Author's note: I'm not dead or on hiatus (not really anyway)! I'm just incredibly busy. I do have some of the chapters in the document manager for Taking the World by Storm, so please be patient with me. This is a belated birthday present for jellybean-hearts.
Another note: Yes, time is kind of skewed, but I made it so that Jack bought already grown tea roses (for Oswald) and seeds for them (for the garden)
Warnings/Other: Slightly before Oswald's Coming of Age Ceremony and before Oz was supposed to be killed, kind of skewed time, flower meanings, time skips, probably mixed up present and past tense that I don't want to edit anymore because my eyes hurt
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Flower meanings according to: the language of flowers . com
Tea roses- I'll Remember; Always
Hyacinth (Purple) - I Am Sorry; Please Forgive Me: Sorrow
Daffodil- Regard; Unrequited Love; You're the Only One; The Sun is Always Shining When I'm with You
Carnation Red - My Heart Aches for You; Admiration
Dreaming of Tea Roses
Glen's POV
March 10th (Present)
I won't forget you... Oswald...
Upon hearing those words, my senses were filled with a fond memory filled with tea roses bred secretly on Baskerville grounds by Jack specifically for me.
March 9th (Past)
Quite some time before the day of my Coming of Age Ceremony, Lacie and Jack decided to grow a garden filled with the flowers they believed best suited me, Levi, and themselves entirely on a whim. I did not know about this at the time due to Jack and Lacie's suspicious attempts to keep me away whenever I was not reading, observing, or resting, but as an avid observer, I did catch on to the fact that they were hiding something from me. It was not until the day before my birthday that I realized what they have been doing all this time.
I had been resting by the foot of a tree when suddenly I heard rustling coming from somewhere close by. By the time my eyelids had drowsily opened to see what was going on, I noticed that Jack was already sitting nearby simply watching in amusement my awakening from my unguarded slumber and the small birds that were perched on my head and shoulder while I was asleep.
Cheerfully, he commented on how interesting it would be if the Nightray duke or anyone else were to see me in this vulnerable state while I replied with a bit of offense, since he was clearly teasing me, and a gradual change of subject. Unfortunately, the direction the conversation took was not the most pleasant route as we reached the topic of how very different we are contrary to Jack's earlier expressed belief. To him, we are similar in many ways. We live and act like humans because that is simply what we are. However, that is not completely true. Baskervilles do not die as easily as ordinary human beings like Jack, and in addition to that, I am the next "Glen". Those with the title of "Glen" are merely vessels containing a multitude of souls that are past down from generation to generation. Our bodies die like everyone else, but our souls are left to wander until we are found by Humpty Dumpty which then we are brought together again in our new vessel. The Baskerville family considers "Glen" to be an important and necessary being. I, on the other hand, believe that this is a curse placed on a doll that must kill a human being for the sake of tradition and remain forever in limbo as time passes.
"The soul and the body... attract one another?" Jack mused distantly. "It's kind of romantic..."
Romantic...huh.
Feeling exhausted after talking so much, I stood up and stared at the sky as I continued to speak empty words while my mind was filled with cold words that weren't my own and melancholic wishes that Jack never noticed. Back then and even now, I've always wondered if things would've been different if I had met him first. If Lacie and I were not part of the Baskerville family, then would we have to be trapped in this unfortunate fate?
"Are you going back inside?" Jack questioned in an empty tone with his hands meticulously working on something hidden from view.
She is with him right now.
I didn't have the heart to send him away, nor did I want to have him watch the woman he loves alongside another man, so all I could think of to do was ask him if he wanted to join me in composing another song. Conversation was already used up for the day, considering how we reached a rather dark topic earlier, and there were passageways leading to the area where my room, so it seemed like a reasonable enough idea.
Upon hearing my suggestion, Jack agreed to accompany me quite happily before urging me to go on ahead while he follows behind. At that moment, Jack decided to catch me by surprise with something that had completely slipped my mind.
While my back was turned since I was starting to head back to the mansion, Jack placed a crown of flowers on my head while excitedly exclaiming "Happy Birthday" despite it being a day early. Surprised, I removed the crown, causing some of the petals to fall and get caught in my hair, to take a closer look at the flowers before turning to face my best friend who was grinning from ear to ear. In both the crown and his hair, there were a multitude of tea roses representing a hidden message that Jack may or may not have been aware of.
I'll remember. Always.
You are not just another "Glen". You are Oswald. You are a very precious friend to me.
Whether or not those words were a curse or not is still a mystery even after all this time. He never truly forgot me as "Oswald", but is not being forgotten really worth the pain of being hurt by someone I care about so strongly? Should I keep dreaming?
March 10th (Present)
Eyelids fluttering open, I drowsily instructed Vincent, who was waiting for me to awaken, to retrieve one carnation, red specifically, one hyacinth and one daffodil, and then inform Charlotte that they must be given to the prisoner while he is asleep. I knew full well how Charlotte felt about my feelings towards Jack, but at the same time, I knew that she would be the best person for the job as someone who knew him longer than the others. Before I change fate, I wanted him to know something that I could never bring myself to say in words.
"I love you even if you don't feel the same (daffodil and carnation) and I'm sorry (hyacinth)."
I hope that things will be different next time we meet.
Farewell, Jack Vessalius.
Alright! That's it. I'll get back to work now. Happy belated birthday jellybean-hearts! I'm really sorry for forgetting your birthday along with pretty much everyone else's (except my family members, myself, and my roommate who continuously reminded me about her birthday). I also apologize if this sounds really awkward. I tried.