We would like to thank our dear readers for sticking with us for so long. So, here is the next chapter just for the cuteness and some insight in some friendships. And some starting conflicts D:

-Chapter overhaul complete-

Also, Sauron get-together in the review section. Every Sauron welcome.

CA Productions

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

Chapter 10 - Friends Forever

- next evening -

He didn't even know where he was and what he was doing, what happened and that he was actually carried.

Naril had given everything he could and in his opinion failed all too miserably. The fact that he was a lean elf was very prominent and that his kind simply wasn't supposed to train like this by their natural body build. This didn't mean it cannot be changed but he might need a little more time and patience.

First, there was the problem of how early the training started. He ended up late, due to elflings always following the cycle of the sun naturally. He woke up with the sun as usual, so ended up having to run himself half-unconscious as a punishment... Perhaps this was what he meant as an elf nature...

The boy grumbled something inaudible as he opened his eyes, looking at the trees as they went by but not seeing them truly. He was slipping in and out of unconsciousness, unable to control his actions any longer. The only thing he knew was that he wasn't moving, yet the area around him was, his muscles screamed for relief and the tension of them was unbearable. His mind was of course also wounded somewhat. Despite the warning he gave to them yesterday, the father still was rather commanding, harsh and expected him to actually listen to all of it. His first reaction was denial and stubbornness, then he became more sensitive and silent as the time went by.

In the end he didn't even speak.

Instead he just collapsed.

And here he was now...

They made it home with the worn-out boy soon enough.

As the father expected, he received an earful from his daughter for having exhausted her new best friend in such a manner and no kind of explanation could settle her anger. Only once she was told to practice her pressure massage did she calm down, seeing she was helping him recover from today's event. After having given him some food to gather energy, Will decided to bring him home himself.

He seemed to understand that the elfling was tired beyond reason by this point. He couldn't blame him. The humans back home had a hard time with it as well. He was also not used to training children, much less elven children. That was what most of today was about. While the boy may believe that the father was just being harsh he was actually just trying to see what his limits were. Once he knew that he could really work with him. It was hard to work with someone on a different level than one's self. He had a lot to get used to.

Once the boy gestured that they have arrived, Will finally snapped from his thoughts and gazed upon the elven home.

Naril's home was just like any other. Built into a thick tree. The sun was already setting, so lights were seeping out of the window. The scent of cooked meal was beginning to spread as well.

The moment they were close enough, the boy asked to be put down and quickly announced the new guest, who was then received by a rather tall and quite lean looking elf, the father of the boy as it seemed. It was easy to tell, since they looked quite similar with their brown hair and brown eyes, although the older elf had a darker shade. The ellon seemed to be observing him with a slight suspicion and curiosity before finally granting him entry with a silent nod of his head.

Will nodded as he was allowed to come in, then let his eyes wander a moment, noting the humble decoration and the reserved natural colors before looking towards the father of the elfling.

"A pleasure to meet you." He said trying to be... calm and respectful. Not something he was used to. "I don't know how much your son has told you but I realized it was rather informal to just start training him without speaking to you about it. So, I thought it best to come here and answer any questions you might have. My name is Willow by the way. Everyone calls me Will, however." He explained himself and for the first time since he came to this place said what his name was. Neither he nor his wife had said their names once since they arrived. Almost as if it was protected information. Although, Hyano had the habit for introducing them...

"I welcome you on our humble home, Willow Razorleaf." The much older ellon said and gestured for him to sit while his son retired to his room, unable to stay awake. He needed to sleep or else he would pass out. No one said a word either to him. One could tell he wasn't in the mood to speak. "I am Feoton, born on Outer-Earth." He said, introducing himself as well while they are there, not wanting to seem rude. "Well... I have heard from Naril about this... training of yours." He started, sitting down after the father did, sitting opposite of him. "And I was thinking of paying a visit because of this... I am not sure what this training exactly contains..."

Will wasn't used to the formality of the situation but he did his best to not show how off he was feeling in this situation. He doubted the other father would have noticed anyway, though. Only his wife could seem to read his emotions. Sometimes, she knew what he was thinking better than he did. It was almost scary.

"Manual labor, mostly. You start the day with a run. It gets the heart pumping and ready to go. Considering your son isn't used to the early hour this is an easy way to start the day for him. Today I spent mostly seeing what he could handle. Elves are... not naturally built for this but he has potential. He is very stubborn which will actually help him if he puts his mind to the right task. Once he has improved his strength enough I will start teaching him my people's fighting style. See how he takes to that." He explained and thought over if there was anything else he might have missed. "Majority of it will be lifting and building muscle, increasing his endurance. Speed will come with time as a secondary to what he will be doing but it will not be our focus." He added.

The elf listened to the explanation, lowering his gaze sometimes to the table, taking in the information and what he needed to do, judging the harshness of the training and if his son would be able to take it. All in all he didn't find anything truly against this, seeing he himself never had such a training, so surely he just thinks of this as too harsh because of this. However... there was one thing.

"My only concern is the beginning time of the training. I would like to ask to let him come to you later when the sun has come up. Elven children are very tightly synced to nature and the cycle of the day. They fall asleep and wake with the sun. The older he gets the more he can go against this but... Not for now. Pushing out the starting time is necessary to ensure that he can give his best." He explained, nodding at him, sounding calm and understanding but also requested his own consideration. "I also would request that you... don't use harsh words. Elves at this age naturally are sensitive because of their sync. They need understanding. They are simply more sensitive to words, emotions and the handling." Feoton's other unspoken concern had been the desire of Will to teach his son their fighting style. It might be too early for him to start with aggressive attacking. He was too young for this. However, he understood that it might come years later when he built himself both in body and mind. He will keep a close eye on this matter.

The man thought this over, then nodded.

"That is fine for now." He stated, not too bothered by it. His son and himself would keep the same schedule. Cane could run more laps than Naril at this point anyway so by the time Naril made it and finished his own warm out, Cane would have gotten a proper one for himself. "I cannot help my harsh tone much, though. The men of my kind are rather... harsh by nature. It is in our voice. No matter how kind I might act in comparison to what the boy is used to, he will likely still take it harshly. There is really little that can be done besides us both working on that together." He added, being honest. He knew he was a harsh man and was hard to be around. There really wasn't much that could be done about it. Even in comparison to his own kind he was rather standoffish. It was just how his upbringing had ended up.

"I am sure you will find the solution for this together." Feoton reassured with a faint smile, then leaned back in his seat, watching the man. "There is always a solution. One just has to see it. But what the solution is, that is up to the people involved with this." He said, giving him a smile and a nod. "Well, there surely might be questions you might want to ask. Considering you came from Middle-Earth, which contains no elves... You might be confused about a few things." He suggested, open for any questions Will might ask. At the same time his brown eyes scanned the man, as if he was trying to see through him and judge him while he stayed. Elves were protective of their young and he would not let Naril be around with people he did not know. Then again, the wizard seemed to trust them, hence why he acted more reasonable. This didn't mean he trusted them himself, though. He was one of those cautious elves. he was skeptic about their motivation and their role in this world.

