New beginning

PART ONE

1
There was only the sound of our footsteps as we walked trough the halls without saying a word and looked around. It was almost dark here, but I could see that the trolls had really changed this place. Many things were gone, other things were damaged. It just wasn't the same as it used to be. We would have to work hard to clean this up. Those trolls had clearly been everywhere. Everything had been touched by their hands. Disgusting. They had messed around with our spices. Most spices had fallen on the floor. The ladle was lying on the floor too. Finally, we arrived in the council chamber. The big, round table was still there. We collected the chairs (still without saying a word) and sat around the table.
"Well... Let's start." Daryl said.
He had a look around.
"Me and Kate will stay here." he said. "We will help the others when they come."
Kate was sitting next to him. He took her hand and smiled at her. She smiled back at him. Everyone loved them and I knew they would be happy to see them here.
"I will stay too." Jack said. "I can try to clean up the mess."
Daryl nodded.
"I will have a look outside." Deborah said.
She had worked in the wood for many years and she knew a lot about plants, so everybody agreed.
"I will help here." Taylor said.
Then, they all looked at me. I knew that my help was needed, but I didn't know what to say. There was so much to do.
"The wood is a mess too." Deborah reminded me.
"Then, I'll help you." I said.
"Many plants have been destroyed. It will take a while to restore everything." Daryl said.
I nodded.
"We must make of a list of the things we restore first." Daryl continued.
"There won't be enough food." Taylor warned us.
"Let me know how many plants are left." Daryl ordered.
Then, we left. I followed Deborah outside. It was cold outside and the trees had lost most of their leaves. Deborah turned around and smiled at me.
"It's going to be alright." she said.
"Yes, but when?" I asked.
She didn't answer. Together, we walked deeper into the wood. There weren't many fruits left.
"Where will we start?" I asked.
"The others will be here soon."
Hundereds of elves were coming. How would we feed them? There was no time to loose. We inspected the wood and made a list of what we had found. Then, we returned to the castle to see Daryl. As Deborah was still reporting to him, the others arrived. Suddenly, the castle was filled with elves. I returned to the wood to get food. Deborah ended her conversation with Daryl and followed me, together with many others. Some elves were very weak. We helped them first, but there wasn't much we could do. A big part of the fruits had gone and our magical powers weren't working properly.

2
It had been two weeks since we had returned home. I was heading for the castle. The sun shined and the birds were singing again. In my hand, I was holding a few leaves. Suddenly, I heard a strange noise. What was that? I looked around and saw a young girl lying on the ground behind me. She was wearing a light brown dress. Her long hair covered part of her face. She was not an elf. She looked up at me and I saw the fear in her eyes.
"Who are you?" I asked.
But she was too afraid to speak.
"I won't hurt you. I just want to know who you are." I said.
"Are you... Are you an elf?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Michael said I would be safe here." she said.
I took her arm and helped her to get up.
"I needed to escape from the trolls." she said.
"We defeated the trolls."
"They could escape."
Suddenly, she started to cry.
"It was horrible..."
"Come with me."
I brought her to the castle. Everyone was curious about her.
"What's your name?" Taylor asked.
"Zoë."
"I need to see Daryl." I said.
"What's wrong?" Taylor asked.
I put the leaves on the table and brought Zoë to the council chamber. I would explain it to Taylor later. Daryl was curious about Zoë too.
"Take a seat." I told her.
She sat down. Daryl had a close look at her.
"What's your name?" he asked after a few moments.
"Zoë, sir."
"Call me Daryl. Where are you from?"
"I worked for Michael. He told me I would be safe here... Safe from those horrible trolls."
Suddenly, Daryl was very alert. Zoë started to cry again.
"Please. Save Michael. I am so worried about him..."
"Who is Michael?" Daryl asked.
"He's a wizard. He has many spells, but I'm afraid those trolls are too strong for him. He told me to hide here, with the elves..."
"We have been attacked by trolls too." Daryl told her.
