"Always have something beautiful in sight, even if it is just a daisy in a jelly glass." – H. Jackson Brown Jr.

The celebration of our fifth-century birthday is not comparable to Faolan's Millennium a week ago, but it is huge compared to my four-hundred-and-ninety-nine of previous birthday celebrations. I don't remember the first ten birthdays at all. All the other ones that did not celebrate a century of my age were spent with my family. Sometimes we did not even celebrate. You get tired of birthdays if you have had as many as us and added that of my family together, but five hundred is a big deal.

If you only add Faolan, Aedan and my birthdays together, you have a total of two thousand birthdays. You get my point.

Aedan tugs my arm.

"Where did you go? I have set my master plan to humiliate Faolan into working. That is new. Where did you get it? Tell me later, because you have to come to watch this now."

He pulls me along to the middle of the crowd.

"We have to hide behind the others so he does not see us."

Aedan draws me behind an elf whose face I cannot see.

We peek around the white garment and search for Faolan's face. Aedan points when he sees Faolan before I do.

Faolan is talking to elves of his age.

"What now?" I whisper to Aedan.

Aedan grapples around in his pockets. I can hear many things clanging against each other. He takes out a small bottle with a thick pink liquid in it.

My eyes widen.

"If Mother finds out you took that, our hides will be tanned and used as tapestries in her study."

"She will not find out, because we will replace this bottle when we visit Idunn."

Aedan's eyes mirror that of a fox playing with a nestling that fell out of its tree.

I suppress a smile.

We dart back and forth behind the backs of the elves; always keeping Faolan in sight.

"You are a genius."

"I know."

"If we do this, he will not show up in time to torture us tomorrow morning."

"That is exactly what I thought."

"How do we give it to him?"

"I offered the last two pumpkin and cream pies to Elorhim. He immediately ran to Faolan. He always follows Faolan everywhere."

"And Elorhim is just an innocent bystander in all this?" My mouth breaks into a wicked grin.

"He wanted the last pumpkin pie. I told him that it was for you and me, but he insisted that as he is older than us, he should have it. I agreed."

"The only objection I have is that you used the last of pumpkin pies to do it."

"There happens to be one more plate in my room, but look! It is happening."

I look at Faolan. I notice Elorhim shadowing him for the first time.

Faolan is winking quite a lot. I can see the small muscles of his hands twitching.

Elorhim also looks like a drowning rat.

Aedan and I notice too late that the elf that has been covering us stepped away. We scamper for shelter, but Faolan and Elorhim see us and smile brilliantly. They stop twitching.

"Aedan, something is wrong. I do not think they ate the pies."

Aedan mirrors my frown.

Faolan and Elorhim walk to us. We try to replace our frowns with innocent smiles.

"Did you really think I am that stupid, Aedan? You have never willingly surrendered food to anyone, especially not pumpkin pies. I knew immediately that the two of you were up to no good," Elorhim says with a wicked smile.

"Luckily Elorhim came to me, but you knew he would. He told me everything. I told you about Mother's potion cabinet, little brother, or did you forget?" Faolan's eyes are filled with mischief, and his smile is smug.

Aedan's eyes widen.

"If you did not eat the pies, then who did?"

"I told Elorhim to put them back on the plate."

"Are they still there?" I ask in horror.

"I do not know," Faolan replies with a shrug. "I hope this teaches you that you should not mess around with things that you have no right to and do not understand fully. That potion would have caused Elorhim and me to lose our senses for at least a day, but I told you that when I showed you the cabinet.'

Aedan and I immediately rush to the table where the pumpkin pies should be. To our absolute horror, the plate is empty.

"Someone already took the pies!" Aedan exclaims worriedly.

"We will really be converted to tanned hides!'

"We must find out who took the pies!"

"Aedan, there is nothing we can do about it now. We have to tell Mother."

I turn around and see Faolan staring at us with a smile.

Aedan and I scowl.

I see the Second One smiling at us.

"Dear Aedan and Laelia of the family Darkwood, I took them."

Aedan's eyes widen even more.

"Did you eat them? Because that would be very bad."

