Chapter 6

Several days had gone by before Lily and Toame were able to meet again in the berry patch. Her father had taken a day trip to the village for supplies so she sent her skunk to Toame to see if he could meet. Upon returning with the news that Toame could meet, Jacque led her to the berry patch and sat nearby stuffing himself full of berries.

"I have missed you, dear Lily. I fear I may have left my heart with you at our last encounter." He took her hand in his and kissed it gently.

She felt her heart flutter a bit at his touch. "And mine with you," she replied. "I have thought of nothing else. I have so many questions. There are so many mysteries."

"Mysteries, yes. I will answer any of your questions that I may know the answer to."

"I don't know where to begin," she admitted gleefully. "There are so many." She thought for a moment and then remembered her father's story of the roses. "Do you know of a place where there are many roses growing in every color?"

"I'm afraid I do not. I know of a place that bears many roses, though they never bloom. I don't think that they ever did. I could take you there if you wish."

She looked to the skunk for guidance, but he offered no advice. He simply kept eating. "How far is it from here? I fear I haven't much time."

"Tis a little more than a half day's journey along the forest's edge. It lies between your home and the Elvin Palace. I often go there to be alone as none of the other elves ever go there. It's a peaceful place that I find much comfort in. I'm sure you would love it."

"We'll have to go next chance we get. I look forward to seeing it."

"Can I answer any other queries today for you?"

"Be careful young elf, the forest has many ears," warned Jacque. "We should go my lady, before our visit is discovered."

Toame was startled at the skunk's warning as was Lily. She agreed with Jacque and hurried behind him to the cabin. Toame dared not follow them this day as he had become aware of footsteps in the distance approaching him. He chose to head for the footsteps instead. "Who's there?" he demanded. "Who disturbs my peace?"

"Where the blazes are you boy?" came the voice of his tutor, the old elf. "I can't see a thing in this confounded foliage! Now I remember why I live in the Library."

"I am here, Master Elf, on the edge of the berry patch."

"Ah, there you are." He said coming into view of the patch. "I've been looking for you all morning."

"My apologies, sir. I did not realize I had lessons with you today."

"You don't, son. You don't." The old elf found a clear spot and seated himself upon a stump facing the young elf. "Your questions have both intrigued and angered me in ways I could not understand until now. I felt I must speak with you in regards to your inquisitions in private so that we may not be overheard by elves loyal to your mother. If she knew of your curiosity, she would have you flogged and if she knew of what I am about to say, she would have me suffer a traitor's death."

"What harm is there in wanting to know our history?" The young elf had never understood his mother's distaste of the elves' history. She had always seemed to display a jealousy of the previous queen's reign. He had always been intrigued by the mystery surrounding the previous ruler as well as her sudden and brutal death that caused the current war with the humans.

"That's the trouble, son. There should not be any harm in it. We elves have always learned from our past mistakes, but her rule has forbidden such practice. She seems to be threatened by our queen's memory. Your father is a good man, but his illness has allowed your mother great power over this kingdom. I fear things will only get worse with time. I pray you will lead us back to what we once were when you become king."

"I cannot be a king. I know nothing of ruling a kingdom."

"True. You do know nothing; but only because I have not been allowed to teach you. Your questions you presented the other day would suggest an experience or an alliance you do not wish to reveal." Toame remained silent at the old elf's probing. His tutor continued, "I thought so. I will keep your secret to my death my Lord Toame. I am your but your humble servant. I will tell you all I know of the elves, the humans and our beloved Queen Bayla. All of your questions shall be answered and I shall not inquire of your experiences, but let you tell me in your own time what you have seen. Deal?"

Toame could barely believe his ears. He had dreamed his whole life to find someone who would tell him all about his beloved Bayla. "Deal." He shook the old elf's hand to seal their agreement.

"Good. Now come with me. There is a place where we can talk without unwanted ears." He led the boy through the forest along its edge to the rose bed Toame had described to Lily. "No other elves dare come here. It was once beautiful garden. These roses used to bloom in the most magnificent colors, nearly all year long. Each rose representing a king or queen of the past; each with its own unique color. It was Bayla's favorite spot to relax from the pressures of the crown she bore. She would come here and tend to the roses with such love and care. They haven't bloomed since her death which is why no one ever comes here. It is believed that her death brought a curse upon this bed of roses and that none may enter without Bayla's approval. Many elves fear the curse."

"You do not fear the curse?" asked Toame. He was drinking in every word the old tutor had to say. He could almost picture the colors as he panned the garden.

"There is no curse, per se, but sorrow itself descended upon this garden. The roses cannot bloom through their grief for the throne has fallen to unholy blood. Bayla was a gifted woman, loved by all who knew her. But she was a lonely woman, which why she spent so much time in this garden. She ruled this kingdom for many years without a husband, or a family. There were plenty of suitors, of course, but none that could reach her heart. She was a passionate woman and that trait alone frightened many away."

"Passionate." Toame allowed the word to resonate. That word could easily describe Lily. "What was she passionate about?" he asked

"Everything. Anything. Whatever she had a mind to." His eyes wandered away from Toame's glance and found the middle of the garden. He led Toame there and showed him the plant that graced the center of the garden. "This was her favorite flower of all you see here. It's called a lily."

"Lily? I have never heard of a lily before."

"A very rare and beautiful flower indeed. It is the only flower that still blooms in this garden, though it only does so once a year in the fall, just before final harvest. I come here every year to watch Bayla's beautiful lily bloom in the moonlight." The old elf's face had softened at the thought of the flower's bloom.

"You were in love with her, weren't you?" perceived Toame.

"That I was young master. That I was." A tear gleamed in the light as it danced down his cheek.

"Did she love you?"

"Nay. Not as I would have liked her to. She was in love with a human. She had met him in the forest gathering fruit one spring day and she was captivated by his rustic and plain appearance. She was enamored with the way he worked his land for the food he ate unlike the elves who merely picked what the forest offered. He was not afraid of her independence or passion but treated her with equality and respect. He was a good man and he loved her, though he could not protect her from the evil that befell her." The old elf began to weep. "I'm sorry, son I cannot continue tonight. We shall meet again soon." He left Toame in the garden to ponder all he had heard.

He looked at the lily and thought of the old elf's words. Bayla's beautiful lily. Bayla's beautiful lily. Lily? Could she be Bayla's daughter? Bayla's beautiful Lily. Yes she had to be. Why else would she look so much like Bayla and how else would she have known of the rose garden? Her father must have been the human the old one spoke of. He would ask her the next time he got to see her.