THE LIGHT IN THE NORTH

CHAPTER 19 - Sønner av Norge

The final fortnight seemed to go past so quickly. Everyone had been so busy, there’d been so much going on, that it almost came as a shock to the second years to find that handing-over day was upon them. The first years took over their duties, and all the second years had to think about now were their final contests and the ceremonies.
Sergeant Olt called them all together on the Concourse. It was a beautiful morning, with the sun shining in a pale blue sky. The snow was thick on the lawns, but not on the paths, which were being swept every morning using the snowplough. It wasn’t very cold, and everyone was starting to feel excited.
“I know,” said Sergeant Olt. “It doesn’t feel long since you arrived, does it? And here you are, at the end. Use the rest of the day however you need to – catch up with your visitors, get your clothes ready, pack for journeys – it’s up to you. The day after tomorrow, you all start two month’s leave. You can spend it all here, asleep, if you want to, or you can go home – or anywhere else – straight away if that’s what you’d like. Your new appointments start on February 2nd, and of course you should make your way to wherever you’re supposed to be by then.”

“Any goblin who is appointed to the Goblin Regiment,” said Sergeant Camilo, “will be well-advised to check in at regimental HQ before travelling home. You’ll find lots of rendezvous points will have been arranged to help you on your journeys. But whatever your appointments may be, I’ll be watching your future careers with interest, because you’re the brightest bunch I’ve had for a long time, and it’s been a pleasure teaching you.”
“I would say the same to the flyers,” said Sergeant Svir. “Some of the most beautiful flying I’ve ever seen anywhere, along with great leadership, courage, stamina and endurance. And all that, combined with excellence in both classroom and workshop. But above all, your sparkling personalities. You may think I say this every year, but I don’t,” she added. “You’ve been so special and I’m really going to miss you.”
“And we you, Sergeant,” said Crocus, speaking for them all. “You’ve taught us things we’ll never forget, and you’ve shown us by your own example. Whatever partings the future may bring, we’ll never forget you and Corporal Viella nor any flyer here, where we trained so happily together.”
Everyone clapped that, and Sergeant Svir wiped away a tear. Ace was getting worried. If even fairies were getting emotional, then his chances of getting through the day without crying were looking pretty slim.

Sergeant Olt seemed aware of the same danger, and was trying hard to speak briskly and sensibly.
“Right, tomorrow itself,” he said. “Goblins’ contests at 10.00, flyers’ race at 14.00, followed by the elves’ race at 15.00. After that, you go and get ready for the evening. Assemble here on the Concourse at 17.00, and then we shall go into the forest for the oath. We’ll get you back to the Great Hall by 19.00, and the ceremony will begin at 19.30.”
He’d run out of sensible things to say, and a look of emotion flitted across his face as he looked at them all, and at the elves in particular.
“You’ve given me some frights and worries,” he said, “but I’ve never had a year I’ll miss more. Outstanding, that’s the word that comes to mind.” His voice wobbled a bit. “Whatever you do, wherever you go, take care, lads. Stay safe.”
Crocus had answered so beautifully for the fairies. One of the elves had to answer Sergeant Olt, and Ace knew everyone would be looking to him for that. He’d unofficially been senior team leader for months. The more he tried to open his mouth, the more his eyes filled up, so that when he did manage to speak, it sounded more like a sob. Feeling completely silly, Ace turned to Will with a pleading look. Will took it in, then looked at the sergeant, and also at Corporal Lavall.
“What Ace is trying to say,” said Will quietly, “is, ‘thank you’.”


The morning of 2nd December was also bright and fine. Ace woke early and sat up, looking around the immaculate hut. Everyone’s uniforms were ready, hanging on pegs on the wall, and their track suits were laid out ready for the race. Ace touched the grey band on his wrist, the last day he would ever wear it, then jumped down and went outside to get the water. When he was washed, he dressed for the morning in his usual leathers, and by then everyone else was getting up too.
After breakfast, Sergeant Camilo came to get the goblins and they went off to get ready, looking rather nervous. The rest sent them on their way with shouts of ‘good luck!’, and then followed them along to the training ground. Some benches had been set out along the sides for the visitors, but the recruits gathered at the end to watch and cheer on their goblins.
“The weight-lifting’s going to be no contest,” said Kiefer, climbing onto the fence so he could see. “Agava will walk it, none of them can beat him.”

Ace thought that was probably true. Agava could be beaten in a fight, being a bit slow to react, but for sheer brute strength he had no equal. What was interesting was seeing how much they’d all improved since they’d come here. All of them were lifting with economy and grace, because they’d learned to maximise their efforts. Ace could see that Hogweed was now lifting nearly twice the weight he could once have done, and he was very proud of him for getting into the last eight. But Kiefer was right, and Agava emerged as champion, to loud applause.
“He deserved that,” said Will. “He’s worked so hard for it.”
“You’re right,” said Ace. “Hogweed did pretty well though, considering he’s probably lost a bit of edge this last month, looking after Kulsukker instead of training.”
“He’d think it was worth it,” smiled Will. “He’s been practising his reading, though. I think the other contest could be very interesting.”

The goblins’ other contest was far more challenging for most of them, because it consisted of reading a passage out loud, then commenting on it. They were allowed to choose the passage beforehand, and practise, but even so, most of them were very nervous about it.
It wasn’t a knockout, but was scored by three judges holding up cards with numbers on. The numbers were from one to six, and they got one mark for the difficulty and accuracy of the reading, and another mark for the depth and eloquence of the commentary. Agava didn’t shine here. He read out a limerick with a good rhythm, then commented that he liked it because it made him laugh, and laughter was very important for maintaining high spirits.
Well, that was probably a lot, lot better than some of those lazy goblins in the local colonies could have done, but the judges were obviously expecting a bit more than that. Ace watched to see the score cards go up, and Agava had a mixture of twos and threes.
Some did worse than Agava, nerves making them stumble over words they knew perfectly well, really. Most did better, scoring fours and even fives, reading short poems beautifully and saying something sensible about them.

Hogweed’s friend Cowberry did very well, reading the words of a very funny Swedish song, and commenting that it belonged to humans’ Midsummer traditions, and how humans were not as cut off from the natural world as some sprites seemed to think. He got six fives for that, and loud cheers from Gran Starheim’s team.
Then it was Hogweed’s turn, and Ace suddenly felt very excited.
“He’s going to do it! Look at his face!”
“We’ve seen that look before,” Will agreed. “He’s got something special up his sleeve.”
Hogweed took the stand with a serious expression, bowed to the audience, and began.
“’How now, spirit! Whither wander you?’
‘Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire,
I do wander every where,
Swifter than the moone’s sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green:
The cowslips tall her pensioners be;
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,
In their freckles live their savours:
I must go seek some dew-drops here,
And hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear.’
‘Farewell, thou lob of spirits: I’ll be gone;
Our queen and all her elves come here anon.’ “

“That was Shakespeare!” muttered Will weakly, as Hogweed closed his book and looked up. “Awesome.”
Hogweed smiled and looked around the audience.
“The human who wrote those words,” he began, “lived four hundred years ago, so long ago, that the word for sprite was still ‘spirit’. His writing is beautiful poetry, but more than that, it reminds us of a time when sprites and humans were close. Humans knew who we were and what we did, and we were free to get on with our work unhindered. It’s not like that any more, but I believe that one day it will be like that again. And that day will come when every sprite can say, like the sprite in the poetry, ‘I serve the fairy queen’, and I for one will work hard at whatever job I am given, to make that day arrive as soon as possible, thank you.”

