Rubbing at his green eyes sleepily, Arthur stumbled through the forest, yawning profusely. His feet dragged along the ground, his little arms failing at holding up his cape so it wasn't dragged across the forest floor. His eyelids drooped, his head falling and he almost wandered into a tree.
Jerking his head back up, he stumbled backwards, letting out a cry as he tripped over a rock and fell down a small hill. He rolled for a few minutes before he hit the bottom, curling in on himself as he whimpered. A few minutes passed, and as the pain subsided he slowly uncurled, lifting his head and looking around.
The leaves were greener here; the grass a bright, vibrant colour, and small fireflies were floating around, giving off a gentle golden light. There wasn't any sun this far in the forest, but there was light filtering through the tree leaves, almost as if he was at the edge of the woods.
A tinkling laughter was in his ear, and as he whipped around, his cape flying around him, there was nothing there. "H-hello?" He called out quietly, taking a tentative step forwards. A small clearing was up ahead, hedges surrounding a small pond, forming a circle.
"Hi there, Arthur!"
A small, flying lady flew into his vision, smiling warmly and beckoning him towards the pond. "Y-you're a fairy!" He stuttered, his eyes wide with surprise. She laughed again, and he felt his heart warm. "That's right. Come on, I don't mean to hurt you. You took a nasty fall... If you rest here for a little bit, you'll feel better soon."
"Okay..." He smiled back, stepping over a few stones and towards the water's edge. A few smaller animals were gathered in the clearing, and he let out a little gasp as he saw a baby fawn. The fairy spoke in a language like he had never heard before, it sounded like small bells. The deer fawn lifted its head, and slowly got to its feet, stumbling over to where Arthur was. He waited quietly until it was right close to him, and his smile grew bigger as it nudged his hand with its nose. Letting out a small laugh, Arthur pet it gently.
"Over here Arthur, you can rest here." The fairy called to him, and he reluctantly left the fawn. With a flick of her wand the plants around him grew in size, bending and forming a sort of hammock.
Another flick had a white flash of sparks, and then the fairy was standing beside Arthur, just a little bit taller than him.
"Human time passes much more slowly then fairy time, so don't worry about your brothers." She smiled, taking the pack off of his back and placing it to the ground beside the hammock as he got in. "Hardly any time will have passed, so you can come visit us any time you'd like."
"Thank you." Arthur mumbled, smiling as he fell asleep.
o0o
When he woke again the other animals were gone, but the fairy was still there. She had shrunk again, sitting on a rock beside the lake. England took the time to study here, his green eyes watching curiously as she sang to herself. The fairy's wings were transparent, a light shade of green, the same colour as her eyes. Her hair was auburn and it reminded him of Allistor's hair.
"Oh, you're awake!" She turned around, giving him a small wave. "Here, I found a friend for you!"
A small, mint green bunny with wings flew forward, waving a small paw at Arthur. "Hello there!" She squeaked, nuzzling at his chubby cheek. "My name's Flying Mint Bunny, Arthur!" "Hello Flying Mint Bunny!" Arthur giggled, petting the bunny on her head. "She's going to stay with you, so you both can protect each other." The fairy smiled, handing Arthur his pack.
"I don't want to go though..." Arthur pouted, and the fairy laughed. "Your brothers will get worried, Arthur. They care for you, even if they don't show it all the time."
Gently tugging at his sleeve, the fairy led him towards the opening where he fell. "Uh..." Arthur tilted his head, looking up at the incline.
"Don't worry, I won't make you climb back up."
Poking his nose, the fairy waved her hand and a light sprinkle of green fairy dust fell over him, and he looked down in wonder as his feet lifted off the ground. Giggles fell from his lips as he was brought to the top of the hill, the fairy waving as she turned back into the forest.
"Wait!" He called down, bending over the edge with his hands on his knees. "What's your name?"
Turning around, she smiled and shouted back up "Tinker! Tinkerbell!"
With another wave, she disappeared from sight. Straightening back up, Arthur brushed off his cloak and pants, looking at Flying Mint Bunny. "I can't wait to introduce you to my brothers!" He said excitedly, as she landed on his shoulder. "They'd love to see you!"
o0o
"WHERE WERE YOU?"
Arthur winced as Allistor glared down at him angrily, hands on his hips. "I-I was..." He mumbled, looking over at Flying Mint Bunny for help.
"Stop looking at the wall! Answer me, and stop looking over at the wall!" Allistor growled, smacking the side of Arthur's head none-too lightly. "But can't you see her?" Arthur protested, looking up at Allistor with wide eyes. "She's right there!"
Groaning, Allistor ran a hand down his face. "Arthur, there is nothing there. You're seeing things again. Now, for the last time, where were you?" "I was with Tinkerbell. She led me to a grove, and let me rest there for a while! I was there for a few days. Fairy time is faster than human time."
"Fine! Don't tell me where you were!" Groaning, Allistor shoved Arthur out of the way. Sniffling, Arthur turned and slowly walked up the stairs, missing the look Allistor shot over his shoulder at Flying Mint Bunny.
'Take care of him.' He mouthed, and Flying Mint Bunny smiled, and nodded.
'Will do.'
