Read Prelude to Sportacus first so you won't be confused.

After another battle between Grim and Baldur, Baldur had lost his crystal in the wilderness and was banished to the Elvin Kingdom. Grim Galdur was king of Latibær now and Latibær became full of lazy town folk. The town was cursed, no one cared to be healthy, no one cared to be helpful. There was a dark cloud hovering now that their beloved elf was gone. Then one day a young girl found the crystal in a stream and kept it safe from her father's knowledge.

Grim sat on his cave, the basement of his mansion, and plotted against the people. This troll was glad to rule without any opposition.

Prelude to Stephanie

The day Stephanie arrived in Latibær she and her father stayed at Miss Busybody's house. She rented out her guest house. Stephanie kept mostly to herself, not having any friends, and helped Busybody in the garden when Fred (Stephanie's father) was at work. He was a journalist and was working on a project about elves. Stephanie obsessed over the quartz-like stone she found and she kept it in her coat pocket every day. She decided to take a walk and found not a person outside, no kids in the park, no adults out jogging, not a soul. This place was a ghost town.

Someone coming around the corner bumped into her. It was a chubby blonde kid. "Hey, watch where you're going!"

"Sorry." She replied and kept going.

"Hey, you're new here aren't you? I've never seen you before. Do you go to my school?"

She paused and glanced at him, "No, and I'm home-schooled."

"What's your name and how old are you?" He opened a wrapper of taffy.

Stephanie smiled, "I'm Stephanie and I'm ten."

"I'm Siggi Sæti," he was a very overweight Blondie whose clothes were getting too undersized for him. "Where are you headed?"

"I was going to go to the park."

"And do what there? Nobody bothers to play anymore."

"That's odd, what do you do for fun?"

"We sit around on benches and tease the mayor. He wears a periwig now to hide his balding head, but he denies it."

Stephanie noticed a few kids coming up the street and suddenly became nervous. "I should go, it was nice to meet you Siggi."

He grabbed her by the shoulder, "No stay! I think I like you. Where are you from?"

Stephanie left his company and headed in the opposite direction very quickly.

She passed by a graveyard and saw a man standing there, staring deeply at one of the gravestones. She crouched down by the fence and watched him. He looked around as if to make sure no one saw him and knelt down by the gravesite. He reached out his arm and a blue light escaped from the dirt. Stephanie couldn't figure out what it was, but the young man captured it and hid it in his trench coat. He then stood up and turned to vapour, clothes and all. She rose slowly wondering if she just saw a ghost?

"There she is!" A girl cried wearing red overalls and sporting ginger hair tied into pigtails. She pointed at Stephanie and edged on the others to follow her.

It was those kids, along with Siggi, coming in Stephanie's direction. She wondered if she should run away or stand her ground. She decided to run and run very fast back home to Miss Busybody. She was afraid of what the kids might do to her. Would they steal her crystal? She wasn't going to take that chance.

That night as she lay in bed thinking about what she saw in the cemetery. Her father told her many stories about fairies living in Latibær, did she just see one? They look just like everyone else if it was so. She examined the crystal, a thing which fit in her palm, it was semi-clear and smooth. She got out of bed, got out of her pyjamas, and put on her outdoor clothes. She snuck out of the guest house and walked under a misty sky to the graveyard. A fog was rolling in and the dew in the air was heavy. She entered the grave and walked over to where she saw the spirit or whatever it was. The tombstone was mysteriously erased of its name and dates.

"Late night?" Came some man's voice.

Stephanie gasped and slightly jumped in fright, a tall man wearing a pink suit was standing there resting on a cane for support.

She shook her head, no words escaping from her mouth, she didn't know if she was in danger or what.

"Pardon? What?" Was all she could muster. "I wasn't causing any trouble!"

"I didn't say you were." He sauntered around her using that cane, she noticed he walked with a bad limp. "But why this particular grave? Did you know the person?"

"No, I was just curious. I saw…" She paused.

He paused too. "You saw…?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing. I saw nothing."

"There are strange creatures out here at night, I'd not stray so far from home, little lady." He smiled mischievously. "Say, are you new here?"

"I just arrived yes. I arrived a few days ago with my dad."

"You should be at home where it's safe, there are all kinds of fairies who would love to eat you."

She backed away from him now. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm only trying to save your life, little girl." He held out his hand. "My name is Rikki by the way. I own that big mansion up by the dairy farms. Do you want to see it?"

"No, I should be getting home, my dad will be wondering where I am. He keeps close tabs on me, you see."

"Oh, does he now?" He shrugged his shoulders and lowered his arm. "If you ever want to know about pesky elves I am the one for you. Is your dad a journalist by any chance?"

"Y-yes. Why?"

"I read his column in the evening newspaper. I take it the reason you're here can't be simply attending school. You and your father are here on elf business. Well, you'll find none here. Just spiteful imps. All of the good little fairies have fled town. I would like to meet your dad. I'm runner up for the next election, you should invite him to my office."

"I'm sure he already knows about it."

"Of course he would. So, what's the real reason you're here?"

"Why do you want to know?"

He walked to the gravestone and tapped it with his cane, "Poor old Zanna, it appears a creature has stolen her soul away. Is that why you're here? You did see something didn't you? What did you see?"

Stephanie started to back away very quickly, "I have to go."

"Fine, but vote for me, that current mayor is a lousy leader."

"Lousy? How so?"

"Have you seen how lazy this place is? I want to make changes."

"I'm sure you will, sir."

"If you see any elves you will tell me right? I can assume we are acquainted now."

She knew in her heart she'd not tell him anything but she felt he wasn't stupid, he knew she knew something she guessed. "Yes, of course."

"Very well, off you go, and stay away from the cemetery. If it's mystical creatures you seek, I have an orchard behind my house. I'm sure you'll find an imp sitting on a toadstool somewhere there. I'm sure you are just as curious as your dad about what lurks in Latibær. But who will find the answers first? You or your dad?"

She finally walked away then bolted it back home and got into bed. She wondered if Rikki was the person to ask about her crystal? She marvelled at who he might be. His orchard? She could sneak there tomorrow night? She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

She had a dream about a blond man with a thin moustache standing over a young woman. The woman was locked in a coma. He held her in his arms and hundreds of fireflies arrived. Stephanie stood there, watching all of this in her dream. She realised she was in a field of flora and fauna. She could hear a waterfall too. The man looked at her, she saw a hollow in his chest, and she handed him her crystal. He took it and placed it in the hollow. There was a bright flash and both he and the woman were gone.

Stephanie opened her eyes, they were flooded with tears for some reason. She never had this dream before and tried to decipher it but couldn't. It was still night out. She decided she would do a little bit of an investigation of her own the next day.