Oh! 

Not quite what anyone had hoped for, no.

But still so much better than nobody coming back would have been!

I hope their mother can cope, as she was already frail.

And I hope they can all cope well enough, as a family, to welcome Glinwen as she deserves.

Ow, that must have been quite the shock to those who stayed behind (or were born later). They obviously knew elves had died in Beleriand, but I can imagine the reality of it didn't quite sink in until they saw how few came back. I'm glad at least one of Vilisse's siblings returned (Vilisse is delightful, I just met and I'm already quite fond of her). And I hope Glinwen will also receive a warm welcome! 

So many layers to this, and all of them speaking. 

Well this was quite an emotional ride - up and down and up and down! 

The sadness of not having them all return, the joy of having any return, the bittersweetness of a home that doesn't quite accommodate everyone yet, but the love of family new and old ??

Oh, what a bittersweet experience for Vilissë, and also shocking, and intriguing.

"those who had spent more than just the earliest bit of their childhood in the light of the Trees were as a rule taller than those begotten later" — I like that Treelight conveyed greater amounts of growth hormone.

"her family had been larger" — And the parallel here...

"Both looked older than they had when they left Tirion, though it had not been all that many years. Was that because of the war, Vilissë wondered, or because of Beleriand itself?" — Ahh, more effects of the lands beyond Aman? Interesting thought.

"It was not to their families they turned first, but to each other, embracing the comrades at their sides before they took their leave of each other." — Yes. After so long, as eager a they may be to see their families, the experiences they've shared would create bonds at least as tight.