They weren’t just clapping. Led by General Herdalen, they were standing up and clapping. Hogweed’s simple, heartfelt words had struck a chord and the audience was on its feet. Ace didn’t watch the score cards going up. He knew it would be six sixes. He just watched to see Hogweed’s face when he saw it, enjoying the sight of his honest delight. Ace threw his hat in the air and caught it. He was thrilled for Hogweed, but he couldn’t help thinking that it was looking very good for England too.
Hogweed had maximum points now, so the best anyone could do was equal him. But no-one did. He’d been inspirational, and seemed to give confidence to those coming after, but they couldn’t match him. He was presented with a solid crystal sphere as a keepsake for his victory, by the Commander herself, then he and Agava led everyone off the field.


As the day was so fine, the first years set some of the urns out on the Concourse, along with trays of mugs, to ease the crush in the canteens, with so many visitors, and here all the recruits gathered. The flyers who’d be racing were served first, so they could go and get ready. Ace and Will went to wish their own fairies good luck.
“I’m not even trying to race,” said Bella. “If I can just fly my pattern accurately, that’ll be enough.”
“More than enough for me,” said Clover. “Nineteen, twenty-six, ten, four… I can’t even remember my pattern! Where’s my race card?”
“In your pocket,” said Rose. “Try and keep calm, Clover, you’ll be fine, I know you will.”
It seemed to the elves that it was better to say nothing than the wrong thing, so they just hugged the fairies and patted them on the back, and left them, with Clover muttering numbers to herself over and over again.
“I wish I understood this race better,” said Ace.
“Me too,” said Will. “Tell you what, let’s find Maig and ask her about it.”


When Maig started explaining, quite a few elves gathered around to listen, because she was explaining in terms that made sense to them.
“Imagine a noughts-and-crosses board,” she said. “You’d have nine squares, wouldn’t you? Then imagine it three-dimensional, so you can go up and down as well as side to side. Now you’ve got twenty-seven boxes, forming one large cube, right?”
She looked around to see they’d all visualised that, then carried on.
“Now give each box a number, one to nine on the top level, and so on. Then imagine it a hundred yards square, a hundred feet up in the sky, and the only thing that shows you where you are is eight marshals, hovering, at the eight corners of the cube. They have to fly to each of the twenty-seven boxes, and the first to finish is the winner.”
“But then why do they always look as if they’re whizzing in different directions?” asked Ross.
“Because each of them has been given her own race card, with the numbers in a different order,” smiled Maig. “They have to memorise their own pattern and fly it with no mistakes – and no crashes. If two crash, they’re both out.”
“Good grief,” said Ace. “I had no idea it was that difficult.”
“I get it now,” said Will. “So that’s why Clover’s muttering numbers to herself. Thanks, Maig!”
“And the marshals have to judge if they’ve done it right?” said Alnus. “How on earth do they manage it?”
“They just know the patterns so well, I suppose,” said Maig.
“And I bet some of them are exactly the same if you look at them from a different angle,” said Will.
“That’s it!” said Maig. “You really have got the hang of it, haven’t you?”
“I would so love a go of that,” said Will, “but you can’t have everything. Let’s go and get good places to watch.”


Ace had missed all this, last year, and Will said he’d been too worried about what Jasan had been up to, and hadn’t taken much in. They’d only seen the fairies when they were practising, not when it was a real race, and they were very impressed. As the fairies and imps lined up on the landing ground, they saw that they were all dressed alike, in leggings and t shirts, but each one had her own colour or pattern, to help the audience. They flew up to their starting boxes one at a time, with Corporal Viella calling out their names, and a bit about them. It was good to hear Dan’s exceptional strength getting a mention, and to hear that Rose was one of the favourites to win.
“She’s flying in pink,” said Ace. “Should be easy enough to keep track of her.”
“Not for me,” said Will. “There are at least three other shades of pink up there that look identical to me. But I can tell Clover’s purple stripe. You watch Rose, and I’ll watch Clover. If anything goes wrong for her, I want to see what it is so I can sympathise. The only way I can do that is by not taking my eyes off her for a second.”
“ ‘Kay, Will,” said Ace. “Good plan.”


Once all the flyers were up, a trumpet sounded a long, loud note, and the instant it stopped was the signal to go. Every head in the crowd below was looking up, and they cheered as the race started, but then grew quieter, as intense concentration was needed to follow it. Ace had kept his eyes fixed on the spot where Rose was, on the far side of the imaginary cube, but she herself was almost out of sight, and as soon as the race started, there was an explosion of colour, as if some many-petalled, multi-coloured flower had been hit by a strong gust of wind. Ace squinted against the bright sky, desperately trying to spot Rose before he lost her completely. He was beginning to lose hope when suddenly he saw her, turning in one of the bottom corners for an angled climb. Something about her style caught his eye, and he latched onto her, not daring to look away at anything else that might be happening. He’d had no idea it would be this difficult.
“You still got Clover?” he asked Will.
“Yeah, just – it’s so hard, isn’t it? She’s a little bit slow, I think, but I saw her face when she swooped down low, and I know that look. Sort of, I’m going to do this right if it kills me, and I don’t care how long it takes.”
“She’ll be happy if she finishes with no mistakes, then,” said Ace, jerking his head back and pivoting on one foot as Rose disappeared behind him. “It’s not just the flying, is it? It’s memorising all those numbers in order, you could tell she was struggling with that. How on earth does Rose do that bit, then?”
“I bet she memorises the pattern, not the numbers,” said Will.
“Ah, right,” said Ace. “That makes… woah, crash! Who was it, did you see?”
“No, I daren’t look,” said Will.

A big groan from the watching goblins told them that one of the crashed flyers had probably been an imp, and they heard later that Sizzle had been brought down by one of the Norwegian fairies. They didn’t think anything of it at the time. Ace kept his eyes anxiously on Rose. It didn’t seem fair that you could be knocked out by someone else’s mistake, but then he supposed that Sergeant Svir would just say that you should have taken evasive action. Rose seemed to be doing very well. He’d lost count of how many turns she’d made, but she was going so fast she kept disappearing, and when you could actually see her, she didn’t look like a fairy at all, but like a streak of pink shooting through the sky.
Suddenly, she slowed down, and Ace saw her clearly for a moment, and then he saw why. Lilje was flying head-on towards her. Rose veered left, but then, just at the last moment, Lilje seemed to lose her head and veered right, putting herself straight back in Rose’s path. Ace yelled with frustration, nearly tearing his hair out. Right at the very last second, Rose threw herself into a back flip, and Lilje passed beneath her without touching.
“Oh, good grief!” said Ace. “That was close! Lilje nearly brought her down! Lilje, I can hardly believe it. She’s one of the best flyers herself!”

Rose soon picked up speed again, but Ace could almost sense her desperation, as she tried to make up for lost time. He felt sure that it was a very close race, and that every second would count, just as it did on the assault course. His heart sank as he realised she’d probably missed her chance now. It was getting close to the end. The first year fairies, who probably had far more idea of what was happening, were jumping up and down, screaming and shouting for their favourites.
“Come on, Rose,” yelled Ace, even though he knew she couldn’t possibly hear him.
“No!” yelled Will. “Oh, no, Clover’s crashed!”
“Ach, no!” said Ace. “Everything’s going wrong! Who crashed into her?”
“It was she who did the crashing,” said Will in a strange voice. “She suddenly started going faster, then she seemed to change her mind about which way she was going. She looped up and over, and went straight into Revebjelle.”
“Revebjelle?” said Ace. He was so stunned he took his eyes off Rose and looked at Will. “D’you think she…”
“Yes, I do,” said Will. “I think Clover did that on purpose. She knows exactly what’s going on up there. Lilje tried to bring Rose down, to give Revebjelle a better chance of winning. Clover decided they weren’t going to get away with it.”
“That won’t help Rose win,” said Ace sadly.
“No,” said Will, “but it’ll make sure Revebjelle doesn’t, either.”