"... To be honest, I know very little about elves. I do not usually work with children either. Add in, he is an elf and I am quite at a loss the majority of the time. I spent most of today testing your son for this reason. Pushing him here and there in order to find what is right and what is wrong for him. I doubt he liked it much but it will make the training easier with time. I have noticed... and correct me if I'm wrong but... he seems to have a mental limit on himself. Like he is afraid to fail so he has already limited himself in order to avoid it." Will said his observation, looking at Feoton, wondering if what he noticed was true or his own head playing tricks on him.

The ellon's weak smile started to vanish when he mentioned these little details about his son. The look clearly said that he knew about these and that he wasn't all that keen to talk about it. Only after almost a minute of silence did he speak up in a more hushed tone, although, he was sure his son and wife could hear him just nicely. Elven ears were just that sharp.

"That is true..." He trailed off, clearing his throat, his hands moving together to fiddle with his fingers. "He had this from the very beginning." He sighed. "Mainly because he seems to be a little different than those around him. He seems to lack the attention for archery by nature and his speed leaves much to be desired. His balance isn't the best either, neither his stamina. He is a..." He trailed off, trying to find the right words. "A little sad about this. We never mentioned it though but he knows he is supposed to do all these and accepted that he cannot. We are sad to see him just watch the other children go on their training. I think the limit is the result of his own physical limits..."

The man thought this over for a moment before deciding to speak.

"Back in Middle-Earth our people were enslaved. We were forced by Man to do their will for many generations and put through much pain. However, at one point our people somehow started to accept this, believing it to be the rightful way of our life. What made it worse was we refused to speak about it, refused to see that what was there was really wrong so we put our own mental block on ourselves. It wasn't until someone finally spoke up... defied his... 'master' that the mental block was finally broken. We started to fight for our freedom and what we believed and felt was right." He explained, then leaned forward. "You mean well for your son. Anyone can see that but refusing to speak and talk about it is just as bad as rubbing it in his face. You tiptoe around it and he will continue to block it just like you are... If you don't encourage him, then all his training is for nothing. He will never get past himself." He added, not wanting the father to believe ill of himself or his words.

"I myself am not sure about this solution of yours but I never told him to not go on this training." The elf quickly corrected it, wanting to make it clear. "We did not stand in his way, hence why he showed up today morning. We knew that maybe... this is what he was born for... Who knows... We are native elves. Slightly more different than those who came from Middle-Earth. Many develop different skills, some lack that of precision many times and accuracy but are graceful sword fighters. Most of us seem to find our profession in the wielding of a spear. While those coming from Middle-Earth prefer the bow and daggers." He sighed, pausing for a short time, his eyes flickering to the table before meeting his gaze again. "But maybe you are right. We did not truly talk about this... state of his because we ourselves did not know what to do. We did not know how to counter this. He seems to be weak with a bow, not as graceful with a sword or spear... So, we encouraged him first for magic. Mostly those who do not excel in any of the weapon's fields are renowned mages. But he did not find much passion in that either..."

"We will see. If he does not have a passion for magic, it is best he not take it anyway. Without passion, magic can be quite useless to the user." Will said, remembering Hyano's words like she said them only yesterday. "If nothing else it is doing my family some good to have him around. My daughter has taken a liking to your boy and it seems my son is enjoying the company as well. If only one thing comes of this, I at least hope, it is a friendship between them." He said, rather pleased with how his son had acted during training. While he had been pushing Naril to go harder, Cane just continued to tell Naril he could do it and would act as his spotter during lifting exercises, keeping his hands close enough to catch the weights if the boy happened to give out. Lilly was also surprising him. She was known to have a slightly... short attention span when it came to friends. She made them so easily but she rarely made an effort to really remember them not expecting to ever see them again. Middle-Earth was so fast paced. People just tended to come and go.

Perhaps it was different with the elves...

Time will tell.

- a few days later -

The only one at the training grounds was Cane. He has arrived with his father at the usual time but unlike the day before his father had not stayed to watch him warm up, instead went to do his own morning workout. Cane was used to this. His father would be back a little later, until then Cane would handle Naril's warm up. He had done this so many times it would be easy as ever. Already Cane was jogging... well more like running around the track. He had kept himself slow the last few days for Naril's sake but since he was training on his own at the moment he was free to go as fast as he wanted and at the moment that was quick.

As promised, Naril made it to the training ground after sunrise, having found it after remembering the way here from the past days. Elves have quite good memories. They never forget. He also looked far more awake than he did on his first day when they started before the sun had risen. The boy looked around for the father, confused to see him gone, then walked over to the track, noting that Cane was already warming up for today's training.

"Good morning." He greeted him as he passed by, quickly adding the question he surely expected. "Where is your father?" He asked, tilting his head slightly. He actually also stopped by at their house with the lunchbox, though instead of bringing something to eat, he brought them this time a traditional elven drink. Not only was it delicious, its base component being honey but it also lifted the mood of anyone who drank it and also had mild healing properties. But as usual with elven foods and drinks... only a little as enough and then created a full feeling after just a few sips.

Cane stopped as the boy walked up and gave a nod as his greeting. When asked about his father he pointed in a direction.

"That way. He is doing his own morning training and will be back later." Cane explained, then pointed to the track. "The warm up is the same as yesterday. A few laps around the track, then we are working out our upper body and core today." The boy added, giving a basic explanation of today's schedule before gesturing for the elf to follow him as he started jogging. This time he slowed down his pace for the boy. He had done enough laps for it to be acceptable at this point anyway.

Naril looked in the direction the other boy pointed towards but just shrugged, deciding he will not announce his arrival only to disturb him, he will see him here when he comes back. They are not in a hurry. Nodding, the elven boy quickly joined Cane on the track and started to jog. This was the easy part of course. Elves naturally have nice endurance and speed, which of course Naril lacked but his body was still suited for it. This didn't mean he sped up because he knew if he did... He would very easily tire out. He lacked stamina...

Little did the training duo know that they were watched from afar.

Light brown eyes gazed upon them among the thick green foliage, tracking the duo as they ran lap after lap on the make-shift track. The rough fingers tightened on the tree's branch its owner was sitting on, overlooking the small clearing. The distance was great enough to be completely invisible for the senses of the young people below. Elven ears quickly picked up the chit-chat between them and mulled over each question that was asked to the elfling.

Feoton did say he will let his son participate in the training but he did not trust them enough to let him do so without him watching over him. So here he was now, observing their little pass-time. He has done so for the past few days, ever since he met the ent father and he told him about the program they want to go through with Naril. He did not trust the training as it suggested violence. But neither did he trust the man.

