The Introduction

Winter transitioned smoothly into spring. The days steadily got warmer as the snow melted away to reveal the green grass underneath. Then the snowfall disappeared entirely as it was replaced by cold rain. I liked to stay inside when such rain was falling, but Gellrin and Erumaren enjoyed the change. They were outside playing in puddles more often than not. I would have been more annoyed at all the water and mud they would then track inside had it not been for the fact that they were indeed spending so much time outside. I would rather them get a little dirty than waste away their days in front of the television or something.

They got the chance to do that on Love Day. The school had given them a day off, so I allowed them to invite other children over for a sleepover. I had to be amused that the majority of the children their age that they could invite were their nieces and nephews. Already our family had begun to take over Riverview. There was only one child not related to any of us there, but Joy Jamin didn't feel out of place. The sleepover went well enough. There was a lot of running about, a lot of yelling, a lot of video games, a lot of ghost stories, and the pizza I ordered was devoured in seconds. It was then highly hilarious when I went downstairs the next morning to stare at the funny sight that was all of the little ones spread out all over the dining/sitting room in their sleeping bags. There wasn't even space for me to sit down at the table to eat breakfast.

That sleepover also counted as the main birthday party for Gellrin seeing as how the two dates were so close together. We had a smaller family celebration on her actual birthday. Of course, Marty was invited as well. I was curious to see if Gellrin would finally start looking more like her father. It was proven to me that they never would look alike. I stared at them for a long time trying to find even the slightest similarities between the two. The best thing I could come up with was that their eyes had a somewhat similar shape to them. I felt like even concluding that was pushing it though. Otherwise, everything about Marty and Gellrin was the opposite.

Nana began to grow frustrated with me. The same old worries began to bother me because more birthdays were coming up. That meant I would be reminded again and again of how little time I had left. The fear would often ruin my sleep, and I couldn't help but to get up early and putter about to try and calm myself. Though I did what I could to be quiet, it was inevitable that I would disturb nana's sleep. The only other bed for her to sleep in though was the one next to Erumaren's unless we wanted to go through the struggle of trying to find space for all the large playthings we had set up in the spare bedroom. Nana went the lazy route and said she would put up with my walking about so she wouldn't have to help move all that heavy stuff.

The birthdays, though their coming frightened me, also kept me distracted. Mostly this was due to the never-changing fact that two toddlers meant twice the work. Celendel aged up to have his father's eyes and my ears. Celenia appeared to have more of Darren's facial structure. She had my ears as well, but the brown eyes she inherited were a bit unexpected. Either way, they were both adorable. What made me laugh was how the two interacted. Celendel quickly proved to be the independent type, but Celenia was absolutely attached to him. She began clinging to him as if he was her teddy bear. Though it was clear Celendel didn't really enjoy all her hugs, he turned out to be surprisingly patient with his twin.

Then it was birthday time for the other set of "twins." I don't think I will ever be able to convince myself that my little sister is older than Abriel. I stood there watching her cuddle Abrien, who could finally be called a toddler, and was just so floored by the difference despite all the time I've had to accept the reality before me. Abriel shared a similar sentiment. She kept talking to her aunt as if she was her own little sister instead. The two had to have a temporary goodbye though. Abriel was naturally moving out on her now that she had graduated from school. Her intention was to become an author, although she remained incredibly interested in furthering her painting skills as well.

I'll admit, I became somewhat jealous again in the following days. Ada had come for Abrien's birthday, and he and nana doted on her more than ever. It was hard to see them so happy while knowing I would soon lose what happiness I did have and that I would probably never have the kind of peaceful family that they did. Trying not to be a downer and ruin everyone else's good time, I pushed aside those feelings to be cheerful. It was nice to see ada, nana, and Abrien together. It was a wonderful reassurance that our family was stronger than ever after all that had happened. If only Eloril had been able to visit as well then I could have called those days perfect.

I snuck my sister away from my parents whenever I got the chance. I was beginning to see her more as a sister and not a little one I needed to treat like my child, but it was still difficult to let nana do all the mothering. That I could someday have a different kind of relationship with Abrien was an exciting prospect though. I could talk and interact with her in so many ways that I had never been able to interact with someone before. Eloril and I really were as close as could be, but of course with us being different genders there was always going to be some gaps. More than what our relationship would be like, I more often focused on who Abrien would take after in terms of appearance. It was a consensus between ada, nana, and I that she would take even more after nana than I did.

