The Valinor Trail, Chapter Twenty Seven; Reunion.
Almost at the end of both the tale and the trail now...
Chapter Twenty Seven; Reunion
Word count; 2,735
Chapter Rated; Teen
Disclaimer as chapter one.
Beta as always, Speaker-to-Customers.
Reunion
A giant eagle made a good guide through what was reputed to be an impenetrable mountain range. In fact the Pelori seemed to be much less impenetrable than they had been led to believe. There shouldn’t really be any passes through it and yet the eagle would fly on a little way, perch on a rock until they caught up with it, and so on, and the going was remarkably easy.
Tindómë found herself thinking back to that earth tremor they had felt on the outward trip, and wondering if this route was new. There was, now she thought about it, surprisingly little surrounding vegetation. She asked Haldir’s opinion, when they stopped for a break, and he took her question seriously, considered it for a while, and then said she had a point; the rock around them really did not look as if it had been weathered much.
It really did look as if the whole continent was being changed.
Late in the afternoon they came to a dip with a small lake in it; a cwm, Haldir said. The eagle suggested that they stop and camp here, for the night, and flew off. In very little time it reappeared, clutching a goat in its talons, and perched a little way away before ripping into the goat carcase.
The eagle tore off a leg from the goat and, blood still dripping from its great beak, suggested that they take it to roast for dinner.
‘Gross!’ thought Tindómë, almost as a reflex, but it was a bird of prey, after all, and an enormous one at that, and so she should be grateful it was willing to share dinner. And she decided she was certainly not so squicked that she wasn’t going to have any. Consequently it was a well fed threesome that slept for the night; their guide had told them it would keep watch, and they certainly weren’t going to imply that they didn’t believe it, so sleep they all did.
They woke as the sunlight spilled over the Eastern edge of the cwm and, after a quick wash in the icy cold water and a breakfast of cold goat meat, the eagle was anxious for them to mount up and continue their journey.
Out of the sheltered hollow they climbed; a path in front of them led around another outcrop and then… they were looking out to the East where the last wisps of morning mist had faded and the sunlight glinted on the distant sea.
“Lioar Elbereth!”
Ferveren had pulled up her horse and was gazing at the view wide-eyed. Time with the Ithilrim meant Tindómë recognised the slip from Sindarin into the older language of the Wood Elves, and she remembered that Ferveren had never seen the sea.
As their eagle guide stood on a rock, with a rather smug expression (difficult for a bird, but it had achieved it), Tindómë wondered if it had stage-managed this moment on its own, or whether it was Lord Manwë’s doing.
Lioar Elbereth! - Great Elbereth!
…………………………
The sun on the sea this morning was almost dazzling, even for Elven eyes. Rumil sat on the edge of a flet, very like those amongst which he had spent so much of his life in The Golden Wood, and decided he rather liked the area where this particular group of Silvan elves had made their home.
He and Legolas had moved slowly North, since leaving Alqualondë, staying in villages belonging to the Teleri and also those built in more recent yéni by Sindar and Silvan elves. They had been here, amongst elves who had mostly once lived in Eryn Lasgalen, for a couple of nights as Legolas had been in no great hurry once they began their journey; the restlessness, he said, seemed only to be to get started.
This settlement, Rumil decided, was actually the best so far. The trees grew above the sea; below them was a broad area of grass that ran down to a shingle beach. A mile or two further away there were small islands that stood darkly against the morning light.
If Haldir returned to say there was no place for them in Oromë’s Great Forest, or anywhere else to the West, then it might be good to move up here and build a village not unlike this one.
His reverie was broken by Legolas joining him.
“Have you eaten? Are you ready to move on?”
So much, Rumil thought, for Legolas no longer being restless and in a hurry to travel; the Lord of the Ithilrim was looking decidedly ‘antsy’ again.
Rumil watched his companion bounce up and down on the balls of his feet, and wondered how long a pause it would take before Legolas began to either pace around the flet or grab Rumil’s belongings and throw them down to the ground to encourage him to follow them. Probably as well not to find out, he decided, and rose to his feet, picking up his pack as he did so.
The sun had risen very little further before they had mounted and were heading North again.
