatly, and brought back with him a young elvish girl with red hair and green eyes. Her name was Alustrial. The pair were forced to settle in the manor as Nelphean would not tolerate his son going missing again. He looked rather outraged by Drizzt's decision to go and grow up on his own.

One Day, seemingly out of the blue, Ashna returned to the manor with a child. The half-drow Nelphean Halfelven.

Shortly after Ashna's return, Nelfien and Jewel came to the manor to see their new grand children. Nelfien had retired from his public life, and took up pestering his son, and son's clone, for the remainder of his days.

Twenty five years after a battle on a distant planet, Aurora succombed to her injury and faded into the plane of Shadow, unable to maintain her form any longer.

A year later, Sylphina married Rain in the manor yard. Half a year later, she gave birth a beautiful baby girl, which was named Aurora after her deceased aunt.

The following years were much simpler with little excitement from external sources, and much happiness within. Kellg'hn returned from deep space and hung his sword on the wall alongside the other weapons of the manor.

Nelphean Brightsabre

Nelphean became rather social for the few years after his guardianship of Ashna and Kellg'hn began. He was very visable around the manor, always keeping an eye on the numerous children running about. His attitude to external threats became very subtle, and not as flashy as his early fights. Enemies seemed to simply disappear when they came too close to his beloved children.

He played the piano during the night, always a soft mellow tune that entranced the weak of heart, and unterly slumbered the unresistant.

After Kellg'hn and Ashna left, Nelphean became a little distant to the manor, tending to only want to be near Ecara, Nailah, or Aurora.

As time passed, Nelphean became more reclusive and tended to always be on 'patrol', wandering about the manor and the nearby village seeking out the dangers he saw in his mind and resquing the innocent or endangered.

Nightblade and a few of his children began to tease him about his emotional state, especially his inability to forget about a perticular incident that seemed to dominate his heart.

Nightblade also blamed Nelphean for the disappearence of Drizzt, who seemed to hold the psion in such high reguard that Drizzt sought to emulate. Brightsabre merely shrugged and said, "One can only be one if one follows one." Which baffled most others. Ashna later suggested it had something to do with Nelphean coming to terms with being a clone.

Aurora

Aurora lived much as she always did, growing up a spoiled brat who absolutly and unquestionably loved Eclipse.

But, her life force was being drained by a very potent magic that attacked the very essence of her, and was unrepairable. The options were to unmake and remake her, or to allow her to die as herself. Nelphean was torn between the options, but allowed her to live out her natural life because Aurora would not be Aurora if she was not allowed to have her memories.

Her last moments alive were surrounded by the songs of her family, singing about the journey to the next life. She cluched a single black feather in her mouth as the last moments came, and slowly disappeared into the Shadow Plane.

The feather remained after her disappearence, wet with the tears of the dead.

It was a tearful but joyful day when the newly married Murieta family left the Archaic Manor. Married only a few months in a ceremony in the courtyard with their 'family' in attendance, (Niah had two maids of honor and wouldn't hear anything about it.) the couple and their two children continued on with their lives. Soon though Elias began to get homesick and Niah agreed it was time to move on. So they packed up Tyler and Esmerelday, thanked Aurahkah for her hospitality and kissed everyone goodbye.

The family traveled for a while, finally deciding to settle down on the small tropical Island where Elias had proposed. But soon they realized that Island life wasn't what they were looking for and moved on. Once again they traveled, scouting out a place to call their home along the Pacific Coast. Nothing seemed to be right though so they moved South and finally crossed into Mexico.

The humid and arid climate worked well for Nailah as it reminded her of Egypt with the sand and hot sun. They settled down on the outskirts of a small village called Magdalena, Chihuahua and made a home. Elias turned to farming as something to keep himself busy and Niah spent her time both as a teacher to the village children and healer. Her abilities were talked about and soon people began coming to her from miles around. She was revered as a great and noble healer, blessed by the gods themselves. Niah's secret was never told to any but those who already knew and if they questioned why she remained so youthful, no one ever asked her directly.

