Chapter 1.3: Domestic Bliss

In the previous two chapters, our legacy founder met the love of his life, got promoted multiple times, and finally moved off the lawn with his budding family.

Disaster immediately struck, not in the form of the seemingly constant tree fires, but as a virus. A virus which, due to the newly immigrated elves' lack of immunities to human diseases, threatened to kill Viridia and the son she carried...

In order to save his wife and the child she carried, Haldir collected his best friend Talon and set out on a quest which culminated in a deal with the mysterious wizard Zaliander. In exchange for the cure, Haldir put himself and five generations of his descendants at the service of the wizard.

"Who's daddy's little girl?""Ar'nel!“

Aranel is really a daddy's girl, though she has a good relationship with both her parents. She also makes mischievous faces, though she seems largely content to play with her toys, especially the xylophone. On any given day, what she wants is for her daddy to tickle her or tell her a story. She has no idea that very soon, she won't be a spoiled only child anymore...

“Welcome to the world, little Achenar.”

You can't see from this picture (curse Viri's insistence on giving birth at midnight!) but Achenar

is the spitting image of his father, with his mother's skintone... the creator of which obviously

couldn't be bothered to do it properly and edit baby and toddler body as well as head. Grrr.

Wait... Achenar?

<Viridia?>

“Scribal Goddess, I had a baby!”

<Yes, congratulations. But why Achenar? It seems familiar, probably elvish, but I had expected

something more traditional...>

“It means 'Won from Grief,' Scribal Goddess.”

I have a bad feeling about this...

“Mama! MAMA! Why you yewing?”“You have a baby brother, Ara.”“Don't want bruwwer! Wanna Dollhouse!”

Brat. I did get her a dollhouse, though, as well as a toy chest. Maybe that will

induce her to play with her brother when he becomes a toddler.

You wouldn't think something that cute could be such a little tyrant, could

you? There's that distinct lack of nice points coming to bite me in the rear. Oh,

well, she's the first child that I have ever had born in my game, and it's my

prerogative to spoil her as much as this legacy business will let me.

I swear, she's going to look exactly like her mother.

Speaking of look-alikes...“Gonna Getcha! I-i-i'm gonna Getcha!”Achenar is a pretty happy baby. The skin tone's starting to bother

me, though. Maybe the next one will have Haldir's skin tone?

Aah, life is back to normal for the Elvensong family. Small disasters, met with funny faces.

<Good thing you're working on mechanical skill points, Haldir.>“Aieee! It's flooding the bathroom!”<You don't have a bathroom, you have plumbing attached to your porch.

Either turn that off or find a way to make it douse the next tree fire.>

The Elvensong family aren't the only ones settling into domestic bliss. It

turns out that Talon Elkthorn, family friend and cheerful entrepeneur, has

something to celebrate as well. Since Haldir and Viridia's marriage, he has been

occupied in running his store, a not-restaurant, not-hotel called the Elkthorn Inn.

This misnomer occurred because I had a little trouble figuring out how to set

up a restaurant, as opposed to a store that sells everyday items... and because I

didn't know how to go about hiring a cook that was worth their salt.

Talon was a canny salesman, and the vast majority of his customers were quite satisfied with the service at his little shop. But the misnamed Elkthorn Inn no was no longer his prime concern in life: whenever he was not at the shop, he was busy building his new home, paying painstaking attention to detail. He wanted to make sure that his new homestead was fit for his future wife.

The lovely and vivacious Chalimyra accepted his proposal immediately. She had

been in love with him since Haldir and Viridia's wedding.

I was absolutely thrilled. Talon and Chali are both far too cute and original to

ignore, and the neighborhood needs more children raised in the elven ways, or my

heir, who I intend to have marry a raised-in-game sim when at all possible (rather

than the traditional townie or other NPC) will be absolutely sunk when it comes to

friends, dating and marriage.

