The next few months passed quickly. Lanaya sent messages back and forth to the palace and the alienage in Denerim and arranged that she would start a schedule of alternating months with Valendrian. It was decided that Lanaya would be away for one month at a time and then with the clan for two months. Lanaya was quite looking forward to working with the council. She didn't like the idea of being away from the clan, but she was really hoping that they could get the land grant for the Dalish. Since she had not been born to the clan, it was easier for her to be away than for someone who had grown up within it. However, Lanaya was not going to leave for Denerim until after the baby arrived. She was determined to be there for the birth.

Elandria spent the next almost three months with Lanaya and her two apprentices. The older one was a female elf named Rohanie who was about seventeen and Lanaya's First. The younger one was Zanathan, a young male about fourteen. Normally, a keeper only had one apprentice, but Lanaya took Zanathan on when he began to exhibit signs of magical power two years prior. Elandria sat in on their training so that she could continue it once Lanaya left.

Elandria also spent time working on her own magic, especially once Master Varathorn finished her new staff for her. With the changes she had noticed since the Archdemon's taint had coursed through her, she was able to have more control over her spells. She found that with practice that when she cast a fire spell that she could determine the size of the fire, either making a very small flame or a larger one. She spent many hours practicing her spells so that she could establish a new level of control over each one. Her healing spells became more pinpoint. Instead of a flush through the whole body, she could direct the healing energy to certain areas of the body. With her lightening spells, she could actually direct the bolts if she desired.

The clan had also been working on putting an aravel together for her. With the deaths they had from both the werewolf curse and the battle for Denerim, the extra aravels had been dismantled so it was mostly just a matter of reassembling one. It was decided that a young female elf named Vanora would move in with her in the new aravel. Vanora had lost her husband and was willing to help Elandria with both taking care of the aravel and also with the baby. Elandria had a frank conversation with Vanora before it was all decided telling her that the baby would be human. Vanora seemed to take it in stride and agreed to come stay with her once the aravel was ready.

Finally one evening, Elandria went into labor. Both Lanaya and Vanora stayed with her throughout the entire process, as well as the midwife. She had an extended labor as her petite elven frame fought to expel the human baby inside her. After hours of labor, she barely felt the cut the midwife made that allowed the baby's head to finally slip out of her body.

Lanaya had been holding her hand and encouraging her in her pushing, but craned her neck to look down at the child as it was born. "It's a boy, Elandria!" she cried. "You have a son."

"A son," Elandria repeated weakly.

Vanora took the child from the midwife once he started crying and proceeded to start cleaning him up. The midwife turned her attention back to Elandria to deliver the afterbirth and then had her cast a healing spell to close the incision she had made for the child's birth. Once Vanora had the baby cleaned up and wrapped in a soft fur, she brought him to Elandria. She carefully handed him to her.

"Isn't he beautiful? " Lanaya said. "What's his name?"

Elandria held her son tightly in her arms as she gazed down at him. To her eyes, he was perfect. "Kellin," she said. "His name is Kellin."

Once she had fed him (which Vanora had to explain how to do and help her with) and she was alone with him, she just gazed down at him searching for both she and Alistair in his features. Vanora had told her that he would lose the dark head of hair he had at birth, and his real hair color would come in after that. He had blue eyes, but she had also told her that his eyes may change color as well. Elandria was hoping he would keep them since she had blue eyes. She thought she could detect some of his father in his mouth and chin. She ran her finger around the small circular top of his ear and dropped a light kiss on his forehead. "You are my miracle child, little one," she said. "What a strange set of circumstances that had to come to pass for you to be born."

Holding their son in her arms, she couldn't help but think about Alistair and wonder how he was and how he was handling being king. He had struggled against that fate for so long to no avail. She wondered as well if he ever thought about her and what they had meant to each other just a short time ago. How she wished things could have been different and he could have been with her for Kellin's birth.

The next morning Master Varathorn came by with a present for her. It was a beautifully crafted Dar'Misaan made of silverite. "I've had this for a while and I thought that perhaps it would make a suitable gift for both you and your son. You can use it now and pass it on to him when he is old enough. I know it can't take the place of the rune sword you used to carry, but I hope you think it is a worthy blade," he said.

