Chapter 15: The Forest of his Eyes
A passion is shared.
An escape is given.
A wrong become right.
Christina dances in a grove.
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Day 25
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It was nearly a month into what I was accepting as my new life living with the Southgards, and lot of the daily routines were starting to loose their edge. You would think that would mean I could appreciate that this strange new world I found myself in was starting to affect me less, but in truth the idea left me feeling slightly uneasy. If I could grow used to this kind of treatment, what did that say about me? Taking now for an example; I was sitting in the library reading peacefully, but even this required Cynthia's supervision. As I lounged curled up in one of the large cushioned armchairs, Cynthia sat reading her own book on the sofa not a few feet away. Occasionally she would look over to ensure nothing about me had changed, and each time I moved around to get comfortable her eyes would follow me until I settled once more. For a while this left me feeling annoyed and frustrated, finding that just knowing she was watching me led me to occasionally glance over at her to check if I was being observed in that moment. On rare instance we would both look over at each other at the same time, locking eyes. She would always give me a smirk and a sly nod before returning to her own book, which only left me feeling even more irritated.
Nowadays despite the absurdity of the treatment, I was getting normalized to it. I knew Cynthia was watching me and nothing I could do would change that. I also knew that at any time Cynthia might decide she was needed else where, forcing me to tag along with her for what ever menial task she needed to complete, so it was in my best interest to make the most of this silent time where I could read in peace and not get stuck in my own head over what I couldn't control. Honestly I didn't know what to think about the fact that could, and had, gotten used to being treated like this.
As I leaned back in my chair getting further engrossed in my book, I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. At first I didn't pay it much attention, until they stopped what sounded like a short distance away only to be followed by someone knocking at the entrance to the library. As both myself and Cynthia turned our heads, to my surprise it was Damien who waited patiently before us.
"Ah, Mistress Arkinian! Wonderful, I was hoping you might be able to help me with some questions I had? I'm currently working to try to properly cultivate some of the Silencian plants in the garden and needed to find some information regarding their husbandry." Asked Damien. He looked expectantly towards Cynthia, who in turn took a second to collect her thoughts before responding.
Smiling pleasantly at him, she regarded his presence with a level of her own cordial respect that I had never had the pleasure of experiencing from her myself. "Of course Damien. Sadly I likely wouldn't be able to answer your questions directly, but I believe we have a tome on Silencian horticulture that should have all the information you need on any of the plants we brought with us from up north." Cynthia mused, rising from her seat and placing the book she had been reading on one of the adjacent side tables. "It should be in Lord Southgard's personal collection. I can fetch it for you, if you would be so kind as to watch Christina for a moment?" She asked, doing her best to belittle me.
Damien looked over toward me and cracked a small smile before turning back to Cynthia. "Of course, that shouldn't be a problem." He responded politely. I couldn't help but smile back at his now turned head. Even if my guardian wanted to belittle me, I didn't mind spending time with Damien.
Cynthia nodded and began to leave to fetch the tome. "Thank you Damien, I won't be very long!" She said before disappearing out into the hall.
Damien then walked further into the library, taking a seat on the arm rest of the sofa nearest me. His outfit was stained with a few new marks, and today his hat was missing, leaving his brown curls open to the air. There was a small smudge of dirt on his left cheek, and just a hint of shadow from where he must have shaved this morning. He looked a me for a few seconds before speaking. "Milady." He said jokingly, tipping an invisible hat.
I couldn't help but chuckle at his display. My posture growing warm both from Cynthia's absence as well as Damien's presence. He smiled back at me, looking pleased at himself. "How goes the garden?" I asked the gardener, unsure how else to best start a conversation with him.
Damien beamed at the question, letting a wide grin spread across his face before answering. "Quite well actually. Though there's been a bit of an adjustment period as I've been learning more about these foreign plants of course. On top of that, as I'm learning I'm also trying to be careful as I tend to them in combination with any local plant life, I don't want to disrupt any natural ecosystems after all."
As he spoke it was impossible not to pick up on his passion. I closed my book in my hand and leaned into the conversation, showing my eagerness to hear more. "Is it difficult to raise Silencian and Crevician plants together then?" I asked him.