She was not surprised to hear this. She just nodded.
"Michael stayed there. They will defeat him." she cried.
Daryl said one of his spells. A crystal ball appeared on the table. In the ball, there were blurry pictures. Daryl's strong magical powers did not work properly yet.
"That's me." Zoë said.
"Yes." Daryl said.
The pictures were really very blurry. We could hardly see a thing. A few moments later, the ball vanished.
"Your wizard has strong magical powers." Daryl remarked.
"Can you save him?" Zoë asked.
"I don't think so."
"Please, try. We will reward you..."
"My spells don't work properly." Daryl said.
Then, he had a look around. Many elves had followed me and Zoë to the council chamber. Everybody was looking at Zoë.
"Get back to work." Daryl ordered. Then, he put his hand on Zoë's shoulder.
"Come with me." he said.
For a few moments he looked me in the eye, then he left the council chamber together with Zoë without saying a word. I returned to the table where I had left the leaves.

3
The next few days, I hardly saw Zoë. I was washing some leaves in the river, when she suddenly stood behind me.
"What are you doing?" she asked me.
I looked up at her and smiled friendly.
"We need these leaves to make magic draught." I answered.
She bended forward to see the leaves properly.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
Of course, we could use some help, but why did she ask me? I didn't understand.
"I'm curious about your plants." she said.
"Oh..."
I put the leaves back in the water. Who was this woman? She was a total stranger and the trolls had tought us to be careful with strangers.
"I know I'm not an elf." she said. "But there must be something I can do."
"Did you talk to Daryl?" I asked.
"Yes. He told me to wait and see. But I'm bored here."
"I understand."
I finished washing the plants and got up.
"You can come with me." I told her.
We walked to the castle together. Deborah was inside. I showed her the plants.
"How are things in here?" I asked.
"Daryl has found something interesting." she said. "He will explain it to us later."
"I hope it's not bad news." I said.
Deborah smiled.
"I don't think it is."
I returned to the wood and Zoë kept following me. Outside, we met Daryl. He was happy to see us
"I have interesting news." he said.
He looked at Zoë.
"Michael has sent us a message."
"Really? How did he do that?"
Zoë was really surprised. She didn't seem to understand.
"He sent us a talking bird. It was here for only a few moments."
"Oh."
"Next time, it will probably stay longer." Daryl said. "It asked us for help."
Then, he headed for the river. I was relieved. Suddenly, I had this feeling that everything was going to be alright. I knew that Daryl was more than willing to help that wizard. He was used to having very strong magical powers. That's why he had become our new leader. That's why we all counted on him. I knew he was frustrated about not being able to give help. This had to be very difficult for him. I watched him walking to the river. Then, I walked deeper into the wood. Zoë followed me. It was a long walk, but I had to save my magical powers. For a while, she just followed me without saying a word. I had got used to these long walks and just kept walking.
"We're really far away from the castle." she said.
"I know. Are you tired?" I asked.
"No."
"Good."
The whole wood seemed to be damaged. I knew that one day, everything would look O.K. and I just had to keep that in mind. One day, the elves would be strong again. I collected a few leaves and then, we returned to the castle. I noticed that Zoë was worried about something.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"You didn't get lost, did you?"
"No." I laughed. "Of course I will find the castle back. I have spent hundereds of years in this wonderful wood."
"Hundereds of years?"
"Yes. This is our home."
I could see that she was really amazed.
"How old are you?" she asked.
"I don't know."
"I am 22."
"22 years old?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Well, I am much older than you, that's for sure... You're really very young."
"You don't look older than me." she said.
"No. We met all kinds of creatures after we escaped from the trolls. Some were very different... and young, like you. We often lied about our age. They didn't know that we were elves. This is just how we look."
"I like it." she said.
I smiled.

4
We kept walking but before we reached the castle, a bird flew in our direction. It was heading for Zoë.
"Zoë! Michael sent me. The trolls have not been defeated yet. You have to be patient." the bird said.