…………………………
Even Haldir, and possibly the self-satisfied looking giant eagle, had smiled at Ferveren’s amazement at the sheer size of the expanse of water that seemed to spread to infinity. But eventually their avian guide had taken to the wing and began to point out the path down the Eastern side of the Pelóri until, as the sun began to pass over their heads and morning was over, it took its leave of them as their way was now easy to find.
They could still glimpse the ocean occasionally but it was clear that there was a good width of fairly flat land between the foot of the mountain ‘wall’ and the sea strand.
“Oh how I want to see the ocean properly, now,” Ferveren said, “but I can see that we do not need to go so far to make our way South, and I long, too, to see my son.”
“If we go down to the edge of the water we might well be able to make a good pace riding there, as it will be flat,” Tindómë suggested, “so we wouldn’t lose time.”
“There may be cliffs,” Haldir said.
“Pessimist!” Tindómë retorted. “And even if there are we should still make pretty good progress.”
“I did not say it was a bad idea, pendithen…”
Ferveren smiled, Tindómë stuck her tongue out at her husband-brother, and all three rode on towards the sea.
pendithen - little one
…………………………
Hair streaming out behind him in the breeze, Rumil let out a whoop of sheer pleasure, as he followed Legolas’ lead, and allowed his horse to gallop along the firm sand where the tide had recently gone out. They had ridden sensibly, through the grassland and stands of trees, for much of the day; but as the afternoon had begun to turn to evening Legolas had suggested descending to the sands, and giving their mounts their heads, before they found somewhere to make camp for the night.
…………………………
As they made their way down towards the shoreline Tindómë felt content. Soon they would be back in the houses at Alqualondë with so much to share with the others. Soon she would be reunited with Rumil…
Rumil!
She was suddenly aware of a stab of pure happiness that she knew was not her own emotion. Rumil was nearby and he was happy.
Before she could think more about this, Haldir spoke.
“There are two people riding along the beach towards us, although they are still a long way off.”
“One of them is Rumil,” Tindómë said.
“How can you tell?” Haldir asked. “They are too far away for me to tell who they are, let alone you, for you must allow that I have much better eyesight.”
“Yeah, yeah… much better eyesight. But,” she touched her hand to her chest, “you aren’t bound to him.”
Haldir did that head-tilt thing and looked at her in a slightly questioning manner, before nodding in understanding. Tindómë glanced at Ferveren; she looked wistful. Oh, how Tindómë hoped Aran Thranduil would get his regal butt onto a ship soon.
“If one is Rumil, the other will certainly be Orophin,” Haldir stated. “I wonder what they are doing? I hope there is nothing wrong.”
“No,” Tindómë said with certainty, “he is simply happy.”
“Well that’s a relief,” Haldir said. “If we follow our current course we will meet up quite quickly - let us continue.”
…………………………
They had galloped for at least a mile, maybe more, before Rumil realised that he was aware of Tindómë in a way that he had not been since the day when she had ridden away from him outside Her Ladyship’s home. He asked his horse to slow a little and scanned the surroundings until he saw three riders to the North.
Three. Lord Námo must have allowed the vampire to come here to Valinor.
Legolas was still galloping at full pace over the sand. He had his head low over his horse’s neck and had clearly noticed neither Rumil slowing a little, nor the figures ahead. Rumil wondered how happy the Lord of the Ithilrim would, really, be to find that Spike would be joining their number.
‘Ah well’, he thought, ‘we have adjusted to many changes already; we will also adapt to having him in our midst, no doubt.’
But then he looked more carefully at the three riders. Although it was now early evening the sun was still shining and surely Spike would need to shelter from it - but none of the three were heavily cloaked and hooded…
Haldir was easily identified as the light caught his hair. Tindómë was, at least to her husband, just as easily identified.
“Meleth!” he called out mentally even though, at this distance, clear words would not be transmitted through their bond. At least she would become aware that he was near, if she was not already. He could feel that frisson of emotion that was not his own suddenly bubble up - but there was no sense of surprise; she must have already realised he was close.
He turned his attention to the third rider. Dressed in a tunic, leggings and boots just like the other two, the hair was long and dark. No, certainly not what he would expect if this was Spike. But who else could it be? But if Spike had not been allowed into Aman surely Tindómë would not have been quite so happy and… he concentrated… excited?
The distance between the two parties was decreasing quite rapidly, as the other three seemed to have increased their pace and Rumil and Legolas were still proceeding at a gallop; although slightly more controlled in Rumil’s case. He was quite sure that Legolas was still unaware of the others, so involved was he with the pure joy of the moment.
