"All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost:

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost."

- J.R.R. Tolkien

Alachna City, Ardam 792

I can hear Aedan calling my name. He outran me half an hour ago. We have been chasing each other through the forest since dawn.

"Aedan, it's time to go home! We are going to be late. Mother will be disappointed if we are late for our own party," I say desperately.

"You are just disappointed because I am faster than you," he taunts.

"I'll race you home," he shouts after a second.

I start to run back to the city. The wind gently blows on my face. The understory of moss and fallen leaves submits to my bare feet, crackling as my feet touch the ground. I am careful not to step on any herbs or small medicinal shrubs. I jump right over them. The smell of fresh plants and blossoms fill the air.

It is spring in ArBrae Forest, which means that the otherwise only green forest explodes into a palette of colour and fragrances. I breathe it all in.

It also means that it rains for most of the day.

Today was one of the few days where it didn't rain at all, and Aedan and I seized the day.

Something smashes into my left side, knocking me into the ground.

"I have caught you!" Aedan announces triumphantly.

"At least you have a brain to use to your advantage, even if you are slower than a turtle," I reply sourly.

I tug the streak of silver hair on the left of his face. His midline mirrors an identical streak on the right. All his remaining hair is as dark as the night.

He smiles his special smile, one only we share.

His pale heaven-blue eyes smile wider than his mouth.

He punches my shoulder lightly. "You know you look like a riverbed - all mud and leaves and hair," he says laughingly.

"Is it not a look that suits me perfectly?" I ask tauntingly.

"You are missing something." Aedan quickly reaches out with his left arm and plucks a small red flower.

He puts it in my hair: "Now you are perfect."

I smile back at him. "Thank you, but we have to go now. At least you will not be blamed, because you and Mother both know that I always drag you into trouble, even if you are the one that emptied a whole bucket of water onto my face hours before dawn," I try to muster as much sarcasm as I can.

"It was a perfect day," he says innocently. "We could not spend it inside, doing lessons."

Aedan stands up and takes my hand. Without letting go he pulls me to my feet. "And I know you ached to feel the sun on your face."

"That is true."

Like one, we start to run back. The trees fly by. We pass a few small animals, but we do not stop to play with them.

I love the forest. To me, it is the most beautiful place, but every time I approach the city, I am left breathless.

Alachna City is the capital of the forest. It is where the king and queen live. It is where the Elder Council meets.

It is my home.

Alachna City was built from white marble.

We like white. We use white to decorate everything. We mostly wear white, and always wear it at celebrations.

The city does not have a wall and was built in the angle where two mountains meet.

ArBrae Forest consists out of mountains, trees and waterfalls. There are a lot of valleys. There are many rivers and many rivers that form waterfalls. And the trees are countless. If you want to ignore the trees, there are countless shrubs and smaller trees. And if you choose to ignore the shrubs, there are a countless flower, grass and moss species.

Aedan and I swerve to the side and run up the mountain so we can emerge at the side of the palace.

Back to Alachna City that was built in the angle where two mountains meet: the city consists of pillars, steps and platforms. There are plants and trees everywhere. Sometimes I wonder whether the forest or the city was there first, or if both just grew simultaneously.

We do not use windows or doors. Sure, there are doorways and large window frames, but there is nothing in them. We like the sun, and it never gets too cold. Snow simply does not fall in the forest.

Vines creep up on the pillars. Sometimes they grow out of the pillars. You might occasionally see a snake peeping out of a hole in a pillar. The top and bottom parts of the pillars are decorated in flower and leaf motifs.

Moss grows in every possible hole, nook and cranny.

There are often holes in the platforms through which trees grow.

All our cities are like this: a symbiotic array of construction and nature.

The city's water is supplied by a large waterfall at the top. The pool in which the waterfall ends has numerous outlets that lead to ditches that snake through the city and the different levels of platforms via waterfalls.

The houses are even more spectacular. Every house was built to allow the maximum amount of sunlight to shine in. It is not uncommon to find houses that consist of platforms and only one wall. Every house is a palace and a showpiece of generations of inherited wealth.

There is no such thing as poverty. Every family lives in their unending wealth that has been accumulating for millennia and millennia.

Although poverty does not exist, there is a hierarchy of social importance: the most important family is that of the King, and then the other eleven families that have representatives on the Elder Council, and then everyone else.

There is no such thing as a worker-class. Everyone must deliver an equal contribution to our society.

The most impressive building is the palace. It is at the top of the city and melts into the forest at the back. The Waterfall of Alachna is just to the right of the palace. The palace has various white marble statues of the royal family's ancestors. The palace has the biggest staircase in the city.

In front of the palace is a clearing - the stone clearing - where all the feasts are held. The stone clearing flows into the forest. This is one of the ways which Aedan and I use daily to slip out of the city.

