"You again", he said.

I looked up at him. His gorgeous silver blonde hair flowed gently down his shoulders and back. A smile crept across my face. I've seen this elf before. He often catches me straying into Elven territory to pick herbs in the meadow. He doesn't ever seem particularly mad, just stern and rigid regarding the rules. I always ignore him though.

"You have lovely hair", I said as I approached him and touched the tips of it. "May I braid it?"

He looked down at me with an unreadable look. His eyes followed me as I walked behind him to run my hands through the rest of his hair.

"You're too tall, you have to sit down for me to reach your head", I instructed.

He did as I said and gracefully sat in the grass with a straight back. Silently, he closed his eyes as I began to braid his hair into a French braid. I tied the ends with chamomile stems and began to place various herb flowers in his hair.

"A bit of chamomile and lavender for relaxation. A bit of mint for clarity. And a flower crown for beauty", I said as I worked. "Now, would you like to see?" I asked him.

He opened his eyes and nodded. I gave him a small square piece of a mirror. He gazed at himself and a small smile curled up at the edges of his mouth.

"You're very beautiful", I complimented.

"Thank you", he said as he handed the mirror back to me.

Suddenly, he looked to the left as though something was coming. Another elf appeared as silent as the air around us.

"My lord, your father has requested your presence", the elf said with a perplexed look on his face at the scene before him.

The silver-haired elf stood up and turned to look at me.

"Stay here", he ordered, "Krindar, keep an eye on her", he said as he disappeared into the woods.

The elf named Krindar and I looked at each other in confusion. I shrugged and went back to collecting herbs. Every step I took, he followed.

"You are a very uncomfortable fellow", I said to him, "Do you want me to do your hair too?"

He shook his head "no".

"Who are you to my Lord Aritra that you have permission to touch him so freely?", he inquired.

"I'm just a human who likes to annoy him", I smiled brightly.

Krindar raised his eyebrows in irritation, "It'd be wise to learn your place".

"Tell me, how does one learn their place, when they don't have one in the first place?", I sorrowfully smiled, caressing the head of a dill flower.

He looked taken aback by my response. I blankly gazed at him, then pulled his reddish-brown hair to the side of his right shoulder, and began to braid. His body stiffened and his eyebrows twitched in greater annoyance as I placed dandelions in the braid. I smiled triumphantly as though I had just tamed a wild horse, then carried on with my tasks. He continued to frown, but didn't remove the braid either. So, I chuckled to myself a few times.

"His" Lord Aritra finally returned and Krindar sighed a breath of relief. When Aritra saw Krindar's braid, he chuckled.

"It looks good on you"

"I would have chopped off her hands if she were not your friend, my lord", he growled.

Aritra laughed as he approached me, and held out a small chest. I looked at him, confused.

"Is this for me?"

"Yes", he said softly.

Carefully, he placed it in my hands. Inside was an Elven crafted hand mirror. Silver with delicate patterns of the forest. Next to it was a small necklace. It looked more like a round badge made of intricately carved wood.

"What are these?"

"A gift and permission for you to use the Starlight Meadow," he said.

"My Lord you can't-!", Krindar began to protest.

He stopped him with a glance then turned to me with a gentle smile.

"Use it wisely", he said as he began to walk away.

As they disappeared into the trees, I stood awkwardly in the field of flowers, unsure of what to make of what just happened. I twiddled with the badge, scanning my surroundings, wondering if Aritra would change his mind and come back. When, after a few minutes, he didn't, I nervously laughed, grabbed the rest of the herbs I needed, and bolted out of the meadow.

"What's this?", Mother asked pointing to my chest as I handed her my basket.

"An elf gave it to me. Said it's permission to use the Starlight Meadow..."

"Jylan! You didn't! You snuck in there again!? I'm surprised they didn't have your head!", she lectured.

I rolled my eyes, "Well, they didn't! And look who now has access to the best herbs on this side of the continent!", I beamed.

My mother puffed out her cheeks in frustration at me.

"Careful not to get on their bad side and have it revoked", she warned.

A week later, on Monday, my mother allotted day off, I returned to the meadow. It's the only day I can wake up late and be leisurely. Around 3pm, I found the hidden gate and walked in.

Sitting in the middle, was the elf from before, Aritra. He looked at me strangely.

"So, you've come", he said softly.

"Were—you waiting for me?"

He said nothing and looked down at the flower he was twisting between his fingers. I walked over to stand next to him.

"Will you braid my hair again... Please?"

I wouldn't have guessed it. He's as soft as pudding. I smiled at him and, with a nod, put down my basket and gathered his hair in my hands.

"Any style requests?", I chuckled.

He shook his head "no" and closed his eyes, waiting for me to begin.

"Just so you know, Monday is my day off"

He gave a nod of understanding as the tips of his ears turned red.