"I told you master," Pash chipped in. He was more confident now that the Queen was only the size of a fist. He dared to smile at her.
"The only reason I came to find you was to offer you a treasure of my own," the Queen explained hastily, desperate for Ermos to believe her. "What you did for me is not something I will forget readily. I underestimated you at first, for that I beg you forgive me. I did not think that such power could reside in a frail human body, yet it is I that am rendered frail now. It will take me much rest before I am once again able to assume my true form."
"I didn't really do anything…" Ermos said, unused to such praise.
"No!" The Queen dismissed such a thing readily. "If not for you, that monster would have seen the end of our whole world. It is a tragedy that more do not know of what you did, but I assure you once more, I will never forget it. If there ever comes a day that even you need an ally, then I will be there to fight by your side."
Ermos scratched his cheek awkwardly. When receiving such passionate thanks, it was difficult to find the right words. Luckily, he didn't have to, for the Queen of Flowers finally caught sight of the boulder hound lumbering in the distance.
"By the sun and stars… a boulder hound?" The Queen squeaked in terror.
"Yup," Ermos declared proudly. "It's very clever. We're going to make a fortune off it."
The Queen held her head in her hands. "Oh, Ermos," she cried "that's no treasure. That's a monster! It's a beast that could clear a whole city by itself! To have as a pet is beyond reckless… It's far too dangerous. No one will buy it from you. Only a mad man would!"
"It's not that scary," Ermos said with a shrug. "Here boy!" He called out to it and the hound came running over, pounding the ground with its massive feet. "Sit," he said next, and the dog sat just as he had told him to, the very image of obedience. Ermos looked to the Queen proudly, as if to say 'see'?
"I can't believe it…" she said slowly, looking upon the animal as it sat there as still as a statue, blinking at them with its intelligent red eyes. "Still, I would be far too worried if you were to leave here with such an animal in your possession. It's too dangerous. Can I not persuade you to part with it?"
"Nope, I'm tired of being poor," Ermos said. "Everyone treats you like dirt. You have to wait in the longest queues just to get the worst food. You have to work every day just to eat. It's miserable. This dog will definitely make me rich, so no matter what you say, I'm not leaving him."
The Queen sighed a deep sigh. It sounded like the whistling of wind. Her wild hair flew up as she blew, revealing her fine features as they were contorted with concern. One could tell that she was unused to being refused.
Finally, she relented. With her eyes closed, she brought her tiny fairy-like hands in front of her, and began to concentrate. Her whole form glowed blue with her magic. It unnerved Ermos for it be cast right atop his shoulder, but he patiently allowed it to happen.
With her magic, a few lone petals flew from the depths of the forest. They were weak and slow and almost sickly when one compared them to how they were just a few hours before. They bound themselves together at the Queen's command, conjuring a magical form.
It began with the glass of a potion flask, tinted a forest green. It took her a few minutes to even manage that far, for the flask was even bigger than she was, and it hovered above her head with her magic. She had to wipe the sweat from her brow as she continued.
Droplets of water filled the flask right to the brim, as though it had managed to rain without their noticing. She swayed back and forth in a dizzy exhaustion, barely able to continue with her task. But, she struggled onwards, even as the blue magic at her hands began to dim. The flask was given a wooden cork and plugged so none of that water could make its way out.
She collapsed when she had done that. Ermos carefully used his finger to steady her, worried that she might fall from his shoulder and get lost in the long grass. "Are you okay?"
She seemed flattered by his concern. "…I'm fine," she said weakly. "Please, take this gift of mine to make up for your lack of treasure."
At her words, the flask floated into Ermos' palm. He regarded it oddly, wondering why he had been given a glass of water.
"It's not just any water," she explained as though she was reading his mind. "Just one drop of this beneath any fruit-bearing tree, and its branches will be overflowing with the most perfect bounty. With this, you should no longer need to worry so much about food."
"Hoh!" Now Ermos was excited. He wanted to try it straight away, but was able to show enough restraint not to. "Thank you…" he said, turning his attention back to the Queen. She was thoroughly forgiven within his mind. He decided that she was not such a bad person after all.
"No, thank you, noble chevalar. Remember: you can only use it once per tree! If you abide by that one rule, it will serve you well… I wish I could journey with you to the edge of the forest, but I'm afraid my strength is leaving me. Just maintaining this form is a strain. I must leave you here and wish you luck," the Queen said. Ermos noted that she was growing paler with each passing second, to the point where she was now all but transparent.