Reia greeted them from the porch.

“Welcome back.”

Seres responded in kind. “Hello, Reia. I know it's only been a few hours, but I hope the house has been treating you well.”

“I've been keeping myself occupied,” Reia smiled. A fraction of a second later, her expression went from exchanging pleasantries to indicating she had something to say to them. Instead of belabouring the point, she just said, “You have visitors.”

Rowan furrowed her brows ever so slightly. “Already?” she asked. Even without the cautiously distant reception they had experienced at the palace, Rowan was sure they wouldn't be receiving visitors until they made their presence known. It was one thing for people to hear about their arrival, and another for them to know where they were staying.

Reia simply nodded.

“I've been entertaining them in the sunroom.”

“Have they been waiting long?” Seres asked.

“A half hour. And before you ask, Lochlan, they aren't a threat, at least not in a way that matters, though one of them may tackle Lady Rowan if we delay any further; she's been tapping her feet in anticipation ever since she sat down.”

Despite seemingly directing her addendum mostly at Lochlan, Reia was focusing almost entirely on Rowan as she said it. The message was clear. It was Alena. It had to be.

Rowan was gone the moment Reia opened the front door. Everyone else was too slow. It only took her maybe ten seconds of light jogging to reach the sunroom. Once there, she had to stop herself from accidentally throwing the door open. With her elevated emotions it would have been far too easy to break the hinges if she wasn't careful.

Fortunately, Rowan was able to use the momentary pause to compose herself; she didn't want to make a fool of herself in front of Alena and the others. It wasn’t all positive, however, as the change of pace gave her less favourable emotions time to catch up. Before they could start building, Rowan slapped her cheeks and opened the door.

She never made it inside; not without first being tackled to the ground by a tawny-haired bundle of love and excitement. Rowan was able to ensure a soft landing for the two of them by rolling with the flying embrace of her Ferran lover instead of against it. With that said, the impact had taken her completely by surprise. She was only able to react fast enough because of her rising anticipation.

In the time it took Rowan to regain her composure, Alena said, “You're late!”

She spoke with an adorably indignant flourish that did little to hide her purring, and it did even less to obfuscate the way she nuzzled Rowan as if she were catnip.

Rowan didn't need to be an Empath or a Linguist to know that Alena probably wasn't upset with her, but she still felt the need to apologise. She wrapped her arms around Alena and whispered, “I'm sorry.”

“It's okay,” Alena replied. Any hint of her prior indignation was gone, only to be replaced by a strange mix of crying and purring. “I'm just having a hard time believing you're really here. I was scared you wouldn't make it.”

“Nothing was going to stop me from seeing you again.”

“I know…”

“Good for you, Alena, but aren't you forgetting something?”

The new speaker had Alena jumping out of her skin. Rowan wasn’t sure why; she didn't recognise the speaker. Not wanting to be blindsided, Rowan lowered her voice and asked Alena, “Who's that?”

“My grandmother. She wants to meet you.”

The revelation sent a chill down Rowan's spine. She was not prepared. Neither was Alena. They were doomed.

“So this is Rowan? I am Kaleia, High Elder of House Del'mein.”

She introduced herself proudly, having moved from her place in the sunroom to Alena's side. From Rowan's position on the ground, it didn't matter that Kaleia was only three and a half feet tall; she was a giant who filled the room with her presence.

“Hello,” Rowan said timidly.

Instead of responding in kind, Kaleia said, “Stand up, girl. Let me get a good look at you.” It wasn’t an order, at least not in tone, but Kaleia spoke with the authority of a matriarch.

Not wanting to disappoint her, Rowan leapt to her feet. Kaleia took hold of Rowan's jaw and drew her face in.

“Your eyes have good colour. True violet is rare. You have good structure as well. I can see why Alena likes you. Your hair has promise, but you will need to take better care of it if you want it to shine. Everything else seems to be in order. You can relax now.”

Rowan sighed in relief as Kaleia returned to Alena’s side, only to panic again when Kaleia started speaking again.

“It is a good thing you are an Ardent.”

“Why is that?” Rowan asked cautiously.

“Because otherwise, I might accidentally snap you like a twig when we spar later.”

“Nana!” Alena exclaimed.

“What? I won't question if she is worthy of your heart, but I need to make sure she has the mettle needed to be worthy of your hand.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Of course it is. Anyone who is serious about marrying one of my descendents whilst I still breathe must prove themselves worthy. If Rowan's mother was still with us, I would expect you to spar with her as well.”

“But…”

“It's okay, Alena. If it's only sparring, I see no reason to decline.”

“You don't understand, Rowan.”

“Hush now, Alena. Rowan has made her choice known.”