She looked at the bird without saying a word.
"Be patient and remember: you're safe there. I know the elves will help you if necessary" The bird said. Then, it vanished. She kept staring at the place where the bird had been.
"Are you O.K.?" I asked.
She nodded.
The bird and its message had clearly impressed her. I wondered what she was thinking. After a few moments, she looked at me and we continued to walk. After a while, she began to walk slower.
"Would you like to sit down for a while?" I asked.
She nodded. I pointed to a tree.
"Let's sit over there."
"I shouldn't have come here with you." she said.
"That's alright. I am tired as well."
"You got used to this."
"Oh. I'm just beginning to get used to it. Do your feet hurt?"
"Yes..."
"I would use my magical powers to ease the pain, but..."
"I understand." she said.
"At least you have seen some part of the wood now. You can keep walking in it for years."
"Years?!"
"That's right. But there is only one castle."
We both had a look around. I also looked at her. She was a very beautiful girl and I had begun to like her a lot.
"I'm really sorry about this. I know your friends are waiting for those leaves." she said.
"We can't sit here for too long." I said.
She nodded. She didn't mention the bird, but I assumed she was thinking about it. Suddenly, she looked me in the eye.
"Michael never gave me much work. We really had a good life. It made me lazy." she told me.
She had another look around.
"I only had to assist him a little. He spoiled me."
"Next week, I will have to take longer walks to get the leaves." I told her.
"Oh. I won't join you then." she said.

5
The next day, the bird didn't show up. In the evening, Zoë came to see me because she was worried about it. I could only tell her that I didn't know if Michael was alright. There was nothing I could do for her. It was late and I was sleepy. Life wasn't easy and it would take several weeks to repair everything.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
I nodded.
A few moments later, I went to bed. I would be less tired tomorrow and maybe Zoë would join me into the wood. I would miss her if she returned home. The next morning, she was still there. We had a nice breakfast together. I almost forgot that we were very different. She looked up at the sky several times, but that bird didn't show up. It didn't come and tell her she could go home. I told myself that she didn't belong here and that I had to focus on my work. She just wasn't an elf. After breakfast, I walked to the river and drank of the water. Then, it was time to get back to work. I walked deeper into the wood and the rest of the day, I didn't see Zoë back. Two days later, the bird still hadn't returned and Zoë really believed that something terrible had happened to Michael.
"There must be something you can do." she said to Daryl.
"No, there isn't. You know I tried. I don't think it's because of my magical powers." Daryl said.
"What do you mean?"
"I also think that something has happened there. That doesn't mean that Michael isn't alright, but something is different."
Now, she was even more upset. I put my arms around her and gave her a big hug. I really felt for her. Daryl left without saying a word.
"Don't think the worst." I said.
She seemed too upset to say anything.
"Michael has strong magical powers. Don't forget that." I continued.
"You know those trolls..." she said.
"Yes."
She shaked her head without saying a word. Suddenly, Deborah appeared from behind a tree. She came to tell me that she needed my help. I gave Zoë another hug and then got back to work. As we walked deeper into the wood, I kept seeing Zoë's sad eyes and I looked forward to seeing her back. Suddenly, Deborah asked what I was thinking about.
"Nothing important." I said.
"They are too weak to come back." she said, referring to the trolls.
"Oh..."
Suddenly, Deborah looked worried.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"No."
"You know you can tell me everything."
I smiled at her.
"Yes... I do." I said.