Then, in an instant, Rumil realised the third figure was an elleth and an elleth whose likeness he knew. He was about to call out to Legolas when the other ellon’s head suddenly jerked up and his headlong dash immediately slowed.
…………………………
As the two galloping riders came closer, Haldir realised he was wrong about who accompanied Rumil. He glanced first at Ferveren, and then at Tindómë. Ferveren did not look any more excited than she had when they had first noticed the others approaching. Tindómë, though, suddenly looked towards Haldir, her eyes opening wider in recognition.
Should they tell Ferveren, Haldir wondered. Tindómë looked as if she was as unsure as he was himself. The gap was narrowing. Legolas still had his head down over the neck of his horse and did not seem to be aware of them at all. Now the two groups were rapidly closing on each other. The decision would have to be made quickly.
Haldir made it. “That is not Orophin,” he said out loud, just as Legolas noticed them and slowed down. “It is…”
“Legolas!” said Ferveren, and urged her own horse on.
…………………………
Rumil wanted to push his own horse on to reach Tindómë. But their reunion was following a separation of little more than a season; it could wait a few moments more. It was clear that his wife agreed, for now only Legolas and his mother were still closing on each other; the other three riders were stationary.
Then, as if by mutual agreement, mother and son brought their mounts to a standstill, about ten yards apart, and simply looked at each other.
Simultaneously they dismounted and slowly walked towards each other until they were less than an arm’s length apart. Then the Queen reached a hand out and touched Legolas’ cheek. Time seemed to pause before, overhead, a gull cried, breaking the moment, and none of the three observers could say, afterwards, whether Legolas had taken his mother into his arms, or Ferveren had taken her son into hers.
Only then did Rumil nudge his horse forward, until he was alongside his wife, and alighted. As she slid off the back of her steed, and into his arms, he brought his head down to hers and they touched, forehead to forehead. Emotions and images whirled between them, and he could see mountains, forests, rivers, lakes… a wild night ride on horseback surrounded by other riders… a dark haired figure, then the vampire, now Haldir with a bow, a swirling cloud of shimmering dust… Little of it made sense, but he knew that Tindómë was back with him and happy at the outcome of her quest, whatever it must have been; details could follow later.
…………………………
Where the grass merged with the shingle that edged the shore of the Great Sundering Sea the two parties, now one, made camp. Practically Haldir, Rumil, and Tindómë made camp as Legolas and his mother seemed not to be able to bear to be apart. It reminded Tindómë of the days after she and Rumil had bound, and needed to remain in physical contact with each other or they felt an almost physical pain. The bond between parent and child would never be that close, especially between adults, but it was as if each could only believe the other was actually here if they were touching them. Although Tindómë notice that Ferveren was still almost as fascinated by the sea as she was by her son; her gaze moved almost equally between Legolas and the lapping waves.
Sitting around a fire on the smooth stones at the top of the beach, eating, conversation came easily; there was so much to share. But Tindómë longed to have her husband to herself and where they sat, hand in hand, she could tell that he felt the same.
“Come,” he said finally, pulling her to her feet, and she expected him to walk away from the shingle and back to the softer grass.
But, instead he turned to the others.
“Would you care to join us, Legolas? My lady? You too, my brother, unless what we are about to do is beneath your dignity?”
Tindómë did her best to keep a straight face at Haldir’s rather perplexed expression for she now had the benefit of knowing what her husband planned. Legolas, too, had looked mystified at first, but she had mouthed a single word at him and been answered by the fleeting upward flick of his eyes that was the elven equivalent of winking.
He stood and offered his hand to Ferveren. “Come, Naneth.”
Ferveren clearly trusted her son as she, too, stood.
Only as the foursome began to walk down towards the sea did Haldir, too, stand and follow.
Soon boots were left at the border of shingle and sand and, as Ithil rising painted a silver path on the surface of the sea, the Lord of the Ithilrim, his mother, the sister of his heart, her husband, and even the former March-warden of the Golden Wood could be seen paddling in the shallows.
And if Tindómë and Rumil chose to leave the other three deep in conversation when they returned to their campsite, and lay their bedrolls on the grass a little way away, then it was only to be expected. And if sounds of their mutual delight, as they renewed their bond, drifted towards the others, they simply smiled and talked on into the night.
