Hazelnut

Hazelnut is a fairy who lives in the Greenwood.

The Emerald Princess Plays a Trick
As Hazelnut is wandering the forest she eventually hears cries for help in the Twisted Vines. She and the woodsman Crosscut hurry to see what the matter is and find the gardener Staghorn upside-down in the treetops, held painfully up by a rope around his ankle. Crosscut carefully cuts him down, but his ankle hurts so much Staghorn can't stand up on his own. As Crosscut goes to look for Princess Emily, Hazelnut tends to the his ankle as best she can. Both she and Staghorn believe that Emily is to blame for the injury, thinking that the rope is most likely a part of another one of Emily's tricks.

When the princess arrives, Staghorn refuses to speak to her, so Hazelnut says that she thinks his ankle is broken. Although Emily wants to take him to the Emerald Palace to get treatment, he flat-out refuses to go to the palace and insists instead that he go to Nana Woodbine, a woman famed for her healing skills. Hazelnut agrees with him, mentioning that he'll be safe there. Emily asks how he got hurt in the first place, but Hazelnut scornfully refuses to tell her, thinking that Emily should know, since its her fault. Emily's best friend and royal advisor Arden patiently reminds the fairy that Emily is her princess, persuading her to snappishly explain what happened to the poor gardener before she flies off to Nana Woodbine's cottage.

Hazelnut joins Crosscut and Staghorn's best friend Fluke around Staghorn's bedside, telling stories and reminiscing over old times. Soon, the topic turns to Emily and her tiresome tricks. Hazelnut tells everyone about how the princess once scared the palace cook so badly, her hands shook so much she ruined the cake she spent three hours decorating. Hazelnut is through with pretending that Emily's jokes are funny just because she's their princess and agrees with Fluke when he decides to tell King Regal of his daughter's behavior.

Later that day, Nana Woodbine sends Fluke to find an herb. When he returns, he explains to everyone that he has discovered that Darklings -not Emily- set the trap that injured Staghorn and that the princess in fact saved him from a similar fate as he was out looking for the herb.

Quotes

 * "This is the worst part: we all have to pretend her jokes are funny, just because she's our princess!"