A few days after Roe had returned home after the meeting she had a shock. She was following an interesting track from a group of deers when suddenly a pale boy stood right before her, like he had grown out of the ground. He was looking directly at her. This must be a human boy! Roe panicked. She was really scared but she knew better than to show her fear. Her father had told her over and over again that showing fear was the best way to get attacked. “Always act as you are in total control of things no matter how you feel inside,” he had told her so many times. Roe gathered herself. After all, the boy didn’t really look dangerous at all.


Roe remembered her good manners and bowed. She thought that being polite could never hurt, although humans probably did not know about such things.

“I am Roe of the forest people, Wolf’s and Otter’s daughter," she said politely.

The pale boy with the strange blue eyes smiled happily. “I am Thorundur and I’m a light elf. I'm on a fishing tour with my brother but he's so boring so I went away on my own for a little while,” he said.

The boy spoke so fast so Roe could barely get what he said. But she had very clearly heard that he was a light elf. Of course, she thought. She knew that elves sometimes walked in the forest although she had never met one before. Elves were not dangerous. How silly she had been to think that the boy was a human! Humans probably didn’t exist after all.

The boy had a funny but pleasant accent. Roe remembered that the storyteller had said that once in the beginning of times it was the elves that had taught the forest people their language. Roe was thrilled. Like other children of her kind she was not used to have a playmate.

“We can go tracking together she said," but felt suddenly a little shy. What if the elf thought she was boring?

“That sounds fun,” he said quickly with a bright smile. “But I have another idea, lets sneak on my brother. He's only fifty years old but so booring. I bet that he will not notice us until we 're really close." Thorundur told Roe that he lived far away with his parents but was staying with his brother for a while. “Mum and Dad think it will be good for me to spend a year with my brother and aunt. They think I will learn to behave better,” Thorundur said with a smile that showed that he had no intention at all to learn how to behave. “Hey, do you live here somewhere? Maybe we can play every day?”


Roe and Thorundur had much fun sneaking on Toraldor, Thorundur’s brother, who was fishing in a small lake not far away. But of course they couldn’t help giggling after a while and were revealed.


“You little rascal,” Toraldor said with a stern voice to his brother, but his smile showed that he was not angry at all. He hugged his little brother and Roe noticed that there was much love between the two brothers. They looked so much alike, even their clothes were the same. “Are you not going to introduce your friend?” Toraldor asked with a look at Roe.

“This is my friend Roe, she's from the Forest people,” Thorundur answered with a pride that made Roe feel very good.

“I didn’t know there was any of your kind here” Toraldor said to Roe. “I am pleased to meet you Roe. It will be good for Thorundur to have a friend here.”


Thorundur and Roe played almost every day. Roe taught Thorundur to track and to move silently but he was not as good as her. He often scared the animals before they got very close because he just couldn’t be quiet but Roe had more fun than ever.


Roe could talk with Thorundur about everything. He told her about his life with the elves.

“My brother’s wife is a distant relative to the King and Queen,” he said with some pride.

But Roe didn’t really understand what being king and queen meant so Thorundur had to try to explain but was a little annoyed when Roe laughed because she thought it was silly to have a king and queen. Then he agreed with her. Why didn’t the elves live like the forest people? he thought. Roe taught Thorundur about the life in the forest. She was surprised to find out that Thorundur had no idea that everyone was part of the forest and that spirits in the forest gave people food and shelter if you respected them.

"The forest is our mother," Roe explained.


When the winter came they couldn’t see each other as often as before because when the snow was deep it was difficult to move in the forest and if snow fall was heavy it could even be dangerous to go far away from home. But when the weather was fine they played and had more fun than ever in the snow. Roe had the best time of her life when she had Thorundur as a friend. Everyday was full of fun when they were together.


One day when they met in the forest Thorundur looked very sad. “I have to go home,” he sobbed and Roe thought her heart would break. Thorundur noted that Forest people cried without any tears.

“My parents have come to take me home again and they will not let me stay any longer even though I begged them.” The sorrow in Thorundur’s voice was heartbreaking.


“I will come back one day”, Thorundur said when he hugged his friend one last time. “It’s like you’re my twin sister. I have never had so much fun.”

“Neither have I,” Roe sobbed. “I will miss you so much.”