Queen Aylissa waits for us in the foyer of our palace, just in front of the staircase.

Her shadowy ebony hair flows down to the level of her mid-thighs. Thunder decorates her face.

"Laelia, you are late. Aedan, why did you follow your sister into her mischief? You should know better by now."

Anger flitted in her royal azure eyes.

She didn't have to wear the silver and sapphire pendant and earrings - because her eyes outshine her accessories.

"Mother, this time it was my fault. I woke Laelia and dragged her into the forest," Aedan replies honestly.

"Aedan, how many times do I have to tell you that you should never lie to protect your sister?"

I want to roll my eyes, but the punishment will be too severe.

"He is speaking the truth."

I know she won't believe me.

"Quiet! I would send both of you to your rooms for the night, but unfortunately, there is a celebration in your honour tonight. You have to go get ready now, and I will meet you here in ten minutes."

We start bounding up the stairs.

"You will not remain unpunished for today. Tomorrow morning both of you are to accompany your brother Faolan to the library where you will read through all the meeting notes of the past year, order them chronologically and write a report on what you have learnt. You will not have any lessons for the remainder of the week, but you will be accompanied to the library by Faolan every day."

"Mother, that is unfair!" I exclaim furiously. Meeting notes are boring. I love reading, but never meeting notes.

"Laelia, I have spoken. Do not anger me further," she dismisses my protest without looking at me.

I am fuming, but I keep quiet and run to my room.

I arrive back at the end of the staircase exactly ten minutes later. My mother is still standing there, and Aedan is already waiting with her. He is dressed in the customary white and golden clothing. I am too. As I said, elves always wear white for celebrations.

"Now, children, follow me."

She leads us out of the palace to the clearing.

The sun has not yet set.

A large group of elves are waiting.

The sides are lined with tables suffering from the weight of the delicious-looking food on them. I crane my neck to take a closer look at the food, but Mother steers me away toward the middle.

Most of the nobility and important elves will be here. I can spot Elorhim Strongwind and his father among the crowd. I recognize some other faces, but many I don't know. Crowds of elves from the other cities have been invited and they eagerly came to celebrate the Half-Millennium of their prince and princess.

Okay, I have to admit that most of the crowd came to celebrate Faolan's coming of age - and to swear loyalty to their future king.

My father, Eoghan, and my older brother Faolan are at the head of the crowd.

Faolan flashes us a brilliant smile that radiates to his azure eyes.

Faolan inherited Mother's eyes, Aedan inherited Father's eyes, and I have no idea from whom I inherited my plain brown eyes.

Father speaks a few words of welcome.

The sun disappears behind the mountain while he speaks.

I do not listen to what he says. My attention is captured by the sunset. The sky is painted in strokes of red, orange and pink. I have always had a problem concentrating on people's words. I think it is because I just hate being bored. I would rather use the time to learn something worthwhile.

From the Stone Clearing, one can see every sunset and sunrise. Sunsets and sunrises are central to our culture. There are numerous reasons why. One of the main reasons is that our Sovereign is the Lord of the Sun. But if you trace our history back to the time before The Council, you will realise that it was that way before He arrived. The most plausible reason for me is that sunrises and sunsets mark the passing of time, which is something that doesn't normally affect elves too much. But stopping to witness the coming or passing of the sun reminds elves that their time on earth is also limited.

And of course, the sunset provides the most picturesque background and an array of colours which is necessary in a world of only white.

When the last sunlight subsides, the feast begins. Elves know how to feast. Social interaction is very important to us, and what better way is there to pass the millennia you will live than through food, dance and song? After all the etiquette and prescriptions have been taken care of, every elf is free to do as they please.

As soon as possible, Aedan and I immediately rush to one of the tables. We each take a piece of a mouth-watering strawberry dish.

Faolan joins us. Last week, he turned into an adult at his Millennium - the day an elf turns one thousand years old and is accepted into the community as an adult. I must still get used to all the changes in his appearance and behaviour.

"You know, your ears look like a rabbit's!" Aedan remarks with his mouth full of food.

"And yours look like a bear's!" Faolan retorts.

At least his personality has not changed.

"Have you heard what Mother is making us do tomorrow?" Aedan says grumpily.

"Stay indoors?"

"Worse! We must help you with grown-up stuff. We have to read reports and meeting minutes," Aedan complains.

Faolan laughs: "She has finally thought of a punishment for you."

"That is not a punishment! It is torture!" I emphasise 'torture'.

"Well, it might make you two reconsider running off when you are not allowed to."

"And who taught us the best ways to escape the palace and city?" I ask mischievously.

He laughs. "See you at the library tomorrow!" He says before walking off.

