A/N: Disclaimer time! Vivi and Orko aren't mine, nor are anything that relates to them. Dregan, Zentarou, and all akin to them are mine.

Hehe, it's time to meet Dregan's family. Lots of warm, fuzzy moments ahead, so consider yourselves warned. Also, there is a word or two of profanity in here near the end, as Sindaya is not as tame as Gaia or Eternia, but it's not much. NOthing you couldn'thear in a PG13 movie.

Chapter 54: Uncle Dregan!

"Charming kinds," Zentarou whispered. Dregan smiled.

"The tanned one with the silver hair is Sovyss, and the Dunedi girl is Astrahna. They're my sister's children," the elf whispered back. "The pair with the longer ears are Tavann and Ailee, Evarion's children. The boy with the blond hair and the girl - hehe, she's trying to be her mother with that big stick - are Darius and Solestara. I mentioned Cedras and Aerderwyn, right? Those are their kids. They're half elven, though Cedras insists he isn't human, so I don't know what their other half is. And - " Dregan fell silent, looking at an ebony-skinned girl and a small boy in identical garb to his own, holding a stuffed toy dragon.

"Lily and Savander?" Vivi asked, and got a nod in return.

The kids were seemingly pretending they were great heroes chasing a black dragon - in other words, one of the trees on the edge of the blearing.

"Lets go!" Sovyss encouraged grandly, waving about a stick relatively the size of a long sword, to a kids. "Once we defeat the evil dragon, Savander can cast the spell to awaken our parents from Kystri sleep spell, and then we can rescue Uncle Dregan from her dungeons!" The kids cheered and two - Tavann and Astrahna, raced forward to whack the 'dragon' with their stick weapons, while the rest fell back. Lily waved a short stick and called,

"Now the acid can't hurt us!" Ailee pulled out little, blunt, padded arrows and fired them from the little bow with decent accuracy. The pair Dregan had named Darius and Solestara stood in front of Lily, Ailee, and Savander like a defensive wall. And Savander used a kid-sized 'staff' stick to draw a circle on the ground, his tongue poking out the side of his mouth, and then after passing the staff over the circle set the toy dragon in it, and pointed at the tree.

"You better run, dragon!" Astrahna giggled. "My cousin just summoned a bigger dragon to get you for taking out Uncle Dregan away!" Savander picked up the dragon, its cloth hide a deep amethyst, and ran in a toddling gait towards the tree, holding the toy up and flapping its stuffed wings. When he reached the tree, he had to stop flapping the wings to move the arms, but to the kids it was a dragon in full attack.

Dregan grinned, winked at his fellow mages, and lifted the amethyst on his bracelet to his lips, whispering into it. They saw Savander pause and turn, and now could see an identical chain on his wrist to. He lifted it to his ear, causing the other children to stop as well.

"What's wrong with Savander/" Tavann asked.

"He thinks he heard Uncle Dregan again," answered Astrahna softly. "C'mon," she encouraged her little Dunedi cousin. "Lets play." Just then, Vivi, who had been on tiptoe to see over the bushes, put a little too much weight on the branch and it buckled, causing him to fall with a thump into view.

Instantly the kids all 'epped!" in unison and scattered, but not to run inside or hide, but into a defensive position, with Sovyss, Tavann, and Lily in front - Lily a little behind the boys- and the other three in back, Savander the farthest back. Vivi pulled himself to his feet, dusting off and adjusting his hat before looking at them.

"Um... hi." Tavann stepped up to him, trying to use his slightly larger size to intimidate the mage.

"What are you doing here all alone, kid?" he asked. Vivi backed up a step, or at least tried to, as the bush was close by. Zentarou and Orko stepped into sight.

"He's not alone," the cat said, and Tavann backed up a step to two to rejoin his companions. They eyed each other.

"Umm..." Sovyss and Tavann said in unison, looking about ready to run...

... just before Savander broke away from the group, squeaking happily, and charged past the three mages and into the bush, pouncing into his father to hard Dregan - in a crouch to catch his son - fell over flat on his back, laughing and crying. Within a few brief moments, the rest of the children had overcome their shock and pounced Dregan too, clambering to hug him and shouting,

"Uncle Dregan!" Dregan tried - and nearly succeeded - to hug them all.

"What's going on out there?" a female voice asked from within the building.

"I'll go check," replied a male voice, both smooth and elven sounding. A rather broad elf stepped outside, one about 5'11'' tall, with ebony hair hanging loose about an inch past his shoulders, wearing a blue tunic and black pants and boots. He held a massive two-handed sword adorned with rubies in the crosspiece and pommel, easily balanced against one shoulder, the glittering blade glistening silver steel. Intense dark eyes surveyed the scene, the demeanor of one used to being in control, but he couldn't see Dregan for the kids and bushes.

"Okay, kids, what's going on? And who are you?" Dregan gulped in a little sob.

"E - Ev?" he gasped, struggling to get up. Slowly the elf, Evarion, lowered the sword so it's tip neared the ground, his face a mask of shock, and then it fell from his grasp - but didn't drop to the ground, rather floating into an upright position on it's own. Dregan hauled himself up and entered the clearing, the kids huggling on his legs, trembling all over. "Ev," he repeated, "by Tavannes, Sovellyn, and Lokeru, I never thought I'd be so glad to see you." Evarion didn't reply, just took several long strides over to wrap the mage in an embrace as fierce as the Render's, if not more so.

"Kest! Quatrill! Everyone, get your asses out here right now!" Despite his outward calm, his voice was a bit rough. Instantly the rest of Dregan's family poured out, weapons drawn. But sword, shield, and bow hit the ground when they saw Dregan and they rushed the mage. He was instantly pulled into the arms of a tanned male elf with flame-colored hair, then embraced by a human man in white clothes. Three of the four women joint hugged him at last, one a fair-skinned, honey haired lady, the other two Dunedi. Both of the Dunedi were almost hysterical, the one on the left wearing a pale blue and green dress a bit like Tsar'kris had worn, only on her it looked good, and the other was the most beautiful being any of them had ever seen.

"Dregan, dear Sovellyn, Dregan!" the radiant one wept, seeming beyond saying anything more. After a few moments of this, Dregan finally turned to the Bretheren to introduce them, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Th - these are my friends," he told his family. "They helped me get home."

"Then you are most certainly welcome," the other Dunedi female said, affectionately nuzzling Dregan.

"Lets go inside," the fire-haired one said a bit shakily. As they all entered, the Bretheren Arcanum saw a sigh, a message, across the top of the door:

All who come in peace, are most welcome here.