A computer-implemented method returns a third child data element from a structured tree. One or more processors traverse through a structured tree using a single direction iteration order until a first child data element and second child data element are reached. In response to reaching the second child data element, the processor(s) remove from memory any description of the structured tree that was used to reach the first child data element and the second child data element other than an element level counter that describes the level of the structured tree at which the first sibling data element and the second sibling data element are located. The processor(s) utilize a content of the element level counter to reconstruct the structured tree in order locate and return a third child data element in the reconstructed structured tree to a requester.