I know that this is a day late and I was planning on doing it on time, but...yesterday had other plans. I also was going to write about Link being a dirty stinky filthy boy, but then I had ideas for characters of my unnamed story and I wanted to see how their personalities and interactions would turn out if it wasn’t planned. It definitely is shorter than the previous two, but this was more of a personal experiment if anything.

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It was a sunny, warm afternoon and prince Roderick Silversend sat in a high branch of a grand oak tree in the castle’s courtyard. He was reading one of his favorite books, the pages lit by the sunlight that peaked through the canopy of the tree.

This was utter bliss to Roderick; the perfect calm moment he needed after his life turned upside down due to the upcoming coronation.

“Roderick!” a tiny voice suddenly screeched in his ear, making the young man jump a foot in the air and tumble out of the tree. He let out a cry as he fell, taking a heap of branches and leaves down with him. And, of course, he landed in a large clod of dirt by the base of the tree.

“Ow…” Roderick whimpered as he rubbed his tailbone, the place that he so gracefully landed on.

Right. He kept forgetting about that cursed fae creature.

Light giggles circled around him as the dryad revealed herself. She was a tiny little thing; her skin and horns looking to be made of wood and her hair made of thorns and leaves. Her bright green eyes crinkled as she laughed. “Sorry, did I scare you?” she teased, her small hands covering her wide smile.

Roderick looked up at her with a frown, picking out the twigs and leaves that were tangled in his thick red hair. “I really wish you would stop doing that, Erythi…”

“Well, maybe if you weren’t so easy to scare, then I wouldn’t do it so much!” Erythi laughed, holding her arms behind her back. “You’re so jumpy.”

“Don’t you have something better to do?!” Roderick snapped, narrowing his brows at the fae.

Erythi rolled her eyes at him. “I’ve told you before. I’m bound to you now. I don’t have anything to do, because I’m stuck with you, carrot top.”

“I thought you were bound to the staff. Isn’t that what you said?”

“Well, yes. But the staff is also bound to you, therefore I also am bound to you. I can either be where you are or where your staff is. And frankly, I would much rather scare you than hang around in your dusty old room,” the dryad explained, a smirk on her face as she shrugged.

With another deep frown and a grunt, the prince stood up and brushed at his legs, failing to brush off all of the dirt and mud that now covered his pants.

“Heh, you’re so filthy!” the little creature croaked out, pointing a finger at him and laughing.

Roderick glared at Erythi and continued to pick out the twigs and leaves in his hair angrily.

Erythi let out a playful gasp and shrieked mockingly, “Oh no! And you're supposed to have tea time with Emlin soon, aren’t you? You can’t go meet them looking like that!”