Chapter Twenty Seven; Reunion
Word count; 2,735
Chapter Rated; Teen
Disclaimer as chapter one.
Beta as always, Speaker-to-Customers.
Reunion
A giant eagle made a good guide through what was reputed to be an impenetrable mountain range. In fact the Pelori seemed to be much less impenetrable than they had been led to believe. There shouldn’t really be any passes through it and yet the eagle would fly on a little way, perch on a rock until they caught up with it, and so on, and the going was remarkably easy.
Tindómë found herself thinking back to that earth tremor they had felt on the outward trip, and wondering if this route was new. There was, now she thought about it, surprisingly little surrounding vegetation. She asked Haldir’s opinion, when they stopped for a break, and he took her question seriously, considered it for a while, and then said she had a point; the rock around them really did not look as if it had been weathered much.
It really did look as if the whole continent was being changed.
Late in the afternoon they came to a dip with a small lake in it; a cwm, Haldir said. The eagle suggested that they stop and camp here, for the night, and flew off. In very little time it reappeared, clutching a goat in its talons, and perched a little way away before ripping into the goat carcase.
The eagle tore off a leg from the goat and, blood still dripping from its great beak, suggested that they take it to roast for dinner.
‘Gross!’ thought Tindómë, almost as a reflex, but it was a bird of prey, after all, and an enormous one at that, and so she should be grateful it was willing to share dinner. And she decided she was certainly not so squicked that she wasn’t going to have any. Consequently it was a well fed threesome that slept for the night; their guide had told them it would keep watch, and they certainly weren’t going to imply that they didn’t believe it, so sleep they all did.
They woke as the sunlight spilled over the Eastern edge of the cwm and, after a quick wash in the icy cold water and a breakfast of cold goat meat, the eagle was anxious for them to mount up and continue their journey.
Out of the sheltered hollow they climbed; a path in front of them led around another outcrop and then… they were looking out to the East where the last wisps of morning mist had faded and the sunlight glinted on the distant sea.
“Lioar Elbereth!”
Ferveren had pulled up her horse and was gazing at the view wide-eyed. Time with the Ithilrim meant Tindómë recognised the slip from Sindarin into the older language of the Wood Elves, and she remembered that Ferveren had never seen the sea.
As their eagle guide stood on a rock, with a rather smug expression (difficult for a bird, but it had achieved it), Tindómë wondered if it had stage-managed this moment on its own, or whether it was Lord Manwë’s doing.
Lioar Elbereth! - Great Elbereth!
…………………………
The sun on the sea this morning was almost dazzling, even for Elven eyes. Rumil sat on the edge of a flet, very like those amongst which he had spent so much of his life in The Golden Wood, and decided he rather liked the area where this particular group of Silvan elves had made their home.
He and Legolas had moved slowly North, since leaving Alqualondë, staying in villages belonging to the Teleri and also those built in more recent yéni by Sindar and Silvan elves. They had been here, amongst elves who had mostly once lived in Eryn Lasgalen, for a couple of nights as Legolas had been in no great hurry once they began their journey; the restlessness, he said, seemed only to be to get started.
This settlement, Rumil decided, was actually the best so far. The trees grew above the sea; below them was a broad area of grass that ran down to a shingle beach. A mile or two further away there were small islands that stood darkly against the morning light.
If Haldir returned to say there was no place for them in Oromë’s Great Forest, or anywhere else to the West, then it might be good to move up here and build a village not unlike this one.
His reverie was broken by Legolas joining him.
“Have you eaten? Are you ready to move on?”
So much, Rumil thought, for Legolas no longer being restless and in a hurry to travel; the Lord of the Ithilrim was looking decidedly ‘antsy’ again.
Rumil watched his companion bounce up and down on the balls of his feet, and wondered how long a pause it would take before Legolas began to either pace around the flet or grab Rumil’s belongings and throw them down to the ground to encourage him to follow them. Probably as well not to find out, he decided, and rose to his feet, picking up his pack as he did so.
The sun had risen very little further before they had mounted and were heading North again.
…………………………
Even Haldir, and possibly the self-satisfied looking giant eagle, had smiled at Ferveren’s amazement at the sheer size of the expanse of water that seemed to spread to infinity. But eventually their avian guide had taken to the wing and began to point out the path down the Eastern side of the Pelóri until, as the sun began to pass over their heads and morning was over, it took its leave of them as their way was now easy to find.