Then, we went back to work. We still had to take long walks through the wood. I didn't like being seperated from Zoë. Why did I miss her so much? I knew it wasn't meant to be. But I just kept thinking about her. Maybe it was better that she went back home. The longer she stayed, the more I would miss her in the end. That night, when I came back, all was very silent in the wood. I assumed that the others had gone to sleep. It was a bit early for that, but things weren't normal. The hard work had made everyone very tired. I headed for the castle when I suddenly heard a loud scream behind me. I turned around and saw a giant dragon! I couldn't believe my eyes. A dragon? Here? I had no choice but using my magical powers. I said a spell and my invisable magical powers pushed it back a few steps. I ran to the castle, but the dragon catched up with me. I said a second spell, but this one didn't work. The dragon's claw came my way. I was totally defendless. There was absolutely nothing I could do. Where were the others? Where was everyone? I seemed to be alone here! The dragon screamed and suddenly, all turned black before my eyes. When I woke up, I had no idea where I was. I was surrounded by strange trees. I got up and had a closer look around. Suddenly, I remembered the dragon. Where was it? What had happened to me? What kind of wood was this? I began to walk. I seemed to be all alone here. There were no footsteps, I didn't see a house or a castle, just trees. After a while, I got tired and sat down. I had walked for hours. What kind of place was this? I was thirsty, but I hadn't seen a river or a source. I said a spell to get some water. A beaker that was only half full appeared. Well, it was better than nothing. I realised that I would never find back the place where I had woke up. How could the others find me here? I got up and continued to walk. After a while, it got dark. I laid down on the ground and fell asleep. When I woke up, I noticed that I wasn't alone anymore. Zoë was standing next to me.
"Zoë...!"
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Where are we?"
"I don't know."
"Neither do I..."
For a few moments, we said nothing.
"Are we going to starve here?" she asked.
"I hope not..."
She shook her head.
"But..."
"I'm sorry, Zoë, but my magical powers don't work too well and I have no idea what happened. I have no idea where we are."
She was clearly dissepointed. A few moments later, we started to look for water. We walked without saying a word. Suddenly, there was a noise behind us. I remembered the dragon and expected it to show up. But that didn't happen. Instead, strange creatures were flying in our direction. They looked green and had very big mouths. They began to scream. Zoë grabbed my arm. I said a spell, but nothing happened. I realised that I had to do something and said another spell. But that one didn't work either. The creatures were clearly attacking us and I got scared. The first one grabbed me with its claws. It grabbed my face. That hurt. There was nothing I could do. Two others grabbed my arms. I couldn't turn my head, so I couldn't see Zoë. Did they attack her too? My sleeve got wet. The pain got worse. And suddenly, it was over. The creatures just vanished. For a few moments, I was stunned. Then, of course, I looked at Zoë. She was bleeding.
"Are you alright?" I asked her.
"Yes."
She looked at my wounds.
"It's alright." I said.
She shook her head.
"Don't lie. You're bleeding." she said.
"So are you."
She smiled faintly.
"It's only a small wound."
Then, a strange man showed up from behind the trees.
"Michael!" Zoë screamed.
I could see the happiness in her eyes.
"Hello, dear. Are you O.K.?"
"Yes." she nodded.
"I found this hidingplace. I really missed you. I was so lonely..."
"We're back together now." Zoë smiled.
Then, the wizard looked at me.
"Thank you. Thank you for taking care of her." he said.
"We love to help." I said.
He smiled.
"My magical powers were just strong enough to defeat those monsters." he said as if he was apologising for something.
"It's alright." I said.
"I hope your wounds don't hurt too much?"
"We'll be fine." Zoë said.
"We can't go back home." Michael told her.
"As long as we're together..." Zoë said.
"Yeah..." he nodded.
"What are we going to do?" I asked.
"There isn't much we can do. We have to make the best of it. This is the safest place I could find."
He put his hands on her shoulders.
"Listen. I have to go back home now. Someone has to make an end to this. Wait here for me."
Then, Michael vanished. Zoë shook her head. Then, she looked at me. That dragon, this hidingplace... I knew what this meant. I had to find the way back home and save the others. I tried to think of a spell that could help, but I was too weak. I had to sit down.
"Don't think the worst." Zoë said.
"I have to face the truth."
"We don't know what happened to the other elves." she said.
"That dragon..."
"Don't think the worst." she said.
I just kept seeing that dragon. I knew that Michael had saved me.
"You elves have magical powers." Zoë said.