The finality in Kaleia's voice had Rowan questioning if she might have been a wee bit hasty with her decision-making, but it was too late to back out now.

Kaleia turned to face Rowan directly. “You have until the end of the week to prepare. I do not wish for you to be black and blue for Princess Seres’ birthday tomorrow.”

“I'm sure I willnae be — wait! You know about Seres’ birthday?”

“I do. Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to introduce myself to Her Highness.”

“You can stay here if that's your plan. The others were right behind me.”

“They're not coming,” Alena opined.

“Why not?”

“Your maid promised Alena she wouldn't get in the way of your reunion. She is probably waiting for a sign that you are done. I will be that sign. Enjoy the rest of your reunion.”

There was no stopping her. For such a small and venerable old lady, she was deceptively nimble. Even if she wasn't, Rowan was not about to test her limits. From Alena’s expression, she was similarly wary.

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When they were sure Kaleia was out of earshot, they both sighed in relief.

“That was intense,” Rowan said.

“Tell me about it,” Alena replied. “I've been dreading this ever since she appeared at my door two weeks ago. It was the same day we received word of the storm hitting Llen Færa. I was a wreck.”

“I can imagine. It's no wonder you were worried we wouldn't make it in time. The storm was bad. Did your grandmother really come all this way to meet me? How did she know about us?”

“Can we sit down first? We've got a lot of catching up to do.”

Rowan stepped forwards and kissed Alena.

“Of course. Shall we?”

Alena smiled happily and grabbed Rowan’s hand.

“Yes.”

They walked into the sunroom together and sat down on one of the sofas. Despite the clearly suggestive overtones of Kaleia's closing statement, the couple were perfectly happy sitting next to each other and talking. The time for being more intimate would come later — a silent promise.

Rowan gazed lovingly into Alena’s eyes, while Alena caressed her hands softly.

“So, Nana Kaleia?”

Not exactly the most romantic question, but it had already been asked.

“Right, yes. That's what she told me, though I wouldn't be surprised if she is also using it as an excuse to check up on me. I haven't been home in forever.”

“Why's that?”

“Time. My family lives in central Ferran, and there is no way I am travelling all that way only to leave a few days later. It's also far too risky to go alone. Actually, now that I think about it, the last time I visited was with Davra and Reia for my eighteenth birthday. Well, not exactly. Reia was there for the free ride to Llanefhrin.”

“I can see why they might want to check up on you then.”

“And you are the river that guides them. Nana Kaleia is only the beginning. Wherever she goes, House Del'mein follows.”

“Duly noted.”

Whilst Rowan knew it was only a matter of time before she met the rest of Alena’s family, she could do little more than acknowledge the likelihood of it now happening sooner rather than later.

“We'll be fine, Rowan,” Alena said warmly. “My family will love you.”

“That's what I'm afraid of.”

Rowan's admission had Alena chuckling softly.

Between laughs, Alena said, “Oh, hush.”

Rowan answered with a look of mock indignation and an exaggerated “What?”

“You're teasing me,” Alena protested.

Rowan leaned in closer. “I think we're teasing each other.”

Alena responded in kind, her voice a sensual whisper as she asked, “Are we now?”

“Yes,” Rowan answered softly. She could feel Alena’s heady breathing as it tickled her face. Their lips were practically touching.

The talk of Alena’s family did wonders for affirming their relationship, even if the prospect of meeting them so soon terrified Rowan to her core. If they were anything like Kaleia, she was in for the trial of a lifetime.

Alena released her hold on Rowan's hands so that she could pull her in for the kiss. There was no hesitation, only passion.

Rowan squeezed her lover tightly as they duelled each other with their tongues, whereas Alena gave her hands the freedom to touch Rowan's thighs. While they didn't go much further than simple kissing and light touching, it was more than enough to rekindle their wanton inferno of love and passion.

When they finally drew their impromptu make-out session to a close, they were both laughing and struggling to catch their breath.

Rowan sighed happily. “I've missed this.”

“So have I,” Alena smiled. “If it weren't for the very real possibility of Seres, Reia, or Nana Kaleia walking in, I would still be kissing you.”

“I think we can pace ourselves. I'm going to be in Særis for the foreseeable future, and we still have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Very true. How was Næmyris? We've been talking about my family, but not yours. Is everything okay?”

Rowan nodded, her gleeful expression taking on a serious cast. “I found Tehri. She's alive.”

Alena shifted ever so slightly, her vibrant green eyes glistening with understanding. “Tell me more.”

