Mums (70)

The next day, after her rehabilitation and sword training, and a small nap, she made her way to the gardens of the castle.

She walked leisurely, and carefully, further than she had in the past.

It wasn't long before she rounded a corner to find two rows of mums on either side of the path. A flower she had experience with from back at home.

She found two workers on their knees tending the large bushes. She could see they were preparing for their cold season by piling chipped wood around their bases. She was familiar with the process, often done in anticipation of the cold weather, the mulch helping protect the roots.

"Excuse me?", Caeli asked hesitantly.

The woman and man jumped slightly at her words.

Caeli frowned, she was hoping to avoid that.

"I apologize for bothering you. I was just wondering if these are mums?", she asked sheepishly, feeling disruptive.

The young woman with gloves smiled hesitantly.

"They are ma'am.", she said nodding her head. In the forest they were known as Chrysanths but were rumored to be called mums outside of the boundary of their realm.

The young man nodded too although his face was perceptively unresponsive.

"They are a bit larger than the ones back at home, in Ausia, I mean.", Caeli said, her interest piqued. Unsure of whether or not these two would know the continent she spoke of.

The young man, shaken from his dumbstruck state, nodded.

"Ausia gets slightly colder than here. I'm sure there you insulate the plants, but not all of them make it. Here, the temperature falls a bit, but not much. We are protected by the great trees, that makes our zone fairly consistent. Ours grow so large because they tend to survive fairly easily through the winter months. If we tend them correctly that it.", the young man finished hastily, realizing he had begun to ramble. His face flushed.

Caeli laughed and smiled at the man.

"You seem very knowledgeable. And passionate. Both are admirable qualities. Would you be able to teach me? And allow my assistance? I feel I've need of some time in the soil.", Caeli asked crouching clumsily beside one of the large plants.

The two workers looked at each other in surprise before giving her a pair of gloves.

They understood the need to connect with the earth in such a way, and admired her shared understanding.

To their pleasure, they realized the girl knew her way around the garden.

"You yourself seem knowledgeable, my lady.", Fuschia said pleasantly.

"My aunt and uncle were merchants but we lived in a small village, far from Flumen. Many of the villages had to grow their own produce. It was something I did each and every day.", she explained to Fuschia, the woman she now knew to be the head gardener. Her assistant, the young man present as well, was known as Cultivars.

She plucked the dying blooms and heaved mulch onto the base of the bushes with her good arm.

She was exhausted but relished the feeling of the dirt in her hands. The silt and softness comforting and familiar. It felt as if it had been an eternity.

The three finished and made their way to the kitchen, laughing along the way at a story Cultivars was telling about his pants and a rose bush.

Once they got there, they were greeted by Dorn and Aolith who invited them to take a break and partake in some freshly steeped tea and sandwiches.

Caeli insisted that she leave them to their break so as not to disrupt them further, to which everyone argued.

She laughed and finally conceded, taking a seat at the counter with Fuschia and Cultivars. Their discussion having turned to some of the various inquiries Caeli had about the local flora.

"You can tell that although we have a good variety of fruits and vegetables here, we do gravitate towards the root family.", Fuschia said excitedly. Caeli's questioning had only inflamed her own love for such things.

Caeli furrowed her brow and met Fuschia's gaze.

"Of course. The ginger and carrot cakes. I had thought the food selections to be very particular. I once was brought a radish soup. Even the hare, a burrow animal, roasted. But why?", Caeli asked, intrigued.

Fuschia giggled excitedly.

"Here, it is very dark. Darker than most other places on the planet. Because of that, many root vegetables do well here with little light. Many of the above ground plants you've seen live off of the life force gifted to the land by our master.", Fuschia said with pride.

Caeli looked contemplatively at her surroundings.

"But how? Is it his power radiating from him? But how would the plants be sustained in his absence?", Caeli wondered out loud. The questions flooding in, as they often did.

Fuschia pointed her index finger in the air before jumping up

"One moment.", she said.

She returned with a sheet of paper and a piece of charcoal.

"His lordship was birthed into this world by this land. The Goddess of All grew him within her womb and darkness was born. After the other four were created, the goddess gave them corporeal form on the planet, true children. Our master was the first. The goddess sent his consciousness to the planet where it collected the dark and formed our lords body. This land is imbued with magical properties because of his birth. Our lordship found a way to harness this power and allow it to reach the plants that would require more sunlight.", Fuschia explained as she drew a tree on the sheet of paper. "If buried deeply in the ground, it will take longer to reach the surface and make fruit, but it will be able to access the well of magic that resides in this land.", she continued, drawing roots under the tree and drawing a horizontal line where she wrote the number six.

"Six feet below and it will have plenty of access to energy that serves as replacement for the suns rays.", Caeli said softly in awe.

Fuschia nodded enthusiastically.

"That is also why we commit our lost to the ground, and so far down. Their bodies are used as sustenance for our future generations and the plants that feed them. Our last act of love, our last sacrifice.", Fuschia said with a nonchalant shrug.

"Fascinating.", Caeli said, enraptured by the drawing the girl had made. "Would it be alright if I keep this? It is very good.", Caeli asked sheepishly.

Fuschias face flushed at Caeli's roguish half smile.

"Of-of course my lady.", she stammered.

"Thank you Fuschia. I hope next I seek to enjoy the garden in such a way, you'll allow me to do so once more. I find being in the garden therapeutic. And I'm happy to help in anyway that I can.", Caeli said standing carefully from her seat and resting a hand on the woman's bicep.

Fuschia cleared her throat.

"Of course my lady! Anytime! Please, do not push yourself though. Only seek us out when you feel it won't burden you too heavily.", she said hastily looking away from the strangely beautiful, yet so how also handsome, woman.

Caeli's brows rose slightly, the woman's concern heart warming.

She smiled again before bidding the gardeners and kitchen staff a good Rest.

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Caeli had returned to her room, she laid the picture on her bedside table, making a mental note to ask for something to hang it in her quarters.

Dinner was brought to the room by Bat who obediently took his place at Caeli's feet where she often fed over half of the meal to the gargoyle once she finished.

"I wonder if our lordship would be available for after dinner tea.", Caeli asked suddenly, the idea occurring to her. She still had the rice cake from the day before.

Bat, now full of her left overs and laying leisurely on the floor, wagged his tail happily despite keeping his eyes closed and continuing to snore.

She hastily scratched an invite to the master. She frowned at it in displeasure, her hand-writing still poor as she had taken to using her off-hand for daily tasks. The adjustment difficult and slow-moving.

"Better than it was in the beginning I suppose.", Caeli said sadly to herself.

She scratched Bats head and tucked the envelope into the braided rope that now adorned his neck.

Einar had explained that Raven thought it could be of use as she was still unable to travel too far or too long. The rope serving as either a handle during her rides on his back, or as a way to deliver messages if the bell was out of reach.

The door shut softly behind the gargoyle and she was left alone in the room.

After a moment she rang for Lynx and asked if she could have some assistance in setting up the table on the balcony.

Lynx rang for Calliope who eventually brought tea and the accompanying sweeteners, along with cream.

Before they finished, they asked if Caeli needed anything else.

She rubbed her neck nervously with her good arm.

"Perhaps a second food option should the lord not enjoy what I've had prepared for him.", she said with a despairing chuckle.

Lynx and Calliope took their leave, and only after they were away from Caeli's door did they allow themselves an excited squeal in unison.

They rushed excitedly to the kitchen to finish preparations.