To him, as a native elf, they were too strange. He never saw people like this. Bulky body, deep voice, angry looking eyes, dark skin. It reminded him of the stories told about the foul creatures the migrating elves told him about. Orcs. Some of them were just as lumbering, walking with the same gait. While he clearly was no orc, he felt very protective over his only child. He had been waiting for his birth for a thousand years and won't let anyone touch him in the wrong manner or teach him things he was not yet ready for.

He will be there to determine the safety of this training of theirs.

A few rounds around the track and they were finally ready. Cane looked around. His father still hadn't arrived yet. No matter. He waved for the boy to follow him and went over to a tree. He checked to make sure the branch was strong enough before turning to Naril.

"Alright back home we used to use a punching bag for this but we will just have to improvise here." He said, then patted his abdomen. "I need you to punch right here. Don't go too low or high. Don't worry. I will be fine. This is to help get your arms warmed up before my dad works the life out of them." He said, then jumped up catching a low hanging branch and allowed himself to hang from it. This sounded strange but Cane knew already he would be fine. Naril still lacked the power to do him any real harm. His thick body structure would prove very useful for this.

The frown that already decorated the face of the ellon only deepened and soon his brown eyes widened at the mere mention of violence from the ent boy. His grip on the branch tightened and clenched his jaw. He was taken aback that right after he talked about this matter with the father... the son would rush this like that.

Naril was a pure elven child. The mere mention of hurting people was foreign to him. How dare he go against the agreement they had with his father and ask his son to perform such an act? Perhaps they are not entirely certain about what violence all entailed? His fatherly instincts told him to jump in, grab Naril's hand and lead him away from that boy. But another part of him wanted to know just how far they will bring this. Will they realize what they are asking of him? Will Naril feel forced to do it?

All Naril did was stare at him and blink, frowning after a while after Cane suggested he starts punching his stomach.

"Are you sure about that?" He asked, looking down at the rather muscled stomach, still not sure what to do. He didn't like the idea of punching anyone. He never wanted to harm anyone until they harm him. This boy didn't do anything against him, so had a hard time bringing himself to even accept this. "This seems so wrong..." He whispered, now looking up to meet Cane's gaze, doubt within his eyes. While maybe he wouldn't be able to hurt him, it simply... was just too wrong for him.

Cane raised a brow then smiled and nodded.

"Yes, it's fine. Trust me. If I wasn't sure I wouldn't have told you to do it. Besides, we are going to end up sparring later once my dad starts teaching you our fighting style, so you are going to have to try and hit me sooner or later anyway." He pointed out to the other child and continued to hang there. He lifted himself up once, doing an almost pull up in order to keep his arms from getting stiff before continuing to wait on the elfling to respond.

"Well... sparring is different..." Naril pointed out, not sounding so sure about this whole offer. "Then you defend yourself but right now it just... looks wrong. You are defenseless. I can't fight something that doesn't want to fight back, even if it is training..." He pressed on and looked around, averting his gaze from the boy. He simply couldn't do it. The boy didn't do anything against him and his mind told him it was wrong to hurt him, punch him or go offensive against him in any way.

Cane raised an eyebrow.

"Should I hit you, then?" He asked, sounding dead serious.

Feoton's frown turned into a full glare. The mere motion that his son would be hit for no reason just to teach him violence at such a young age made the ellon burn with anger. If anyone hit Naril, he would be there to defend him. Be it by this boy or another. Although, elves would never be this aggressive with one another... The ent child said all this as if it was the most natural thing to say.

Despite everything, however, he did not move just yet. No. He wanted to gather as much knowledge about their behavior as he could before he would stand in front of Will and announce his change of plans. So, the elven father forced himself to listen more...

Just a little more...

Cane just wanted to help the elf child as much as he could, he assumed. He didn't want to hurt him but if it helped him do what he needed to, then he would. Elves were really strange about the smallest of things. At least that's what he was starting to notice or was this just a Naril thing? He couldn't tell anymore.

"I can hang here as long as it takes, my friend. My dad has made me do this for endurance training before, so this really isn't too hard for me." He said, not seeming bothered at the moment.

Unfortunately for Cane, it indeed was an elf thing, not just Naril. Elven children were the most innocent and pure among all races, the most friendly and considerate, didn't judge and neither did they mean ill to anyone. This of course also softens with age and they learn to fight more aggressively, even learn to kill later. But at his age such things were just... inappropriate for his innocent mind.

"Can I pass?" He asked, raising his hopeful eyes towards Cane, although he suspected he might have no luck with this... But still... How can he hurt someone who didn't do anything against him?

Cane shook his head.

"Sorry but if you don't warm up your arms before my dad gets here, it's going to hurt a lot more than yesterday. This is the best way to do it. It won't hurt me. I promise. To be honest, if you punch too hard you are more likely to just hurt yourself than me..." He said, then thought a moment before dropping down. "Hold on a second." He told him, then ran over to a tree where they keep some of the spare clothes and gear for if it rains during their workout. He pulled out a cloth and ran back. Then he came back and tied it so it covered the boys eyes before jumping back up in the tree again. "Alright. Now think of something that frustrates you. It can be anything. Forget what you are doing for a second and just think on that. When you got that feel focus it into your fist, then let it loose." He said, going over one of the talks his father had used on him when they started. It didn't have to be a person. It could be a thing. Pet peeve. Something about one's self. Anything in this case would work. Then one just lets it out. Hopefully this would help the boy a bit.

The elfling blinked in surprise when suddenly everything went dark and felt the cloth being tied onto his head, covering his eyes. Instinctively, he reached up and touched it, just making sure that not an animal bit into his head like this or something like that. One might never know... He started thinking about what the boy said... Forget what he was about to do? Punching someone who was trying to help him and never did any harm to him? Hmm... It was harder than expected. He just stood there in front of the hanging boy, thinking. Something he hated? Something he found unpleasant and wanted to rid him from it? Well... there was one thing... After a while the boy actually raised his hands to start punching but in the very last moment he grit his teeth and just slumped his shoulders with a defeated sigh.

"I just can't..." He admitted with a heavy sigh, feeling like he was disappointing his friend with this... But no matter how much he tried. He just couldn't.

"Yes you can. You just keep telling yourself you can't." Cane replied bluntly. "Listen, I have been nice about this but most of what I have heard from you has all been negative. 'I can't. I can't.' Have you ever tried saying I CAN for once? It helps more than you might think." He said, trying to assure the boy and point out the fault that he had noticed in him. Unlike the elf, he hadn't taken much notice of the fact he was slower or less good at things. Just that he kept saying the same thing over and over again. It was almost depressing. "You have a lot to offer, my friend. Just stop saying that one phrase and you might do a lot."