They looked up again and saw that the patterns were falling into place. As each flyer finished, she went into a frozen hang with her hands above her head, while the crowd below cheered and cheered. By the time Ace located Rose again, she’d stopped, but so had lots of others and he hadn’t seen who’d been first. He’d been right about how close it would be. Within another fifteen seconds, every flyer had her hands up. The trumpet sounded again to say the race was over, and the colourful cloud descended to earth.
They all seemed to be very out of breath. They collected cups of water and came to join their teams, their shoulders still heaving with the effort they’d made.
“No chance,” smiled Rose, shaking her head. “Not after that near-miss.” Then she turned to Clover. “Thank you,” she said, and hugged her.
“So we were right?” said Will. “Did you do that on purpose, Clover?”
“That Gran Starheim,” said Clover, grinning. “Amazing co-incidence, isn’t it? Three of his flyers bring down, or nearly bring down, three of the favourites, Rose, Sizzle and Margherita. That couldn’t have been planned, could it, to help his best flyer win?”
“I don’t care who gets it,” said Stella, “so long as it isn’t Revebjelle. That was the most blatant thing I’ve ever seen.”
“But is it allowed?” asked Fran, worried.
“Oh yes,” said Clover. “We call it dirty tricks, and so it is, but it’s not cheating. What Scandinavia did there, you could call it good teamwork, in a way.”
“I suppose so,” said Ace, “but I don’t like it. It doesn’t seem fair, somehow, not on a day like this. I hope he doesn’t get away with it.”
“I’m so sorry for you, Rose,” said Betch, serious for once. “You could have won that.”
“Thanks, Betch. But honestly, I really do think Sizzle would have won. I can beat her on style, but she usually beats me on speed.”
Dan arrived then, looking a bit pink in the face, and thumped Clover on the back.
“Great work,” she said. “You were brilliant. Just looked like one of your usual panics!”
“Thanks, Dan,” grinned Clover. “Did you see who won?”
“Haven’t a clue,” said Dan. “All I could see for the last ten seconds was box eighteen. Do you know, Bella?”
“No, when I finished, all I could see was lots of hands up. I think you all beat me! But I’m so glad I managed it, and I’m so glad it’s over.”
“You were fantastic, Daisy-bell,” said Wayne, and Bella looked very happy.


It seemed that no-one on the ground was sure who’d won. The first year fairies all had opinions, and were loudly voicing them, but it was the marshals who’d been up there who’d had the closest view, as well as the experience to be sure. They were conferring now, making certain that they all agreed on the placings, and there didn’t seem to be any doubt on their faces at all. Sergeant Svir was filling in names on a card, which she delivered to the Commander. The Commander flew up onto a fence-post so everyone could see her.
“Very exciting race!” she called out. “Once again, I am astonished by the quality of work, which does great credit to flyers and trainers alike. Well done, all of you. Superb flying, clever tactics and very thrilling to watch. Now, the winners… as usual, I shall read out the top ten in reverse order. Ten, Stella Knightwood, nine…”
The England team missed out on hearing the next few places, they were too busy mobbing Stella for getting into the top ten.
“Knew you could do it!” said Rose, delighted. “That’s wonderful!”
Fifth place went to one of the imps, and fourth to an Italian fairy. The Commander paused, and looked around with a twinkle in her eye before reading the top three.
“Third, Rose Moseley, second, Margherita Stazzema… and the winner… Jenny Gutsch!”
Jenny’s scream of excitement was drowned in a huge cheer. The Alpine team were beside themselves with joy. They’d seen their champion, Sizzle, knocked out, and thought their hopes were over, only to see cheeky little Jenny win through. Sizzle looked as though she was going to break down, and Kiefer actually did, sobbing with joy for his friend.
The English fairies were cheering as loudly as anyone. No-one knew what Revebjelle thought of it. The Scandinavian team seemed to be keeping a low profile.


Ace was enjoying all the cheerful celebrations very much until Sergeant Olt started rounding up all the elves and sending them off to get ready for their own race.
“I feel sick,” he said.
“No, you don’t,” said Will. “It’s just one more time round the course, same as we’ve done a hundred times before.”
Ace just looked at him, and the words he wanted to say wouldn’t come out. There was a lot more to it than that, and Will knew it, he’d only said that to keep them both calm. Ace couldn’t find any words at all, but Will knew that too.
“Remember that morning, the first time you met Ace Foxfield?” said Will. “Now it’s your turn to run like he did.”
Somehow, the thought of Ace Foxfield was massively encouraging to Ace. True, the other Ace was bigger and stronger, but Ace knew that such monumental confidence was within his grasp, if he just calmed down a bit.
He wasn’t the only one feeling shaky, after the excitements of the day so far. Sergeant Olt knew it, and called them all together, looking smart in their green tracksuits with their first names on the back in big letters.
“I want everyone to stand completely still,” he said. “That’s better. There’s something I want to tell you. The outcome of the team contest is now decided, as the winners are now uncatchable. I promise you, whoever wins, it’s not going to make any difference, so just relax, enjoy yourselves, and race for your own glory. Line up at the start!”

Ace felt a powerful surge of relief running through him. The thought of Ace Foxfield had helped, but the news that nothing crucial was hanging on the outcome was even better. All the faces that had looked so worried a few minutes ago, were grinning now.
“That’s better!” beamed Sergeant Olt. “On your marks… get set… go!”
The snow was still quite deep at this side of the field, so it was a slow start, with the tallest ploughing their way through first. There was nothing unusual about that, and it didn’t worry Ace at all. He knew there were plenty of places to overtake. He concentrated on keeping his line as short as possible, conscious of Will close alongside him, conscious of the crowd on the other side of the fence cheering them on, but thinking hard about his tactics, because of the bottlenecks. As they reached more well-trodden snow, a few people slipped on icy patches, but they quickly picked themselves up as they ran towards the greased logs.
There were six logs to choose from, and they weren’t all the same height. You had to weigh up very quickly which one to line up behind. It could be faster to wait your turn on an easy one, than tackle a high one, and maybe miss your jump and have to do it again. Will went straight for the hardest one, where no-one was waiting, because this was his best skill. His concentration was so perfect, he never missed, and he went into the lead. Ace decided to go for it too. It was worth the risk, to get to the ropes first. Making sure his toes were behind the jumping line, he forced himself to think of nothing but nailing the landing. He skidded a bit, but he’d done it, and his confidence soared. He jumped accurately to the other end, as someone – Ross, he thought – jumped on behind him.