"I know, but no, I did not eat them. I destroyed them. That potion should not be used lightly, Aedan Darkwood."

"I just wanted to remind my brother that he is not as important as he thinks he is."

"But he is as important."

"Oh," Aedan can't voice his disagreement with our Sovereign, but I can see it in his eyes.

The Second One smiles: "But tonight is your night and I still have to bless you and give you your gifts."

I frown.

I notice that the crowd is silent. Every elf is looking at the Second One, Aedan and me.

I want to cringe and hide away.

The Second One turns to the elves.

"Tonight is a remarkable night. You have gathered to celebrate the Half Millennium of Prince Aedan Elderlight and Princess Laelia Darkwood, son and daughter of King Eoghan Elderlight and Queen Aylissa, also of the family Darkwood. It is the tradition that I present an elf-child with a gift defining their future on this birthday.

"I wish to gift Aedan Elderlight with the Mirror of Elderlight that belonged to his ancestor Aedan who was a seer."

The crowd claps their hands in excitement. The Mirror of Elderlight is a very special gift. I am very excited for Aedan. It bodes well for his future. Mother will be proud.

The Mirror of Elderlight is made of silver. Aedan and I have studied its history extensively. Its history is also part of our history.

Our ancestor Aedan and his older brother Faolan, yes, Aylissa has told my brothers numerously and extensively that our ancestors were the inspiration for their names, were the greatest elves that ever lived. Their deeds are the substance of our legends and many of their decrees have become our everyday philosophy and law.

I can see Aylissa glowing in the crowd.

Aedan goes down on his knees before our Lord Protector. He takes the gift graciously.

"I accept this gift. I vow to honour it and live up to the legacy of my forebears."

Aedan stands up.

"I wish to gift Laelia Darkwood with a blank book because the future is never set and we have the freedom to write it as we choose."

No-one has ever been given a blank book.

It is unusual, but I am seduced by the promise of writing my own future.

I am relieved that the gift he gave me earlier wouldn't be scrutinised by strangers' eyes.

I bow low before him. I accept the book. He smiles down on me when our hands touch when I take the gift from him.

"I accept this gift."

I cannot think of something else to say.

I must say something.

"I will write a poetic future, filled with choice and life."

Aylissa must be disappointed. I have just managed to disappoint her - again - without doing anything.

I stand up.

"In addition, Laelia of Elderlight and Darkwood, I publicly re-announce my guardianship over you."

The crowd gasps.

I look at him blankly.

I did not expect that.

Most elf-children have an adult as their guardian. Their guardian is the one who mentors them throughout childhood, helps them prepare for adulthood, assists them in making choices for their future, and in some instances, have a greater role to play in their life than their parents do. Parents often fulfil the role of guardianship as well.

My father has guardianship over Faolan.

Aedan is one of the few elves who have two guardians: both my mother and my aunt, Idunn. A child can have two guardians, but an adult cannot be the guardian for two children.

That left me without a guardian - which has contributed to my unpopularity immensely.

The Second One said that he re-announced his guardianship over me.

He has been my guardian for a while?

I thought that nobody wanted to claim me.

But I couldn't be claimed.

I scowl.

My parents must have known.

They have never told me.

I look up into the Second One's eyes.

The crowd vibrates.

"My lord, I am honoured to have your guardianship," I say simply.

He nods, but I can see that he doubts the sincerity of my words – I even doubt it.

He addresses the crowd again: "Feast, dear elves, for you are blessed."

Someone starts to sing.

"The world was young and free,

We are the folk of water and tree."

Everyone else joins in.

"From the fertile ground of ArBrae, we come,

And back we will go when we succumb."

I am supposed to sing as well.

"The mighty trees stand proud and tall.

Humbled by their wisdom we are small.

We are the forest and the forest is us.

To our Lord we swear fealty, we must:

For he is the one who returned ArBrae's life,

And rescued us from inner turmoil and strife.

He guides, he teaches, he loves, he reigns.

He is fair and wise, and his people his veins."

I don't.

Our Lord Protector gives me a last smile before he walks into the forest. I want to follow him, but I know I shouldn't.

"The water is ours, it bows to our wills."