Naril sighed and reached up, removing the cloth from his head, staring at him with an annoyed look. He didn't want to repeat himself over and over. They seem to think that he is a human and can change his mind at any time. He is an elf... He is an elven child. The purest, most innocent being on the world. Violence is just too harmful to his own mind, especially the thought of hurting someone who helped him so far, no matter if he was offering the opportunity. His mind simply blocked him before he could even do the first punch.

"I push what I can but this isn't an easy matter. Especially when you were born to not do all this and the only thing you can do is accept and live a happy and innocent childhood until it is time to change and we are left to see the world for what it is, loosening our sync with nature." He pointed out, crossing his arms, glaring at the boy. He was starting to have enough of these lectures. They don't help him.

Cane sighed, then dropped down and looked at Naril.

"I would believe you... if I ever saw you push anything." He replied, finally putting his hands in his shorts pockets. "I haven't seen you push for anything, so you are hard to believe. You must also understand... the world we come from, there is no link to nature anymore. Your kind left or died in our world a long time ago. All that is left is to learn to fight at a young age. They have to or they very well might end up killed. This innocence you talk about... I never had it. So to ask us to just understand... you are asking too much of someone who hardly knows you." He said, then moved to step around him.

"You don't have to know me, just elves in general." Naril pointed out, watching the boy as he jumped down now, his gaze then landed on the floor with a shrug. "Here it is different. You get to preserve all of that here. If anything... you have to preserve it because you can't do it another way. I am pushing myself enough by now. Normally my kind doesn't indulge in such training and I do what I can physically. But I don't have much choice when it comes to the mental boundaries." He explained, sighing once. "Perhaps we should make a small pause until you learn about my kind? To make it easier and both of us can understand the other." He suggested, although he knew the answer will be 'no'. These people are really pushy... And they are also unintentionally offensive. Well, he knew they didn't mean to but if they don't want to learn anything about his kind, then how do they even want to teach him? How would they know his true boundaries?

Cane actually seemed to think this over before shaking his head.

"Nah. The best way to learn is by experience. This may not be very pleasant but my dad and I are learning just as much as you are. When you think about it, you are kind of the one training us in elven culture while we are training you." He replied with a shrug. "Besides... It's nice to have someone to talk to." He added a little more quietly before shaking his head thinking that sounded too sappy. He looked around, trying to figure out any other way to help his friend work out his arms before his father got here. "Lie down on your back and put your arms straight out at your sides. I have an idea." He instructed.

Naril smiled when the boy expressed that he values his presence. That is true. He never talked as much before than he is now. Even if it is mostly just whining and explaining something the umpteenth time. Hearing the unusual request, Naril frowned but trusted Cane so did as he was told, wondering what he planned. He just hoped this won't be anything painful... He will have enough of that the rest of the day... He was still not at his best form because of yesterday's workout. Even if the massage soothed most of the pain and tension, he still felt the burden of it.

Cane sat down cross legged above Naril's head then put his hands a little above the other's wrists. "Alright I want you to tense up your arms and very slowly bring them up and together. Make sure to keep them straight. It should take about... 20 seconds or so at least. Then you are going to bring them back down just as slowly. Take a second to breath before starting it all over again." He instructed. He knew the boy would likely not think this exercise was nearly as hard as it really was but he would quickly be proven wrong. Because one's arms were moving so slowly in the end they become he weights against themselves. After a few times doing this, it begins to hurt just as badly as if one were lifting real weights.

The elfling blinked and frowned, moving his gaze to look at Cane, indeed thinking that this was at least something he can do rather easily and perhaps it won't be as unpleasant as yesterday's exercises. He did as he told him, raising and lowering his arms as he instructed. At first it went indeed as easily as he thought, however it became harder after a few repeats and indeed he started to struggle. In the end he wondered just how long they are going to do this... he hoped not for long...

Cane seemed to be content to just let the boy do this for a while but he perked up when he sensed his dad coming. "You can stop now." He said and waved as his dad walked up.

The older man looked at them, pleased to see that his son was doing what he could to help the younger elf boy.

"You might as well stay down, Naril. You too, Cane. You won't need your legs for the exercises today." He told them. Now, it was his turn to train them.

"You are done for the day. That was a cool down exercise. We are going home now." Will told the boys, letting them now that they could finally relax. They have been doing some weight-lifting with rocks to train their muscles more, which left the elfling as exhausted as the past days he was if not more. He was left with numb hands and stomach. He then knelt down before lifting the boy he was sure was far too tired to walk the way back home and he started walking himself.

"Come on. I am sure you must be hungry by now. Mom is making spaghetti squash tonight. Lilly's birthday is tomorrow, so she let her pick dinner." Cane added as he ran and grabbed some cloths, tossing one to his dad who gave it to Naril so he could brush off some of the sweat.

"Lilly's birthday is tomorrow?" The elven child asked, looking at the other boy, raising an eyebrow. He didn't know that. Well... they only know each other for a few days, maybe this is the third day since they first talked... Aside from the celebration when they did run around together with the others and played. But they didn't talk much then. "How do you celebrate birthdays? Surely not the same way as elves..." He guessed. So far, this family was just far too different from their own, so surely it also must differ. Just like the food. It was... funny. Funny but good. Less satisfying though and one needed a little more of it to get full.

"It varies depending on age and what the person likes." Cane replied as they started walking. "Lilly celebrates hers a little differently than normal. Normally, back home we have a party with friends and family. Have a few games, the person's favorite foods and a cake of some kind, then they get gifts. However, Lilly doesn't usually make friends and she would rather give gifts than receive them, so normally what happens is she will spend all the previous day making presents for everyone she knows, then will spend her whole birthday giving them out." He explained, knowing that no matter where they lived his sister's ways of celebrating her own day was odd. However, they knew better than to try throwing her a party or do any of the normal things. They tried that one year and all she did was spend the whole day taking care of all the guests. Like the party was for them and not her. In a way they liked this in the little girl. It made her all that much sweeter.

"Strange..." Naril murmured, finding it indeed quite odd. "Even at elves the one in the center of attention is the one having their birthday. Normally the relatives celebrate with those who have their birthdays on the same day, so not separately. Though, they don't throw parties, there are gifts given, if chosen they can have a dinner together but it is rare. What makes an elven birthday special is that everyone who knows the person blesses them in their own way, gives them gifts at the same time that are small but can be kept with them without being seen. Mostly it was a necklace or bracelet made from natural materials." Well... fresh ones... Asking a tree of living leaves and one of its thin yet flexible branches is not an easy task, seeing the tree herders are very protective but... They always manage. "She never gets any presents? Have you wondered and asked why she does this?"

Will thought this over then smiled a bit as he remembered. However he got a better idea.

"How about you ask her yourself? She always gives the same answer whenever someone asks." He said as they finally stepped up to the house.

The house smelled of spaghetti sauce and squash. It was one of the few dishes they made that wasn't spicy but there were various herbs and spices in the sauce that gave it an extra kick.

