"There is no point in using the word 'impossible' to describe something that has clearly happened." - Douglas Adams

Alachna City, Ardam 1292

The pain in my ears rings through my head - aggravated by every stomp I give at the entrance of Mother's garden. Last night she told us to be here an hour before sunrise. I came here immediately after waking up in the forest. Aedan joined me a while ago, but I've been walking up and down for an eternity.

"Laelia, you know Mother knows you are pacing here? It is probably frustrating her."

"I know,"

Aedan looks fresh and wide awake, like crisp grass covered by dew. I scowl at him.

"You did not sleep at all," he states the obvious and canyons form on my forehead.

"I was too excited for our first mission," I answer with a truthful lie.

"What happened to your dress?"

I glance down and my mud-stained dress. I meant to change. I remember deciding that I needed to put on a new dress. It was the only thing on my mind until I arrived at the palace. Then I ran here because I feared that I missed our appointment with Mother.

"I don't know."

"Where were you last night? You just disappeared."

I frown. Did he forget his vision?

"You dragged me from the clearing and told me to go to the middle of nowhere."

He looks perplexed: "Why on earth would I exclude you from your own party?"

My eyes narrow. Something happened last night, and neither Aedan nor I can remember what happened. Aedan wouldn't deny his visions as an ill attempt at humour.

"I don't know."

He studies me: "Are you sure you are well? Did you not pick up a fever?"

I ignore him: "We should not let Mother wait."

The entrance to the Queen's Garden is situated on the second floor of the palace and is veiled by a curtain of vines. It is one of the only places that are off-limits to us. I have only been to Aylissa's garden once before, but Aedan and I were still toddlers and thus my memory of it is not tangible.

Aedan pulls the vine curtain out of the way and allows me to enter first into my mother's sanctuary. The garden is shrouded in a tangible, but refreshing mist. The sun's first rays sneak into the foliage giving the garden an ethereal beauty. The marble floor is submerged by moss and dark ivy with golden borders. Lilac orchids peep out through the vines.

I don't recognise all the plants in the garden as the majority of them seem to be alien to the forest. Knowing my mother, these plants have been carefully selected for properties such as poison and healing, and for things that I cannot yet fathom. But some of them would be here for their magnificent beauty.

Aylissa is standing in the middle of the garden in front of a silver tree that is decorated with leaves made from ice. The silver tree seems to be emanating frost and the mist is thickest at its base. The tree is breathtaking, but it pales to my mother.

Her black lace dress blends into the mist and her pale skin similar in colour to the frozen leaves on the tree. I blush when I study her revealing dress. I have never seen her showing off so much skin. The dark-of-night black hair Faolan inherited from her cascades down her back and melts into the mist at her invisible ankles. Dark purple berries are woven into her hair in clusters. Her translucent blue eyes, similar to Aedan, is looking past us to a vision in time only visible to her. Her pale eyes suit her so much better than the cobalt eyes of Faolan and my father. She would have looked extraneous with such bright eyes. The most baffling thing to me about her appearance is the crown of frozen leaves on her head.

"Mother, may the sun rise brightly for you," Aedan ventures, and flashes a smile showing his teeth that are as white as the leaves on her tree.

"The garden is breathtakingly beautiful, Mother," I say as I curtsy to her.

She does not bother with greeting us properly but launches into explanation instantly. Her crimson lips curl into both a smile and a grimace simultaneously. I think she wants to get us out of the garden as soon as possible. The garden is her shrine. It is the innermost part of her existence.

"The two of you are to accompany your brother to the town of Raven's Peak where the human throne heir, Pa'Drig Vaubadon, heir of Ferdaid, currently resides to complete his military training. Faolan will continue from there to the Mountains where he will remain for the next ten or more years. When Faolan returns, he will assume the throne. You will remain there for as long as you need to complete your task. You must build a relationship with the prince. It is the first time in many years that the heirs to the elf throne are to visit the human heir. Faolan could not complete this duty, so it is yours. In addition, I an entrusting a second task to you."

