(A/N: Some of you asked for this chapter and I delivered. May all of you Enjoy it!)
The cry of a crane echoed in the distance and Arwen hurriedly ran towards the balcony of her room.
Her gaze locked on the black speck on the horizon that was slowly becoming bigger and bigger. As a High-Elf, Arwen was a very patient person due to her long lifespan. However, for some reason, she was feeling impatient. She wanted time to speed up a little faster, so that Skyla could arrive in front of her right this instant!
The long and excruciating wait had ended when the crane finally landed on the balcony. Instead of greeting the crane, Arwen immediately untied the cylinder that was tied to her leg.
Skyla started to peck Arwen's head in dissatisfaction because her friend didn't even greet her and just focused on the package that she had painstakingly brought with her from the Southern Continent!
"Ouch! Skyla, Stop! I apologize for ignoring you. Please, stop pecking me!" Arwen hurriedly apologized and did her best to pacify the disgruntled crane who had traveled a long distance to deliver her message and bring back her beloved son's reply to her letter.
"Krooooo!" (After I delivered your letter for you, this is how you repay me?!)
"Sorry! It won't happen again!"
"Krooooo!" (It better not happen again or else, I won't deliver your letter next time!)
"Skyla is the best! As expected of a Royal Silvermoon Crane who is prided for their elegance, beauty, and kind heart."
"Kroooo!" (Fool! Your flattery won't get you anywhere!)
After ten minutes of coaxing and a gracious serving of silvermoon milk fish, Skyla finally quieted down and closed her eyes to rest. Although traveling across continents wasn't difficult for her, a roundtrip from the Silvermoon Continent and Southern Continent was still an exhausting journey to say the least.
Seeing that her best friend had finally calmed down, Arwen heaved a sigh of relief and sat on a chair to read her son's letter.
To be honest, she was afraid to read William's reply. What if he wrote that he hated her? What if he wrote a letter of complaint for abandoning him? As these negative thoughts passed through her head, Arwen felt that the cylindrical package she was holding in her hands suddenly became heavy.
Arwen took deep breaths in order to calm her restless heart. No matter what, she had to know what William thought of her.
As she opened the cylinder, a folded scroll and a ring fell into her hand.
Arwen took another round of deep breaths before she unhurriedly unrolled the scroll to read William's reply.
-----
To my beloved mother who thinks of me every single day,
Hello, and good day to you, Mother.
To be perfectly honest, it took me more than fifteen minutes to write that single sentence because I have no idea on how I should start my letter.
I didn't know that writing a reply letter was going to be this hard.
-----
Arwen lightly giggled as she read her son's first sentences. She could understand that feeling because she had experienced the same when she decided to write a letter to him. Her eyes wandered across William's handwriting.
Although it wasn't as elegant as hers, she still fell in love with the firm and bright strokes that showed his determination to reply to her letter.
-----
Let me formally introduce myself first. My name is William Von Ainsworth, the most handsome boy in the Southern Continent. Grandpa James said that I look just like you, Mother, so that means that you are definitely the most beautiful lady in the Silvermoon Continent.
I was surprised when I saw Big Sister Skyla appear in Lont carrying your letter. I've never seen a white crane as big and as smart as her. She was very gentle and kind enough to tell me stories about you, my grandparents, the Holy City of Nytfe Aethel, and the Silvermoon Continent.
Big Sister Skyla also said that although my mother is beautiful, she is also the biggest crybaby in the Holy City of Nytfe Aethel.
-----
Arwen's lips twitched when she read the part of her being a crybaby. She glared at the sleeping Skyla at the side.
'You traitor!' Arwen thought. 'How dare you tell my son that I'm a crybaby? I'm not!'
As if sensing her glare, Skyla opened her eyes and gave her the "What? You have a problem with me?" side-long glance which made Arwen immediately avert her gaze.
Between Skyla and Arwen, the crane had always been the more aggressive of the two. She had been Arwen's protector for years and had treated the High-Elf as if she were her own little sister. This was why Arwen couldn't go against Skyla, even if she was made to drink two jars of courage.