About another week passed, and I was then on my own for the first time in years. True to his words, ada and nana had decided to take Abrien to the elven lands to begin acclimating her to that environment. It was incredibly strange to be the only one watching over my children for what felt like the first time in forever, but I will admit that I enjoyed it. I could relax more and feel slightly less judged. Nana, despite many improvements she's made, is still considerably more conservative than me when it comes to how she believes children should be raised. Now, however, I was able to do things how I wanted. Taking care of Celendel and Celenia also wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. They both loved the walker. All I had to do was place one in there while I worked with the other, and we were good to go.

Gellrin was also usually nearby to assist me as well. Since Erumaren often took over the downstairs computer to play chess, I allowed her to use the one in my room in order for her to do her writing. She had discovered an interest in writing like Abriel had and was in the midst of writing her first book. There were a few instances where she grew rather irate with me when I asked for help when she was really into whatever scene she was concocting. However, most of the time she was willing to play with her siblings while I took a break or did a bit of some other work.

Erumaren then began switching between playing chess on the computer and working at the chemistry station. His interest in the karaoke machine had waned. No one was using it, so I gave it to Andethon. Erumaren then began begging for that chemistry station. After he promised that he wouldn't lose interest this time around, I agreed to get it for him. It was bulky and cost a decent amount of money, but it kept him productive and mostly out of trouble.

With the weather warming more and the rain taking a break, I decided on the spur of the moment to have a picnic dinner one evening. To no one's surprise, Gellrin and Erumaren had no problem with that. Erumaren enjoyed helping me make the dinner, and Gellrin was all too eager to run off to the store to get the other traditional picnic food stuffs we didn't already have. We arrived at the park just as our stomachs were beginning to rumble. Gellrin wolfed down her food like I'd never seen her do before. I think that was mostly because she wanted the chance to do play with Celendel and Celenia as much as possible. She kept them preoccupied, me having already fed them at home, while Erumaren and I were content to enjoy our meal at a much more leisurely pace.

I got the opportunity to practice the piano again one day while my twins were taking a nap. Erumaren was upstairs with his chemistry station, and Gellrin was taking advantage of the open downstairs computer. I was so absorbed in my music that I did not hear the front door open and close. It was Eloril's voice talking to Gellrin that caught my attention. I had known my brother was coming so I almost stopped paying attention again. That is, until I heard an unfamiliar woman's voice then speak as well. She was also speaking elvish. Though I could hardly hear the words of the conversation Eloril and this new woman had with my daughter, it didn't take me long to figure out just exactly who Eloril had brought with him. With a smile on my face, I continued playing up till when I heard all three of the others heading my way.

I stood up, and within seconds Eloril lead Erien into the room. It was only for a few moments that I was nervous. Eloril had spoken about her quite a lot, so mostly I was simply ecstatic to be introduced to her in person. Erien was the one who was nervous. She gave me a polite smile. She only managed to say her name before Eloril suddenly wrapped his arms around her and started kissing her cheek. I laughed. He had done something of a similar sort to me many times. Poor Erien kept trying to talk properly to me, but Eloril wouldn't let up. She had to roll her eyes and scold him while holding back her own laughter. My brother whined that he couldn't help himself. He wasn't allowed to give her public displays of affection back home because everyone got so uptight about it. Now that he was in a place where no one cared, he had to take every chance that he could get. I rolled my eyes as well. I knew he was doing it because he wanted to tease her, and perhaps it was also his intention to relax her more in my presence by getting her to laugh.

I had to tell Eloril to leave the poor girl alone to get him off her. He then introduced us officially as he should have. It was after that when Gellrin went back to her writing. I didn't mind for it gave the three of us adults a chance to talk more openly. I learned the basics about the woman my brother was courting. Her parents' names were Taragond and Milui, and she was an only child. What her parents were called sounded familiar, and Eloril was quick to remind me that they were the advisers to the rulers of the northern lands. That was where Erien was from. She had been sent as an envoy to help in starting the arraigning of the annual meeting of all the rulers that took place every century. It was her visiting that time that had allowed her and Eloril to meet. Once they had begun courting, Erien's parents had been willing to let her spend most of her time in the eastern lands with my family. She went back home for visits when Eloril came to visit me. Except for now obviously, when she had been given the chance to come with him.

