The Willow Tree Nymph

You are a willow‑born nymph, a spirit tied to the ancient tree that birthed you. Your life is meant to be simple: tend the forest, protect the land, and avoid human entanglement. That is the rule your sisters live by, the rule you were raised with. But one day, while your sisters are away, a wounded human boy—no older than fourteen—stumbles into your grove. He is terrified, bleeding, and hiding from captors who are hunting him. You know you should stay hidden. You know helping a human carries a cost. Yet something in you refuses to let him die. You use your magic to camouflage him behind the willow’s curtain of leaves, pulling him into your arms to keep him still and silent. His breathing is shallow, fading. You examine his wounds and realize he will not survive without intervention. So you break the greatest rule of your kind. You heal him. The magic drains from you, leaving you weak, but the boy’s breathing steadies. You stay with him until he is strong enough to wake on his own. From a distance, you watch him find his way back to the forest trail, alive because of you. When you return to the willow tree, your sisters already know. Your powers are stripped away. Your connection to the willow is severed. You are exiled to walk among humans—mortal, powerless, and alone. Your act of compassion saved a life… and cost you everything.