Lilly saw them walk in and grinned before jumping down from the stool she had been standing on. She had been watching her mother cook the sauce. It was always fun to watch her mommy cook in her opinion. She ran right to Naril, tackling him in a hug.

"Naril! You're awake this time!" She said, happy her father didn't overdo it again.

The elfling blinked and looked forward when he heard the door open and the pattering of feet. He was even then too late to react as the little girl came flying, successfully making him fall to the ground with her right with him. He really didn't know what to do or say... Such hyperactive way of happiness was unheard of; no one was this delighted to see him again. Mainly because he never was away for too long. He gasped when they met the ground, unable to block the fall with his hands. He could barely feel them, let alone use them for something like this. To say the least it kind of felt good to be missed and greeted like this. So, he giggled in return but didn't say anything. He wanted to save energy instead to not pass out. That he was walking doesn't mean he is less tired.

Lilly giggled down at him as she pushed herself up.

"You came just in time. Mommy is just finishing dinner." She said with a grin and jumped up, grabbing his hand in order to help him up to his feet. Once he was righted again she ran off and back to her mother. The way she was acting you would never know tomorrow was the little girl's birthday. She wasn't doing what most little kids her age do. Going about squealing, counting down the hours or cheering about their future age. It seemed like to her it was just another day.

Lilly's mother smiled, then handed Lilly a large bowl with the spaghetti squash in it. A squash that's insides had a tendency to be stringy like spaghetti noodles and when cooked made a very tasty replacement. Lilly loved it and her mother's sauce made it that much better.

The boy just stared at her, then met the gaze of Cane and the father before shrugging, finding her cheerful behavior strange. Tackling him like that... He wondered if she did that to every friend she made. When they came in the house, the scent of the food met his nose. He knew that one. His family sometimes cooks such a thing as well, although rarely and his mother tends to use various other ingredients that make it filling -just like every elven food- and mild in taste. His kind is after all very sensitive to taste. He eyed the sauce suspiciously, thinking it might be something heavily spiced just like the last meal but of course he will be polite and eat of that as well. Who knows... it might be tasty.

Once the table was set Lilly ran up and grabbed his hand and tugged him over to the table.

Her mother laughed lightly before taking up her usual spot along with the rest of her family, excluding Rosa who had told them earlier that she would be having dinner at her mentor's house tonight. Once the food was served, everyone started eating.

Lilly ate with chopsticks. The noodle-like food was perfect with chopsticks. Cane didn't seem hungry. He had made the mistake of swallowing the part of the leaf his father gave him and like they were warned it had filled him up.

All Naril could do was smile a little awkwardly and looked at the food, quickly thanking for the invite of course. Though, as usual it is when one over-works in exercises, he wasn't all that hungry but it would be very rude to refuse the food. So, he only chose to eat a little. Having seen what happened with the leaf, he turned towards Cane and gestured towards the water that was placed on the table.

"It will feel cold right now but if you drink enough the feeling might be gone sooner. It depends on your stomach as well." He suggested with a smile, then looked at his food again.

Cane did as instructed, sipping at the water. It felt like he was drinking straight ice but he didn't comment on it. He just kept drinking the water slowly.

Will chuckled at this and continued to eat. He had a feeling Naril was not going to ask Lilly the question, so he decided to go ahead and do it himself.

"Lilly. Why is it you give out gifts on your birthday?" He questioned, looking at her briefly before returning to his food.

Lilly gave him a strange look, wondering why he would ask a question. He already knew the answer to but shrugged it off.

"Because, you silly head, my life is a gift and I want to share it with everyone." She said with a huge smile, eating some more of her dinner.

Naril looked at the father when he asked the question he was meant to ask and turned his gaze to Lilly when she answered. It was a rather cute and very wise answer for a little girl at her age. Despite him looking nearly as young as her, he was twice her age and had the time to develop a bit more. Hence why he was surprised about it.

Lilly looked towards her friend, noticing he was looking at her. She raised a brow, then smiled back at him.

"I already got your gift but is there anything you really want?" She asked curiously. She was being quite serious and she expecting a serious answer. She would hate to give him a gift he wouldn't like. Elves tend to be too nice, so he wouldn't say if he didn't like whatever she gave him.

To say the least, the elfling was rather surprised when she said this. He didn't expect a gift of course, seeing she only knew him since a couple of days. He surely didn't deserve a gift. She doesn't really know him; neither does he know her truly... But then again, this is what his people act like. No one is an enemy or a stranger. Everyone is a friend, a supporter and someone you can rely on in good and bad times. Either to cheer one up, make one laugh or to soothe one's troubled mind. He couldn't help but smile.

"I already got my gift." He nodded, his smile brightening. "That you became my friend." Naril had some friends. They were there to play and learn along with him but they didn't quite understand him and his situation. It was clear that none of them understood that he was different than most of them and it somehow... bothered him. Lilly was truly a happy-go-lucky child who -no matter what- accepted him the way he was, with his faulty skills and all. He didn't need to push himself around her. Her company was a relief of the life of the elves.

Lilly's eyes widened at the reply. That had not been expected. No one had ever said such a thing to her before. Her eyes watered and she started to sniffle. Before she knew it, she started crying, not able to help herself, then tackled him yet again, hugging him tightly.

"I'm so happy I met you too!" She cried into his shoulder. Both parents were a little surprised by her reaction. It wasn't often Lilly just broke down from something that wasn't because of violence.

Cane also blinked but didn't say anything. What could he say? His sister was just... touched.

Honestly, at first Naril thought he said something wrong and watched her carefully, ready to apologize if she started to cry but didn't have the opportunity because she tackled him again, making him fall slightly backwards, this time however he was able to stop their fall midway with his elbow. His apology also wasn't needed as it seems, since she didn't cry because of sadness of by being offended. He didn't know what to say or do at first, never having met such a situation but knew one thing... He slowly sat up fully again before wrapping his arms around her crying form, smiling at her. He didn't know that alone such a sentence would make her burst in tears... Is her kind this sensitive? No... Her brother and father surely aren't...

Holly finally pulled out of her shock and smiled a little, then looked to her husband having a silent conversation yet again before he nodded and looked at them.

"Take the day off tomorrow but still drop by the house. Lilly will need help handing her gifts out, I'm sure." He said and smiled when Lilly perked up a little at this.

"Do you mind?" She asked him hopefully. Will knew his daughter would like that. He couldn't exactly give her a gift, knowing she wouldn't want it but he could do nice things for her instead and seeing how she acted around the elf boy, he found he could give the child a free day. If only this once.

Naril smiled at this, finding it a relief actually, having a free day and something told him this won't happen again, so he better uses that day well.

"Of course. I'd love to." He replied, giving her a smile, agreeing to come over and help her with what she needed. Although she said she didn't want any presents, he already knew he will give her one. It isn't something big, neither something incredibly expensive. But that didn't mean it wasn't valuable. So, in order to give her this he needed to come over anyway.