Ace ran straight for the ropes, digging in very deep to get ahead, because a whole crowd of them were on their way across from the logs. Will hadn’t had to wait, and Ace was glad about that, because the ropes were the hardest part for him. But Ace loved them, loved the way he could overtake people who were bigger than he was, loved the pull and catch and the feeling that his arms and shoulders could take the weight of his whole body. As soon as Fran had left a rope and got onto a branch, Ace was swarming up in his place. Some people twisted their feet around the rope to give themselves some extra purchase, but he never did. It slowed you down, and he didn’t need it. He overtook Will now, who was on a different rope.
Go for it, Ace! Go, go, go! Will yelled cheerfully into his mind, and Ace did just that. Hand over hand he climbed higher and higher, until he could see right across camp, and see the size of the crowd spread out on the lower field.
Leaving the rope behind, he scrambled on hands and knees across a snowy branch. You had to get across to the other trees without touching the ground, and it was a long way across. There were some trees in the middle, with ropes hanging down, and the usual way was to jump to them, then use the ropes to swing across the second, bigger gap. But there was nothing to stop you jumping the whole way if you wanted to… nothing but the snow. They didn’t usually do it that way in winter. Ace rubbed his foot along the branch experimentally… he felt like chancing it. He imagined doing a spectacular jump that would make the crowd gasp – and hadn’t the sergeant said, ‘Enjoy yourselves’? The snow wasn’t icy or powdery, it was wet and slushy.
I’m English, thought Ace, I can do wet snow. I’m going for it.
Calming his excitement just enough, he bent his knees and leaped. He kept his eyes firmly on his target, a sturdy branch in a Scots pine, almost horizontal. One of the ropes was hanging from it. As soon as he touched down, he’d have to leap again, instantly. He landed cleanly… the branch bowed beneath his feet, and he remembered to let it rise again before pushing down hard into his next jump.
Then he was soaring through the air, and he heard the crowd gasp in amazement. He landed hard on one of the ropewalk platforms. For one glorious moment, he was in the lead, the crowd was going mad, and Ace was ecstatically happy.

But now there was the ropewalk to tackle, so he took a couple of deep breaths. Great calmness and concentration were needed here. Fran and Ross and several others were now arriving in the trees, but too much haste now could be anyone’s undoing. Gingerly, he set a foot upon the rope, testing its slipperiness… it was wet, it was sagging a little, and that wasn’t good. Too slow, and it would bounce, too fast and you’d slip… the snow was left to lie thickly down there, and beneath the snow was springy heather, but a fall was a terrible waste of time. Fran was on a rope beside him, Olm was on the platform… Ace had to go, and he set out, trying above all to keep up a rhythm. Once you’d started, hesitation was fatal. But it was no good. Just ahead of him, Fran swayed and fell, and the distraction of that made Ace lose his rhythm, and the next thing he knew, he was falling through the air. Snow flew up around him as he hit the ground, and he fell so deeply into the heather that it closed over his head. He bounced up, to find Fran looking for him.
“You OK, Ace?”
Ace grabbed Fran’s reaching hand.
“Thanks! Yeah, I’m fine, are you? Come on… back up we go!”
This time, they had to climb back up to the platforms and wait their turns again. A lot of people were falling because the ropes were so slack, but on his second try, Ace had the feel of it better, and made it across. Now, he had to get down the tree, which was easy enough, just climb down until you could jump.
He heard the crowd gasp again, probably someone else had tried the big jump, but Ace made himself focus, wouldn’t let himself look back to see what was happening. Now the high-level work was over, and he ran across the snowy grass again as far as the nets. There was nothing for it but to burrow through the snow to get under the nets, then crawl along through a tunnel, getting wet and muddy. He could hear a lot of grunting and panting around him now, because there were plenty of nets, and a chance to spread out after the bottlenecks in the trees. The lower you got, the faster you went, so Ace got even lower, using his elbows to propel himself along, and emerged out into the sunlight again, filthy but still up with the leaders.

Fran, Olm, Ross… Gran, Droz, Lauro and Kiefer… Ace looked who was ahead as they ran for the sloping fence. You had to charge up this at an angle then leap off the top across a wide muddy ditch. It didn’t look too bad today, all covered in snow, but they all knew that under that snow it would be horrible. Ace threw himself off at the top with all his strength, and just cleared the ditch. Behind him, someone fell in – he thought it was Kiefer – but now he couldn’t think of anything but racing for the pits. It was only three at a time, there, and they were over half way through the race now. If he didn’t get there first, he’d have no chance. He fought for speed, his legs were screaming at him to stop, but he couldn’t quite make it. Ross, Droz and Olm got there first, so they’d have to make a mistake to lose now. Ace tried not to show his bitter disappointment, but smiled bravely at Fran and Lauro waiting alongside him.
The first three were jumping well, clearing the pits cleanly, but then Olm fell in. He didn’t waste a second, but jumped out and returned to the back of the line. But he’d been in front of Ace, which meant Ace got to go before Fran and Lauro did. That was a bit of luck for him, but he didn’t get his hopes up. Concentrating fiercely, he crossed safely himself, but Droz and Ross were well ahead now.

Chasing them hard, Ace crossed the stream on the stepping-stones, leaped the five-bar gate easily, then twisted to tackle the awful angle of the high rope jump. He didn’t land that one cleanly, and had to pick himself up, but then he was into a straight run, alongside the fence, so close, you could have touched the crowd. He was struggling now, but he kept on fighting, kept running as fast as he could. Fran overtook him, then so did Lauro, and he saw them cross the stream again ahead of him, their feet splashing water up as they crashed across the stones and turned towards the final obstacle, the barrels.
As they all straightened up, Ross and Droz came into sight again, so close to the end. More footsteps behind him… that had to be Gran. Ace tried for more speed, but he couldn’t outpace all those long legs. Gran overtook him too, but it didn’t sound as if anyone else was catching up just yet.
Ross was at the barrels, crossing them cautiously, Droz close behind him. As those two raced for the finishing line, Fran reached the barrels and chanced a look behind him, saw he had time to take care. He wasn’t going to risk his third place. Ace was watching it all as he pounded along, the crowd shouting encouragement. Lauro, desperate to overtake Fran, took the barrels on a slide, and then fell. A groan of sympathy went up as Lauro used the rails to haul himself up to his feet and stagger off towards the finishing line. Ross crossed it first, then Droz only seconds behind him. Fran came third, then Lauro. The crowd was cheering Ross as Gran reached the barrels, and after what had happened to Lauro, Gran took them carefully. Too carefully… Ace was gaining on him. With a big smile on his face, Ace landed on the barrels on one steady foot, and slid the whole way across to perfection. Gran was behind him, and Ace tore for the line and crossed it exhausted but triumphant. OK, he hadn’t won, but he’d come fifth, which wasn’t bad at all. But most important of all, he’d done it in style.

The ending of the elves’ race wasn’t as close as the fairies’ had been, and it was another ten minutes before it was over. Sergeant Olt was there at the finish, patting them all on the back and encouraging them to get out of the way a bit as others came crashing across the line. The first thing Ace wanted to know, of course, was how Will was doing. His senses had told him that Will had been held up quite a while at the ropewalk, but had done some great catching-up after that, and Ace cheered him home, fifteenth overall and first of a gaggle that included Dub, Kiefer, Pioppo and Cor. He seemed quite pleased with that, but the first thing he wanted to know was how Ace had done.
“Oh, well done!” gasped Will, when Ace told him. “Wish I could have seen it.”

