That night, Violet didn't join her pixies for their nightly tea party. She had more work to do in the boss room, which was going to take most of the night. That left Willow and Holly to play host for the night. Where his sister was cheerful and loved socializing with the others, Willow couldn't help but find the whole thing a bit tedious.
Willow had never really found much joy in lavish events back when he lived in the castle. Grand balls full of dancing pixies, grand displays of food, and power plays were boring and exhausting to attend. The nightly tea parties here weren't nearly as bad, but the frilly decorations and the gleeful chatter was still not his cup of tea. Still, he would never utter a word of complaint to their mistress. He would happily play the role of the honorable host, even if it was hardly his ideal way to pass the time.
"Greetings, Prince Willow, how are you this fine night?"
Iris asked, barely keeping a straight face. Willow offered a small smile in return, always making sure to keep his best manners on display.
"I'm alright, Iris. Are you and Orchid finding everything alright?"
Willow continued to socialize until the two excitable girls flew off, eager to play with Jasmine and Daisy as they often did. His sister, Holly, had told him the other night that she was fairly sure that the girls had a crush on him. By the way they turned into a blushing, awkward mess every time they approached him, he wasn't surprised to hear it. He wasn't interested in pursuing a relationship right now, but he was hardly going to act dismissively towards them. Even if it might make his own feelings on the matter more clear, it was hardly ideal to sour his relationship with the others in the dungeon when they'd be stuck with each other for as long as Violet wanted them around.
Besides, Willow much preferred to think of himself as a pixie warrior who was here to help protect the others. In fact, part of the reason he was fine with accepting the job Violet had assigned him was the fact that he felt seen. She had gifted him a proper sword and scabbard as well as clothes that he could easily move in, even if they were a bit flashy. While there was still a limit to how much damage a sword as big as a needle could do and he certainly had to strategize plans of attack to make up for his small size, he was still confident he could do some real damage with his new sword.
At home, Willow would never have been able to get ahold of such a high-quality weapon. Pixies had to use the materials that were suitable for their small size. Mining metals would be difficult, much less trying to set up a proper blacksmith's forge to manipulate such metal. No, the best that his kind could use was weapons made from wood, bone, or other common materials. It would take a lot of time and attention to detail to whittle things down into a usable form, but there were several craftsmen dedicated to such work.
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Still, most of the strategies they employed to protect their people tended to involve diplomacy or finding a mutually beneficial agreement with powerful, larger [Monsters]. The kingdom he had come from had an agreement with a dragon. Ensuring their side of the agreement was always carried out and that the dragon remained their ally was the job of his father and the crown prince. Willow had never been made privy to the details of the contract since he had never stood a chance of inheriting the crown and he didn't have any skills that would prove useful, apparently.
None of that mattered now, though. He now had a new purpose, which he was happy to fulfill. He would protect his sister from anyone who wished to hurt her as well as any other pixies he could. There was a limit to how much he could help those who were assigned to other rooms and he wasn't supposed to leave the dungeon with the others when spring arrived. So, he would have to do what he could with the limitations forced upon him.
When Violet came into the room, Willow was shaken from his thoughts.
"Good news everyone! Please say hello to Mr. Mushroom. He doesn't really say much, but he will be helping you all get around from now on."
Willow immediately went to do as his mistress asked of him. It was true that the myconid didn't speak the same language as they did, for the most part. This one mostly seemed to quietly hum in response to anything said to it, but Willow didn't mind since it seemed harmless enough. Apparently, this was a medium myconid and he was meant to open the doors for them to help them travel through their floor and so they could forage more easily in the spring without getting locked out. Mr. Mushroom was assigned to one of the newest rooms in the dungeon and had been made specifically so their mistress wouldn't have to worry about them being able to get around the dungeon.
Willow felt bad that his mistress even had to worry about them getting locked out of their assigned rooms. However, it wasn't something that could be helped. Pixies were always small and they weren't capable of evolving the way other [Monsters] could. Still, it was clear from the way the other pixies were acting that he wasn't the only one touched by their mistress's thoughtfulness. It was a bit disappointing to know that Violet wouldn't always be around to socialize with them, but none of them really had the right to complain. They were already fortunate just to have a Dungeon Master who so readily accepted them, much less one who genuinely cared about their needs.
Willow made up his mind as he flew closer to Mr. Mushroom. It would be best to befriend the strange creature since he would have to depend on him in the future. Willow would have to rely on the myconid to ensure the others returned from foraging safely. Besides, more allies was always a good thing.