The Dryad's Loyalty

Chapter 26: Peace at Last

Days went by and Hazel's arm was slowly beginning to recover, even though it was still being kept into a retainer since they weren't able to move it just yet. They were still resting in an infirmary room, though the king had requested they'd be in a more private one so they wouldn't be bothered as often; Hazel at first wouldn't accept that, but eventually gave in, figuring that it would've been easier for Bowser to visit them that way, without causing a ruckus in the other, bigger rooms.
That revealed itself to be quite a good decision, especially when just the day after the end of the battle, princess Peach herself, escorted by her two trusted Italian plumbers, had come to visit, to check on them and other minions, and she even brought a cake!
The dryad had no idea the princess could bake so well, and later enjoyed a slice of it for themselves and shared the rest with their friends, who'd all safely come back from their campsites.

Meanwhile, life in the castle was slowly going back to normal, with the minions focusing on rebuilding the damaged parts of the castle and going back to their regular schedules. Hazel felt quite guilty being unable to help or train as well, even though now training wasn't really needed anymore... since Bowser was no longer interested in Peach, the ongoing war was presumably going to stop, much to the relief of many minions and the disappointment of some.

But Bowser wasn't really worrying about that too much as of late, actually, he'd spend most of his time making sure the dryad was okay and was getting the best treatment possible to ensure their arm would heal swiftly. He was so used to seeing the magikoopas heal everyone so quickly all the time, but no potion or spell seemed to be having an effect on Hazel and he worried about that, even if Hazel had told him multiple times they'd be fine eventually.

"Are you sure there's no way to fix your arm instantly?" the koopa king asked the dryad, who was peacefully sitting on his lap.

Hazel sighed and smiled "I've told you many times already, there's no quick fix for... this" they replied, looking down at their arm "Stars, you gotta stop worrying about this, Bows- I'm not in danger anymore, it's a matter of patience now" they explained, trying not to lose their temper.

Bowser grumbled, blushing a little at that silly nickname "I'm not good with patience, you know that- I just want to see you being all healthy soon!" he pouted, carefully wrapping his arms around them. "Isn't there a way to speed it up at least?"

"I mean..." the dryad thought about it, leaning their head against his chest "I've never had such a bad injury ever but as I've told you before... usually basking in the sun and drinking more water would make my scratches and such heal a bit faster..." they muttered.

Bowser looked down at them, holing back a snicker "Oh man you're seriously just like a house plant-"

Hazel blushed and puffed up their cheeks "I-I'm not a house plant! That's just how us dryads work!"

"Fine fine, no need to get so prickly about it!" he chuckled gruffly, until an even bigger smile formed on his face as he had a realization "That's it! You're JUST like a Pokey!"

"A- a pokey?!" they yelped, looking even angrier, though the koopa king knew they weren't seriously angry, he just loved ticking them off like that.

"Hm, yeah I think from now on your nickname will be Pokey" he announced with a toothy smirk, cheekily kissing them on the cheek.

In all response, Hazel's face went even redder "S-silly overgrown koopa..." they muttered.

Bowser smirked more "Come on, I know you love how much taller I am compared to you!" he further teased them, playfully smooshing their head against his scaly and surprisingly soft chest.

"S-stooooop!" the dryad cried, feeling their whole body getting warmer as their face was shoved between his pecs, not that they minded, not at all-

"Hm... maybe I will, maybe I won't..." he chuckled, running a hand down their back, pulling them even closer to his body.