He tilted his head in consideration before responding. "Not difficult per-say, but I'm being a little cautious. I want to make sure no plant overpowers another, since there's so much about Silencian flora that I've yet to learn." As he spoke I saw something spark within him as he shifted his weight forward on the arm rest he was sitting on. "Oh, and I've also started a project I think you might be interested to hear about." He said, smiling excitedly.
For a moment I was caught off guard, but in a way that pleasantly stoked my curiosity. "Oh? Do tell what it is that you think might interest me." I mock challenged, smiling suspiciously. "Be warned, I do have very high standards you know." I joked. Though even as I played it up I wondered what it was that he thought I specifically might appreciate. We had only spoken a few times before, it felt like he couldn't know me all that well, could he?
He let an amused smile peek out the side of his mouth before he elaborated. "Well, last time we spoke you seemed very interested in the Napaesse orchid, and its history. So I thought you might like to know that I've started to work on a small plot that I plan to turn into a tribute to Napaea Forest." His expression almost turned bitter sweet for a moment. "A small little piece of home I thought."
He was right, it did sound interesting. I let out a grin of my own as I admitted defeat. "Okay, I do like the sound of that, you got me there." I shifted my weight forward and rested my head on my arms to get comfortable. "Tell me more?" I asked eagerly.
As I saw a small amount of satisfaction flutter over him, I knew Damien was more than happy to oblige. "So I've told you before how the Napaesse orchid requires a specific level of light? Well there's a type of tall bush native to the Napaesse region that I thought I could plant in a ring around where I might plan the orchid to bloom. That would control the amount of light that needs to filter in, providing constant filtered shade to the flower." I could see the excitement blossoming on his face as he explained his new grove. I couldn't help but look deeply into his eyes and watch the joy in him take root. "But then I also considered that doing so would give me the perfect area to house other plant life native to Napaea Forest. So now I've planned to set up a ring of different vine and ivy families, toadstools, and wildflowers. All in perfect harmony surrounding the centerpiece that with any luck, will be the fully bloomed Napaesse Orchid." He finished, love for his craft sprouting up from every word.
As he spoke I found myself drifting endlessly in the deep forest green hue of his irises. As he spoke my skin tingled as if I could feel the gently rustling leaves against it. My ears rang as I could hear the harmonistic melody of wildlife all around me. My breath drew long as I could taste the sweet air fresh with countless aromas. I let myself slip away, lost in the forest of his eyes.
"It sounds beautiful . . ." I whispered.
But my sweet escape was cut short by the sudden footsteps that announced Cynthia's return. At once I was forced back into the present, my guardian's existence proving foil to the earthen fantasy of my mind. For a moment she paused upon entering, the energy of the room seemingly catching her off guard. "Here you are Damien." Said Cynthia, flashing me a quick look of suspicion out of the side of her eye before turning back to Damien with another cordial smile. "Please do take good care of the book, but you may hold onto it for as long as you need it."
Damien who had quickly stood up on Cynthia's entrance, put on his own mask of professionalism that I had seen once before as he interacted with Lena. Smiling gratefully he accepted the book. "Very much appreciated Ma'am. I'll be sure to keep it in good condition." He remarked politely, giving the smallest of bows toward the House Mistress.
Cynthia responded in kind with a small nod of her own, before attempting to bring an end to the encounter. "Very good, and I wish you good luck with your work. Now unless there's something else you need-" Started the Sorceress.
"Oh, actually there is one thing." Damien interrupted as politely as he could. Cynthia looked at the gardener, clearly a little surprised though not overly offended. She paused her own words and waited patiently for Damien to continue.
"I've recently been working on a new section of the garden, and I could really use an extra set of hands for just a few minutes as I move a few things around. I was wondering if I could conscript Christina here to assist?" He asked casually, only barely glancing in my direction.
Cynthia furrowed her brow and studied the situation, shifting her gaze between myself and Damien. A few seconds passed as my guardian contemplated the request. Feeling something about her expression, the moment she opened her mouth to respond I spoke out. "Of course!" I said, trying my best to keep a damper on, and even back peddle my enthusiasm. "I- I would be happy to help of course." I replied, trying to make it seem out of courtesy rather than excitement. "So long as you say it's alright?" I asked turning back to my guardian.
