3E141-200
The Family Grows

It was quite the controversy when Pelagius Septim III married Duchess Katariah of Ebonheart, given that Pelagius was potentially next in line for the imperial throne and Katariah was a Dunmer. Still, it was an interesting time. The War of the Red Diamond was long over, Potema and Uriel III were long dead, Sir Casimir of the Knights of Nine had struck a beggar down in the Chapel of Stendarr in Chorrol, and just this past year, Emperor Cephorus Septim I died, which left the throne to his younger brother Magnus, who was already an old man. Sitting on their porch, Lucien listened to the word from Anvil his wife had brought back as she sewed patches of a quilt together for their youngest. Gwendis's birthday was fast approaching after all! Lucien just smoked his pipe and listened.

Their little farm had grown as well. They now had ten chickens clucking about in addition to their three sheep, draft horse, two goats, and even a few ducks had made themselves at home. The family had even taken in a few cats to keep the mice and rabbits out. In exchange, they got more than their fair share of fish and cream! They still had their lovely herb garden, and kept some specially made plants on the porch to keep their strawberries under control. They were starting to add onto their house and barn! The chickens and ducks were kept in separate coops that could be opened to retrieve their eggs, the goats shared a stall across from the horse, and the three sheep had their own stalls. The fence was expanded to accommodate the space needed for the animals and the cats just slept wherever they pleased. Little doors, shelves, and cubbies were built into both the house and barn for ease of access.

There were now four bedrooms in the house. Lucien and Lorwen moved permanently to the ground floor, off the living space where they sat for stories, meals, and indoor play. The second floor was nothing but bedrooms: Luthien, now 16 and to be 17 in Last Seed, had the largest room, decorated to her pleasure. In addition to learning to hunt as both feline and Elf, she was also learning to weave, dye, and embroider. She would examine her father's paintings to learn their colors and then dye her threads to match each color. Finally, she would carefully thread each stitch to match the colors of the paints. She was passionate about embroidering and created such masterpieces. Lucien cried seeing her creations!

"Father, why are you crying?" she asked him, worried.

"Your skill is unmatched, even so young," Lucien answered, admiring an embroidered sunset. "I knew an Elven woman whose skill is your equal, and she was almost as beautiful as you, your mother, and your sister. Of course, I am biased because you are my daughter. But back on my homeworld, she, Lady Arwen, was believed to be the most beautiful Elf of her time. You are named after her great-great grandmother, who was also believed to be the most beautiful Elf of her time, and Arwen was said to look just like her. Alas, she was a talented embroiderer and I am honored to have known her. Sadly, she is long gone after choosing a mortal life. Love is a truly beautiful and terrible gift that we are given, and you make sure you find someone who looks at you the way I look at your mother's garlic roasted fish!"

"I HEARD THAT YOU BASTARD!" Lorwen shouted from downstairs.

Lucien and Luthien touched foreheads together, chuckling. Lorwen heard everything after all, as a mother would.

Celegorn had the smallest bedroom, but he lived very modestly with a hammock in one corner of his room that he climbed a stair-shaped dresser to get into. Underneath his hammock was a nest of pillows and blankets where he enjoyed reading. The rest of his room was still to be determined, but for now was decorated with paintings of the various animals they had. He would often accompany Luthien in the mornings on her egg collects while Lorwen went to milk the goats and let the larger animals out. The boy liked collecting feathers, and kept them in the chest in his room.

"What are you collecting these feathers for?" Lucien asked with a chuckle.

"Someday, I will make the best arrows in the world, and I'll already have the feathers to do so!"

Lucien laughed, but encouraged his son all the same. He started teaching the boy how to hunt and to find other kinds of feathers. "Just not crows or ravens. They're smart birds, and will remember all you do to them."

His son nodded. They found plenty of wild fowl that provided excellent and colorful feathers. Lucien was so proud of his son for his hobby. Their hunts reminded him of Amanisa's oldest. She was such a lost soul, but a talented huntress who made her own bows and arrows. She even used spent enemy arrows, despite the fact they were made with cruelty in mind. He remembered Legolas, the Prince of Mirkwood, whose arrow never missed a target and his friendship with Gimli, Son of Gloin. The days that they left Middle Earth forever were sad, especially when Amanisa said goodbye to her oldest daughter forever. Lucien knew he would still be here when all his children were gone.

"It will not be like this forever," Amanisa would have assured. "Someday, we will be mortal and death will not be a struggle."

Yes, Planeswalkers could die, but it was never easy.

Lucien's youngest had the second largest room, and she never would complain about it. As she grew, it became an indoor playground for her! She spent much time as a lynx, climbing, sneaking, hunting, hiding, and leaping and landing properly on her feet. Lucien was plagued with thoughts of "What if", remembering his mother and brother who were born normal lynx. They were so small when they lost their father and then their brother and two sisters. Their mother had been wounded by cruel hawks trying to steal her food so that she could feed her precious cubs. She was rescued by a Dwarf, and then Amanisa came along, and coaxed Lucien and his surviving sibling out of the cave. The good Dwarf kept the sibling, but Lucien attached himself to Amanisa, and she loved him. When he was old enough to be away, she took him to her estate in Bree-land where he coexisted with all manner of other animals and even an Entwife: Beautiful Peardew!

