But the most wonderful news of all came when she informed her that she was pregnant. She had just learned it from the healers in the city in which she and Aldrec lived. The child was to be their first.
If this was not reason for her to visit, then what was?
But knowing Meri, she would make it a surprise. And it was a surprise she looked forward to, as she conveniently neglected to tell her about the man in her life.
Alaema laughed as she gazed down at her fiancée, sleeping in her lap after their picnic lunch, and then cried for joy as she looked at the newly given ring on her finger.
Yes. It had been truly worth it.
But still, she missed Meri.
Her mind went back to the pink rose that Aldrec had given her sister. Skori had placed it in a beautiful blue elven vase, and set it on a table in the house above a framed photo of Meri, one that she had taken of herself and Aldrec in the garden, seemingly a lifetime ago. Still alive, the flower was now more vibrant than ever. It reminded her of a poetic elvish saying she had once read. It said that roses are more colorful when a new day dawns, and a new page in one's life unfolds.
Alaema smiled. The saying sure rang true for her. She hoped that it would ring true for her sister … wherever she was.
"Divine be with you, Mericlou … sister," She whispered, as she ran her fingers through her fiancée's hair. It was as midnight black as her own.