Thud.

Reeds certainly can be a burden, but at least the callouses upon his hands helped immensely in both grip and feeling…

Ellindë found a small uplifted bank that was neatly nestled against the forest edge on the western side of the lake. The view was beautiful. Kuiviénen was still visible (as always), and one could see the north and south banks from that vintage point. The cliffs where the houses of the kings stood was harder to see from that distance, though that was a minor detail as far as the two elves were concerned. For now, that is.

"What next?" Luinilockte asked as she rubbed her hands against her trousers.

Ellindë looked at the pile of plants towards the outline he had made for the structure, "Grass, I suppose…"

"Are you able to get this upright by yourself?" Luinilockte pointed towards the reeds.

The nér shrugged, "No harm in trying," he said as he started to drag a reed off the pile, "I doubt that I am unable to though."

Luinilockte smiled, "I have no doubt either, veruin."

Ellindë returned the smile as he watched Luinilockte off to go grass harvesting, and soon after returned his attention towards the foundation and the reeds. Yes, he could get them upright…but how will they stay that way?

Mud.

Water…

Ellindë had a look of displeasure at the realization. He needed water in order to moisten the ground, and thus make small mounds which would keep the reeds upright. How could he have missed that small detail?

Drying anything was a living nightmare for that note. It took so long…even to the point of it being an impossible feat. There were not many clay pots among the population for that reason, and the ones that were successful and functional were valued greatly.

Ellindë knew that feeling very well. As much as he had invested a great amount of time into molding clay into pots (he missed at least one of the great "aurora dances" because of it), the frustration of softened material folding in on itself or just developing folds happened more frequently than the feeling of accomplishment.

As for structures, it was a bit easier. One could simply spread dry dirt atop the wet dirt and thus spread the moisture a bit more evenly. Then another person…

Ellindë sighed.

So much for having everything in control: a skill he is still trying to refine.

Luinilockte would not be back for a while, unless she decides to carry one armful of grass instead of five. Better get to getting water…

Yes, she did have to carry more than one armful of grass. In Luinilockte's reasoning: bringing more in at once means less time and trips. Well, that is the initial thought at least…there is a point when it becomes absurd and far more complicated than need be.

The grass bundle slipped from her arms and Luinilockte became flabbergasted. She knelt down hastily to try and gather them back into her arms.

"Oh stars…" she murmured in a mildly frustrated tone. She finally got all (or most) of the grass in her arms before looking around the area.

Luinilockte had wandered along the north-western banks of Kuiviénen, where some water grass grew abundantly. She and Laikānis also used to wander here when they needed rocks for circlets. The fairest of them were found on the north bank too.

She pursed her lips. She actually preferred the north bank because of the abundant beauty. However, Ellindë would not have it and she knew why.

No stars.

Yes, it disturbed her a fair deal at that discovery, yet are there not some areas that make the stars not visible? The forest, for example? Maybe it is the same case for the sky: something is blocking the stars. What would it be though? She did not know of anything so dense it would block out the lights in the sky…or at least, block everything else except the odd red haze.

Smoke…?

That is reasonable enough. But how is it possible for there to be THAT much smoke to block the entire sky? And who would be out there to make the fire?

Luinilockte involuntarily shivered and at the same time hugged her grass bundle.

They slipped from her grasp yet again.

"Why this?" she said in a more raised voice and again started to gather the bundle up…

Ellindë set the massive pot filled with water down with a thud and a huff. Urns were heavy, especially when filled to the brim. He was not sure how much water he needed, but one could not be certain. Besides, the work he and his wife were about to go through, they will need water within close reach.

Ellindë sat down on the ever green grass, simply enjoying the scenery, the sounds, and to have a respite from the extreme load he had carried moments before. Ah…at least the weariness never lasted long, or what seemed to be long. He avoided looking towards the north, or at least the northern part of the sky. He did that as much as he possibly could, never wanting to experience the odd dread and chill more than necessary.

The kings surely know of this, they must know. News was harder to reach from the western part of Kuiviénen all the way to the eastern banks and to the cliffs itself because of the distance needed to go between. From Ellindë's view, there were not enough of those sent by the rulers to monitor the happenings on the western regions. Or at least not enough waypoints. He did not know and he had no business knowing.

Ellindë frowned at the thought of certain people being ignored. The nér shook his head. Nay, that is not so: cannot be so…Life is so new, so precious…who would simply ignore another because they are deemed lesser, or the distance seems too far? Foolishness, that is what that is. Ignorance…

Ellindë blinked a few times, his demeanor lighting up from dourness to happiness at the sight of his wife, and he stood up. The sight of her carrying more than she is able welled up amusement, though the nér refrained from chuckling, "Have you considered taking less, or having help?"

Luinilockte huffed, still a tad exasperated from her trouble, "I have thought of it; but I am not doing it yet."

Ellindë rose a brow, "No? Well, then let me do it for you." He came closer to Luinilockte and took a decent bunch of grass from her arms.

Luinilockte did not protest, yet when she saw that almost nothing had been done about their future home… "You have not done anything yet!"

Ellindë stared in mild shock. He was silent for a few moments before reluctantly speaking, "…I had forgotten a few important details…" With that said he looked towards the urn full of water.

Luinilockte followed the elf's gaze, considering things for a moment. She could not be too angry, and for the most part her annoyance was due to her own stubbornness. A small smile broke out on her face, "I may have as well."

Both agreed to that as they settled the grass into one big pile. Ellindë looked towards a reed, "I will hold this upright…then I need you to pile up some mud against the base of it, hence the water."

Luinilockte nodded and she knelt down, "…But what use will the grass be?"

"As we move along the posts, we will weave it between them."

Soon the nér hauled a reed over to a corner and with some strain got it standing upright. Luinilockte moved quickly and sprinkled some water over a patch of dirt, making mud from it and then dumping it against the reed's base and then forming a small mound against its sides.

"It will be a long time though..." she murmured.

"That is what breaks are for, dear." Ellindë turned his gaze towards the reeds once more, "…I might be able to hold four at once together, if you can get them standing up as well…"

"I can certainly try."

And Luinilockte was successful in that endeavor. The work was slow, yes, but slowly the spouses made progress on building their hut. It spanned for many, many days until the walls were up, and they both rejoiced that the hardest part was over; even more when the structure was completed.

Yes, this was home…

A/N I was seriously hoping I would not have to do this note (like I said last chapter I do them too much...like, every chapter (most of them). BUT, I figured out reviews (as you can probably tell I am relatively new to FFN...). So, I should be able to respond to reviews properly. With that in mind...three months later:

morninsunshines: I am glad that this was interesting enough to hit the follow button (and review as well!), and once more thank you for choosing to do so :)

I hope this is still interesting for everyone else too, and I thank you for the favoriting and the following as well :) (in fact, A Midnight Muse got me writing this chapter after I saw the PMs hit my email, so thank you too :) )

...

Veruin = my husband. An attempt to blend two words (primitive elvish and a half quenya word for 'my').