They stood together to watch the end, where the final three – one of them was Wayne – crossed the line together on purpose, so no-one had to be last. That won them a big round of applause, and then the Commander made another speech and presented Ross with his crystal sphere.
“You know, when I think about it, I’m really glad Ross won,” said Will. “He’s one of the best, and he’s worked so hard with a difficult team and never complained. He really deserves this.”
Ace agreed with that, and it seemed as if everyone else did too. Ross seemed astonished by the amount of applause, and looked pretty emotional when the Commander praised him in the most glowing terms. After that, though, she calmed everyone down and reminded them that the serious part of the day was about to begin.
“You go now to get ready to swear your oaths,” she said. “May it be joyous for every one of you. Lead off, now, and we will see you later.”
Agava, Hogweed, Jenny and Ross led them off, and Ace was just glad to be in the midst of it. For once, it felt like one big team, and it felt very good.


The cold bright day had given way to a clear, frosty night. There seemed to be a halo around every lamp on the Concourse as the second years gathered in their orders. Every one of them had the glow that comes from getting fresh and clean after hard exercise. They were all dressed now in impeccable suits or uniforms, and they were brimming with excitement.
Ace tried to take it all in, tried to memorise the scene so it would stay in his mind forever. The dark sky, with the stars so bright and clear, the wooden buildings softened in the lamp light, their roofs and window sills iced with snow, and above all, the other sprites. All the familiar faces… for two years they’d lived and worked together, fought and feuded, suffered together and laughed together, and Ace knew that tonight he loved them all, even Olm and Beuk. When he thought of his own team, his emotions nearly got the better of him, but he blinked a bit and smiled bravely at Will.
Will looked so terrific when he made an effort, and he’d really made an effort tonight. His silky black hair tumbled over the collar of his green leather tunic, and the soft green of his shirt seemed to show off his subtle grey and green streaks. It did Ace good just to look at him, to tune in to the calm, thoughtful depths behind those dark eyes.
“I know,” smiled Will. “Gets to you, doesn’t it? Hang on, now. It’s nearly time. Look, the officers are coming.”

He squeezed Ace’s hand, and they both turned to look. Sergeant Olt of Romania, Sergeant Svir of Russia and Sergeant Camilo of Portugal marched smartly onto the Concourse in their full dress uniforms, followed by Corporal Lavall of France and Corporal Viella of Spain. Sergeant Svir was carrying a small box, and Sergeant Camilo had a lighted torch. Ace saw now that all the goblins had torches, and they came forward and lit theirs from the sergeant’s. Then the sergeants lined up at the front and led the way, followed by the fairies, then the imps, then the elves, flanked by the goblins, and with the corporals bringing up the rear.
When they got to the Eastern Gatehouse, they saw that it had been decorated in honour of the occasion, with garlands of holly and ivy. The gates stood wide open, and the guards were standing smartly to attention and smiling benignly. Then they were into the forest, and following the now-familiar path towards the Tree.
So many happy memories… Ace felt a pang of sadness at leaving this behind. He knew he’d come back sometimes, knew he’d see the Tree again, but still, it wouldn’t be the same as being able to come here every full moon. But tonight would be different, tonight would be special, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and his overwhelming feeling was sheer excitement.
His boots crunched over frosty fallen leaves and pine needles, keeping perfect step with Will. In front of them were Betch and Wayne, and behind them, Fran and Peter, as they came back to thick snow in the place where the trees were more widely spread. They were getting close. It wasn’t full moon tonight, the moon was just a little bright slice in the sky, but the Tree cast its own green and golden light on the forest around.
Then suddenly, they were there, and the Tree seemed to look more beautiful than ever, as if it was pouring out joy that turned into light. When they came to a halt, Ace just stood there and gazed up with love and awe.
The torches were no longer needed. The goblins planted them safely in the ground, then moved up to form their own solid block alongside the other orders. The officers also looked at the Tree for a while, then turned and faced the recruits.
“The time has come,” said Sergeant Olt in his most serious voice. “If it is your firm intention to serve in the army, I require you all now to repeat the words of the oath.”
There was a sound of everyone taking a breath, then together, with stunning unity, every voice spoke out loud. Ace could hear himself, could hear Will, distinct, but part of the whole.
“I vow that I will serve the sprite army from this night forward to the end of my life. I will defend the realm with my best endeavours, I will show valour in danger, loyalty in times of trial, and courtesy to all. All this I solemnly swear.”

Ace knew he gasped out loud, just as everyone else did, as the branches of the Tree, usually so awesome in their stillness, bent as if moved by an invisible wind, like arms reaching out to surround and protect. Then he heard the voice of the Tree, and for once, he was sure that everyone there was hearing the same thing.
As you have chosen me, I also gladly choose you. I will be close to you wherever you go. My joy is yours, my protection is yours, my love is yours. Go safely, sprites, back into the realm, for you no longer walk alone.

For a while, everyone kept absolutely silent and still, letting those words sink into their hearts and minds. Finally, Sergeant Olt smiled and spoke briskly and cheerfully.
“You’re not recruits any more,” he said. “You are soldiers in the sprite army. Come forward now, line by line, and receive your new wristbands.”
This part was quiet and dignified, but not too solemn. Sergeant Svir opened the box she was carrying and Corporal Viella came to hold it for her. Everyone filed past the officers, and Sergeant Camilo gravely removed their grey wristbands and handed them back for them to keep. Ace stowed his safely in a pocket, then moved up. He held out his right hand and Sergeant Svir placed a brown band on his wrist. Ace could hardly take his eyes off it, it looked so new and fresh. He moved along to shake hands with Sergeant Olt, who had a few words for each one of them.
“You won’t be wearing that for long,” he said to Ace. “Knew you were officer material the first day I saw you. Well done, Ace, you’ve been inspirational to your whole year.”
“Thank you, Sergeant,” said Ace, in what he hoped was a smart and soldierly way, but he knew he was grinning with friendship. He couldn’t help it.
He and Will were so close together, he could hear what the sergeant said to Will too.
“So many things about you impress me,” he said, “but most of all the way you never give up. You always dig deep, Will, and you’ve been exemplary.”
“Thank you, Sergeant,” Will answered. He sounded very moved. Ace was glad the sergeant had said that. Will got so many comments about how clever he was, but he couldn’t help that, any more than he could help the colour of his streaks. It was good to hear him getting praised for his character.
“Well, I must have done something right then,” Will whispered as they took their places again. He spoke lightly, but Ace could hear he was fighting tears. “That’s exactly what I was told to do, two years ago.”
Then Ace knew exactly when Will had heard those words.
“It was a beautiful tree, Willow, and it would be so proud of you tonight.”
Will met his eyes, and smiled. “So would yours be,” he said.


By seven o’clock they had taken their places at the front of the Great Hall, sitting quietly, half their minds still in the forest. They listened to the sounds of the hall filling up behind them, gradually getting used to the idea that the serious part was over and the fun part was about to begin. When the last breathless first years had crammed in at the back, the heavy doors were closed and the Commander took the stage.
“Welcome to you all,” she said warmly, her beautiful voice reaching every corner of the hall. “A break with tradition tonight, as my first happy duty is to introduce you to our newest general.” She paused then and smiled, and Ace wondered very much who it was. “The Chief of Staff is an anchor,” said the Commander. “Someone who can hold things together at the centre, even if all the other generals are away. We all know that challenging times are coming, so now more than ever it is important to have someone who is honoured and respected by all, and whose caring and wisdom are legendary. Army, I present to you General Madge Arley.”

