Sare'en walked in only to find a visibly disturbed Em'brel fussing with her new gown. With a soft chuckle, she walked over to the younger female and lightly batted Em'brel's hands away from the various fasteners holding everything in place. "Stop messing with it. You're going to ruin the dress before you've had a chance to wear it once!"

The younger female harumphed as she let her hands rest in her lap so Sare'en could fix the damage, watching her closest friend effortlessly fix the mess she'd created. She shook her head. "Why do I even need to wear a dress like this?"

Sare'en smiled as she answered. "You don't. You're the one who chose this outfit, remember? You wanted to look extra nice for the ceremony!"

Em'brel crossed her arms in frustration. "I chose this dress because it looked the simplest of the lot while still being presentable. I had no idea it was designed by someone who clearly wanted to get revenge on me for some offense I committed in a past life!"

Sare'en smiled patiently. "My dear, simple is never simple when it comes to beauty! Do you know how hard it is to make something so complicated look effortless? It's more art than science!"

Em'brel rolled her eyes. "Well, that explains why I'm having so much trouble with it! Angela never taught me art!"

Both of their attention was drawn away as the door to the chamber burst open, and an excitable bundle of energy ran in. Bar'ela ran headlong toward Em'brel, shrieking her excitement and followed by a more sober Lon'thul carrying a carefully held bundle. The young female was so excited her words almost flowed into each other. "Uncle Lon'thul took me hunting! And we saw a churlish! And there was a wolgen! And the wolgen chased the churlish! And it pounced on the churlish! And it ate the churlish!"

Em'brel raised an eye ridge as she looked up at Lon'thul. "A wolgen?"

The hunter grinned as he walked across the room at a more leisurely pace. "Well, it was Grim, but she's technically right! I guess that means Jack dug himself out of his tunnels long enough to make it here for the ceremony?"

Em'brel smiled and nodded. "Yes, as obsessed as he's been, this is important enough to pull him back into our world for a bit. Besides, I don't think S'haar would let him miss this, and she has a way of making others see things her way!"

Lon'thul nodded sagely. "Yes indeed. That's just one of the many virtues that have made her the best queen this land has ever had!"

Em'brel raised an eye ridge. "Well, that and the fact that she's the *only* queen this land has ever had." But then Lon'thul handed over the bundle he was carrying, and Em'brel's incredulity faded into a maternal smile. "And what about you? Did you have fun on your outing with your father?"

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The bundle of baby Lo'brel smiled back at his mother and giggled while Lon'thul stood back and bore the brunt of Bar'ela's never-ending energy as she pushed and pulled him out of her constant need to be moving. The proud hunter couldn't help but smile to see how happy mother and son were together. "You know, you don't have to refer to me as his father if you don't want to. Usually, the guy in these situations isn't considered part of the family, or if they are, an uncle at most."

Em'brel looked over to Sare'en, who smiled and nodded before the noble turned her attention back to Lon'thul. "True, I don't have to, but we want you to be a part of Lo'brel's life. Besides, despite his many flaws, Dek'thul was a good father, and if you have half the paternal nature he did, it's being wasted on your inability to find a steady partner!"

Lon'thul, who currently had Bar'ela up in the air upside down as he wrestled with his niece, looked up with a pleading expression. "But how can I settle for anyone else when the beautiful and wise Em'brel has stolen my heart?"

Em'brel laughed and shook her head. "You know, that line might have worked better if you didn't use it for nearly every female ever to cross your path! The only thing you ever change is the female's name!"

As he "dropped" and caught Bar'ela, Lon'thul looked up with an indignant expression. "Hey now, I'm not that bad! I also added the word 'wise.' You gotta know your audience! For instance, the last time I used it on Sare'en, I added the word 'kind!'"

Sare'en rolled her eyes but couldn't help but grin. Lon'thul was nearly as cute as he was insurable when he wanted to be...nearly. The problem was he knew it. At the moment, though, he was back to being too busy keeping Bar'ela contained as he finally captured her in a headlock, though his tone left it clear he was having almost as much fun as she. "Come on, you little brat, it's time to take you back to your parents! Aunty Em'brel has to finish getting ready for the ceremony, and she can't do that with a little demon like you running around!"

Of course, Bar'ela squealed in delight as Lon'thul picked her up and carried her bodily through the door, leaving Em'brel, Sare'en, and Lo'brel in a suddenly quiet room.

Sare'en noticed Em'brel getting lost in her son's eyes and knew she'd have to prod the younger noble to get her moving on time. "You have to get going, you know. It's time."

Em'brel shook her head, then looked up at Sare'en as she spoke. "But...what if I'm not ready?"

Sare'en smiled and shook her head, wondering when she'd become the confident one. "Of course you're ready! You've been practically doing the job this whole last year! It's just time to make it official. That's all!"

Em'brel still didn't seem very sure of herself but handed Lo'brel over as she stood, visibly fighting the urge to fuss with her dress again. Sare'en gave her one last look over and spoke to her one more time as she corrected a few minor imperfections here and there with one hand while holding a sleepy Lo'brel in the other. "You are one of the two most educated people on the planet. You've practically run this nation for over a year. You've faced down assassins, fought in the largest battle in history, and given life to a healthy son. This ceremony is nothing! And when you're done, I'll have a nice dinner ready for you to share with your closest friends and family so you can laugh about how nervous you were. Now get out there, and show your new subjects you'll be the best queen this land has ever seen!"

Em'brel smiled and hugged Sare'en and her son before turning and walking out the door to the sound of cheering, the volume of which was surprising only to herself.