"....and now whatever way our stories end, you know you have rewritten mine, by being my friend ..."
It was becoming a familiar sound in Anarven - the warm soprano of Arandir's wife singing as she went about her daily chores. Right now, however, only a few people knew this was all in preparation for the auditions taking place in the Shanachie Theater next week. After long consideration, Carina had decided to audition as a guest performer, and hope that Mataya had a place for her she could work around being a new mother as well as a wife.
It wasn't unusual to hear the sounds of music coming from Anarven, seeing how it was populated in good part by elves, but as far as Arandir was concerned, it was the sound of his wife's singing he loved most. Though he was thankful for what Mataya had done for him in the past, he had no desire to audition for the theater this time around, but he had done what he could to encourage Carina to pursue her own dreams where the theater was concerned.
Of course, the choice of music from Carina was definitely not what the elves of Ilyethlin were used to. Today's selection was from Wicked, and judging by the cooing sounds coming from the crib set up in the kitchen, Aluviel was enjoying the songs, anyway.
Wiping the flour from her hands, Carina moved over to bend over the crib, touching her fingertip to the baby girl's nose just to hear her giggle. "You are ridiculously adorable," she informed her daughter fondly. "I could just gobble you up!"
Though Aran was - or had been - the Prince of Ilyethlin, he was a prince who didn't mind getting his hands dirty and who wasn't afraid to pitch in and help with the work that needed to be done around the settlement at any given time. Today, he'd spent a good portion of the day helping build new homes for his people before winter arrived. As it happened, he arrived home just in time to hear the last of his wife's singing, which he knew was in preparation for her audition at the theater.
"Just like her mother," he remarked as he stepped into the kitchen and caught her teasing their baby girl.
"I am not ridiculously adorable," Carina informed him with a grin, lifting the baby girl up and onto her shoulder to say hello to her adar. "I'll have you know I am regally superfluous." She giggled, moving to greet Aran with a kiss. "And how are you, mysteriously filthy princeling?"
"I think you are, melamin," Aran argued, leaning in to touch a kiss to his wife's lips in affectionate greeting. He chuckled at her choice of words in addressing him. "Filthy, but the last of the houses is almost finished. What are you making" I'm starving!" He touched a kiss to their daughter's head, careful not to touch her until he had a chance to clean up.
"That's wonderful!" Carina exclaimed happily. "Everyone will have their own space for the winter. Isn't that fantastic, Lu?" The baby girl didn't respond, predictably enough, her big eyes watching Aran above her gummy smile. "We were making pies for tomorrow," she said, then. "Your dinner is in the oven already - baked potatoes and shredded pork."
"We?" he echoed with a grin. "And just what is my little lirimaea doing to help with the pies?" he teased, brushing his nose against the little girl's. His face was about the only part of him that wasn't dirty.
"Moral support and constructive criticism, of course," his wife laughed fondly, her smile deepening as Aluviel cackled her adorable little laugh, one small hand waving toward Aran in an attempt to catch him.
"I will be right back!" he promised, blowing them both a kiss, before wandering off to get washed up. Working in the settlement was much different than working at the theater, but he seemed to be enjoying it more than anyone might have expected. It felt good to be helping people and making a difference, despite the aches and pains and calluses. He couldn't help but chuckle a little at her response as he wandered off, knowing Aluviel wasn't capable of doing much but blowing bubbles and giggling.
One thing Carina had put her foot down about was installing indoor plumbing in the settlement. It had taken most of the year, but it was finally done, and even those who were unused to it were reluctantly admitting that it was an improvement on the old system. Aran's ablutions were punctuated by the cheerful sound of his daughter burbling along with Carina as her mother tidied up and set the table.
For now, Aran just worried about washing his face and hands and changing into clean clothes. He'd worry about taking a bath later after they put Aluviel to bed. It was only a few minutes before he returned, wearing a fresh t-shirt and jeans, rather than the traditional tunic and pants. "And what have my lovelies been up to today, besides making pies?" he asked as he returned.
"Terrorizing Grandma and Grandpa with that not breathing trick she does when she's sleeping," Carina told him in amusement. It had taken a long time to get used to that one, but now they were, it was just funny to watch other people panic about it.
"She must get that from her mother," Aran remarked with a grin, as his arms went around her waist from behind, no matter what it was she was trying to accomplish in the kitchen. He touched a kiss to the tip of one ear, knowing how much it would drive her crazy.
It was a decidedly dirty trick, that one. They shared that intimate sensitivity with their full elven kin, and Aran knew it was one of the few things guaranteed to utterly wipe thought from Carina's mind. As happened right now ....she shuddered happily, leaning back against him with a tender moan. "Hungry, are we?"
"In more ways than one," he whispered back, reading her reaction to his attention and smiling in return. Something had changed in him since his people had joined them in Rhy'Din. It was almost like the shy, timid elf he'd once been had grown up overnight. He was still the same Aran he'd always been, but just a little more confident and self-assured than before. Much of that was because of Carina and her parents, and he knew it.
