As the Emberhart family passed through the soaring silver palace gates, young Eric Emberhart eagerly caught glimpses of the sprawling ancestral estate and lands belonging to House Feywood that stretched out around them. Graceful weeping willow trees lined either side of a winding cobblestone path that led invitingly up to the Feywoods' opulent manor house. Its quartet of crystalline spires glittered resplendently in the warm afternoon sunlight, giving the entire structure an almost ethereal glow.
The manor grounds were dotted with meticulously tended garden spaces even more lush and vibrantly resplendent than the flowers and exotic plants that adorned the royal palace's own lavish interior courtyards. These dazzling gardens were clearly well cared for by the team of dedicated groundskeepers and estate servants that saw to the upkeep of the Feywoods' palatial home.
As the Emberhart made their way inside the Feywoods' sumptuously appointed manor house, teams of impeccably dressed elven stewards hurried to greet them and graciously take their traveling cloaks and any other burdens from their long journey. The grand two-story foyer alone was enough to make young Eric's hazel eyes go as wide as saucers with awe and wonder.
He craned his neck up and all around attempting to take in every last detail of the vaulted cathedral ceilings, the masterfully woven colorful tapestries decorated with intricate graphic motifs, and the lavish furnishings crafted from only the rarest and most exotic imported woods from faraway lands.
At last Lord Feywood led the group into a warm, airy first-floor parlor known as the solar that had already been meticulously prepared for their arrival. An impressive silver afternoon tea service holding a fragrant floral blend sat atop a table alongside tiered trays laden with the most delicate and delectable-looking finger foods imaginable.
As the adults took seats on the plush divans and armchairs scattered throughout the spacious solar and resumed chatting amiably after the long time spent apart, young Eric was content wandering slowly about the room, admiring the many wonders it contained. His curiosities were endlessly piqued by the elegantly painted porcelain vases overflowing with fresh floral arrangements, the jewel-encrusted ceremonial daggers and swords memorializing battles of old that sat on proud display atop velvet stands, and the shelves housing row upon row of leather-bound tomes etched with foreign symbols and languages unknown to Eric embossed onto their aged spines in glinting silver leaf.
After the initial thrills of their arrival and reunification had passed, Lady Feywood turned to her daughter, eyes glimmering, and said, "My sweet child, it brings me such abundant joy to finally have you back here safe at home again after so very many long years apart. We have missed you desperately." Reaching over, she clasped Ellara's hands warmly in her own.
"I know your lord husband's letters over the years told us some, but you simply must regale us with many more stories and details of our dear grandson's first few precious years now that we are all together again at last. A mother's loving perspective is always so much more meaningful and enriching than mere ink on parchment," she implored.
Lady Ellara smiled proudly, eyes shining with love as she nodded. She happily launched into recounting for her attentively listening parents numerous entertaining stories and details from young Eric's early childhood so far. Lady Ellara told of Eric's very first babbled words and shaky independent steps, along with how energetic, inquisitive, joyful, and even mischievous he was, getting into all manner of harmless trouble exploring the sprawling Emberhart family estate even as a toddler.
Lord and Lady Feywood listened with rapt affection, reacting with warm laughter in all the right places as Ellara regaled them with tales of their grandson's precocious and lively antics from his first few years growing up human in another land. Though divided by distance and generations, the fondness shared between grandparents and grandchild they had not yet met in person was already blossoming beautifully.
In turn, Lord Feywood told several highly amusing stories from Lady Ellara's own rather bold and even occasionally mischievous youth spent exploring every nook and cranny of the Feywood estate's manor house and grounds. He made her blush with mild parental embarrassment recounting how a young, impatient Ellara used to frequently sneak down to the kitchens and snatch hot, freshly baked berry tarts straight from the ovens, often burning her fingers and tongue in the process. The Lord and Lady ended up reluctantly banning Ellara from the kitchens altogether for a full month straight after one particularly brazen tart heist of an entire tray's worth. Though flushed pink with the ribbing, Lady Ellara's eyes positively shone with nostalgia and mirth, evidence that her spirit had not lost its playful streak.
As the hours of the afternoon slipped into the more languid evening, the loving conversation continued to flow effortlessly. The reunited families lingered late into the night, genuinely relishing each other's company as they bantered and reminisced with equal parts humor and heartfelt sincerity. Though the Feywood and Emberhart families came from very different worlds, young Eric felt his own contentment and sense of belonging mirrored in the joyful expressions and easy laughter of the adults.
Here in these lavishly furnished yet comfortable rooms imbued with the very palpable warmth of family, it was as if the painful years of separation and distance had melted away entirely, with their fractured familial circle finally made truly whole and complete again after so long.