Dryad

Return of the spring

As soon as the first signs of spring appeared and the snow stopped falling, I finally got the chance to run outside with the first opportunity I got. It was as if I felt that it was my time, I got the urge to go out, even if I had to jump out of the window. Zulia opened the door for me and let me go even though she couldn't understand why I suddenly wanted to go outside so much, and I immediately went to lie down in the grass. Vadim came out after us and it wasn't entirely clear to him why I was rolling on the grass, but he doesn't understand a lot of things about me. Maybe he never met a docile human. Maybe he doesn't like me getting his clothes dirty. He came up to me and patted me on the head as if saying "You are a strange cat."

I sat down and stretched out my hands towards Zulia, who curiously bent down to see what I wanted. For a moment I was afraid that I wouldn't make it, but I felt it finally growing. Thin stems full of leaves curled up around my hands and white flowers opened in my palms. How else can I thank her when I have no voice? She was in charge of me when I came and took care of me all winter.

Zulia bent down to see and pick those flowers of mine. Did it really grow out of me? One man should not and could not do that. Not even elves can make plants grow out of them. She tried to understand how could I suddenly bloom, and then she had to turn to Vadim in hopes that he would have a better answer than her.

A moment of their inattention was enough for me to separate from them and leave the yard. I ran across the meadow with my pot and on the way took off my dress regardless of the snow that was still there in traces. I promised to come back. I can't just leave them. The road seemed to open under my feet, I didn't have to think much about which direction I was going. I went regardless of their calls until I reached my goal.

The meadow was the same as the first time I came to it, and just as quiet. They must not have expected me when they heard the footsteps. I waited and looked around until I noticed a blue spot in the grass. The king was the first to fly out of cover and run into me, then the other fairies joined him:

-Klarissa?!-Vadim called me from the forest and managed to find his way to the meadow where he found me the last time and took me away.

The fairies got scared and hid behind me as if Vadim would do something to them. Vadim stopped in the shade of the trees at the edge of the meadow when he saw me, followed by Zulia. It was as if they couldn't understand what it was that carried me back to this meadow, but they could easily spot all the tiny wings that had taken cover behind my back. Vadim didn't seem pleased, he didn't sound happy when he spoke, but Zulia was more interested in all those fairies I found. She came closer and tried to see them better, but the king did not like it at all and immediately flew in front of me and chased her back. What a possessive creature:

-They want you to come back.-Celestina whispered in my ear:

-They don't understand why you ran away. But you love us more than them, don't you? Tell them.-she sounded as if I actually sold her my soul and now I'm changing my mind.

The decision didn't come easily to me because Vadim took care of me so much and winter will definitely come again, but who am I to piss off fairies who are so vindictive? But before I could say anything, Horace appeared from the woods and he didn't seem friendly. He already had an arrow ready and aimed at Vadim:

-We heard him calling you. We thought they got rid of you. Elves don't like humans.-he said with concern in his voice, as if he knew or at least suspected that Vadim intended to get rid of me. He was just waiting for my order, the slightest sign, anything that would give him a reason to kill the elf.

I could only turn to Celestina and explain to her with difficulty what I wanted to say. For a moment she seemed betrayed by my decisions, although she receives no harm in the process and would prefer to stuff her dust all the way up to my sinuses, but she understood me:

-We can still play with you, right? You wouldn't leave us?-she asked me with concern in her voice, although she knows very well that I would never leave them and I would easily let them into the house and steal jars of honey for them.

I received a small kiss from Celestina regardless of her misunderstanding of my requests, and then she went to Vadim to explain to him the terms of shared custody over me. I can only guess what she told him and in what way, and I can even less say how much Vadim was really angry because of little fairy getting pissed at him.