It was becoming a familiar sound in Anarven - the warm soprano of Arandir's wife singing as she went about her daily chores. Right now, however, only a few people knew this was all in preparation for the auditions taking place in the Shanachie Theater next week. After long consideration, Carina had decided to audition as a guest performer, and hope that Mataya had a place for her she could work around being a new mother as well as a wife.
It wasn't unusual to hear the sounds of music coming from Anarven, seeing how it was populated in good part by elves, but as far as Arandir was concerned, it was the sound of his wife's singing he loved most. Though he was thankful for what Mataya had done for him in the past, he had no desire to audition for the theater this time around, but he had done what he could to encourage Carina to pursue her own dreams where the theater was concerned.
Of course, the choice of music from Carina was definitely not what the elves of Ilyethlin were used to. Today's selection was from Wicked, and judging by the cooing sounds coming from the crib set up in the kitchen, Aluviel was enjoying the songs, anyway.
Wiping the flour from her hands, Carina moved over to bend over the crib, touching her fingertip to the baby girl's nose just to hear her giggle. "You are ridiculously adorable," she informed her daughter fondly. "I could just gobble you up!"
Though Aran was - or had been - the Prince of Ilyethlin, he was a prince who didn't mind getting his hands dirty and who wasn't afraid to pitch in and help with the work that needed to be done around the settlement at any given time. Today, he'd spent a good portion of the day helping build new homes for his people before winter arrived. As it happened, he arrived home just in time to hear the last of his wife's singing, which he knew was in preparation for her audition at the theater.
"Just like her mother," he remarked as he stepped into the kitchen and caught her teasing their baby girl.
"I am not ridiculously adorable," Carina informed him with a grin, lifting the baby girl up and onto her shoulder to say hello to her adar. "I'll have you know I am regally superfluous." She giggled, moving to greet Aran with a kiss. "And how are you, mysteriously filthy princeling?"
"I think you are, melamin," Aran argued, leaning in to touch a kiss to his wife's lips in affectionate greeting. He chuckled at her choice of words in addressing him. "Filthy, but the last of the houses is almost finished. What are you making" I'm starving!" He touched a kiss to their daughter's head, careful not to touch her until he had a chance to clean up.
"That's wonderful!" Carina exclaimed happily. "Everyone will have their own space for the winter. Isn't that fantastic, Lu?" The baby girl didn't respond, predictably enough, her big eyes watching Aran above her gummy smile. "We were making pies for tomorrow," she said, then. "Your dinner is in the oven already - baked potatoes and shredded pork."
"We?" he echoed with a grin. "And just what is my little lirimaea doing to help with the pies?" he teased, brushing his nose against the little girl's. His face was about the only part of him that wasn't dirty.
"Moral support and constructive criticism, of course," his wife laughed fondly, her smile deepening as Aluviel cackled her adorable little laugh, one small hand waving toward Aran in an attempt to catch him.
"I will be right back!" he promised, blowing them both a kiss, before wandering off to get washed up. Working in the settlement was much different than working at the theater, but he seemed to be enjoying it more than anyone might have expected. It felt good to be helping people and making a difference, despite the aches and pains and calluses. He couldn't help but chuckle a little at her response as he wandered off, knowing Aluviel wasn't capable of doing much but blowing bubbles and giggling.
One thing Carina had put her foot down about was installing indoor plumbing in the settlement. It had taken most of the year, but it was finally done, and even those who were unused to it were reluctantly admitting that it was an improvement on the old system. Aran's ablutions were punctuated by the cheerful sound of his daughter burbling along with Carina as her mother tidied up and set the table.
For now, Aran just worried about washing his face and hands and changing into clean clothes. He'd worry about taking a bath later after they put Aluviel to bed. It was only a few minutes before he returned, wearing a fresh t-shirt and jeans, rather than the traditional tunic and pants. "And what have my lovelies been up to today, besides making pies?" he asked as he returned.
"Terrorizing Grandma and Grandpa with that not breathing trick she does when she's sleeping," Carina told him in amusement. It had taken a long time to get used to that one, but now they were, it was just funny to watch other people panic about it.
"She must get that from her mother," Aran remarked with a grin, as his arms went around her waist from behind, no matter what it was she was trying to accomplish in the kitchen. He touched a kiss to the tip of one ear, knowing how much it would drive her crazy.
It was a decidedly dirty trick, that one. They shared that intimate sensitivity with their full elven kin, and Aran knew it was one of the few things guaranteed to utterly wipe thought from Carina's mind. As happened right now ....she shuddered happily, leaning back against him with a tender moan. "Hungry, are we?"
"In more ways than one," he whispered back, reading her reaction to his attention and smiling in return. Something had changed in him since his people had joined them in Rhy'Din. It was almost like the shy, timid elf he'd once been had grown up overnight. He was still the same Aran he'd always been, but just a little more confident and self-assured than before. Much of that was because of Carina and her parents, and he knew it.