The Writer's Games 2014: Mission #2 Entries

The Love of a Dryad

By: Silver_Sky

Lotus was a normal tree spirit in a normal orchard. Her tree was the most beautiful of trees, one with pink flowers blooming across it's outstretched branches. The pink petals fell day and night, leaving the orchard in a blanket of light pink. The more petals that fell, the more blooms replaced them.

Lotus had a happy life, though she found it rather boring. She woke in the morning to pick apples, and berries from Dryad Grove, where her others of her kind would congregate and chat.

Lotus was an outcast and had no friends because she was not very interested in gossip and hair spray. She found that nearly all dryads, naiads, and other spirits, were just a bunch of air heads.

So, she mostly spent her time down by the lake, singing to the trees, and animals that lived amongst them. And that is where she met him.

A prince, (Duh.) from a nearby kingdom. He was out riding and saw this beautiful Dryad. At first he thought his eyes deceived him, for when he walked over she was gone, and in her place was a pink tree, with pink blooms. So he leaned against the tree and waited for the girl to return.

The tree, of course, was Lotus. So, she lifted up her roots and shoved the prince forward and he landed in the lake with a splash.

Lotus laughed inwardly as prince stood with surprise and looked around for the one who had shoved him. But he saw no one, except the tree of pink blossoms.

So he stalked home and change into some dry clothes before coming back the next day. And there he saw lotus again, but this time she didn't see him.

So he sat at the other shore and waited.

Lotus eventually saw him and felt sorry for the poor man and walked over and said to him, "Why do you sit, young prince. For the water spirits will come and get oyu and drown you for sure!"

"I cannot leave for I am waiting for the girl of pink flowers, which sings so beautifully." He said shaking his head.

Lotus frowned in dismay.

"Fine. Let the water be your death." she replied coldly for she was angry that the prince did not recognize her.

But he did, and just wanted her to tell him, and give him a chance to talk to her. But Lotus wanted nothing to do with this prince so she headed to the other side of the lake.

But then she heard a huge splash from the water and saw that the water spirits were indeed pulling the poor man in.

Lotus did not know what to do. She did want to save the man but she would be an enemy of the water spirits if she entered their domain. (They were so very territorial.)

But she finally made up her mind and dove into the lake, making a barely audible splash herself.

She found the prince deep beneath the waves, in the Naiads' palace. She asked the naiad guards for permission to enter and they permitted her to enter, but with a warning, "You can come in with nothing, but you must come out with nothing."

Besides my prince, she thought in her head. She entered and found where the prince had been dragged under. He was barely alive and unconscious at the time.

"Oh, sister naiads," Lotus said kindly. "Can I take this dirty boy from your beautiful kingdom? He shall surely pollute your water."

The Naiads looked to one another with greedy eyes.

"Yes, you may take him, but for three white pearls."

"I will only give you the pearls if he is alive." Lotus replied stubbornly.

"Fine." Said the leading Naiad. "But alive you owe us three pearls and a favor."

Lotus agreed and the naiads forced a magic potion down the prince's throat, and he could suddenly breath beneath the water.

"What? What is going on?" I sputtered.

"The pearls." The Naiads said eagerly. Lotus handed the pay over.

"And you us a favor." The Naiads added.

"What is it?" Lotus replied crossly.

"You must slay the sea monster which is haunting our domain and bring us one of his teeth as proof." The laughed and giggled to each other for they knew this was an impossible task.

"Very well." Lotus replied sadly. "Where is the beast?"

"It lurks in the murky cave, where the water is misty and unclear. There you shall meet your doom." After saying this, the naiads cackled with glee and sounded more like see witches than anything.

"Fine." Lotus snapped. "Just you watch. I shall bring down that beast and less than a days time."

With that, Lotus grabbed the shocked prince by the cap and dragged him to the surface.

"Er, thanks." The prince said once he was out of shock.

"You'd better be." Lotus said angrily. She would probably get destroyed thanks to this no good human.

"But I can help you. Or know someone who can. For you are in danger on my account." Said the prince nobly.

"Indeed I am." Lotus muttered. "But what is your name?" She asked.

"Prince Erwin or Cathor. And do you accept my help or not?" Erwin asked.

"Indeed I do accept!" Lotus said hastily. "So, who is this person who can help me?"

"She goes by the name of Morgan. She is a sorceress and can help us on our quest." Erwin said.

"Good. Show the way." Lotus replied, her chest flooding with hope.

Maybe TBC...