"Transformation isn't sweet and bright. It's a dark and murky, painful pushing. An unravelling of the untruths you've carried in your body. A practice in facing your own created demons. A complete uprooting before becoming." – Victoria Erickson

Alachna City, Ardam 1292

"You should have been here an hour ago. Why are you always late? You should not have left your room at all today! The tradition is to stay in your room, to isolate yourself and think about your future. Just get into the bath!" My mother rambles on, but I try to tune her scolding out.

"Yes, mother. The forest was just so magical, and the trees begged me to remain in their presence," I reply honestly, and climb into the bath.

She massages scented oil into my scalp: "Child, tonight you will become an adult. You will be worthy of making your own decisions. You will take your place in society. You must be a lady. You must be graceful and considerate. You are a leader of this race and a princess. You must start acting like it. And you should really stop dragging your brother into your messes."

She rinses my hair with hot water.

"I do not drag him into my messes. He comes with me of his own free will. And they are called experiences." Over the years I have learned to never refer to Aedan as the guilty one.

"You know how much your brother loves you. He will even take the blame for you. And have me believe that he begged you to do some mischief with him. I have always left you to roam the forest so that your true character can develop to its full potential. However, from now on you must leave your childish whims alone and act like that which you were born to be. Tomorrow morning, you and your brother will leave on a task for me. It will be your first task as an adult. You cannot fail me."

I can hear the scowl on her face, even if my back is turned to her: "I know, Mother. I will not fail you."

A thought later my brain registers what she said. She said Aedan and I will be leaving on a task. I break into a smile: "What is our task?"

Every elf gets to leave the forest at least once. The argument is that you must see at least a part of the world so that you can appreciate your own community much more. I am glad that Aedan and I get to leave the day after we turn into adults. Some wait years before they are allowed a quest.

"I will inform you in the morning."

Once Mother has spoken, you never, ever, question her. You don't even think about it. I question her in my mind all the time, but I don't voice my thoughts, except on the often moments that I forget to censor my mouth. I have learned it the hard way over the past millennium.

"Yes, Mother."

"Your dress is on your bed. Do not be late. You have five minutes to get ready," Queen Aylissa leaves without spending another glance on me.

I dry myself, wrap the towel around me and walk to my adjoining bedroom. The dress is beautiful. It is as white as snow. I have seen snow once when my father took Aedan and me to the edge of the forest and allowed us to play in the snow for a whole day. My dress has little diamonds woven into the fabric.

I put the dress on. It has a thin, golden chain halter. My shoulders are almost bare, but two thin golden chains strap across my shoulders. The hem is bordered with a thin thread of gold that forms little leaf-like patterns. The dress fits tightly around my waist and bells outward until the fabric forms an ocean of material at my feet. I give a step forward. The material moves with me and makes it look as if I am standing on a gentle breeze.

A thin golden circle also lies on the bed. It is a bit thicker than a thread. I know it will fit perfectly on my head. I put it on my head.

I walk to the water fountain in my room. The fountain is the centrepiece of my room. My room is grand. It has three walls. You enter my room through a large archway. Opposite the archway, my fourth wall is missing. I am beyond privileged to look out on the picturesque scene of the forest. I can reach my bathroom through a smaller archway in one of the side walls. My bed is against the fourth wall.

The part of the wall between the arch to my bathroom and the corner with the first wall has three successive hollows with arches at the top where I keep my jewellery and other paraphernalia. I don't have that many jewellery pieces.

The fountain is in front of the missing wall. The fountain depicts a tree sprouting water from its multiple branches. One of my ancestors made the sculpture. I don't have a mirror. I use the water in the fountain.

I stare at my reflection. My light brown-blonde hair curls wildly. It could be mistaken for a tangle of dried roots or vines. The golden band rests lightly on my head. It is barely visible in the mess of hair surrounding it. My brown eyes look honest and happy. Even my mother will be satisfied with my appearance.

For the first time, I am starting to feel excited about the coming night. I've been apprehensive about tonight for so long.

I feel incomplete. I am missing a vital accessory. I reach into one of the grooves in the wall next to the fountain. I place my glass flower on the palm of my right hand. It morphs into a ring on my middle finger. That is queer. It has never done that before. Usually, it morphs into different shapes of bracelets that always have the same flower somewhere.

I leave my room. I walk past the arch to Aedan's room. I quickly peek into his room.

"Aedan?" I ask into the room.

He doesn't answer.

I follow the stairs down to the palace's foyer.

Our palace is the most magnificent building in ArBrae City. The front of the palace is a wall constructed by arches put together. The foyer is next. The foyer is buoyed off by the wall at the front of the palace, on the left a wall with a semi-lunar curve that ends at the end of the platform that elevates the palace which is also the last border. The end of the platform is on your right as you enter.

The palace has four levels and an underground level where the library and a whole network of other rooms are.

The front of the body of the palace is the wall with the semi-lunar curve. The ground level has rooms like the kitchen and other rooms that anyone can enter. The upper level is our family quarters. You can reach them by using our magnificent marble staircase that fans out at the bottom.

Aedan waits for me. He is also dressed in white and he has a golden brow-band on his head, but it is thicker than mine. His shirt is made of the same material as my dress. His trousers are made of white silk. He has a pair of white boots with golden buckles on his feet.

For some inexplicable reason, his black hair never grows longer than shoulder length. His hair always parts at the middle, dividing his small stroke of silver hair in half.

He isn't facing me when I arrive in the foyer.

"Rabbit," I say when I am just behind him.

He turns around and smiles when he sees me: "Sunshine, you look dashing."

"I think dashing is a word used to describe gentlemen," I snipe at him with a smile.