Since Chali is a popularity sim (Her LTW is to "become the law,") she made sure that

the gang was all here for the wedding. Pictured from the back are: Eluisa, Rose Greenman,

Chalimyra herself, Antoin Greenleaf, acquaintance of the first wave of immigrants (the

blonde banging on the piano and singing at the top of his lungs), Midina Fairmaiden,

former housemate of the bride and valued employee of Elkthorn Inn, and Haldir and

Viridia Elvensong. Who seem to be feeling the day's romance on a more personal level.

“You're the best thing that has ever happened to me. You're not only the hottest Elf I've ever met, but you're my best friend, too. Talon, I promise to love and cherish you forever.”

“I've always said that you look like a million gold coins, but you make me feel like a millionaire every time you smile at me. With you by my side, I know that there's nothing I can't do. I know that we'll be rich in love, no matter what happens, Chali.”

“With this ring, please accept my heart, my soul, and my life.”“I do!”“Kiss her already!" shouted Midina from the back.The party was good, but I don't have many pictures, mostly because I was busy

trying to gather the guests togehter in one place, so that the Elvensongs could get to know the Antoin Greenleaf.

See, they're gorgeous. I just know that their children are going to be legacy spouse material.

So let's leave the newlyweds to their martial bliss and get back to the main story.

Say it with me: Aaaaw.This random moment of cuteness just goes to prove that

Ara really does look almost exactly like her mom. It's also the last toddler picture that you're going to see of her.

You guessed why. All of the immigrant elves showed up for the party, as well as

Zaliander, a few random humans, and Rose Greenman. No one ever used that buffet: instead,

they all ate chips from the Elvensongs' seriously under stocked fridge. They were quite

enthusiastic about the transition.

That's Chalimyra, Haldir's first friend, in the back wearing purple. Yes, she is pregnant.

Her offspring will be the same age, or very close to it, as Achenar. So far, using the

seasons to ensure that the two families age at the same rate hasn't been much of a success. I'll

have it fixed before Achenar reaches his childhood years.

“Look at everyone, Ara! Smile and make a wish!”Uncharacteristically shy, Ara hid in her mother's

hair until coaxed to blow out the candles. Maybe all of the cheering scared her: she hadn't seen this lot since her very first birthday.

"Mama, why my feet get bigger? Why the floor so far away? Mebbey I'm fwying!"

“Hooray! Cake!”

Daddy's little girl isn't quite so little any more. She seems intent upon maximizing

her creative ability, as she asked for a drum set, a guitar, and an easel for her birthday.

She only got the easel. And she's already sharing the "present" from Achenar's birth: a

nursery, just for her and the little one.

Her activity is making itself even more evident: she never walks, she runs.

<Congratulations, kid. Now run along to the dresser and change into one of those

pretty traditional outfits your mom bought for you.>

“Is this it?”

<Yep. Much better. I was going to suggest that you let your hair down, but I

think it's kinda cute like that.>

“It's outa the way, so I can run and jump and play...”

I'm beginning to perhaps see a little bit of Haldir in her face. Not much,

though. And there's still the issue with her oddly uneven skintone...

Grr. But the consensus is that she's inherited the fabled elven beauty.

FINALLY a positive relationship with her baby brother. I suggested that she talk to

him. Repeatedly.

With luck, they'll be friends as soon as he's out of diapers.

“Hi baby. You're smelly, but Scribbles says I've gotta be nice to you because one of

us is going to be the heir to the legacy, and anyhow you're pretty much the only other

kid in the neighborhood. But you're no fun yet.”

Or at least they'll refrain from taking sibling rivalry to the point of war.

She chatted up all of her parents' friends, who she didn't get to meet at her last party. She also interrogated wizard Zaliander to within an inch of his life. He never struck me as being very patient with children, so all in all I suppose that she's lucky her pointy ears are still attached.

“You’re not an elf! Who are you?”

Finally (after much bouncing) The little imp went to bed in preparation for school in the morning. The next day would be Monday, after all.

Previously...