With a defeated heart, Arwen returned to reading William's letter.
----
Don't worry, Mother. Even if you are really a crybaby as Big Sister Skyla said, that won't change the fact that you are my mother, and I care for you.
It is quite regretful that I didn't get the opportunity to see your face when I was still a baby. If possible, can you please send me a drawing of you, so that I may know what my beautiful mother looks like?
My Mama Ella also wants to see you.
Ah, before I forget. Mama Ella is the one who took care of me since I was a baby. She's an Angorian Goat and I grew up drinking her milk everyday. In my heart, she is my second mother who is just as irreplaceable as you.
I hope there comes a day when you can meet each other. I love her very much.
----
"I wish to meet her too," Arwen muttered. She wanted to meet William's second mother who had been with him since he was a baby. Arwen also felt envious, and jealous, of Ella because she had witnessed William's growth in her place.
She could feel, based on William's handwriting, that her son really loved Ella. She even felt worried that William loved Ella more than he loved her.
Although she could understand William's feelings for Ella because the two of them had been together for many years, she still felt bitter in her heart. Arwen, too, wished that she could have stayed by William's side and see his growth from a baby who could barely crawl, to a young boy who was as narcissistic as his Grandfathers.
Yes. James and Theoden were both narcissistic individuals. It seemed that both of their genes had been passed down to William.
-----
Mother, Lont may be the crudest place in the Southern Continent, but this small town--where I grew up--is very warm. The people here are lively and full of life. Uncle Mordred, Aunt Anna, Aunt Helen, Cousin Matthew, and Grandpa are very warm and loving people.
I think of myself as a very fortunate person because everyday is filled with love and happiness. That is why, Mother, you don't have to worry about my well-being. I am very happy right now, and I feel like I'm the luckiest boy in the world to be part of this loving family.
There are many more things that I'd like to say, but I'm afraid that my tears will start to fall if I continue to put it into words. Perhaps, I also received some crybaby genes from you, Mother.
Rest assured, although I can't put the rest of my thoughts into words. I will make up for it in the gifts that I will enclose along with this letter. I managed to pester Grandpa James and he agreed to open the storage house, so that I can send you some of the specialties of Lont.
I also added a few more gifts for my Grandparents who I want to meet someday in Nytfe Aethel. I don't know if these gifts will be to their liking, but I hope that they will not turn them away.
Lastly, Mother, even though this is the first time we've communicated with each other, know that I don't hate you. Although, I'm sad that we have to part from each other, I know that you did it for my sake.
Words can't express how much I want to see you, so please, if possible, send me a painting of you. I will also ask Grandpa to have me painted as well, so that you will be able to see how handsome and amazing your son is.
I pray that our fated reunion will come a day sooner.
Thinking of you from the Southern Continent,
William Von Ainsworth.
------
Arwen's eyes blurred as she pressed the letter to her chest. She felt relieved, and happy that William didn't hate her. However, she also felt bitter because her feelings of love were overflowing, but she couldn't give them to him.
Arwen's tears streamed down the sides of her beautiful face, but she made no attempts to stop them.
Skyla, who was resting at the side, opened her eyes for a brief moment, before closing them again. Contrary to what Skyla had told William, Arwen was not a crybaby. As the Saintess of the World Tree, it was impossible for her to show her emotional side to the public.
Only when she was alone, and thinking of her departed husband, and their far away son, does she allow the tears to fall from her eyes. She had to remain strong for both of their sakes, and Skyla understood this well.
It was also for this reason that she was willing to undertake the long and dangerous journey to travel between continents to deliver Arwen's letter. If this was the only way to make her "little Arwen" happy then Skyla would even face off against a Dragon if it meant that she could bring William's message back to his loving mother's arms.
That night, Arwen dreamed a happy dream. A dream where her beloved son was nestled inside her loving embrace, and no one in the world would separate the two of them ever again.