Ace swore later that Clover actually screamed. But all the Moseleys were cheering themselves hoarse, and so was everyone else who knew Madge. As this was rather a lot of people, the noise was deafening, especially as everyone else was clapping anyway.
Madge stepped onto the stage, looking exactly the same as usual except that she was now wearing a nice new purple wristband. The Commander smiled at her and moved aside, and took a seat behind with the other generals who had now come onto the stage behind Madge. They were all looking extremely pleased except General Herdalen, who was looking pleased but also slightly wary.
Madge came to the front of the stage.
“Hush now, that’ll do,” she smiled. “Thank you very much indeed for being so pleased. I’m pleased too – delighted, and very honoured. It’s a big step from major to general, and there are colonels out there who are better fighters, better flyers, better organisers of battles and raids and defences than I’ll ever be.”
She paused then, to let it sink in that ‘out there’ was exactly where people like that needed to be.
“Exactly,” she nodded. “My talents, such as they are, shall now be devoted to holding the centre. Basically, that means knowing everything that’s going on, from what the gossip was last night in Rogalin, to what Phil Royden’s got hidden behind Hut Fifty-Six.”
Her eyes twinkled, and the first years burst out laughing, astonished by her and liking her very much already.
“And now, onto tonight’s business. It’s usual at this point for the Chief of Staff to give a short speech about the second years. They’re probably hoping that this new broom won’t know much about what they’ve been up to, but unfortunately for them, I soak up news like they soak up beer, so their exploits shall not pass unmentioned. Well now, two years ago, we had the lowest number of recruits we’ve ever had. No-one knew then that what they lacked in numbers they would make up for in excellence. The quality of the work in classroom and workshop has astonished everyone who’s taught them, and they leave camp enriched by many fine things, from exquisite tapestries and furnishings to brand new buildings and even a snowplough. The flyers have broken every record, in speed, style and endurance. Every goblin leaves here able to read and write, a thing which has never happened before. Our four imps have excelled in flying and fighting and in sheer all-round cleverness, and the elves, of course, have caused unprecedented amounts of mayhem.”

Everyone laughed again, especially the elves. General Herdalen covered his face with his hand.
“Any rumours you may have heard that I am prejudiced against elves are entirely unfounded," Madge continued. “They are absolutely fine so long as you keep your eye on them, or they will be off fighting or running into Special Brigade or falling down mountains or getting swept away inside mountains… need I say more?”
Then she changed abruptly from joking to serious, and her voice softened and her kind eyes shone.
“I am just profoundly grateful that they were preserved safely through all the dangers they encountered so bravely. These elves you see here have provided leaders for seven of the nine teams, and have headed countless enterprises requiring intelligence, skill and courage. They are the leaders of the future, and it seems to me that the future is in very safe hands. And now, I shall ask all of you to come up to the platform and receive our congratulations and your first appointments.”


General Herdalen got up and carried a small table across to Madge. On it were a list and a box of envelopes. Madge picked up the list and the other generals came forward as she read out the first name with great formality.
“Wayne Platanus hispanica Langdon…”
The young soldiers, recruits no longer, moved smartly along and were ready on the platform when Madge called their names. One after another they went, in order of age. Ace listened to all the familiar names being called out faultlessly in Madge’s familiar voice, and it felt a bit weird, but very nice, especially when his own turn came. Then the Commander shook his hand and gave him his envelope, then he shook hands with Gran and General Saal and General Stalden, and when he stepped down from the platform, Sergeant Olt and Corporal Laval shook hands with him too.
Ace sat down again, his breath shallow with excitement and happiness. He looked down at the envelope. He was dying to open it, but it wasn’t time yet.
“Muscari botryoides Ciganlija,” called Madge finally, and the youngest and smallest fairy of them all stepped up, to be greeted just as warmly as the first.
“Now, the team contest,” said Madge. “Very interesting pattern to it this year, Sergeant Olt tells me. Usually, by the end of the second year, there are two teams battling it out for top place. This year, there were six, and top place was changing weekly until two teams started pulling ahead after the night of the attack. Many points were won that night by various teams for courageous fire-fighting, exemplary leadership and outstanding initiative. Today’s exciting competitions added to the scores, of course, but once the flying race was over, we had a clear winner. I’m delighted to announce that this year’s winning team is England. Come on back up, the whole team!”

He was shaking, he was literally shaking. This was too good to be true. It was what he’d hoped for and dreamed of, but deep down he’d not really dared to believe that they could overtake everyone. But they had, they had! It was incredible. Every effort had been worth it, just for this moment. His team, his fantastic team, how much they deserved this. He was so proud of them.
“Thanks, Madge,” he got out, as she shook hands again and pinned his winner’s medal on his uniform, and hugged him. “Sorry… I mean, thanks, General! Bet you never thought, back on Wildside, that it’d come to this!”
“What?” said Madge. “Knew it all along!”
All twelve of them went up to be congratulated and receive their medals, and when they came down again from the platform, huge applause and shrieking whistles and even foot-stamping were going on all over the hall.
“Yes, England!” shouted a voice from the back.
“Thanks, Phil!” Ace shouted back, and everyone laughed.
Meanwhile the team were all hugging each other and dancing about. Ace was crying now, and he didn’t care who saw it. This was the proudest moment of his life, yet he’d never felt so humble. His brilliant team… he loved them all so much. He hugged every single one of them, then sat down again next to Will, absolutely trembling. Will was crying too, it was just too much to take in.
I don’t believe it, thought Ace. I just don’t believe it.

He tried to calm himself and listen as Madge went through the other positions. The final three, who hadn’t been in the running, were named in no particular order as Russia, Holland and Germany, and Poland, but Madge found good things to say to them about fine leadership, hard work and overcoming disadvantages. The Alpine team had come sixth and got praised for its superb flying. Italy were fifth, and were honoured for having the courage of their convictions, even though it meant they had slipped down. Everyone knew what that was about, and the Balkans team received similar praise for coming fourth despite the same sort of problems, with special mention for their efforts in the fire-fighting. Scandinavia came third, with praise for their individual brilliance and determination, and second place went to France and Spain, whose consistency all through had brought them to well-deserved heights.

Now it was time for Madge to bring the ceremony to a close with her serious speech, but again she kept it short.
“This time last year,” she began, “General Cherapont reminded us that the world was getting darker. This year, it is darker still. Even the youngest among you know how serious was the step we recently took, and how serious parliament’s response was. The scars on camp were easily repaired. The scars on the realm will not be. No-one knows what will happen next, or when. We must watch and wait, but when the time for action comes, we will take it, because what is at stake here is no less than the freedom of the realm.
Until then, I say to you, keep steady. Keep learning, keep teaching, keep working at whatever task is yours to perform. There will come a time when that may no longer seem possible. Then, cling even more tightly to your duty, for the strength of the realm is the bond between the Tree, the army and the colonies, and as long as one sprite remains who will do her or his duty no matter what the cost, then that bond remains unbroken and the realm will survive. The Commander spoke of challenging times, and they will be challenging indeed. My hope for us all is that when we reach the testing point, as we will, none of us will be found wanting. But be of good cheer. As Agava reminded us this morning, that’s so important for morale. A cheerful spirit is an undaunted spirit, and a good joke is like the sun shining through the clouds. So now, let us celebrate our newest soldiers in the time-honoured fashion, with music and beer. First years, open the doors!”


