The Green Leaf Thief

Long ago, in the sunshine kingdom of Pleonexia, a land once brimming with great magic, the sun had always shone, and plants, humans, and spirits lived in perfect harmony.

That was, until five of the wealthiest dragons in the realm made their homes in the nearby mountains. These immortal beings of greed and cunning spread their influence like a poison, preying on both the weak and the selfish to feed their insatiable magical appetites. They whispered promises of wealth and power beyond measure to those willing to surrender their magic in exchange.

But greed, like a plague, spread unchecked. Before long, Pleonexia had become a kingdom of hoarders and exploitation.

Over time, the dragons alone decided how much magic was worth, determining who deserved wealth and power, and who would be left in the shadows. The people were divided. Those who surrendered their magic earned higher positions in society, while those who refused were cast into obscurity.

Civil war soon followed. Those from the lower districts blamed their neighbors for failing to gain the favor of the dragons, and mistrust consumed the kingdom. For centuries, the dragons ruled like kings, thriving on discord and suffering. Sickness spread. Paranoia flourished.

Plants, once free to grow wild and unclaimed, became hoarded and bartered as possessions. The poor were treated as scum, and spirits, once kind and ever-present, faded into obscurity, their goodness forgotten.

So, after generations of senseless conflict, the magic-wielding humans, the herbs, and even the gentle spirits went into hiding, retreating from a world that no longer believed in them.

And thus, enchantments, healing herbs, and simple acts of goodwill became more and more rare in Pleonexia.

In the shadows of this city of greed, a boy named Teigen was born to his mother, Melissa. Teigen was a genuinely joyful soul, despite his lifelong battle with what his mother affectionately called “Stumblebum Syndrome” - an incurable condition where doors, walls, and even gravity seemed personally out to get him.

Melissa, on the other hand, was a kind and extraordinary healer, known for her wild hospitality and unwavering compassion. Her spirit was unbreakable, and she raised Teigen in her own likeness. Their modest home alive with magic, though, all who resided within were forced to remain hidden from the watching eyes of the dragons.

Teigen stumbled into adulthood alongside his closest of companions, Camellia, a mischievous green tea leaf who brewed the most soothing, clarity-inducing teas, and the unseen household spirits who made every cup of tea stronger and every laugh louder. Together, they made a life full of warmth despite the cold shadows of Pleonexia.

Most of Teigen's life was spent aiding Melissa. But her sort of magic was forbidden. And so, not believing he had any magic of his own, Teigen, with Camellia in his pocket, risked everything, smuggling herbs, potions, and remedies. From healing drought-stricken families to providing a poisoned tea for a particularly vengeful spouse, they never turned away a soul in need. 

When the chaos of the city felt too heavy, Teigen and Camellia would escape to a secret hilltop where a freshwater pond shimmered and an ancient Willow tree swayed gracefully by the water's edge. Though Willow could not speak the human tongue, she communicated through the dance of her branches, a silent witness to their hopes and fears through the years.

Up there, Teigen felt free. Camellia would swirl around him, her magic unbound, as if the weight of the city's secrets melted away. But Teigen couldn't shake the feeling that the world was wrong. He was tired of hiding.

One fateful evening, after a delivery gone disastrously wrong (featuring an ill-timed window crash and a horde of angry nobles), Teigen limped to the hilltop, bloodied and bruised.

“I’m tired of this, Camellia!” he shouted, now pacing under Willow’s shade. “We shouldn’t have to hide! We do good, and they punish us for it!”

Camellia, as calm as ever, emerged from his pocket, her delicate form catching the sunlight, and silently greeted their swaying friend before turning to Teigen, 

 “There will be a time, my friend, when you take heart and truly begin,” she said softly. “A time when enough is enough, and cowards will lose. A time when you choose. When your eyes open, you will see the man you are meant to be.”

Teigen groaned, flopping against Willow’s trunk. “Cam, you could try giving a straight answer for once.”

Camellia only smiled as one of Willow’s branches tapped Teigen's cheek in a silent order to “Listen up!”