Cynthia clearly surprised by my willingness only furrowed her brow even more. As she studied my face in particular I could see she was having a hard time deciding, and was notably unprepared for such a situation. I knew her well enough to tell that she wanted to say no, but at the same time something was holding her back. Though as a few seconds dragged on she seemed to have an epiphany that settled her dilemma, and once again put on her smile as she turned back to Damien. "Of course you may. A little bit of hard work would be good for the girl." She half joked before turning to me. "Now Christina, you're to do exactly as Damien tells you, am I clear?" She commanded, bending down over me a small amount for emphasis. I nodded meekly to the sorceress, wanting only to move things forward as smoothly as possible.
Cynthia then regarded Damien one last time. "Now, once you're done, or if she gives you any trouble, please make sure to escort her back to myself or one of Lord or Lady Southgard personally. I myself should be easy to find." she instructed.
I had to turn my head away as my cheeks flushed red. Despite how mild the treatment was considering all else that I'd been through, it still felt far more belittling of me than I would have liked for Damien to witness. On top of that the childish nature of the treatment only reminded me how ridiculous I must look in these Silencian clothes to another Crevician like Damien. I tried to push the thought from my head, after all he hadn't brought it up yet, so neither should I.
"Of course, that shouldn't be a problem at all. Thank you Ma'am." said Damien respectfully. He then turned to me, with a casual nod of his head in the direction of the exit. "You can follow me Christina." He offered.
Eagerly I jumped from my seat, before making a conscious note to take a relaxed pace as I walked behind Damien; still not wanting to let my guardian in onto my excitement.
It was a brisk walk outside into the garden as I let Damien lead the way. I hadn't much of an idea as to where we were going, and it wasn't until we rounded a corner that I realized where we had arrived. Suddenly without warning what had seemed like yet another row of garden hedges became hard to mistake as the place that Damien had been describing to me. My mouth opened agape as I was able to put the beautiful words Damien had spoken to the area itself.
I realized that the hedge bush we had rounded was actually part of a horse shoe of tall hedges, each around six to seven feet tall, that surrounded an entire area maybe 15 feet in diameter. The hedges currently still in the process of fully growing out, not quite full bodied in their foliage cover. Lining the inside of the semi circle was a few different plots, each continuously connected to one another, only separated by rough work outlines in the dirt. While some of these beds were as of yet unpopulated, the rest contained a multitude of flowers, most of which while seeming familiar I couldn't exactly recognize. Beyond the collage of petals there were also some toadstools, and even a few root and vine plants that had already begin to cling to the hedge walls behind. The beds currently continued to spill out into the main area, which at the moment consisted only of rough dirt, clearly heavily trodden on and unfinished. Lastly in the middle of the outcropping stood a small mound, with a flower bed higher than the rest. It was clear that this bed was meant to be the centerpiece of the entire grove, for the pristine beauty that could only be the Napaesse Orchid.
Despite the fact that the small area was heavily in progress, my mind painted the pieces needed to fill in the gaps. I stepped out in front of Damien into the rough dirt and began to gently spin in a nearly dreamlike dance. As I did Damien chuckled, and began to speak.
"Every plant here has its own place in nature, and its place within our people's culture. There are stories of the types of vines that grew up the rocky mountain slopes, and were used to help the first peoples travel into Napaea Forest. There are myths of how the mushrooms that sprout from the mossy fields were the source of all magic in the valley, and how only after the great Dawnwood trees' roots grew deep enough to cross the fungus's path did the magic spread to every other living thing in the land."
As he spoke, I continued to spin, taking in every sight from the grove before me, letting my mind bring all the half finished plots to life, growing out from every one of his beautiful words. "Every living thing in Napaea has its place, and its stories that remind us of it." Damien said, his words in harmony with the flora around him.
As I still spun, I closed my eyes. Beginning to imagine that I was in Napaea forest. Letting my imagination flow, I was fed only by the beautiful stories Damien had told me. It was magical.
And then I slipped.
With my eyes closed, my foot caught an uneven patch of dirt. Without any sight to guide me I got caught on my own legs and started to swiftly tumble to the ground. But it wasn't a moment of freefall later that Damien lunged out toward me with a step, catching me before I finished my untimely appointment with gravity.
As he caught me gently in his arms, he looked down over at me with a relieved smile. "Careful there." Suddenly I found myself staring up into his deep green eyes. Green like the thick brush of the forest, cool and calm, despite their depth they felt gentle and inviting in. Not only stunned from his sudden action, in that moment I had nothing more to say, frozen in the beauty of the grove.
