Jang-mii, lapsing into consciousness, giggled at the tickling sensation that was sparking across the side of her face. Her eyes still closed, she swatted at the unknown source, rolling over on her side to snuggle into the dragon’s warm scales. The sensation came again, more insistent this time, and her eyes fluttered open as twisted into a grimace of annoyance. The dragon’s jet-black eyes gazed back at her, and Jang-mii realized that the beast’s massive head was hanging upside-down as he incessantly flicked his tongue against her cheek in an effort to wake her. She laughed as the forked tongue danced across her skin once more, and she waved it away as she sat up and stretched her arms above her head.

“I’m awake; I’m awake!” she cried in amusement. The dragon blinked at her before his head disappeared from her view; he had straightened himself up, back to his full, towering height to scan the treetops. Jang-mii rose to her feet and smoothed the petal fabric of the rumpled fairy dress, careful not to rip the thin fabric. She loved it, and did not want to demean the friendly creatures’ hard work. As soon as she stood, the ground shook with the impact of giant clawed feet, and she whipped around to see the back end of the dragon disappearing into the greenery. “You woke me up just so you could run off?” she shouted indignantly and crossed her arms with an angry huff. The beast either ignored her or did not hear her, as it continued to slink beneath the leaves until its red body vanished behind the green blanket of foliage. Jang-mii made no move to follow, deciding to leave the dragon to its own mysterious business. Perhaps it was going to eat, and she shuddered at the vision of it ripping into some slain bear or dire wolf.

I don’t want to see that. No, thank you!

She instead returned to the giant oak tree, poking and prodding at the small holes where the fairies had secluded themselves. They seemed to be in no mood to play after feeling the chill, ominous wind, and the dejected princess marched back to the center of the clearing in defeat. She stood in the grass, her hand over her brow as she gazed up through the small patch of sky shining clearly against the ring of branches that surrounded it, smiling slightly as she watched the clouds go sailing by. She tried to pass time by assigning them shapes; one of them she thought was reminiscent of a horse, another a steaming pie, and another interesting one a jester riding a giant mouse. However, after about thirty minutes her mind began to wander once more, and she glanced around for any sign of the dragon.

“Now that I think about it, it’s kind of lonely out here,” she thought with a sigh as she plopped down miserably into the grass. She took some of the stalks in her hands and began ripping them apart out of boredom, moping. Why couldn’t the dragon have brought me with him? she frowned. She tensed up when she heard a twig snap, and she peered over the grass blades at the source of the noise. A pair of long, fluffy brown ears bobbed through the green sword-like leaves, swiveling around as the creature hopped across the small clearing. A head suddenly appeared, with a cute button-like nose and big, shiny black eyes that glimmered innocently. “Hello there!” Jang-mii beamed. The rabbit’s gaze locked onto her, its whiskers twitching as the small woodland fellow considered her to be friend or foe. After a moment, it came hopping through the grass, right into the princess’ lap.

“Aren’t you a sweetie?” she giggled happily as she gently the rabbit’s soft fur. She scratched it behind the ear, laughing as its hind leg thumped against the dirt happily. It began nibbling at the corners of her dress experimentally, its long teeth chittering and clacking together. Jang-mii petted the creature while she waited for the dragon, humming the fairy tune under her breath. Suddenly, the bunny’s powerful hind legs jammed into her thighs, and she looked down to see that it had sprung off of her lap and had dashed off into the undergrowth. Disappointed, she gazed at the quivering patch of growth where it had vanished. Her eyes widened, however, as its fluffy brown head reappeared, and it chittered impatiently at her.

“Do you want me to follow?” she inquired as she stood to her feet. The bunny ducked back into the bushes, and Jang-mii abandoned all thoughts of the wayward dragon as she hurried after the strange creature. It hopped along the ground, pausing every few minutes to glance over its little shoulder and ensure the princess was still following. Jang-mii did her best to keep up; unfortunately, navigating the forest floor was much simpler for a little bunny than an average-sized human girl. Jang-mii grunted with effort as she stepped over brambles, climbed over fallen logs, and ducked beneath low-lying branches. She was grateful for the short dress, now, as she was sure that had she been wearing the wedding dress still, following the cute rodent would have been next to impossible.

As time went on, the trees began to grow more loosely, and the air became sweeter and clearer. The princess caught the sound of running water dancing on the breeze, and she gasped with delight when she followed the bunny around a corner and stumbled upon a babbling stream. The water rushed over smooth pebbles, and the water was so crystal clear that she could see minnows dashing about beneath the surface. She kicked off her flats beside the river, tucking her legs beneath herself as she leaned down to peer into the water. Tadpoles wriggled about between the clusters of water-weeds, and a frog sat chirping on a lily pad, as if it were guarding its young. Her nose twitched as a dragon fly buzzed by and skimmed over the surface of the water. Further down the streambed, a stork stood upright in the water, its long, spear-like bill poised to strike if a sizeable fish managed to swim close enough.

