Chapter 3-Lilacs
Lilacs. Purple Lilacs. The scent envelopes me.
I see Mary smiling and laughing as she twirls in the bright sunlight her white lacy dress fanning out around her like a giant snowflake she holds a red ribbon and a yellow one in either hand the only color in her outfit. She stands between the old arch at the end of the pool.
"Now you boys must race each other and see who is fastest to get the red ribbon." She says her voice akin to a bird's song.
Colin and I stood at the far edge of the pool he is velvet breeches and a fine cotton shirt his mousy brown hair still framing his eyes but his grey eyes intent. "Well Dickon, may the best man win." He replies with an edge to his voice, but smiles after and I toss the thought aside.
My worn shoes dig into the ground to get a good footing, I'm already taxed from planting the new willow tree today, and the sweat clings to my rough linen shirt. "Well tha' must beat me first Colin." I reply in jest.
Mary claps her hands together, "Now on my mark..." She transfers both ribbons to one hand which she holds out in front of her. Colin and I glance at each other again, he has a steely reserve as cold as the mountains behind his eyes, and I begin to wonder why.
"..GO!" she shouts and due to my distracted thoughts Colin gets off three feet ahead of me. His lanky legs so much stronger than when he first walked here years before. One foot lands speedily in front of the other. For myself I push to regain what lead I lost before. I inhale the scent of magic we awoke in the garden and pray that my feet do not slide on the dewy grass.
Just as I think Colin is about to win by a mere stride he slips on the grass and tumbles to the ground. I turn around to look and see if he is injured and instead collide with a net of red hair, lace and a straw hat underneath all of which is Mary.
Colin is getting up and brushing himself off indignantly, Mary bursts out laughing as she rolls from underneath me, a smudge of dirt marring her beautiful face her hat askew and grass sticking to her dress as she stands. Leaving me panting on the ground from the exertion of the day.
"Well my dear knights I do believe that neither of you has won the red ribbon, seeing as Colin ingloriously crashed to the earth and Dickon here did not nicely grab it but rather ran me over like a stray cat." She then attempts to tidy her appearance and ties both ribbons in her hair to glide off in the direction of the newly planted willow she had requested.
Colin does not so much as look in my direction but instead follows Mary and begins to beg her for the red ribbon anyway.
"…Colin you did not win though." Mary responds evenly
"I would have if I had not slipped you saw how I was leading Dickon." He pleaded.
"Why does a silly ribbon mean so much to you? After all you could afford to go buy one just as easily." She answers as she wraps her arms between the split in the tree's trunk making herself look like a modern nymph if there was such a thing.
"Since I must follow Dickon to war." He replied tersely crossing his arms, and suddenly I was no longer in my gardening clothes but in my uniform, and I was merely observing their interlude no longer a part of the conversation.
"Very well, but you shall have my handkerchief and Dickon shall have my ribbon." She said untying the red one from her braid.
He took the offered kerchief but declined the ribbon, "The red one Mary? Why not yellow?" he complained.
She merely held it to him, "Because he came the closest to victory."
Colin frowned.
I saw nothing but I felt my rough Army shirt on my chest and smelled lilacs. I was aware of a deep pain in my chest. I looked down to see my chest and red ribbons of blood poured out of it from a wound caused by a sharp rock I had fallen on while racing Colin.
A/N; Long wait I know, hope you liked it!
