Kiravel's eagerness was bent upon triumph over her will to keep her eyes shut as Aulos led her through the forests of Tel'Ruid.

"Open your eyes, tinu," Aulendil said.

The younger elf looked at the building in front of her.

"It is one of the homes of Tel'Mithrim. But wait! Your name and sign are on the post. Is this...?"

"Yes, tinu," he spoke softly. "We have a home here. And if we continue our vigilance, we may one day have a place within these elves."

The younger elf-maiden only heard the last of these words in the most technical of senses. She was already bounding up the small steps into the building to check out the interior. Aulos smiled as he saw the joy it brought her. But a small cloud of sorrow entered his mind. Had she forgotten her true parents as easily as she was now overlooking the signs of frost on the eaves of their new home? It was a difficult matter for him to ponder and he would have to consider it carefully, perhaps under consultation with those wiser than he, before bringing it up. At any event, this was clearly not the time.

"Come inside, father," Kiravel shouted through the half-open door. "It's so empty, but I can see just where everything will be!"

No, Aulos thought to himself. This was clearly not the time to wrest with joy. Smiling in contentment yet again, he entered their new home.