Lilly squealed happily and hugged him tightly before jumping up.

"I'm going to sleep right now!" She said happily before rushing off to bed.

Cane facepalmed.

"... She still believes that the sooner you go to bed the sooner tomorrow comes." He explained his little sister's actions and finally started to eat, his stomach feeling less full finally. He knew he wouldn't eat much and then tomorrow his stomach would feel so empty he would likely gorge before training in the morning.

All Naril could do was open his mouth to reply but she was already gone before he could even ask where she is going off like that.

"If it is true or false is a matter of perspective, my mother always says." He replied, in the same time pointing out to them that this isn't a foreign belief among the elves if they have such explanations. "It is false towards those who are not sleeping but are aware of the time. BUT true to those who sleep and forget it, only waking up as if they jumped in time." He finished and smiled, remembering what his mother told him a while back. He himself believed in it but only because he held it true. Tomorrow truly comes sooner if one falls asleep sooner and doesn't wake up until tomorrow. Then time is irrelevant.

The mother laughed lightly.

"You sound so much like my old philosophy teacher back in Middle-Earth. It is just too cute." She said, patting his head lightly.

Cane was across the table, trying to wrap his head around what the elf said. To him, not a lick of it made sense but then again he held true to science. That time still passed no matter if one was asleep or not. One doesn't have to be aware for this fact to be true. He would have to ponder this over. He liked brainteasers, though, so he didn't mind.

Naril tilted his head a little when she compared him to one of her teachers. Hmm... He wondered if teachers have the same intelligence as an elven child? Education is a very sensitive and important part of life among the elves. One never stops learning for a moment. There are always new things to discover and memorize.

"Thank you for the hospitality and the amazing food." He quickly thanked, said his goodbye properly and left with the promise that he will come back tomorrow.

The next day started out per usual.

The men were gone from the house at sun rise, however this time Lilly woke up early. She wasn't usually a morning person, however today she had made it happen by stealing Rosa's phone and setting the alarm clock so she would wake up on time. She yawned and mulled around the house cutely, her mind still half asleep as she found some leftover rice cakes, what was left of that honey flower Naril gave her and the juice. Sugar. Sugar was the way to wake up a sleepy child. She would be bouncy for a while but by the time it wore off she would be naturally awake for the day.

As promised, Naril walked down the path towards the house of the Razorleaf family. He had his little present all hidden, nice and sweet, only to be given at the right time. He closed his eyes and sighed, taking in the warming rays of the sun and the fresh air, opening his eyes halfway, bowing to the elk who was still sitting somewhere near the house and bowed his head back in return to the greeting. The boy made his way to the door and knocked on it, hoping he wasn't disturbing anyone's sleep.

Lilly was the one to answer, half a rice cake hanging out of her mouth. She looked at him for a second, her tired nature showing. She finished the sweet treat, yawned cutely and looked at him for another second for it seemed to hit her who she was looking at. A huge smile lit up her whole face and like before she tackled him.

"Naril! You came! I'm so glad!" She said happily. The boy seemed to have finally woken up the sleepy little girl. That or the sugar just kicked in.

At first, Naril just stared back at her with a smile and the moment she launched herself at him the boy was actually this time prepared and flexed his muscles in his legs to catch the fall and just needed to step back once to balance himself, then wrapped an arm around her. "Of course I did. I promised, didn't I?" He chuckled.

"Not everyone keeps their promises." The little girl said honestly, then let go and ran inside. "Come on! We have a lot of presents to deliver! This will take all day if we don't hurry!" She called back, running into her room.

The elfling blinked at the comment in surprise.

"What? Why wouldn't they? A promise is a-..." The boy trailed off when they reached her room. The room was covered in gifts. The little girl had spent a long time making each one. Each gift was also different too but one couldn't tell because they were wrapped up in huge fallen leaves she had put together. She had two rather large ones too, likely meant for her tree herder family. Those would probably be the hardest to deliver but she planned to do it anyway. He never saw so many in one room to say the least. He closed his mouth and stared at the scene before him, reaching up to scratch his head, wondering if they can truly deliver this all today. It looked like the whole city is going to get presents... "Wow..." Was all he could say and stepped closer, looking around now fully. "You made all this? Must have taken you quite a long time..."

Lilly smiled and nodded.

"Yes. Started last week and been working on them every time I had free time. I got to work on them all day yesterday too, so I got a lot done." She said proudly. "I normally don't have to make this many but I met so many people and I was worried if I left anyone out they might get sad so I made as many as I could. Stupid Fieven and a lot of the other children went on that hunting trip, though, so I guess I will have to hold onto their gifts until they get back." She said, pointing to a pile in a corner. Despite them all being wrapped up in the same kind of leaves, she seemed to know which one was which and who they went to. "Oh, I have your gift too but it's kind of fragile so I'm going to give it to you later when we are finished. Alright?" She asked, hoping he wouldn't mind waiting.

Naril whistled at the revelation and stepped in more, trying to determine which one they will be moving first.

"That is a lot." He finally replied, looking around, unable to see any names written on the presents and wondered how she could even tell them all apart... He couldn't help but giggle when she commented on Fieven and all the other children. Though, he wondered if she made gifts for everyone she met and not just for close friends. Because this is indeed a lot... However, it wasn't his place to question her, neither did he want to offend her in any way. Especially not on this special day. If she wanted to gift so many, then she will gift so many and he will help her out as best as he could... But still... As children there is not much they can carry... unless... "Maybe we could ask Lord if he wants to help us carrying? It would speed this up significantly." He offered with a shrug, gesturing towards the window which faced the elk that was merrily munching on a batch of green grass.

Lilly thought about his idea for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

"Alright! I think Lord would be willing to help. If not I will pout him into it." She said with a grin, having realized Lord -despite everything- was a sap for the little girl's cute pout. "Even with him this will at least take 3 trips, not including Silentbark's present and Lord is kind of old, so he might have to rest a while between trips." She pointed out but despite this she picked up a gift and ran outside to the Elk.

"Lord! It's my birthday today. Here is your gift. Do you mind helping us deliver the other ones?" She asked. He had watched her make many of the gifts, so she was sure he knew about them already. However she had been extra careful not to let him see the gift she had made for him. Inside was a block of sugar oats she had her mother help her make. She knew Lord liked oats and seemed to love sugar cubes, so she thought he would love his favorite treats put together.

Lord looked up from the grass and perked his ears when she called out for him, giving out a strange noise he usually used as a call back, telling her that he heard and acknowledged her call. He perked his ears and tilted his head when she told him she had her birthday today. He honestly didn't know that her kind or anyone celebrated that day. He never celebrated his or any elk for that matter. If anything, birthdays are a sad thing... since they get older... and less powerful. This is why he lost to that young stag. He had too many birthdays. Though, seeing her cheerful attitude, he eventually looked at his present, which indeed happened to be something he rather liked. Not wasting time, the animal dug right in, munching on the content happily with his tail twitching, enjoying the taste. Now that he got something, he was far more willing to help as much as his age lets him.