Suddenly I realise where the frozen leaves came from, and I have to suppress my astonishment. She made them!

"What is our second task?" Aedan asks, saving me from interrupting.

"I want you to find the Lost Library, but your discretion is of utmost matter."

The Lost Library! There has probably never been a more impossible task! I bite down on the inside of my lip. No-one knows how to reach the Lost Library of the Council. It is said to change locations at will, yet having a fixed location with temperamental entrances throughout Ligtland. It hasn't been found in centuries.

"There is a book I require from the Library," she adds as an explanation.

She hands Aedan a small folded paper: "This is the book. Burn the paper in your room when you have left my garden."

He takes it from her without unravelling its secrets and nods: "As you wish, Mother."

"Faolan will be leaving at sunrise."

Aylissa motions for Aedan to bow his head. She touches his forehead and traces a symbol on it. I recognise the symbol as the symbol for protection in the Ancient Language.

"I give you my blessing, Aedan Darkwood."

He steps away: "Thank you, Mother."

"Aedan, please leave your sister and me."

He nods and exits the garden.

I gulp. She probably has prepared a scolding for me for disappearing from my own Eeufeast Celebration.

"Laelia, this journey will have its challenges, but it should not be dangerous. You and Aedan might be faced with difficult decisions. The outcome may affect our relationship with humans. I do not like humans, but it is necessary that we keep good faith."

"I will not shame you," I say, angry that she is humiliating me in this way. I guess that a scolding for last night is partly justified, but for something that I haven't done?

"The thought that you would, has never crossed my mind. I know that you do not really have friends among us elves and that you have found it difficult to build a relationship with them. Aedan has found this easier, but it will be the other way round once you are among the humans. Just like you have leaned on him, he will need to lean on you."

I give an incredulous nod; for once having no answer to offer.

"Laelia, you are stronger than Aedan. I know that you will not let sentiment and affection influence your choices, where Aedan might."

My disbelief at her words continues to grow. Aylissa has never told me that I am better than Aedan in anything. I want to smile and jump up and down, but that would replace the look of approval on her face with immediate disapproval.

"Come nearer so I can give you my blessing."

She traces the same symbol that she traced on Aedan's head on mine.

"Please go now. Your breath is making the leaves thaw," she says repairing my faith that my mother hasn't gone as mad as her sister.

I walk out gracefully until the curtain of vines hides me from her view; then scurry out of the palace. I am still shocked that my mother paid me a compliment.

I'll speak to Aedan about our impossible task later, but I have to tell Gwen that I am leaving. I race to Gwenore's house which is close to ours.

I find Gwen asleep on a chair in her foyer with a thick leather book on her lap. I study her sleeping face for a moment. She looks at peace, and beautiful. I firmly believe it is what is inside you that makes you beautiful or ugly, so in my reference framework, only the Strongwinds are ugly. And perhaps the Swiftfoots as well, but only because they have so much Strongwind blood pumping through their bodies. According to Aylissa, Gwen is not beautiful, because she has a large white-pink scar on her chin from a fall when she was starting to walk. Her nose is also quite big, but I think it makes her look like a cute squirrel.

Even though I cannot see her eyes I know that her eyes are the same dark green as the pine trees that grow on the other side of the forest. Her eyes even have brown spots of pine cones in them. Her hair is mud brown, and it might challenge mine and Idunn's for the title of most unruly hair in ArBrae.

I gently touch her shoulder: "Dearest Gwen!"

She opens her eyes immediately: "I have not gotten used to you waking me up, even though you do so at least twice a month!"

"I am not going to apologise, because I do not feel guilty about it," I hug her.

"What do you want to tell me that could not wait until the sun is shining properly?" She tries to sound annoyed, but the firefly-twinkles in her eyes betray her.

"Aedan and I are leaving on a mission today."