They could still glimpse the ocean occasionally but it was clear that there was a good width of fairly flat land between the foot of the mountain ‘wall’ and the sea strand.
“Oh how I want to see the ocean properly, now,” Ferveren said, “but I can see that we do not need to go so far to make our way South, and I long, too, to see my son.”
“If we go down to the edge of the water we might well be able to make a good pace riding there, as it will be flat,” Tindómë suggested, “so we wouldn’t lose time.”
“There may be cliffs,” Haldir said.
“Pessimist!” Tindómë retorted. “And even if there are we should still make pretty good progress.”
“I did not say it was a bad idea, pendithen…”
Ferveren smiled, Tindómë stuck her tongue out at her husband-brother, and all three rode on towards the sea.
pendithen - little one
…………………………
Hair streaming out behind him in the breeze, Rumil let out a whoop of sheer pleasure, as he followed Legolas’ lead, and allowed his horse to gallop along the firm sand where the tide had recently gone out. They had ridden sensibly, through the grassland and stands of trees, for much of the day; but as the afternoon had begun to turn to evening Legolas had suggested descending to the sands, and giving their mounts their heads, before they found somewhere to make camp for the night.
…………………………
As they made their way down towards the shoreline Tindómë felt content. Soon they would be back in the houses at Alqualondë with so much to share with the others. Soon she would be reunited with Rumil…
Rumil!
She was suddenly aware of a stab of pure happiness that she knew was not her own emotion. Rumil was nearby and he was happy.
Before she could think more about this, Haldir spoke.
“There are two people riding along the beach towards us, although they are still a long way off.”
“One of them is Rumil,” Tindómë said.
“How can you tell?” Haldir asked. “They are too far away for me to tell who they are, let alone you, for you must allow that I have much better eyesight.”
“Yeah, yeah… much better eyesight. But,” she touched her hand to her chest, “you aren’t bound to him.”
Haldir did that head-tilt thing and looked at her in a slightly questioning manner, before nodding in understanding. Tindómë glanced at Ferveren; she looked wistful. Oh, how Tindómë hoped Aran Thranduil would get his regal butt onto a ship soon.
“If one is Rumil, the other will certainly be Orophin,” Haldir stated. “I wonder what they are doing? I hope there is nothing wrong.”
“No,” Tindómë said with certainty, “he is simply happy.”
“Well that’s a relief,” Haldir said. “If we follow our current course we will meet up quite quickly - let us continue.”
…………………………
They had galloped for at least a mile, maybe more, before Rumil realised that he was aware of Tindómë in a way that he had not been since the day when she had ridden away from him outside Her Ladyship’s home. He asked his horse to slow a little and scanned the surroundings until he saw three riders to the North.
Three. Lord Námo must have allowed the vampire to come here to Valinor.
Legolas was still galloping at full pace over the sand. He had his head low over his horse’s neck and had clearly noticed neither Rumil slowing a little, nor the figures ahead. Rumil wondered how happy the Lord of the Ithilrim would, really, be to find that Spike would be joining their number.
‘Ah well’, he thought, ‘we have adjusted to many changes already; we will also adapt to having him in our midst, no doubt.’
But then he looked more carefully at the three riders. Although it was now early evening the sun was still shining and surely Spike would need to shelter from it - but none of the three were heavily cloaked and hooded…
Haldir was easily identified as the light caught his hair. Tindómë was, at least to her husband, just as easily identified.
“Meleth!” he called out mentally even though, at this distance, clear words would not be transmitted through their bond. At least she would become aware that he was near, if she was not already. He could feel that frisson of emotion that was not his own suddenly bubble up - but there was no sense of surprise; she must have already realised he was close.
He turned his attention to the third rider. Dressed in a tunic, leggings and boots just like the other two, the hair was long and dark. No, certainly not what he would expect if this was Spike. But who else could it be? But if Spike had not been allowed into Aman surely Tindómë would not have been quite so happy and… he concentrated… excited?
The distance between the two parties was decreasing quite rapidly, as the other three seemed to have increased their pace and Rumil and Legolas were still proceeding at a gallop; although slightly more controlled in Rumil’s case. He was quite sure that Legolas was still unaware of the others, so involved was he with the pure joy of the moment.
