The Hanging Gardens

For lunch, Amie sat with her adopted family while Prince Peter was with his parents, King Sancho and Queen Isabella. Amie was immediately captivated with Isabella's beauty. Her dark hair flowed elegantly just past her shoulders. Her eyes, full of life, shimmered a light blue that reflected the childish joys of playing under a blue sky on a sunny day. Her beautiful smile matched her vibrant appearance in every way except for one thing. As much as Isabella radiated youth and beauty, Amie could sense a frailty and weakness hiding underneath it all.

King Sancho, on the other hand, was the opposite. There was no hidden illness, no fragility. He emitted strength both inside and out. His dirty blonde hair flowed thick underneath his crown down to his neck, while a healthy-looking beard covered his face. His large build was complimented by intense, piercing blue eyes that felt like blue flames roaring for a fight.

Amie couldn't help but notice Prince Peter was a strange mix of the two. His timid build like his mother did not match the strong eyes he inherited from his father.

Amie's thoughts were interrupted when Queen Isabella spoke, "It's so nice to meet the woman who has finally captured my son's heart."

King Sancho chimed in, "Yes, there has always seemed to be a problem with his suitors for this reason or that. He didn't like the first one because she was too low of class, demanded a princess! Ha! Demanded! My boy is going to be a king and he still expects his wife to be of the highest class to match him as he should! Oh yes and then there was the second one who was too ugl-"

Queen Isabella stopped him, "Dear, I don"t think this is an appropriate conversation at the moment."

King Sancho laughed it off, "My apologies, how careless of me. Since we're all here I don't see what the harm is in discussing marriage."

Queen Isabella tried to cut in again, "Dear I don't think that's an appropriate subject for lunch either."

Sancho sloughed off his wife's concerns, "Nonsense, my dear! King Javert, I think we are all in agreement that your daughter and my son would make a perfect match."

King Javert nodded his approval, "Absolutely! Prince Peter, you have no objections, correct?"

Prince Peter cheerfully stated, "I've made up my mind quite a while ago that Princess Adeline will be my bride!"

Amie hadn't heard that name for so long now, she almost didn't recognize he was talking about her.

Queen Isabella noticed Amie hadn't reacted to the news, "Princess Adeline? Are you excited?"

Amie responded, "Oh, most definitely! Forgive me, I didn't want to talk out of turn!"

Queen Isabella had a sweetness to her voice, "Such a polite young lady, you'll make an excellent queen someday. I'm looking forward to calling you my daughter!"

Amie felt a sense of ease and peacefulness she hadn't felt in such a long time. Like her journey was finally coming to an end. She was going to marry a prince with a loving mother and an outgoing father. She started to feel a sense of impatience for her wedding day, it just couldn't happen soon enough.

***

Lunch ended, and Prince Peter immediately requested King Javert's blessing for a tour of the gardens. King Javert was more than thrilled to approve.

They started their tour at the ground level with the intentions of making their way up to the highest garden at the top of the palace. The moment they stepped into the first spring-themed garden, Amie couldn't help but ask, "Peter, how are all of these plants maintained? There must be hundreds of botanists involved with planning."

Peter was quiet for a moment before answering, "If I tell you, you have to swear to secrecy you will not tell a single soul."

Amie was startled by the sudden mood change, but she readily agreed, "You have my word."

Peter replied, "It's my wicked mother's doing. She's a witch."

Amie froze in place. She whispered, "What do you mean a witch?"

Keeping a hushed tone, Peter elaborated, "She can make plants grow spontaneously anywhere she chooses. She's a true witch. I caught her a short while ago. I was so enraged, I ran to my father to tell him she's an evil sorceress, but he laughed and refuses to believe me."

Suddenly all of the joy left her body. She was getting married to her natural enemy. Surely he was just shocked at the sudden discovery, but Amie had no intentions of showing him now who she truly was. Instead, Amie chose to feign ignorance, "Surely there must have been a mistake, she couldn't possibly be a witch. I thought those were just old folk tales."

Peter shook his head, "I'm telling you, she's a sorceress. Be careful of her, she's gotten weaker over the last few months, but I promise you she has the strength of ten, maybe even a thousand men. I think she's up to something nefarious, her sudden weakness must be her draining her strength into something big."