He smiles and rolls his eyes: "Faolan had to supervise my bath."

I frown: "Mother supervised mine."

"You'd think they'd trust us enough to take a bath on our own on the day we turn into adults."

"In their defence, we did gallivant in the forest the whole day."

He smiles: "It was the better way to spend the day."

"I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just saying that their fears are justified."

He takes my hand and squeezes it.

I am nervous.

Tonight is a big night. It will mark the beginning of the rest of my life.

Aedan squeezes my hand again

We follow the path to the Stone Clearing. We pause for a moment before we descend the stairs to the clearing.

I commit the scene to my memory. The clearing is filled with people dressed in white. The sun has just set, and the last rays of day explode into a rainbow of colours. Wooden tables are decorated with various types of flowers, all white. Everyone already took their places. The Elders stand in a circle, at the centre of the clearing. The other elves stand in concentric circles around them. They step out of the way to allow Aedan and me to go to the middle. They step back into their positions when we have passed.

There are twelve Elders, of who the King and Queen are two. The previous leader of the Second Order and Ludel Strongwind are also among the Elders. I flash Gwenore a smile. She winks back.

We approach the Elders and enter the circle. We go to the middle and stand motionless.

Aylissa has forced us to practice the whole ritual for almost a year. She is afraid that we, more specifically I, will embarrass her.

The King is the first to speak at our Millennium. Traditionally, a child's parents or guardians open the ceremony with a speech directed to their child. Then the parents and ten other elves bless the child with twelve wishes that were passed down from the beginning of our history. The ten elves can be anyone chosen by the parents or the child self.

My mother decided that we will be blessed by the Elders. Initially, she did not want Gwenore to partake in our Millennium, but Aedan and I both insisted by enforcing a hunger strike for a month. She did not have a choice but to give in to our wishes. Of course, I got all the blame.

"I am Eoghan Elderlight, son of King Faelan of the family Darkwood. I am your King. I speak for my people. We have watched you from birth. We all played a role in your education and life. I will now speak as a father to his children. Aedan, my second son, I bless you with my love. You have the power of foresight, and I pray that you only ever use it for good. May you have sound judgement, and when the time comes, may you only give wise counsel to your brother who will succeed me."

My father looks at me: "Laelia, my darling daughter, you have always lived on the edge. You refuse to be confined. I hope that you will find peace someday. I hope that you will find answers to the questions you have not yet asked. I hope you will always remember Aedan and my love for you, even when you are faced with difficult choices."

Queen Aylissa is the next to speak: "I speak as a mother to her children and not as a queen to her people. Aedan, you are my second child. I bless you with freedom from the bond that binds you and your sister. You will have to be free of her in order to fulfil your destiny. I bless you with the wisdom you already have. Laelia, you were born from my womb, but I will never understand you. I will never approve of most you do. I pray you will find the path you are supposed to take. I bless you with freedom and love."

I flinch at her first words.

The Elders join hands.

My father is the first to speak: "I bless you with the wisdom of the owl that perches on the high branch before swooping down. May you always act after considering your thoughts carefully and to a great extent."

"I bless you with the swiftness of foot of the mountain gazelle. May you tread carefully on dangerous paths," Aylissa says after King Eoghan.

Elorhim's father, Ludel Strongwind, speaks next: "I bless you with the patience of the spider that spins its web and waits for its prey to be entrapped. May you work for what is right and wait for it to come your way."

The rest of the Council follow.

"I bless you with the strength of the lion. May you stand strong and protect the honour of your family."

"I bless you with the sense of belonging of the wolf. May you always call on your family in time of need."

"I bless you with the skill of the eagle that soars above the clouds and makes its nest on the highest of cliffs. May you rise up and make your name known to history."

"I bless you with the focus of the kingfisher that spots a fish in the water and catches it in one perfect movement. May you focus on your goals and not be distracted from achieving them."

"I bless you with the control of the squirrel that gathers it food before times of need, yet doesn't touch it."

"I bless you with the agility of the deer. May your feet be fast and your fingers fleet in the battles you will face."

"I bless you with the peace of the dove. May you carry peace in your heart and spread it with your wings."

Finnchaem Farforest is the second last to speak: "I speak for the family Farforest, whom I represent on the Elder Council. I bless you with the happiness of the bee that rejoices in every flower that blooms. May you find happiness in everything you encounter."

Gwenore speaks last: "I speak for the family Floodfinder, whom I represent on the Elder Council. I bless you with the love of the bee that protects his hive at all costs. May you protect those you love with everything that you are."

I step out of the circle.

The elves start to chant the Song of The Wind. You would not understand the words thereof, but it is a song about the grace and strength of the wind. It is sung at every male elf's Millennium. Aedan performs the Dance of the Wind. He moves swiftly and gracefully. A light breeze starts to play with the leaves. The dance proves a young elf's strength and prowess.

Aedan's features start to transform slightly. His ears become more pointed, his eyes sharper. I can tell that he is stepping from childhood to adulthood. Aedan steps out of the circle, on the opposite side of me.

The elves' chant changes from the Wind to Water.

I start to dance the Dance of the Water. My body moves to the rhythm of the song. Over the past year, I practised the dance until I could perform every move perfectly, but tonight is the first time that I experience the song, the rhythm and the dance.

The elves sing of the gentle rain, flowing rivers and lastly of the mighty waters of the ocean. At the climax of the song, gentle rain starts to dawn on the forest and its elves.

I become one with the water. I do not exist apart from the water. My body is made of water and the rain surrounds me. I can feel my hair clinging to my face.

I know I should feel more. I know I should feel my body changing, but I don't feel the change.

Something is very wrong.

I am supposed to feel my body changing into adulthood.