"Most of my life, I've spent to and fro to pursue my own goals. During those frantic times, the times when I could just and be at peace were times I've always cherished. It is thanks to those peaceful times that I always found the strength to keep going through the more turbulent times." - Saying Attributed to the Silver Maiden.

Palace of Bones, Tohrmutgent

Lichdom of Ptolodecca

Southern Ur-Teros

6th day of the 4th week, 12th month of the year 214 VA.

After the episode with the sea serpent, Aideen settled down a bit and lived her life more relaxedly for the next three decades. She still travelled around on a regular basis, but also returned and stayed in Tohrmutgent more frequently.

Often her travels took her to Elmaiya, where she would visit Lucea, who was reigning wisely as the empress. Adelheid, the half goblin woman she had seen from the tournament decades ago always followed Lucea around like a shadow and guarded her.

During her visits she would often spar with Adelheid, as the woman quickly looked up to her skills, born from decades of training. She had also learnt that over the years the relationship between the empress and her bodyguard had developed into more than just employer and employee.

Something she learned when Lucea had playfully invited her to bed with them one time.

The relation between the two were somewhat difficult to describe. They were not devoted lovers who only had eyes for one another, as both of them frequently dallied with others in Lucea's harem of women.

They were closer to very good friends… who were also perfectly comfortable with bedding one another. Which was one reason Adelheid had not minded Lucea inviting Aideen to join them, and had in fact enjoyed the occasion.

For herself, she had learned to accept that her mind - her body being unliving, she could not really blame hormones and the likes for such urges - does occasionally crave for physical pleasures, and it was just healthier for her to relieve it when she gets a chance.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

She still visited the tavern in Istria that Regina and Eleifa ran every couple of years or so, sometimes staying for up to a month there as she just cherished the feeling of companionship between them. Eleifa's children had even taken to calling her their "aunt" over those visits.

Eleifa had remarried not long after Aideen had left back then, with a young man who just returned from the war. Her husband didn't seem to mind one bit about Eleifa occasionally dallying with another woman though.

In fact, he thoroughly rejoiced whenever Eleifa brought one of the women she was close to over to the tavern and the three of them got to have a fun night together. It was not an uncommon practice in the east, especially after wars, where menfolk might be low in availability and thus high in demand. Aideen had naturally not minded either when such an invitation was extended to her on her visits.

To them, she was more than a family friend, almost part of the family herself. Aideen was present when Regina passed away just a year ago, and helped them deal with her funeral, as she donated a fine casket for the old matron.

During that funeral, the passing of time made itself felt more and more. The first time she had met Eleifa, the woman was in her early thirties. Now she was in her sixties, with her husband in his fifties. Her children were already as old as she was when she first met Aideen.

However, death was not the only thing that the passage of time brought with it. When Aideen returned to Ptolodecca late that year, the first time she returned in the past three years, she was in time to be part of a happy occasion.

It turned out that shortly after she left on her latest journey, Yvgenia - Drietven's daughter, who had remarried to an elf from the forest a while back - had gotten pregnant. Elven pregnancies lasted longer, typically up to two whole years, and Aideen happened to return just in time for the child to be born.

The birth of the healthy baby boy - named Calais by his parents - brought a cheer of jubilation from Drietven's gathered family. Aideen was around as well, as she accompanied Éirynn, who was in turn there as she accompanied Mimia.

All of them doted on the little baby, who was born with white skin and hair the color of fresh snowfall, much like his father. His father was one of those the elves that they called "blessed with life". These elves were usually born with a powerful aptitude for life affinity, and had hereditary white hair and skin, as well as red eyes. A trait that passed on to their descendants so long as they still inherited life affinity within them.

The little baby cooed and giggled as the crowd doted on his chubby face and pudgy limbs. He was not the least bit afraid of all the strangers around, not even when the Bone Lord came to visit.

A celebration took place amongst the local elven community that very night, one that made Aideen realize that no matter the differences between the races, they were all deep down similar in nature, as how they behaved when drunk and celebrating suggested.

Throughout the past decades, a steady, if slow trickle of newly risen unliving kept arriving in Ptolodecca. All those had just furthered the thought in Aideen's mind to find a place to truly call home for her kind, one they'd build with their own hands.

Yet despite how she already travelled basically all the regions of Ur-Teros in her travels, she found no suitable place to build such a home. It was from that discovery, and some late night talks with grandpa Aarin, that she finally stumbled upon the idea to extend her search further.

To the northern continent of Alcidea.