Deep into the forest of everlasting life was a flourishing town full of many fantasy creatures. They all bustled around every evening while the rest of the world was asleep, fairy lanterns lighting up the pathways for all to see. Each being had a specific job and properties that allowed them to help the forest grow and thrive during the harsh winter's weather.
The Huldra, a beautiful human-like being with long silver hair, stood at the front of the pathway. She spread out little wisps of gold dust given to her by the faeries. It made the ground bloom with all sorts of flowers. Out of excitement, the Huldra's tail, similar to that of a cow, swept behind her on both sides and caused her to giggle.
Sleipnir, a charming grey horse, walked steady beside a group of trolls that carried woven baskets of water from a nearby lake. The horse had eight legs, and could out-walk all of the grumpy trolls that it stayed next to. However, Sleipnir was far more comfortable guiding them to their destination every night than leaving them on their own.
As they all hulled along through the night, many in groups and chattering amongst themselves, they hadn't noticed the presence of royalty watching them. After all, not every night did they have guests observe their work efforts and success. It would be much harder to go about their night otherwise.
The Elf Prince had a delighted smile playing at his lips as he looked onto his people. Some jobs seemed tedious, but it was only natural that creatures of the forest worked to keep it going together. If not, their homes would be nothing but wastelands and deserted by royalty, which would make things highly difficult to survive in.
After some time of observing, Hoseok had turned to leave back to his castle deeper into the forest. However, he had been surprised to hear a sudden stop to the movements and a whispering about. The faeries began buzzing around, spreading word of a new arrival in the forest.
"A human?!" He heard the Huldra gasp out loud. "What is a human doing out here in the night?"
A troll grumbled at her response. "You're only concerned if it's a male. Your kind likes to seduce them for your own pleasure!"
Chaos started to form at the news. The Elf Prince was continuing to watch afar to hear more about the new visitor. As everyone scrambled around, grabbing their belongings and rushing back into their homes, he stood from his place on the tree.
His head rose from looking to the ground, staring into the distance. According to their words, a human was not too far east from their location. If he hurried now, he may be able to guide it in another direction.
"Your highness," spoke the royal guard next to Hoseok. "Please leave it to the guard elves to lead this human astray."
Hoseok smiled kindly at the guard. "Do not worry, my little friend. As a Prince of the forest, I am also a guardian to these creatures. I can offer more protection for them than you can."
He was right, of course. An Elf of royalty had more magic than any other elf combined. They also were larger, stronger, and had the most intelligence. Often times, could blend easily with humans if it weren't for their ears. And Prince Hoseok had a very muscular build, having more powers to keep his strength sustainable.
The royal guard could not argue with his Prince. Instead, he followed Hoseok deeper into the forest in search for the human. They were in a small form, easy to move about in the trees and quicker no doubt. It allowed them to find the human before it was too close to the town.
It was a young woman, they found. Most likely lost, as she has nothing else with her than the ragged clothing on her back. There was no light in her hand, like they sometimes would bring, and no food by her feet. She stumbled through the dark, unlike elves who had night vision.
Hoseok admired her from above in the trees. Although her attire was not the sharpest, her face was still clean and attractive. She had no marks across her pretty skin, and looked very neat otherwise. Her cheeks were rosy and her lips a similar tint. And not like any human he had seen ever before, she had long white hair like his own.
"Prince?" The guard called cautiously.
Hoseok withdrew his position within the trees, hastily climbing down them to get a better look at the human. Her eyes were bright in the moonlight, a certain glow of beauty shinning off of them. It attracted him to her, and he couldn't resist the pull. If it wasn't for the hand on his shoulder pulling him into hiding, he would have stepped into her view.
"Your highness! Please!"
The Elf Prince removed the hand from his shoulder. "Be patient, my friend. I wish to see more of this human girl." His eyes never left her as she slowly bit surely took small steps.
"If she continues to walk, she will get too close to the town! We mustn't let her continue this way." The guard was becoming frantic, never having seen his Prince hypnotized by anything before. Sure, it had happened the other way around numerous of times. Hoseok charmed many.
The young elf ignored his guard. He watched the human carefully for a few more moments. How she huffed in frustration whenever she stumbled over a large tree root. Or when she bit the bottom of her lip in concentration when deciding where to step. He noticed her feet were also bare, and making it hard for her to walk without precision.
"This human..." Hoseok trailed off. His eyes followed her movements. "I want to take her."
The guard was quick to disagree. "Your highness, you must reconsider! If you take a human into the land of creatures, she can ruin everything. Even the town would become chaos-no one would treat you fairly when you are king!"
Hoseok smirked. "Fear not, for I am your Prince. Whoever tries to go against royalty will know no mercy. And if I take this human for myself, she would become royalty as well. Do you think there can be any trouble if she becomes queen?"
"But-"
"Hush now, my friend. I am only making a firmer decision the more you resist. They won't know she's human if they can't sense it."
And in that moment, Hoseok waved his hand in the direction of the woman. The moonlight cascaded over the dust that swirled around her. In a flash, she had withered away her human form and shrunk in size. The Prince was quick to reach for her, catching her in his arms happily.
The guard watched in horror. He peered over the shoulder of his Prince, looking down at the girl to see a blue hue surrounding her. The clothes she wore began to form into green vines, wrapping her hands and legs before going over her chest and back. It clothed her to a perfect fit.
"You are changing her into an elf!"
Hoseok nodded. "It's the easiest way for any of them to accept her. She seems alone, anyway. No one would ask of her origins in this town because creatures come and go as they please. Had her hair not been white, they would have questioned it because I don't have the power to change that too."
The Prince gently let go of his hold onto the woman. She floated in the air, still surrounded by the blue hue. Then, as they began back to the town, her body followed closely behind them. Instead of alerting the creatures of his presence, he slipped passed them all through the top of the trees and towards the palace.
He placed her onto his leaf inside his room. Hoseok watched carefully as she stirred from the sudden movement. He made sure the guard left the room when she had finally awoken.
"What....what is going on?" She whispered under her breath. She found it difficult to open her eyes or fully move her body. As she stirred more, less and less of her movements felt painful, but it took multiple tries before she could completely sit up.
She was startled to say the least. Around her was green vines scattered everywhere. Her hands were placed on a leaf pad, her feet grazing the stem. There was little flower buds all up the vines that covered corners and acted like decorations.
She gasped. "What is this?!"
Hoseok gently grasped her hand into his own, pulling her attention to him. "My beautiful human, this is my home. The palace of this forest. And I am the Prince, your future husband."