But I knew it were Michael's magical powers that had got us here, not mine.
"Please, don't loose hope." Zoë said.
I looked up at her.
"You heard Michael."
"He didn't say what the trolls were up to. He..."
"The elves are defendless." I said.
Zoë was shocked. My words had upset her.
"I'm sorry... I just... This is not your problem."
She just looked at me without saying a word. Then, I suddenly got sleepy. A few moments later, I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore and I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was still at the same place in the wood. A strange creature was looking down on me. He kind of looked human, but his skin had many colours. He had stripes all over his face. It was like he had painted his face.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"I'm an elf. I don't know how I got here." I answered.
He nodded and looked me in the eye. He didn't seem to trust me.
"I won't harm you." I told him.
"You are wounded." he said.
"Yes."
My wound was still hurting.
"Where is Zoë? The girl who was with me."
"There are two of you?!"
"No. She's not an elf. She is human."
"Two strangers..."
"Yeah..."
I assumed that he hadn't seen her. Maybe Michael had come and take her home? I was still very weak, too weak to get up anyway. The stranger just kept looking at me. He seemed fascinated. Suddenly, I heard footsteps. Two other strangers and Zoë were coming my way.
"Zoë!" I screamed.
I was relieved to see her, relieved to see she was alright.
"We will bring you to the village." she said.
I was too weak to walk, so two of the strangers carried me to their village. There, they brought me to a bedroom. They all looked te same. They all had these colours on their face. Finally, I was lying in a comfortable bed in a nice room. I hoped they would make me better. A woman entered the room and brought me some food. It tasted very good.

6
The food made me feel better. I felt a bit stronger, but my wounds still weren't healed. I just kept lying in that strange bed and had a look around. The walls had very soft colours. Through the window, I could see the trees. After a while, another stranger entered the room. She came to take care of my wounds.
"Sorry I couldn't come sooner." she said.
"Where is Zoë?" I asked.
"You need to rest." the woman answered. "Don't worry. She will come."
Later that day, Zoë came to see me. She closed the door behind her and smiled at me.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Better. These strangers seem really nice."
"I've asked them who they are. I think we can trust them." she said.
"I hope we do..."
The memories of the dragon came back. It was frustrating that I was too weak to do anything.
"Just relax." Zoë said.
I looked her in the eye. She was really a wonderful person and I really enjoyed her company. She told me more about Michael's magical powers and how he would defeat those trolls soon. Then, she would go back home and everything would be fine. She was very optimistic and I believed she meant it. It seemed that she couldn't stop talking about Michael. I asked her about the aliens. She told me that after I had fallen asleep, she had gone looking for help and she had found the village. A villager who had been in the wood had found me before Zoë had come back with help for me. A week later, we were still in that village. I was still weak and I began to worry about that. What was causing this weakness? Why didn't my spells work? Living without magical powers wasn't easy, but at least there was good food every day. I didn't have to take long walks through the wood. Zoë stayed away from the wood. The green monsters were very dangerous, Michael had been just in time to save us, and I got much rest. Hoped to get my magical powers back this way. But I didn't get better. It was weird. No matter how much rest I took, I didn't get better. I assumed that it was because I didn't belong in this world. The villagers knew nothing about elves. They had never seen an elf before. They had never seen a castle before.

7
Michael showed up in my room. I had been here for a week and now he had come back.
"This place is no good for you." he said.
I nodded.
"I will bring you back to your own world." he said.
A few moments later, I was back in the elfwood. I was still tired, but after a few moments, I got up and began to walk. My wounds didn't heal, but I did get better very quickly. I headed for the castle, wondering what I would find. Was that dragon gone now... or not? I didn't hear any weird noise and that was a good sign. I was relieved, but still very alert. Maybe it had already seen me. Maybe it was just waiting to surprise me, so I still had to be very careful. After a while, I began to think that the wood was empty. I still hadn't met an elf. Had they really been defeated by that dragon? I had to know. I tried to walk fast, but it was a very long walk, so I had to be patient. Memories of my friends and memories of that dragon kept playing in my head. Finally, I saw the castle. It was still there and it looked undamaged. Again, I was relieved. Then, I went inside. All was silent. Nothing moved.
