The next morning, Marcos took off for the city as soon as dawn broke over their little campsite. Rayla gave Callum a quizzical look when the soldier bolted towards the city just as they started pouring water on the fire. "He's gone to tell Ezran we're here," the prince explained. "Ezran and probably Opeli will meet up at the city gates. It's a royal protocol thing."

"Seems pretty useless if you ask me," she sniffed as she rolled up her blankets. "Why couldn't we just go into the city and to the castle like we usually do?"

With a sigh, Callum tied his blanket roll to his horse's saddle and looked back to his friend. "Whenever a foreign ambassador enters the capital city, he is greeted by a member of the council. Add to that the fact that Ethari is our guest, and it means that Ezran has to greet him personally."

"Why," asked the older elf. "Not that I'm not looking forward to meeting the Speaker King," Ethari added with a smile at Callum, "but all these rules are rather baffling."

Callum looked around the camp for something else to do or pack, but when he found nothing, he gestured towards their horses. "Come on, Marcos shouldn't get too far ahead. Ezran's probably waiting already."

With a teasing grin, Rayla swept a leg over her horse's side and situated herself in the saddle. "I'll just bet he is. Eager to meet his new niece or nephew?"

Rather than the blush or flailing she'd expected, Callum's shoulders scrunched around his ears. "I don't know. He hasn't sent me any crow letters or a response of any kind. I don't even know if he got my letter."

There was a moment of silence before Rayla straightened her back and decided that, since she'd created the cloud over them, she might as well dispel it too. "So why does he have to greet us in person?"

With a sideways glare that told her the prince knew exactly what she was doing, he answered, "It's because we want people to know you're in Katolis for a reason."

Ethari nudged his horse and trotted until he was riding on Callum's other side. "Why, have you been having trouble with elves?"

He shrugged. "Not with this, no, because we stuck to the rules. Every elf that came to Katolis was announced and greeted by a member of the council at the city gate. It used to be used in wartime so foreigners couldn't claim to be here on the King's business. If they were, everyone already knew who they were because they'd seen them coming in with the king or knew someone who did. If someone claimed to be working with the king, but no one had seen them together, people knew something was up and reported them. It can be a pain, but it helped a lot with weeding out spies during wartime." He looked at Rayla and frowned at her surprised expression. "What? I like history." Ethari chuckled. "Right now, though, we greet all elves this way by at least sending an ambassador. It helps the elves feel safe and important as well as deal with the people not suspecting them of anything. It works for everyone."

"So what, we just have to wait until the wall guards notice us and tell Ezran we're here?" Rayla scowled. That could take forever!

But Callum shook his head. "No, that's why Marcos went ahead. He'll tell Ez we're here. We'll probably still have to wait, but not for long." Then the prince pulls on his reigns and the two elves also stop their mounts, looking at him. "We're here," he says with a smile and gesture forwards.

Ethari looks up at his home for the next few months and has to admire it. The wall is a high, utilitarian structure with sturdy gates and two watchtowers on either side of the only visible entrance. "Does this wall run all the way around the city," he asked.

Callum nods. "Yep! And We've got soldiers all the way around. Oh, wait." He dug in one of his saddlebags and, not finding what he was looking for, looked at Ethari with a sheepish expression. "Do you have a cloak or something? To disguise the, uh…" He gestured at his torso.

"I can't possibly hide it the whole time I'm here, Callum. Why should I do so now?" the elf gently scolded.

Callum cringed. "I know, and I'm not asking you to hide the whole time you're here. But we need to decide how we're going to tell people about this, and there are a few people who need to be here for that talk who aren't yet. Besides," he said with a bit of a smile. "If we don't hide yours, mine will hopefully not be such a big surprise when I start…" He blushed and ducked his head.

Rayla reached across and put a hand on his shoulder, making him smile gently. Then they both looked at Ethari. The mage held up a hand and chuckled gently. "Alright, I'll get my cloak. Can you hold my reigns, Rayla?"

The girl grabbed the offered leaher strips and waited for her guardian to find the mentioned piece of clothing. I could always have a little fun while we wait, she thought gleefully. She turned a thoughtful eye on Callum, making sure he noticed.

His reaction was perfect. "What?" One eyebrow lifted as he watched her visibly scan his profile. He crossed his arms as she continued to stare at him.

Mock-thoughtfully, Rayla put a hand on her chin. "Well, how long have you been pregnant?"

Still, on guard, Callum answered, "since the night we defeated Viren. Why?"

Rayla's eyes bugged out. It had really been that long? "Face forward," she ordered. He heard the change in her voice and did as she asked. "Pull your tunic tight."

He scowled at her then. "Rayla, this isn't funny."

"Not, it's not," came a voice from behind them. Ethari mounted again with his cloak wrapped around his shoulders and sent Rayla a sharp look. Then he smiled at Callum. "I think that was about two months and two weeks ago, right Callum?" The boy nodded sharply, expression uneasy. "Then you don't have to worry about anyone seeing." The prince deflated into a relieved hunch. "Even if you do start showing soon, it will be very small. You'll be able to hide it with your clothes for quite a while, since you're only having one. Why don't you ride ahead and see if they're ready for us?"

The prince got his horse to walk ahead and Ethari looked sternly at his ward. "I know you like to tease, but let him be about this. He deserves to have that discovery to himself." Properly chastised, Rayla followed Ethari and Callum to the gates that were just starting to open.