Once they were outside, the first thing they wanted to do was open their envelopes. The elves gathered in a huddle, and Ace was too busy listening to what other people had got at first, because it was all very interesting. The important one was Wayne. Now, they’d find out if their plan had succeeded. Ace watched his face as he opened his envelope.
“Oh,” said Wayne, doing a brilliant job of sounding mildly surprised and pleased. “I’m going to Special Brigade.”
“That’ll be interesting,” said Ace. “Hey, come on, Wayne… last night, and everything, let bygones be bygones, huh?”
“You’re right,” said Wayne, just slightly stiffly. He really was a very good actor. “No hard feelings.”
He held his hand out, and Ace shook it, then pulled Wayne into a hug just so he could whisper into his ear.
“You are the bravest elf I know.”
Even better, he wasn’t going to be saddled with Olm and Beuk. They’d been appointed to the Police, and were looking very pleased about it.
“I pity Holland with those two on the loose,” grinned Ace, ripping open his own envelope. Fran, Peter and Betch had all called out that they’d got First Regiment, and after all the praise that had been heaped on him today, Ace wasn’t expecting any different.
He looked at the paper, then stared at it, disbelieving. The envelope fell from his fingers to the ground.
“What?” he said. “It can’t be… Will, what does yours say?”
“Third Regiment,” said Will. “It can’t be… can it? This doesn’t seem fair.”
“Me too,” said Ace. “Third Regiment. But why? Third? Not even Second?”
The news went round like wildfire. All the elves looked shocked and stunned. Ace and Will just looked at each other.
“Perhaps it’s a mistake,” said Ace, but Will shook his head.
“General Vandenesse,” he said. “I don’t know why, but he really hated you, Ace. This was done in spite.”
“Then it’s my fault!” said Ace. “Will, I’m so sorry…”
“Don’t be,” said Will fervently. “He was spiteful enough to do this to you, but not spiteful enough to split us up. I’m grateful for that, at least. If you have to go to Third Regiment, Ace, then that’s where I want to be too.”
“Thanks,” Ace murmured gratefully. “Why did he hate me so much? What did I ever do to him? I don’t suppose I’ll ever know, now.”

For a moment, he wondered if he could ask for it to be changed, but when he thought about it, he knew he couldn’t. This was an ancient tradition, and had been done in the proper way. If you were defending traditions, you couldn’t go picking and choosing which ones you kept, or rejecting them because something didn’t suit you.
“We can talk about it later,” said Will. “Put a brave face on it for now.”
“You’re right,” said Ace. “We’re not spoiling the party. Yeah, that’s right, Third,” he called, in answer to a question from someone. “What can I say? Even Third Regiment needs some brilliant people.”
“But it’s not fair!” said Kiefer, distraught. “That’s the most unfair thing I ever heard!”
“Don’t worry about it, Kief,” said Will. “Remember, everything happens for a reason. Did you get First yourself?”
“I did,” said Kiefer, “but it won’t be the same without you.”
“We’ll be working in our own countries, at least to start with,” said Ace. “So it’s not like we’d all be together, anyway.”
“Third?” laughed Gran Starheim. “Really?”
“Yes, really,” said Ace. “But that’s OK. Sometimes the last turn into the first, you know. Whatever regiment I’m in, no-one can ever take it away from me that I’m the leader of the winning team.”
That shut Gran Starheim up, and Ace smiled sweetly.
Their calm comments seemed to quell people’s doubts and concerns, but as more and more of the elves shared their news, the clearer it became that the only others who’d got Third were Dub and Lupa. They were going to be helping in the Technical Section, and they were ecstatic about that, jumping about and shouting, “Trains, trains, trains!”
Will looked at them with a fond expression.
“I am so glad about that,” he said.

Then the fairies came rushing over, a bit surprised to hear about Ace and Will, but not as shocked, knowing less of the poor reputation, as the elves had been. Rose and Clover had been appointed together to Search and Rescue.
“What about Dan?” asked Ace anxiously. “Did she get Fighter Squadron?”
“Look at her!” laughed Rose, and pointed up. Dan and Carda, Crocus, Margherita and Jenny, were celebrating in the air, all differences for the moment forgotten.
“Oh, that’s good,” said Ace fervently. “Stella! What did you get?”
“Messengers!” said Stella. “Just what I was hoping for. And so did Bella. Now, we can see the world!”
“You were such a shy little thing when you came here, and look at you now,” laughed Betch. “Well done, our Stella.”
All their other friends had First or Second Squadron, and so had the imps. It was left to the goblins to provide the last shock of the evening, but this time, it was a good one. Ratzo had got the Technical Section, and all the rest were appointed to the Goblin Regiment, except one… Hogweed.
“Why not?” said Ace, a bit worried. “What did you get?”
“Training,” said Hogweed. “Me! Can you believe it? I’m going to be a teacher of young goblins!”
“Oh, brilliant!” said Ace. “You’ll be so good at that. Hey! Where? Is it…”
“Yes!” said Hogweed, and his happiness was just shining out of him. “The School for Homeless Young Sprites. Kulsukker’s new home is my new home, too.”

Everyone was so delighted for him. They were all patting him on the back, as the first years arrived, and Hogweed reclaimed Kulsukker from Camellia, who’d been looking after him for the day. The first years were listening to all the news now, as they walked across the lawns together, to the Concourse where big barrels of beer were waiting for them on the tables.

Ace set aside all thoughts of the future. What mattered now was now, this moment, and the chance to drink with all these friends, for the last time in who knew how long. He filled a mug, and just sipped it until everyone had a drink, then raised his hand.
“To the army!” he shouted.
“The army!” everyone replied, the first of many toasts that evening. Of course, there was music too, lots of it, and as usual it was all very free-and-easy, everyone playing whenever they felt like it. Ace and the others mostly listened, joining in with singing or clapping, but they didn’t play themselves until right near the close of the evening. They had something special ready, and left it until all the fun and partying were beginning to die down and a lot of the officers and visitors were on the Concourse too.
When they took to the stage, there was a lot of cheering. Phil and Rob came too, so that once again there were six of them. Ace didn’t have his microphone, but then, as Will always said, he didn’t really need one. While the others were getting ready, he spoke to the crowd.
“We’ve toasted every officer, we’ve toasted each other. We’ve had a great party, and a great end to two fantastic years. Before we split up, we’ve all got one more thank you to make. This song is for Norway. When we came here, we called it a land of ice and snow, and well, yes, it is,” he grinned. “But now, it’s more than that. For all of us, it’s now and always will be, home. You all know plenty of Norwegian now, so come and join in – one last song, for Norway.”
Very soon, the mountain was ringing with young voices.
Sønner av Norge, det eldgamle rike*
Sjunger til harpens den festlige klang!
Mandig og høytidsfullt tonen la stige,
Fedrenelandet innvies vår sang…

At the back of the crowd, Gran Herdalen stood gazing at the scene, his heart full to overflowing. Once again, Ace and Will had gone beyond what anyone could have hoped or expected. They’d swallowed the disappointment of a grave injustice, and brought everyone together in a moment of rare beauty. To see all those young sprites singing with love of his country brought tears to his eyes. He raised his head, and his deep strong voice joined in…

Fedrene minner herlig oppriner…

All the older sprites joined in too. Collen Dolfawr and Luke Olt, Gia Biagioni and Madge Arley, Pice Inari, Boris Teplou, Saul Lavall, Arda Svir… not a voice was silent.

Hver gang vi nevner vår fedrenestavn
Svulmende hjerter og glødender kinner,
Hyller det elskede, det hellige navn.

As they finished, quietly and gently the snow began to fall.