"Hello?! Anybody there?!" I screamed.
I got no answer. I walked to another room. There, I saw strange spices. I had never seen this before. Suddenly, someone appeared behind me.
"Don't touch this!" she screamed.
I startled and turned around. A strange woman had entered the room. She was wearing strange clothes. She wasn't an elf. Who was this? I just looked at her and she had a close look at me.
"You're an elf." she said.
I nodded.
"Strange... I didn't expect that they would come back."
Then, she had a look around.
"Where are the others?" she asked.
"I don't know. I lost them. I got attacked by a dragon and the next moment, I was in another wood."
"And now you came back."
"I had to. I have to help the others."
She smiled at me.
"I don't know what happened, but it looks like they have been defeated."
"Where's the dragon?" I asked.
She smiled.
"Dragon?"
"Yes. The one who attacked me. Did you defeat him?"
She shook her head.
"No."
Her answer surprised me. She looked at the spices and said no more.
"What happened?" I asked.
"The elves were all gone when I got here."
"What about the dragon?"
"I don't know..."
There was something strange going on here.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Hm. I guess you're staying, aren't you?"
"I will look for the others."
My answer surprised her.
"You know what happened to them, don't you?" I said.
"What if I do? We can't help them. There's nothing we can do."
"I refuse to accept that."
"Well, it's up to you..."
"Are you going to help me?"
"I can't help you."
Then, she laughed.
"You don't trust me, do you?"
"You know what happened to them." I said.
"My magical powers are limited."
I would have to rescue the others without her, that much was clear.

8
I went to see an old friend of mine, a very old wizard who lives in a very big castle. His castle is far away from everything. I met him in a city where I was hiding for the demons. I don't know how I would have survived at that strange place without him. I had been in his castle only once before, but I knew where it was. I teleported to the stairs outside. Luckily, my magical powers were working fine again. First, I had a close look around. The stairs led to the frontdoor. The castle hadn't changed a bit. It looked a bit unusual, like a very big house. I climbed the stairs and knocked on the door. The frontdoor slowly opened and one of the servants looked me in the eye.
"I'm a friend of Dylan's. I need to talk to him." I said.
"He's not here." the servant answered.
"Can I stay here until he comes back?" I asked.
The servant nodded and let me in. I followed him upstairs, to the kitchen.
"He didn't say when he will come back."
"That's alright." I said, but I did hope Dylan would come back very soon.
"Sit down." the servant said.
I had never been in this kitchen before. It looked like the kitchens I had seen in the humanworld. It looked really nice. Apparently, the servant had been busy with cleaning and he continued his work. I waited and waited. What if I was too late to save my friends? Dylan was my only hope. Where did that dragon go? The servant just did his work and didn't talk to me. Time passed by and I had enough of just sitting there and doing nothing. The other elves needed me! But what could I do? I began to feel worse and worse. The picture of the empty castle kept following me. Suddenly, the door swung open and a girl entered the kitchen. She was very surprised to see me.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I'm a friend of Dylan's."
She had a close look at me. Then, she closed the door behind her.
"Are you hungry?" she asked.
I shook my head.
"No."
Suddenly, the door behind her swung open again and Dylan entered the kitchen and smiled at me. It was hard to tell if he was surprised to see me or not. The girl was his new friend. Her name was Sally. He sat down and I told him about the dragon. He just looked at me and said nothing.
"I... don't know what happened to your friends." he said after a while.
"Please, help me."
Dylan looked through the window.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
Then, Dylan looked at me again.
"Nothing 's wrong. It's just... You don't know which dragon it was and where he is now. There's nothing I can do."
"Can't you find out?"
"Maybe..."
Then, he had a look at Sally. After that, he looked back at me and smiled.
