My head was spinning with numerous questions. Customs? Proprieties? He only wants to make you happy. Why should my happiness matter to him? Why should I matter at all, I only met him a week ago. Why all the allusions to something that was of obvious importance, but neither of them thought I should know about just yet? Why, why, why???

"What in the world was that all about?" Renai asked incredulously, echoing my sentiments exactly.

"I have no idea, and it seems that I won't know until at least tomorrow."

"They're strange folk, that's for sure." Renai turned and went into the kitchen, and I followed.

"They are strange. But I do want to know what going on. Do you mind, Renai, if they come back tomorrow? I'm sorry, I should have asked before, but..."

"No, no, I don't mind. That she-elf has such a way about her, a person couldn't really tell her 'no'." She opened an oven and brought out a pan of perfectly golden brown cookies. I always wondered exactly how she knew at what time to get something out of an oven. I think that it will remain a mystery to me forever.

"I suppose not."

"And the other one, my goodness, he had eyes only for you! You don't think- no, it couldn't be."

"What?"

"Well... proprieties... having to have someone with the both of you all the time... You don't think that could have been the start of some strange... elven... courtship, do you?"

"What?!?"

"You're right, it's silly. Ridiculous. Don't look so aghast, Claresa!" Renai burst out laughing at the look on my face, which I'm sure was a cross between horror and bewilderment. "I'm sure it's nothing like that, really."

"But what if it is?!? What am I to do!?!" Marriage to an elf? How preposterous! No, there had to be some other explanation for their strange behavior.

"Don't worry about it. Like the she-elf said, everything will be explained in time." With that little tidbit of advice, Renai left me standing there while she bustled about, humming one of her tunes.

The rest of the day I was so distracted that Renai and Adeem had to do most of the work. When Adeem heard about what happened and about Renai's speculations, he assured me, much better than Renai had, that it was probably nothing to worry about.

That night I had the strangest dream. I was tending the shop when all of a sudden that elf burst in, threw himself onto his knees in front of me, and professed his undying love and passion. Then we weren't in the shop at all, but on a gigantic stage. The audience was filled with elves, pointing and laughing, throwing back their heads. Lorien stood up and took a bow, then turned to me and said:

"Good show, Claresa, who knew you could act?"

I then woke up, feeling immensely humiliated and embarrassed. I know, I know, it was just a dream, right? But dreams have a funny way of showing some truths. I knew that the real Lorien probably wasn't acting. But how did I know that? That feeling of familiarity and trust from the first day we met seemed to linger in my mind. I did know that I was terrified of being made to look a fool.

That whole day I had been thinking about what Renai had said. What if Lorien really did want to court me, and therefore marry me? Love me? No, it was ridiculous. I knew absolutely nothing about him. I'd barely even had a conversation with him. But then I remembered how he'd kept looking at me. It could be that he just liked the way I looked, but I didn't believe that. I was no beauty.

But the way he'd looked at me. Intense. He bore into my eyes, like he was trying to see into my soul. Like he was trying to find some sort of connection. I thought of the shock I'd felt when he touched my hand, and the unexplainable feeling of just... knowing him. Maybe there was a connection after all. I shook my head, rolled over, and went back to sleep.

The next morning I was a bundle of nerves. I kept glancing at the old grandfather clock repeatedly, wondering when Lorien and Varen would come. Again I was too distracted to be of much help in the kitchen, so Renai sent me to watch the shop. Every time the door opened I thought it was them.

I hoped that my dream wouldn't come true in the form of Lorien bursting in and shouting that he loved me at the top of his lungs. I shook my head ruefully. Of course it wouldn't happen, it was only a dream. But I hated not knowing exactly what was going on. I wished they would come already!

But then the door opened, and there he was, smiling widely at me, and Varen was just behind him with a serene expression.

"Claresa, I'm so glad to see you," Lorien said, striding forward and taking one of my hands in both of his. I expected to feel the same shock and confusing emotions as before, but nothing happened. I felt a little disappointed. Perhaps that first day my mind had been playing tricks on me. Nothing unordinary had actually happened, of course not. What was I thinking?

"Hello, Claresa," Varen said in a much more subdued tone.

"Hello, Lorien, Varen."

"There's so much I want to say... but Varen has warned me that I should slow down." Lorien let go of my hand after he said this and took a step back, as if giving me a foot of space would make this any less awkward. But he was trying, and that's what mattered, I guess. "Would you like to accompany us on a little walk?"

"Well... I would have to see if it's alright with Renai. I'm sort of supposed to be working right now."

"Oh... alright." I went into the kitchen, but Renai was already waving me out, apparently having heard the whole thing.

"Have a good time," was all she said, and Adeem followed me back into the shop to take my place. Lorien and Varen introduced themselves, and Adeem did the same. Then I followed the elves out of the bakery and out onto the street. Passing people stared, probably not used to the sight of the pointy eared beings just yet.

"So, where are we going?" I asked.

"I thought maybe you'd like to see our camp?" He spoke very tentatively, as if I would ever turn down an opportunity to see that!

"Can I? I thought humans weren't allowed..."

"You're a special exception."

"Why is that?"

"Well because... but we'll have time for that later."

"Time for what?"

"We thought, if you are willing, of course," Varen said, "That when we get to our camp, it might be the best place to explain the Alushaliel to you."

"I suppose, if it'll clear everything up. What are we waiting for?" Lorien grinned widely at me when I said that, then led the way down the dirt street.

People continued to stare, and not just at the elves. I remembered wishing before that I would get noticed, but I took it all back right then. Their scrutiny made me more uncomfortable than anything else, even the possibility that the elf I was walking next to was courting me.

I stole glances at him as we strode along down the street. I was again astonished at how beautiful he was, and thought it no wonder that all the women we passed gawked at him. But then all the men were gawking at Varen. She had perfect, clear elven skin and angular features. Her long silver hair was plaited in at least two dozen braids, but still reached well past the middle of her back.

The only thing that was really different between the two elves was the eyes. While Lorien's were green and gold-flecked, Varen's were almost black they were so dark. As I looked between them I continued to find other similarities, and I wondered if they were related, brother and sister, perhaps, or if all of the elves shared these features. I'd only ever seen the two of them up close, so I had no others to compare them to.

As we wound our way through the streets of Splethantown, I became more and more anxious. I wondered what the camp was like, I was more excited than nervous about that. But I was really worried about the Alushaliel.

It was obviously important, and I wondered if knowing about it would change anything about me or my life. Well, it had changed already. Never in my wildest fantasies did I think that I would be walking down the street in broad daylight with no less than two elves.

I wondered what would come of all of this. Maybe I would find out it was nothing special, and I wouldn't see either of them ever again. Maybe they were completely pulling my leg, and in that case I really wouldn't want to see them ever again. I supposed I'd just have to find out.