The Fae Princess

 I was in the woods with my bow in hand. I crept along, my eyes looking for any sign of movement. I had been out here all day with no luck, the hot sun beating down on me harshly. Grumbling, I looked up at the trees that stood tall over me. I could sit on a branch and wait. Taking one last look around, I slung my bow over my shoulder and approached an easily climbable tree. I climbed slowly, tired from the hot sun. I paused gnarly 15 feet up when I heard leaves crunching. I shifted, looking around. A large buck moved around slowly, grazing about 40 feet away. I sat on a branch and pulled my bow from my shoulder. I notched an arrow and aimed. As I steadied my breathing, the buck raised his head and looked around. Something in the air shifted. I slackened my bow string, looking around. Without warning, a crow flew at my face. I gasped, feeling the feathers of its wing brush my face. It swooped back, two others joining the attack. What the hell had I done to piss these birds off? Before I could move to climb down, something slammed into my chest. Pain splintered out from the impact site as I began falling back. I instinctively reached out to grab a branch to steady myself, but my hand narrowly missed the wood. I screamed as I fell towards the ground. I hit three branches on the way down. By the time I hit the ground, it felt like every part of my body hurt. I looked up at the tree that I had fallen out of, laying on my back with blurry vision and a spinning head. It wasn't long before I passed out from the pain.

~~~

When I woke up, it was still light out. I groaned, sitting up and rubbing the back of my head. Besides the throbbing in my head, my chest and ribs were the only things that hurt. I looked up at the tree that I had fallen out of. What the hell happened? Why did those crows attack me? Where did they go? I rotated and grabbed my bow before checking my daggers and arrows. No more climbing trees for me. I stood, grunting and holding my ribs. I'm going home. I staggered towards the way out of the woods. I walked for a while before I stopped. I turned my head to the left, seeing a large, unusual mushroom. It was several shades of red and purple. The hell? I approached it and knelt down. I studied the mushroom for a long time. What kind of mushroom is this? Pain speared through my skull, making me flinch. Maybe it's a hallucination. I did hit my head pretty hard. I stood and continued walking, watching my surroundings. I walked for a while longer before seeing a large, blue butterfly fluttering around. It was massive and I stopped, witnessing its beauty. I had always loved butterflies and this one had a beauty about it that I almost couldn't comprehend. I watched it fly to the left and I found myself following it. Not wanting to scare it, I stayed quiet. I followed it to a clearing where I halted. Giant mushrooms stood next to nearly every tree, colors of orange, brown, and red. Some were nearly as tall as I was. In the center most part of the clearing were flowers of pink, purple, and blue around a giant flower. The giant flower, way bigger than I was, had tendrils of gold and green and seemed to be made of light itself. It was mesmerizing and I found myself gawking at it like a fool. Where the hell am I? I have never seen something so beautiful. I looked around. Did I fall through some kind of portal? A humming caught my attention. It was the most lulling sound I had ever heard. It was like a warm, spring day, sitting under a willow and falling asleep in a light breeze. I turned in a circle, looking for the source. Through the trees, I could see a figure. She wore a green gown and on her back were… fairy wings. Pink and purple, practically see through wings. She was beautiful. Sensing my presence, she stopped humming and faced me. Fear trickled into my bloodstream. Attached to her head were… antlers. Her stunning beauty held me still. After staring at me for a few moments, she approached me with graceful strides. It was almost like she glided along the ground. She had large, green eyes and her brown hair with green highlights was well past her butt. She had a purple flower in her delicate hands. She had fair skin that seemed to glow. Once she was a few feet away from me, she stopped. Her doe eyes traced over my body. Something about her made me think that she wasn't dangerous, which told me that she was very dangerous. 

 "You're injured." She spoke, her voice like a melody. It soothed some part of me. She looked me over. "What is someone like you doing this deep in the forest?" Someone like me? What does that mean? When I didn't say anything, she found my eyes. 

 "There is no reason for you to fear me. I will not hurt you." She gave me a kind smile. "What is your name?" I took a shallow breath, my ribs not allowing for anything more. My mouth was dry. 

 "Nimre." I answered.

 "What a beautiful name. Soft and delicate, yet fierce." Her eyes danced around our surroundings. "How did you find this place, Nimre?"

 "A-a butterfly. I followed a butterfly." I blinked.

 "A worthy guide. That is a great sign."

 "A sign of what?" I placed a hand on my throbbing ribs.

 "A pure heart." She turned her back to me. "Come along."

 "Where are we going?" I watched her gracefully walk away. 

 "To my home where I can offer you aid." She continued to walk. I didn't move, my mind racing. Should I follow her? This must be a parallel universe. There's no way there are faeries on Earth. Slowly, I started moving forward. I guess that I can receive aid and then I'll try to find my way home. Get some kind of idea of where I was. Out here, I am naked and out in the open. I would have to be careful.