The frown vanishes: "Where are you going?"

"To Raven's Peak where the human Prince is."

"And you are leaving today?"

"Yes, in less than an hour."

"You better go pack."

"I know, but I had to tell you," I embrace her again.

"Please bring me something unique to humans."

"Of course! Can I bring you a human man?"

"Oh no! That would be a disgrace!" She giggles.

"Then I will not kidnap one."

"You have to go now or you might be left behind and stuck with my company."

"This would be the only time that there is an alternative better than your company. May the sun shine brightly on you - and all the rest as well."

"For you too, Dear."

I hurry back to the Palace, almost regretting my choice to say my goodbye to Gwen for Faolan would surely leave me behind if my things stay unpacked.

Aedan is twirling in his room and placing things on his bed. His room looks like a wind of Zoe Pherenike has destroyed everything in his wake.

"I waited for you in your room, but you rushed out of the palace."

"I wanted to say goodbye to Gwenore."

I know Aedan well enough to predict his next question - the reason he waited for me in my room.

"I thought so. What did Mother want to talk to you about?"

I can count the number of times that I have lied to Aedan on one hand and he has always seen through me. I cannot tell Aedan what Aylissa really said, but I can say part of it. Hopefully, I will be convincing enough to persuade him that I am saying all there is to say. I pick something up from his bed. I do not look at him when I speak.

"She told me not to embarrass her and not to harm the relationship we have with the humans," I put whatever I picked up back on his bed.

"You know, she should really stop doubting you at every turn."

"It is her right to doubt me. She doubts you too. She is our mother."

"Have you packed?"

"I have not."

"I am not packing more than my weapons, three changes of clothes and gold."

"I thought I would do the same. I just wondered whether I would need to pack dresses or something else."

"I think dresses will be sufficient. If we later decide that you need other clothes, we can buy. We would not want you to embarrass the dignity of our race."

"No, we would not want that at all. I suppose Mother would already have chosen gifts to send to the prince?"

"Yes, she would have."

"Three dresses then."

"I will pass by your room when I exit."

"And the library?"

"We'll just have to find a way to find a myth and make it a reality."

"And the paper she gave you?"

He rolls his eyes: "I'll tell you about it after we have left because you really need to go pack your things now. I don't want to go on a quest alone, but I will surely not wait for you if it would mean that I'll have to stay."

I nod and hurry to my room. I am excited to be leaving the forest and seeing the world of humans. I have left the forest a few times, but then I went to the border of the forest and always under supervision. I have never even seen humans. My father made sure that we went to isolated places.

Ligtland is inhabited by four main races: elves, humans, skados and dwarves. Each race has its own Council Member who is their sovereign. The four races have no love to spare for the other, but they have reached the agreement, under the guidance of the Council, to stay out of the other races' way and to provide help when necessary. The races also trade with each other. I have read so much about the other races and their cities, and now I will finally be visiting them!

My wardrobe does not have doors. As I said before, elves do not like doors. The clothes hang in a space carved out of the marble. I choose three dresses from my wardrobe: a white one, a golden one and an orange one. I finally shed my ruined dress and replace it with the traditional blue required for the occasion. It leaves my shoulders and arms bare but covers my neck in a magnificent halter made from a golden cord. The beginning of a journey and then its conclusion are some of the only times when white is not the customary colour.

I neatly fold the dresses and place them in a sack made of blue velvet. I take my weapons and place them on my bed. I do not pack any jewels, except for the ring I still have on my finger.

Aedan enters my room. He also redressed into blue attire.

"Are you finished?"

"Yes, but I am not taking any jewels."

I sling my sack over my shoulder and pick my weapons up in my arms.

"Did you see the leaves?"

He nods enthusiastically: "I had no idea she was that powerful!"

"I knew she was able to use water, but I have never seen her doing so. And the ability to freeze water! There are only a handful of elves who have ever been able to freeze water."

Aedan and I join Faolan and Father in the foyer.