Alexander studied his image in the mirror for a long time while he combed his hair without being completely satisfied with the result. Maybe he should let his hair grow long like the elves, he thought. He changed clothes a couple of times before he was ready for breakfast.


When he got out of his room he saw Aliendre and she was looking at him. She looked puzzled as if she tried to figure out something.

“Good morning,” Alexander said, and for the first time the princess returned his greeting with a friendly smile.


Alexander found that Aliendre smiled often now. They spent more and more time together. Aliendre wanted to know everything about the human word, something that she recently had seemed to consider being below her dignity. Alexander was cheerful by nature and his jokes made her laugh.



Alexander woke up. It was dark and the moonlight trickled through the coloured glass in his window. Upset voices reached his room. There seemed to be several elves in the courtyard who talked about something that they were clearly not happy about. Alexander went out to find out what was going on.



Between two light elves in armour was a teenage boy who Alexander thought must be a dark elf. The boy was obviously a prisoner and did not seem to be any older than Alexander.

“It’s outrageous. We found him close to the palace,” one of the light elves said.
“Don’t you know that this is forbidden area for dark elves?”

The boy’s jaws were tense and his eyes filled with pride. He kept silent and did not answer any of the questions that he was asked.


Everyone’s eyes turned as King Eraldor came out from the main door. The situation was quickly explained for him.

There was a grim expression in the elven king’s face. “Lock him up for the night and we’ll have the trial here in the courtyard tomorrow.”


Alexander was already awake when the sun rose. He hadn’t been able to get much sleep. The tribunal was going to be held in the courtyard and Alexander was expected to be in the audience. The expressions in the light elves’ faces gave him a bad feeling about what to expect. He did not envy the boy who was going to be judged by this crowd. The dark elf was pushed in front on the light elves. He still refused to answer any questions and looked steady at the light elves with pride and hatred.



When Alexander for a short moment met the boy’s eyes he could tell that there was fear behind the pride in them. Some kind of conviction seemed to be made after a very short trial.


Eraldor stood up to announce the sentence. “Your memory and your sense will be taken away from you before you will be released in the forest far away from here.”

This was a sentence Alexander had never heard in any human trial that he had attended but it did not sound good.



The boy’s jaws became even tenser and his face paler but he kept his eyes steady and did not say anything. His name was still unknown as he had not said a word since he was caught. Eraldor lifted his arm and the silence was compact. The power of the words coming from Eraldor’s mouth was obvious even for Alexander who did not understand them. A light bolt went from Eraldor’s fingers and hit the dark elf whose face became totally blank. He was dragged away by two light elves. No one spoke. Alexander met Aliendrie’s eyes and could tell that she had also been deeply shaken. To be released in the forest without memory or sense could be nothing else that a death sentence Alexander thought. What had the boy done to deserve such a destiny? All Alexander knew was that the dark elf had been too close to the light elves’ palace.


Eraldor sat down looking tired and worn as if all his energy had been drawn out of him with the spell. He went slowly into to the palace, supported by his wife, and stayed out of sight for three days.