"As you know, there are millions of dragons..." he continued.
"Yes, but... there must be a way."
What was wrong with him? Why didn't he help me?
"You've come too late. Whatever that dragon did to them, it's done."
I shook my head.
"I can't believe it."
"My magical powers are limited... and I haven't used them frequently lately. I eh... I was busy with ohter things."
Again, he had a look at Sally.
"Maybe you should ask someone else."
I was stunned. Dylan was one of the most powerful wizards. There was no-one else I wanted to ask for help.
"Do you want me to try?" he asked.
I nodded. He got up.
"Alright. I'll try, but don't expect too much."
We left the kitchen.
"How could you do this, Dylan?" I asked.
"I just did... Sally is a great girl. She's special."
Dylan took me to another room, a room with a mirror.
"Here it is..."
Then, he said a spell. A picture of the empty Elfcastle eppeared in the mirror. It was a terrible thing to see. Not a single elf was there. Several pictures of the Elfworld appeared in the mirror, but suddenly, the mirror looked normal again and Dylon looked me in the eye.
"I will have to practice for weeks before I can help you." he said.
I still couldn't believe it. He used to be so strong! It was terrible to see him like this!
"Magic isn't everything, you know." he said. "When we met, I was just... For centuries I kept doing the best I can. It was a waste of time."
"How can you say that?"
"I worked for 24 hours. All I did was saying spells!"
He shook his head.
"You don't know what it took me to become so strong. You don't understand."
Then, he left the room.
"Wait! I'm sorry, I..."
He stopped and turned around.
"No need to say sorry. You couldn't know."
"I want to understand."
Then, he smiled.
"Do you?"
"Yes."
"Your mind is with your friends now. You want to know what happened to them."
"Yes." I nodded.
Then, he headed for a smaller room. I kept following him.
"One day... I just had enough of those spells. I couldn't do it anymore. To you, it was something I didn't have to work for."
"I didn't realise, no."
"I thought I was happy, but I wasn't. I just... didn't know what I was missing. I was a fool." Dylan explained.
I was happy for him, but I still needed him. Dylan sat down and Sally entered the room. She smiled at me and then took Dylan's hand.
"The elves are in trouble, dear." Dylan tells her.
She nodded.
"Yes, I know."
Then, he looked at me and seemed to be making up his mind. Would he help me and the others? Could I count on him? Or was his love for Sally too strong?
"I don't want the elves to die." Sally said.
"Neither do I, dear." Dylan said.
"Then do it."
"But darling..."
"You have to try."
"I would have to practice for weeks. I would miss you too much."
He got up again.
"For centuries, I hardly did anything else but saying spells and trying something harder."
"That's over now." Sally said.
"I know."
I looked at Dylan and waited for his decision. But he stopped talking.

9
Dylan gave me a nice room with a wide bed. I couldn't sleep and looked through the very big window. It was full moon. The window was one of those strange things about this castle. He had made them when his magical powers were still strong. The next morning, I got a nice breakfast in the kitchen. It tasted really nice. Dylan was very quiet, he hardly said a word. All the time, I kept thinking about my friends. They needed his help urgently. Perhaps, it was already too late to help them. Dylan noticed I was really worried.
"I couldn't know that this was going to happen." he said.
I nodded.
"For centuries, I have helped and protected others. I just wanted to be happy."
What could I say? I couldn't blame him. He was a wonderful guy. Had helped me so many times before. Again, he went quiet. We were both quiet. I finished my breakfast
"It tasted really nice. Thanks." I said.
"No problem. It's the least I can do. Listen, eh... I was thinking of visiting an old friend of mine. Will you join me?"
I was surprised.
"Come on. It's better than being bored here."
"Alright then..."
Dylan smiled at me and got up. He said a spell and the next moment, the kitchentable was empty. Then, we headed for one of the other rooms.
"I'm sure you will like my friend. His name is John. He's a human."
We teleported to the humanworld. John lived in a very small house. He was surprised to see me.