Then, in an instant, Rumil realised the third figure was an elleth and an elleth whose likeness he knew. He was about to call out to Legolas when the other ellon’s head suddenly jerked up and his headlong dash immediately slowed.
…………………………
As the two galloping riders came closer, Haldir realised he was wrong about who accompanied Rumil. He glanced first at Ferveren, and then at Tindómë. Ferveren did not look any more excited than she had when they had first noticed the others approaching. Tindómë, though, suddenly looked towards Haldir, her eyes opening wider in recognition.
Should they tell Ferveren, Haldir wondered. Tindómë looked as if she was as unsure as he was himself. The gap was narrowing. Legolas still had his head down over the neck of his horse and did not seem to be aware of them at all. Now the two groups were rapidly closing on each other. The decision would have to be made quickly.
Haldir made it. “That is not Orophin,” he said out loud, just as Legolas noticed them and slowed down. “It is…”
“Legolas!” said Ferveren, and urged her own horse on.
…………………………
Rumil wanted to push his own horse on to reach Tindómë. But their reunion was following a separation of little more than a season; it could wait a few moments more. It was clear that his wife agreed, for now only Legolas and his mother were still closing on each other; the other three riders were stationary.
Then, as if by mutual agreement, mother and son brought their mounts to a standstill, about ten yards apart, and simply looked at each other.
Simultaneously they dismounted and slowly walked towards each other until they were less than an arm’s length apart. Then the Queen reached a hand out and touched Legolas’ cheek. Time seemed to pause before, overhead, a gull cried, breaking the moment, and none of the three observers could say, afterwards, whether Legolas had taken his mother into his arms, or Ferveren had taken her son into hers.
Only then did Rumil nudge his horse forward, until he was alongside his wife, and alighted. As she slid off the back of her steed, and into his arms, he brought his head down to hers and they touched, forehead to forehead. Emotions and images whirled between them, and he could see mountains, forests, rivers, lakes… a wild night ride on horseback surrounded by other riders… a dark haired figure, then the vampire, now Haldir with a bow, a swirling cloud of shimmering dust… Little of it made sense, but he knew that Tindómë was back with him and happy at the outcome of her quest, whatever it must have been; details could follow later.
…………………………
Where the grass merged with the shingle that edged the shore of the Great Sundering Sea the two parties, now one, made camp. Practically Haldir, Rumil, and Tindómë made camp as Legolas and his mother seemed not to be able to bear to be apart. It reminded Tindómë of the days after she and Rumil had bound, and needed to remain in physical contact with each other or they felt an almost physical pain. The bond between parent and child would never be that close, especially between adults, but it was as if each could only believe the other was actually here if they were touching them. Although Tindómë notice that Ferveren was still almost as fascinated by the sea as she was by her son; her gaze moved almost equally between Legolas and the lapping waves.
Sitting around a fire on the smooth stones at the top of the beach, eating, conversation came easily; there was so much to share. But Tindómë longed to have her husband to herself and where they sat, hand in hand, she could tell that he felt the same.
“Come,” he said finally, pulling her to her feet, and she expected him to walk away from the shingle and back to the softer grass.
But, instead he turned to the others.
“Would you care to join us, Legolas? My lady? You too, my brother, unless what we are about to do is beneath your dignity?”
Tindómë did her best to keep a straight face at Haldir’s rather perplexed expression for she now had the benefit of knowing what her husband planned. Legolas, too, had looked mystified at first, but she had mouthed a single word at him and been answered by the fleeting upward flick of his eyes that was the elven equivalent of winking.
He stood and offered his hand to Ferveren. “Come, Naneth.”
Ferveren clearly trusted her son as she, too, stood.
Only as the foursome began to walk down towards the sea did Haldir, too, stand and follow.
Soon boots were left at the border of shingle and sand and, as Ithil rising painted a silver path on the surface of the sea, the Lord of the Ithilrim, his mother, the sister of his heart, her husband, and even the former March-warden of the Golden Wood could be seen paddling in the shallows.
And if Tindómë and Rumil chose to leave the other three deep in conversation when they returned to their campsite, and lay their bedrolls on the grass a little way away, then it was only to be expected. And if sounds of their mutual delight, as they renewed their bond, drifted towards the others, they simply smiled and talked on into the night.