“It’s wonderful! Thank you, little bunny!” she cried happily as she glanced over her shoulder at the rodent guide. It was chewing on a clump of weeds, but she saw its cotton ball tail bob back and forth in acknowledgement. Jang-mii turned back to the stream, then cupped her hands and dipped them slowly into the water. The chill was quite refreshing, and she scooped up a handful of the stream to bring it quickly to . It tasted sweet and pure, like nature had poured all its love and compassion into it. The princess drank a few more mouthfuls from the stream before she noticed a pair of crystal blue eyes staring at her from the middle of the water. She blinked in confusion, and the eyes blinked back; she cocked her head to the side, and the strange creature did the same.

“Why don’t you come closer?” she suggested sweetly. She gasped when the water suddenly writhed and formed a human-like head, the crystalline eyes shining above a distinct nose and a coy little mouth. The water continued to morph, forming the upper half of a feminine body, and Jang-mii recognized that she must have stumbled across a playful water spirit. The spirit glided over the surface of the water, stopping inches away from Jang-mii’s face as it giggled. It had a distinctly human voice. “Can you talk?”

“Can you talk?” the spirit-girl mocked as she danced about in front of the princess. Jang-mii cried out in disgust as it suddenly spit water into her face, and she recoiled, angrily wiping the cold water from her eyes.

“That was rude!” she scolded hotly.

“That was rude!” the spirit chimed back, giggling as it leaped out of Jang-mii’s reach as the princess swatted crossly at her. The princess crossed her arms with a huff, pouting. I thought that river spirits would be nicer! she thought in annoyance. Suddenly, the young spirit cried out in alarm as a vase full of water was dumped onto her head; Jang-mii looked up to see a blue-skinned female smiling warmly down at the wriggling water spirit. She was beautiful.

She had long black hair tied up in a tight ponytail, with skin that glimmered blue like the ocean waves. Her eyes were crystal clear, shining with intelligence and wisdom. She wore garments of silk, a band that covered her ample chest and a loose skirt with soft fabric that mingled with the rushing water, twisting and dancing just above the surface. As Jang-mii peered closer, she noticed that the female’s skin was not solid; it was gently rippling, like a smooth pond that had been slightly disturbed by a fallen leaf landing on the top of the water.

“Apologize,” the blue female murmured, and to Jang-mii’s surprise, the watery spirit solidified into a blue-skinned girl, appearing in the form of a ten-year-old. The girl snorted and crossed her arms, looking away with puffed cheeks.

“Sorry,” she growled unconvincingly. Jang-mii was certain that the child spirit merely wanted someone to play with, so she smiled magnanimously and bowed her head in forgiveness. The child blinked in surprise, then giggled and dove back into the stream with a magnificent arc of splashing water. She swam, fish-like, beneath the uneven surface, beckoning for the princess to join in her merriment. The young princess noticed more of the female creatures appearing in the stream, scooping the clear water into their vases, washing their long black hair, or simply splashing each other with delight. Raising up her skirt, the princess waded into the water. Goosebumps traveled up her legs as the cold sensation traveled across her nerves, but it felt rather nice given the stuffiness and heat of the forest. The young, playful spirit circled her happily, her crystal eyes regarding her curiously. “Where do you come from?”

“I come from the royal palace in the capital,” she answered honestly.

“Why are you out here?” the girl asked as she rolled onto her back, kicking around.

“A dragon brought me here,” she replied. The spirit-girl frowned in bewilderment, cocking her head to the side.

“Why?” she frowned. Jang-mii frowned as she considered the question, but no answer came to mind.

“I’m not really sure. I suppose he has his reasons,” she supposed. She then grinned stupidly and splashed the water spirit in the face, causing her to squeal and duck back into the water. Her form vanished, melting back into its watery state. Jang-mii glanced around rapidly, attempting to catch a glimpse of the girl before she reformed and hit her with a surprise attack; however, the spirit was wily, and popped up behind her to drop a handful of water on her head. Jang-mii giggled and began chasing the spirit back and forth across the stream, exchanging splashes with the plucky little creature. Several of the other spirits were caught in the crossfire, but with joyous laughter plunged into retaliate and join in on the fun. By the time the sun was reaching its highest peak, Jang-mii was soaked through to the bone, a giddy smile plastered on her face. The spirits decided to end their game, and were now lounging on the rocks, sunbathing.

“What are you?” she asked bluntly to the spirit female, who appeared to be the young creature’s mother.