“Taaaloooon! Wake up!”“*hmzzz* Should've gone with a restaurant.... What is it, dear?”“The BABY! Now get your glutes out of bed! Aaaaugh!”_______Author’s note: I was playing too large of a rotation at the time, so while this

actually did occur on the same day of the week as Achenar’s birth (He and Aranel are six days apart) I played this out after Aranel’s party. Confused? I am too.

Welcome to the world, Elirand Elkthorn.“Who's my sweet little boy?”He got his skin and eyes from his mother, but his hair from his father._____Further Author’s note: Actually, the exact same hairstyle, which means that Talon, in

addition to Midina and Eluisa, is carrying the dreaded cc hair gene. Only I didn’t know until I had cloned him in simPE.

“Help! Talon? Where did you go?”

At this point, I'm grinning wildly. See, even though fortune sims like Talon are my

absolute least favorite variety (They roll the absolute most INSANE wants, and are near-

impossible to keep in gold or platinum) I love Talon's rascally face and peppy randomness so

much that I've decided to give him and his family a much greater role in the story than I had

originally planned. Even though his idea of aiding his wife in childbirth is to scramble into

the main room and preform a rock ballad on the piano. And even if I'm a lousy scribal

goddess with the world of the microscopic, this scenario is everything that I had hoped for.

Why? Well, surely you can figure that out yourselves.

Meet Calanthe Elkthorn, a virtual clone of her mother.

I am plagued by look-alikes.

Never mind: she's lovely, and I have plans for her and her brother. Even if I wish

that they didn't look so much alike.

And they came out as a matched set the first time.

Otherwise I was going to have to go back and replay this until I got it right.

Hooray!

“Scribal Goddess?”

<Ack!>

“Ack?”

<Don't sneak up on me like that.>

“I was just going to ask...”

<I didn't think that you could hear me, okay? I've certainly never spoken to you before, and

you've never spoken to me.>

“Haldir explained a lot of stuff to me and Eluisa on our way over to the wizard's place.

Speaking of which, I'm worried about him. Chali and I don't have a lot of clear memories from

before we came to this place, but at least we know that there was *something* back wherever we

came from. But it seems like he can't remember anything. He's too innocent, and he rushed into that

deal with the wizard without thinking. I can't help but think that something bad will come of it.”

<Believe me, I'm watching him.>

Talon's words continued to bother me for quite a while, even though I was busy cooing over the

twins and Achenar.

Meanwhile, on the legacy lot, school days have struck with a vengeance.

“What did you just say, Human? You'd better not say it again, or I'll...”

<Aranel!>

“He just said that my ears looked funny!”

<Be nice to him! He's never seen an elf before.>

“He'd better get used to it.”

“Um, Ara? What did I say? I was just teasing! We're still friends, right?”

“Look, we can still be friends - but only if you quit making cracks about the ears.”

“Deal.”

Fortunately, the children got their differences settled quickly.

“... And 'cause I'm an elf I'm naturally really good at music and sports and

logic and stuff. I can fly, too, like a bird.”

“You've gotta be kidding me! Show me!”

“Well, I haven't been able to do it since I became a toddler,” Aranel

confessed, “but I know another game we could play. Tag! You're it!”

And with Ara winging away, a group gathered around a cake, which can only

mean...

Time for a birthday. Achenar slept pretty much through his entire time as an infant, causing certain people (like myself) to worry about whether it would be permanent.They had a small family party, because there were next to no groceries in the fridge.

And Achenar grew up in a cloud of spontaneously generated confetti, into a personality of 5/6/7/5/5. In the back, Viridia is talking to her daughter about the importance of strong family ties.

“It's your job to protect your baby brother, Ara. Only a strong, close-knit family has any hope of continuing their legacy.”

And so the family bonding continues. Achenar is just as fast a learner as his older sister, but he's also pretty stubborn about learning to talk.

“Say 'magical elven formula,' Achenar.”“NO!”“How about 'bottle?’”“Won't!”Despite his contrariness, Achenar eventually learned to talk-as well as walk and use the

toilet.

