Chapter 118: Chapter 104 – Another Unexpected Reunion

"How often descendants of an elf that travels and lived many lives might meet each other? That depends entirely on luck. Most elves who lived their lives that way rarely if ever spoke of their previous lives to their new families, and with how far they often travelled? Unless the descendants travel around a lot themselves the chances of such a meeting is remote at best." - High Elder Nydia Celearwen, of the Great Emerald Forest.

 

Both women stared at each other in silence as the young guard Cal first met looked at Cal, then at his superior, with a look of someone who had no idea what to do.

 

Fortunately for him, his superior gestured at him to go away, and he was all too happy to follow that order. He quickly scooted away back to a vacant post and went back to his job as the two women were left in relative privacy.

 

"Does the name Calais Edrunviel mean anything to you?" Asked the elven woman once they were alone.

 

"I knew it," replied Cal to the question. "He was my father. And if I guessed correctly, yours as well, am I correct?"

 

"That is indeed the case. I am Idania  Edrunviel. It is a pleasure to meet you, sister," said the elven woman as she hugged Cal and kissed her cheeks. A gesture Cal returned in kind. "I had suspected when I saw your face, but was not certain. It had been centuries since he left. Where do you hail from, sister mine?"

 

"Celeysria Ambervale. I hailed from the Al-Shan Archipelago. Father lived his final years there with my mother," answered Cal. "He passed away half a century ago."

 

"I… am saddened to hear that, but given that he would have broken the record of oldest living elf by decades otherwise, it also does not come as a surprise," said Idania.

 

In the slight lull to the conversation that followed the somber topic, Cal took a good look at her newly found half-sister.

 

Idania was taller than her - not a surprise since she was a full-blooded elf - and also looked notably more mature in age. Since she was born before Khal-Est, Cal assumed her to be in the four hundreds or thereabouts in age.

 

"Where are my manners, come, sister, and welcome to Égørisvænovãēnæl," said Idania after a while, as she invited Cal to come with her. "Please stay the night at my place. Mother would be ecstatic to meet you for certain."

 

"How old are you?" Cal asked out of curiosity. If Idania's mother still lived chances are she's younger than her father by quite a bit.

 

"I will be three-hundred and eighty two come summer," Idania replied honestly. "You, sister? Mother is six hundred ten if you wonder."

 

"This will be my one hundredth and twenty fifth year," answered Cal. "How long had our father stayed here?"

 

"Two centuries, give or take," said Idania with a smirk. "He made quite a spectacle when he wooed mother supposedly, even made mortal enemies with mother's other suitor back then. Then he made it even worse when he left three centuries ago."

 

"Mother always told those stories with such fondness," ruminates the older elven woman. "She would be very happy to see you. She had long accepted that father would not have stayed with her forever, yet she cherished their time together regardless."

 

"We have another half-brother, you know?" Cal pointed out to her sister.

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"We do!? That's wonderful news! Mother would be so happy to hear that. Where does he live?"

 

"Khal-Est lives in Gal-Morogh, in the orclands. He also has a son and grandchildren who live in Levain," answered Cal. Then her lips curled in amusement as she continued. "He had not known that he had siblings until I ran into him back then."

 

"Oh this is rich. Wait until mother hears this," Idania said with joy in her voice. She had a happy skip in her step as they walked.

 

As they walked Cal marveled at the architecture of the "city". Égørisvænovãēnæl was less a town, and more a sprawling metropolis built amongst the trees of the forest.

 

Instead of roads, walkways were crafted from intertwined branches that grew straight from the trees, which despite its fragile appearance, easily held the weight of entire fully loaded caravans with ease.

 

Rope ladders led to different levels of the city, with the ground level being where the elves foraged and farmed, as well as hunted in the forest. Cal has emerged on the middle level, which was where most governmental and business buildings and workshops were located.

 

The upper level was where the elves had their residences. Cal saw rows of houses built to the sides of the trees. The houses looked less like they were built, and more that they were grown into their current shapes, a showcase of elvish expertise with nature magic.

 

It had not taken a long trip before they reached Idania's house. It was common for multiple generations of a family to share a house in elven culture, so Cal was not surprised that Idania's mother lived with her.

 

When Idania opened the door to the house, they entered straight into the living and dining room. Idania's mother sat there on a rocking chair while she peeled vegetables, and raised her eyes at the. sound of the door. Her eyes went wide when she spotted Cal.

 

After Idania introduced Cal to her mother, the old elven woman stood up and embraced Cal warmly, an embrace which Cal returned. She introduced herself as Unitia, but told Cal to just call her "aunt Tia".

 

The three of them chatted happily about their respective lives, and Unitia downright commanded her daughter that they should arrange for a family reunion when she heard about Khal-Est. An idea that Idania seemed equally eager for.

 

A slight interruption to their conversation came when two young half-elven girls entered the house. Idania introduced them as her daughters Elaina, who turned seventy this year, and Sidonie, who was forty two. Her husband, a human, had passed three decades ago when Sidonie was still a child.

 

Both girls quickly grew close to their new aunt, and Elaina in particular was riveted at Cal's tales of her travels. It turned out the girl had always wanted to travel as well since she was young. In her Cal sensed a kindred spirit.

 

They talked until Idania came and served dinner - she had gone and took over the cooking to allow her mother to spend time with Cal instead - at which point they stopped to eat. Dinner was a simple thick stew of vegetables and smoked meats, with flaky, crispy flatbreads on the side. Idania's family was not one of the ones that adopted vegetarian habits it seemed.

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