Though I did listen intently while Erien talked, I couldn't help but to stare at her some as well. It was easy to tell by her voice, expressions, and movements that she was a kind and soft soul. It was no doubt that which had attracted Eloril to her, but I was sure her appearance had had something to with it too. Erien was certainly very beautiful, and in an elegant kind of way. There was one point where I had to refocus my thinking solely to the words she was speaking. I had almost let out an inappropriately timed laugh. I had been thinking about how, if Eloril and Erien did marry, their child or children would end up with amazing blue eyes no matter which coloring he, she, or they inherited. That had led me to recall Eloril's embarrassment during our time in Isla Paradiso.

It wasn't too long before Erien wanted to find out more about me. I told her mostly about my children and what it was like to live where we were living. Then she wanted to hear me play the piano as it had caught her attention when she and Eloril had walked into the house. I was glad to perform. My skill had become great enough that I was at the point where I actually wanted to show it off. Eloril listened with a smile on his face. I knew Erien never stopped listening, but she did shift a lot more- no doubt curious about all the things around her which she had never seen before.

I was slightly hesitant about how Erien would adjust to being on this side of the wall. Apparently, I didn't have to worry at all. I was stunned at how well she took to everything. She, Gellrin, and Erumaren all adored each other. Gellrin and Erumaren were especially eager to teach her all sorts of things. They got a game of darts going while I prepared dinner. There was a lot of laughter and comfortable conversation.

Eloril would later go on to reveal to me when we got a moment alone that my being here had had a slow and steady change on our people. The majority of the change came within the young ones like us; the ones who had been born after all the fighting. A lot of them were now like Erien- curious and wanting to learn. It was clear the humans would never again turn to bloodshed like they had in the past. The world was different. They were different. The curiosity was actually beginning to cause a rift though. The older elves still clung to their hate and wanted everyone to remain separate. The younger elves hardly wanted everyone and the lands to mix, but they desired more interaction with the world beyond the wall. With their numbers growing, ada and the other rulers were having to really reconsider having a true relationship with the humans again. To me, this was all great news. I understood why the wall had been built. I understood it was necessary to preserve our way of life. However, my people opening themselves up to change would do so much good. At the very least, there would be so much less worrying about us running out of space for us to grow and live.

It wasn't hard to see that Erien adored Celendel and Celenia the most. I barely had to do anything that night as she wanted to play with them, help feed them, and put them to bed. My twins took to her quickly, so I was content to let her take over for the moment. This allowed me to get another revelation from Eloril. I could tell by the wry grin on his face that it wasn't something he was entirely enthused about. The two of them had begun talking a little more about marriage, but Erien had been expressing a lot more about the children she wanted. She desired a large family. I asked Eloril what her definition of a "large family" was. With that grin on his face getting worse, Eloril told me she wanted five children. I was forced to laugh again. That was a very radical desire for an elven woman! It was no wonder she was adjusting so well to being on this side of the wall.

With Eloril watching over the twins the next day, Erien and I got out of the house. I wanted to show her around town, but that time also let us talking with it being just the two of us girls. It wasn't difficult to converse with her at all. I was excited to listen to what she could tell me about what was going on back home, and then, though a few topics seemed to embarrass her a little, she was willing to listen to more of what I had been through during all my centuries here. The most fun we had was at the community garden. Erien had never done any gardening before, so it was a great experience getting to teach her how to harvest the fruits and vegetables with the most efficiency.

There were a lot of plants growing as well. Spring had been short, for summer was already well on its way. The change in season brought along Erumaren's birthday and lots of warm weather. The sprinkler was constantly running as my teens loved playing with it as if they were still young children.

Having Erien around did make things difficult for a few days though. I knew if I grew nervous and delayed the task again that it would be harder than ever to convince myself to get back on track. So I needed to conceive as it was that time again. It was nearly impossible to get the house to myself though, and I was not going to do anything with my potential sister-in-law so close. It was embarrassing enough to do anything when I knew Eloril was around. Thankfully, the next volunteer, Mr. Joey Thayer, lived pretty close. He agreed to meet me somewhere other than the house so we could talk and get to know each other first before we made our way back to his place......