Meanwhile, Aranel starts work on her birthday present.

<What are you painting, Ara?>

“A giraffe.”

<Have you ever seen a giraffe?>

“No. Just in my classroom's dictionary.”

Well, that clears that up.

<Are you going to play with your baby brother at all?>

“Mama and Daddy are too busy teaching him not to stink. 'Sides, there's not much I can do

besides tickling him.”

<But he loves being tickled. And it would make your mama happy.>

“All, right. After I finish this.”

So sweet....And since Haldir's LTW is to send three of these little angels through

college, I have a feeling that these medival-style cribs will get a lot more use in this generation.Don't tell Ara, but I think Achenar's cuter than his sister.

Okay, nothing is cuter than this. Even though my camera won't zoom any further in. Aranel finally took my suggestion to heart, and started playing with the baby, who now adores her.

“You're not so bad now that you're not so stinky, 'Enar. But you still smell kinda like cheese. Maybe it's your pajamas.”

This, I suppose, is progress.

"Mama! Mama! Scribbles, come quick!“*sound of feet running. Mine, not Viridia's, because she's putting Achenar

down for a nap.*“I got an A plu-us! I got an A plu-us!”And Ara launches into the house doing what she assured me was a

traditional elven victory dance. It looked more like hyper elementary-school celebration to me.

“Mama! Mama, come and... Why are you still in your pajamas, mama? I don't think I've seen those since Achenar was born.”

“I just woke up from taking a nap, Ara love. And congratulations: I could hear you from all the way in here. Just try not to wake the baby, sweetheart.”

“Aw, 'Enar should be happy too. Being smart probably runs in the family. Can I go finish my painting now?”

“Of course, but do your homework first. Quietly.”

Elsewhere, the day before…

“Business is really booming at the Inn, Talon. I can't believe how much it's grown!”

“I know,” Talon replied with a rueful laugh, “every time I turn around, something else needs to

be done. It seems like I'm always shorthanded.”

“You need more employees,” Eluisa said sagely, “you and Midina just can't keep up alone with

Chali always staying home to mind the twins.”

A small grin spread across Talon's face “Why don't you join us?” he asked, “With you around,

I'm sure that business will be just like magic.”

Eluisa rolled her eyes, "The magic jokes are getting old, Talon, but count me in.”

“Excellent!” As Eluisa turned to walk away, Talon stopped her. “I almost forgot: you're invited

to the twins' birthday party tonight.”

“You too, Midina....” there was a

long pause as Talon took in the

blonde elf's tearful face and bulging

stomach.

“Talon,” Midina said with a

trembling voice, “I'm pregnant.”

“Congratulations!” Talon said

with a grin that disappeared as he

watched the tears roll out of Midina's

eyes.

“But how will I even feed it?” Midina burst out, “I can't live the way I have,

Talon - not with a baby at home! It's one thing, working for you to pay the bills,

having just enough to keep my house, but there's no way I can provide for this child.”

“Midina,” Talon began, “why didn't you tell us that you were in trouble? Chali

and I would have taken you in...”

A broken sob escaped from Midina's lips, “Oh, Talon,” she said, “You're too good

for me. I'm so ashamed... but I can't share a roof with you. I just can't. I only came

today to tell you that I was going to resign.”

“Don't resign!” Talon exclaimed, “Look, Midina, we'll figure something out. You should have told

me sooner, but as it is, you're overdue for a raise. Elkthorn Inn would never have gotten on its feet

without you. When you need maternity leave, Eluisa can take your place as cashier, and in the

meantime, you're welcome at my home any time.”

“No, Talon, I can't accept...”

“No, I insist. You've been a good friend to Chali and me for years - we'd be honored to have you,

especially since tonight is the twins' third birthday party. You have to come - all the old gang will be

there, and Haldir and Viri's oldest, Aranel, is coming too.”

Midina just shook her head quietly. “All, right,” she said, “I'll come. But I just can't accept any

charity, Talon - not from my friends.”