Aedan snorts: "He thinks is very important now that he is an adult! But I have a plan to remind him how not so important he is. I am a prince too!"

He disappears into the crowd without any explanations. I know that he will tell me as soon as he returns.

I search the crowd for anyone to talk to. Mother would not want me to stand alone and be unsociable.

I know that Gwenore would not be here tonight. She must catch up with all the work we did during the week. She was in Council meetings the whole time. She spends a lot of her days in the meetings. She must complete her lessons and training in her free time.

My aunt Idunn sometimes helps her, but then Gwen must leave the forest. For reasons unbeknownst to me, Idunn is not allowed to set a foot in Alachna's borders.

I see Elorhim and walk to him. Elorhim is about three hundred years older than Aedan and I. We have some of our classes together. We don't often talk, but I know that he talks a lot and that people like listening to him. He is talking to some of the children in my class. They are all older than me. I approach them shyly.

The only reason why I do is to please my mother. If I can have my way and not be scolded by her tomorrow, I will rather talk to the adults, if I had to talk at all. It will be even better to be left alone and read a book or explore the forest with Aedan.

"Princess Laelia, this is quite a party your mother has thrown you and your brother," Elorhim says quite friendly.

I look at all the anticipating faces looking at me. I start to formulate a reply, but the words are stuck in my throat. I blush. Finally, I manage to force a 'yes' from my vocal cords.

"It is no wonder even your mother scorns at everything you do," Elorhim replies meanly. "You can't even manage a conversation."

His words stab me through the heart. I quickly turn around and run away. I hear them laughing behind me. I duck into the forest just next to the clearing. I do not trip or lose my way. I run for a few minutes before I slow down. Finally, I stop - panting. Tears sting my eyes.

Somewhere far away a solitary flash of lightning lights the sky before it retraces its steps back into the heaven that it escaped from.

The sky reverberates with thunder.

Elorhim's words struck close to home. I know my mother favours both my brothers more than me. Of course, I am different! I have always known it. I just try not to think about it too much.

I stop sobbing for a moment when I think I hear footsteps: "Aedan?"

A bigger figure than Aedan emerges from the forest.

"Princess Laelia, birthdays are for laughing, not for crying."

I study the man. He has soft golden curls and a clean-shaven face. He is also dressed in white and gold.

His eyes are more beautiful than the blue gemstones at the temple of the Second One.

Mother's eyes are nothing compared to his.

His eyes make me trust him. He has honest and kind eyes.

There is something else that I can see in his eyes - love.

"I am not crying," I say defiantly.

I do not hesitate to speak to the stranger. Anyone that can enter the forest is a friend. The forest is protected from anyone that wishes harm on us.

"It is not a sign of weakness when you cry. Sometimes you may cry," he says comfortingly.

"But I hate crying!" I say almost hysterically.

"Laelia, do not bother yourself with stupid idiots like the Strongwind boy. He is jealous because you are the princess and he is not as important as you are."

He smiles at me: "But I am not here to talk about a silly boy. I have come to your party to bring you a birthday present."

He reaches into one of his pockets with his left hand and brings something forth. He quickly covers it with his other hand before I can see what it is.

"Come nearer."

When I am within his reach, he tells me to hold out both my hands. He places his one hand on top of mine, and the other underneath. His hands are quite warm. I feel an object in my hands.

"This has been made only for you. No one else has ever had anything like it, and no-one ever will."

He removes his hands and reveals a beautiful bracelet made of glass. It immediately starts to shimmer and move to my wrist on its own. It takes on the pattern of a single flower held onto my wrist by a thin strip of glass.

I haven't seen a flower like this in the forest.

"What is the name of this flower?"

"I haven't given it a name. Would you like to name it?"

I think about it: "A Laelia-lily!" I exclaim in joy and wonder.

He chuckles: "I think that might have been the name all along."

I study my Laelia-lily closely. I see that a transparent golden, liquid-like substance shimmers at the core. I can barely see it glimmer. I must concentrate to see it. If I blink, I almost forget that it illuminates the bracelet.

"It is beautiful!" I gasp. "Thank you."

He goes down on one knee and gently wipes my tears away with his right thumb.

"Now, you have to get back to your party. Your brothers who love you very much have most definitely noticed your absence."

I curtsy: "Your face is familiar."

"Yes, it should be," he replies.

"You are Khairrim Cadeyrn," I say simply.

"Yes, I am," he replies with a smile.

"Then this is the gift that is given to an elf-child traditionally at their half-millennium birthday," I explain, more to myself than to him.

"Among other things."

"I thank you, my Lord, for the gift you have bestowed on me," I reply with another curtsy.

"It is a pleasure."

He smiles again.

"Now you have to return to your party."

"Yes."

I curtsy for the third time, and return to my party.