*****

Rowan told Alena everything, from the Rite of Familial Resonance with Seres and the start of their journey with Lochlan and Liadra all the way up to her tragic reunion with Gyren and the events that followed. By the time she finished her retelling, the sky was flush. She must have been talking for an hour at least. However long it was, they were left alone for the duration.

“I know where you can purchase a pair of Communication Arrays so that you can have an easier time getting in touch with Tehri while you're still here,” Alena offered after asking if the younger Naliir was okay.

Rowan beamed. “Really? I was going to ask Lochlan or Liadra to look into finding one for me, but if you already know where to get them, that's perfect.”

“If I recall correctly, there are seven stores throughout the city where you might find them on sale for a reasonable amount.”

Rowan looked at Alena sceptically. “Define reasonable.”

“Ten gold crowns?” Alena replied.

Rowan furrowed her brows, not quite believing what she had just been told. “Say again.”

Alena obliged, only this time, she answered with a lot more confidence in her response.

“Ten gold crowns.”

Furrowed brows transitioned into a frown. Whilst hearing it a second time didn't really assuage Rowan's feelings of personal incredulity, she was, at the very least, sure of what Alena had said.

“Okay, so I'm not going crazy. Are they really that expensive?”

Alena nodded. “For the good ones, yeah. They need to have enough complexity for all the various configurations.”

“I guess that makes sense. You'll have to show me where to find them when we have time. As for right now, I have something else I need to discuss with you.”

“Well, that sounds ominous, “Alena observed.

Rowan took hold of Alena’s hand whilst also giving her a warm smile. “It's nothing to be afraid of. I wanted to talk about the nature of our relationship. We said we were open to the idea of a Ferran-style community, but we never got round to discussing the nitty-gritty details.”

Alena responded with a look that was somehow a mix of relief and trepidation. “Why now?”

“Do you remember Brennan?”

“Yes?”

“Well, he told me that he had a massive crush on both of us, but—”

“I know,” Alena said before Rowan could finish, a rising blush adding a whole new dimension to her relieved trepidation.

“You do?” Rowan asked.

“Yeah. We had a chance encounter in the main university library where he revealed it whilst expressing—”

“—no desire to act on it,” Rowan said, finishing Alena’s sentence. “He said he doesn't want to infringe on what we have out of respect. I told him that he was an idiot for thinking he could contain his feelings like that, whilst also telling him we aren't strictly exclusive.”

“And that's why you want to talk about us?”

“Kind of. I wanted to talk about us anyway, but not for a while. This just altered the timing.”

“That's fair. I've also been thinking about how we might explore our options.”

“You have? That's great.”

“It's definitely something I'm interested in actively pursuing at some point in the future, but for right now, I want to focus on us.”

“I know what you mean. I wouldn't object to it happening organically, however. Especially if we find ourselves attracted to the same person.”

“I could agree to that,” Alena smiled. “Do you have anyone in mind?”

“Romantically, no,” Rowan confirmed, knowing full well who Alena was suggesting.

“And physically?” Alena teased.

“Mayhap,” Rowan answered, her tone playful. “We aren't exactly lacking for attractive friends. You're still the most attractive.”

Alena’s blush deepened bashfully. “You're incorrigible.”

“So are you,” Rowan laughed.

“It's part of my charm.”

“It is indeed.”

Rowan started leaning in, only to be stopped by Alena placing a finger on her lips. She smiled wistfully and told Rowan, “Whilst I would love for you to kiss me right now, we should probably go back to defining the nature of our relationship.”

Rowan sighed ruefully. “You're right. We've only scratched the surface.”

They continued talking about the future of their relationship and what it meant for them for what could have been hours. While they lacked the necessary insight or experience for a truly comprehensive discussion, they were able to cover the essentials in enough detail. At some point, the conversation drifted away from polyamory and onto less complicated affairs.

They were eventually interrupted by a pressing need for dinner. Rowan hadn't eaten since breakfast, and the smell of Reia’s cooking was starting to permeate the room. A few moments later, they were sitting down with everyone at the dining room table as Reia provided them all with generous helpings of pan haggerty and rainbow greens.

By the time they finished eating, Seres invited Kaleia and Alena to stay the night, reasoning it was far too late for them to go home without a carriage. Kaleia agreed without hesitation, her face adorned with the knowing smile of a practised shield maiden. Alena really wasn't kidding when she said her family would be okay with her being intimate.

Unfortunately for Rowan, Rina was even worse than Kaleia when it came to encouragement and innuendo.

“You cannae say this is a bad thing. I know you've been restraining yourself. Alena is the key.”

She was right, but Rowan wanted to wait, especially with it being the night before Seres’ birthday. As such. She was happy just having Alena by her side. Fortunately, Alena felt the same way, and they fell asleep in each other's arms.