"I would like to meet your sister sometime."

"Will you still be here when she comes to get me?"

"I can certainly arrange to be."

"Then you can meet her either tomorrow evening or day after tomorrow."

"Lovely." She sounds like she means it.

And why shouldn't she? Odette's great.

"I should get back to work, but it was great talking to you."

"Likewise. Good luck."

"Thanks."

And back to planning things.

There is a lot to plan and it will occupy her until Odette arrives.

Which she does the next evening.

Hey, Illia, coming in.

I'm all packed. We heading out? There's someone I'd like you to meet first. Lady Hareth.

I was thinking in the morning.

Okay.

To Fingon: My sister's here, but we're not leaving until tomorrow morning.

Lovely. Tell her she's welcome to interrupt us if she needs anything.

I promised to introduce her to Lady Hareth.

Oh, good idea! Do say goodbye before you head out, it may be a while before I get to go south.

We will.

"Come on, she's staying this way..."

"Hello!" she says delightedly when they arrive.

"Hi! Illia's told me a lot about you."

"Has she. Congratulations on helping her pull this off, it's tremendous and if you manage to navigate it out from under the Elves as a truly free kingdom that's all the more tremendous."

"...Out from under...?"

"I am not optimistic that they're really going to start off regarding you as an independent kingdom."

"Mm. Perhaps. Well, as long as they don't tell us they think that and don't try to tell us what to do I'm not sure how that would get interrupted. If they do try to tell us what to do it will."

She grins. "I am glad to hear it. Good luck with the whole enterprise."

"Thanks!"