I would immediately like to sincerely apologize that I have literally not updated this story in a year... :/ I was focusing on finishing another FanFiction soon after the last update and have since been working and ultimately focusing on another Lorien Legacies FanFiction, leaving this one on an unintentional year-long temporary hiatus. I'm so, so sorry. :(

That being said, this is the last memory that I'm going to make an official part of this story. Ella was only a baby when they left Lorien, meaning she wouldn't really have much memory of Lorien at all. However, in the future, I may fleetingly add additional memories in the future as ideas come, but for now, I'm going to file this story as complete.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoy Nine's memory! :)

...

Nine's grandfather, Edesen, watched his grandson with a tired smile as he wrestled his pet Chimaera to the ground. "RAWR!" yelled the little boy, determined to win the fight. His poor, tired Chimaera, named Byscoe, eventually caved and turned back into a large German shepherd, panting.

"Son, calm down," he said. "It's just about time to go inside."

"Don't wanna go in!" Nine yelled, clinging to Byscoe's neck, as if he believed his pet would support this decision. "We wanna play!"

"But it's almost time for dinner. I've made your favorite," he tempted his grandson, smiling softly.

Nine's eyes lit up. "Dinner?" He instantly scrambled to his feet and hopped onto Bycoe's large back; the Chimaera could easily handle the small yet dense boy's weight. "Go to the kitchen, Byscoe, go!" he chanted loudly, roughing Byscoe to move. If they had not lived in a small, secluded house in the Loric countryside, he would've waken all of the neighbors. Edesen chuckled as he watched Nine and the dog charge into the house; the boy was a lit fuse for sure.

Edesen walked in just as Nine hopped off of Byscoe and into his kitchen chair. "Now now, son, you have to wash your hands first." Rightfully so, as the boy's hands were covered in mud. He pointed at the wooden stool in front of the sink. Nine, with all of the attitude he possessed, rolled his eyes and reluctantly made his way to the sink, where he spent less time scrubbing his hands than he did playing with bubbles.

When his hands were clean enough, Edesen plopped him back into his chair at the table. As soon as Nine was served, he started shoving his dinner in his face.

"Slow down, boy," Edesen heeded gently. "You don't want to get a tummy ache, do you?" Nine ignored the warning and continued shoveling his food down. With that pace, it didn't take him long to finish, then running into the living room, still chewing his last bite. Edesen, chuckling yet, followed.

"How about we watch a movie?" Edesen suggested.

"Wrestle!" Nine requested, jumping up and down. Byscoe joined them in the living room.

"Three times is my limit for the day, buddy," Edesen tells his grandson wearily. When Nine only pouted, Edesen sighed sadly. "Please, son, I'm very tired." Nine didn't know this, but his grandfather was growing ill, and Nine's constant energy and fire was taking a toll on him. He sat down on the couch slowly and took a deep breath, trying to regain himself.

Nine frowned. Grandpa sad, thought. He quietly crawled up into his grandfather's lap and hugged him. "Love Grandpa..." he said quietly.

Edesen, his heart warmed, smiled. "I love you too, my grandson."

Eventually, Nine looked up. "Grandpa? Story?" he asked quietly. "Story about Grandma?"

Edesen smiled gently at his grandson. Nine loved hearing stories, especially about his grandmother, who had died less than a year before of a similar sickness to what Edesen was developing then. "Sure, son," he started. "Once upon a time, when Grandma and I were young Loric..."

Nine leaned forward, listening eagerly. "We were holding hands, walking through the park at dusk, admiring the Spires of Elkin..."

"And then?" Nine asked eagerly.

"Patience, my boy," chuckled Edesen. Nine always loved to skip to the most exciting parts of the story. "When suddenly, as we were looking at the Spires, we heard a horrible whimpering sound in the bushes."

Nine gasped at the twist. "What was it?"

"It was a poor little Chimaera with a broken leg," he told him.

"Did you help him?"

Edesen nodded. "We wrapped him up in a picnic blanket and took him home. The poor thing couldn't control its changes."

"Was he okay?" Nine asked, gripping tightly to his grandfather's shirt in anticipation.

Edeson nodded again, remembering it all so clearly. "We fixed his leg together—your Grandma was always so gentle. It took him a long time to heal, and by the time he did, he didn't want to leave."

Nine gaped. "Did you make him go?" he asked again, his eyes wide with awe.

Edesen smiled gently at his wondering grandson and shook his head. "No," he said. He patted the spot on the couch beside him and their Chimaera jumped up readily. "Which is why we still have him today."

Nine grinned and hugged his Chimaera around the neck. "Byscoe!" he shouted with glee.

"He loves us very much," Edesen said, petting Byscoe's slick coat himself. Byscoe licked Nine's feet and Nine started to giggle wildly. It made Edesen smile. The boy loved that Chimaera so much...

Eventually, Nine flopped back and breathed hard out of sleepiness. His eyes dropped, the tiredness suddenly hitting him as his fire died down. "Love Grandma...love Byscoe..." he crooned quietly.

Edesen leaned down and kissed his grandson's forehead. He smiled, reminiscing on the memory. He missed his wife, but he truly loved his Grandson. "They all love you too.," he said as Nine closed his eyes.

...

This is the end for now, my friends and readers. I hope you loved Nine's memory!

Thank you so much for reading my story, I really hope you enjoyed it! :) I really hope I get around to writing more memories in the future. Once more, I would like to thank my dear friend Insert a Catchy Penname Here for her helping me create this story. She is a wonderful author that I'm so glad I can call a friend and I'm so grateful for her support.

Thank you so much for reading! I can't convey how much that means to me as an author, and I love you all! I hope you've enjoyed the story! :)