A perfectly nice, sweet, happy, peaceful chapter. No need to be concerned. Really.

"Felrion! Look!"

The healer laid down his record book and turned to find his favorite colleague beaming at what looked to be a newborn elfling. "I hope his parents are all right with you stealing him?" Tathor almost always got to attend births in or near the palace; the other healers couldn't say no to his enthusiasm and the new parents asked for him increasingly often.

"Oh, they're just in the next room over—I guess you came in after all the excitement. How did you know he was a boy?"

"Lucky guess." Felrion joined his friend in smiling fondly at the infant. "Hey there, little guy. Sheyni's, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah."

Felrion chuckled. "Maybe we should warn the king that Taen's going to be insufferably happy tomorrow."

"I hope someday I have great-grandchildren."

"Hmm." That was an adorable mental image. "I wonder why now?"

"Now? What do you mean?"

"Why they would chose to have a child now."

"With the freaky stuff in the forest?"

"Yes, and... the other things."

The baby wriggled, and Tathor bounced and cooed to him thoughtfully (which only the pinkish-haired healer could do). "Silana said when—y'know—the thing happened—"

This, Felrion assumed, would be their still untold adventures in Rivendell.

"—that something's always going to be happening, and we just have to figure out what to do about it. Her Ada and Nana told her that they learned not to stop living when something bad happens because then they'll always be putting things on hold."

"Still..."

"I think... I guess I don't know like older elves would, but I think we need things that bring hope to help us get through suffering. Like Legolas was born after King Oropher died and it helped Thranduil move on, and even more when Queen Sky died—that's what Taen says. He says King Thranduil says that Legolas was the last light in his world. And—Silana says when she found out my Ada and Nana were going to have me, after Sky had just died, it cheered her up a little," Tathor said shyly.

"Hmm... Sky, too, she helped us get over losing her parents."

"I think maybe we need something to remind us that life will go on."

Felrion nodded slowly.

Tathor rocked the baby in his arms, soothing him to sleep. "Anyway, if you're waiting for a time... I think you'd be really good. If you and Kilvara want to."

"I'll think about it."

. . . . . .

"What do we have here?"

"Shh! Don't wake everyone else!"

Storm squeezed into the huddle, which happened to be far outside the camp. Moon was in the middle, cradling a little pink form with hair as silver as hers. "You didn't tell me you were in labor!"

"Well, we stopped early," said Fox. One of his hands rested lightly on the baby's body, the other softly traced its face, memorizing its features with the same wonder as Moon watched the tiny legs kick.

"But Fox."

"Sorry. But you can hold her if you like."

"Can I?"

"Sure. She's the first baby since you became leader, after all."

Storm took the newborn with practiced hands; there were really only two babies he'd held more than twice each (Sky and Legolas), but one didn't forget these things. This one felt pretty average as far as babies went, but something about her reminded him of his sister. Maybe it was the bright spark in her eyes, even though they were the same silver-veined black as Fox's had been. "Any name ideas?" It was traditional to wait a little while to name a newborn Avari, but it was never too soon to start thinking.

"I was thinking Swift," Fox told him.

"Like the bird, or the speed?"

"Why not both?"

"I like it. Fits with the silver somehow." And the Avari saw swifts as a symbol of hope, like the humans in the west put together doves and peace. Perfect, when the Hwenti were still getting used to life without Dawn.

The baby made a "peep" sound.

"That's an impressive noise for a newborn," Storm told her. "Do you like that name?"

"Glb."

Rain—of course Rain was there too—laughed. "I think it's set now."

Storm tickled the elfling's ear fondly. "Welcome to the tribe, Swift. I have a good feeling about you."

See? Nice and happy. I would never lie to you. :D