Lilly laughed, petting his head, glad he liked it.

"Hurry, Naril! Before he changes his mind!" She said as she ran off back into the house. She got the biggest sack she could find and filled it full of as many presents as she could, making sure to avoid the pile in the corner of the room and the pile resting on the night stand beside her bed. The latter was for her family and Naril. She would give those out later in the day after all the rest of her work was done and all her family members were home again.

The elf gasped at this and quickly ran back into the house as well. He wasn't sure what presents to pack in, so made sure to only put in those from which pile she was grabbing them. He also made sure to carry a good amount of them on his own but first helped Lilly get the sack out and onto the back of the elk.

Lord was in the mean time trying to make it easy for them, so laid down, waiting for them to come out and put the sack onto his back. Once it was done, he slowly and carefully got up and judged the weight if he can carry it. It was heavy but not all too heavy.

Naril also picked up a few more gifts from her room and decided to carry those himself.

"Alright, I am ready to go." He told her with a smile. But still... he hoped he gets to unload these soon...

Lilly squealed and nodded, waving for Lord to follow them and headed right into the village.

After that the little girl didn't seem to stop moving. The little herder would take a present from Naril, look it over a second, then take off seeming to realize who it was for. Eventually she came to a present meant for the shop keeper who taught Rosa all she knew about sewing. She grinned, then ran to the stand and held out the gift.

Rosa by this time had made it there for work and smiled, already knowing what was going.

"Hello ma'am. It's my birthday. Here is your gift." She said happily. She had Rosa help her with this one. Rosa had told her how nice the shop keeper had been to her and so they spent some time making a little pillow full of seeds that said 'Thank you for being you.' on it. Lilly was too little to use a needle yet but she knew exactly what she wanted to make and gave Rosa very specific instructions. That's how she always did it. If she couldn't make a gift herself she would make sure whoever was helping her had the right instructions and followed them to the T.

The elf didn't even realize that they will get guests, as she was right now dealing with a customer and by the time she turned around the little girl was already standing there, holding out the gift to her. She looked at her confused, tilting her head slightly.

"But it is your birthday. People gift you, not the other way around, sweety." She smiled, looking at the gift, then back at her. Something told her there must be more to this but decided to not ask about that just yet.

Lilly shook her head. She had gotten this from a number of elves already. They didn't seem to understand but considering no one back home got it either that was no surprise to her.

"Nu-uh. My life is a gift and I want to share it with everyone. So I give out gifts on my birthday. It makes everyone smile which makes me really happy." She said with a grin and continued to hold the gift out. She was obviously excited about this, wanting to see the woman open the gift and see what she would think of it. She didn't know a lot about elves yet so part of her worried she might end up insulting someone by mistake.

The woman didn't say anything, just smiled at her, finding this gesture cute actually. Such a little selfless girl... The world back in Middle-Earth lacked them even when she and her family lived there. She wondered how this girl managed to preserve such an honorable behavior while the world around her was rotting away slowly... Shaking her head a little, she reached out and took the gift from her gently, opening it to see the content. It was simple and could see the work of Rosa in that but it was given by Lilly nonetheless. She couldn't help but let her smile brighten at the sight, thanking the gift and put it down on her table. Before Lilly could bolt from the shop, she stepped in front of her.

"As it is your birthday, I will give you a gift of mine as well." She told her, then reached out and put both of her hands on her cheek on either side, then leaned down and whispered something melodic in elvish, in the end kissed her forehead gently, before letting her go. "We bless every birthday child and adult with luck until it lasts. The more people you hold dear you have, the luckier you will be in the future." She explained with a smile, showing her that gifts in friendship, emotions and blessings were far more important than materials, then slowly sat down at the table.

Lilly was caught off guard but in the end smiled and hugged the woman.

"Thank you! I will never forget!" She said happily before running off to continue her gift giving.

Rosa smiled as she watched the little girl run off.

"... Thank you for allowing her to give you her gift. She gets rather upset when they are rejected." She said honestly, remembering back in Middle-Earth the humans would be so confused by the gesture and many would turn the girl down. Lilly would end up in tears, not able to understand why they didn't want the gift. "It means a lot to her to be able to share whatever she can with others. It mostly stems from her not believing her life is her own but a gift she got from another tree herder." She added, remembering when Lilly was very little.

"What she believes in is actually partially true." The woman said and reached out to take the cloth back what she worked on, then returned to her job. "Our own lives are a gift from our parents. And your parents are descendants of tree herders. So, it is right." She said, looking over the fabric. "She is very cute and selfless with this belief. However, one has to make sure to keep this all in bay. If she gives too much, she might regret it later. Just an advice. A little selfishness is always required. It is just natural. The way we work and live."

"Heh... it is more true than that even..." She admitted, stopping and going through a transaction before turning back to her mentor. "It is hard to tell, looking at her now but when she was little... Lilly had a bad heart and lungs. Sadly this does happen in our species... normally if we are born this way we don't make it past the first year... Lilly proved everyone wrong, though. She lived past everyone's expectations but because of it she wasn't allowed to come home. It wasn't until she turned 3 that in a way we finally got lucky with a new heart for her. The surgery was done and even though her lungs are still rather weak she was able to finally come home. However, she seemed to understand just how lucky she really was and from there on she started doing... this. She seems to know that someone else had to die in order for her to live. It sounds sad but I've never seen her cry over it. So, I guess it's alright."

"Oh... I haven't noticed that..." The elleth said, looking up at the girl with a frown. "She was running around without trouble with the others the other day and at the celebration. Her lungs seem to be fine." She told her, then looked back at her work before putting it down, going over to the shelf to look for a new thread with a new color. "And how can someone get a new heart? Is this even possible? Is this even... I am sorry for what I say but... Is this even right to go against nature's will?" She asked carefully, not wanting to offend her. Elves surely were intelligent enough to do all that the humans did but... They prefer not to. Most of these medical treatments go against nature in every way. If someone is born sick... then they don't do anything to change that. Nature simply doesn't deem that child lively enough and they die because if they would save that sick child... then he or she will have their own children, transferring this sickness deeper into the race of elves. So they knew to let nature decide the fate of the living.

"Not since we got here. No. Part of the reason we came here was for Lilly but don't tell her that. The air here is cleaner and not only that but the magic seems to have made her body that much stronger. She has been far more energetic than I have ever seen her before." Rosa admitted, happy for this. Back home Lilly would have had to use her inhaler and take her medications regularly in order to do half of what she had done so far. However this world seemed to be doing her a lot of good. When asked if this was right Rosa had to think. "Honestly? I don't think it was nature's will for her to die. If so then she would not have lived as long as she did. The majority of our kind who are born like she was don't last nearly that long. Our bodies also won't accept any parts not of our own kind. If she was meant to die then I don't think nature would have allowed things to go the way they did. I just think... maybe nature wanted Lilly to be the way she is now. I'm not sure why but... Lilly is probably the most caring, loving and motherly person I have ever met. Maybe there is someone that she is supposed to help someday." Rosa suggested, knowing this sounded farfetched but something in her just couldn't believe that nature wanted her sister to die.