Elandria picked the sword up. It felt perfectly balanced in her hand. She swung it in a short stroke (since they were inside the aravel) to take its measure. "Ma serannas, Master Varathorn. It's a fine sword. I'm honored you gave it to me. I'll treasure it and pass it on to Kellin when he is old enough. Would you like to see him?"

"Oh yes," said Master Varathorn. "I just love babies."

Elandria went into the other room and picked up the sleeping Kellin. She brought him into the outer room and said, "Here he is now."

Master Varathorn leaned in to look at the baby. She saw his eyes widen and then his eyes flew to her face. "He's, um, a fine fellow, isn't he?"

"Yes," said Elandria. "I think so."

"I didn't realize he was.." Master Varathorn started to say.

"Human, you mean," Elandria said calmly. "Yes, he is, but he's my son and that is all that matters to me."

"Of course, of course," said Master Varathorn who was looking a little flustered.

Master Varathorn stayed for a little while longer and then took his leave. Elandria figured that by lunchtime everyone in the camp would know about Kellin. She wasn't really concerned because she didn't care what anybody else thought. He was her son, and she already loved him fiercely.

In the next few days, it turned out to be a good thing that Elandria had Vanora to help her. Elandria knew next to nothing about babies since they hadn't had any in the tower. Vanora was able to show her how to take care of him, but Elandria had enough trouble just breast-feeding him.

She was surprised how many of the elves accepted Kellin. There were those that she could tell didn't approve, but she didn't let it bother her. She resolved to just avoid those that were disapproving. Surprisingly, Mithra was a frequent visitor. She seemed to enjoy spending time just holding him and cooing silly sounds at him. Elandria didn't quite understand the appeal but figured it didn't do Kellin any harm.

About a month after his birth, Lanaya left for her first month in Denerim, and Elandria was feeling almost completely back to her normal self. Now that she had a sword and her staff, she wanted to get back into shape and resume the combat training she had started when she became an arcane warrior. She decided to rig up a carrier for the sword and go looking for Menarin to see if she could do some training with the hunters. She knew that they gathered on the other side of the camp most afternoons, so she headed over there after lunch, leaving Vanora to watch Kellin and setting Rohanie and Zanathan to work on some basic apprentice exercises that wouldn't require her supervision.

As she approached the training area with the new Dar'Misaan Master Varathorn had given her strapped to her back, she could hear the rhythmic ringing of blade on blade as there were a few pairs of hunters training with swords or daggers. There was a larger group off to the side where an archery range was set up. She could hear the steady thwat of arrows hitting targets. She could see Menarin working with one of the younger hunters on a parry so she squatted down waiting for him to finish. She knew he had seen her, but as soon as he finished with the young hunter he strode off to correct one of the bowman's form. Elandria continued to wait patiently. She waited for about fifteen minutes as he moved from one person to the next totally ignoring her. She moved off to the side of the group and sat down on a stump, deciding to wait to talk to him until after the training session was finished.

As she sat there, she evaluated the hunters who were practicing swordplay. Elandria was pleased to see that they all had good basics, but none of them would have stood up to one of the fighters from her group of friends. She thought she had a good chance against most of them, even as late to the sword as she was. Of course, she had had the advantage of some first-rate teachers once she had acquired Spellweaver. Maker only knew how much she missed that sword.

Finally, she saw Menarin call everyone together and dismiss them for the day. She waited until most of them had moved off and then went over to talk to him.

"Menarin, if I could have a moment, please, " Elandria called to him.

He swung around in her direction, "What do you want?" he asked in a hostile tone.

Elandria noted the hostility, but kept her tone level and pleasant, "I was wondering if I could join the training sessions for the hunters who work with the sword."

Menarin looked down his nose at her, "No," he said. "We don't need any shemlen lovers here. Go away." He turned his back on her and walked off.

Elandria held her breath at his rudeness and counted to ten, putting on her "Grey Warden face" Zevran used to tease her about so no one could tell how angry she was. She turned and strode off back to her aravel inwardly seething at Menarin's rudeness.

A.N.: Thanks to melismo for the beta reading.