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Being accepted into the Dragon Guard was a great honor. However, Lain and Tiadrin had one small problem: their daughter Rayla. The Storm Spire was no place to raise a child (or at least a non-storm dragon child) but being a member of the Dragon Guard was something that all elven warriors hoped to achieve. Fortunately, there was a solution. When Lain and Tiadrin were away on missions before, Rayla had stayed with their friends Runaan and Ethari. They knew it was a lot to ask but they were going to have to leave Rayla with them until their service in the Dragon Guard was over.
~*~
"So, while Daddy and I are gone, Runaan and Ethari are going to look after you," Tiadrin told her daughter as they walked the short distance to Runaan and Ethari's home.
"Okay, Mommy," Rayla said. The almost six-year-old loved spending time with her "uncles".
Letting go of her mother's hand, Rayla ran up the path. She knew the way to Runaan and Ethari's house almost as well as she knew the way to hers. She didn't even bother knocking when she got there. She just opened the door and went in.
"Hi, Ethari," Rayla said coming up to the workbench where the blacksmith was finishing a sword.
"Hello, little one," Ethari said.
"Is Runaan here?"
"He's training with his team. He'll be back later."
"Thank you so much for doing this," Tiadrin said as Rayla ran off to play in the room she stayed in when Runaan and Ethari looked after her. "The Spire is really no place for a child. It's going to be dangerous enough for us; we don't want Rayla to be in that situation. Besides, Lain and I will be the only married couple in the Guard; Rayla won't have anyone to play with. She'll be better off here." Though she didn't sound convincing.
"Don't worry," Ethari said getting up. "Runaan and I will take care of her as if she's our own daughter. We'll keep both of you updated with letters and you both can come visit on leave and we'll bring Rayla by for visits."
~*~
"Rayla, you can wait a few more minuets. Runaan will be home soon," Ethari said as the two set the table for dinner.
"But I'm hungry now," Rayla said pulling her hand away from the vegetables.
"You've been here enough times to know the rules. Unless Runaan is away on a mission, we eat dinner together."
As if on cue, Runaan entered the kitchen.
"Something smells good," he said.
"Rayla's favorite," Ethari said putting the stew pot on the table. "Midnight stew heavy on the vegetables."
Unlike with most kids, Runaan, Ethari, Lain, and Tiadrin didn't have trouble getting Rayla to eat her vegetables. She ate them like other kids ate sweets.After getting cleaned up, the three sat down at the table and Runaan and Ethari let Rayla say the blessing to the moon goddess and the harvest god. Aside from the stew, there was also eclipse bred (the elven version of marble bread) with full moon butter and moonberry juice with moonberry surprise for dessert. After dinner, Runaan and Ethari let Rayla go play while they took care of the kitchen. When Runaan wasn't away on a mission, they liked cleaning the kitchen together.
"Does she know she's going to be here for a while?" Runaan asked.
"I'm not sure," Ethari said. "I don't know exactly what Lain and Tiadrin told her except that they were going away and she was coming here."
Runaan and Ethari let Rayla play until twilight fell and then told her that it was time to get ready for bed. This, of course, was the start of a battle. It wasn't that Rayla didn't want to get ready for bed because she knew it didn't mean that she had to go right to bed; she knew that getting ready for bed meant that she had to take a bath and she hated baths. Fortunately, Runaan and Ethari had watched Rayla enough to know how to get her to take a bath. (The promise of one of her favorite books as a bed time story always worked.)
~*~
Nearly a month had passed since Rayla's parents had left her in the care of Runaan and Ethari and Rayla still believed that they were going to come back soon. After all, her sixth birthday was just days away and she was positive that her parents would finish up their mission and be home in time. Meanwhile, Runaan and Ethari were planning a birthday party for her. Rayla didn't have a lot of friends but the other members of Runaan's team had children, nieces, nephews, little cousins, and younger siblings and were bringing them to the party.
The day of Rayla's sixth birthday, Runaan and Ethari decided to let her sleep in a little. They had received a message from Lain and Tiadrin several days earlier stating that Zubeia and Avizandum had not granted their request to return to the Silvergrove for their daughter's birthday. (Though it didn't come as a big surprise to them since they were still new to the Dragon Guard.)
"Do you think she'll like it?" Ethari asked as he finished wrapping Rayla's birthday present.
"She'll love it. Any little girl would," Runaan answered as he put breakfast on the table.
At that moment, Rayla entered the kitchen. Still dressed in her nightgown and her hair messy from sleep, she rubbed her eyes trying to wake up.
"There's the birthday girl," Runaan said picking her up. "Happy birthday, Rayla."
"Happy birthday, sweetie," Ethari said kissing her cheek.
"Are Mommy and Daddy here yet?" Rayla asked starting to wake up.
"They wanted to be here but couldn't," Runaan told her.
"Their mission isn't one yet?" Rayla asked.
"Rayla," Ethari said, "your parents aren't on a mission. They're part of the Dragon Guard."
"The Dragon Guard?" Rayla asked.
She knew all about the Dragon Guard; every elven child did. It was a favorite game among the children of the Silvergrove to play Dragon Guard (usually with a Shadowpaw and a Shadowstrider standing in as Avizandum and Zubeia).
"That's right. And, because they're still new to the guard, Avizandum and Zubeia weren't able to grant their request to come home."
"But it's my birthday," Rayla said.
"I know, Rayla. But maybe next week we can take you to the Storm Spire for a visit."
~*~
Rayla's birthday party had gone off without a hitch. The kids had all had a great time playing party games and the ridding around the paddock on Runaan and Ethari's shadowstriders. There had been candy, moonberry juice, ice cream, and Rayla's favorite cake (vanilla with chocolate icing and moonberry filling) and Rayla had gotten a lot of great gifts (mostly toys and books but there were also some new cloths (mostly pants and shirts but there were one or two dresses as well)). After the guests went home and Rayla had gotten ready for bed, Runaan and Ethari tucked her in. Her birthday presents had been put away but two had place of honor. One was the doll house Ethari made for her (which looked like their house complete with doll size furniture that was a precise replica of their furniture and dolls that he made look like the three of them and Rayla's parents (there were even two toy shadowstriders)) which was sitting on the bay window in Rayla's room. The other was the doll her parents had sent which she held close.
"Did you have a good birthday?" Ethair asked.
Rayla nodded. "I still wish Mommy and Daddy could be here," she said.
"I know, Rayla," Runaan said. "My parents were members of the Dragon Guard and I know how hard it is not to have them around."
"I still miss them."
"I know but you can be proud that they're members of the Guard. And they won't be gone forever. Service in the Guard only lasts eleven years. They'll be able to get leave to come home and we'll bring you to the Spire for visits."
Rayla nodded and rolled over to go to sleep. If only she knew how differently she was going to be looking at things in ten years and the amazing friends she would make (and the love that she would find) that she never thought would be possible. But it never changed the fact that she still missed her parents and always would.