The druids lived in a part of the forest that was connected to the area where Fishy fought the Colossal Marionette, but to call it close was an understatement as this forest spanned many hundreds of acres wide. No one knows how much territory the druids claim for themselves and wouldn't dare to try and find out, so it was just assumed that they owned every forest in the world and that it should never see any damage.
"Can you guys talk to animals?" Fishy asked as they rode on the giant lizards that darted across the tops of trees. Leaping across the forest as quickly as possible.
"Silence!" Elmaris' loud voice rattled Fishy's bones. Seeing as he was only behind him, it was considered unnecessary for him to shout that much.
"Calm down, I don't see it as rude…" The king spoke, "Some of us can but we don't often."
"What are your connections to the butterfly Celestial?"
"You are filled with questions… We worship her to death. She protects our lands and gives us power. We have a shrine for her deep in the forest that is surrounded by thousands of pink trees. Rumours say she lives there and that makes us happy."
"Why do you never see her?"
"It's not that we can't, but it is bad luck for us to know her as anything more than a supreme power."
"I see…" Fishy stopped asking questions as he felt like the druids were in some sort of cult. The Beauty he knew and the one the druids knew were different people, and trying to tell them otherwise would only break their illusion of her. Possibly cursing the druids with years of bad luck.
"We are here…"
As the king announced their arrival, Fishy was pushed off the lizard by Elmaris. Fishy climbed off the stumpy dirt-covered ground and brushed himself off. Looking at the civilization that was around him. Houses rested in the highest trees with only leaves as their roofs. People ziplining from the tallest reaches of the trees to get to the lower down shops. Climbing up vines to get to places and using magic as they see to aid their everyday lives. It was a place that could be much greater, one that could be a fully developed city. But for the druids, this was enough.
At the end of a long dirt path, was a building that stuck out. A large white castle hidden by large trees and bushes that would cause anyone to get lost. A trap designed by the druids to make sure that no one found their castle.
The castle was like a cathedral. Its white walls were both inside and out. Stained glass was darted around with luxurious red carpet as far as could be seen. As much as one would want to explore such a protected land, Fishy could do no such thing. As when he arrived into the large open throne room, he met the queen of the druids, crying on her throne as her husband and son ran up to her.
"Mother, what is it? How is she?"
"She's still not well… it's only getting worse."
Elcan's eyes darted to Fishy as he was the only one to blame. His eyes widened with dread as the king fell next to his wife. The two of them sobbing into each other.
"If you don't mind me asking, your majesty? Just how was she poisoned?"
"She was-" As the brown-haired queen began to speak, she was shut down by her own son, Elcan.
"Venenum did it. She was poisoned by him."
"That's impossible! I killed him!" said Fishy.
"Well, clearly you didn't!"
Elcan and Fishy shouted at each other over the king and queen who were sobbing, but as the queen stood up and all the guards bowed down, the room went silent.
"Is what you said true? Did you kill Venenum?" She asked.
"Y...yes?"
"To think you killed a member of Tanba…"
Fishy didn't understand the conversation he was having due to its quick change in emotion. But he could no longer resist when the smoothed young-faced Queen ran up to and took him by the hand.
"Please! Save my daughter! Save Ivy!"