Chapter Fourteen #3
Killian had forgotten that Kade was soft, he wasn’t like the guards that Killian surrounded himself with everyday, gruff and hard elves, soldiers.
Or the nobility that floated through the court when they visited, cold and distant and cunning.
Or the king, who for all his warmth could be just as cruel.
Kade wasn’t like them, he needed assurance and care. He craved it more than anything.
“Then we’ll ride back to Turell and beat Sila until he sells you back the vineyard.” Killian laughed when Kade groaned. More seriously, he said, “We’ll figure it out. Together.”
Sprawling over hundreds of acres, life grew in droves. Flora of all shapes and sizes dug their roots into the fertile soil and stretched towards the sky above them. Vines and branches grew intertwined, climbing the trees and covering the ground, a lush jungle of every color imaginable.
Elven and animal worn paths curled around the area, a drag path through the brush most traveled by Fyar and the creatures that called this place home.
One entity, breathing together. It was too perfect to be wild, and too wild to be contained.
Fyar knew every plant by name and property and could tell you exactly where it was within the chaos.
He’d planted each and every one by his own hand.
Killian smiled as Kade gaped like a fish. He barely blinked as he turned in a slow circle, like he was trying to absorb everything all at once.
The night sky was dotted with yellow and red fyreflies, their glow adding an otherworldly allure to the sacred space.
Nestled in the center—the deepest, wildest part of the garden, lay a marble pavilion overlooking the small pond that stirred with lotus and bright underwater creatures of orange and purple and white.
Twelve white columns held up a marbled roof, where brights of green and purple and pink crawled up and through the awnings and hung down over the benches that were nestled safely under the stone.
Two statues stood alone in the corner of the clearing, a man and a woman, a king and a queen. They stood close together, though they didn’t touch, their gentle expressions cast in the cold stone forever.
Their feet danced in a bed of ever blooming flowers. Fyar had told Killian they were poisonous, the most beautiful, tempting things always are.
“He was a good king. Once.” Killian stared up at the statue of King Numar.
He had only known him as a mad king, ranting and raving and sometimes not there at all, an empty husk.
He could still remember the feel of royal blood between his fingers, the weight of his body as he collapsed, wild white eyes full of betrayal, and worst of all, the sound of Fyar’s grief as he sobbed over the body of his father.
“All he’ll be remembered by are his shortcomings. ”
Kade just grunted.
“Here,” said Killian, tugging Kade over to a small patch of green growing close to the ground. He pointed at a viney plant with nettle like leaves. “Tell me what this is.”
It took a moment for Kade to catch on, still in shock from what he was seeing, but soon enough he was listing all kinds of medicinal properties for the leaf, the stem, and even the roots.
It was a common herb, found all over, and was especially good for soothing the itch of allergies. It was difficult to harvest because if you prick yourself on the nettles then blah blah blah.
Killian soon tuned Kade’s explanation out, content to just sit and listen. He could listen to Kade talk forever, just bathe in the sound of his voice, smooth and soft and excited.
Killian moved on. Asking again and again for Kade to identify the plants and herbs around him. They were pressed shoulder to shoulder even though they didn’t need to be, there was so much space around them, but every time Killian stepped away, Kade followed within seconds.
A time later, Kade stopped, and turned to eye him suspiciously from where he was knelt in the dirt, Killian crouching next to him, like he’d just had an epiphany. “Do you have any idea what I’m talking about?”
“Not a clue.” Killian could only imagine the obnoxious grin plastered on his face. “I’m a soldier, Kade. What do I care of plants?”
Kade elbowed him, a look of outrage on his face even while his lips were quirking into a smile. He looked so relaxed, so open and full of wonder. “So I could be completely wrong and neither of us would know?”
“Pretty much. But we both know you’re not. You know this stuff, Kade. You do.”
“What if I don’t? What if I panic tomorrow and forget everything I’ve ever learned?”
“Hokda will do that to you,” said Killian, nodding like he understood, because he did. “He’ll try to get under your skin. It’s what he does best. You can’t let him.”
“How do I stop him?”
“Remember why you’re there. Remember what you want.” Killian smirked. “Or you could do what I do and fantasize about all the different ways you’d kill him if you could.” Kade looked horrified. “What? It works. It’s very therapeutic.”
Kade shook his head in disbelief.
They stayed a little while longer before Killian decided to cut it off and herd Kade back towards the palace. He only convinced Kade to go with the promise of returning again if—when—he passed.