But then, with uncharacteristic seriousness, the green leaf brewed a cup of her tea, pressing it into his hands. As he drank, healing rushed through his chest, wounds becoming less inflamed.

“Your mother has found their weakness, you see” she whispered. “There is a way for us to be free.”

Teigen sat up, heart pounding. A weakness? The dragons? But before he could press further, Camellia was trembling, her voice growing thin.

“Teigen… the cost will be painful for us all. But once paid, they will fall.”

Sensing her need for comfort, the uncoordinated man stumbled to sit beside his lifelong friend, holding her close as Willow's comforting branches came to rest on his shoulders. Though confused, he couldn't help but cherish the quiet moment they shared.

Camellia wiggled her way out of his arms, the delicate leaf trembling slightly. She looked at him with more intensity than he had ever seen before and said,

“Remember what I tell you today, for this is the only way. You will find a woman in green on your quest for good, You will find great beauty beneath her hood. She will ask you a question, and if you answer it wrong…

There will be no gong.”

Shaking now, Teigen nearly shouted,
“Gong? What gong? Please, Cam! Be more specific! Where is this even coming from?”

Nearing tears, Camellia’s voice softened as she whispered, “Teigen, remember, an act of kindness is never too small. It can very well save us all.”

He stared at her, utterly lost in the weight of her words, but managed to reply, “I will always be kind to you, Green.”

The little green leaf nodded gently, then turned toward the horizon where the sun dipped low. “I know,” she whispered.

With that, Camellia disappeared into the air, and Willow’s branches fell lifeless. The sky slowly turned to a dull grey, thick clouds of darkness gathering overhead, blotting out the sun entirely.

Teigen stood frozen, unable to move, not just from the sudden change in weather and his friend’s vanishing act, but from the most shocking revelation of all: Camellia had spoken clearly and concisely, without her usual riddles or rhyme.

When movement finally returned to Teigen’s body, a terrible feeling rooted itself deep in his chest. A cold dread. He screamed into the empty air for his friends, but no answer came. Willow was gone. The pond lay dry and cracked. Camellia had vanished.

Panic rising, Teigen took off running, stumbling and tumbling down the hill so violently that he was certain he’d bruised a rib or two. Ignoring the pain, he raced home, breath ragged, heart pounding, only to find his mother, Melissa, collapsed on the kitchen floor, wracked with violent coughs.

No spirits to be found.

Horror gripped him as he watched Melissa grow weaker by the second. Desperately, Teigen searched their shelves, trying every remedy in their arsenal to break her fever. But no matter how many herbs he mixed or potions he brewed, nothing worked.

In his despair, he ran to the apothecary, pleading for aid from the so-called Medicine Men of Pleonexia. But these were the most vile men in the city, arrogant and corrupt, their wealth built on the suffering of others. They caged plants and spirits alike, siphoning their magic to sell healing only to those who could afford it, proclaiming themselves as the chosen wielders of sacred remedies.

Teigen’s cries fell on deaf ears. He had nothing to offer. No coin. No status. The eldest of the apothecaries sneered as he pushed Teigen out the door. “Those born of trash, live like trash… and die like trash.” The door slammed shut behind him.

Heartbroken, that night Teigen cradled his unconscious mother, his voice trembling as he sang the song of Camellia. What was once a joyous melody of hope now felt heavier, the words pressing down on him with each note:

“Invested in love, he cries, safety for all,

Away from their eyes.

Standing tall, he comes to the fight,

He sets them free, the thief of the night.”

The memory of Camellia twirling around him, laughing, singing that very song, made the ache in his chest tear open a little wider.

Hours passed before Melissa finally stirred, her eyes fluttering open. Though pale and weak, she looked up at him with the same loving expression she had always worn. Her voice, faint but steady, whispered:

“Kindness brings balance. Sacrifice brings change. Camellia is the key.”

And with that, her spirit slipped away. Flowers bloomed gently where she had lain, resting softly in Teigen’s arms.