Of course Niah refused to forget her time in the Manor and she wrote letters to Aura often telling her all about her new life and keeping tabs on what was happening with the others. She knew every time a new kelf was born or a new kit made an appearance and she had weekly records of what everyone was doing. Aura was a fantastic corresondent and they shared tidbits and advice for the various problems. Included in Niah's letters was often a letter to Ecara from Tyler. She'd originally made him write them to practice his writing but as he got older he kept them up himself. Esmerelda also had to write letters but she chose to write them to her friends in the village instead of Ecara or anyone else back at the Manor.

The years passed comfortably, the couple grew closer together and lessons of a different sort began. As Tyler grew older he began to train with his father but the boy found that he was much better with a smaller weapon. As a result he took up his mother's art of daggers. Esmerelda was trained by her father in the Aztecian magics that she had inherited from her father and so as not to leave Tyler out, since he was human and had no magical ability whatsoever, Niah taught him her skill in healing. He didn't use lavender fire like his mother but she taught him remedies and herbal treatments that he could use and soon he became his mother's assistant going with her when she made house calls. Both the children grew quickly, Tyler into a handsome, well educated man and Esmerelda into a beautiful woman who was smart as a whip and provocative in her mannerisms.

The light of her life, her children's growth and maturity both pleased and saddened Niah. She wished that hse could hold onto them forever but it was painfully obvious that both of them were getting restless in the small Spanish village and longed to stretch their wings and fly. Niah had been getting more and more letters from Aura about Ecara's inability to completley accept her differences and the fact she couldn't be like other girls her age. And the letters between Tyler and Ecara became more frequent as well. Elias himself was growing older and while Niah did everything in her power to keep him hale and healthy he soon had to give up farming to preserve his heart.

Esmerelda finally had enough with being in the small village and she left home, leaving a note that she was looking for adventure and had used her magics, against the wills of both of her parents and crossed planes much to the chagrin of both parents. It took a while but Elias and Nailah soon forgave their daughter for her disobedience and simply worried for her. Niah did something even worse. Devastated by the loss of one of her children, Niah clung to the other with a force that smothered him. The constant letters from Ecara became more and more upsetting to him adn finally he told his parents that he was going to rescue her and take her somewhere she could live a semi normal life.

Weeks of arguments raged on about this proposed plan, with Niah refusing to allow it and both males calmly but firmly trying to convince her otherwise. Finally Tyler blew up and said he was going and Elias gave his approval depsite Niah's feelings. He left that next morning much to his mothers' displeasure. He collected Ecara and left this plane as well. Niah was heartbroken at her children's desire to leave her and she found solace in Elias who was understanding but firm in his support of his children's decisions. "They need their own lives." Nailah knew he was right but hated every day her children were gone and she was angry at Elias for telling Tyler it was okay. A few weeks of constant cheesecakes and wine and pampering, Elias was back in Niah's good graces. She kept up the letters with Aura and found out that both her children were safe, and oddly enough on the very same plane.

Now her nurturing instincts were turned entirely on Elias who unfortunately was not doing nearly as well as he had been. His former life as a Mafia runner and the battles he'd fought at the Manor as well as his all too frequent trips into Hell took their toll on Elias' body and with his heart, he became weak. Unable to take care of Elias by herself, she moved with him back into the Manor where she stayed, keeping constant tabs on both her children. Niah's love remained a constant force and her empathy grew stronger but so did her control. She gave everything she had to her friends and family and was happy, though some of that could be attributed to her addiction to her first loves of cheesecake and wine. Elias and Nailah were as crazily in love as they were at the beginning and they lived together happily, first on a remote Islane, then a small Spanish village and finally back where they had first started, at the Arachaic Manor. As life often does, they circled back to the place where it all began.

Aurah dropped her hand to blue fur, stroking softly at the wolf's ears as she turned her head to look down at him with a smile. He had his eyes closed, leaning against her hip. So much history in these walls...so many tears, fears, hopes, dreams, loves, happiness...a variable melting pot of emotion. Walls that were once empty and cold now encased a feeling nothing else could capture...and they'd never be cold again. Those that stayed on in the manor, would never be alone again.

Water linked kin...all drawn by some mysterious force to this place, and then made it their home. Nothing in common between them but the bonds of friendship and family they forged and fed everyday without even trying. Trials came and were met with a force to be reckoned with, always bringing them out on top. No matter the darkest hour, they had each other to call upon. She wouldn't have it any other way.