A light breeze made the leaves rustle. Roe took a deep breath of the fresh late summer air and enjoyed the view from above. She could see all of the valley from where she was standing on the first floor of their new house. Otter, her mother was walking around on the bank of the creek. Thorundur had built their house so close to her parents that they could visit each other every day if they wished.


Thorundur had insisted on building the house in elven style and Roe loved it. For once she walked the stairs from the first floor to the ground as Thorundur had told her that stairs were supposed to be used. Otherwise she loved to find new routes to climb between the second floor and the first and between the first floor and the ground. Thorundur was down on the ground keeping an eye on their baby daughter who was sound aspleep in a crib hanging from a tree. Roe strolled over to them and sat down on the grass next to the crib watching her husband. Watching Thorundur was a pleasure she never got tired of. Sometimes she could still wake up and believe that it was just a dream that he was hers. He smiled at her with that smile that only he could make.



“This is how you must have looked like when you were a baby?” Thorundur’s face had the softest expression that Roe had ever seen as he bent over the crib. “I’m sure Toraldor will change his mind about us when he sees the baby. How could he not love her? Especially now, when he’s also been blessed. Our daughter will have a cousin any time now.”


Roe didn’t answer but she didn’t believe that Thorundur’s brother, Toraldor, would ever forgive her. She didn’t blame him. After all, it was her fault that the elves would lose Thorundur some day in the future. Toraldor had made it perfectly clear that he hated her and would hate her as long as he lived. That was likely to be a very long time indeed, Roe thought.


With a shiver she remembered that terrible day when Thorundur had screamed back at his brother. He’d forbidden Toraldor to ever show himself before Roe unless he would treat her with respect. Roe hadn’t seen Toraldor since that day, and it was almost a year ago now. Thorundur on his side had refused to visit his brother as he meant that it was Toraldor who had erred and should take the first step to reconciliation.


The baby made a small sound and swiftly Thorundur picked her up. The next second, Otter, Roe’s mother, was standing next to Thorundur admiring the baby. She never missed a chance to be with her grandchild.


“Are you sure that those blue eyes will be strong enough for hunting,” Otter asked as so many times before.

“I can assure you that elven eyes are strong enough for hunting.” Thorundur smiled softly and stroke the baby’s smooth forehead. “Do you think she’ll ever grow horns like Roe?” he asked his mother in law.

“We wont know until she’s several months older,” Otter said.


Watching Otter and Thorundur with the baby dispelled the sad thoughts that Roe had about Thorundur’s relatives. Her parents had not been happy at first either when they had realized that she and Thorundur had chosen each other. At least they hadn’t reacted with disgust as Thorundur’s brother had, and Thorundur had very soon managed to win Roe’s parents over. When it was clear that Otter and Wolf were going to have a grandchild they had completely forgotten their last doubtfulness about Roe and Thorundur for the joy of a new baby.

“You must decide her name soon,” Otter said. “The ceremony has to take place next full moon.”

“We’ve already agreed on her name,” Thorundur caught Roe’s eyes with a proud smile on his lips. “Her name will be Deraynia.”


As expected, Otter looked doubtful. “That doesn’t sound like a name for a baby at all.”


“Deraynia means roe dear in ancient elvish,” Roe said, and Otter looked pleased.