“We are what you humans call ‘undine,’” the female answered kindly. She sat on the shore, with her toes dunked in the water while her crystalline eyes watched the young undine splashing about. They seemed to have infinite energy, for like the mature undine, Jang-mii was simply worn out. She climbed onto the edge of the stream to sit beside the beautiful female, drawing her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She rested her chins on her knees, staring blankly out at the stream. “It is not often we find a young human girl wandering the wilderness alone. Tell me, how did you come to be out here?”

“I was supposed to be married,” she admitted with a sigh. “I refused him, because I’m in love with another man. The problem is, he has been lost for ten years now… Everyone says I should give up hope, but I can’t bring myself to,” she frowned. She wasn’t sure why she was revealing so much to the forest creature, but something about her motherly demeanor caused Jang-mii to place trust in her, and it felt good to get such a heavy weight off her chest.

“What happened to this man?” the undine asked curiously.

“We went exploring the wilds and found a witch’s cabin. He told me to run away, and I did… I never saw him again. I wanted to go back, but I was so scared,” she murmured as tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

“It is not your fault,” the undine smiled faintly. Jang-mii nodded in silence, sniffling. After the incident, that was what everyone had told her, but she had never accepted it as truth until this moment. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, smiling through the pain of her lost love ravaging her heart.

“Yes. Yes, I know. It still hurts,” she murmured. The undine leaned her head back to stare at the clear blue sky.

“Yes. Love is painful,” she agreed. “The wilds are a strange place,” she added after a moment of silence. “You never know what you may find out here,” she smiled, looking at Jang-mii warmly. “Perhaps your lost love is somewhere out here, simply waiting to be found.” Jang-mii blinked, amazed, and her heart thumped loudly in her chest. The possibility had occurred to her before, but hearing it affirmed by the strange creature made hope flare in her soul more than ever before. It vanished within an instant, however, and she looked glumly back at the water.

“How would I find him, though?” she sighed heavily. “The wilds are ginormous. Even if I knew them like the back of my hand, I could spend a lifetime out here and never pass him!” The undine chuckled heartily and got up, sliding back into the water. Her long hair swirled in the current, and she looked back over her shoulder with a knowing smile.

“If it is true love, my dear,” she smirked. “You will most definitely find each other.” Jang-mii was left sitting on the bank, mouth gaping, as she waded further into the water. The princess scrambled to her feet, splashing ungracefully after the wise woman.

“Wait! How do you know?” she cried desperately.

“I know,” the woman answered evasively, and Jang-mii glumly realized she would get no further information from the beautiful undine. Her daughter came swimming up, her big crystal-blue eyes staring up at Jang-mii as she popped up beside the princess.

“I have to return home now,” the little spirit pouted as her mother tugged at the ends of her hair impatiently. “Will you come play with us again?”

“I’ll try. I really will,” Jang-mii promised, and she meant it. The spirit grinned at her, waving her fingers before diving back into the water. The other spirits waved in farewell before following suit, and Jang-mii could see the trace of their presence fading away in a current of water that traveled upstream and out of side. She held up the ends of her sodden dress as she waded back onto the shore, wringing out water from the petals. “Oh, this won’t do,” she sighed as the fabric flopped thickly against her legs. She snapped off a twig from the end of a bush and wrapped her hair up in a tight bun, using the twig to secure it in place; she then slipped out of the dress, draping the dripping fabric over a tree branch to let it dry in the sun. She supposed that since she had to wait for her garments to dry, she had time to bathe. She desperately needed it; as she looked down at herself, it was almost alarming how much grime covered her skin. She waded back into the water, feeling the coolness rush over her skin, before sitting down on the pebble-covered bottom. The water came just to the bottom of her chin, allowing her to sit in comfort as she cleaned herself off. She mulled over the undine’s cryptic words.

If it’s true love, my dear, you will most certainly find each other. Her eyes stared half-closed at the babbling stream as her mind slaved to decode the strange counsel. Her mind suddenly turned to the strange huntsman she met in the woods, the red-haired youth who shared her beloved’s name.

“No, it couldn’t be,” she whispered as she sunk lower in the water. It was too much of a coincidence. Perhaps she was placing too much stock in the playful spirit’s words, or perhaps she simply didn’t want to believe that her love really was alive, and had been in front of her only a few nights ago. She rubbed her skin softly, poring over the possibility. If it really is him, then I guess only time will tell. If it’s true love, he’ll reveal himself to me, won’t he? She thought as a smile crept onto her lips. Upon the decision, she felt much better, and her mood improved drastically as she continued to scrub every inch of herself clean. Her fairy-made garment fluttered in the breeze, drying in the bright sunlight that streamed down from the sky. As it danced across the water, causing it to sparkle with a thousand lights, the gentle heat felt nice on Jang-mii’s skin. She hummed the fairy-tune happily, and did not notice the presence creeping up on her, slowly advancing from the darkness of the wilds.