doravg

A merchant stumbles on a grotto, lost. He eats his last apple. The merchant plants the seeds the next day to provide food for future lost travelers. 

And so, the nymph Theanore is born.

She would grow from a tiny seed to a splendid apple tree. She would meet many friends. Theanore will try her hand at being a merchant like her father. And she will get to know her lifetime companion, the merman Marinus.

But as every farmer can tell you, apple trees live only for about 150 years and so, with her tree dried up, so will Theanore die.

 But before that, she will live.

The Apple Grotto Nymph (Dungeon Core Fairy Tale)

There, on the peak of the mountain, was a ghostly apparition.

"So pretty!" Theanore whispered as she released Marinus' sleeve to go and say hi to the spirit. She walked, for she knew that if she ran, she could fall down and get hurt!

When she reached the apparition, she took a closer look.

The spirit looked like a kindly old lady. Her hair was tied in a bun, and she was wearing a silver dress with an apron on top.

"Hello, Lady," Theanore waved, and the spirit turned to her.

"Hello, Little Lady," the spirit said, and she smiled when Theanore curtsied.

"Who are you, Lady?" Theanore asked, reaching out a small hand to touch the apparition.

The fabric of the spirit's dress was cold to the touch.

"I am Aurora. The guardian spirit of the Forest of Fireflies," Aurora said and she petted Theanore. Unlike the dress, her hands were warm. "And you must be the dungeon core that calls this forest home."

Chapter 99: Aurora