Chapter 149: Chapter 132 – A Family, Reunited

"To be able to reunite with family is an opportunity to be cherished, for too often people put the opportunity aside in favor of others, only to regret it when it was all too late." - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden.

"Brother!" Cal said as she hugged Khal-Est just after he descended from the wagon. He and Lorna had hitched a ride from the Bronzemane clan's caravan, who happened to be on their way to Paradise, and Cal could see the old matriarch wave at her from her wagon, so she waved back with one hand as she hugged her brother with the other. "It has been a while."

 

"Indeed sister," said Khal-Est as he returned her hug warmly. Cal's elder brother looked around, but didn't notice anyone else nearby. "The letter you sent said we have an elder sister? And a stepmother?"

 

"That's right," said Cal as they separated. "Aunt Tia is likely busy entertaining your grandchild. Come, I'll bring you to them."

 

"Lead the way, then, sister," Said Khal-Est as he grasped his wife's hand and they both followed after Cal.

 

Cal led the couple to a large inn - the largest in Paradise in fact - within the second circle of the city, that was run by an extended family of unliving humans, which was a rarity in itself. Maebh, the innkeeper's granddaughter, greeted them, and Cal thanked the red haired girl as she pointed out where everyone else was.

 

They entered to joyful laughter, and a warm smile graced Cal's face when she saw Unitia happily playing with - and spoiling - little Ilena who sat on her lap. The rest of the family were having their own conversations, and it was Leila who spotted their entrance first.

 

"Grandpa! Grandma!" She shouted as she hugged her grandparents. Naturally her actions attracted everybody else's attention, and they turned to the new arrivals.

 

Vark and his wife also came over and greeted their parents, as they hugged each other.

 

Then Unitia approached them, little Ilena still cradled in her hands. With one hand holding the toddler, she gently caressed Khal-Est's cheek with her other hand, and tears seemed to have wet her eyes.

 

"You look so much like him…" said Unitia as she wiped her tears. "Pardon this old woman's impoliteness… I had just missed him so…"

 

"It is fine… Aunt Tia," replied Khal-Est using what Cal told him Unitia preferred to be called, and the old elven woman visibly brightened at his words. She then invited them all to sit around the large table - it was one of the inn's private dining rooms - and the whole family traded stories from their respective experiences.

 

Not long after the innkeeper's wife - a raven haired woman who looked deceptively young, and had some resemblance to Aideen that Cal wondered if she was a relative to her - came in and served them dinner.

 

Thick slices of soda bread made with treacle and ale, thickly spread with butter was served heaped onto a large platter. So was potatoes, mashed with kale, butter, and spring onions until smooth, the copious amounts of salted butter incorporated in it made it a meal in itself.

 

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Also served were platters of mussels, steamed with cider and with slices of smoked pork laid atop their plump orange flesh. A thick stew of flavorful mutton, onions, and potatoes was served in a large pot, that would have been enough for everyone present to have seconds.

 

Slices of luscious smoked salmon was served with a dollop of sour cream on top of a fried potato pancake, while a second large pot contained cabbage and smoked pork, boiled until the pork was fork-tender and the cabbage had turned translucent.

 

The family feasted on the simple, yet homey and hearty meal together, until they all leaned back in their seats with full stomachs and sated appetites. The innkeeper's two sons - one resembling each parent - came in and tidied up the plates, then returned with more mugs of crisp, refreshing ale.

 

Cal understood well why Aideen recommended this inn for her family to stay in during their stay in Paradise now.

 

After the meal, she brought out the topic about visiting her father's grave, and to little surprise, everyone agreed unanimously. Vark went home to Levain that night to pack some winter clothes for Ilena, for the Al-Shan winter was not to be trifled with.

 

Two days after their reunion, the entire family gathered by the portal hub, with all of them except Cal wearing winter clothing. She had warned them beforehand of how cold Al-Shan, and specifically the island where she lived during her childhood and where her father was buried, could be during winter.

 

After all, unlike her, the rest of her family had not grown up in the extreme cold weathers she learned to love and enjoy since young.

 

As soon as they stepped through the gate, the difference in temperature was immediately felt. It was still early winter, yet Al-Shan had already had frigid temperatures. The guards at the pagoda allowed the whole family to pass without inspection once they saw Cal, and they soon made their way to the street.

 

A light flurry of snow descended upon them as they walked out of the pagoda, which filled Cal with a nostalgic feeling. So had the sight of the white streets, covered entirely by powdery fresh snow. She led them through the capital city, to a place where they could travel by carriage to the western port in Al-Shan.

 

The carriage got them to the port by evening, and they stayed the night there, warming themselves up with piping hot soups and hot rice wine, as Cal made plans for the next leg of their journey.

 

Early the next morning, they chartered a ship to bring them from Al-Shan to Diao-Nan. The journey itself was uneventful, and they reached their destination in six days, one day ahead of schedule thanks to good winds.

 

That winter, Cal stepped foot once more on the island where she was born for the first time in over a decade.

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