"Good-bye, Father." I called. I was heading over to my mother's house. "Have a safe journey, Celai. Watch out for the gaurd elves." he told me. "Don't worry, they won't bother me!" I said cheerfully, for it was almost my 16th birthday. The next time I came back to my father's house, I would be 16. "You never know," my father told me, "you are a beautiful young lady of whom those elves might want to marry." I supposed my father was right. I was constantly told that I was beautiful because of my long brown hair and my blue-gray eyes. I was half elf and half dwarf. My mother, Amelinda, was King Legolas's best archer and my father, Bartholemule, was King Leon's best craftsman and miner. I was short for an elf, but tall for a dwarf and I had broad shoulders like my father. I was slender, had slightly pointed ears, and light on my feet like my mother, but I had muscles from working in the mines with my father and hunting with my mother. "I'll be careful, Father." I told him for what seemed like the millionth time today. He reached up and hugged me and then I started running towards my mother's house.

My step-father, Relnaug, met me as I came to a stop at my mother's house. "Hello, Celai, we've been waiting for you." he told me. "I'm not late, am I?" I asked anxiously. If I was late then it meant that I would miss my little half brother who was going to visit King Legolas. "No, he's still here, but he's about to leave." I rushed into the house and was almost tackled by Anais who saw me and rushed over to hug me. He was four years younger than me, yet he was still about a half foot taller than me. "Hey, Anais. Good to see you!" I told him. "Celai, I've missed you so much." He replied. "I wish you could stay for the whole week." I told him. "I do too, but I have to go and work for the king for a little while. King Legolas demands it. "I'll walk with you to the palace." I told him. "Great!" he said, his face breaking into a grin. "Race you there." I said, breaking into a sprint.

I slowed when I reached the end of the strip of woods that we had just raced through. He came up besides me a moment later. "Okay, so there is the castle. I'll walk with you to the gate, but no further." I told him, "I don't think King Legolas would want me 'trespassing'." "Okay, I'll see you in a couple of weeks." he told me. As we were nearing the castle, Prince Javan came up and greeted us. "Hello, Anais. You didn't tell me that you had a younger sister." My smile turned quickly into a frown. Anais looked nervously from me and Prince Javan. "Ummm, she's not my younger sister. She's my older sister." he said nervously. "Really," Prince Javan replied shocked, "but she's so short. Wait, oh, you are Celai, Amelinda's first child." "Correct." I said shortly. "Please accept my most sincere apologies." he said quickly, seeing that I was upset. "If you say so." I replied. "Well," Anais said nervously, "I'd better get going. Come on Prince Javan. Your father will want to see me." I watched as they walked into the castle and then turned around. I dashed back to my mother's house.