Oleander could only laugh at the dragon’s presence. “Come now, beast, you cannot fault me for my curiosity. She was the one who claimed to be human, and I have my rights.”

“She is human.” Nicolaos kept his distance from the tree, and the tip of his tail was flicking back and forth like an agitated cat. “And she is my human, and not yours to play with.”

Linnea looked between the two, not knowing who to go to. “I am not some property to be argued over, Lord Nicolaos. Oleander has been nothing but kind and courteous. We were merely having a conversation.”

“Milady…” Nicolaos ground his teeth together. “This precious weed was burned during the war due to how venomous their blood is. These flowers fall from their branches and live only to seduce nearby humans. His appearance pleases you because he was born to woo you, kill you, and bury your body as food for his tree.”

Linnea suddenly felt numb. “You do know of humans. Everything you have told me was because you sought to trick me.”

Oleander took a step towards her, and she took a step away. “I did know you were human, but...” He frowned at the disgust on her face. “I would never seek to…”

“Milady.” The dragon called out for her again. “You have had a long day. Your place is within the tower, at least until I can teach you the ways of these woods.”

Linnea glanced over to Oleander, who was now struggling to come up with anything to say. “I will take my leave with you, Nicolaos.” She slipped the gilded gloves off her hands and dropped them at her feet before joining with Nicolaos.

They walked in silence, with Nicolaos occasionally looking her way. She was visibly sulking. “The desire to consume another is not an evil act for our kind. It is self-preservation.” That appeared to be his way of comforting her.

“What he did was quite different than leading an animal to slaughter,” Linnea replied flatly. The sticks and stones were digging in her feet, and she regretted that she had left so quickly that she had left her shoes behind.

“It is the same,” Nicolaos replied in an equally flat manner. “A nymph uses its beauty to sway the heart of another, while a butcher would use a carrot to lead a cow. Unlike humans, we fae do not seek to breed humans into tastier and tamer specimens. We forage for them from the wild and let them thrive outside of our influence.”

Linnea stopped and tug her toes into the dirt below her. “What a horrid way to look at the world.”

“It is the literal truth.” Nicolaos flicked his tail about in an annoyed manner and craned his head back to stare at her in an unsettling way. “You should seek to marry him.”

“... What?” She covered her mouth with her hand to prevent her shock from being overly visible. “That simply will not happen, Lord Nicolaos! Not after you yourself stated that he views me as food!”

Nicolaos scoffed and rolled his head back into place. He continued ahead at a slow pace until Linnea caught up to him. “Nymphs are the very resource that humans killed each other over.”

“What would anyone desire anything from such horrid creatures,” she hissed.

“Because they are creatures of pure magic, and their trees were especially special.” Nicolaos paused by the door of the tower and waited for Linnea to open it for him. “Fruit that would heal any wound, nectar that could grant the strength of ten men, even sap that made armor invincible. Hunted down one by one and slaughtered by humans, until only the poisonous ones remained, and those were destroyed due to their ferocity when it came to hunting.”

Linnea let the dragon walk in first and watched him settle himself at the bottom of the stairs. “Poisonous nymphs such as Oleander?”

“Indeed,” snarled Nicolaos. “Even after I built the barrier, humans continued to hunt down the nymphs. Now only the last one remains, protected because he lives in my woods. He claims to be king of this forest, but his only subjects are the wild animals and the ghosts of those lost in an old war.”

“And yet you claim I should marry a monster that would so easily kill and devour me.” Linnea pouted. “I came here not to die, but to be queen.”

The dragon shrugged and didn’t care much for her opinion. “I am not interested in your death, but I desire to strengthen the blood of the crown. Even the most poisonous of nymphs are weakened when they make a vow of love to a human.”

“I am certain that has nothing to do with me. I do not have the time to play such games.”

“But I would be quite delighted if you chose to do so.” Nicolaos rose up and circled around the princess. “You are a fair maiden, and he is a lonely thing. It would not take much for you to convince him. Lie and say that you will take his tree to the palace, where he may live a better life. Have him make a vow to you. Do with him what you wish, and afterward, I will carve out his heart and devour it.”

Linnea’s eyes widened as she covered her mouth once more from shock. She began to stammer as her mind was unable to come up with any sort of proper response. There were simply too many ill words mixed with the dragon’s logic.

“There is no need to be surprised, milady.” Nicolaos grinned widely. “Were you not paying attention? It is not a vile act to seek out and consume a much-needed meal, and his heart is nothing but magic, magic that I desperately need to stay strong. My strength is this kingdom’s strength, milady, and I need him free of poison before I claim what is mine.”

She began to awkwardly shuffle from side to side. “Please let me dwell on it while I sleep.”

He gave a nod and slithered down to his cave. As she ascended the stairs, Linnea thought about their conversation. Fae and beasts seemed to be one and the same, but she was human. Humanity meant that she should strive to be above such ideals.

Linnea entered her bedroom and locked the door behind her. If not for her weariness, she would not have slept at all. She would spend the night awake while she debated what it meant to be human, and why she was better than what Nicolaos desired of her.

She dreamt of home. Of sitting on her father’s lap as he read to her stories of the war and of the fae. Nicolaos was once again the one who saved them. He gathered them all together within his woods, and there were no longer worries of demons hiding in the shadows of their towns and homes.

Oleander was a handsome creature. If not for his eyes and hair, he would nearly appear human. She didn’t feel uncomfortable around him like she did Nicolaos, but he did attempt to poison her and meld her dead flesh with his roots. That certainly did much to dissuade her from liking him.

Was he really the last of his kind? And if he were, does she have the right to help in his death? Oleander did claim that he could hardly leave his grove, thus him actively seeking to harm him would be one and the same as harming a defenseless creature. But, this was also the same as Nicolaos making a request of her, thus she could use this as an excuse to fulfill her boon and return home quickly.

Her eyes fluttered open before they shut tightly once more. The sun was shining brightly through her window, and directly on her face. There was still an ache in her feet from where the forest ground had cut into them. As she sat up, she glanced at the dress she had on the night before, and pouted when she saw had soiled the grass and dirt had made it.

Linnea relented and grabbed a dress from the armoire. Nicolaos didn’t seem to be within the castle as she descended down the stairs, but there was a basket of food waiting for her. Food and a charred fish, which she ate as quickly and delicately as she could. This was washed down with a sour wine that had been left for her as well.

All of the shoes that were in the room were too fragile for the woods. There was still time for her to decide whether or not she should abide by Nicolaos’ wishes, but she would need to fetch her shoes from the grove. She was wiser now. Oleander only saw her as food, but Nicolaos hinted that his loneliness might make the nymph take care not to kill her too quickly. Linnea would use that against him, if only to get her shoes back.