Leopold ran along the houses of the vilge. He imagihat his feet would carry him to the farthest pces. To the sea? Or even further?

  He had never seen the sea before. He was only six years old, but his mother called him her little hero. He didn't feel small. But a hero? Yes. He wao be a hero. He wao defeat the evil queen and save all the elves.

  In the m, soldiers had e to the vilge and taken two elves with them. The two had married two days earlier. But now they were goo work somewhere else. A few elves had tried to stop the soldiers. Leopold had never seen so much blood.

  His mom said they shouldn't have fought back. That they all had no choice. That the soldiers would e back. And they couldn't do anything. They buried the dead elves in the forest so that they could bee part of the trees. The trees watched over their vilge. Leopold sometimes imagihat they were warriors who could scare away the soldiers. But... Why didn't they? Why didn't the trees help?

  "Leopold." The eldest came to meet him. "What are you doing here? Where are your parents?"

  "W."

  "And you don't help them? But you're big enough, aren't you? Are you already learning to read?" The eldest k down to him. "Or are you starting soon?"

  "In a few weeks." Leopold roud to be so tall that he would soon learn to read. "With Sofia. Her mom will give us lessons."

  "That sounds good."

  "Yes! Sofia says that we eat a lot of cookies. As many as we want!"

  "That sounds eveer. And what are you doing now?"

  "I'm going on a trip around the world! To all the great pces! All the way to the sea!" Leopold pointed in the dire in which he believed that the sea would lie there. In fact, he pointed in the dire of the steppe, but he did not know that.

  "That sounds great. But... Shouldn't you help your parents?"

  "Dad said I helped enough. I swept iore!"

  "Oh. That's something."

  Leopold nodded. "Yes! I wao py with Sofia, but she didn't have time. And mom doesn't have time to read to me... You? Why did the soldiers e? Why are they allowed to take elves? Why are they allowed to hurt us? Mom said I am too small to uand."

  "Hm..." The eldest thought for a moment. "Would you like some cookies? Ilse baked some. They are delicious. And I'll answer your question. Do you think your parents agree?"

  "Definitely!" Leopold wao eat cookies. And he wanted an ahe st few nights he had not been able to sleep. He wao know why others were so evil.

  "Well then. e o's eat cookies!"

  "And!"

  Shortly afterward, Leopold sat in the eldest's small living room and ate the tastiest cookies. "Ilse is good at baking", he said. A few crumbs had fallen on his pants. He quickly wiped them away.

  "Isn't it? She makes the best cookies. My wife liked them too."

  "Why is she no lohere?", the little boy wao know.

  "Because she was brave. She stood up to soldiers who wao take a teenager with them. She was a heroine."

  "Did the soldiers take the teenager?" Had his wife also dyed the floor so red? "Did they kill your wife?"

  "Unfortunately, yes." The eldest stroked his hair. "Inga and Ilse saw it."

  "Why are the soldiers allowed to do that?"

  "Because they are evil. Many, many years ago there was a dispute betweeches and the werewolves. We elves joihe wolves and fought bravely against the terrible witches and wizards. We were real heroes and could have expanded our try."

  "That souing!" Heroes! Leopold also wao be a hero.

  The eldest grinned. "I was still very young when we lost. Soldiers took my parents. My siblings. That was all a very long time ago."

  Leopold grimaced. "How mean."

  "The witches won. With evil tricks! And now we have to do what they want", said the elder. "There have been several attempts to defeat the evil queen, but no one has ever been such a great hero."

  "I could be the hero!", said Leopold immediately. He never wao dream of so much blood again.

  "Could you do that?" The eldest smiled.

  "Yes! I could. I save us all!" Leopold crossed his arms. "When I grow up! Remember that, ok?"

  "I will, little hero. Would you like another cookie?" He held out the bowl of biscuits to the little boy. Leopold wanted another cookie.

  "Leopold?", asked the elder. "Will you promise me something?"

  "Yes!"

  "We elves have to take care of each other. We must not betray another. We must defeat the Queen!" He wi the boy.

  Leopold looked at the eldest with wide eyes. "Yes! We have to!"

  "Right. We must defeat her. No matter how. No matter what we have to sacrifice for it! You must never fet that. Do you promise me that?"

  "I promise. The witches are evil."

  "Very evil. But we, we are the heroes."

  "Heroes!" Leopold wanted nothing more.

  "Good. But now, you better go back to your parents. You protect them, little hero."

  "That's what I will do. And my friends!"

  "That's good. I'm always here for you, Leopold. Whenever you have questions." The eldest stood up and ruffled his hair. "We talk about all your questions! And about all your future exploits."

  From that day on, Leopold ofte with the eldest, especially when something bad happened in the vilge and he had to talk to someone about it. Sometimes other children came along. They all admired the elder. He was so brave and wise. He khe ao everything. And the eldest always said goodbye to Leopold with the same words.

  "Remember your promise. We must save our people!"

  And Leopold believed every word from the bottom of his heart. His parents said that there were certainly good witches and wizards. That not all could be bad. But what did they know? His mother was just one hundred years old and his father was one hundred and fifty. They had not seen what the elder had seen.

  Leopold did not know that his parents knew very well what they were talking about. They had lost his older sister when she resisted the soldiers. Many years ago. Leopold had never met her. After the death of their daughter, the two did not want any more children. Leopold had been in an act. An act that they loved very mud wao protect with all their might.

  Little did they know that one day he would be swept away from them to be the servant of a witch.

  Of course, the eldest did not know this either, but he was already pnning to use the boy one day.

  sasi