Elentir raised the tip of his arrow towards the thick wooden tree, the chalk-drawn target taunting him from afar. To his left, Legolas was laughing, arms folded and arrogant eyes fixated on Elentir's stance. "Come on, Elly," the elder pushed, glancing to the destination. The sun was beginning to get to Elentir, but he knew if he couldn't split the arrow struck dead center in the circle, he would never hear the end of it. Suddenly, all concentration was shattered by his sister and parents, happily strolling from the deeper part of the forest.
"Elentir!" his mother called. "Elentir, the festival's about to begin!"
"Mother, I'm in the middle of something," he replied coolly. Legolas chuckled again and stepped forward. The Starwatchers nodded respectfully, greeting the prince with a smile.
"He's about to loose, my Lady Starwatcher." Elentir narrowed his eyes playfully and lifted his arrow again. Elenlindiel giggled, wrapping her arms about his waist.
"Does this help any, Elly?" Elentir paused to push her away, laughing.
"No, Lin-Lin, just let me shoot this one arrow."
"Your mother made your favorite cake, Elentir," his father teased. "Hurry up so we can hear your sister sing."
"Everyone's waiting, Elentir," his mother added. Legolas nodded and patted his friend's shoulder.
"Go ahead and beat me, Aier, I want some of that cake." Elentir scowled a bit at the endearing nickname and pulled the bow even tighter. The taunt string sung in his curved ear, the eyes of his loved ones watching it. In a blink, his fingers released and the dart flew forward with perfection's hand. Everyone watched anxiously as the point grew closer to the end of the trademark feathers from the Prince of Mirkwood…
He jolted awake to the sound of the buzzing alarm. It hadn't been the first time he had dreamed he was home, being there for all of the wonderful things he was missing. Festivals, his mother's cake, his sister's singing, and playing the same stupid competition games with Legolas—they were all taken too lightly. Being raised in a cage of watchful trees and priceless beauty had trained his eyes to not appreciate his world. Now that he was gone, he would return with a larger heart.
Elentir arrived to work late, but Mr. Wilson didn't mind. "Find job that Starwatcher is doing…" he muttered to his secretary, who smiled and nodded. Four computers broke down, and Elentir was able to fix them all. Several coworkers stopped by to thank him for his services, which left a wide smile about him until lunch. Anne stepped in to congratulate him.
"This is your day, Elentir," she gushed. "I think everyone's talking about you!" He shrugged, still glancing out of the window. She walked to his desk, seeing he was distracted. "Mr. Wilson even said you're quite an asset to the company." He nodded, peacefully gazing. "You had the dream again, didn't you?" He looked to her, nodding with a sigh.
"It was especially real this time," he explained. "I could actually smell the trees. It's really getting to me."
"I'm sorry, Elentir," Anne said compassionately. "That must be tough." He shook his head, lying beautifully.
"I'm all right. I'll be all right." She smiled brightly and nodded.
"I bet. It's already time for lunch?"
"Sure is. Where have you been going the past few weeks?" Elentir smiled, glad to share his secret.
"Why don't you come along?"
"You mean, you spent a whole week on a boat?" Anne gasped, having barely touched her food. Gavin nodded, smiling and sipping coffee.
"Whatever it took to get me to America, I was going to come."
"That's amazing," Anne admired. "I rode the ferry across Lake Eerie and nearly died from sea sickness."
"The sea is an amazing place," Gavin swooned. "It's like a different world." Elentir grew quiet; he had heard such sailor's praises before. "Elentir? Are you all right?"
"He had the dream again," Anne explained, nibbling on her sandwich. A breeze had picked up under the friendly tree and rustled the leaves above them. Gavin's guitar was serving as a delicate table and began to hum as the air rushed by. Gavin's eyes widened and he turned his head in a sympathetic sigh.
"I understand, my friend. When I catch glimpse of home in a dream, it takes a good day to shake."
"If you both miss your homes so much, why don't you go back?" The Elf and man faced her with shocked expressions.
"It's not that easy," Elentir began.
"Not that easy at all," Gavin continued. "Why, my Papa…he wouldn't let me come back." Elentir smiled a bit and handed Gavin another piece of bread. "I like it here, though. A new adventure each day." Anne smiled, having just met the young Gavin but already liking him. She watched as Elentir laughed and noticed how incredibly sweet his voice was. It sort of sang, no matter what he said, and even Gavin said he had heard Elentir sing and it was marvelous. The birds in the background paused for a moment, she swore, when he chuckled. The light filtered through the trees lit his face like his own star.