“Aieee! It's a baby!” Chalimyra squealed with delight, “Why didn't you tell us, Midina? How

many months have you been keeping this a secret? And when does everyone get to meet the father?”

Midina sighed and rubbed her back which was beginning to ache after the day's work, even

though Talon had insisted that she take twice as many breaks as normal, claiming that Eluisa needed

to get some experience with the cash register.

“You won't be meeting the father, at least formally, any time soon, Chali,” she explained, “Since

I'm not entirely sure who he is.”

“Oh? A mystery man?”

“More like several.”

Throughout the years, while the other elven immigrants were settling down into matrimonial bliss, Midina had spent her spare hours making forays into the heart of downtown. Though she occasionally encountered other elves there, most of her time was spent in the company of humans, especially male humans. With her exquisite elven beauty, it wasn't hard to attract enough company that she never felt lonely at all.

Well, almost never...

Ever since the days when Midina had shared a house with Chalimyra, Viridia, and Eluisa,

she had known that there was something different about Talon. Maybe it was because he, unlike

the men she had known back before she crossed the portal, treated her as a friend, rather than

just a female body. All five immigrants had been thrown together from the very start, with Eluisa

assuming the role of their leader. Though Talon hadn't lived with them, because it would have

been improper, he visited almost every day as they struggled to find jobs and to learn the

customs of this new country.

With such good friends, Midina had felt safe.

From very early on, it had been easy for Midina to see that even though Talon saw her as a friend, he saw something more in Chalimyra. Chalimyra seemed to have no objections.Happy as Midina was for Chalimyra, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Chalimyra wasn't the only elven maiden who dreamed of a kiss from Talon...

Midina tried her best not to be sad, and not to feel the quiet, painful jealousy when

Talon left the Elkthorn Inn at the end of the day, returning home to his wife and

children. Midina herself went home to an empty house, because Eluisa had moved

away to a cottage by the lake and wrapped herself up in her job and her experiments.

But Midina was hardly ever home, at least not alone. It was never hard for her to find

companionship.

All she had to do was go downtown. All the men that she knew there were happy to

spend their lonely hours with her.

Though there were many men who filled her loneliness, Midina slowly found

that she couldn't enjoy their company as much as she used to. Even in the middle

of a passionate embrace, there was a part of her mind that stood apart, wondering

what life would have been like for her if she wasn't so alone. And after her

newest flame was gone, she would lie in the dark and tell herself that it would all

be different if she had just once had the courage to recognize what she really felt.

Every time she closed her eyes, she found herself dreaming that the arms

which surrounded her belonged to Talon.

If only things had been different,

Talon might have loved her. She

might have loved him. There was

nothing else that she would have

asked for - she had never had any

ambitions of fame, or success in

business. The only thing that she

had ever longed for was the simple

knowledge of where she belonged....

She hadn't meant to do it, really, the night of Aranel's fifth birthday. They were alone in the

kitchen, and she had only meant to hug him. But when she threw her arms around Talon's neck,

and he pulled her close to him, it had felt so right to stare deep into his eyes and lean forward,

waiting...

Three more seconds, and she would have kissed him, no matter what the consequences. But

her guilty conscience had yanked her away with a sudden spasm of fright as she heard

Chalimyra's laughter in the other room.

Ashamed of herself, she'd told Talon that she'd developed a cramp in her neck, and together they

rejoined the party. She went home early that night.

The next few days stretched into weeks of guilt. It was one thing, she told herself, to be

fond of Talon, to know that life with him would be better than the directionlessness of her

life as it was... but to kiss him was entirely different. She shouldn't even be thinking those

thoughts, not after how kind he and Chali had always been to her. It was wrong of her to

resent the deep, wondering admiration in Talon's voice when he told her of Chali's struggle

up the ladder of the legal profession or the rate at which the twins grew.

Midina set out to prove to herself that what she felt had been a moment of illusion. She

set out to prove it with as many men as possible, both within and without the walls of her

little house.