A raw, broken sob tore from his throat as he clutched the blossoms to his chest. His grief spilled into the night, echoing far beyond the walls of their home. It felt as if the rage would consume him whole. His heart burned with the weight of loss, until, through the haze of sorrow, a memory flickered.

Camellia. Her clarity. The song. Teigen froze, breath catching.

“The song…” he whispered, voice ragged. “The song is the key!”

Calming his temper, Teigen took a long, steady breath, his gaze sweeping over the beautiful home his mother had built for them all. A place where love and laughter had thrived, not from gold or jewels, but from warmth, kindness, and shared memories. The echoes of song and dance from times long past still seemed to linger in the walls, filling the silence with a bittersweet ache.

And in that moment, he knew what he had to do.

“Enough is enough,” he whispered, voice steady with resolve.

Grabbing his coat, he rushed for the door, only to smack his head squarely on the doorframe on his way out. Grunting in pain and rubbing his forehead (which would undoubtedly bruise by morning), he took a deep breath and turned back to face the home. Standing tall, arms outstretched, he declared with unwavering conviction:

“This will forever be a home to all magic. I will fill it once more with love, and it shall remain a sanctuary for all things green and unseen.”

With that, he brought his arms down in a swift, deliberate motion, crossing them in front of his chest as if sealing a vow.

A sudden crack split the sky. Lightning, something the sunlit kingdom had never known, illuminated the heavens, striking with blinding force. The ground trembled beneath his feet, and the air thrummed with ancient energy. As the thunder’s echo faded, the home before him shifted. Its edges blurred, folding into a soft haze, as if the house itself had retreated from the gaze of the world.

Teigen blinked, breath caught in his throat. And then, despite everything, he let out a choked, incredulous laugh, half disbelief, half wonder, awed by the raw power of nature… and by the fact that, somehow, it had actually worked. He had magic.

Teigen, awkward and uncoordinated as ever, dedicated his life to filling his home with magic once more and waged a quiet yet relentless war against those in power. Night after night, under the cover of darkness, he freed all things green and unseen; the spirits, plants, and forgotten magics long caged by greed.

Though nearly always caught, or, more accurately, nearly seen. Teigen’s sheer clumsiness left behind a trail of overturned carts, broken vases, and the occasional wardrobe he’d accidentally knocked over in his daring escapes. His messy, unforgettable heists earned him the infamous title: The Green Leaf Thief.

For many years, by the grace of whatever magic had been woven that fateful day, the skies of Pleonexia remained overcast - a relentless, brooding grey. The dragons, worshippers of endless sunlight, could no longer bask in the golden rays they craved. One by one, the immortals abandoned the kingdom, taking their hoards and cruelty with them in search of brighter lands to torment.

As the dragons' influence faded, the people of Pleonexia began to rediscover what it truly meant to rely on one another. Kindness, enchantments, and simple acts of goodwill, once rare commodities, grew abundant once more. Neighbors healed neighbors. Spirits emerged from their long-hidden sanctuaries. Plants bloomed wild and unclaimed, weaving through the cracks of the kingdom as if reclaiming what was always theirs.

Day by day, Pleonexia mended itself. Magic danced openly again. Laughter echoed through the streets. Life, in all its wild beauty, returned to the heart of the kingdom.

Teigen had kept his promise.

He had filled his home with love once more. Every spirit and plant he had freed, every fragment of magic returned, had transformed those thieving years into something wondrous. What began as rebellion had become a sanctuary, an unlikely family forged from healing magic, daring schemes, and endless, joyful chaos.

As The Green Leaf Thief stood watching the enchantment over his home finally dissolve,  watching his new friends step freely into a world where they no longer needed to hide…he was overjoyed.

And yet… Teigen felt not triumph, but a lingering ache. Though the world was healing, he knew his heart never fully would. His mother, who had discovered the dragons’ weakness, the endless grey, had paid the ultimate price. And Camellia… she had known that to truly set him on his path, she and Willow would have to disappear.