Amie pretended to be horrified, "This can't be, she seems so nice! How am I supposed to maintain proper etiquette around her knowing this?"

Peter had a look of pity on his face, "I'm so sorry my dear, telling you this before our wedding was a mistake. I promise you I'm nothing like her, I just wanted you to be cautious around her. Please, for my sake, could you do your best to keep up the pleasantries before the wedding? I shouldn't be asking, but-"

Amie smiled, "Of course I'll keep things up for you, Peter. I'll do anything for you."

The look on Peter's face was that of pure elation upon hearing Amie's sugared words.

***

Amie and Peter continued their stroll through the gardens. They switched to much less serious topics and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. Amie was even beginning to regain her hope the marriage would work until they reached the highest garden.

Suddenly their time together was cut short when Peter spotted his mother in the center of the garden. Amie could see the pure disdain and hatred on Peter's face the moment he laid eyes on her.

Peter's words weren't malicious, but the tone he was trying to hide certainly was, "Mother, what are you doing here?"

Queen Isabella replied as gently as ever, "My sweet son, I don't know why you've come to hate me all of the sudden, but I would appreciate it if you would not act like this in front of our guest."

Peter mumbled, "Apologies."

Queen Isabella responded, "If you don't mind, I would like to talk to Adeline alone, please."

Peter bowed without saying another word and left Amie with her mother.

Queen Isabella was sitting on one side of a tea table and motioned for Amie to join her on the other side, "Please, sit down and have some tea." The moment Amie reached the table, Isabella sighed, "I don't know what has gotten into him lately."

Amie didn't wish to give anything away, "Yes, that is some quite odd behavior."

A vine started to crawl towards Queen Isabella's ear. If the last month hadn't happened, Amie would have been surprised. After a moment of what looked like Queen Isabella listening to the vine, she spoke, "Prince Peter has already made his way back to the dining hall and there is nobody else around, we are free to talk openly."

Amie responded, "So is this plant magic?"

Queen Isabella replied, "I suppose you can call it that. It's actually goddess magic, but I'm the goddess of plant magic, so I guess it could be considered plant magic as well."

Amie was amazed, "You're the goddess of all plant magic!? Not just a plant or something?"

Isabella squeaked out a simple "Yes." She then took a sip of tea and set it back down on the table, "I understand you come from a long line of powerful healing mages?"

Amie could only think to ask, "How do you know that?"

Isabella reached for Amie's hand. Holding her hand so delicately and gingerly touching Amie's veins, Queen Isabella responded, "I can sense it in your veins. Your blood runs with the stories of an unbroken lineage of great mages that extends thousands of years into the past. I could reveal but a fraction of those memories to you when I die."

The mood in the garden shifted, Amie's wonderment was broken by the mention of her death, "Peter said you have been sick these last few months and Sequana said just before she passed that the gods are dying."

Isabella nodded, "It's true. My time will be coming to an end soon. Plant magic will become weaker when that happens. It will be the first of nature magic to go. The other branches of nature magic will soon follow."

Amie asked, "Jacques is a plant magic user, will he lose his abilities?"

Isabella nodded once again, "His abilities will slowly grow weaker over time. My husband is a god of another branch of nature and he will begin to weaken once I'm gone. Once he is gone as well, Jacques' powers will disappear altogether. One day he will wake up and be an ordinary individual, unable to use any kind of magic. Once all the branches of nature magic have lost their gods and goddesses, the corresponding spellbooks and tomes will be destroyed, and the existence of such a magic will disappear without a trace. No history, no present, no future."

Amie had more questions to ask before their time ran out, "If that's true, have other types of magic been wiped from existence? Is there a way to restore the magic? What about you? Is there a way for you to come back?"

Isabella laughed, "So many questions! You'll have to figure them out yourself, my dear son is coming to get you."

Amie thought for a brief moment before asking her one more thing, "Isabella, before you go, could you convince your son not to hate you? He thinks your an evil witch and neither of you deserve that to be your legacy."

Isabella patted Amie on the head, "You really are a wonderful girl, I wish you and Peter would work out. It would have made me so happy to know you were the one he chose."

Before Amie could say anything else, Peter appeared at the garden entrance, "Adeline, I hate to interrupt your teatime with my mother, but I wish to speak to you before the night falls."

Amie bid Queen Isabella a good evening and followed Peter out of the gardens.