After a few moments I came to my senses, and gathered my footing beneath me. As I stood up from Damien's gentle save, I racked my mind for what else to say. Sheepishly I tried to fumble out the only thing I could think of in the moment. "So, what was the help you said you needed?" I asked, my eyes looking to my feet but my lips wrapped in a smile.
Damien took a split second to register the question before giving a small laugh. "Oh, actually there was nothing." He said with a hint of guilt that was betrayed by his grin. "I just thought I could give you an excuse to get away for a bit, and come see the grove." His smile and the way he looked at me also betrayed that he might understand more of what was going on than I realized, or at the very least, he understood how welcome an escape might be.
Damien looked around the grove and put on a strong face. "You know, right now the hedges are still growing in, but once their finished they'll be upwards of fifteen feet high. They need to be that way so they can give the proper shade to the orchid of course. . ." He expounded. At first though not uninterested, I wasn't sure why he was telling me this, until he continued. "But that also means that once they're fully grown in . . . most of the view of the grove from the outside will be obscured, even from places like, the upper floors of the house let's say." He said innocently, before glancing my direction, and giving me a wink.
I realized exactly what he meant, and I had to hold back a bit of surprise. I was more than happy to accept all the kindness and normalcy that Damien had treated me with up to now, especially in comparison with how I had been treated by Raphael. But Damien was now suggesting a way to hide away and even escape from my guardians, his employers. I was shocked he would do that for me. That couldn't have been the entire point to the grove, could it? No, that was insane.
As my train of thought circled away from the original topic of conversation, Damien took a moment before speaking up again. "Of course, there's still a lot of work to be done here. It will probably take me a month or two before it's all completed." He said upbeat with a sigh. "But once it's done . . . " He started. "I want to put down a nice path between the outer beds and the centerpiece, a nice log bench as well maybe. I want the entire place to feel soft, and welcoming. Somewhere you feel at peace. Able to rest, read a book, keep good company." He said glancing around as he envisioned his glade to be. "Somewhere that invites you to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life." Damien turned back towards me once more. "It's those types of things that remind me where I came from." He said, his smile reflecting the harmony and grace that was to come.
I understood what he meant. I smiled back at him with understanding, and shared desire. "That sounds lovely." I said softly, wanting to get lost in his dream. "I'd very much like to return to see it again." Damien smiled happily at me, before turning back to the grove around him. I could feel his mind abuzz with all manner of different ideas of how to bring his vision to life.
Getting even just a glimpse into his vision that was both so beautiful, and so fueled by his love for his homeland filled me with my own longing. I took a nervous step forward next to him. "You know, with everything you've told me about it, I wish I had been able to visit Napaea Forest, and been given the chance to see the source of all of this beauty." I reflected wistfully.
Damien without looking chuckled at me for a moment. Before tilting his head with a nod to the side as he spoke. "It's closer than you think."
I looked up at him confused, but he just lifted the corner of his mouth in a smirk and kept staring ahead. Closer than you think? I knew Crevician geography. From where we were now just outside of the capital, the massive Rizen River ran between here and Napaea forest, needing at least a full days travel to reach the Barkstone Bridge that served as the main way to cross it. And even from there it was another half days travel to reach the edge of the forest. That wasn't close at all, let alone 'closer than you think'. Despite my confusion, I decided to say nothing and let the moment pass. It was better to share another moment with him than get caught lingering on one so meaningless.
But it wasn't too much longer before Damien gave a deep sigh. "Well, I suppose I should return you to the Mistress, now shouldn't I?" He asked, referring to Cynthia. He then turned back to me to give another playful smile. "We wouldn't want her to think I'm working you too hard now would we?" He joked with a wink.
I gave a small chuckle and tried my best to maintain my smile and the peace that came with it, despite my feelings on returning back to the care of my guardians. I nodded silently in agreement regardless, before finding my words for one last show of appreciation. "Thank you for sharing this with me Damien, I really enjoyed it." I said, trying my hardest to linger not on the fact it was over, but on how peaceful the brief time was.
Damien gave a smile that shined through his eyes, but stayed silent. After a few more moments, he now ready to lead me back to the manor. He motioned over toward the entrance of the grove, arm outstretched in true escort fashion.
"My Lady."