Regardless of how much she tried, she never was able to shake that nagging feeling of guilt. No matter how often she invited her old companions over for a night of reminiscing and romantic atmosphere, she still felt hopelessly alone.

All the men that she saw were human. None of them was ever going to make a life with her.And none of them were Talon.

And then one morning, she woke up feeling horrifyingly nauseous. Though her companion of the previous night was diligently searching for his pants, she ran to the bathroom to throw up everything that she had eaten for dinner the night before.

It was several more weeks before she discovered the reason for her discomfort...

Now, as everyone gathered around the table for the twins' birthday, she was

more worried than she had ever been before. Talon's children looked so small and

fragile. She couldn't bear the thought of what her own, unborn child might have to

face, with no father and precious little to support it. How could she keep it?

She kept repeating to herself that there was no way for her to care for a child,

because in truth, the only other option - giving it up to a complete stranger -

scared her even more.

Everyone cheered as baby Calanthe was held in front of her cake and Talon blew out the candles.

Suddenly, everyone could see the change as she aged into a pint-sized miniature of her mother.

(*A note on the picture: It continues to amuse me endlessly that my sims always think of Eluisa whenever she is there. She's probably the most thought-of sim that I've ever had.)

_____A note on the note: Elu and Chali are pop sims. But even though Elu behaves like a

knowledge sim in disguise, given the choice sims will think about her.

It was a pity, Midina thought, that neither child looked much like Talon.(Calanthe grew up as a 5/4/6/4/7 Cancer, for those of you who care to

know.)

Elirand had his father's hair color, and little else.(His personality was Sagittarius 5/6/10/8/6, and he immediately started

dancing to the radio.)

Midina was just turning to leave when she felt a small hand tug at her pants leg.

“What now?” she asked in exasperation.The toddler gurgled at her from the floor, and waved her chubby hands.

With a sigh, she bent down and lifted the child up to rest on her hip.

As the baby snuggled sleepily against her, Midina felt a slow wash of contentment spread over her.

If her own baby was anything like as precious as Talon's twins, becoming a mother surely couldn't be that bad.

Maybe, just maybe, things would turn out all right after all.

It seemed that the Elkthorn toddlers were to be miniatures of their parents, in keeping with the tradition established by the first two offspring of Haldir and Viridia. But they were by no means the only babies in the neighborhood....

“Aaw, how sweet.”

* * *

Yes! This chapter is officially over. Since Haldir's LTW is to graduate three of these little

boogers from college, I will not be attempting to fulfill the want that both of them spun the minute

that this one popped out - to have seven more of them.

Coming up soon - sort of - is more peripherally related legacy drama. (I've decided that there

will be updates on the placeholders and elven immigrant neighbors, mixed with the

accomplishments of the actual legacy family.) Is the Elvensong youngest child a boy or a girl? What

will Achenar and Anariel's childhood years be like? Will I finally succeed in introducing the

Elvensong offspring to the other neighborhood children? Will Ara's mean streak start showing? And

what is a single, romance sim mother to do?

All this and more, next on the Elven Heritage Legacy!

Okay, so this is one scrambled chapter. Lesson to self: edit before publication.

This is the one that I changed the least – just spelling and grammar, a couple authors’ notes –

partly because there are practically no bits in it that prefigure or provide a basis for future plot, and

because I’m still confused as to what happened when. This all took place over a rotation of four or

five sim days (except Midina’s lovers – those had been going on for a while off camera) and it was

at this time that I actually developed a rotation, which was at first far too long, and then I

eventually added Midina and the Greenman Family to it. Oh, and there was also a giant cc cull.

Thus ends our trip down memory lane. Actual new updates will be coming shortly.

This is about the point where I culled the skin that Viridia was wearing. This right here is, I believe, the standard S2 before I got an Enalya default replacement, which rocks.

This is Amin Wolosenko, who I would have grown up to teen via Freetime, if only I’d installed it about a week sooner. Ara actually is friends with him, so I might cheat him to teen.