Peardew was a very active Ent, one of the last remaining active Entwives actually. She mournfully spoke of her sisters, who fled into the darkest woods outside Fangorn to sleep. She had not seen them since their beautiful gardens to the east were destroyed. The destruction of their garden had ignited her Spark and sent her away to safety. When she managed to return, it was all gone, and her sisters were either slain or slumbered away. And now, she was visiting Lucien.

His children were alarmed, seeing a walking, talking tree, in this year 145. Luthien, soon to be 21, ushered her younger siblings, then 12 and 10, behind her. Lorwen came out with a look of awe. Peardew's speech was slow, but musical.

"Hmmm…" She started with a groan, not used to speaking, and blinked just as slow. It must have been some time since she spoke! "Luuucieen."

"Hello, Old Friend," Lucien greeted. "I'm surprised to see you've come to visit."

"Iiiiii heard you wedded," Peardew said. "Iii've come with a gift, thoooough, I worry it might not take root well here."

"Are you like I, a Planeswalker? Perhaps you can change enough land for it to take root and grow well and strong," Lucien responded.

"Yeeesss, I just do not like bending nature to my will," Peardew reminded. "But Iiiii suppooossse for this gift, I can make dooo." She then produced a sapling from her mane of willow branches. "I knoooow you could have easily brought a sapling from home, but it would not have survived the Blind Eterrrnities without my protection."

"One of Am's pear trees!" Lucien exclaimed in delight.

With Peardew's aid, the tree took root and grew strong. It grew into a wonderful tree within five years. Lucien made sure to pluck the flowers the first few years so the tree could focus on growing. It was settled between the house and barn. The pears were juicy and sweet, and to protect the fruits and the family from wasps, Luthien wove a net to cover the tree.

One day in the year 166, she was selling pears along the thoroughfare in Anvil when a sailor approached her. He was a surprisingly tall male Bosmer who fell for lovely Luthien. Giralon was his name! Theirs was a long courtship, with him bringing her flowers and her giving him pears for free in the beginning, then long walks on the beach with picnics and dinners at The Count's Arms a little later on, when he was in town. When he was away, he sent letters and packages from his travels! He sent pearls, fine threads and fabrics, and seed beads that she incorporated into her elaborate embroidery projects. She even woven a fine flag for the ship Giralon worked on. His captain, a Nord woman named Sylgfa, was pleased with the flag. Naturally, she told him about her unique abilities. He accepted them in stride.

By the year 175, Luthien and Giralon were married, and proud parents the following year!

They named their daughter Arwen, making Lucien thrilled! For the first few years, they stayed in the main house, all pitching in to help raise Arwen. It was helpful when Giralon was away sailing. On her second year, the family started working on their own little house on the farm. There, Luthien continued her beautiful works while raising her precious daughter.

Sweet Gwendis was the second to wed, and to a Nord woman of all things. She had become involved with Sylgfa and started working and sailing with her a year after Luthien and Giralon became involved. She quite enjoyed sailing, the salty sea air, and splash of water against the hull of the ship. She learned to fence, fight, and work with rope, and all this combined with her light feet and speed made her a dangerous opponent for pirates. Gwendis moved into Luthien's old bedroom when her sister moved into her lovely cottage, and decorated it similar to her childhood bedroom with all the shelves and hammocks. They did adopt a child: A small Nord girl named Eir whose father had worked for Giralon. She was happy to come home to a large family!

Animals came and went over the years, but they were always remembered for the gifts they gave. Celegorn had crafted his first bow from the remains of one of their sheep, and Luthien wove a fine string from that sheep's wool. He kept his word on becoming a great fletcher, and sold different kinds of arrows. On his way home one day, he happened upon an injured raven. He took the bird in and nursed them back to health. As thanks, the raven would bring him gifts to inspire new bow and arrow designs and even scouted different hunts for him! The raven even found Celegorn's wife, a Dunmeri woman named Dalsa. She was a hunter whose leg got caught in a bear trap! Celegorn saved her and took him home for healing.

"Reminds me of how I met your mother," Lucien pointed out, "just less gruesome. She was hunting and I stole her kill as I had happened upon the beast by chance."

By the year 200, Lucien and his wife Lorwen were proud grandparents with beautiful daughters-in-law. It was a good life they led. Celegorn and Dalsa had two sons, Luthien and Giralon had their little Arwen and then a son, and Gwendis and Sylgfa focused on their adopted child. The biological children of course inherited the skinchanging abilities. It had led to some jealousy from Eir, so Lucien studied a way for her to become one as well. He longed to speak to his old friend Radagast the Brown, but there were still the Beornings to consult, and they were very helpful. He helped Eir craft what she needed to become a lynx as well, and she proudly prowled the shadows.