[sm]* Sons of Norway, the ancient kingdom
Sing to the harps with festival sounds!
Manly and solemn let the music arise
Our song consecrates the ancestral land
Memories of forebears return to us
Every time we think of our roots here
Hearts swelling with pride and glowing cheeks
Hail your beloved, your sacred name[/sm]

Three weeks later, Will woke up. As usual, it took him a little while to remember everything, but when he did, he had no regrets, and his memories even put a smile on his face. He remembered that he’d said goodbye to a lot of friends, and that was sad, but he knew he’d see them all again one day, and he’d be seeing some of the Moseleys again very soon. Not Dan, who was going to visit Carda’s home in Poland before they travelled together to join their unit, which was currently in Milan. And not Hogweed, who had planned to travel straight to England with Kulsukker and sleep when he got there, once the little chap was safe in his new home. But Rose and Clover he’d see again soon, they’d all meet up in Moseley Wood and spend their leave together. He was looking forward to that. It’d be great to see David and Aesculus again. Yes, it was all coming back to him now, and he felt very, very happy. And Ace had realised he’d woken up, and was heading this way, fast.

Ace burst into the quiet hut with a mug of tea in each hand.
“Both for you,” he said. “Bet you’re thirsty.”
“Not half,” said Will. “Thanks!”
He drank both cups without stopping, then just grinned at Ace, then hugged him.
“I’m glad you’re back,” said Ace. “I was so lonely without you.”
“Why, how long have you been awake?”
Ace looked at his watch.
“Oh, about an hour.”
Will couldn’t stop laughing as he got washed and dressed. It was great to feel so alive again.
“We have to go and see Colonel Kinnekulle,” said Ace.
“Oh, right,” said Will. “Of course, he’s our colonel now.”


They made their way to Third Regiment HQ. Camp seemed so quiet, now that so many had left, and so many were still asleep. They hadn’t been into this building before, and there was no-one about to ask, but then they saw the colonel himself pinning up a notice.
“Ah, good!” he said. “Was hoping you two would be along soon. Did you have good dreams?”
“Wonderful,” said Ace. “Golden clouds, unexpected colours, nice surprises.”
“I had colours, too,” said Will. “Dark shadows, though.”
“But they made the colours stand out more,” said the colonel.
“That’s it, exactly,” said Will.
“Come on into my office. That’s it… make yourselves at home.”
The office was shabby but comfortable, and Will was surprised how neat it was, for such a wild-looking elf, but then, the colonel wasn’t here all the time.
“Gran’s asleep,” said the colonel. “Soon as I woke up myself, and saw he was still awake, I pushed him into his bed. Even he needs a week or so. Told me to tell you, he’s very proud of you, for accepting what happened so cheerfully. Appointing you to this regiment was totally unfair, and there’s no doubt in my mind, or in Gran’s, that Viorne Vandenesse did it out of spite.”
“It’s all right,” said Ace. “It’s no use saying we weren’t disappointed – we were. But this is our regiment now, and you’ve got our total loyalty.”
The colonel shook his head, almost in wonder.
“Gran was thinking about breaking tradition and moving you,” he said. “We talked it over with the Commander and Madge – but then we thought, maybe not. At least this way, you’ll be with me. If you were England 1 you’d be under Colonel Pentreath, and frankly we’re not that sure how far we can trust him. Maybe things have arranged themselves for the best, after all.”
“Everything happens for a reason,” said Will.
“Wise lad. Thing is, though, what am I going to do with you? I’ve looked at your records. This regiment has never had elves of your calibre before. Any unit I send you to, you’ll terrify the officers.”
“We’d try not to,” said Ace.
“I know. You’re good lads. But then I had a good idea. There’s this job that got dumped on us when all the better units got more urgent things to do. Finish finding those missing sprites. Well, we did our best, but the trails went cold. Thing is, a new clue came in – on that Internet thing – strange message from a human called Primrose who says she used to be a sprite, once. She’s somewhere in England, so how about following up this clue and seeing if you can find her? That way, you’ll be working independently, and tackling a difficult problem that I’d be stuck to find anyone else for.”
“That sounds great,” said Ace, “but are we allowed to work independently? We’re only privates.”
“That’s true, privates are not allowed to work independently. But lieutenants are. That’s why I’m promoting you both, as of now.”
“What!” said Will.
The colonel got two black wristbands out of his drawer.
“Take those brown ones off,” he said.
He stood up, and Ace and Will did too, in a bit of a daze. They took their wristbands off and the colonel replaced them with the black ones. They all sat down again, and the colonel smiled at their stunned faces.
“I can’t put right the wrong that was done to you,” he said, “but I have the right of promotion and demotion in this regiment, and I hope that this goes some way towards making it up to you.”
“I’ll say,” said Ace. “Thanks very much, sir!”
“You’re going to be the best thing that’s ever happened to this regiment. I personally am very grateful that you didn’t make any fuss about it, and I’m very glad to have you.”
“And we’re glad to be here,” said Will, and he meant it.

“I’m not going to give you any advice on how to tackle this,” said the colonel. “You’re both about a hundred times cleverer than I am, and I know you’ll think of something. Collect the weird message from young Dale, then get off to England as soon as you like. I’ve arranged some air support for you, rendezvous at Bergen, then you can make your plans as you travel. When your leave’s over, call on the colonel of England 3. You’ll find him at the Harpsden colony in Oxfordshire. He’s bonkers, but I think you’ll like him, and you ought to meet him. Any questions?”
“Just one, sir,” said Ace. “It’s just – do you know why General Vandenesse hated me so much?”
To Ace’s surprise, Colonel Kinnekulle roared with laughter.
“That’s an easy one,” he said. “Jealous, through and through. You see, when he was a young sprite, Viorne was very handsome, very handsome indeed. He thought he was still the handsomest elf in the realm until he met you. Like that queen in the human story – d’you know the one? – thought she was the fairest in the land, until she found out she wasn’t, any more.”
“Mirror, mirror,” said Will. “So that was it.”
“I see,” said Ace thoughtfully. “That’s a bit scary, actually. It strikes me I’d better stop looking in mirrors so much. Don’t want to end up like that.”
“You won’t,” said the colonel reassuringly. “Too much sense. Viorne Vandenesse never had any sense and he’s still got none now. Have a good journey, lieutenants, and one more thing – keep in touch. Don’t want to say too much yet, but things are moving. They’re moving fast.”
More excited than ever, Ace and Will took their leave. By noon they had said their goodbyes to Dale, to Phil and Rob and Maig and everyone else who was awake, packed their bags and closed the door of their hut for the last time.
By evening, they were on a boat for Bergen.


Rose and Clover had been waiting in Bergen for two days. They’d been looking forward to going home as soon as they woke up, and they hadn’t been too pleased to hear that they had to wait for two lieutenants who would be travelling to England with them.
“I don’t mind the job,” said Rose. “We’re Search and Rescue now, helping to find people is our job. And to find that Primrose, who’s a friend of Phil’s, that would be wonderful. I just wish they’d hurry up, so we can go home.”
“I just hope we still can go home,” said Clover gloomily. “What if these two are mad keen to get started?”
“No, that’ll be all right,” said Rose. “Colonel Basa said, travel together, make your plans, then meet up again when your leave is finished.”
“So long as someone told them that. Is that a Sognfjord boat? Any elves on it?”
Rose trained her sharp eyes very carefully on the little ferry that was mooring.
“Yes!” she said. “Two just jumped off.”
Then she stared, and gasped.
“I don’t believe it!”
“What?” said Clover.
“I really, really don’t believe it!”
“Rose!” Clover shouted. “Who is it?”
Rose turned to her and grinned.
“It’s Ace and Will,” she said.