I don't own Hilda.

Alfur had sung to Hilda for a few minutes before the girl's curiosity got the best of her.

"Alfur, what were your parents like?"

The little elf looks up at her in mild distaste, his ears flattening to convey his vexation.

"For someone who really wanted to hear me sing, interrupting my performance is rude, Hilda."

"I'm sorry," Hilda replies, her tone sincere, "I'm just a little curious."

"Mmm..." Alfur's ears twitch slightly in indignation, but he softens up when he looks at Hilda's face. He softly presses one (albeit nonexistent) hand against her cheek for a moment before sitting down again.

"Well," he looks down for a moment, "my childhood was quite long ago, but I remember... I always preferred my mum. My dad wanted me to be tougher and had high expectations for me that I just... couldn't fulfill. My mum encouraged me to pursue what I wanted and liked that I was a naturally... empathetic person, so I was always more comfortable around her."

Hilda smiles.

"I like how kind you are, too. I never knew my father, but you sort of remind me of one. I mean, like... how I'd think a dad would be like, if I had one... ideally."

Alfur laughs. It was kind and gentle, which made Hilda feel more at ease divulging that information, but disconcerted her after the moment. He likely hadn't meant it to be, but it sounded a bit belittling to Hilda.

"Really?"

The girl nods lightly, moving her blue bangs out of her eyes.

"You do." She nervously scrambles to find words to explain, "I know it sounds silly, but you just have everything I would imagine my dad was like. But knowing he left me and Mum behind, even if he did come back somehow, I think... I think I'd still prefer you, you know? Like... like...-"

"Hilda," the elf starts, smiling warmly, "you know, it's a little funny, and all the other elves back home would certainly find it strange, but I do think of you as a daughter to me sometimes."

Hilda blinks in surprise.

"It's nice getting to know you and talk to you like this," Alfur continues, "before we met properly, I'd never have expected to be standing in the palm of the hand of the 'Giant Girl'," he does a funny imitation of the elf king's voice and mannerisms, "'sworn enemy of elfkind!'... and not be afraid in the least. It's what other elves say about humans in the county that makes others so fearful, but humans- and giants- you're not monsters. We're all the same. The only difference is size.

"Now, you... regardless of what I was told, seeing you growing up was a wonderful thing. I knew I couldn't interact with you, but I was still proud of every milestone you made. I remember telling the others, 'the little human has learned to walk', and everyone started to panic and barricade their houses."

Hilda giggles.

"But I can't even touch the houses without having signed a contract."

"Exactly! That's what made it so funny," Alfur beams, jumping onto Hilda's hand and planting a soft little kiss on her forehead, "the only problem is, keeping you out of trouble is pretty difficult when you're about ten times my size.

"You know what? I'm happy we got to talk about that, so I'm not going to tell you my least favorite story, but my most favorite one of all!"

"...There's a lot of paperwork in this one, isn't there?" Hilda watches Alfur as he jumps down and sits close to her ear again.

"Actually, not that much," Alfur answers, his tone soft and soothing, "It's not the main focus, anyway. It's a story my mother told me, so I think it's special. It's actually something she experienced herself. She was a little eccentric, but I'd say that's what made her so wonderful, you know?

"The fact that we are invisible to those who don't sign the contracts can be a good thing, if we made the very best out of it.

There comes days where day-to-day life just gets a little boring. You have to get out and live a little. So what my mum did... she went to a human town, and started acting as the "conscience" of people who seemed to be having trouble. They couldn't see her, of course, but she could talk to them."

"Your mum was brave," Hilda states.

"Like you, in a way, then," the elf replies simply, chuckling to himself.

"She did this with a variety of people. To them, she was just a little voice in their heads, and she advised them what to do to solve the problems they had."

"Her advice couldn't have always worked, though?" The girl inquires.

"Oh, no, no, of course not. No one is perfect! You get a few hits and a few misses, but she was smart. She had experience observing humans. Not only did she take regular trips to Trolberg, but she was also around when your great grandfather constructed your old home, so-"

"But that was decades... a century, maybe? A century ago!"

"Elves regularly can live up to 1000 years minimum, Hilda."

The elf could almost see the glimmer of interest in the girl's eyes flickering when he said that. A little impressed "woah" escapes her lips.

"Then how old are you?"

Alfur tilts his head, giving Hilda an unamused look.

"...Quite a bold question for you to ask, isn't that?"

"I'm sorry- that was rude. Please, continue."

"There was once a man who my mum had met who was extremely bitter and pessimistic about everything. There was nothing that he couldn't complain about. He went through life with the most negative outlook and nobody had ever even seen him smile.

"So my mum asked him what the point of being so upset was, and he answered that he was mad at the world for being so cruel. The news only read of bad events that happened, and even on bright and sunny days, there would still be someone suffering.

"'That might be true, but good things can happen, too,' my mum told him, 'you must know that life is full of ups and downs and nothing good will come of being sad all of the time. You cannot forget the bad things that happen, but you need to remember, there is happiness just around the corner if you look. Sometimes, you have to be the good that you can't find in the world. If you can't find anyone kind, be one. That's how it spreads, and it gets paid forward. And the more you do good things, the more light there will be in this dark world, and maybe more people would be inspired by your example.'

" He asked what good only a single person can do for the world.

"'One person can be the spark for a thousand people to act. One person can do so much more than you think. Even small people. Little things matter, too. Little things matter a lot.'

"She repeated this with many people she came across, and it left a positive impact on the people of Trolberg. They chose to be more kind.

"None of those people she spoke to are alive today, but I'm sure their spirits would remember," Alfur muses, looking out the window.

"That's really sweet," Hilda comments, "she did it just to help people. Some folks just need some encouragement and sometimes they can't just give it to themselves."

The girl and the elf smile at each other quietly, both of them affected by mild fatigue. Hilda jolts up, lifting Alfur up. He gazes up at her in surprise at her sudden energy.

"New idea: one more story."

"One more?" Alfur echoes.

"Yeah, but let's just make it up as we go along, you know? I tell it with you. I can tell, we're getting tired, but... I'm still having fun."

The elf half smiles, yawning.

"Then you start."

I would highly appreciate reviews! Thank you so much for reading. I think next chapter might be the last one-