"Fate is indeed unpredictable." The shop keeper concluded, smiling as she sat down to continue her work. "No one knows if she was meant to live by nature's rules. We elves follow her guide. If a child is born sick, then something is wrong. And this wrong... might seep into our race if they live long enough to have their own children who will carry this same sickness. Of course we don't kill the sick children but wait and see. If they survive and heal, then they are meant to live. If not... then nature solves it in her own way." She explained, trying to sound as soft as she could. She didn't want her to think that she questioned her survival or thought Lilly should have died. Oh no. She was only explaining to her what they believe in.

Rosa nodded and thought it over. If she was honest, there was a lot going against Lilly at one point and she likely would have died if left alone but when she looked at Lilly... even back then, the little girl was very stubborn and strong willed. Maybe that alone would have been enough.

"I guess we will have to see what nature decides in the end, then." She said with a smile, turning back to her own work.

- Sometime later -

After spending the whole day giving out gifts, then dragging Silentbark's gift out only to find out the tree herders weren't even in the area and they would have to wait until they got back they were finally finished. Lilly sat leaning back against Lord officially worn out. She had never had to give THAT many gifts out before. It had been a lot of fun, though. She smiled over at her friend.

"I think we made a lot of people very happy today." She said, obviously pleased with how today's events went.

Lord wasn't better off. He had been dragging all the gifts around and now his age finally caught up to him, so was lying on the ground, panting a little, his head laid out on front of him, relaxing all muscles he had in his body. He closed his eyes to rest a little but let Lilly and Naril lean against him if they wished. He just couldn't move anymore and didn't have the energy to listen to the conversation.

Naril on the other hand chuckled in return, also sitting next to her, leaning against Lord as well, his arms lying limply on his stomach, resting them.

"It was quite the trip. They all were very happy. But the happiest person should be you." He commented, then closed his eyes, sighing, trying to get rid of this fatigue. He still needed to get used to all this work with strength and stamina. Even this trip tired him out...

Lilly stroked Lord's head in a sympathetic manner. She would have to remember to ask her mama to give him extra oats for all the work he did today. When she heard Naril's comment she smiled at him and nodded.

"I am very happy when I see other people are happy." She admitted before remembering something. "Oh! I nearly forgot yours! Stay here and close your eyes! I will be right back. Don't move." She said, getting up and running into the house to get his gift.

The elf raised an eyebrow and watched as she left. Yes, he naturally didn't expect any gifts, especially not on her own birthday... but... he was still a child who was naturally curious about such things. He wondered what she made him or what she found. He knew it wasn't something big or expensive but it was just as valuable as what he will give her. What counts is the thought behind it. This is what every elf thought. What he was told, those in Middle-Earth only cared about how much they spent on the present. The more one gives up for it, the more they like the present... Not the nicest way of thinking.

Lilly came back and made sure his eyes were shut before she walked up and took his wrist. She grinned, sitting back.

"Alright. Open them." She said. Around his wrist was a bracelet. The band was rather simple. A basic thick string that would make sure that the real prize that was on it wouldn't fall off. It was rather small but there was a stone in the shape of a heart that changed color as one tilted it. Lilly grinned. "I found it not long after we got here. I wanted to give it to someone special. Who better than my best friend?" She said rather pleased. She had taken a lot of time with this one, making sure the rope was long enough and braided extra tight so there was no chance of it unraveling anytime soon and she -of course- cleaned and polished the stone as much as she could before getting her brother to help her create the hole through it for the rope to go through. She had been so scared her brother might break it but it turned out very well.

The elfling looked at his wrist, having felt that she was doing something there and smiled when he saw the bracelet. He raised his hand to look at it more, finding the rainbow stone a nice addition. It was simple indeed, many would be disappointed by such a gift, however Naril couldn't stop smiling and looked up at her, clearly touched and happy that she found him worthy enough to call him as her best friend. He only had friends so far... no best friends. But now, he has one. And he will make sure to never let go.

"Thank you. Now, it is your turn." He told her and gestured for her to close her eyes before doing the same thing she did, binding his own bracelet onto her wrist, then letting it go and told her to open her eyes. The bracelet was simple but yet complex. It was made without any strings. The main body was a thin flexible branch, the different kind of leaves and colorful feathers were bound there by the peeled off outside layer of the branch itself. It had no stones on it, since the real prize was not visible. It took him a while until he found a tree who let him pick off some of its leaves and break off a branch, since such bracelets can be only made of fresh materials. The birds were more than happy to donate a feather or two. "It is called the Lucky Charm. It looks simple, I know but while what you gave me had its main feature on the outside, mine has it in the inside." He explained and pointed towards the bracelet. "It has a charm on it, that we call the Secret Charm. A blessing to be precise. No one knows how it truly works, as its effect is a secret itself only known by the elders. All they say about it is a part of the charming itself. 'If you are lost, fear no more. Light shall grace your path into your future and defend you from all that is dark."

Lilly was surprised as he gave her a gift. She opened her eyes and looked to the bracelet. Even without the charm she would have loved it. She looked at it for a moment before hugging her wrist to her chest. She thought over the charm, smiling.

"I think I have an idea what it means." She said, then hugged him tightly. "This is the best present anyone has ever gotten me. I will keep it forever." She said, meaning to never lose this special gift she was given. Normally if it was anyone else she would have instantly tried to give the gift back or given it to someone else but this time she chose to keep this gift. Something in her just could not bring herself to let it go.

Naril chuckled and smiled as she embraced him, gladly returning it.

"I am happy that you like it. Friends forever?" He asked, only wanting to confirm. Of course they are friends, even best friends as she expressed it but it is his way of reassuring himself and promising that they would never fight and never go against each other. They will stay friends forever. He looked at the bracelet on his wrist, then smiled and moved it next to hers. It was like exchanging friend bracelets, both of these representing the other and their eternal friendship.

Lilly grinned up at him and nodded before taking his pinky with her own.

"Pinky promise. Friends forever." She said, very much believing they would be friends for the rest of time. She did not yet understand the differences between their two species and the hardships they would later have to go through. Honestly, she didn't care. As far as she was concerned there was no difference between them.

When she looked at the boy next to her she didn't see an elf.

Just her best friend.

That was more than enough for her.

aaaaaand... CUT!

This, ladies and gentlemen... is the end of the excruciatingly long prologue of the book :D

Readers: But CA Productions... If the prologue is this long... How long will the whole book be?

CA Productions: Well... Good question. We are still roleplaying it ._.

CA Productions