Today, however, Teigen sought no grand solution as he trudged up the familiar hilltop, the last of his food for the month tucked under his arm. Though the kingdom was healing, true equality still felt far away. The scars of greed lingered, and while magic had returned, the people remained in the slow process of unlearning their fears.

He had come to this quiet place not to fight, but to remember. To honor those he had lost. His plan was simple: a solitary picnic in celebration of his mother’s love, his friends’ sacrifices, and the life they had reclaimed. But as he reached the summit, he froze.

A figure sat beneath Willow’s lifeless branches, cloaked in flowing green robes.

“Good goddess, man! You look awful,” the hooded woman exclaimed, breaking the silence.

Teigen blinked, thoroughly confused, though, to be fair, he did look awful. Unsurprisingly, he’d managed to fall face-first into a mud puddle on the climb up. Still, her bluntness caught him off guard.

Wiping some of the mud from his face, he squinted at her. “And who... are you?” he asked, his voice quieter than intended. Something about her presence stirred memories he couldn’t quite grasp, like a half-forgotten dream.

The woman lifted her hood. She was breathtaking. Eyes the color of rolling green fields. Hair rich and auburn, catching the light like autumn leaves. And yet, despite her beauty, there was a warmth in her gaze, a familiarity that made his heart ache.

“I am called by no name,” she said gently. “I have neither gold nor title, but I am hungry... and I wonder if you have any food to spare?”

Teigen glanced down at his modest sack of bread and fruit. He hadn’t brought much, but the thought of sharing with this strange woman felt... right. Perhaps her company would even ease the weight in his chest, letting him speak of his loved ones long passed. Sharing his food seemed a small price to pay.

So, looking back at the mysterious beauty, he offered a small, muddy smile and said, “Well, hello, By No Name.” The woman smirked and rolled her eyes as he proudly continued, “My name is Teigen—better known as The Green Leaf Thief. Please, help yourself to what I have with me.”

The woman’s smirk bloomed into a breathtaking grin. Raising her hand gracefully, she snapped her fingers twice saying, 

“There is no kindness too small.”

From somewhere in the distance, a gong sounded.

Before Teigen could make sense of it, the sky split open. Clouds, heavy and dark, poured rain, not gently but in torrents, as if the heavens themselves were weeping. Drops struck the earth with force, slamming into the trees across the land.

One bolt of rain shot straight toward the hilltop and struck Willow. Then, something changed. The storm halted and the air stilled. What remained in the aftermath was not destruction, but a veil. A shimmering, protective haze had settled over the kingdom, casting a soft light where the sun had once blazed too harshly.

Teigen turned back to the woman, utterly speechless. She was unfamiliar in form, yet he felt as though he had known her forever. She sighed, reaching out to caress his cheek with a tenderness that made his chest tighten. It was the same soft touch he had felt once before, gentle as a leaf brushing skin.

“Thank you for always keeping your promise, Teigen,” she whispered. “Now... How about a cup of tea?”

And with those words, Willow’s branches stirred. 

the weather in Pleonexia was never quite the same. The veil of protection cast by the trees remained, its magic creating gentle grey skies every now and again, an echo of the balance restored by Melissa’s sacrifice.

In remembrance of all that Teigen, Melissa, and the trees had done, the people of Pleonexia began a new tradition.

Every spring, on a particularly cloudy day, they would gather for The Stumblebum Games, a festival of laughter and joyful chaos, the kind of day Melissa would have cherished most. Townsfolk competed to prove themselves the least clumsy, tripping over their own feet in good fun as the trees joined in, their branches playfully shifting to create daring obstacles for even the most coordinated participants.

And when the games drew to a close, the people would gather in the town square, dancing and celebrating long into the night.

At sunrise, they would raise cups of green tea toward the sky in a quiet, heartfelt toast to Camellia - the mischievous green leaf who had sacrificed years of her life, and even her true form, for their awakening.

They drank not just in gratitude but as a silent promise.

To remain heartfelt. To remain balanced.

And to remember that even the smallest act of kindness… could change the world.


Until the next story unfolds,

Yours in tes & tales,

~Faerie Good~